New and Experienced Climbers Over 50 #16

Yesterday, Erika and her husband Jim came over to climb with Jean and I at our local climbing area. We had a great time climbing with them and our friend Jeff. 

Both Erika and Jim are very strong climbers and I believe that they tried to kill an old man (me) on my  birthday. Just kidding.

Here are two lovely women chilling with Erika's dogs.

Erika at the crux of this overhang,

Jim climbing

After climbing, we went back to our house and had a BBQ and pool party.

Again, I want to thank Erika, Jim, Jeff and Jean for a great way to have a birthday party.

John

Oh my gosh what a wonderful day!! Thank you John and happy birthday! We pretty much had our butts kicked at Ralph Stover - steep overhangs, slick rock and 99.9% humidity. And we still had a blast!! John and Jean are machines - Jean sent every route and completed the pool diving board mantle. I had fun completely failing on 5.10 (photo was taken quickly before I fell off).

Gotta hand it to you Lori - this thread has introduced me to some amazing people who are becoming very good friends. Thank you for that. 

Edit to add some photos:

Birthday Boy with my dog Merlin

John climbing

Jean makes everything look easy (it's not easy!!)

I like this photo (even though I could not finish the route - I'm so bad at steep climbing!)

Hi, A bit of thread drift here,but 'Oldtrad guy', I expect to be in the Philadelphia area next weekend (7/24/5) and might get a day to climb (probably Sat)--and, weather permitting, I would love to get to Stover (I've heard about it since starting to climb but never been). If you have any interest in showing a visitor around, PM me. Thanks.  Alan

wendy weiss wrote:

Sometimes work you would enjoy (and care about) demands a degree and even an advanced degree. It's not necessarily about affording the American Way of Life. But I don't know how kids who aren't rich manage to do that today, at least without being buried in debt. 

I think there are alternatives:

1.  Start at a community college, then go to an in state public college or university. 

2.  Get a job.  Go to night school.  Find a job where the employer will pay for at least part of the cost. 

3. Join the military.  Let Uncle Sam foot the bill after discharge.  

4.  Those are just the obvious ones.  I'm sure more approaches exist.  

I agree that many good jobs require a degree/s.   And a well rounded college education is valuable beyond the work place.

Idaho Bob -- Some good ideas. I especially agree with your point that a well-rounded education is valuable beyond its market value.  

Idaho Bob wrote:

I think there are alternatives:

1.  Start at a community college, then go to an in state public college or university. 

2.  Get a job.  Go to night school.  Find a job where the employer will pay for at least part of the cost. 

3. Join the military.  Let Uncle Sam foot the bill after discharge.  

4.  Those are just the obvious ones.  I'm sure more approaches exist.  

I agree that many good jobs require a degree/s.   And a well rounded college education is valuable beyond the work place.

Regarding #3. From personal experience, the worst troops in combat (generally) were the ones who enlisted just for the college education. 

Carl, I'm with you. I'll leave the Poetry to you, I'll help with the part time town drunk everybody will be happier that way. Everybody always gives me beer, I smile drink half, Guy drinks the other half, life goes on happily for all. 

Wow! Happy birthday, John!!

So glad all of you got together, and I am unabashedly jealous, too!

Even of having the puppy ears to pet....

The four of you, John and Jean and Erika and Jim (hmmmm.... wasn't that a movie?)?

That's two of my tiny handful of multipitch climbs, numbers two and three, I think! Both times were truly great, with me on two ropes, and great climbers I trust enormously both ahead and behind. Number one, two and three were all different people, different locations, and in three different states, Oregon, Idaho, and Utah. Dunno that I'd count a pitch two on something or other with Erika in CO, more just a single pitch, but that was a super fun visit also! An additional super easy two pitch at City (yet other partners), and that's it, so far.

I'm supposed to climb at the gym this afternoon.... we'll see if the partner surfaces, or not, later. 

........ 

I had my annual wellness thing today, everything is good to great, numberwise, and she commented on my strength, fitness, keep up the good work, etc.

