New and Experienced Climbers over 50 #39

Idaho Bob wrote:

Agree Nick.  Always pays to look at family history when choosing your parents, LOL.  But seriously,  the female side of the family has a pretty good correlation to longevity based on my limited observations.  Male side, not so much.  

Not necessarily saying this applies to your family but males have a tendency to do a lot more stupid shit than females that contributes to dying young. 

Daniel Shively wrote:

Oh man, I think I met Bill early 2000’s around Tuolumne. Maybe a bit before he started working at the TPR. What a great man, climbing partner, and conversationalist. We’ve kind of lost touch, but I’d love to run into him again. If you still see him regularly, please tell him that Denise and I think of him and would be psyched to re connect if he’s ever around the eastside. Cool photo, and yeah, the headband is always present when rock climbing. 

Bill Lundeen, on the route “Bush the Imbecile”, Tranquility Wall, Wheeler Crest, California.

I’ve seen him post here (not recently) so I hopes that he might lurk and maybe these photos will pull him out of the shadows.

Cheers!

The shadows have released their grip--for now. Are these posts a memorial for some dead climber? Makes me remember when my dad was mayor and police chief in the small town I grew up in and they named a town park after him. He joked about how these things are supposed to happen after you're dead... Two weeks later he died of an aortic aneurism. 

Hey, I miss you guys!  I miss the climbing life more than I can ever say. Three years now of not being on the rock and in the amazing places where climbing take place.  Thanks for the great pictures, Dan. Fondly remembering Smokestack on the Rabbit Ears. And yeah, Brad, 17 of my 32 trips to JT were with you. Amazing trips, amazing years for sure. Thanks for calling my attention, Terry, to this post. Miss climbing with you and Helga in the Meadows and appreciate our real time interactions trying to ride out the most recent political storms.

Once a climber, always a climber I guess. Haven't found anything close to take its place. Yet. Still hoping and searching... Climb on

Dude, I always said that diet and exercise are critical but genetics are still the boss.  I spent a 3rd of my life as a martial arts practitioner student and teacher. I have thousands of examples of students over the years that were genetically gifted and those of us who were not.  Countless times I have seen people with a great work ethic who were conscious of their diet out work naturally gifted people yet never achieve the success and physique of the guy who is gifted but mails it in..  Think Laurece Taylor. skips practice, Stays up all night drinking booze and snorting coke, arrives late on game day and then gets 4 1/2 sacks. Thousands of guys worked harder and kept their bodies clean yet never had a chance to even get on the team...  Most of these gifted people would have been even better and lived even longer had they taken care of themselves.  I bet if Kief Richards was a vegetarian who never smoked, drank or did drugs that guy would probably live to 125...  Any normal person who abused themselves as hard as Kief would have been seriously dead decades ago... 

Daniel Shively wrote:

Wow! Thanks! I’d love to chat and climb with Bill again. He was a mentor to me and guided me through some metaphysical exploration. I could definitely use some of his perspective and wisdom. 

“A Lundeen Way of Knowledge”

Oh man, Hey Bill!, I just saw your post upthread.So cool you jumped in here! I’d love to see you and climb if possible. My phone number is still the same if you have it. I’m happy that I posted your photo and saw that you‘re still out there! Cheers!

Hey Dan … So good to touch base a little. Charlotte and I live in Fort Bragg now, up on the north coast. No climbing for me anymore; serious upper cervical issue that probably happened in that avalanche in 2006. I’d love to see you and Denise if I get back to the Eastern Sierra. Take care! Miss our visits…

Nick Goldsmith wrote:

Dude, I always said that diet and exercise are critical but genetics are still the boss.  I spent a 3rd of my life as a martial arts practitioner student and teacher. I have thousands of examples of students over the years that were genetically gifted and those of us who were not.  Countless times I have seen people with a great work ethic who were conscious of their diet out work naturally gifted people yet never achieve the success and physique of the guy who is gifted but mails it in..  Think Laurece Taylor. skips practice, Stays up all night drinking booze and snorting coke, arrives late on game day and then gets 4 1/2 sacks. Thousands of guys worked harder and kept their bodies clean yet never had a chance to even get on the team...  Most of these gifted people would have been even better and lived even longer had they taken care of themselves.  I bet if Kief Richards was a vegetarian who never smoked, drank or did drugs that guy would probably live to 125...  Any normal person who abused themselves as hard as Kief would have been seriously dead decades ago... 

Yup. Most humans can become competent at any given athletic pursuit by putting in enough effort. Becoming elite requires genetics suited to the sport. It's why pro baseball players have average eyesight of 20/12, or 1 in 7 men over 7 feet tall in the US have played in the NBA but Mugsy Bogues is the only one under 5'6" who managed it.

Bill, it's fantastic to see you posting here. I miss our climbing a lot. Thanks always for so, so many great times and memories.

Still sorry about the "drain cleaner" incident.

Brad Young wrote:

Bill, it's fantastic to see you posting here. I miss our climbing a lot. Thanks always for so, so many great times and memories.

Still sorry about the "drain cleaner" incident.

Same here, Brad.  You probably still have a clean flowing drain, right?   

Maybe we could have a formal introduction to Bill? Sounds like there’s a lot of great history and friendship there.

