New and experienced climbers over 50 #38

“It's 106 here in LA today so I can't wait to get to Tuolumne for 5 days next weekend.  Gonna be in the high 60s there!”

It’s waiting for you, Jan. Beautiful as ever. 

@ Lori- the older climber on the Teflon corner was probably Mark Hudon. I think you would find his story interesting. He was one of the pioneers of free climbing on El Cap, well ahead of his time and has been trying to free the Salathé. He has been on several podcasts over the last year, including the Enormocast and the Runout.

Also, fwiw, I detest crack climbing, and pretty much stick to bouldering these days. I like trying hard but am conservative about fall risk. Inside or outside.
Furthermore, coordination problems are super fun, even if not exactly my style :-)

Finally, I don’t care or judge what type of climbing anybody else likes, I just hope you’re having fun doing it

fossilwrote:

However, the truth is I have not been there since like 2017, at a time where I was not in a strong space climbing wise and it brutalized me. Maybe that would be neutral enough since I’d be approaching with my tail held low and ears slightly flattened.
...

 Why hell, maybe we could make a big senior party of it and a bunch of us show up and have a grand time of it, just like in the old days. We will have the youngsters like Gabe and Buck carry in all the heavy shit and then those who can will lead a bunch of stuff while the rest of us get a bunch of free topropes on some pretty classic and testy stuff, sounds kind of sweet.

Senior party would be cool. Just don't know when it would be feasible.
Care to say more about what happened in 2017 to cause the problem? So that we may avoid it?

You want to know my secret? 

It’s pretty simple actually…

I climb at a minimum 4 days a week whenever I can, sometimes even climbing as much 20 days in a row.

Compared to some I do not set the bar particularly high numbers wise preferring instead to go for distance at a reasonable difficulty and seldom get in less than 500 feet a day.

On the east coast, "4 days whenever I can" works, but of course "whenever I can" means "not during the winter".

I do a ton of toprope solo climbing.

Why is that? No partners, or you feel that it's easier than working with a partner? Do you do laps to get in your 500 feet per day? I dislike setting up the TR, maybe I've become too lazy. I also suck at finding partners that I trust.

I train my mind for runouts on lead (or I like to think so).

What do you do to train your mind for this?

Tim and I got out for 500+ feet of climbing yesterday. I suggested he do Easy Keyhole (which is somewhere between 5.3 and 5.6 depending on who you talk to), but he hasn't quite been convinced yet. Here he is leading Horseman:

Looking forward to more outdoor fun today!

Jan Mcwrote:

Lori, honestly there is no amount of believing will get you up Dirty Tricks if you don't have the finger strength to climb that little seam.  Footwork is also required but that route is all about fingers.

It's 106 here in LA today so I can't wait to get to Tuolumne for 5 days next weekend.  Gonna be in the high 60s there!

Tomatoes are almost done, the spider mites are moving in and everything is getting baked with these temps.  What I do have is way too many habanero and scotch bonnet chilies.  I think I am gonna buy some cheap tequila to soak them in to get their heat level down to something that is usable in food.  Never tried that before but sounds like it should work.  Then I can make spicy margies from the tequila.

Wait, what about the belief part?  I’ve been working hard on belief!  You never said anything about strong fingers.  

I like to visit these routes now and then, because they are evidence of the impossible – – at least to me.  And the list of luminaries on that one route alone is kind of breathtaking in hindsight.  (Kevin Powell, Mike Waugh & Jan McCollum,1981; FL: Jonny Woodward and Darrel Hensel) 

Finding a route that is remotely doable for me, but similar, I am thinking about one of the Z routes on Little Hunk

I was half joking about Carlos Castaneda, but only half.  I do wonder if it’s this freaky psychedelic desert that encourages magical thinking, but I have been so intrigued about the role of magic or spirituality in climbing. There’s a lot of work that goes into physical fitness and technique. But there’s even more behind the scenes work that goes into intention and fulfillment—the creative and visionary mind.  It’s ever more apparent now as many seniors are out there doing what they’re not supposed to be doing.  

Mark Dixon, yes, it was Mark Hudon. Thank you! I was wondering why he chose the Teflon Corner over the Boulder Problem. Are these sections height dependent?

Dragons, what a beautiful and inspiring route!  Love this picture!  

Iirc, the Teflon corner was the original version of the salathé and the boulder problem was a later variation (found by Alex Huber?)

