Slippery thimbles

Thanks, Alan! I have a Nikon D70, which I *can* put into manual mode to override the automagic settings. I will be spending a lot of time between now and April studying the instruction manual and taking test shots. I have a monopod which might be a little easier to take along.

Beverly, wishing I had paid more attention when DH was using his cameras

Oh, yes: had to learn that FIRST, before we got to use the things like this: >

...and the only thing we ever used for assisting ascent were prusik loops. I am talking slightly over 30 years ago, mind!

It's French, really. :)

....and budgerigar is Aboriginal and "OK" is universal these days.

I saw this on another ng the other day and thought it was superb: "> James Nicoll's epigram applies -

Ditto. I can't for the life of me remember how the harness was attached to the carabiner.

I do remember how to grab a rope when you want to pull hard, and sometimes use that grip when pulling weeds.

Joy Beeson, in northern Indiana and ankle-deep snow. (For small values of ankle.)

> >

Yes, in English, it's "bouncing off the cliff on the end of a string."

:-)

All that applies to English people too! Didn't know that about budgerigar though, thanks.

Mary

>>>>

Or, as I first did it, 'walking down walls on the end of a thread'. ;)

Sometimes I'm glad I'm a Scot - though even I have Huguenot and Irish blood in the mix!

Polyglots Rule! ;)

It's easy to see why the British use "abseil", since the nearest mountains are the Alps -- but how did Americans pick up "rappel" -- when they do it with carabiners and kernmantel?

When I was involved, they used Goldline -- a twisted-nylon rope. Spin like crazy when hanging free, and it was very stretchy. Horror story told -- may have "improved" before it got to me -- of a fellow who stopped to rest on a ledge halfway up a pit, then clipped back in and stepped off the ledge, plunged to the bottom, and ended up dangling in mid-air with two broken legs.

Joy Beeson

Only if you speak the Gaelic!

My rarely understood broad Yorkshire (as well as the more usual RP) doesn't count :-)

Mary