New and Experienced Climbers over 50 #32

That's a lovely hutch, Nick. And I'm glad that Isa is out skiing. A few dips in the freezing water followed by the sauna and she should be fine.   

We got in big trouble from all of our doctor friends... She is supposed to be resting. 

Beautiful. But look at all those damn people....meh.

I was wondering why you all are so antisocial, not liking 'people', but then I watched the surf video and also thought 'ugh'.  Too many people.     I rewatched the final season of Hundred Foot Wave on HBO yesterday... bit waves, lots of drama, but no thank you for me.  Too big.  Too cold. 

I've been feeling especially lucky to be able to head out my front door in the morning and be in the park in minutes... and roam where there are no people within a mile or more.  I perched on a favorite rock this morning to just sit in quiet, and looked up to see a threesome heading to Comic Book, and actually wondered why there were 'people' there.  Kind of annoyed.    

I lifted this picture from Instagram, and lost the author's name.  Gunsmoke.  I watched a friend dance across this formation once, and now this guy... and it makes me wonder if I could try?  .There are parts that could still be an ankle crusher if you didn't land right. 

I have been trying to figure out what route this was, or even what formation. It's roadside, and It's NOT Maggie's Farm.  But I enjoyed trying to climb it, fighting the top rope the whole way.

Nick... really sorry to read your account of Isa.  How did we not know about this?  I'm so glad she's ok, and that you're ok.  Quite an anxious situation!  Sounds like she'll need some recovery time.   

Lori Milas wrote:

I have been trying to figure out what route this was, or even what formation.

 

Hi Lori, that climb is called B Flat (5.7) , at Voices Crag.

I did gunsmoke back in the 80’s as it was one of the only boulder problems talked about in the mags.  It never gets that high off the ground, so if you have someone drag a crash pad along (something that wasn’t yet invented when I did it) it should be fine to try.  Sandy landing without pads but why not use them for the over 50 crowd.

Way back in the day, there was a guy who was locally known as Birdman, who would regularly show up at Gunsmoke in the afternoons. He brought a boombox with him, commonly playing Jane’s Addiction, and then do lap after lap after lap continuously, virtually floating across. He wasn’t especially social either… always thought of him as something of a savant. Anyone know the backstory on him?

Bob Gaines wrote:

Hi Lori, that climb is called B Flat (5.7) , at Voices Crag.

Thank you Bob!  At the risk of opening myself to some ridicule a doctor today told me that I look like I have a weight on my shoulders, and he asked me if I had a visual I could work with. As a matter of fact, I do!

Lori….. I find that climbers are usually very social folks. Not so much to tourists. I don’t exactly know but maybe it’s because time is short, don’t want to waste it explaining how the rope gets up etc.

Gun Smoke…. “We” recommended it way back on this thread S1 E1…..  Im quite surprised you haven’t been. It’s a perfect traverse, not that high off the deck. Big holds, good feet, nice sequences. It is probably the best workout you can get in JT. Spotters are nice, but not necessary. Do it and that’s all the training you will ever need.

John “Birdman” can do Gunsmoke 1,780 different ways. You keep climbing and he will pass you using completely different holds, under, over it doesn’t matter. Yes he is “different” you might say, not talkative at all. I had been seeing him there for about 5 years before he would acknowledge me. He lived in town with his Mom, and pedaled his bike into the monument every day and lapped for hours. One very cold, windy day he accepted my offer to let me drive him home, I had a VW van so his bike went in no problem. After that he would say hi and sometimes tell me what he had recently climbed. Always some cutting edge Josh nightmare.

If he is still out there, say hi to him- don’t expect an answer. 

Lori. I could not talk about it when it was happening. I deal with that stuff by doing what I can do and then taking off and soloing  an ice climb. When my mom was in ICU theres a ton of time as you know when nothing happens. My sister and her daughter were in the waiting room on their phones for days. I would check in and see if anything was happening/ changing , do you need me etc and then I would bounce up the road 20 min to Lyme NH and solo a  few 100 ft of ice and then go check back in at DHMC to see how they were doing and what and  if anything was new.  Usually nothing has changed. waiting on test results.... 

  Isa's doctors say she needs beef stew to regain her strength and fix her stomach bacteria etc. If you do the math correctly which I am good at,  Lac Willoughby is on the way to the grocery store for grass fed beef, carrots, peas , potatoes,  parsley etc. I snuck in 200ft of nice ice right at the alpen glow witching hour

the steep ice was pretty good but the lower angle areas between and getting to the base of the pillars sucked.  All the snow and cold temps make nasty layers at the base of pillars.  

 there's a lot of shit you need to know to be reasonably safe at this game. 

Willoughby Gap

Today i got to climb Tollhouse rock with my daughter in law on a gorgeous winter day.  

Nick Goldsmith wrote:

Lori. I could not talk about it when it was happening. I deal with that stuff by doing what I can do and then taking off and soloing  an ice climb. When my mom was in ICU theres a ton of time as you know when nothing happens. My sister and her daughter were in the waiting room on their phones for days. I would check in and see if anything was happening/ changing , do you need me etc and then I would bounce up the road 20 min to Lyme NH and solo a  few 100 ft of ice and then go check back in at DHMC to see how they were doing and what and  if anything was new.  Usually nothing has changed. waiting on test results.... 

Hoping for the best!

Isa's doctors say she needs beef stew to regain her strength and fix her stomach bacteria etc. If you do the math correctly which I am good at,  Lac Willoughby is on the way to the grocery store for grass fed beef, carrots, peas , potatoes,  parsley etc.

