New and experienced climbers over 50 #30

Todd Berlier wrote:

Yeah, just looking at the pic had me salivating. If Sonora pass is anything like Tahoe, as soon as the hike is greater than 30 minutes there's a ton of FAs to do.

Todd, you could spend the rest of your life developing boulder problems within half a mile of the route in Phil's shot. And still not finish.

Oh, and I should be more careful. I've spent many, many climbing trips in "the same old" places and still do and still will. And I love them. We all love them, and for good reason.

It's just that I love doing routes that I've never done before. And sometimes I get a little jaded by the crowds that seem to grow slowly larger each year.

I got to climb again with George Bracksieck last week at a local LA crag.    Anytime George is in town and I can make it work we get out and climb.   George is still going strong and is an inspiration, I think he told me he is 76?

We did a long 6 pitch route, started early to beat the heat and had a great day.  

Gabe…. Good way to start a new school year. 

GabeO - Climbing with kids can be big fun! I went out this morning with a father and son duo. It was a little muggy but not too bad in the shade.

Eight year old Gus cranking on a Labor Day climb.

Brad - I have your Sonora Guide, 2001 edition. Sad to say I've never used it! I really need to get up there one of these days.

Can I gripe a minute?  Maybe I can come back and delete this later. 

I just settled in to watch the first half of Gone With The Wind this afternoon.  Just before the MGM lion, these words came on the screen:

"Gone With The Wind is a product of its time and depicts racial and ethnic prejudices that have, unfortunately, been commonplace in American society. These racial depictions were wrong then and are wrong today.  To create a more just, equitable and inclusive future, we must first acknowledge and understand our history. This picture is presented as it was originally created."

This was NOT in Margaret Mitchell's book or movie. SOMEONE or some group of people felt we needed to be lectured prior to being allowed to view this movie.  

Why not just burn the film and ban the book?  Or... 'cleanse it'.  rewrite the Civil War?  

  ---

Earlier this week, I wanted to order a book by Dostoevsky... a Russian writer from the 1800's.  The book I wanted to re-read was The Brothers Karamazov.  What I got was a lecture from some anti-Dostoevsky/Pasternak people, I guess.  

"Understand that Dostoevsky is connected to the current Russian war and conveys chauvinistic and imperialistic ideas in his work that resonate with Putin today... Stay ignorant and continue turning a blind eye on the barbaric culture that helps slaughter Ukranians.  Dostoevsky legacy helps spread dangerous imperialist ideas and serves to justify oppression."

ITS A BOOK!  My militant friends went on to say "It would be better if you would publish a article about the fact that culture cannot be outside of politics."  The consensus was, boycott all Russian literature and art. 

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So, we cannot be trusted to read books and watch movies without first being instructed on how to understand the contents?  Who is it that thinks we need to redact the names of climbing routes because someone might be offended or not feel included?   Likewise... the 'other side' isn't afraid of banning, either.  If a book has the word 'gay' or any description of a sexual act... IT gets banned.  

Here's to CS Special. 

Lori, I agree that it's annoying, but it's still better than banning the movie or book or redacting offensive words. An aside, when I read War and Peace Tolstoy was so reactionary that all I could think was "Bring on the revolution!" 

Edit to add: I'd like to write a warning to anyone thinking of ordering anything written by Ayn Rand. And now that I think of it, writing these kinds of warnings could be a lot of fun.

wendy weisswrote:

Lori, I agree that it's annoying, but it's still better than banning the movie or book or redacting offensive words. An aside, when I read War and Peace Tolstoy was so reactionary that all I could think was "Bring on the revolution!" 

Edit to add: I'd like to write a warning to anyone thinking of ordering anything written by Ayn Rand. And now that I think of it, writing these kinds of warnings could be a lot of fun.

I rarely get so worked up.  But it's this aversion I have to having 'what's good for me' crammed down my throat.  Dare I say "wokeism"?  But, obviously it's happening on the conservative side, too.

For some reason, I never made it through all of War and Peace.    But I got through Anna Karenina, and other Russian classics.  Dr Zhivago was banned in Russia... my son-in-law couldn't read it until he came to America.  There were stiff penalties for reading forbidden literature, jail time.  Stiff penalties, also, for attending a church or espousing spiritual beliefs.  But 'bitd' we were trusted to be able to read German, French, Russian, Lithuanian, Chinese literature and poetry--assumed to be intellligent enough to apply history. 

When did we become so offended and/or frightened by ideas?  

Bringing this forward to today... we have "Right" and "Left" journalism, and many people would not consider reading news that didn't come from their team.  I read the Wall Street Journal, even though most of it is incredibly conservative.  So what?  How does it harm us to get to know the world around us? 

ARGH.  I need to cool down. (and finish Gone With The Wind).  

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Brandt, so glad you got out today!  Nice pic!  Todd, GabeO, philip, Brad... those pictures are incredible!  Makes me want to jump in my car and drive up there.  In a mountain setting, on beautiful granite... wow.

So, it appears there is yet another 10 days of 100 degree temps here and I'm just plain not climbing in it.  But I AM getting out virtually every day in the early A.M., exploring, hiking, scrambling.  I have been looking at a rock and couldn't figure out how to get to it.  This morning I just went for it.  I don't think it has a name, or any routes.  I'd like to consider two potential routes.  It's TALL.    

I just realized I really don't know how to work my Garmin replacement.  Standing under this overhang, with so much rock and sheer around me, I realized that the least little tremor and some of this rock might come flying down.  I probably should wear a helmet.  And know how to operate the SOS.  A fall here could be bad.

