New and Experienced climbers over 50 #21

I am in NY for the next 3 months.  

I am looking for some mid-week Gunks partners - who wants to climb?

I was chatting with Todd one time, and he told me he had aided a short route on Dinosaur Rock, that is was nice, and that I should go free it. 

Expecting the worst, I walked out there, and it did look nice. I ended up doing it (two new bolts with Todd's blessing). Dyno-Soar, 5.12a.

I do not know about that fish, Bob.     I always pictured salmon as cuter.  Glad you did not bring him home.  

I'm thinking about limits this morning, and 'reasonable expectations'. I worked this route to death, and just never quite climbed it clean.  I need more upper body strength, more technique, and more speed.  In a way, Bob has been that mentor for me who knows my abilities more than I know myself.  If he says let this fish go, then I probably should.  But until I hear those words, I'm still thinking about this beautiful route. 

Below is probably a more worthy pursuit for me.  Fun, and I can do it.  

Man... letting go, acceptance, release... things I did not expect to learn with climbing.  

Tony and I had a blowout yesterday.  It's been 30 days since his surgery.  The surgery was a success, and he's now able to get up and start walking.  However, he's lost 30 pounds in those 30 days... he won't eat.  Days go by where he will only tolerate a protein shake--and I have to force that on him.  I'm watching him get weaker and weaker, and suddenly yesterday I was scared.  I can't hover and force this (can I?)  He's sleeping so much of the time.  

Life in Joshua Tree is ... a little rougher.  Apparently our electric panel was patched together by non-professionals.    It blew two days ago, leaving us with only a few outlets, no AC, no fridge or stove.  Inside temp 95 degrees.  I started calling around, but it's a weekend.  Finally, an electrician came by, assessed that one main line is toast and actually melted onto the panel... we are going to need a new panel, but in the meantime, he ran to Home Depot and brought back a 70 to get us through a couple of days.  We can use the stove, or the AC, but not both at once.  So I yelled at Tony. "You have to eat. I need you to get strong again."  He ate. 

Hi Lori, here' s a pretty one from last year. When salmon are silvery like this their flesh is in prime eating condition.

Glad you got your AC up and running!

Bob Gaineswrote:

Hi Lori, here' s a pretty one from last year. When salmon are silvery like this their flesh is in prime eating condition.

Glad you got your AC up and running!

Bob I don’t know if you noticed but that salmon is giving you a serious stink-eye.  

When the fish is looking down at the water you know that it was not overplayed and is likely to survive being released.

Lori Milaswrote:

I do not know about that fish, Bob.     I always pictured salmon as cuter.  Glad you did not bring him home.  

I'm thinking about limits this morning, and 'reasonable expectations'. I worked this route to death, and just never quite climbed it clean.  I need more upper body strength, more technique, and more speed.  In a way, Bob has been that mentor for me who knows my abilities more than I know myself.  If he says let this fish go, then I probably should.  But until I hear those words, I'm still thinking about this beautiful route. 

Below is probably a more worthy pursuit for me.  Fun, and I can do it.  

Man... letting go, acceptance, release... things I did not expect to learn with climbing.  

Tony and I had a blowout yesterday.  It's been 30 days since his surgery.  The surgery was a success, and he's now able to get up and start walking.  However, he's lost 30 pounds in those 30 days... he won't eat.  Days go by where he will only tolerate a protein shake--and I have to force that on him.  I'm watching him get weaker and weaker, and suddenly yesterday I was scared.  I can't hover and force this (can I?)  He's sleeping so much of the time.  

Life in Joshua Tree is ... a little rougher.  Apparently our electric panel was patched together by non-professionals.    It blew two days ago, leaving us with only a few outlets, no AC, no fridge or stove.  Inside temp 95 degrees.  I started calling around, but it's a weekend.  Finally, an electrician came by, assessed that one main line is toast and actually melted onto the panel... we are going to need a new panel, but in the meantime, he ran to Home Depot and brought back a 70 to get us through a couple of days.  We can use the stove, or the AC, but not both at once.  So I yelled at Tony. "You have to eat. I need you to get strong again."  He ate. 

I believe it is quite common for anesthesia to cause significant reduction in appetite.  Food can have a metallic taste as well, making it even less appealing,  The longer the anesthesia, the worse the appetite loss.  If this is the case, his appetite should return to normal soon.

Lori, I think about Tony at least once every day. Watching that movie with him was  a blast. Somehow he could clue me in as to what was about to happen next without taking away from the surprise. Maybe he should be a film critic, not everyone can walk you through a movie without spoiling the ending. Say hi for me.

Sleep is the body recovering. If he's sleeping soundly and comfortably you can't ask for more. Obviously he needs to get up and move around too.

Tim is right about the post-anesthesia loss of appetite. Hopefully he'll wake up hungry one of these days. I'm sure he will. 

Everyone has done all they can, especially you. All Tony needs to do now is to rest and recover. 

