New and Experienced Climbers over 50 #34

Carl Schneider wrote:

Ha ha cheers Lori. I’m so glad I found your thread here, it’s always great company.
Always keep climbing, even if it’s just a little bit. Do you actually have a PINT of maple syrup next to your bed? I didn’t even know it came in pints. Most maple syrup sold here is fake, but you can get real maple syrup. I had a thing for saffron in my coffee fur a while, I acquired 12 restaurant sized boxes that fell off the back of a truck. A pinch in one’s mocha coffee in the morning (put it in with the coffee and brew it with the coffee) was nice. Allegedly it helps with mental health. I’m off to Araps Monday and may go to The Gramps for some bouldering too. I haven’t bouldered outside for yonks. 

Carl, it’s been an unexpected pleasure knowing you.  I feel like we have accompanied you on so much of your journey and I have my personal favorite moments.   For instance, you have predictable depression every year in the winter, as do I, when you think the world is coming to an end— and then you write some poetry and predictably snap out of it.  You have some weird issue with your biceps. And who would be so honest as to actually admit that their wife clobbered them? So I’m a big fan of your wife.    I would try this with Tony, but he’s bigger than me. 

I know it’s laziness on my part, but I wish you would make us a map. I kind of glaze over with where you are, where your various outdoor climbing areas are, and your indoor gyms.  Did you see my map of California? Something like that would be great. And more trip pictures.  

Also, I don’t think you have a good handle on the numbers and dire threats of your various non-human inhabitants, including your various spiders, snakes, and Joey’s. I have YouTube here. I see what’s going on.

Oopsie. It turns out it’s a quart of maple syrup, not a pint. I would be having some anyway, but I go to great lengths to carry it with me for diabetes blood sugar problems. There are great pre-measured packets of maple syrup that I used to keep in my backpack, but damn if some always spills and gets all over everything and draws bees.  So now I keep little flasks of maple syrup everywhere. I do not understand any diabetic who would ever leave the house without some source of fast acting sugar on their person. A low blood sugar happens so fast and can be immediately life-threatening.

Not that anyone has asked, but my most recent A1c is 5.6. I am still celebrating.   

Carl, you usually speak bluntly about our American politics and I think it’s refreshing. It’s hard for us to do likewise – – at least for most of us. This morning I am just taking the briefest break from the chaos that Trump has created in the last 100 days. The man upended any sense of peace and stability we had, and it’s not possible to look away or ignore him. I have not been able to look at my retirement account but my own financial well-being is the least of the destruction. Every day, there are new reports of his targeted revenge and retribution against his perceived enemies and his determination to silence and destroy anyone who ever opposed him.  Listening to him over the last week, I believe he is mentally ill. I hope he is removed from Office to prevent him from whatever capricious next thing he cooks up that could end it for all of us.

Brian in SLC wrote:

Josune Bereziartzu.  8b onsight.

And, Josune (first woman to climb 9a) is in her mid fifties, so your photos did not stop at forty, Lori! :-)

J Westgate wrote:

Yeah we are currently running 4900 taps. Reverse osmosis is a life saver. The guy I work for keeps expanding. We have a couple of high vacuum pump’s. 

Nice set up!

I grew up maple sugaring in VT and my Dad, who just passed away in January, had a really large production with vacuum and RO's and the whole lot.  We started out with buckets back in the '70's when I was really young but progressed into lines and then vacuum and then RO.  Crazy how much more efficient RO is fuel and time wise! 

Lori:  Yes, I ask myself why I climb these days and what my goals are and besides the inner need to "feed the rat" as Alvarez said (which, I think, is the main factor) I also realize that it is because it makes me so much healthier.  I focus on my diet and sleep and exercise and core so much more when I am actively climbing.  I've gone through periods here and there for a year or two over the past 40 years where I did not climb but it always calls me back.  Nothing frees my head like having to be totally "in the moment" on a lead, even on single pitch sport.  Very very few times in life have I had that clarity of mind.  Very addicting!  I imagine that I'll keep climbing even when I cannot do anything above 5.4 as I just love the feel of it and where it takes me mentally and physically.

As for female climbers, Lynn Hill is still crushing it.  What a climber!  No need to even mention gender!  

And for younger inspiration how about Brooke Raboudou???  Dear God!  She just led 5.15c!  Amazing!  

Although I have to say it here, almost put up a separate post:  Did anyone see Matty Hong's IG post about her climb???

Here's a dude already called out about grooming and stalking over the years and what is his post about her send?  "How pretty you are".  Does not remark on the amazingness of the climb, her strength, the mental and physically fortitude required.  No.  Just about how she looks.  God, I do not know how some of these people are sponsored.  Our sport of climbing does have problems with some of it's "heroes" for sure.  He's also now 33 years old and dating a 20 yo climber.  Dude's worse than Brad Pitt.