Yogurt may help, too? Get Siggis if you can and it would help maybe Icelandic style?

I snuck in 200ft of nice ice right at the alpen glow witching hour

the steep ice was pretty good but the lower angle areas between and getting to the base of the pillars sucked.  All the snow and cold temps make nasty layers at the base of pillars.  

 there's a lot of shit you need to know to be reasonably safe at this game.

I’m planning Tahoe and June lake in a few months.

Moving up to the Bay Area for a bit.

Willoughby Gap

Gorgeous!   

Lori Milas wrote:

I was wondering why you all are so antisocial, not liking 'people', but then I watched the surf video and also thought 'ugh'.  Too many people.     I rewatched the final season of Hundred Foot Wave on HBO yesterday... bit waves, lots of drama, but no thank you for me.  Too big.  Too cold. 

I've been feeling especially lucky to be able to head out my front door in the morning and be in the park in minutes... and roam where there are no people within a mile or more.  I perched on a favorite rock this morning to just sit in quiet, and looked up to see a threesome heading to Comic Book, and actually wondered why there were 'people' there.  Kind of annoyed.    

I lifted this picture from Instagram, and lost the author's name.  Gunsmoke.  I watched a friend dance across this formation once, and now this guy... and it makes me wonder if I could try?  .There are parts that could still be an ankle crusher if you didn't land right. 

I have been trying to figure out what route this was, or even what formation. It's roadside, and It's NOT Maggie's Farm.  But I enjoyed trying to climb it, fighting the top rope the whole way.

Nick... really sorry to read your account of Isa.  How did we not know about this?  I'm so glad she's ok, and that you're ok.  Quite an anxious situation!  Sounds like she'll need some recovery time.   

Lori that traverse looks cool. I love stuff like that. Not far to fall! Have a partner slide a pad along as you go.

I went climbing today, led a 17 then a 16 then fell off my favourite 21 on TR, then tried to lead a 22 but only got half way. I’m trying to train my lead head because I keep shying away from leading. It was a struggle even getting there and back. My knees hurt and I’m weak. I wonder how many of you have made a transition to only gym climbing? 

Li, yes yogurt is on the list. My sister is supplying her home made kiefer. 

I wasn’t expecting this this morning. It’s the one song that never fails to make me cry. But this woman trained in classical Indian music fashioned a beautiful reply for her son.

Guy, you are right we did talk about gunsmoke 100 years ago. I’ve been there a number of times and found it intimidating. For one, my fingers weren’t toughened up. And even though most of it is just a few feet off the ground a backward fall could still hit wrong. But I’d like to go back and see how it feels today. Anytime I am given the option of working out indoors or going outside to play. I will always go outside.

There’s another traverse on Echo rock that I’d love to do, And even though it would be embarrassing, I would still only do it on a top rope. There are several sections that are 5 feet off the ground and even though they look solid, I’d rather not take that drop. Not too long ago I watched a young kid almost run across that traverse without a thought.  So the humiliation continues.  

Carl, you concern me. This is not your winter season with your typical despair. You are not weak. And you will never stop climbing outside.   But from time to time you cry in your soup, as do I. It’s like a Dylan Thomas poem about being a climber.

Nick. So you are the strong silent type. Good to know! Seeing what ISA went through and the amount of time you were on pins and needles, I’m sure the gratitude is overwhelming now. It’s kind of a trigger for me having gone through an unfair number of days and nights not knowing where a child is or if they will ever come home. I think it’s pure torture. Make sure you have some of that stew too.   

Carl Schneider wrote: I wonder how many of you have made a transition to only gym climbing? 

I still climb outside, but I’m not at all hard core in marginal conditions like I used to be. I used to avoid the gym at all costs, but now I have embraced it as an opportunity to get in a ton of training instead of fighting it in sub freezing weather.   I guess I’ve fallen pretty far; yesterday, I was very excited to send the pink V7 out the roof lol.

Carl Schneider wrote:

..I’m trying to train my lead head because I keep shying away from leading. It was a struggle even getting there and back. My knees hurt and I’m weak. I wonder how many of you have made a transition to only gym climbing? 

Carl, I have a similar problem with lead head. I think in the last year things have slightly improved. I don't think I followed enough routes before starting to lead. I've been told it helps to follow a lot more. I just have trouble finding a consistent partner.

Gym climbing is so different, and I don't really like it (partly because the music is often terrible? I guess). I'll do it to stay in shape in the off season. I'm not sure what I'd do if I couldn't climb outdoors anymore.

For you, do you feel you must lead in order to climb outdoors? I prefer swapping leads outdoors. However, if I only have the choice between (a) just following outdoors or (b) top-roping indoors, I'd rather follow outdoors.

Li Hu wrote:

...

Moving up to the Bay Area for a bit.

Did you find a job?

Carl Schneider wrote:

Lori that traverse looks cool. I love stuff like that. Not far to fall! Have a partner slide a pad along as you go.

Going to try that someday… 

I went climbing today, led a 17 then a 16 then fell off my favourite 21 on TR, then tried to lead a 22 but only got half way. I’m trying to train my lead head because I keep shying away from leading. It was a struggle even getting there and back. My knees hurt and I’m weak. I wonder how many of you have made a transition to only gym climbing? 

I did, but as I’ll be only 163 miles from Yosemite Valley the upcoming year or so, I’ve no excuses to stay away.

On occasion, I’d been on real rock, but the gym is far more convenient and the clips are much closer together on lead.

dragons wrote:

Did you find a job?

Contract work, but it’s in my wheelhouse and exciting.

Mainly, cause my family won’t let me retire.