New and Experienced climbers over 50 ##24

Of COURSE there's a Lori way!

I'm closing in.....

Beds cleared, raked, ready for compost, more raking, and planting!

Load one!

Best, H

Kevin Worrallwrote:

Yo Guy, 

Shoulder is a full tear of the Supraspinatus Tendon. It doesn’t hurt much at this point, unless I try to reach over my head, so climbing’s out, on anything steep anyway.

What has been painful is overcoming the insurance related obstacles between my injury and the sports doctor shoulder specialist I selected for surgery - finally closed the deal on an appointment with my chosen guy in early June.

First doc said I might need a reverse shoulder replacement. Sounds extreme. I’ve researched other advanced and new tendon grafting techniques that sound better. This guy will know what my options are. I’m willing to roll the dice and suffer a longer recovery if I can get back to square one or close to it in a year or so.

I injured it in a fall on a steep slope making a trail to a new climbing area with a 2,000 ft wide crag up to 300ft high. I have more climbs to do - maybe next spring.

¡A ver que pasa guey!

Good luck with it. I’ve had 3 shoulder surgeries - 2right - 1 left. The last one (R) was a big surgery. A good sports Doc did it- it turned out great. It was two years before I had enough confidence to attempt a right arm mantle. The Doc said he could repair it and only leave little scars. I told him- don’t worry about scars - stitch that sucker down tight, I need to climb again. And he did.

Good Luck with the surgery! Please let US know how it goes. 

Kevin, best wishes for a good outcome on your upcoming surgery. Deteriorating shoulders seem to be a fairly common issue for climbers as we age. I've had shoulder issues off and on (now mostly on-ish) for a number of years. Fortunately, just PT, and no surgery.

Though I'm still able to climb  a reasonable amount, in the last 7-8 years, cycling has become my main activity. Just started back doing some XC races again -- in the surprisingly competitive 65+ age group. 

We are getting into serious talks about til-death-do-you-part and already personality disorders are revealing themselves.  Tony gave me five dollars to pay for a car wash today but I didn’t need it so I handed it back to him later.  He said “Now I have to put them back in my wallet in order. They’re all out of order.”  WHAT ORDER?  Mint order.

Like “Tony, what would happen if you put these bills back out of order?”  It would make him VERY UNCOMFORTABLE.    AND the 7s are from Chicago. He thought I would know that. Also if you’re at the track or playing poker or delivering beer you want your bills in order.  NOPE for me… I won’t be delivering beer  

I don’t know now! Is he safe to be around?  He must be very uncomfortable living with me… the chances of dollar bills even being IN my wallet and not scrunched in my jeans pocket are about nil.  I don’t carry money.  He keeps a perfect roll.  

Lori Milaswrote:

We are getting into serious talks about til-death-do-you-part and already personality disorders are revealing themselves.  Tony gave me five dollars to pay for a car wash today but I didn’t need it so I handed it back to him later.  He said “Now I have to put them back in my wallet in order. They’re all out of order.”  WHAT ORDER?  Mint order.

Like “Tony, what would happen if you put these bills back out of order?”  It would make him VERY UNCOMFORTABLE.    AND the 7s are from Chicago. He thought I would know that. Also if you’re at the track or playing poker or delivering beer you want your bills in order.  NOPE for me… I won’t be delivering beer  

I don’t know now! Is he safe to be around?  He must be very uncomfortable living with me… the chances of dollar bills even being IN my wallet and not scrunched in my jeans pocket are about nil.  I don’t carry money.  He keeps a perfect roll.  

Lori, if the bills are out of order they may likely start fighting!  I always make sure order is maintained in my wallet.

The real question is in what order —are the 1s towards the front of the wallet or at the back? But, then what part of the wallet is the front and what is the back? Weighty questions!!!!

Good luck with the surgery Kevin. As Randy wrote, shoulder issues seem to be pretty ubiquitous with our climbing demographic. My R one has been problematic for quite a while now, but have avoided having it ‘looked at’, because I know what the MD will say……and I don’t want to hear it—-I think avoidance is pretty ubiquitous as well.

A guy like Tony for sure has a “drop wallet” so thieves never get to his roll. Being from the ‘Cago he probably learned this in the 2nd grade lunch line. Chances are good that even you have never seen his real roll. 

Idaho Bobwrote:

I'm 79 and over the past decade have modified my activities to address that I'm "slowing down" and have to reduce risk factors.