But? 

I stopped at Planet Fitness on the way home. Hopped on the leg press (?) machine, the one you sit down, scrunch your legs up into a squat, and push on a big plate to move the weights.

Anyway, that confirmed what's been apparent for quite awhile. The left is literally half the strength of the right leg, for a push like that. For climbing, that means a high step, or even not so high step, that I can stand up on, even assuming all the bendy parts are cooperating to get a foot somewhere in the first place. Regular old stairs are fine, but a higher rise than that, or crunched up tight, as you are on a verticalish wall, and not going forward, as with a staircase, well, that's a problem. And climbing is, after all, how I'll keep my mobility for the day to day stuff, honestly.

So, I need to get busy, eh? See if I can start shifting the numbers on that weight machine.

It's pitiful. Not a max effort, but the do smoothly and controlled push, that could be repeated, once the initial push got the weight engaged: both legs, 150, right leg about 50, and poor old left only 25ish.

That's the difference between needing hands and knees to get up off the ground...or floor, especially since I also can't get my legs underneath me very well. So it does actually matter, and not just in climbing. 

Best, Helen

OLH…. Keep pushing! Due to back injury my left leg is about 40% smaller (in diameter) than my right leg. I find that the “climb safe “ harness is the only off the shelf one I can use that adjusts the leg loops to the proper fit.

Talk about stupid. At one of the gyms I frequent, I got into a discussion with the “head setter” about college debt. He admitted that he owes $250,000 in student debt. A considerable sum if you ask me- probably reasonable if your into Medical or Financial work. At my last employer (the last) they start Mechanical  Engineers with a  Masters at 105,000/Year so I figure you could pay that off pretty quickly if you were determined. But this person got a degree in “aesthetics and design” at some small east cost liberal university.
What the heck???

And to Carl. When I listen to an adult who has the same thoughts as you do about pay- abilities- etc….  All I can think is “cannot be serious at all…” 

“the brain surgeon and toilet scrubber should be paid the same”….. maybe in Cuba or Venezuela, you know “workers paradise”.

Enuf political stuff - got to get my Bouldering stuff together- it’s Thursday so it’s Stoney time. Having a good time lately showing a young man, who I’ve been told has Autism, how to climb the rocks. I can’t tell you if he has or doesn’t have a problem. All I know is he was quite surprised that I knew most of the words to Genesis’s “Selling England by the Pound” LP. I show him the standard EZ beginner problems- I really struggle on them now and got an excellent spot from him the other day when I took flight. When he gets one of them I see a genuine smile on his face and we all hi-five the success.

That’s the Stoney Way- the old teach the new. Bobby Kamps gave me the secrets so long ago- I’ve been passing on the secrets ever since.

You all have fun. 

No college education here.  I went straight to work.  Fourtunatly i am fairly well read . despite my lack of formal education I regret never haveing the chance to experience that scene as a young adult. i suspect it is good for you.  I do believe that a good education for most of the citizens is critical to maintaining a decent society. the level of ignorance displayed in the tRump era is frightening. 

 I would expect that someone who joined the military  because they want to kick in doors and blow shit up is going to be a better fit in a combat unit than someone who is in it just for the benefits..   You don't ever want to fight a guy like Nate Diaze who actually enjoys being kicked in the face. 

Nick Goldsmith wrote:

the level of ignorance displayed in the tRump era is frightening. 

 

Nick- we agree 100%

Re "ignorance", yeah, it seems that way, and maybe it is that way, in fact.

But what use is that, the "ignorant" label? (Musing, not picking on anyone. This is what happens to me, brain wanders way off)

People are all different, even a bell curve doesn't reflect much of anything except what you end up with once you pool a whole bunch of whatever together.

That "autistic" boulderer? Might be able to get a sequence first go....abd remember it ten years later. Or not.

Myself? 

In theory, I was pretty bright, way back when, reading college level stuff in elementary school. No kindergarten then, that was for rich kids. I simply learned to read in first grade and went from there.

