New and Experienced Climbers over 50 #34

https://www.alpha.facebook.com/share/r/15Y41MHR1e/?mibextid=wwXIfr

Rode into Denali NP today on the park road. Open to vehicles until mile 13. Could have continued past the gate on my bike, but the road was bare and dry. Not great for the fat tires. Skateboard would have been fun. Mountain was out all weekend. Blue skies, no wind. Perfect.

eta; thanks, Brad. I just threw the second pic in so you would know I’m actually here and not just pulling these pics off of mountain porn. Which is how it feels here on a bluebird day. Ohmygod in every direction…

^^^

Your first photo is excellent.

EDIT: The second one isn't bad, but is just more routine.

Colden Dark wrote:

Rode into Denali NP today on the park road. Open to vehicles until mile 13. Could have continued past the gate on my bike, but the road was bare and dry. Not great for the fat tires. Skateboard would have been fun. Mountain was out all weekend. Blue skies, no wind. Perfect.

eta; thanks, Brad. I just threw the second pic in so you would know I’m actually here and not just pulling these pics off of mountain porn. Which is how it feels here on a bluebird day. Ohmygod in every direction…

Spectacular! How many days out of the year can you actually see Denali? I’ve heard not many. Beautiful. 

Thanks, Daniel. 30% of the time is a number that gets thrown around. I don’t know if there’s any data behind that. It’s not out all of the time and it is definitely out sometimes. So, somewhere between 1% and 99%. lol. UAF has an easy spot to check. Maybe I’ll set up a longitudinal experiment…

I’ve been suffering from a dark mood this week and decided to treat myself to an easy hike in  one of my favorite places.  I was wondering if anything would get me to cheer up.  All I had to do was turn the corner and see the sun shining on the side of Sidewinder.  Oh, wow.  Can I climb that???  I’m ready to play.  

Wondering whether I could even get a little tingle or thrill looking at the  Decompensator.  I got the tingle. Who wouldn’t? 

I have a favorite perch – – sometimes I bring a beach towel.  

I spent the rest of my morning, looking at holes.  

i’ve been wanting to meet the nutcase who created this route, Skinny Dip— and anyone who has climbed it.  Turns out the nutcase is John Long.  

My favorite fish.  

Feeling alright now.

 

Lori Milas wrote:

I’ve been suffering from a dark mood this week and decided to treat myself to an easy hike in  one of my favorite places.  I was wondering if anything would get me to cheer up.  All I had to do was turn the corner and see the sun shining on the side of Sidewinder.  Oh, wow.  Can I climb that???  I’m ready to play.  

Must be something in the air?

I've not felt like myself this week, either but I just had a great indoor lunchtime session here on the West Point Wall and my soul feels restored!

Perhaps it is all the rain and darkness here in the northeast?

Whatever the reason, I love your photos, Lori.  Wonderful stuff!

Edit to add:  

I've just found out that today is Tolkien Reading Day!!!  How wonderful!!!

I have read the trilogy over 15 times as when I was a kiddo, my family did not have cable (living in very rural VT in the late '70's and '80's) and there were no Harry Potter or other great fantasy series besides Tolkien and C.S. Lewis so I just kept re-reading them over and over again!  Kids these days have no idea how great they have it!    ;)

But I have to say that I am not a fan of the movies as they could never do the novels justice and in my opinion didn't come close (where's Tom Bombadil???  Frodo never doubted Sam in the books!!!) but I am excited to go home and read some Tolkien tonight after work! 

I just re-read The Hobbit in February but might have to break out The Fellowship again tonight!

So go read some Tolkien, even if it is just a poem (The Road Goes Ever On and On), tonight in his honor!

Returning north from J Tree earlier this month, the drive through the desert inspired me to re-read Edward Abby's "Desert Solitaire".  His observations, almost 60 years ago, on where industrial tourism would lead were predictive.  

I really enjoy the chapter on his raft trip down the Colorado River,  on a stretch that would soon be covered by the waters of the Glen Canyon Dam.  His description is so thorough that the reader is transported to Abby's raft and left with a sense of loss of that marvelous landscape.

Now I'll probably have to re-read "The Monkey Wrench Gang" and "Fire on the Mountain", two more of his classics.

I felt that Abbys Road was one of his best books and have used a line from it many times over the years  that aptly describes our sitting president.. "  You snot nosed dickless offspring of a pox infested , syphilitic two dollar batton rough whore" 

I keep getting "enchanted" by The Grand Enchantment Trail. This was my third year in a row of working on it. Did just under 60 miles in four days. It's 770 miles though and I don't think I'll ever finish it. Unlike the PCT with my daughters, which really matters to me, this one is on a "just checking it out" basis. We'll see.

Here's a link to my photo trip report if anyone is interested in what a trail from east of Phoenix to Albuquerque looks and hikes like:

http://www.mudncrud.com/forums/index.php?topic=3120.0 

Nick: I think that Abbey's Road and his other collections of essays are some of his best work. Funnier than hell in places. And yes, he could see where we were headed in many respects.

so how exactly does sec def accidently include a liberal reporter in a non secure group chat that ends up being war plans and keep his job....   the level of incompetence is stunning.... 

LOCK HIM UP!

Nick Goldsmith wrote:

so how exactly does sec def accidently include a liberal reporter in a non secure group chat that ends up being war plans and keep his job....   the level of incompetence is stunning.... 

Yes pretty incredible isn't it, and shouldn't everyone of them being such high ranking officials and all, know that a "non secure group chat" is no place to be discussing such matters?

All from the same people screaming about Hillary's emails, which didn't come within a thousand miles of this level of stupid.

Nick Goldsmith wrote:

so how exactly does sec def accidently include a liberal reporter in a non secure group chat that ends up being war plans and keep his job....   the level of incompetence is stunning.... 

Actually, it was Orangeman's National Security Advisor that 'invited' the reporter into the group chat, not the Secretary of Defense. But the real question is why these idiots--all of whom undoubtedly were highly critical of Hilary Clinton's email--were having this type of discussion over their personal devices instead of the legally-required secure government communication devices. Of course, no one will lose their jobs, be investigated by DOJ, or otherwise be sanctioned. Meanwhile, Orangeman issues a legally meaningless, but intimidating ' executive order' allegedly putting major restrictions on voter registration procedures. Sadly, business as usual.

Nick Goldsmith wrote:

so how exactly does sec def accidently include a liberal reporter in a non secure group chat that ends up being war plans and keep his job....   the level of incompetence is stunning.... 

people have been executed for treason for much smaller infractions than that.

Nick Goldsmith wrote:

so how exactly does sec def accidently include a liberal reporter in a non secure group chat that ends up being war plans and keep his job....   the level of incompetence is stunning.... 

Two words: drunk texting.

Brad, Thanks for the trip reports.

A lot of putting one foot in front of the other. 

So with that level of stupidity we must be extra secure. Only the best people..

Trump was less concerned about the potential security breach and more upset that Waltz had Goldberg's number saved in the first place, sources say.......

Li Hu wrote:

people have been executed for treason for much smaller infractions than that.

Example(s)?