AN OPEN LETTER TO BILLY CORGAN

DEAR BILLY: Even though the relevance of your band has slipped away like the last vestiges of your hair, it's great to see that you've retained your delusional pomposity ["An Open Letter from Billy Corgan," July 12]. While I dispute your self-proclaimed title of "the Most Important Band in the World," I will admit you to be the obvious deity to legions of emo twats and 14-year-old goth-wannabes who are too intimidated to worship Marilyn Manson.

Your whiny lyrics and mangled-cat delivery WERE revolutionary in the late '90s... although your impact in the music industry is questionable of late. After reading your open letter, I wanted to add a positive response. You should pursue a career in comedy, as your self-inflated ego is exaggerated to epic proportions, à la Spinal Tap.

I wish you and your current "band" all the luck in the world, and I might attend a show when you're playing a Marriott lounge or state fair... provided I'm trying to woo the 19-year-old disaffected psychology student who works at Blockbuster and is constantly trying to argue the philosophical merits of the Matrix trilogy. Take care and thanks for the laugh.

Guitarboy

For more coverage of Billy Corgan, see page 9.

LOST IN THE FOREST

EDITOR: Thanks for the enlightening article by Chris Weeg ["Into the Woods," July 5]. I'd been wondering since reading about attorney Cindy Wysocki's adventure what extreme stupidity she engaged in last November to get so lost. Hundreds of thousands of people venture into the Cascades without getting lost or dying, and Weeg's article highlighted three important safety tips that hikers should follow that were not considered by the subjects of the article. Rule one: Don't stand on the edge of a cliff or you'll end up like Jeff Graves. Two: When fording a creek that's deep enough to drown in, use a damn rope or suffer the fate of the Blakelys. And three: If you go hiking anywhere in the Cascades, go to REI and buy a topographical map of the area (especially if it is snowbound) or you may end up like Wysocki.

Ben Schroeter

GRACE AND GRATITUDE

DEAR EDITOR: I would like to thank Chris Weeg for volunteering to help find my brother Jeff Graves. We (Jeff's family) experienced many similar kind actions and thoughts from people during the search for him. We would like to make it widely known that the people of Mount Rainier National Park did everything possible to find him quickly. We could not imagine a more dedicated or skillful rescue operation. The bleak outcome was not due to a lack of effort or resources put forth.

Although Jeff's death was probably not due to trail damage from last winter's floods, his family would like to encourage donations to Washington's National Park Fund, a partner in a public-lands coalition called the Mount Rainier and Western Washington Storm Recovery Group. Donations at the following website can be designated for Mount Rainier flood-damage restoration in Jeff's name: https://secure.groundspring.org/dn/index.php?aid=10549.

If you would like to volunteer on a trail crew or get information on hiking safely, Washington Trails Association has a great website: www.wta.org.

Lynn Graves

MADE HER THINK

DEAR EDITOR: Your last two feature articles ["Into the Woods," Chris Weeg; "Getting Patrick Pregnant," Jen Graves, July 12] were refreshingly off the beaten path. I am an avid hiker and camper, and Weeg's article served as a poignant reminder to prepare for the worst when venturing into the wilderness, even on a day hike. Thanks to this article, I have vowed to never again head off into the woods with just a water bottle.

Graves's article resonated strongly with me, even though our situations are dramatically different. I am a mother of three, a 4-year-old daughter and 9-month-old twins, a boy and a girl. Neither pregnancy was planned, and I had intense feelings of ambivalence with the second. I had just gotten used to the idea of having a second child, when an ultrasound showed two little bodies in my uterus. My boyfriend started jumping around the room like he'd just won the lottery; I felt like I wanted to jump off a bridge.

As women, though, we aren't supposed to feel anything but happy about carrying a baby (or babies, as the case may be). The few times I openly admitted my ambivalence, I was immediately sorry I had. People were very judgmental. I applaud Graves for her honesty and for her careful consideration of what becoming a mother would mean for her. Most people give less thought to becoming parents than they do to buying a new car.

Jessica

DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS: Two weeks ago, Erica C. Barnett reported that blogger David Goldstein (www.horsesass.org) had praised the mayor for his environmental efforts ["Environmentalism 101," July 5]. In fact, it was Goldstein's co-blogger Will Kelley-Kamp who praised the mayor.