I really don't like making plans with anyone other than Isa. It can turn into a stressful obligation. I like climbing with other folks occasionally but it's better when it is spur of the moment. With that in mind I end up doing a fair bit of soloing. And I am too lazy to set up the top rope. That seriously limits the difficulty that I train on. I would be a much stronger climber if I did more rope soloing. 

I really don't like making plans with anyone other than Isa.

I know the feeling and am the same way. Exceptions for a few close climbing friends if they invite us out, we'll usually join. But they are free spirits and don't expect us to walk in lockstep if you take my meaning.

Much as I enjoy climbing with a partner (though that number is very small), I love TRSing. It’s entirely according to my own schedule, with no chance of someone bailing on me. The process of setting it up and climbing is almost meditative, except for the podcasts in my ears as I hike to & from the site. It has allowed me to reawaken technique, and explore areas of the crag that are outside of formal routes- there are soooo many variations to choose from. Given my selectivity of partners, my climbing activity would be far more limited without TRSing.

I do like climbing with other people but the process of making plans can be stressful for me. I just bouldered 500ft of technical rock but I didn't have to be here at a certain time or live up to anyone else's expectations.

Nick Goldsmithwrote:

I do like climbing with other people but the process of making plans can be stressful for me. I just bouldered 500ft of technical rock but I didn't have to be here at a certain time or live up to anyone else's expectations.

^^^

This is 100% why I enjoy backpacking solo. With the obvious exception of when each of my daughters makes time to go with me.

Between PCT in northern Washington and getting the flu on the way home, I've only climbed two days this month so far. I plan on becoming a climber again... starting tomorrow.

Things are gonna change, I can feel it!

Dragons,

With regards to your questions...

In 2017 I had been doing cat rescue for about eight years, and it is not very physical but it is very time consuming and rewarding in other ways, so hard to kick. Around this time I had also lost my stoke for the local Olympic peninsula climbing scene, so I was not climbing enough to stay strong.

Here in central Oregon there are damn few days where you cannot climb, so four days a week is easy, which is why most of the time I am getting more than that.

On toprope soloing, as others have stated you can do it at the drop of a hat, no working around other’s schedules or needs. Beyond that, it allows me to get a bunch of climbing in at my onsight level (or slightly above) without risking my neck, in very short order. Then of course is the ease of set up, all of the basalt climbing in the park is in a canyon that if you know your way around it is easier (or as easy) to get to the tops of things than it is to get to the base. On doing laps, the basalt climbs are close enough to each other that I can usually do laps on 2 to 4 different climbs from a single rap in. Finally, the gorge can be a lonely place, even when the rest of the park is quite busy, and I like the solitude.

Training for runouts…

I am sure I am not alone in that my mental side will always speak louder than my physical side in any internal dialog. I try to temper that by keying in on what my body is telling me about such things like “do I need pro? can I do this solo?” etcetera.  I hope this makes sense.

MM,

Nice pics above, but your basalt columns look like they need some viagra.

They should look like this…

or this (still waiting for a first ascent)...

or this totally untapped cliff...

Gabe,

Way to show those youngsters who the bad ass is.

Lori in your picture I’ve drawn in the line most appealing to me, you should try it. To me it looks like it would require having a few arrows in your quiver, and the top looks to be fist size, which I believe you earlier stated you like.

It is supposed to be toasty here today and we have an 18000 acre fire just a few miles away, so I left the house at 7, did the seven minute drive to the park, walked in to Asterisk pass, climbed 300’ of technical rock followed another 300’ of low 5th and scrambling to top out on the Arrowpoint (second highest point on Smith Rock proper). Back to the car by 10 am beating the heat and deteriorating air quality.

Though similar to ones I've posted before here's a few pics from the outing...

Northeast face of Smith Rock

Looking north from Arrowpoint

Just did my first official crack climbing lesson this morning with my guide.

1/2” to 1.5 inch cracks require technique cause if my wide fingers and hands. In the past, I paddled up those using fingertips knuckles and friction. Got up to 5.12- doing that.

Hoping to get up more difficult climbs with less effort in the future. Starting some new drills.

Li Huwrote:

Just did my first official crack climbing lesson this morning with my guide.

Where?

And be careful. Get into crack climbing too much and your knuckles will eventually start dragging on the ground ;)

Brad Youngwrote:

Where?