Creepy MFer for sure.

Buck.  Everything you said.  

But for me, there’s a little more. I don’t yet have words. Climbing is also a form of self expression. It’s a statement.  I don’t know if you guys go through this, but I ask myself what is beautiful? What is sexual and sensual? for a 71-year-old woman.  What does health and fitness look like at this age?  

I think we shine, everyone here. Whether climbing a 5.4 or a 5.12 there is beauty and dignity in the endeavor just as there is for younger people.  

I see a lot of women and some men who get plastic surgery and are obsessed with looking younger— they measure success by how often they are told they look 35.But now I am seeing a wonderful beauty in those who live outdoors, eat well, and have a spiritual grounding and look their age.  I’m thinking of an older friend of mine who no longer climbs, but I’ve watched him over the last few years as he roams and wanders through the desert and refines his artwork. More and more he is just glorious, despite having an aging and difficult body.

Perhaps we could find another metric for climbing in addition to grades. Grace, inner light, stoke, joyfulness. But I would add to that no matter how you slice it the vertical world is hard and you certainly get points for daring to keep at it.  

ed esmond wrote:

Seeing a photo of a Rothko, or a Pollard, or a Turner, or a Whistler, (or any other piece of art...) doesn't convey the visceral feel of seeing the actual art in person, with your own eyes.   

I couldn't agree more! I had seen Van Gogh's "Irises" in books many times, but when I walked into a room where the original was on display, my head was jerked around and my eyeballs almost ripped out of my head. Amazing!

Buck Rogers wrote:

Although I have to say it here, almost put up a separate post:  Did anyone see Matty Hong's IG post about her climb???

Here's a dude already called out about grooming and stalking over the years and what is his post about her send?  "How pretty you are".  Does not remark on the amazingness of the climb, her strength, the mental and physically fortitude required.  No.  Just about how she looks.  God, I do not know how some of these people are sponsored.  Our sport of climbing does have problems with some of it's "heroes" for sure.  He's also now 33 years old and dating a 20 yo climber.  Dude's worse than Brad Pitt.

Creepy MFer for sure.

Sadly, as much as we may wish otherwise, climbers are humans, displaying among us the full panoply of the positives and negatives of our species. While examples of those exemplifying the negatives have always been present in the 'community', as we grow greatly in numbers and 'visibility' ( especially through social media), it is not a surprise that such 'bad actors' are also more numerous and 'public'--with Charlie Barrett and Jason Crist being just two of the best known recent examples.
However, we also have many very positive examples as a contrast--such as Brooke, for the youth, and Lynn, for a more 'mature' generation, ( and many others) as examples of positive athleticism ( as well as other virtues) and, let's pat ourselves on the back for a moment, those of us in this thread for our, as best as we can, still active lifestyles and ability to have wide-ranging and (mostly) reasonable discussions, even where we disagree.

Buck, Lynn is amazing. I just finished reading a memoir she co-authored about 20 years ago. (It meshes nicely with Rick Accomazzo's book). She is the rare (only?) female athlete I can think of who performed at the same level as the elite men in her sport. She still crushes outside and I see her occasionally at the gym, where she's friendly and approachable.

Edit to add: I learned that rgold was one of the climbers who welcomed her to the Gunks.

“A few things that would really reassure the markets and set up Republicans for future success: Rescind the “liberation day” executive order, fire Peter Navarro, don’t let Howard Lutnick back on television for the next few months, and focus all attention on solidifying the 2017 tax cuts as quickly as possible. Congress should end the president’s bogus emergency declarations and retake the tariff power that belongs to it under this little-read document called “the Constitution.” If none of that happens, we’ll see you back here again in three months.”

National Review: The Tariff Pause

wendy weiss wrote:

Buck, Lynn is amazing. I just finished reading a memoir she co-authored about 20 years ago. (It meshes nicely with Rick Accomazzo's book). She is the rare (only?) female athlete I can think of who performed at the same level as the elite men in her sport. She still crushes outside and I see her occasionally at the gym, where she's friendly and approachable.

So glad to hear that she is friendly in "real life" as well!  

She's been a "Climbing Hero" of mine (along with Sharma and Caldwell) since the '90's.  Those three I have aways just loved and they seem to have stood the test of time.

I've never met TC or Sharma but I did run into Lynn Hill in the Poko parking lot one time in the '90's.  I was heading in for a late afternoon climb and she was walking out and I saw her and I just went, "Oh my God!  You're Lynn Hill!!!" and stared at her.  She just looked at me and laughed and said, "Yup, have a great climb" and continued on.

Not my finest moment with a brush with "Greatness"!