Yet?

Even now?

I have trouble with multiple choice quizzes.

Usually? 

I can figure out a way that almost every answer could be at least partially correct. That's certainly been reflected in my replies on MP, with me leaning toward not just seeing "the other side", but a whole spectrum of possibilities, some of which aren't even in the same cow pasture, let alone sitting on the fence with the rest of the internet cowpokes, lol!

So, ignorant?

I'll plead guilty. I have very odd and rather huge, holes in my knowledge and skills, including in person social skills. 

Not on that bell curve.

So I talk to those people who care every bit about....something.....as much as I do. Their kids having a reasonably okay life, is a pretty good bet. The injustice of...a lot, is another, ironically. The problems are the same, usually, it's the tricky part of working toward answers, that's the crux. Figure out what both want, the commonality....then you have a start. Pro/anti guns? Why? What do you actually want? Probably a safer place for your kids.  

Even if community college, or any college, isn't a remote possibility for those kids.

My blue collar dad's wages helped send my older brother to college. To keep him from Viet Nam. Once out of college? His air force papers and draft papers came the same day.

Me? 

I didn't have what it took to do it, the whole live on my own, find a job, and go to college, all at the same time, all on my own, at 18. 

Every single one of you is an extremist, after all.

We just call it climbing, and choose to be willfully ignorant of what all sensible people grasp, easily. 

Gravity.

Best, Helen

Thanks, Guy! I do intend to keep flogging the parts for as long as possible, duck tape and staple gun at the ready!

Oldtradguy wrote:

Yesterday, Erika and her husband Jim came over to climb with Jean and I at our local climbing area. We had a great time climbing with them and our friend Jeff. 

Both Erika and Jim are very strong climbers and I believe that they tried to kill an old man (me) on my  birthday. Just kidding.

Here are two lovely women chilling with Erika's dogs.

Erika at the crux of this overhang,

Jim climbing

After climbing, we went back to our house and had a BBQ and pool party.

Again, I want to thank Erika, Jim, Jeff and Jean for a great way to have a birthday party.

John

Happy birthday.  Where do you live? It looks lovely...

Nick Goldsmith wrote:

No college education here.  I went straight to work.  Fourtunatly i am fairly well read . despite my lack of formal education I regret never haveing the chance to experience that scene as a young adult. i suspect it is good for you.  I do believe that a good education for most of the citizens is critical to maintaining a decent society. the level of ignorance displayed in the tRump era is frightening. 

 I would expect that someone who joined the military  because they want to kick in doors and blow shit up is going to be a better fit in a combat unit than someone who is in it just for the benefits..   You don't ever want to fight a guy like Nate Diaze who actually enjoys being kicked in the face. 

I left school at 16 because I was a dummy. Completely uninterested and dis-engaged.  Painfully shy, never said a word, had no friends, hated everybody, including myself.  I was an 'emo' before there was such a thing.  Spent 8 years in a dead end job as a shop assistant, and spent weekend smoking dope and surfing. Then OI joined the army to 'make a man of my self'. That brought me out of my shell. Great thing about the army is that it's a level playing field. You have to walk the walk. Started off in the army in basic training as strong (was always lifting weights) but not aerobically fit. Got there though and became VERY fit, spent two years as a recruit instructor. was VERY good at my job, was student of merit or runner up on most courses I did. Then, after ten years, decided I was a pacifist and so got out.  Since then I have gained a few certificates and a few diplomas (In training and assessment) but no degree. 

I know some people who could wallpaper their houses with degrees but they're as useless as fuck.  I'd rather be a bit rough around the edges than some namby-pamby with a degree who thinks their shit don't stink. 

So many people posting such great thoughts.   Really nice.

