New and Experienced Climbers over 50 #39

Mark E Dixonwrote:

Fwiw, I started studying French just over a year ago. Have gone from A1ish to low B2. I can hold a conversation with a patient French speaker and easily get by in day to day life. Hoping for C1 some day. I’m 68 if that matters to you.

I do work fairly hard at it, it’s not easy.
But definitely possible.

I really recommend Italki. 

Hoping to add tourist Spanish this winter for a trip to Albarracin :-)

Nice. & yes, your age did matter to me. I feel like I'm too old to learn because I've been half heartedly trying to learn for the past 2 or 3 years. I'll check out Italki, thanks!

& yes, immersion would be the quickest way to learn but I hate the fish out of water feeling. 

Daniel Shivelywrote:

Yeah, Etienne is pretty self aware and fits in with his surroundings well. 

He looks like a beautiful creature.

Daniel Shivelywrote: Yeah, Etienne is pretty self aware and fits in with his surroundings well. 

I have a brother who lives in a small city in France called St Etienne. I cannot help but to be curious what led you to that name for your dog?

A bit more of history. Here Rich and I demonstrate an early exercise for climbing, Fingerhakeln. We are in the Bavarian alps around 1900 and this exercise has become popular even amongst non-climbers. The objective is to pull one's opponent across the table using only a middle finger. A young, lithe Rich has succeeded in finding my weak spot and I am about to be humiliated. 

So popular is this exercise, that a fellow alpinist has created an iron implement he calls a piton, a kind of spike with a hole in it, specifically designed to pound into cracks and allow one to insert his/her middle finger and rest a spell before resuming a climb. Will progress never cease!

I wonder if this 'activity' has any relationship to another popular 'use' of the middle finger?

John Gillwrote:

A bit more of history. Here Rich and I demonstrate an early exercise for climbing, Fingerhakeln. We are in the Bavarian alps around 1900 and this exercise has become popular even amongst non-climbers. The objective is to pull one's opponent across the table using only a middle finger. A young, lithe Rich has succeeded in finding my weak spot and I am about to be humiliated. 

So popular is this exercise, that a fellow alpinist has created an iron implement he calls a piton, a kind of spike with a hole in it, specifically designed to pound into cracks and allow one to insert his/her middle finger and rest a spell before resuming a climb. Will progress never cease!

Oh god, one of my most embarrassing moments.  Knowing I could never defeat Gill in a fair fingerhakeln, I surreptitiously taped one of those new-fangled pitons to my middle finger, and thus digitally rigified, as able to prevail.  This cowardly subterfuge was soon detected, as I was obliged to shake hands with the judges before I could get the piton untaped. To no one's surprise, I suffered a decisive loss in the rematch, but this engraving of my illegitimate conquest went viral (no mean feat in 1900), and my tainted victory is celebrated far and wide to this day as one of the first uses of pitons for direct aid.

As a reminder to aspire to a higher moral standard, I have the piton mounted on a plaque and displayed on my mantel, where it also serves as a lovely conversation-starter.

Jeremy Lwrote:

Long time stalker, 1st time poster (in the >50)

You probably mean "lurker". Greetings!

Have any of you old farts start learning a new language in your later years? Is it possible or am i (as usual) just not wanting to commit to the big dyno/investment and commit? Is it possible to still learn? I have no dreams of becoming fluent, I just want to be able to communicate well enough to get by.

What's the investment? I think the answer is probably the same whether you are young or old. Some people find it a lot easier to learn a language than others. So if you found it kind of easy when young, you'll probably find it possible when old. 

FWIW I started trying to learn French over 20 years ago, and I'm still not fluent. I made much more progress learning a language in high school, another language in college, and then another language (including immersion) in grad school. Not to say that I became fluent in any of those. However, I learned a bunch, and some of it stuck with me. I don't think that age was a major factor. I think I learn better when I'm taking an official class with a solid textbook (with deadlines, homework, tests and probably also interaction other students) and/or immersed. I've never had the opportunity to do any of that with French. I use Duolingo as a tool, and it has helped me to make progress (I'm still quite fuzzy with past and future tense but I know more than I did before), but I kind of hate it. I also have lots of other tools (books, CDs, listen to Radio France, watch French movies on Netflix, etc), but nothing has gotten me to fluency. Duolingo claims I'm at CEFR B1 level, which is doubtful.

Yet another low ball- (it’s a dropoff about 6 feet higher, unless you like an extra 20 feet of vertical fragile flakes)

Techno Beat at Joe’s Valley

This geezer is still getting after it.

  explorersweb.com/on-manaslu…

Jim Malonewrote:

I have been climbing a lot of rap bolted moderate climbs this summer.  40 years ago I would have been butthurt by the very existence of such routes. Now I only get buuthurt if it’s rap bolted poorly.

Funny how that happens? Right! Same.
Loving sport climbing now!

