Outdoor Listings
March 28-April 3
BY TED KATAUSKAS
243-2122

Because He's There...Somewhere
Think litter is a problem in your neighborhood? Try spending a few months on Mount Everest. There's more trash and dead bodies strewn about the slopes of the world's tallest peak than the streets of North Portland. Luckily, Portland Mountain Rescue's Ted Beeler is on his way to help clean up the mess--and hopefully find the body of John Irvine, the climber who vanished with George Leigh Mallory in 1924, along with a camera that might prove they beat Sir Edmund Hillary to the top. Until May 31, the sponsors of Beeler's expedition will match donations made to Portland Mountain Rescue, which desperately needs to replace its cache of aging two-way radios. If you plan on climbing our big mountain this season, you'd better whip out your plastic right now and give these guys a call, or the next corpse they drag down the Palmer Glacier just might be yours.

Call 972-7743 for more information,
or try www.pmru.org.

Mmmm...Mazamas!
Planning a summer trip in the great Northwest but don't know where to go or what to do? Chris Riedener, the Mazamas' in-house explorer, has lots of ideas, and lots of pictures, too. His "Northwest Adventure" slide show will cover a lot of activities (from sea kayaking to mountaineering) and a lot of territory (from Alaska to Northern California). So give that barstool a rest tonight and head over to the Mazamas clubroom.

909 NW 19th Ave., 227-2345, www.mazamas.org. 7 pm Wednesday, March 28. Free.

Smoke More Rock
You, too, could rent a date for this weekend. Not on Burnside, bonehead. At Portland Rock Gym. For 35 bucks an hour, you can go one-on-one with a rock jock or jockette. If you've never done this sort of thing before, start with "Friday Night Heights," where $20 will get you a three-hour six-way with an instructor who will gently walk you through all the moves. Harness included.

Portland Rock Gym, 2034 SE 6th Ave., 232-8310. Private lessons weekdays 11 am-5 pm, weekends noon-5 pm; "Friday Night Heights" every Friday 6-9 pm.

Igloo Fever...Catch It!
Or you can always spend Saturday night in an igloo on Mount Hood with a stranger. NW Discoveries will offer two more weekend overnight courses covering the basics of igloo and snow-cave construction. They provide the guide, snowshoes, shovel, dinner and transportation. You bring the wine.

NW Discoveries, 624-4829, www.nwdiscoveries.com. Saturday-Sunday, March 31-April 1 and April 7-8. $125.