:)

I believe that the backtracking on the across-the board tariffs had to do with the sell off of treasury bonds with a corresponding yield increase from 3.9% to 4.6%, at the same time as collapsing markets and a weakening dollar. This is not how the bond market should behave and would have been a huge warning sign for the treasury, as borrowing costs as well as costs of servicing existing debts would have skyrocketed. Really, the dollar showed signs of behaving like an emerging currency, and we would have entered the Argentina model.
I don’t believe that the reversal was planned at all and was a more of an “oh shit” reaction. Unfortunately, this may too little too late, as the tariffs on three of our largest trading partners, Canada, Mexico & China remain in place, and global trust in our economic stewardship may have been irreparably damaged. 

Buck Rogers wrote:

Nice set up!

I grew up maple sugaring in VT and my Dad, who just passed away in January, had a really large production with vacuum and RO's and the whole lot.  We started out with buckets back in the '70's when I was really young but progressed into lines and then vacuum and then RO.  Crazy how much more efficient RO is fuel and time wise! 

Sorry for your loss. My Dad just passed away as well. To my mind, tubing and vacuum and all that make sense for many operations, and are a great addition. But RO, particularly high-RO, while it is a huge cost and time saver, is not  something I would ever use myself.  

Supposedly you can't taste the difference between syrup that has been through an RO and one that has not, but I don't buy it. For me, RO is removing a piece of what makes maple syrup what it is - a lot of the time spent over the fire. Without the boiling process, it would just be expensive karo syrup. I just can't see how high RO sap could ever take on all the characteristics of a good syrup when it just gets boiled a tiny fraction of the time that you would boil raw sap. It's like aiding through the crux of a climb - sure it's easier and gets you to the top just the same. But is it really the same?

GO

Such fantastic deal making. Anybody tired of all this 'winning' yet?

Frank Stein wrote:

And, Josune (first woman to climb 9a) is in her mid fifties, so your photos did not stop at forty, Lori! :-)

She also did a 9a/9a+ (14d/15a) in 2005, when the hardest routes in the world were 9a+.  

Buck Rogers wrote:

So glad to hear that she is friendly in "real life" as well!  

She's been a "Climbing Hero" of mine (along with Sharma and Caldwell) since the '90's.  Those three I have aways just loved and they seem to have stood the test of time.

I've never met TC or Sharma but I did run into Lynn Hill in the Poko parking lot one time in the '90's.  I was heading in for a late afternoon climb and she was walking out and I saw her and I just went, "Oh my God!  You're Lynn Hill!!!" and stared at her.  She just looked at me and laughed and said, "Yup, have a great climb" and continued on.

Not my finest moment with a brush with "Greatness"!

:)

I've only run into Lynne Hill once. We were at Shelf Road, and she overheard my wife making some pre-climb excuses about probably not sending her project today. Lynne said something along the lines of "Feel free to surprise yourself".  It worked, my wife did send that day. Funny thing is she had no idea who the nice lady giving her encouragement was. We waited until the walk back to tell her, and she was like, OMG!  My wife is a huge fan, she just didn't recognize her. 

GO

GabeO wrote:

Supposedly you can't taste the difference between syrup that has been through an RO and one that has not, but I don't buy it. 

Interesting.  I used to travel to Vermont for work a fair bit a number of years ago.  Favorite and always stop was Dakin Farms.  They use RO.  I used to pick up grade A and B quarts and take them home, along with the ends and pieces of their cobb smoked bacon, pepperoni and cheddar cheese.  Delish. On a climbing related note, there's a shout out to Dakin Farms in the back of Harding's Downward Bound.

Question for the maple syrup crew...I have some grade A in the 'fridge for going on...uhh...9 years.  Still tastes great.  Used some to flavor some canned smoked salmon...  How long does it last and how do I know it's gone south?  Seems really good still.  Amazing.

Brian in SLC wrote:

Interesting.  I used to travel to Vermont for work a fair bit a number of years ago.  Favorite and always stop was Dakin Farms.  They use RO.  I used to pick up grade A and B quarts and take them home, along with the ends and pieces of their cobb smoked bacon, pepperoni and cheddar cheese.  Delish. On a climbing related note, there's a shout out to Dakin Farms in the back of Harding's Downward Bound.

Question for the maple syrup crew...I have some grade A in the 'fridge for going on...uhh...9 years.  Still tastes great.  Used some to flavor some canned smoked salmon...  How long does it last and how do I know it's gone south?  Seems really good still.  Amazing.

My Dad sold his bulk syrup to Dakin Farms for years so you probably had some of his stuff!

Good forever as long as it does not have mold on it.

Even then my Dad always said that you could just skim the mold off, reboil it, and then it would be fine to use.

But then again, he was an old Vermont farmer and didn't mind some dirt or mold in his food!

;)

And we own a family camp in North Ferrisburgh and actually know the Cuttings that own Dakin Farm.  The older Sam Cutting, who passed away a few years ago was good friends with my dad and his son, Sam Cutting, is an acquaintance of ours.  Great place with great food but it is PRICEY!!!

