New and Experienced climbers over 50 #23

S. Neohwrote:

I wish it is true that the obesity crisis is limited to 340 million people.  The rest of the world is 'catching up' and that is not a good thing.
Hint: by and large, fast food is like a drug. One gets addicted to it. Over time, one develops a tolerance which is to say one needs more and more over time in order to achieve the same level of 'high'. The body desensitizes the dopamine receptors so that the Hypothalamus does not get over stimualated. And that is the start of developing a tolerance. At least according to this episode.

I remember watching Hill St Blues all thru college (the same 6 or 7 years).  How groundbreaking was that?  Geez, time flies!!

I watched the episode of Nova last night(season 47 Got a lot to catch up on!) and now see where they were going with what you described. The focus on the guy who appeared on the Biggest Loser show really hammered the point home on how the body works as well as the study on the hunter gatherers in Africa. Its crazy how their bodies require 2500 calories a day as well as the pasty desk jockey who sits in front of a screen all day, it does kind of blow apart what we knew about caloric intake. The only thing about the show that we criticized was they kept using words like often and probably to describe a very small percentage of people, almost as an attempt to make people feel better about the triple bacon cheeseburger and 32oz Coke they had for lunch. Gross food isn't so foreign to me, I love the occasional plate of deep fried grease or bag of flamin hot cheetos and can fully understand how people have become "addicted" , luckily I appreciate being able to hike/climb a mountain too much to let those addictive food qualities take over my life. 

Airlines said they were going to crack down on the service animal scammers, apparently they haven't cause I saw plenty of them flying around Xmas. They also said they were going to crack down on obese folks trying to squeeze into regular sized seats, that didn't really happen either as I can attest. Luckily that flight was only an hour...

Photo by Alex Aristei. Jeremy Schoenborn sent hydra this week. I can’t find it on Mountain Project— I wonder if it’s another Scott Cosgrove route. It makes me happy to see him so strong and healthy and happy. He’s also polite and obviously well-raised because he’s genuinely interested and kind to me. I like to tease him that he doesn’t climb he just reaches with those long arms and legs.

Which brings me to a kind of reverie this morning that’s probably too personal and probably not many can relate to but maybe some can. I was surprised at the flood of unexpected feelings I had yesterday walking out in the rain, visiting the Barker area.I felt such an intense longing for all the fun and the joy and the adventure that had to sit on the shelf for so many years. I didn’t mind it-honestly I didn’t. But when that day came that I could walk away I was like a bat out of hell.“Retirement” meant something very different for me.

It answers the question for me of why even while I was climbing hard I was afraid it wouldn’t be enough… There wouldn’t be enough time or there wouldn’t be enough of me. So maybe that separates us into two camps… Those who have had a lifetime of doing pretty much everything they wanted and those who got dropped into a different life at the last minute.   I guess that would be a third group of folks here who no longer climb due to injuries or various illnesses and yet are so gracious about it.

It’s a reminder to me to grab all the fun and satisfaction we can on this day regardless of circumstances. It just has to be enough!

I found this clip of Bob coaching me through the hardest few feet of the hardest climb I have attempted. Clearly I was in over my head for that stretch of rock but I am just tickled at the great coaching from Bob Gaines.  I don’t know if I could do it any better today but he knew exactly how far to push and how to give clean clear direction. It would be so cool to go back and do it again one day – – the whole route clean. I am so much better on slab but I learned a few things on this one.

So when I talk about retirement I just think how many 69 year old ladies would ever get to climb like this?

phylp phylpwrote:

Last night we watched:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zeqI9axxrco  (if you put the app on your TV you can watch it on the big screen.  Lots of commercial interruptions, most of which you can skip)

Statement of Youth - the birth of British Sport Climbing (documentary)

1980's - That was an amazing period in the development of sport climbing.  They report that the high mark in Great Britain went from 7c to 9a within one decade.  And talk about the bright tights era!  The movie is fun, with Moffat, Ben Moon, their gang, guest appearance by Jibe. Many of you will remember when he established To Bolt or Not To Be at Smith - 14a in 1986!