K

Kristian Solemwrote:

Lori, I think about Tony at least once every day. Watching that movie with him was  a blast. Somehow he could clue me in as to what was about to happen next without taking away from the surprise. Maybe he should be a film critic, not everyone can walk you through a movie without spoiling the ending. Say hi for me.

Sleep is the body recovering. If he's sleeping soundly and comfortably you can't ask for more. Obviously he needs to get up and move around too.

Tim is right about the post-anesthesia loss of appetite. Hopefully he'll wake up hungry one of these days. I'm sure he will. 

Everyone has done all they can, especially you. All Tony needs to do now is to rest and recover. 

K

Oh, Kristian, this brings tears.  Thank you for saying this!  I thought Tony was joking when he suggested watching Quigley Down Under.  This is Tony's idea of fine art.    It was late, I knew you were tired, I was very tired... and here he was pulling  up this movie.  I thought "Oh, Kris is gonna hate this." but you were a captive audience.  I'm glad your memories are good ones, since nothing delights Tony more than sharing his movie.  I hope you'll come back again... Tony asks about you.  You know there's a bedroom here waiting.

Thank you Tim, and Kris, for your thoughts on Tony's not eating and anesthesia.  It's been so perplexing!  He decided to snap out of it yesterday... eating little by little.  Not that he didn't need to lose the weight, but not this way.  He keeps assuring me he's strong.  I guess this is something about 'you men' that I just admire but can't relate to... you gotta go your own way, in your own time. My mothering only takes him off his game. 

Perhaps T and I are playing tag team.  I've been holding up through these surgeries and recoveries, and trying to deal with my own stuff on the side.  I finally understood yesterday that this has come at a cost, and now it is my turn.  I've been feeling lousy for over a year, and knowing this is not just 'tired'.  I was hoping maybe it was fatigue from climbing, or being old.  But I knew it was more than that.  I was just diagnosed with "Exocrine Pancreatic Insufficiency" or EPI... which actually I've known about for some time--but with the CT scan, the various lab tests, it's 'severe'.  That Creon... the digestive enzyme I was so upset about... is to digest food.  While diabetes is so well studied (the other function of the pancreas), EPI seems to be entirely overlooked.  So, I've been under-treating, or not treating at all, all this time.  Yesterday I was given a video by a doctor at Harvard who is the premier expert on pancreatic enzyme therapy... I wish I had seen it sooner.  I've lost 20 pounds, I've become weak and soooo tired.  So, all the effort to 'eat more protein', more liver, more of everything to try to feel better... you're only as good as what you can digest.  

This is the only disease I know of where a doctor can just hand you a bottle of pills and say 'take some of these', without a clue as to how many, or what is really needed or what damage may already have been done from malabsorption of food over months/years.  I was so concerned about the excipients in this prescription that I avoided it altogether and substituted with OTC meds. I finally located another version, picking it up from pharmacy today... according to this Harvard doc, start at the maximum dose, and titrate down if necessary.    I have to say... while I feel like I should just permanently tuck myself into bed and stay there, I need climbing more than ever--even if the cost is the wipeout I had been feeling after every outing.  Come to think of it, those who have been sidelined... I can relate to the sadness about that, and the eagerness to get back out there and do SOMETHING, even if it's not all you had hoped.  

An edited thought... I have resisted the idea that this thread is about old people trying to climb, about all the frailties of the 'elderly', of the eye-rolling of geezers still trying to send.  Actually, I have felt stronger and more fit than at any previous time in my life.  This inevitable decline they talk about doesn't resonate with me... but law of averages, shit happens eventually.  I have such respect for the strength, skill, wisdom, technique and heart of all the climbers here, including those who no longer climb because of illness or injury along the way.  It's a rugged crew here, with a ton of soul. 

Thank you all again.  You all have been such amazing companions on this journey... 

Ran into this tiny guy recently. Little guys are strong indicators of big ones nearby! I'm always happy to see the garter snakes are still managing to make a living in/near my yard. I try to leave the edges "wild", but it is a city lot nonetheless. The canals and river going through Boise make a big difference.

It's still too stinkin' hot for much of anything at all, here. Well past 100, for many days, not the first triple digit stretch, and the "cooler" bits are just back to the 90s, which means the local black basalt doesn't even cool off overnight. It still radiates heat in the morning, even though it's shaded then. Sun, well, climbing shoes spontaneously combust just after sliding off any attempt at climbing on the greased glass.

So? 

Climbing partners and I decided to just go to City of Rocks anyway. Camping. In August. Twice. 

Wandering out a little further in the desert I’m not sure what I’m looking at here. Just past comic book opposite Watergate, I don’t see bolts but I sure see some nice climbing. Does anyone enjoy Springsteen? This summer has been a Springsteen summer for me… The Rising, the Fuse… it’s just about perfect.

Lori Milaswrote:

Wandering out a little further in the desert I’m not sure what I’m looking at here. Just past comic book opposite Watergate, I don’t see bolts but I sure see some nice climbing. Does anyone enjoy Springsteen? This summer has been a Springsteen summer for me… The Rising, the Fuse… it’s just about perfect.