1.More bike touring and road biking, less mountain biking.

2. More in area skiing, less ski day touring, no more week long ski traverses or ski mountaineering.

3. Less long multi-pitch climbs.

4. More sport climbing, less trad.

5. Much more time in the weight gym to maintain strength.

6.  Much more stretching and balance exercises.

7.  Much more time with Sheree (my partner) skiing and biking.

BUT, no golf yet!

That’s impressive. Why more sports and less trad?

Carl Schneiderwrote:

That’s impressive. Why more sports and less trad?

I've lost (due to age and injury) two trad partners, and most of my remaining partners have moved away from trad and now just want to sport climb. Part of it is that sport is perceived as "safer" and there are so many sport routes with easy access and don't require a long approach. Finding new trad partners is difficult, who wants to climb with an old man!

I’ve been keeping close tabs on my health and energy and I still have days that I put a Z on my calendar for “zombie days“. These are days when I am so wiped out and spacey and weak that I just know something isn’t right. I had one of those days on Monday and gave in and drove down the hill to the Kaiser lab and let them take more blood. I got the results yesterday – – this is the most perfect labwork I’ve ever seen. My A1c is 5.7 meaning excellent blood sugar control (almost non-diabetic). . My thyroid is perfect. My cortisol is perfect.  and the parasites are finally completely gone. That sixth round of killer antiparasitic drugs must’ve done it. While I’m grateful for all that then what the hell is going on?

I post this here only because there may be lurkers or some of our friends here who struggle with the same issues and who are searching for ways to stay in the game. I have been working with a type one diabetic athlete registered dietitian for almost 2 years. I have also been participating in a Facebook conversation for post-menopausal women who are athletes. Even though I get the theory, I must be really slow because I just can’t fathom that it takes this much work to stay healthy “after a certain age”. . Calories, carbs, hydration, and electrolytes. And it’s the only thing that makes sense on the mornings when I can’t get out of bed when I’m groggy and miserable. What did I eat yesterday? Inevitably, I skipped a meal or didn’t eat enough protein. Last night I thought I was doing a great thing by having beef liver but I didn’t realize till this morning that I barely choked down 1 ounce of it so I fell way short of the Protein mark and went almost 24 hours without substantial food.

what has changed? Five years ago I would never have given this a thought. And I don’t know what magically alters after the age of 65 but all of the current science seems to think we do change dramatically.

I think this must be what happens in the aging process. We don’t refuel. We don’t repair. And overtime we just go to hell. I guess if you throw in hard exercise and maybe the kind of workout that requires muscle and tendon repair as well (like climbing) You just have to take extraordinary measures to get all those nutrients every time.

My best friend calls me every day, and she was so excited that yesterday she walked her little dog to the mailbox and back. Interesting our mindsets toward aging. She says she feels lucky to be able to walk at all. She always believed she would die around this age and so, I suspect that could happen. Whenever I call her she’s napping and never fights it. I realize I’m the strange one here. I’m definitely swimming against the tide.

It’s a climbing day today.

I caught a squirrel INSIDE the chicken wire. What now? 

Re trad vs sport: I’ve carried my trad rack on 3 out of four climbing days on this trip so far and good lord the weight difference is very noticeable compared to just the draws of a sport rack.

It reminds me that I prefer climbing areas where the elevation gain is on the way in, rather than on the way out! Gorge is the opposite.

Re hydration/food/protein: I’ve switched from a protein bar to a protein drink for my climbing lunch recently and I’m really liking it! Ensure Max protein has 30 gm protein in 150 calories in 11 oz fluid. Protein bomb! I have to carry close to a half gallon of fluid when I’m out for a day anyway to not get dehydrated, typically 32 oz H2O, and a 22 oz gatorade. 

Lori Milaswrote:

I caught a squirrel INSIDE the chicken wire. What now? 

Cook it into a healthy organic stew….

This is how to prepare…. 

Super good weather today, mid 50s and windy. Cleaned and sent this roof with pockets, V4 or 5.  Kind of sketchy with only one pad, a hold broke and I fell flat on my back - fortunately right on the pad.   As I always tell my wife, good thing I’m young and supple, ha ha.

Ward Smithwrote:

Super good weather today, mid 50s and windy.  Cleaned and sent this roof with pockets, V4 or 5.  Kind of sketchy with only one pad, a hold broke and I fell flat on my back - fortunately right on the pad. 