I enjoyed Statement of Youth very much. I even watched again with my wife who is not a climber and she enjoyed it too. I have since read Jerry Moffat's book which is also pretty good.

Victor Creazziwrote:

I have since read Jerry Moffat's book which is also pretty good.

Our British friend Andy who lives in Sheffield, up the hill from that house, says that Ben Moon's book "Statement" is good too.  I'll put both of them on my Excel spreadsheet of "books to read". Not surprisingly, neither are available through the LA Public Library.

Just more evidence for anybody who still doesn't believe "big brother tech is watching you":

Andy and I chitchat thru Facebook Messenger.  5 minutes after our back and forth about this movie, which includes the words "Sheffield" and "down the hill", an article pops up in his Facebook feed on Sheffield's steepest streets. 

phylp phylpwrote:

Our British friend Andy who lives in Sheffield, up the hill from that house, says that Ben Moon's book "Statement" is good too. 

Ordered. Thanks

Yes I can do MP at the same time. Its just walking.

It's soggy here, but not like CA. We do get the same storms, they just cruise right to Boise from North CA. A lot less to them once they get here though. It is making for a good snow year, which means I'll have water for the yard this year.

No pics of me, and a not great bit of Paul, but, the old lady hauled her long suffering belayer out to try curling! It was stupid good fun!

Lori, obviously I am one who was abruptly and unexpectedly dumped into a rather great life, almost no limits.....but. Old.Damn. It sure would have been great with even 5 years earlier, but, I am grateful nonetheless and very very cognizant of how fortunate I am.

Our sucked "health" system coupled with the whole "food" system criminality, well, best don't get me going. Except I was wondering just what was happening in the expanded greenhouse presence behind the Simplot research offices, when I biked by yesterday.. Most never heard of Simplot (it was held privately), but ol J.R. Simplot got astonishingly rich off of spuds. 

Screen time? Pretty shameful, I'll admit it. I'll sort of binge, but it's more just letting it drone on while I do 3 other things. "Reality" tv. There. I admitted it in public.   

Hope no one's floated out to sea! Calling the Marin county in laws is on my list.

Best, Helen

Oh! And yesterday was the virtual reality place! I was terrible at even figuring where buttons were and what I was supposed to do. Hey, I predated...everything, okay? So Paul largely fended off the zombie apocalypse single handed.

Simplot also makes a ton of money making cows fat out past Grandview.  There are thousands and thousands of them out there.

phylp phylpwrote:

Last night we watched:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zeqI9axxrco  (if you put the app on your TV you can watch it on the big screen.  Lots of commercial interruptions, most of which you can skip)

Statement of Youth - the birth of British Sport Climbing (documentary)

1980's - That was an amazing period in the development of sport climbing.  They report that the high mark in Great Britain went from 7c to 9a within one decade.  And talk about the bright tights era!  The movie is fun, with Moffat, Ben Moon, their gang, guest appearance by Jibe. Many of you will remember when he established To Bolt or Not To Be at Smith - 14a in 1986!

Thanks for the link.  I will watch it this weekend.

I believe J.B. got thrills from showing up Americans, esp on our home soil. Following up on To Bolt, he returned to Smith in 1992 to send an 'open' project.
Of course, after the epic send, he had to name it Just Do It. That climb stood for quite a while as the hardest route in the US, awaiting an American send.

Sharma finally put a stop to that agonizing wait in '97!
That speaks volumes about the longevity of Sharma.  Subject for another time.

I haven’t quite figured out what this is. Might watch it.

well, Tony has been in bed all day in desperate pain. He took cholcisine in case it was the gout, he finally took a Norco, nothing is helping. Suddenly  it occurred to him it could be the shingles vaccine he took yesterday. I have never seen him in bed a whole day.  

Finally got out climbing again today. its a bit on the brisk side.. 

so Isa decides we should climb in the shade... 

the folks across the street in the sun were slightly more ambitious than we were. spot the leader on the hanger up left.

my shoulder is not happy.... 

Lori Milaswrote:

 Suddenly  it occurred to him it could be the shingles vaccine he took yesterday. I have never seen him in bed a whole day.  