Could I throw a question out there about crimping? I guess I was wearing a GoPro last year when climbing on King Dome and what I got were mostly pictures of my hands.   But it was a reminder of something I’ve had so much trouble with. These hand grips are what feels natural to me. I know that I have frustrated Bob because on climbs this steep and thin he says thumb over forefinger would give me much more strength,

I’ll bet if I would really put my mind to it I could learn to do thumb over forefinger crimp, but I honestly don’t know if it would improve my ability.  One day I’d like to climb Jan’s route over on Watergate so, there’s that.

Getting my thumb up on top of my forefinger just feels hard and awkward.  What am I doing wrong?  And how do you do it?  

—-

On my morning, walk past comic book I always understand why I’m not begging to go to suicide, Tahquitz or even Yosemite. My hands are full here. I’m already overwhelmed with all the climbing. I will never do. It would be awful to add more beautiful rock to that unattainable list.  By now, I should have claimed this.

Lori Milas wrote:

Getting my thumb up on top of my forefinger just feels hard and awkward.  What am I doing wrong?  And how do you do it?  

I can exert a lot of force in this position… maybe would be even that much more in a closed crimp?  

—-

It helps to have immense finger strength.   

Li Hu wrote:

It helps to have immense finger strength.   

Reviewing these pictures helps.  Those crimps will get me up a 10, but never an 11.  Good opportunity to practice something new! 

Bill Lundeen wrote:

Hey Dan … So good to touch base a little. Charlotte and I live in Fort Bragg now, up on the north coast. No climbing for me anymore; serious upper cervical issue that probably happened in that avalanche in 2006. I’d love to see you and Denise if I get back to the Eastern Sierra. Take care! Miss our visits…

Hi Bill, thanks for the update. Sorry to hear that your injury is keeping you off of the rock, but happy to hear you’re still enjoying Charlotte’s companionship. We would love to see you both and go for s stroll or sit and enjoy a view. 

Happy Climbers!

City of Rocks, June 2026.  I have reservation for June 7-14.  Hope to see many of you there.

Idaho Bob wrote:

City of Rocks, June 2026.  I have reservation for June 7-14.  Hope to see many of you there.

I'll miss you this year! Michael and I plan on going to Europe in June 2026.  God willing, we'll last another year and June 2027 at CoR will be on!

Idaho Bob wrote:

City of Rocks, June 2026.  I have reservation for June 7-14.  Hope to see many of you there.

Did Idaho change the rules for reservations?

Lori….. to do the “thumb over” you need to close your hand into almost a fist. Not open hand … like your photos.

Dragons- getting after IT !!!!!!!

Genetics really do play a part. Several of the men on my Mother’s side were all bent over driving wheelchairs in thier 60’s …..  I got the risky surgery cause I say no to the walker. The climbing is hard- 7 and 8 are max now- but really fun. Yesterday the boys got me to do a TR. They told me “it’s good, good knobs, do it…” Well I did it! Turns out they were sandbagging me- the line had never been tried.
So now they expect me to figure out the bolting, clean it up and bolt the sucker… 

Welcome to Bill. I’ve seen your name, good to match up a face with a name.

Later all

Took a break from climbing and made a quick road trip to the east side for some fly fishing with my wife Yvonne. 5 days of perfect weather- sunny, highs in the 60’s and no wind!

Thanks for the welcome, Guy! And thanks to Dan for some great photos, none of which I’ve ever seen. That photo of Charlotte and me on Sheila is priceless; truly the best we now have of ourselves. 🙏🏼  

Bill Lundeen wrote:

Thanks for the welcome, Guy! And thanks to Dan for some great photos, none of which I’ve ever seen. That photo of Charlotte and me on Sheila is priceless; truly the best we now have of ourselves. 🙏🏼  

It’s a pleasure to be able to share the photos. I remember that day well. Just the three of us and our dogs climbing in a beautiful place. 

Guy Keesee wrote:

Did Idaho change the rules for reservations?

Yes, to make reservations go to:  parksandrecreation.idaho.gov for reservations in the City or Castle Rock State Park(Smokey Mountain Campground).  Reservations at these two places can no longer be made on ReserveAmerica.com.

There are now two or three commercial campgrounds in Almo and these can be found on ReserveAmerica.com.  City of Rocks RV and City of Rocks Camp and Climb.  The reservation window goes through early May 2026 at this time.

Today is election day, and, I'm very happy to report, I got almost nothing whatsoever to vote on.

Except an open space levy. This isn't the first, and hopefully not the last. For only about $40/year, money gets used to buy up, well, open space. That means our foothills, mostly, but it can also be applied to other spaces and the projects that go with it.

We have a terrific trail system here, a big part of what makes Boise, Boise!

Many miles of paved greenbelt paths, too, both sides of the river. 

I'm working through the sudden darkness trauma. That's okay. It'll start to get better. Only 6 to 8 weeks of it getting worse to get through, yay. 

At least we are relatively sunny in the winter, what little there is. I couldn't live in Portland or Seattle in the winter!

My climbing partner seems to have gone into full hibernation mode, so I may hafta go hit up some autobelays. Ugh. Anyone else just have a visceral dislike of actually letting go and dropping off a climb? I do it, but it bugs me, every time. I think partly because autobelays go faster than a partner would normally lower, or I'd go down, if I was rappelling?? 

I also have still not gotten to any gyms at all, even though I know I need that strength training. 

Aw well. 

picture of the day. In the process of cleaning out the van to put it in winter storeage.. looks like snow and mix ed precip in the works and that means saslt on the roads so she needs to be sleeping in Isa's barn before that happens.. always a sad day.. Its a real loss of freedom for me.