New and experienced climbers over 50 #36

Ward, everyone needs to post A LOT more pictures.    Look at you two!  It's bad enough most of us will never meet in person.  Now I feel like I know you and Paula!  Great picture!

Carl, you just gave me the opportunity to post my tape/climbing pics from Dog Day Afternoon.  Like Ward, this is/was my project.  Unlike Ward, I'm not doing a kilter board workout to get there--I just feel Ward's going to send his project this time.  

What did Thomas Edison say?  "I have not failed, I've just found 10,000 ways that will not work."  

My lasting recollection is: "ouch, ouch, OUCH!" and Bob saying "Hips in, HIPS IN !!!" 

The rest of the journey was FUN.  

In the end, I wound up, also tapping my fingertips and gluing it down with a special concoction called ‘oil of benzoin’.   That was good for exactly one effort and then the whole thing would peel off.

I don’t know if Dave would’ve been proud or not. I do know I gave it my everything and I hope to be back.

Alan, thanks for the encouragement.  I know I'll get there one day... maybe after the summer heat is over.

speaking of Bachar routes… I filmed Nelson on the Caveman.  NOT slab!  

I'm on a memory roll.  My first time at Dog Day Afternoon was with Jeremy Schoenborn.  He climbed it first to 'demonstrate'.  I remember him hanging there... showing me how to do a rest with a heel hook.     When your limbs are endless.. I always told Jeremy he doesn't climb, he 'reaches'.  

"Lori, just do this."    

Been a bit under the weather of recent, but have gotten back in the climbing gym with Sarah and trying to get some miles in on the bikes. Boy, when you get to a certain age, it seems to take forever to get in any manner of shape. Any time off then sets you back so much. 

The weather has been wonderful for the most part, and we have been transfixed by the Giro; perhaps the best Grand Tour in recent memory.

Even our pooch enjoyed the spectacle.

Ward Smithwrote:

Lori, sorry for the confusion, but this is Paula and me at Ed’s 70th party.  I deleted it because I had second thoughts about calling him out on his advanced age.  He always told me: “Don’t get old Ward!”  We are only at the youthful ages of 64 and 62 respectively!

Paula went outside today on a couple of Farley 5.12s. She is recovering from her broken hip and didn’t send either, but did one hang Bandwagon (12a/b) so she is recovering well.

Oh, hey, i recognize her!  I was also at Farley today. Went with my wife and daughter, a friend of my wife's, and another mom and two kids. I saw Paula at the base of those 12s at WOEML.

It was kind of a madhouse.  A number of climbs were pretty wet. We got on them anyway since they were open, and many things weren't. There was a huge MITOC crew. They were all very nice. Also a number of other families with kids. Had some nice chats with other parents, and kids making friends with each other, and everybody trading ropes. A fine day out despite the conditions.

GO

Norm Larsonwrote:

Climb more sharp edges. Embrace the pain.

Just going through some old boxes and found this paper artifact (from summer of 89 I spent in Wilson). Got any stories or thoughts about Symmetry Spire, Norm? Or anyone? 

Those old Alpenglow guides were pretty neat!

I think I have 14 or so of them.  Anyone know how many in the full set?

I've climbed Symmetry a few times.  That area was always the early season starting point for us.  Ice Point, Storm Point, Cube Point (geez, I get the point...ha ha).  Baxter's, St John, Hangover, No Perches...and on. 

I'd climbed the SW ridge a couple times.  Fun route and climbs fairly quickly.  With that in mind, a non-early start for a partner and I with a boat ride across the lake to do the Durrance.  Faffin' around to find and start the route burned up some time but I thought no biggie.  We got kinda worked...and to top if off, missed the darn boat back by 10 minutes.  After a full jog down the trail and hoping it would wait.  Lakeshore trail seemed to go on forever...but, beverages at the car tasted pretty good.  Fun times.

I like Symmetry Spire. I've done the Jensen Ridge two or three times (once solo), as well as the Durrance and SW Ridges.