It's a rock.

Edit to add, google says it's a mountain range. I love idiocy!

Old lady Hwrote:

It's still too stinkin' hot for much of anything at all, here. Well past 100, for many days, not the first triple digit stretch, and the "cooler" bits are just back to the 90s, which means the local black basalt doesn't even cool off overnight. It still radiates heat in the morning, even though it's shaded then. Sun, well, climbing shoes spontaneously combust just after sliding off any attempt at climbing on the greased glass.

So? 

Climbing partners and I decided to just go to City of Rocks anyway. Camping. In August. Twice. 

 

Helen, I was at the City last week.  High temperature of 31 to 34 C each day.  Climbed (in the shade) until noon, then went back out around 4:30 pm and again climbed in the shade.  Overnight temperatures around 15 C.  Pizza at Rock City only on Friday and Saturday.  

Old lady Hwrote:

It's a rock.

Edit to add, google says it's a mountain range. I love idiocy!

I love that shot of Lone Pine Peak. I've climbed both of those ridges, the right (north) one more times than I can remember. After the first time, it became a short day hike and I'd find time to squeeze it in whenever I was in the neighborhood. The left one, the north east ridge, is much more involved. I did it once with a bivy. It was without a doubt the most memorable bivy of my life.

As the sun set Larry Cote and I were watching the Hale Bopp comet, a spectacular and highly visible comet in 1996. We were bummed when the full moon took over the sky, but we had no idea what was about to happen. September 26, 1996 was a total eclipse of the moon, visible from Southern California. Around 8:00 or 9:00 PM, when the eclipse reddened, then darkened the sky, and the comet showed itself, I think I saw God.

Then the moon came back out and it was too bright to sleep, and to cold, so we burned some and sat it out. The next morning it turned out that this stupid, thin, insanely exposed couloir up high was my lead. I thought I was going to see God again, on less willing terms. Memories.

Todd: All three problems are very pretty, and those two at the base of the sea cliff are really amazing.  Thanks for sharing.

Minor update from my end:  There's a PT that comes highly recommended near me, but I haven't been able to get them to return my calls or their little website application thing.  In the meantime, I read up on ulnar nerve entrapment.  Seems that one of the main therapies is to try to let the nerve get some down-time by ensuring your arm remains straight while you're sleeping.  So I made myself a sort of soft cast and learned how to sleep with my arm straight for a week, while doing lots of icing and ibuprofen.  I stopped using the improvised physical restraint, (and the ice and ibuprofen) but I think I'm maintaining the new sleeping positions, and it appears to have made a difference that has lasted a week so far.  The numbness is gone and has not returned yet.  I will keep up this regimen (retraining my arm if I find myself waking up with a bent arm and numb fingers/hand again).  

I don't put too much faith in self-diagnosis and treatment, but I'm hopeful that at least this suggests that I may be on the right track.

Also loving my new Prius Plug-in.  So far I've almost exclusively powered it with sunlight from our new rooftop solar.  Averaging over 400 miles per gallon of actual burned gasoline.

GO

Old lady Hwrote:

Ran into this tiny guy recently. Little guys are strong indicators of big ones nearby! I'm always happy to see the garter snakes are still managing to make a living in/near my yard. I try to leave the edges "wild", but it is a city lot nonetheless. The canals and river going through Boise make a big difference.

It's still too stinkin' hot for much of anything at all, here. Well past 100, for many days, not the first triple digit stretch, and the "cooler" bits are just back to the 90s, which means the local black basalt doesn't even cool off overnight. It still radiates heat in the morning, even though it's shaded then. Sun, well, climbing shoes spontaneously combust just after sliding off any attempt at climbing on the greased glass.

So? 

Climbing partners and I decided to just go to City of Rocks anyway. Camping. In August. Twice. 

 

Helen

We have a nice garter snake which lives under the front step of the entrance to our house. He has lived there for a couple of years now.

I went out to the store one day and found this guy on my windship wiper in the garage. I have no idea of how he got onto the car.

We also have a couple of bigger ones that live in our raised beds in the garden. They do not bother you but you do get a little startled if you do not pay attention. One time Jean moved a small black covering from a 5 gal bucket and it had about 20 little baby snakes in it. She was not too happy to see them. She throw the bucket into our field behind the garden.

John

I love living in VT where they snakes are always harmless.   

Nick Goldsmithwrote:

I love living in VT where they snakes are always harmless.   

I'm with you on that, the amount of Copperhead devils where I lived last was more crazy than the rattlesnakes in the west. Totally camouflaged and silent F that!

M Mwrote:

I'm with you on that, the amount of Copperhead devils where I lived last was more crazy than the rattlesnakes in the west. Totally camouflaged and silent F that!

Agree, I'd rather deal with rattlesnakes.  They let you know when you're too close.  

Supposedly there are Timber rattlers in VT and NH but you have to be a real expert to find one.  60 years of playing outside I have never seen one.  I suppose with global warming that is bound to change.  I know we never had ticks here until the mid 2000s and now we are infested...