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New and experienced climbers over 50 #30
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Helen - Looks like your project is coming along nicely! A guest room for visiting climbers? (hint-hint) Be sure to save room in the back yard for a Tatermater patch. |
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You just never know what’ll catch on here. I would love to meet the guy who made this sign and shoot the shit for awhile. It’s hot, but you can’t sit in the house all day long so I was out the door at six and done by nine trying to hike in the shade. Steve Canyon is one place that is mostly shade and beautiful so I got to goof around there. I have been advised that Sidewinder is not a good route for me because I could never make the first hold. First of all – – what hold? I inspected that whole lower wall and I would say the word “hold” is stretching it a bit. I probably missed seeing earlier bolts, but what the hell is up there? Is that a route?  I’m still pretty enchanted with Grain Surgery and it’s just bum luck that it got stuck with such an unglamorous name. Of the two I enjoyed climbing this one the most. While perched on a rock taking this picture I got stung on an unmentionable body part and wondered what do I do now? Nothing to do but carry on, stinger and all. and unlike you guys who have told your stories about buddies tweezing things out of scrotum sacks, I’m not doing that!  OK, here we go. In my opinion, this is the best climb in all of Joshua Tree. ( ) And I have been informed I can’t climb this one either because I’m not tall enough for that final segment. What I think is really going on is Bob doesn’t want to share his route. He’s trying to keep it all to himself. What’s not to love here? I think the one F bomb review was a plant to keep people away.  Also, I may have broken off a key hold. I would not go so far as to call it a hold, more like a tiny chip of rock that could be used when climbing that crack. Well, now it’s gone. I would like to try again anyway. 
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Cerro Torre - SA's Matterhorn in magnificence. |
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I'd take a dry and shady 100f over a swampy 80f right now, it's hiking/paddling weather here, even sailing is out of the plan with thunderstorms in the forecast. The dehumidifier is running nonstop. |
M Mwrote: Worse here in Eastern MA. 74F dew point. Awful. Hoping for a break but it does not look imminent. :( |
M Mwrote: Absolutely agree. I noticed Tony’s hometown near Chicago was 90 degrees and raining. That doesn’t work for me! Hope it gets better MM! I’m enjoying this challenge of acclimating to weather here. Thinking about Nick and his ice plunges… we get the dry sauna portion here. But watching the sun, knowing its movement around a rock, when to say when and go home, and gauging water intake… it’s an art. Also, the bees are thirsty… REALLY thirsty so they are interested in sweat and any hint of moisture in a backpack or water bottle. It came close to a swarm yesterday. I’ve been honing in on electrolytes this year. Nearly every one on the market has stevia so I switched to Skratch Labs—no stevia. But I’m also working on whipping something up in the kitchen. I think Dr Simms created the formula for Skratch.
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Lori Milaswrote: What (and where) is this? |
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Alright, every once in a while an upcoming new route name is just too good not to share. My friend Tom stopped by on his way to "work" his extreme new project. A long, all-bolted, overhanging granite bulge that, I would think, is way too hard for someone who is now 61 years old. But not Tom. He's not only brilliant and just plain nice, he's stronger than snot. He hasn't led it clean yet, but I won't be surprised when he does. And he doesn't post on this forum and nor does he read it at all. So I think I'm OK giving a preview of his route name. He's gonna call his very difficult new sport route: "Grasping at Draws." Go get 'em Tom! |
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Tom treats route names like fine, fine wine. He'll mull over possibilities for so long that I invented a placeholder acronym for his routes (TANNHR - pronounced "tanner" for Tom A Never Names His Routes). But he eventually comes up with some lulus. Two names from the summer after Obama was elected: - The Audacity of Rope and Chains We Can Believe In. "Old guy" routes on an old-guy themed section of wall: - Geriatrics on Parade (done with me and another friend who's even older than us) and, nearby, Men Who Pause. None of this matters much, of course, but we do have fun with it, don't we? Edit: See how this works? One name leads to another. Gasping at Falls is fantastic! Since it presumably hasn't yet been used, can I race to the crag today and steal it myself ;) |