Shar Peis were made nearly extinct by roving gangs of revolutionary maniacs during Communist China's notorious  Cultural Revolution in the 1960s. They were thought to have been reduced to just a small number of surviving individuals. Shar Peis were associated with the bourgeois and therefore had to be destroyed. Thankfully, a few courageous Chinese, who loved these dogs, took the considerable risk of hiding, exporting, and re-establishing their numbers in the ensuing years.

"During the Communist Revolution and the subsequent Cultural Revolution, Shar-Peis faced a near extinction-level event in China due to harsh policies discouraging dog ownership and heavy taxes on them, which decimated the breed's population. This crisis was averted by Mgo Law, a Hong Kong breeder who, in the 1970s, urged for international assistance, leading to imports and a revival of the breed, especially in the United States and other countries."

Morning walk, North Lake, California.

phylp and Kristian, I replied to your replies from yesterday upthread a few posts. I hope you both were able to see them.

James, I’ve been enjoying your photos and posts too. Your tribute to Allison and Kip was nice. I didn’t know them but know friends of theirs. A sad ending to an epic winter of skiing. 

Donald Thompsonwrote:

Shar Peis were nearly made extinct by roving gangs of revolutionary maniacs during Communist China's notorious  Cultural Revolution in the 1960s. They were thought to have been reduced to just a small number of surviving individuals. Shar Peis were associated with the bourgeois and therefore had to be destroyed. Thankfully, a few courageous Chinese, who loved these dogs, took the considerable risk of hiding, exporting, and re-establishing their numbers in the ensuing years.

             

"During the Communist Revolution and the subsequent Cultural Revolution, Shar-Peis faced a near extinction-level event in China due to harsh policies discouraging dog ownership and heavy taxes on them, which decimated the breed's population. This crisis was averted by Mgo Law, a Hong Kong breeder who, in the 1970s, urged for international assistance, leading to imports and a revival of the breed, especially in the United States and other countries."

Etienne is our third Shar Pei and we have known of this disgusting part of the cultural revolution for about 20 years.  It is tough to fathom the depravity that humans exhibit at times. We are cyber friends with some of the original saviors of the Shar Pei in Hong Kong. Another interesting fact about Shar Pei is they are very close genetically to wolves, only Siberian Huskies and Akitas are closer. Shar Pei have been around for at least 2000 years, their image is found on art and pottery dating back to the Han dynasty. They are super unique and make great mountain companions. 

dragonswrote:

You probably mean "lurker". Greetings!

What's the investment?

Purchasing an app or books or enrolling in a program. I also think I'd learn or be forced to learn quicker if i had to study for tests vs "learning" on duolingo. I've also tried learning passively by watching Spanish shows online with english subtitles on. Thanks for the input, I think I'll try italki as suggested by Mark.

Daniel and James ( and, undoubtedly others I'm not thinking of right now), both of your photography clearly shows why the Sierra Nevada is known as the Range of Light---and you both have great talent in being able to capture that 'essence' with your lenses!!!! Very much appreciate the pictures and keep them coming!!!!

@ James - thanks for the kind words. I still skim thru this thread everyday but lost much interest in it when the political posts were averaging 25 or more % of content. Recently thanks to you and Daniel and a few others, there’s been a lot more of interest.

@Daniel, I did look back and saw your comment after you mentioned it. I love the family members of the canine persuasion. I almost find it hard to call them “dogs” because it doesn’t seem adequate to describe their importance. When I’m back at my computer, I’ll post a few photos of me with the boxers of old that have blessed my family. Michael and I have never had our own dog because I travel too much and it would not be fair.

Will try to remember to take climbing photos over this little trip, and post to contribute. 

Mark E Dixonwrote:

Yet another low ball- (it’s a dropoff about 6 feet higher, unless you like an extra 20 feet of vertical fragile flakes)

Techno Beat at Joe’s Valley

Loved my three days in Joe's Valley!  What a great place!

Joes is really excellent, I'm hoping to get a few more days there this fall.

Am I remembering correctly, did you spend some time in Magic Wood?

How was that in the lower grades (5-6b or so)?

This is a wonderful film:

The Eight Mountains

Beautiful story, stunning cinematography.

Brad says….

“How long are you up for? Wanna jet over this week for a home-cooked meal, showers and then a tour of our still secret area that has already blown peoples minds? Phillip might chime in here about that area and might even join such a junket.”

Thanks for the generous offer Brad! Jan and I are focused on the Trout and getting on fresh water.
We were out of cell range for most of our trip.

I was alluding to the Sonora Pass. I was under the impression that it was like most places with “hush hush” vibes.

Jan is getting knee replacements soon- I wonder if they make spines? I’ll take one please! 

I started taking “Relief Factor” 2 weeks ago. I was taking 1,000 units of IBUPROFEN daily and was in constant pain- having trouble walking and sleeping. The RF seems to be having an effect- I was able to walk farther and move better than usual. I’m optimistic about climbing more in the future and the climbing you show looks fantastic.

Later all.