New and Experienced Climbers over 50 #31

  deadlotuscouture.com/

Lori Milaswrote:

Carl.. ALWAYS a compliment!  Between your climbing indoors and out, withania, kidney beans, dapper suits and poetry and occasional moods when it gets cold, I just wouldn’t have bet the farm that you were also an MS Office expert.

I don’t know if you remember the very first Word program.  It was a totally BLANK screen. Figuring out any functions required some kind of cheat sheet or attachment to the keyboard, use of function keys, shift, control keys. Totally bewildering.

Speaking of old software, whatever happened to Lotus? 

I dabbled with Lotus Smart Suite a bit (or whatever it was called). Other than aircraft recognition software I used in the army (air defence) which ran on non Windows software my first OS was Windiws 3.11. I recall editing Autoexec.bat and config.sys files. The MS suite was a GUI so had a menu.
I’ve been climbing almost exclusively indoors lately, and all bouldering. I feel strong, but fat. About ten days until I go to The Blue Mountains. Off to the Oktoberfest this weekend so I’ll probs get quite drunk. 

Li Huwrote:

Looks good! Will check it out.

Cracks were the thing in my youth, but not so much anymore.  Any sort of help will be sure to improve my skills. Thanks 

I think you'll like it.  It's written by Kent Pease (who sometimes posts here on MP under that name).  When I used to live in CO he was a frequent climbing partner of mine.  He introduced me to Escalante canyon, where he has many first ascents.  Here he is on a great line called Rednekk Justus:

He and I both shared a love for crack climbing, but he had been at it a lot longer than I.  And as an engineer, he has a very analytical mindset.  He spent many years perfecting his technique, and taking notes as he went along.  That is what eventually turned into his book.  

I think you're some kind of engineer, as well, right?  So I bet you'll really appreciate his detailed approach.

Cheers,

GO

GabeOwrote:

I think you'll like it.  It's written by Kent Pease (who sometimes posts here on MP under that name).  When I used to live in CO he was a frequent climbing partner of mine.  He introduced me to Escalante canyon, where he has many first ascents.  Here he is on a great line called Rednekk Justus:

He and I both shared a love for crack climbing, but he had been at it a lot longer than I.  And as an engineer, he has a very analytical mindset.  He spent many years perfecting his technique, and taking notes as he went along.  That is what eventually turned into his book.  

I think you're some kind of engineer, as well, right?  So I bet you'll really appreciate his detailed approach.

Cheers,

GO

The book looks really good! The analytical approach is perfect for me. Thanks Again!

That climb looks awesome. Probably hit Joshua Tree and New Jack after November! 

Summer is winding down. Long hikes, exploration, playtime… I keep walking back to my cave and patting down this route or non-route. I’ll bet it’s an 11. The rock is so smooth and just beautiful to look at.  I have certainly given it all kinds of love. I have no idea when Bob and I finally get out there whether I will be able to touch it.  Every rock should get this much attention.   

 This morning I sat and dictated business emails From a perch on the buttress.   I just feel like the most fortunate woman on the planet.

One firm decision I have made is not wait for opportunity. Outdoor climbing waits for no one.  “Just say yes!“

Here’s a tree I like to hike to in Steve Canyon. An ancient one!

and now it’s finally time for “the song“. I waited as long as I could to play it.

Lori, re rock being "forever"?? Not always. Friend of mine got a super rare FA....on a NEW rock face!!

https://www.mountainproject.com/route/108952708/geologic-time-includes-now

I'm doing pretty much nothing but fence lately. And just sitting, otherwise. 

Oh, and that one meat thing? To get the sorta crispy thing going with bbq? That takes sugar, so both cognac and apricot (jam??) could get you there. Pretty sure alcohol also is a meat tenderizer, so I'd guess let it sit awhile. 

"Lunch" over, back to sizing, cutting, staining, screwing... 

H.

Old lady Hwrote:

Lori, re rock being "forever"?? Not always. Friend of mine got a super rare FA....on a NEW rock face!!

https://www.mountainproject.com/route/108952708/geologic-time-includes-now

I'm doing pretty much nothing but fence lately. And just sitting, otherwise. 

Oh, and that one meat thing? To get the sorta crispy thing going with bbq? That takes sugar, so both cognac and apricot (jam??) could get you there. Pretty sure alcohol also is a meat tenderizer, so I'd guess let it sit awhile. 

"Lunch" over, back to sizing, cutting, staining, screwing... 

H.

Screwing?  Oh my! 