Ward Smithwrote:

Lori, sorry for the confusion, but this is Paula and me at Ed’s 70th party.  I deleted it because I had second thoughts about calling him out on his advanced age.  He always told me: “Don’t get old Ward!”  We are only at the youthful ages of 64 and 62 respectively!

Paula went outside today on a couple of Farley 5.12s. She is recovering from her broken hip and didn’t send either, but did one hang Bandwagon (12a/b) so she is recovering well.

I had Ella and her friend in the morning, so I had to do a gym session despite today it being cool and somewhat dry outside.

I like the set boulders (and it helps that the grades are soft),  but I need to be all kilter board all the time. Three sessions at 50 degrees so far, WAY harder than the set routes but I need to embrace the suck. I did manage to flash two V4s, almost flashed another and full on couldn’t touch a couple others.  Maybe I should take more than one rest day in between, that might help lol.  I have five months before heading back out to my Arizona project and I think that the Kilter at 50 is the missing piece.

Trying 5.12s after a broken hip at 62? Oh my goodness.

I’ve never had a broken hip and never done a 5.12.

My little conversion chart tells me that’s a 24.

WOW

Lori Milaswrote:

Ward, everyone needs to post A LOT more pictures.    Look at you two!  It's bad enough most of us will never meet in person.  Now I feel like I know you and Paula!  Great picture!

Carl, you just gave me the opportunity to post my tape/climbing pics from Dog Day Afternoon.  Like Ward, this is/was my project.  Unlike Ward, I'm not doing a kilter board workout to get there--I just feel Ward's going to send his project this time.  

What did Thomas Edison say?  "I have not failed, I've just found 10,000 ways that will not work."  

My lasting recollection is: "ouch, ouch, OUCH!" and Bob saying "Hips in, HIPS IN !!!" 

The rest of the journey was FUN.  

In the end, I wound up, also tapping my fingertips and gluing it down with a special concoction called ‘oil of benzoin’.   That was good for exactly one effort and then the whole thing would peel off.

I don’t know if Dave would’ve been proud or not. I do know I gave it my everything and I hope to be back.

Alan, thanks for the encouragement.  I know I'll get there one day... maybe after the summer heat is over.

speaking of Bachar routes… I filmed Nelson on the Caveman.  NOT slab!  

Cool pics Lori. Your rock looks so featureless. It looks like the granite at our beach crags. Last pic is cool of Nelson. I love that sort of climbing, those big Hueco jugs. Is that how you spell it? 

Colden. Over on the Wyoming forum there is a Teton Tales thread, now a bit old so will takes little scrolling to locate. I posted a Symmetry Spire story on that thread ( too lazy to rewrite it) and I believe that there are a few others as well. Nice peak, with a good concentration of moderate rock routes, though, for me, it is the approach/descent couloir that is endless!!!

Carl, that route that Paula 'one hung' is probably a 25 and very sustained. She is a very impressive climber and very nice person, as is her husband!!!

Sure Colden, Symmetry Spire is a great little Teton Peak.  It's somewhat fallen out of fashion these days as it's just a bit too "easy" for most modern rock warriors who don't like to do approaches. I  have always liked it best in early season when the couloir is snow filled and gives the peak a nice relatively short Teton alpine feel. It makes for great glissading down too. Maybe I can get around to writing of a memorable day up there long ago on the Teton Tales thread in the Wyoming section. I've climbed the SW Face, South Face, Durrance, Jensen, Paul Hortons East face route, East Ridge (fun scenic easy route!), and NW face (loose!). Even tried to do the first winter ascent, though we had scary snow conditions so we bailed. Someone heard of our attempt and beat us to it. Gotta be quiet about those attempts that don’t work out.

Randywrote:

Been a bit under the weather of recent, but have gotten back in the climbing gym with Sarah and trying to get some miles in on the bikes. Boy, when you get to a certain age, it seems to take forever to get in any manner of shape. Any time off then sets you back so much. 