I had a long drive home today with lots of time to ponder. Last night I reunited with my oldest son, Timothy, over an awkward dinner, but it was all good. Of all my kids we were probably the closest and yet when his dad died 18 months ago Tim has not spoken to me since. I tried to give him space to work through his issues but finally realized space could go on forever and it was time to fix this. It turns out he was more hateful about the “tree hugging hippie“ thing…a rap I got from his dad of being “a California libral”. He had heard it so many times from his father he finally decided it must be true… and somehow the cause of his dad’s drinking and death. I refused to be defensive but just let him talk. I dodged every comment about politics, Covid, lifestyles and just laid a lot of love on him.

I didn’t even remind him that I ran a business for 30 years owned a home and raised four kids which would be hard for a “Libral Snowflake” to do. He can win this one because he’s more important to me than being right. So progress was made and I know we have taken the first step of patching this up. This is another example of how damaging labels and assumptions can be.  They can blind you to the truth of what’s right in front of your face. I love my son.

And that’s how I’m feeling about everything right now. All the lifelong dilemmas (Did we go to college or drop out, make money or live poorly, send the kids to private school or unschool)  just don’t matter. Because the good news is we’re here, we’re safe, no one died this year, we like each other we root for each other—friendships and family matter so much.

Helen, So glad you’re healthy and went straight to the gym, you’re a better man than me. We’ve all got to do the work—not just talk about it.   You have inspired me.

So while so much falls away that used to seem so important, it’s  crazy but what’s really important to me now is can I climb one of Kris or Jan’s routes. Can I finish the majority of the Houser routes—those steep slab/face climbs that drew me in the first place? Can I learn the best smearing techniques and learn how to crimp without tearing off all my fingernails. Can I learn this belief system ya’ll refer to that will allow me to climb the unclimbable, and who better to teach that than Bob? The other important thing is love, family, generosity of spirit and for me, Tony.  He assured me he is eating his greens now and then texted me this proof:  (IS THIS FRIED CHEESE?   )

Carl Schneider wrote:

Happy birthday.  Where do you live? It looks lovely...

Carl

We live in northeast Pennsylvania. It is about 1.5 hours east of Philadelphia. There are only 6 houses in our neighborhood. Everyone has a little over 10 acres.

We had the house built in 1986. In the past we had the local farmer use about 8 acres for winter wheat and Timothy clover.  We then stopped that and have roughly 7.5 acres go natural with trees. I cut about 2.5 acres.

This is the front yard. The drive way is a little over 200 ft long.

John

Oldtradguy wrote:

Carl

We live in northeast Pennsylvania. It is about 1.5 hours east of Philadelphia. There are only 6 houses in our neighborhood. Everyone has a little over 10 acres.

We had the house built in 1986. In the past we had the local farmer use about 8 acres for winter wheat and Timothy clover.  We then stopped that and have roughly 7.5 acres go natural with trees. I cut about 2.5 acres.

This is the front yard. The drive way is a little over 200 ft long.

John

John, here’s a win-win—-Helen LOVES to mow lawns, pastures, full farms and orchards.  I volunteer Helen to come mow for you after she finishes her own mowing.  Don’t listen to her if she says she’s tired of it—she WANTS this. 

Lori, you may want to ask Bob about crimping technique. If you're tearing off your fingernails I'd say either your nails are way too long or you're grabbing the holds wrong.

Lori Milas wrote:

John, here’s a win-win—-Helen LOVES to mow lawns, pastures, full farms and orchards.  I volunteer Helen to come mow for you after she finishes her own mowing.  Don’t listen to her if she says she’s tired of it—she WANTS this. 

Lori

I am laughing. I like the way you think.

I would love to have someone else cut the grass. She could also weed around the house and garden and then weed whack around around the trees.

I do not believe that she can use my Z-turn lawn mower.  Her legs are too short to make her stay in the seat. She would be bouncing around and the kill switch under the seat would constantly shut off the mower.

John

Brandt Allen wrote:

Lori, you may want to ask Bob about crimping technique. If you're tearing off your fingernails I'd say either your nails are way too long or you're grabbing the holds wrong.

I thought 'crimping' was when you just dig your fingernails into sheer granite, and start believing you will stick.  Do I have that wrong?