Never heard of or have seen any skiing or climbing shop or associated business, though?

Edit in for my buddy Sam's comment (as I am over the limit for today!!!):

Sam!!!

Ha!

Well then on all routes that I do they'll at least merit a SWF of 3+ as I swear like a MRer at all times, even when joyfully going about my business in perfect harmony, to say nothing of how I swear when I am under pressure!

I've been "brought to the woodshed" more times than I like to admit by the OR nurses as when I am operating on a tough case I often use more swear words than non-swear words!

And I like my swears like I like my coffee:  STRONG!!!

;)

Lori Milas wrote:

we could find another metric for climbing in addition to grades. Grace, inner light, stoke, joyfulness. But I would add to that no matter how you slice it the vertical world is hard and you certainly get points for daring to keep at it.  

I hereby propose that we could adopt the “swf” scale for these inchoate qualities, invented by my then twelve year old daughter twelveish years ago at bellefonte quarry, who, upon lowering me to the ground, said “that was a SWF 6, dad!”  Apparently I dropped the f-bomb six times while leading a route on which the “bolt hangers” were two links of exceedingly rusty chain, and they were amusing themselves by creating a rating system to map my fear as I realized just how bad the protection was on an otherwise chill route. SWF=“swear word factor”.  Sort of like the British trad grades, but simpler, as it incorporates difficulty, fear, frustration, and reverence all at the same time.

as another example, greyface at skytop (my first multi pitch, and ended by having to be my first lead when the other kid I was with ran out of pieces and set up a belay that required me to be the next leader.  Since I didn’t know how to place gear, I didn’t place any…my only excuse for that stupidity is youth.  This would have been ‘91?): SWF 1, at the top, expressing joy, fear, and relief.  And then I was very embarrassed and apologized to all the hikers in the vicinity.  In any case, it was memorable!

Brian in SLC wrote:

Interesting.  I used to travel to Vermont for work a fair bit a number of years ago.  Favorite and always stop was Dakin Farms.  They use RO.  I used to pick up grade A and B quarts and take them home, along with the ends and pieces of their cobb smoked bacon, pepperoni and cheddar cheese.  Delish. On a climbing related note, there's a shout out to Dakin Farms in the back of Harding's Downward Bound.

Question for the maple syrup crew...I have some grade A in the 'fridge for going on...uhh...9 years.  Still tastes great.  Used some to flavor some canned smoked salmon...  How long does it last and how do I know it's gone south?  Seems really good still.  Amazing.

It is very interesting that Harding gave that 'shout out' to Dakin, as he wasn't exactly a New England, let alone northern VT, 'regular' !!! My assumption is that they had hosted him---and undoubtedly very well--while he was on his East Coast lecture tour in the late '60s/early '70s and he wanted to return the favor.

Though I don't recall ever going there, I do have a very vague recollection that the Burlington area outdoor store of that era was known as Dakins. The transplanted Austrian guide that he mentioned was undoubtedly Adi Joerg---possibly the first professional climbing guide in the East.

Alan Rubin wrote:

It is very interesting that Harding gave that 'shout out' to Dakin, as he wasn't exactly a New England, let alone northern VT, 'regular' !!! My assumption is that they had hosted him---and undoubtedly very well--while he was on his East Coast lecture tour in the late '60s/early '70s and he wanted to return the favor.

Though I don't recall ever going there, I do have a very vague recollection that the Burlington area outdoor store of that era was known as Dakins. The transplanted Austrian guide that he mentioned was undoubtedly Adi Joerg---possibly the first professional climbing guide in the East.

Yeah, likely correct on the Harding shout out.  My go to climbing shop in the area back in the late 80s to mid 90's was Climb High.  Great shop.  Was chatty with Dave who transitioned to Mammut and on.  Used to run into those guys in the 20 years that SLC hosted the OR show.  Was sad to hear they closed.  They seemed to be an area retail anchor nearly on the level with Rock and Snow (Harding's comment in Downward Bound pretty funny) and IME.  At least R&S and IME are still hanging in there.

Brian in SLC wrote:

Interesting.  I used to travel to Vermont for work a fair bit a number of years ago.  Favorite and always stop was Dakin Farms.  They use RO. 

<snip>

Question for the maple syrup crew...I have some grade A in the 'fridge for going on...uhh...9 years.  Still tastes great.  Used some to flavor some canned smoked salmon...  How long does it last and how do I know it's gone south?  Seems really good still.  Amazing.

Everyone uses RO. At least everyone looking to sell their syrup and make money. You wouldn't be able to compete otherwise. 

Syrup in the fridge will last indefinitely. And yeah, if you open it and then leave it on your counter unrefrigerated for months, it will grow surface mold, but as was stated, you can skim it off, boil, and you're good to go. 

GO