The weather has been wonderful for the most part, and we have been transfixed by the Giro; perhaps the best Grand Tour in recent memory.

Even our pooch enjoyed the spectacle.

I was hoping Del Toro would win, but it really was time for Yates given his long career.

Memories, thanks to Microsoft.  Just arrived at Mt. Logan base camp.

Heads up if you are headed to COR this weekend. We have 2 large events happening. First, the Idaho Mountain Fest at Castle Rock SP, they actually camp there for the weekend. And, there's a big endurance horse ride also. They camp just outside of Almo, and have a course up through the park. So tons of people around Almo. TOP OFF GAS at Malta or Burley, just in case Tracys runs out. I don't remember exactly, but Malta is about a half hour drive. Oh, and coming from the southish? Go through Malta. Don't let google stick you on the long dirt road. Horse trailers are pretty likely.

Hopefully Tracy's won't run out of ice cream!

I arrive Friday, leave on the 12th. Up at Bread loaves, so come say howdy if you're around!

Frantically working toward emptying an entire house worth of stuff, and an estate (not the house occupant) / moving sale on the 14th. Have to leave CIR a day early to set that up. House has to be empty by end of June, and, there are a total of 3 out of town trips booked! City, then Salmon Idaho, then Warm Lake. 

Sorry I'll miss some of you at City! 

Helen

Great pics, all!

GabeOwrote:

Oh, hey, i recognize her!  I was also at Farley today. Went with my wife and daughter, a friend of my wife's, and another mom and two kids. I saw Paula at the base of those 12s at WOEML.

It was kind of a madhouse.  A number of climbs were pretty wet. We got on them anyway since they were open, and many things weren't. There was a huge MITOC crew. They were all very nice. Also a number of other families with kids. Had some nice chats with other parents, and kids making friends with each other, and everybody trading ropes. A fine day out despite the conditions.

GO

California Carpool (5.6), one of the routes I bolted out there.  A California Carpool is when everybody drives their own car, lol.  Sorry I missed you but Paula said that I wouldn’t have liked the crowds.

Ward Smithwrote:

California Carpool (5.6), one of the routes I bolted out there.  A California Carpool is when everybody drives their own car, lol.  Sorry I missed you but Paula said that I wouldn’t have liked the crowds.

Thanks for doing that, Ward!  It's a nice route from start to finish.  Those routes in Wayne Manor (as I'm told the area between WOEML and the Bat Cave are called) are a great addition - especially for kids and n00bs.  

Is there a story behind the name of the route? 

I'm curious - the hardest part by far for kids is the start, simply due to the difficulty of reaching the starting holds.  So was the ground at the same level when it was bolted as it is today, or did it get washed out since then?  My daughter needed a boost to get to the starting holds, and a bigger kid was just able to reach some of them, and had to do some tricky footwork to get established.  And coming in from the right or left looks like it would increase the grade of the climb by a number or more.  I was tempted to find a big cheater stone, when my wife (she's the smart one) just offered my daughter a knee on which to start.

GO

The ground has definitely eroded since I put it up.  I will see if I can find a suitable block because that start is way harder than 5.6 for the kids.

The story is just that - several of us went to the cliff and each drove his own car. 

Idaho Bobwrote:

Memories, thanks to Microsoft.  Just arrived at Mt. Logan base camp.

Bob that looks like a great crew to spend time with in the mountains!

Ward Smithwrote:

The ground has definitely eroded since I put it up.  I will see if I can find a suitable block because that start is way harder than 5.6 for the kids.

The story is just that - several of us went to the cliff and each drove his own car. 

Eroded,and hence often more difficult, starts are common at a number of popular crags, but particularly so at Farley and other nearby crags, due to the sandy nature of the soil there. The WMCC ( Western MA Climbers Coalition) is trying to allieviate the problem ( hardening belay platforms, etc.) but it seems to be a never-ending task!!!!