And who was Steve?  

I usually prefer to go to my own private places than fight the crowds at the popular places. 

this guy was disrupting things at the 100 mile  trail ride I photographed this weekend. The riders thought the trouble was a group of heifers that were in the field. I suspect their horses didn't give a shit about the heifers but knew this bad boy was behind them in the woods... 

Lori Milaswrote:

So, we cannot be trusted to read books and watch movies without first being instructed on how to understand the contents?  Who is it that thinks we need to redact the names of climbing routes because someone might be offended or not feel included?   Likewise... the 'other side' isn't afraid of banning, either.  If a book has the word 'gay' or any description of a sexual act... IT gets banned.  

So when was the last time you heard about Br'er rabbit or little black sambo on a Disney anything?  Those have been banned and lost to history.  Would you rather Gone with the Wind underwent the same fate?

Lori Milaswrote:

Why not just burn the film and ban the book?  Or... 'cleanse it'.  rewrite the Civil War? 

That sounds a bit fascist.   

Honestly, it’s probably just to release the studio from any potential lawsuits?

Just bear with this short message, take the high road and enjoy the picture in its original form.   

wendy weisswrote:

Lori, I agree that it's annoying, but it's still better than banning the movie or book or redacting offensive words. An aside, when I read War and Peace Tolstoy was so reactionary that all I could think was "Bring on the revolution!" 

Edit to add: I'd like to write a warning to anyone thinking of ordering anything written by Ayn Rand. And now that I think of it, writing these kinds of warnings could be a lot of fun.

Absolutely. Not that “Gone with the Wind” is necessarily art, but banning art and any book including Mark Twain, is alternating history.

I thought Orwell's writings were boring fiction in highschool , these days it's amazing to me that his fiction has become reality...

As the great writer Kurt Vonnegut said "I tell you, we are here on Earth to fart around, and don't let anybody tell you different"

Lori Milaswrote:

Can I gripe a minute?  Maybe I can come back and delete this later. 

I just settled in to watch the first half of Gone With The Wind this afternoon.  Just before the MGM lion, these words came on the screen:

"Gone With The Wind is a product of its time and depicts racial and ethnic prejudices that have, unfortunately, been commonplace in American society. These racial depictions were wrong then and are wrong today.  To create a more just, equitable and inclusive future, we must first acknowledge and understand our history. This picture is presented as it was originally created."

Help me understand where you're coming from, Lori, because I don't really get it. Is there something in this that you factually disagree with, or do you just not like it that you personally are being forced to read something you already understand, and you want to be treated as well educated enough not to need to be told this?  Or do you simply feel that before the opening credits is the wrong place for this message (and if so what is the right place?)

Thanks, 

GO

M Mwrote:

I thought Orwell's writings were boring fiction in highschool , these days it's amazing to me that his fiction has become reality...

As the great writer Kurt Vonnegut said "I tell you, we are here on Earth to fart around, and don't let anybody tell you different"

Cat’s Cradle, ending was pretty funny too!   

Orwell is relevant, but it was Aldous Huxley, in his Brave New World, who foresaw the role that technology would play in our societal devolution.

"People will come to love their oppression, to adore the technologies that undo their capacities to think."

Wow Kris, that quote hits hard.

Gabe, I wrote a follow up post but then deleted it because there’s no way to even scratch the surface. I’m still pretty fired up over this so I guess it touched a nerve.

First of all, I did not pay for a lecture regarding Gone With The Wind. I paid to see the movie. But some anonymous entity felt needed to be schooled on the contents of the film, and it was not optional.

If I were going to withdraw my membership as a Democrat, it would be over this. Before each election, I participated in various discussion groups and had to withdraw from every one on the liberal/progressive side. There was no room for dissent or questioning. There was a set of buzzwords– – – “me too”, racism, misogyny, LGBTQ.  100% alignment was expected.

When was the last time you heard an interview with a Republican on MSNBC? I don’t like being manipulated. I remember so fondly a couple of elections cycles ago when NPR did a full hour coverage on each Republican nominee. I particularly remember the coverage on Ted Cruz, which was without any bias. I felt like I knew the guy after that. Why is that so dangerous?

So the situation with the comments on Dostoevsky – – this was from an article in the New York Times, simply covering the work of two linguists who translated some of these old books. The comments came in by the hundreds. How dare you cover Russians when they are so oppressive? Maybe it could be summarized as “thought Police“. I think, leave me alone! The libraries and museums must remain open without interference.

By the way, I absolutely do think Gone With The Wind is “art“.  it was a huge deal in 1939 in every way.  Depicting the old south the way Margaret Mitchell saw it was her right and our right to experience it. It’s part of the freedom that was fought for in America that we can write and speak our opinions freely  somehow we emerged from these experiences less racist, not more.. 

The  Right is no less culpable.Huck Finn is now off the shelves. Books about sex, LGBTQ, and religion are gone from Bible belt states. I think California has erred in other ways.

So sorry about this. I’m going to try to move on. Did anyone recognize my rock formation yesterday because if not, I’m going to claim it.

It’s a beautiful morning here today and I thought I’d swing by and visit my home away from home. The acoustics are incredible.  I’m going to be so disappointed when I get Bob over there if he tells me there are established routes. 

Strange my change of feelings about critters here. I set my sunglasses down for a rest and this guy had to explore every inch. He was also exploring me, looking for water. I just feel happy with all these little friends and most recently the dragonflies are out, just beautiful,