So it sounds like you may have just answered my question— when you say you are building a fence you mean YOU are building a fence?  I can see why you have been so busy! How much longer till it’s done?

Re. The ribs.  OMG Helen, I have to brag! I may have just cooked the best ribs of my life and boy is La Copine going to be sorry.  I thought the trial batch would be very experimental and I was willing to have them fail. Instead we couldn’t stop eating them

So here’s how it went:  I stuck a rack of baby backs in the oven at 225 degrees for 2 1/2 hours with just salt and pepper.  I didn’t bother with the smoker. Meanwhile I mixed 1/2 cup strong coffee, 1/2 cup brandy, 1/2 jar of apricots I canned last summer and 1/2 cup turbinado sugar.  I boiled it down to thick syrup… slathered it on the ribs, broiled low for 20 minutes.  Voila.

The potato salad I used a mixture of mayo, sour cream and horseradish and white vinegar.  More perfection.  That doesn’t happen often!  

Next I’ll be working on fried green tomatoes and Parmesan grits.  (To go with that non-jidori chicken) 

Since food is being discussed, Ì have a major addiction to pecan caramel sticky buns. 

Geologic time is now. The Cleaver 5.10+ FA Isa and Nick

it fell down a few days after we sent.  Not the flake but the roof above the flake that I had put the epoxy bolts into to keep the rope away from the flake..

Ok since you are talking about delicious food: yesterday my partner and I climbed high up in Rock Creek. By the time I got home and showered I was starving. I had stuff for salad in the RV but I forgot to pack salad dressing. My intent was to walk across the street to Astorgas and pick up a burrito and some salad dressing to go and come home and make burrito salad for dinner. But as I walked out the door, I decided I was too exhausted.  I opened a can of tuna and mixed that in with my greens with some olive oil and some stale tortilla chips.  It was pretty disgusting, but it was necessary fuel.

Photos from Pine Creek today - looking up creek and down creek.

phylp phylpwrote:

Ok since you are talking about delicious food: yesterday my partner and I climbed high up in Rock Creek. By the time I got home and showered I was starving. I had stuff for salad in the RV but I forgot to pack salad dressing. My intent was to walk across the street to Astorgas and pick up a burrito and some salad dressing to go and come home and make burrito salad for dinner. But as I walked out the door, I decided I was too exhausted.  I opened a can of tuna and mixed that in with my greens with some olive oil and some stale tortilla chips.  It was pretty disgusting, but it was necessary fuel.

Photos from Pine Creek today - looking up creek and down creek.

Tuna salad..,yummy.  This was our first night in Ceuse. We came in on a holiday and everything was closed. Fortunately, the camp store was open and they had this…an abomination called “salad Nicoise” in a can. It was less than awesome. Fortunately, the store also had a very nice bottle of wine, and we brought one freeze dried soup and a few Taos bars to get us up the mountain to the crag the next morning. 

Frank Steinwrote:

Tuna salad..,yummy.  This was our first night in Ceuse. We came in on a holiday and everything was closed. Fortunately, the camp store was open and they had this…an abomination called “salad Nicoise” in a can. It was less than awesome. Fortunately, the store also had a very nice bottle of wine, and we brought one freeze dried soup and a few Taos bars to get us up the mountain to the crag the next morning. 

LOL!

Hands and the tops of my feet are still a bit sore from cracks. My butt muscles were very sore from the foot jams on overhanging straight jam cracks.

Did face climbs and got more moves on my TR projects. Topped one of them grunting and probably got to roughly 80% grip effort. There were a few climbs where crack was okay to use, I used the crack making the problems significantly easier. The off width fist crack was really slippery, and even too slippery to lieback. Tape gloves and a hand fist stack should work? Will need to cam my feet to hold my body in place as I shist the stacked hands up.

Max hangs 25mm, half crimp, two handed (100% grip effort):
Plus 90 pounds 10 seconds
Plus 115 pounds 3 seconds

Plus 70 pounds Beastmaker 2000 smallest holds 7 seconds. Maybe 15mm? The BM1000 smallest holds are 20mm.

My goal of plus 135 pounds hang on 25mm two handed half crimp or open half crimp seem possible?  Will test next week?

Well,Li Hu, your ongoing descriptions of climbing and workouts wears me out and just makes me want to eat.

Add to that Frank and Phylp’s description of the most “abominable“ meal makes me think I can most help humanity by quitting Climbing altogether, and becoming a full-time chef.  Specifically, today I’m going to tackle that La Copine chicken meal. 

