New and Experienced climbers over 50 #22

Russ Wallingwrote:

Cool.  Still chilling in Kalymnos

Ahhhhhh.  I can't wait to return!
Nice sunset with Talendos as a great backdrop. Thanks for sharing!
Have a great stay.

It seems like 1/2 the regulars on thiis thread are in the Med. right now. Wish I could be with you!!! Have to 'settle' for the RRG in a week---fine, but not quite the same ambiance as shown in everyone's photos.

Alan Rubinwrote:

It seems like 1/2 the regulars on thiis thread are in the Med. right now. Wish I could be with you!!! Have to 'settle' for the RRG in a week---fine, but not quite the same ambiance as shown in everyone's photos.

Don't knock the beer trailer

Yeah, that definitely has it's own 'ambiance' for sure, but.....

Alan Rubinwrote:

Yeah, that definitely has it's own 'ambiance' for sure, but.....

If it is still there, the 'convenience store' on the west side of the Nada Tunnel has an ambiance to trump everything down there.
I would be dead if looks could kill when we stopped in in '96.  Sure glad Ran and Joe were with me!

Alan Rubinwrote:

It seems like 1/2 the regulars on thiis thread are in the Med. right now. Wish I could be with you!!! Have to 'settle' for the RRG in a week---fine, but not quite the same ambiance as shown in everyone's photos.

Funny enough, after we climbed that crazy dam in Switzerland last week.

We drove a super easy 3hrs straight South to Varazze, Italy which sits right on the Italian Riviera. 

We had all these fancy plans, but then we saw all that blue blue blue water and our hotel was only €130 a night so we just parked it, hard! stayed for 4 days. 

We got back about 5 days ago, was as good as a trip can be.

Anything associated with Nada would fit that description.

For those unfamiliar with the Red River Gorge, "Nada" is the actual name of a 'village'---really more a collection of trailers and shacks, located between the north and south sections of the Gorge, featuring an extremely narrow  tunnel (remnant of the mining days) which the road between those sections funnels through. It is THE stereotype of 'Deliverance'-style Appalachia, with a population that seems far from 'welcoming'.  Never was a place more appropriately named.

We’re still in Bishop. Spent one day in the upper Gorge and one in lower. My sweetie joined us to climb on Wed. He only climbs outside 1-2 days a year but will still lead something. He’s now been climbing 52 years. 

@Hank, we have climbed in Finale, very close to where you were on the Italian Riviera, on one of our trips when we got rained out of the Alps.

On our recent trip to Europe in August, the weather sucked around the Eiger, where we were originally headed, and we ended up on the Cote d’Azur. That water is so so beautiful!  But we are already planning to try another Swiss Alps trip next Sept. 

phylp phylpwrote:

where we were originally headed, and we ended up on the Cote d’Azur. That water is so so beautiful! 

Speaking of Kalymnos, I found Aegean blue very appealing too.

Todd Berlier wrote:

I wonder sometimes how Porter comes up with all these ineresting names for his climbs.  Thanks for sharing this one, Todd.  
It looked too hard for me even from the ground so I kept walking. Wish I had tried Mercy the Huff but chose Wild Yet Tasty instead. Got to the top but did not like it.

Do you know the story behind Mercy the Huff or Stay the Hand?

Alan Rubinwrote:

Anything associated with Nada would fit that description.

For those unfamiliar with the Red River Gorge, "Nada" is the actual name of a 'village'---really more a collection of trailers and shacks, located between the north and south sections of the Gorge, featuring an extremely narrow  tunnel (remnant of the mining days) which the road between those sections funnels through. It is THE stereotype of 'Deliverance'-style Appalachia, with a population that seems far from 'welcoming'.  Never was a place more appropriately named.

Sounds like multiple banjo country!

We had similar places west of the gunks years ago

oldfattradguuy kkwrote:

Sounds like multiple banjo country!

We had similar places west of the gunks years ago

In the early 80s (not quite the 60s), we used to get pulled over west of the Gunks on the semi-regular.  They did NOT take it easy on us when they saw that we were just climbers passing through in the wee hours.  And we were fairly respectable grad students, not proper dirt-bags at all.

Todd Berlier wrote:

Funny you should ask!

Mercy the Huff, to my understanding came from a conversation Porter had with Miguel about smoking pot. My memory was that Porter was trying to guage if/how much pot smoking Miguel did and he wouldn't comment, but would say, "mercy, the huff," in a way that implied yes ive smoked pot and way to much.

close by are also aquaduck pocket  third world lover and another i can't remember  those 3 are fictitious band names taken from old infectious grooves album

"Huff" in drug jargon typically means sniffing glue or "huffing" paint thinner out of a bag. Yeah, I know nobody in Kentucky would have ever even thought about that....   