That one was a pretty difficult one for me and everybody I know.  I was quite sick for a couple of days.  The second round was not nearly as bad.

phylp phylpwrote:

That one was a pretty difficult one for me and everybody I know.  I was quite sick for a couple of days.  The second round was not nearly as bad.

My 1st shingles shot sucked bad.

Live and uncut photo of OLH consoling a gote who is despondent at not being able to go home with her.

Good morning! Just as we were running out of TV shows to watch I was able to download the PBS app onto our TV and set up full access to shows I haven’t been able to watch in years. I don’t think Tony was too excited about this but I was. What I really wanted was The PBS NewsHour because I can’t bear to watch another minute of cable “news” aka “preaching”. But also there’s the nature channel and nova and incredible series like the one on Ali. It was hard to choose among so many shows but I got caught up on the documentary about the Zambezi  river in Africa.  What a captivating episode! but especially the part about the surfing on the Zambezi curl which is a long tube that happens for exactly 10 days a year and the incredible journey a surfer would have to go to just to get to it.

The other thing was footage of a “safari lodge“ along that river that is beautiful and rugged and where elephants and baboons roam the interior of the lodge and just make themselves at home. I did not see Tony look up to watch much of this but maybe it was the shingles.   

It’s odd how something will catch you by surprise and not leave. I was working my way through Jimmy Chin’s new series and one episode was about a kayaking group going down a crocodile infested river and where the very experienced guide was suddenly snatched by a crocodile, pulled under and killed. They caught this on live footage—including the shrieks— and it was so fast and it was such a shock to everyone and they still had to maneuver their way to the shoreline, leaving their dead partner behind. (Probably not much left to leave)  I haven’t been able to let this go and I wish I hadn’t watched it. Lots of questions here among them why are people kayaking in crocodile infested waters—and then why act as though this was a total shock when someone is attacked and killed .  Of course they all wanted to go home now and not get back in the water – – they were fully informed that this was the gig before they started the trip. I don’t know, I can’t stop seeing and hearing that event and I wish I hadn’t watched it.

Oh well I’m sure if Russ is still in a sufficiently bad mood he will answer this.    

 ——

I thought I might take Jan’s suggestion to hike back into Rattlesnake Canyon today – – we’ll see. Haven’t been there before and I’d like not to get lost.

I was very sorry to hear about Jeff Beck's death. He was one of the very few rock guitarists I had any respect for.

Mark Frumkinwrote:

I was very sorry to hear about Jeff Beck's death. He was one of the very few rock guitarists I had any respect for.

 I am, too, Mark.  He was a great guitarist but my favorite albums were Truth and Beck Ola… we wore those albums out.  I also loved Rod Stewart’s voice and blues, and couldn’t understand how he ever went to disco.  Ain’t Superstitious and Ol’ Man River… 

Mark Frumkinwrote:

I was very sorry to hear about Jeff Beck's death. He was one of the very few rock guitarists I had any respect for.

I’m sorry to learn of his passing. The man could make a guitar talk, sing and scream!

F r i t zwrote:

Live and uncut photo of OLH consoling a gote who is despondent at not being able to go home with her.

This is live only in the sense that I was not yet dead when it was taken, lol! And, iirc, the expression on my face probably had something to do with Fritz's friends thinking my hair was available for snacking.

Nick, brrrr. Doesn't ice turn to concrete when it's that cold??

Wasting time here because I am supposed to be en route to the gym to do a workout of some sort. Sigh.

Best, Helen

Nice clip, Guy, thanks!

Helen, yes the ice was bulletproof and very funky layers due to all the massive thaws..   Did anyone take the time to click on that bottom photo and see Peter Douchett dangeling from that little icicle up there on the Ragnarock buttress? if you have ever seen that wall for real you realize how crazy that was. when he gave up and lowered he was Way out in space...  that dagger is straight up above my left shoulder about 100ft but its actually behind me because it overhangs so much  

 I was just desperately trying to get to that desperate looking  (to me) ice up there on the right.

 these guys apparently think that route is too easy....