New and Experienced Climbers over 50 #40

Happy New Year everyone, from Spain!

Me on a 5.10 at Mula, near Murcia in the south east of the country. 

Happy new year to everyone. Wishing everyone a healthy year filled with strong climbing. I’m starting the year injured so it can only get better. Stay positive and always have fun. 

Cheers all. Here's to a healthy and constructively interesting 2026 for everyone!

Happy New Year you lovely bunch of old climbers like me that are still getting after it!!! Off to Vermont!!!

Stoke On!

Where in Vermont? I am in Smuggs parking lot right now.. trying to convince myself that 9f and windy is going to be fun 😊 

Nick Goldsmithwrote:

Where in Vermont? I am in Smuggs parking lot right now.. trying to convince myself that 9f and windy is going to be fun 😊 

Ha!  We'll be in Ferrisburgh by 3 pm!

I'll be snow shoeing tonight!

That's pretty far from me. It was very cold and windy up in the notch 

I did some Winter hiking 

Spooky snow field to get to the final pillar 

Happy to be on top again 

My new transition lenses get so dark I can hardly see through them... 

Happy New Year everyone!  (Nick, I meant to compliment/thank you on your update a few pages ago.  I pictured you there living the bachelor life, Isa gone, your pond with the hole and Hugi under the covers. Great visual). 

I've been so antsy lately--waiting for a lightbulb to flash on.  So today I drifted off listening to an interview with Morris Chang, founder of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing.  I snapped to when I realized Morris is 92 years old, net worth $6.1 Billion, and REALLY bright.  He could remember stories, numbers, dates from 1987 as though they were yesterday.

So, I think this is a missing piece of 'anti-aging'.  I've been focused on exercise, protein, sleep etc... but what about the brain?  Maybe this explains some of my desire to go back to work (which I can't/won't)... but recalling being in my office, often at 5 a.m., computers on, music in the background... and THINKING.  Numbers, software, client interaction, decision making.... I think maybe that is good for the brain, as much as squats are good for the quads.  

Here’s to Morris.  

So I'm wondering... is it possible that we get slow, dull (maybe early onset dementia) because we don't give our brains the thorough stimulation and workouts they got in school?  Anyway, I'm inspired to make sure that mental stimulation takes the same priority in 2026 as trying to get my butt a little tighter. :-)  Morris is a delight, every bit as in the game and capable as he was at 60.  

Rich and John have not addressed this lately... but doing math, science problems, etc... isn't that what keeps you so devilishly smart and young?    

And I'm still trying to get my thoughts around the very different experience I had out climbing this week, which was transformative.  I didn't climb well.  I'm still VERY run down and iron deficient. But I was there, and I felt different about the day.  A real bond with the rock, a connection to my climbing... a sense of understanding, assuredness.  No urgency to climb something harder, only something that flowed for me.  So... 2026, a different mindset in climbing.  

Because the deal is... from here on out the grade is not going to get much better.  And I'm realizing that's not the measure of climbing.  I'm looking for the way in which I can be a wise old woman, who maybe hobbles up a 5.5... and kills it.

Does anyone cook or eat bone marrow?

no

John Gillwrote:

Time to remember those old friends we lost. Bill Taylor, a Georgia Tech frat brother, in Cloudland Canyon, GA, 1954. 

Sorry for your loss John. Old friends are the best. 

Lori,
Herman is pretty doable up through the patina knobs, and gets sort of interesting when get get to the standard JT holdless friction bit.

As for the cracks...  the two M&M's routes (Plain and Peanut) are both fun.
I sorta recall the 5.9 having a bit of semi-burly jamming at one point, but it's been a while.

Seems like you've mentioned Dissolution Rock (and maybe even climbed on it).
That has some moderate options that are lots of fun.
I haven't done the left-most one (yet), but the rest of them were enjoyable and the approach is pretty easy.

If you want to do some pretty featured cracks (holds optional in addition to jamming if you want it), hit the three classic 5.7's on Dairy Queen Wall. 

A few shots from Yesterday. 

Isa's Farm. this is a half mile from my house. 

about a mile farther up the road

I just opened an old memory stick.. lots of cool stuff on it.

The fridge in my old cabin complete with Chounard bottle opener. Must have been Christmas

Me Leading P4 of The Last Gentleman on a day that was just a bit too warm for that climb or we should have started earlier...  It goes south in a hurry if its sunny with no wind and in the upper 20s... 