Helen, if you’re here, what would you do with this tomato?  It was green yesterday… still pretty unripe today.  It has to sit under the chicken.  

it appears we have a slight cooling trend on its way. We’ve been fooled before. But if it’s actually going to cool down, I may have to take up cheffing just part time because the rock calls. .

Tony has the appointment set up with the vascular surgeon next week. Yesterday he actually said with a straight face that he’d like to get this “aneurysm thing “dealt with ASAP and proceed with both hip replacements by Christmas – – or hey, why not just do them all at once under the same anesthesia?   I don’t even know how to deal with this crazy talk. It’s demented. But I look in his eyes and I see how determined he is, for the first time, to be mobile again, and he cannot let that go.    

Nick Goldsmithwrote:

Geologic time is now. The Cleaver 5.10+ FA Isa and Nick

it fell down a few days after we sent.  Not the flake but the roof above the flake that I had put the epoxy bolts into to keep the rope away from the flake..

Nick, that is horrifying.  Was it one of your monster Vermont rainstorms (that seem to happen with some frequency lately) that did it?  Or just random luck?  Did you ever weight, or fall on, that bolt?

First house we lived in when my daughter was born had a big silver maple in the back yard.  About three or four feet wide at the base.  Very healthy.  I mounted a swing for her on a low branch, must've been nearly a foot thick at the base.  She enjoyed it for a couple of years, then got bored and rarely used it.  I did sometime use that same branch for hauling practice, though.  Anyway, one morning when I got up I looked out at the back yard and, for no reason I can think of, the whole branch had fallen off, right near the base. 

Loving the food stories and photos, both good and bad (that salade nicoise in a can looks horrifying).  And if I had those sticky buns with pecans in my vicinity... how's the phrase go?  "Resistance is futile".  It would be a bad scene.  Carnage and instant regret.

Lori, I wish Tony (and you) the best of luck.  That's a lot.

But mostly I wanted to post to wish anyone who celebrates L'shana tova - happy Rosh Hashannah.

Cheers,

GO

Gabe. It was NH. The section of roof that fell off was 4ft thick. Perhaps 6 ft wide and 17ft long. It has the epoxy bolt under the roof that we never weighted and the next bolt on the face after the roof that we did weight. It would have been pretty ugly if that thing fell anytime we were on it. This was P2 with a hanging belay just below the part that fell.  Those bolts survived the event but not certain that a person clipped to them would have.

T Hocking - I think I gained a pound or two just looking at those pecan caramel buns, but it was worth it!

Lori Milaswrote:

Well,Li Hu, your ongoing descriptions of climbing and workouts wears me out and just makes me want to eat.

Add to that Frank and Phylp’s description of the most “abominable“ meal makes me think I can most help humanity by quitting Climbing altogether, and becoming a full-time chef.  Specifically, today I’m going to tackle that La Copine chicken meal. 

Helen, if you’re here, what would you do with this tomato?  It was green yesterday… still pretty unripe today.  It has to sit under the chicken.  

it appears we have a slight cooling trend on its way. We’ve been fooled before. But if it’s actually going to cool down, I may have to take up cheffing just part time because the rock calls. .

Tony has the appointment set up with the vascular surgeon next week. Yesterday he actually said with a straight face that he’d like to get this “aneurysm thing “dealt with ASAP and proceed with both hip replacements by Christmas – – or hey, why not just do them all at once under the same anesthesia?   I don’t even know how to deal with this crazy talk. It’s demented. But I look in his eyes and I see how determined he is, for the first time, to be mobile again, and he cannot let that go.    

Somehow I missed this - Tony is having vascular issues? Abdominal aortic aneurysm? Sorry to hear. I hope he can get things taken care of and also his hips.

In my 1st week of retirement - makes me laugh because I got roped into teaching a course as adjunct already which means all the work for 1/2 the pay! Of course the major benefit is I only have to teach and not deal with any administrative BS. Teaching is the fun part!

I owe a few of you emails - people who expressed some interest in training/conditioning programs. I promise I haven’t forgotten - the last month of work was more intense than I expected.

We are supposed to head to IC  next week for a few days (speaking of cracks). I am embarrassed to admit I’ve never been there. Probably won’t do much climbing since I crashed my bike a few weeks ago and seem to have torn a ligament (scapholunate). Doing OT and hoping to avoid surgery. Some days I think ‘I used to rock climb!’ 

Brandt Allenwrote:

T Hocking - I think I gained a pound or two just looking at those pecan caramel buns, but it was worth it!

It's come to that on this thread, hasn't it?

All of us admiring Tad's buns.

Lol Brad.

FWIW,  They were great and only lasted 2 days between the wife and I.