Brandt Allenwrote: It’s in the hidden Valley Campground— one day there were some, I don’t know what you call them, aerial artists? Rock dancers? It was fun to watch for a little while. I went back to Steve Canyon today, wondering whether I could find an easier approach to grain surgery. I don’t know how we got back there before, but I definitely wobbled. Wobbled more today. I suddenly understand a little of the frustration early explorers had looking for the northwest passage. You try a lot of routes before getting one right.  It has something to do with my own anxiety that I just feel better when I can finally do something under my own steam. Lots of bees out today! Stunning sky and rock. Not a soul anywhere.  For you macho burly types...there is an actual bolt up there. So, someone thought it would be a good idea to climb it.  I got the 30 page mold report back yesterday. We have “severe” black mold in a number places. I developed asthma this year. I’m trying to keep my head and not totally freak out. Before we go tearing down the recommended walls and replacing all HVAC and ductwork I still want to know for sure that it’s mold I have been reacting to and not local pollen and dust. Not surprisingly my Kaiser doctor wasn’t interested in the mold issue at all. She just wants to make sure that I am on a lot of drugs. I found another boulder for Todd… One side for Todd, one side for Lori.  |
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A couple of people have expressed skepticism that a house in the desert can have mold. I googled:   When we were house-hunting in Upland, which has very low humidity and annual rainfall of 17 inches a year, we walked into a house where you could immediately tell there was a big mold problem. The realtor had a lit a few candles but the mold smell was very obvious. We ended up wanting to buy that house, which was a wreck, knowing we were going to do a gut remodel. The owners had extensive heavy bushes right up next to the house in a number of places, and spray irrigation that went into the bushes but got trapped there and was soaking the exterior walls of the stucco. We had some months to wait before construction, waiting for the architect and the permits, but the first thing I wanted dealt with was the mold. I hired a landscaper to tear out all the shrubbery that came up to the house, and we capped off the heads right near the foundation. Then on the inside (while wearing one of those masks that makes you look like an alien), I removed the base molding and sheetrock up to 3 feet in all the suspect locations where water had been spraying, to expose the indeed very moldy interiors of the walls. Both guest bedrooms on the side wall had extensive mold, and entire wall with a huge bay window right in the front, that one actually had some rot in the studs, but that whole wall was being rebuilt anyway. We had an excellent but rather old school contractor who said, Phyl, all we have to do is wipe all those studs down with clorox and that will take care of it. Me having a minor in microbiology in grad school, I wasn't having any of it. After the rest of the house demo was done, we hired a mold remediation company. The remediation price was $4300, which was quite cheap considering what had to be done. They said I had done 1/3 of the work be exposing all the places that needed work, and of course the repair of the walls was all going to be done by the contractor with the remodel, that would have added considerably more. The remediation consisted of them hand-sanding and then some other treatment (I forget), followed by 2 days of 2 giant exhaust fans/HEPA filtration devices, which collected air samples that were then cultured. They keep doing it until there aren't any mold spores being collected. After they were done, you walked into the house and the air smelled completely fresh. One last photo, which is the kitchen demo. You can see the mold growth in the line behind the kitchen sink area and behind the dishwasher.  Quite an interesting experience. 10 years on, no indication there is any mold growth in the house. Lori, good luck with all of it. |
Brad Youngwrote: Dead nuts accurate when it comes to trying/working/projecting sport routes. Brilliant. |
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Phylp, this is not the first time you have stepped in with truly wise and helpful words. I just want to thank you so much for that. This is the first time in my sojourn here that I am in deep doubt about our move to Joshua Tree, and whether it is sustainable. I feel alone. I feel overwhelmed. The week we moved here COVID hit and the town shut down for several years. I struggled with the parasitic infection for over a year... and the question of whether that was the only issue I was dealing with. I recall a few summers ago going through our kitchen to get rid of all phthalates because I knew I was not feeling well. It was just kind of something to do (and I knew that my sole prescription drug was loaded with them). I've been trying not to lose my head over this, and trying not to over-react. The mold report I received is pretty shocking... but I knew we at least had black mold in our master bathroom at one time, floor to ceiling. It was from a persistent water leak behind the shower, that probably went on for decades. That interior wall was entirely black, but our contractor swore he tore everything out and took it down to fresh wood. So, how