While some of you are complaining about not being in the Mediterranean is anyone thinking about me?    I’m thinking how nice it would be to be out of bed! Your pictures are ridiculously nice.

I am working on visualization right now… your stories and pictures help!  

My update is we hope we have the right bug identified and the right drug to treat it. This one is a 3-day protocol that is supposed to have no side effects so I must be a wuss—it’s killing me.! I hope it is giving hell to the bugs,  too.

Also, one among us recommended an herbal protocol from so. Africa. At first I was thinking not a good idea.  Now I’m thinking might be good after I’m done with this anti-protozoal.

I met my new primary this morning, in La Quinta… she was concerned at the rapid great loss of iron I’ve had over the past month so she sent me back to the lab for more testing and if it hasn’t improved we’ll be discussing iron infusion.  I was so relieved someone finally understood… she did her residency in hematology.  As much iron as I’ve been taking, she says I need to double it.  OMG. 

I know there have been climbing deaths this week and we lost a great mountaineer. I know people are stranded in Florida.  My heart is with all hurting people.  Still.. life can be hard for any of us.  Hopefully this too shall pass.    

Yes, we be thinking about you. 

This has been my theme song as I encourage the orderly movement of parasites.  A perfect song, and I hope Todd adds this one to his playlist.  Could anything be more modern or hip?    

Meanwhile, I feel bad.  Tony doesn't like to share his music with me because he thinks I won't appreciate it.  He's a Delbert McClinton guy.  Prior to Tony, I never heard of Delbert McClinton.  At the same time he wouldn't recognize a Led Zeppelin tune if it hit him upside the head.  I found us a compromise...

So, the thing about Chicago is I never really understood that it is 'midwest'. Tony is a midwestern guy... when all along I thought he was a Chicago Mafia-type cool. He's a little of both.

Music favorites, anyone?  

Lori, glad there's (hopefully) some progress, and maybe on multiple fronts too. However, methinks "Orderly Movement of Parasites" could be a dandy route name, no?   

Sadly, after meeting my trainer at (it's fun to play at...) the YMCA gym yesterday, it is quite apparent how woefully out of shape I am. Not that I ever was in shape. Happily, I'm sore today. And now have the upper body stuff from her for the weight room. Lower body on Monday. Weights have the big plus of at least having real specific numbers to track. 

There was another plus. I saw a flyer at the Y for a new Oncology program. Now, breast reduction isn't mastectomy, but is still surgery. I commented on it, and my trainer said she just completed the training for it! So I'm already set up with someone who can help me get back at it post surgery! No, I don't know for sure when it will happen. Hoping to be in contact this coming week. I called this week and the office was closed until the 3rd.

It's really nice here, now. Smoke cleared out, highs in the 70s. We're lucky here. Wildfires, sure, but still just not much big weather. Hot, and fires, are kinda everywhere anymore. But those rains! More than our annual rainfall, in single events. I literally cannot even imagine that here. I've been in 70+ mph winds a few times. Knowing what that's like  makes 150 just....insane to even ponder. Crazy.

It was fun to see the pics posted this morning! I woke up hideously early, so I popped up MP to see how many cbd spams were there. Zero! But, here was our thread, active. 

That made me smile!

And want DWS in warm blue waters.

Someday......?

Best, Helen

https://youtu.be/rtP7yH7l87w

PTRwrote:

In the early 80s (not quite the 60s), we used to get pulled over west of the Gunks on the semi-regular.  They did NOT take it easy on us when they saw that we were just climbers passing through in the wee hours.  And we were fairly respectable grad students, not proper dirt-bags at all.

In that same time period it was not unheard of to be hitch hiking from town to the traps and get a ride from a cop! 

I watched Bob climb this route and thought “I can do that. Easy!”    I could not do that. I gave it everything I had over 6 weeks and could not do that… even with smelly glue and tape on my fingertips and extra special sticky rubber on my shoes. I had to leave it for awhile. And then the bolts were chopped and that was that. 

I just wonder if you climbers appreciate the wonder of what you do. The skill, talent, machismo. The Jedi magic. Bob didn’t need finger glue (oil of benzene?) or extra sticky rubber. He just climbed it. 

Russ Wallingwrote:

Cool.  Still chilling in Kalymnos

Oh I want to go there. It’ll be my very first overseas holiday. I’ve been o/s in the army, a lot of Asia. ‘Drove’ the biggest ship in the Aust navy (at the time) to Nagasaki and back (HMAS Westralia). The steering wheel was the same size as that on a car. Morning drills were fun, fishtailing tue ship port and starboard as we dodged destroyers.