And be careful. Get into crack climbing too much and your knuckles will eventually start dragging on the ground ;)

Hahaha, probably.

yesterday I went to a celebration of Life in my old haunts. crazy how old all my old friends looked.  In the morning before the event I got up to the leap and soloed 5 laps on standard rt for 450ft

I hand drilled those bolts 25 years ago . someone added the screw links because they apparently didn't like my rap hangers. 

did my bridge between the boulder and the cliff 4 times. and the boulder problem 4 times. then I scrambled the south face of Top Rock to hit 500ft of upward travel on technical rock

my thigh is a bit tender from a mishap at work on Monday

did not bother me much hiking and climbing with no harness

After the event I stopped at a friends house spur of the moment and they showed me their private crag. 

Its a heap but nice and steep with good holds. 

The first climb I led went great untill I clipped the chains and sat in my harness. That pesky hematoma in my thigh smarted something fierce.  I figured out that if I pulled my leg loop up as far as possible and rotated on to my right side I could lower without actually crying.  That was the last of my leading but I followed 3 more climbs and gingerly lowered without too much incident...  not a bad day of climbing. 

Li Hu, you’re outdoors on an actual crack?  Good for you!

Tony is now in Chicago happily re-bonding with his family and I know how much he has missed them. I had planned to drive to Northern California to spend time with my own family but just lost all incentive for a few days.  I mean, the world is my oyster right now. Yesterday I watched a documentary about Frank Sinatra’s years in Palm Springs.  He was truly a desert rat and a committed philanthropist. I love seeing all the restaurants he and his buddies frequented, most of which are now closed, but there is one French restaurant still open.  So I thought today I’d go walk downtown Palm Springs.  

But I’ve also been out daily exploring Joshua Tree while I still have the place all to myself.  I put in hundreds of miles of hiking this summer.  Yesterday I decided to return to the far side of Little Hunk.  A while back I took a spill there.  I reached up to grab the top of a boulder and my hand slipped away and I fell backwards. I don’t know how Bob reacted so quickly and got himself under me and broke my fall, but he hurt himself and I felt terrible about it.  So I wanted to clean up the bad juju and clear the slate.

While I was in the area, I walked over to Echo rock to have a look at Touch and Go.  I figure this must be the place and if I am correct, then this route goes to the top of my list..

on the way there, I stopped to look at this route which I hoped was NOT Touch and Go because it looked inordinately hard for such a short route. I believe this is actually a Charles Cole route called Igor Prince of Poodles 11+. (Not the thin crack to the left… the sort of dihedral to the right). Made me tired just looking at it.  

fossil thank you for taking a stab at my picture. That is a route called Deflowered, I don’t know why I didn’t enjoy it. Maybe because all I wanted on this fornation was the main route, The Decompensator of Lhasa. For some reason, I really became obsessed with it and still am. 

Lots of time to reflect and enjoy the summer and I have been particularly focused on balance and agility. Thinking about that fall I took scrambling – – I sure have reviewed it many times. My biggest take away is accidents are just inevitable. They’re gonna happen, it’s part of the whole game. But in the spirit of doing everything possible to avoid falling I have been working on that Slackblock, along with quite a bit of strength training. One piece of the written instruction on the Slackblock is to remove your glasses. I know I had my reading glasses still on while scrambling that day and they do distort my vision.  So it’s just another reminder to always have both hands free and take the glasses off when scrambling.

Lorie the fall I took at work monday was simply losing focus. This whole growing old thing is a PINTA

Nick Goldsmithwrote:

Lorie the fall I took at work monday was simply losing focus. This whole growing old thing is a PINTA

Yes! Since as “old people” we are supposed to be so terribly vulnerable to falls of any kind, they are the leading cause of accidental death in people over 65, the remedy is to keep your bones strong and hang onto muscle. So I am sure you are A+ in both of those categories. Are you OK? I mean not that long ago you had Covid and a few days later you seemed to be fine. You have a great constitution.

Some of my distress over my fall was that it hurt Bob and took him out for a while. Ours is a unique relationship and he feels 100% responsible for protecting me. I really appreciate how seriously he takes his job. But I can also say that shit happens out there and it’s gonna happen. I could stumble over a pebble on flat ground.  I have to be responsible for me and if I get injured it’s really on me. I know Bob disagrees.

I should add that he is amazingly good at avoiding situations where trouble is a probability. I mean half the game of climbing here is to know your capabilities and not get yourself in hot water.

Nick Goldsmithwrote:

Lorie the fall I took at work monday was simply losing focus. This whole growing old thing is a PINTA

According to some papers I had read, we can still develop neural pathways until we die.

Keep on focusing. Don’t get lazy, and we should be able to stay alert and continue on without falling except whilst climbing.