Isa on a climb she convinced me to bolt for her. That was BINTD when I had to drill by hand and bolt ground up...  She needed Ed's help to show me the path of top down bolting;) 

Celibacy 9+

Starting up Power Play in the Daks. A pretty intimidating looking  two pitch WI5 

somewhere is a shot of us on the climb that a friend took but have not seen that in quite awhile..

the cave belay on 20 Below Zero

up High on Cannon

Lori……. Said-   “I'm inspired to make sure that mental stimulation takes the same priority in 2026 as trying to get my butt a little tighter. :-)”

Have you been watching “Landman”?

2026…… when I was a young climber that date was so far off in the future I couldn’t imagine it becoming real but here we are.

I don’t know about you guys, are you starting to get “hints” from your doctor about not climbing?
Mine gave me some advice about it. He said “most 70-80 year olds die after falling”… That advice was running through my head the other day as I was down climbing in the dark, coming down from Kern Slabs.

Nick…. Winter wonderland! Looks fantastic.

As usual I love all the pictures so please, everyone, keep them coming.

Later 

We’ve had a dense fog for the last two days at Joshua Tree, which is rare for the desert. Looking forward to seeing the sun come out tomorrow…

The Park has been super crowded all week, with a line of cars stretching at least two miles long to get in the west entrance for about 5 hours each day from 9:30 to 2:30, but fortunately no line first thing in the morning.

Great pictures Nick and Bob ( your's is very 'atmospheric'). Nick where is Celibacy--ominous 9+ grade????

I've started the New Year off with a cold/flu thing--likely a 'gift' from our daycare attending 2yo grandson during their Christmas visit!!! Slowly getting better though and it has been too cold and raw ( lot of wind) and not great snow, for wimpy me to want to get outside anyway.

Guy, fortunately my cardiologist is a climber, so he understands.....!!!! I'm seeing him for my 'annual' in a few days, hopefully he will still be encouraging.

Keep the inspiring photos coming everyone.

Guy Keeseewrote:

I don’t know about you guys, are you starting to get “hints” from your doctor about not climbing?
Mine gave me some advice about it. He said “most 70-80 year olds die after falling”… That advice was running through my head the other day as I was down climbing in the dark, coming down from Kern Slabs.

 My response to my doctor, or anyone, when they start talking such foolishness is  "I'm 74, what could happen"????

 The alternative is a series of concessions until one ends up infirmed or dead anyway. Given the choice, of course, we will  all naturally choose the concession as it will always seem preferable to  giving up. 

Modern medicine has conquered death in the worst possible way. 

My apologies for such a grim subject, but I've often been challenged by people after what is supposed to be a joke line, I guess they don't get the joke. 

Alan. Deer leap in Killington VT. The right side of the cliff didn't have cracks for protection so It was deemed chossy and unsuitable for climbing for several generations.. just needed a bit of tough love. 

This summer a young kid asked me why Celibacy at 9+ was harder than Wild Women 10a which is right next it. Kids these days ;)

How you know that you have the best mother-in-law in town?

Early birthday present (birthday is next week) from her while up in Vermont for New Year's!

Funnily enough, I have guidebooks for the Daks, multiple for the Gunks, a bunch for NH but I did not have any for VT!

Nick Goldsmithwrote:

Alan. Deer leap in Killington VT. The right side of the cliff didn't have cracks for protection so It was deemed chossy and unsuitable for climbing for several generations.. just needed a bit of tough love. 

This summer a young kid asked me why Celibacy at 9+ was harder than Wild Women 10a which is right next it. Kids these days ;)

Speaking of which, Nick, you're too humble on here!

Loving the subscript on you and Isa's FA of this route in my new guidebook!

Victor Creazziwrote:

 My response to my doctor, or anyone, when they start talking such foolishness is  "I'm 74, what could happen"????

 The alternative is a series of concessions until one ends up infirmed or dead anyway. Given the choice, of course, we will  all naturally choose the concession as it will always seem preferable to  giving up. 

Modern medicine has conquered death in the worst possible way. 

My apologies for such a grim subject, but I've often been challenged by people after what is supposed to be a joke line, I guess they don't get the joke. 

Better to flame out than to rust out IMHO.