is the air sample from that interior wall still showing 'severe' black mold? And, since the walls are fresh and no sign of mold, is it a problem if it is festering in an interior wall? And... is it affecting me? Tony says he's fine, as long as he takes a Claritin every day. But I have struggled to breathe, for months. Everyone locally has allergies, to the pollen and dust. So that's what doctors thought it was for me, too. Or leftovers from an upper respiratory. When I got up into my attic to do the swab and air sampling there, i also opened some of the ductwork to swab the insides. It was black. So, all the air flowing through those ducts and out the various vents in this house are blowing bits of black mold, also listed as 'severe' in that report. Two years ago, when I got desperate for help for the crushing fatigue I had been experiencing, I saw a Naturopath in Palm Springs (after Eisenhower doctors came up with nothing but antidepressants). The first words out of his mouth were "You present just like my mold patients." I said "But this is the desert!" He encouraged me then to contact the company that does the home mold testing. I waited two years to do that. So, here I am... trying to take one step at a time. Finances are a big concern right now. I have a follow up appointment with the mold company (they do not do remediation, fortunately) tomorrow to discuss their entire report. I will be meeting with our contractor to find out what he can do for us. We have bids on new HVAC and ducting. I have an appointment with both my allergist, and pulmonary doc... as well as the NP. ----------- What this has to do with 'climbing' is that one of my first thoughts upon reading this report is "I have to climb! And I can't climb if I can't breathe!" So, all roads lead back to climbing. Thank you for the picture which tells a thousand words, and your description of the process of remediating your mold. I guess just one foot in front of the other! I really appreciate your post.
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It could be an ex meth lab too, I've heard the cooking process creates lots of moisture. Meth is big around there. |
M Mwrote: Do you mean Upland or Joshua Tree? Either way, the prior occupants may not appreciate seeing the numerous improvements made once released from prison in a decade or two?
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Struggling on a few climbs, one V6 with bomber holds, but on the roof in “the cave”. And the remaining 5.12-. One requires cranking on a single crimp to shift the body, and my shoulder hasn’t healed enough yet to pull it. Nearly flashing V4 at my home gym, an improvement since the last time climbing there. V5 are still difficult. My legs are really sore. The climbs require much more leg strength. Managed to make and publish a YouTube video, and will begin posting them after creating a new account for climbing only. |
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I feel like the lions share of my work these days is creating a flow… integrating various health strategies. 30-35 grams of protein is A LOT, and trying to power that down immediately after climbing/hard workout will require some effort. Either have that meal pre-prepped and waiting or plan on cooking right off the crag. I’ve never once come home after hours of climbing and said “Gosh I can’t wait to start cooking!”  |
Lori Milaswrote: Protein shake after the gym works. 30gms. Siggi’s yogurt adds another 16gms. Orgain 30g High Protein Shake, Dairy Isolate Milk Protein, Chocolate Fudge, 6g BCAAs, 1g Sugar Per Serving, Meal Replacement, Ready to Drink, Keto Friendly, Gluten-Free 11 Fl Oz (Pack of 12)
Last week I started measuring just how much I was drinking. 2 gallons per day. So, I looked up the amount that I should be drinking by weight, temperature and activity level. The number was 2.2 Gallons at 90F. |
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I thought I share what I became aware of not long ago - Pre-sleep casein protein ingestion. You can refer to a short publication- pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/326… . One of many in recent years on the subject. Perhaps best to consume in liquid form given such a short time before bed. |
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Phylp…. Thanks for sharing your story. Gives me hope, as I sit here looking out over the sort of reconstructed kitchen, for the future. Lori… keep your chin up. What if getting rid of the mold cures you? You start to feel much better, stronger, healthier and more energy? It will all be worth it. Then you can stop with the expensive whoo-frickary procedures. /s Feeling better means you might be able to climb more better, more beautiful rocks. Maybe crack off a 5.11 - EBGB’s??? Personally all this home remodeling is getting very old- right now I’m trying to hook up a backsplash for a vanity the wife fell in love with and ordered off of the “internet”… only problem, this one was to large, by .5 inch and didn’t come with a matching backsplash like all the others did. So what matches with “grey granite”???? Being Thursday that means Stony Point at sundown. Looking forward for that. Later all |