Ward, that looks hard! And dangerous!  

Re tomatoes…

Ward Smithwrote:

 As I always tell my wife, good thing I’m young and supple, ha ha.

As compared to...?  I'm happy to volunteer is you want to give Paula an example

Guy Keeseewrote:

Cook it into a healthy organic stew….

Eew. Something tells me that squirrel living off the land in the town of Joshua Tree might not be organic...

Lori Milaswrote:

Ward, that looks hard! And dangerous!  

Re tomatoes…

Find other things to "pollinate" with vibrating objects, Lori!   

Tomatoes are self pollinating, don't need any help at all, if they are outside. Greenhouse, sure, but that's entirely different. Bumblebees will buzz them, now and then, but just wind, watering, bumping, whatever will get it done.

If it floats yer boat, or you're concerned about it, sure, fondle them babies. But, the thing we'll all likely face isn't a pollination problem mechanically, it'll be the pollen simply cooking to death. Tomatoes just aren't happy in super hot weather. If you do have a plant that does do well for you? Save seeds from it, or at least make note of the variety and who you got it from.

And, yeah, only one pad is....sorta not optimal. But Ward isn't the first, last, or only one to go out anyway, lol!

I'm finally set to plant my warm crops! I've got the usual veggies, but lots of flowers too. Still several more days to go. I'm not good for big all day days anymore. Start. Stop. Go do something else. Maybe come back later....maybe not.

Dinner tonight is a steak, and some brussels sprouts. Cook the sprouts in the microwave, then pour on some of the really good local blue cheese dressing I have. That's it! Yum!

Helen

Old lady Hwrote:

Find other things to "pollinate" with vibrating objects, Lori!   

Tomatoes are self pollinating, don't need any help at all, if they are outside. Greenhouse, sure, but that's entirely different. Bumblebees will buzz them, now and then, but just wind, watering, bumping, whatever will get it done.

If it floats yer boat, or you're concerned about it, sure, fondle them babies. But, the thing we'll all likely face isn't a pollination problem mechanically, it'll be the pollen simply cooking to death. Tomatoes just aren't happy in super hot weather. If you do have a plant that does do well for you? Save seeds from it, or at least make note of the variety and who you got it from.

And, yeah, only one pad is....sorta not optimal. But Ward isn't the first, last, or only one to go out anyway, lol!

I'm finally set to plant my warm crops! I've got the usual veggies, but lots of flowers too. Still several more days to go. I'm not good for big all day days anymore. Start. Stop. Go do something else. Maybe come back later....maybe not.

Dinner tonight is a steak, and some brussels sprouts. Cook the sprouts in the microwave, then pour on some of the really good local blue cheese dressing I have. That's it! Yum!

Helen

Helen, I’m not sure I totally catch your drift. Who’s pollinating what and with what?   It didn’t occur to me that I could use items already in my possession (ahem) to vibrate my flowers. I went to Walgreens and bought the toothbrush. All flowers have now been buzzed. I’m not so concerned about the heat yet as the non-stop wind. I don’t know how any pollen could do its job.

I must admit I had guilty pleasure watching that squirrel run desperate circles in that cage trying to get out while I stood there.  After consulting locals I ordered some fake snakes to put around the sunflowers.

Your dinner sounds very lovely. Mine not so much. Last night’s short rib and fig jam on dry toast. (Just came back from climbing). 

Lori, the wind is buzzing your blossoms. The entire "act" occurs behind closed and locked doors. Tomato blossoms are almost entirely closed. Any movement at all, from anything, and the pollen, well, pollinates that blossom. All in the one blossom. No cross pollinating, no insects, no honeybee gangbangs. 

Corn now, that crosses county lines to get it on. 

Squash are so promiscuous, that to save seeds, I was the one doing it in the zucchinis! They couldn't be trusted on their own. Tape blossoms shut that are about to open, in the evening. Male and female blossoms. Next morning, collect the male blossoms, strip them naked, untape the females, do the deed, then tape that female blossom shut again to keep randy neighbors out of there. 

The old lady actually has books on performing plant sex. 

Yeah, yeah, insert, uh, hmmm, opportunity for jokes, let's say, eh?

Your tomato plant's entire life is devoted to reproduction. Accomplished for rather a long time without the aid of vibrators. 

Well geez, now I'm feeling sorry for my tomatoes. 

H.