New and Experienced Climbers over 50 #44

Daniel Shivelywrote:

Interesting placements on Bush the Imbecile, Tranquility Wall, Wheeler Crest.  All in all a fun route climbed about twenty years ago with Denise and Bill Lundeen. The ladder rungs were placed by the FA to bypass some circuitous mid 5.11 climbing. 

A fun and very unique climb! Bizarre is probably the more appropriate description with those crazy rungs in the rock.  Great day cause I was hangin' out on the Wheeler Crest with Dan and Denise. Can't get much better than that!  

Seems like a lot of work to place those when you could just batman on the draws.  Thinking Aincient Art. 

I'm forgetting where it is but I recall reading about a climb ( in Europe) that had artificial holds bolted on so that it was possible to 'free climb' a seemingly blank short section---interesting 'compromise'.

we did the Via Feratta in Telluride and it was an absolute Hoot!

I had to work yesterday. It was dark yesterday shutter speed had to be a bit low for the task... 

I cut way back this year. only 5 gigs total. 4 down and one to go!  Might skip it completely next year....  Big changes... 

Yeah, nothing like shooting a horse show in the rain. Actually I know that was eventing. When I used to occasionally work for my friend, Stan Phaneuf, I remember shooting a show down around Harrisburg. And it was really wet. I always did the hunters and jumpers because that's what I used to ride. I called it working hunters underwater(instead of under saddle). Got a killer shot of someone falling off into a giant mud puddle unfortunately, they didn't buy that shot. Oh well.

They tend to get really pissed at me if I post their crash shots.  Personally I would be stoked to have a shot cartwheeling through a water hazard..   I feel that there is a huge difference between shutter speeds of film vs digital. 1/ 500th with film was fast enough to freeze raindrops perfectly  sharp. 1000th with digital still shows motion.  some kind of false advertising.... 

Yeah, this was back in the film days and we didn't post online. We sent people proofs.
I also have a really great shot of two people coming out of a tandem kayak at the top of quarter mile rapid on the White . No digital copy so I can't post it here.

Alan Rubinwrote:

I'm forgetting where it is but I recall reading about a climb ( in Europe) that had artificial holds bolted on so that it was possible to 'free climb' a seemingly blank short section---interesting 'compromise'.

The FAist of the climb with the rungs said he wanted to do an “easier” climb up that cool formation. I think it was probably possible to A0 through the second 5.11 pitch by pulling on draws although we didn’t need to. As I wrote earlier, the FA always did his own thing and caught some criticism over the years, but left many popular climbs around the Eastside due to his efforts. 

Here’s a few photos of Denise on another perfect December day on his climb Milkylala-the Rocketship, fifth canyon, Wheeler Crest. 

The Wheeler Crest is an awesome feature that hosts great peak bagging, awesome rock climbing, and incredible 6000’ ski descents. 

The route that I'd remembered hearing about with the artificial holds bolted on ( there are likely others as well) is on a cliff called Sa Gubia on Mallorca. It is something like 3 such holds on the third pitch of a five pitch route---and using them keeps the grade of the overall route very consistent. It was obviously an 'interesting' ethical choice by the FA team, but definitely a creative one. I'm sure the route goes 'really free' but with that section significantly harder than anything else on the climb.

Wheeler Crest looks fantastic but the approach always seems to be too daunting for a spoiled lazy bones like me!!!!

Alan Rubinwrote:

The route that I'd remembered hearing about with the artificial holds bolted on ( there are likely others as well) is on a cliff called Sa Gubia on Mallorca. It is something like 3 such holds on the third pitch of a five pitch route---and using them keeps the grade of the overall route very consistent. It was obviously an 'interesting' ethical choice by the FA team, but definitely a creative one. I'm sure the route goes 'really free' but with that section significantly harder than anything else on the climb.

Wheeler Crest looks fantastic but the approach always seems to be too daunting for a spoiled lazy bones like me!!!!

One of my formative climbing experiences was at an abandoned limestone quarry near Bellefonte Pennsylvania. The quarry was abandoned when a spring was hit and a big section became flooded. Climbers glued chunks of limestone to the wall to create routes to climb out of the water. What a fun place to climb! A semi-famous climber also used a gas powered masonry saw to create a tight and slightly painful finger crack. I guess they figured that since the whole place was man-made that some of the climbs may as well be too. I guess it’s not much different than a few of my favorite limestone sport areas. LOL

Did my first via ferrata today. It won’t be my last! Good fun.
The rungs didn’t bother me at all.

Paula and I had an outdoor date today.  An obscure area where I actually put up the first route in the 90’s (Catamount), that has had a recent resurgence and actually has a Gunks App guidebook.   I was tired with only one day rest after the boulder project, and have had very little roped climbing outside, so the 5.11a onsight I did was full value.  Paula got on a 12c and did so well that I know that we will be going back for a second date.

Jim and I got out to lasso ledge and were good old fart underachievers. 5 routes an 7 and 8. we both think the route Isa and I put up last week is closer to an 8 than a 7. I would have called it an 8 but  theeres an 8 here that seemed harder to me but today it was the last climb we did and I floated up it;) 

Jim on the 8

Wow cool photo Philip!

I’ve been mainly climbing inside, while you all post cool outdoorsy pics.

I’m looking forward to climbing outside soon, it’s been cold and wet mainly.

 Bought a new rope bag and climbing bag. The e9 rope bag is typical e9; I think I have maybe eight pairs of e9 trousers, they’re quite expensive here, about 250, but v cool.  

Also spent about 4K on a new sound system, record player, speakers, amp/reciever. I like the tactile aspect of putting on a record.

Haven’t had a Carl poem for yonks!

I need to get to Araps/Gramps ASAP.

It’s getting hot here. It will be 100° every day this week, but it’s still beautiful. Since I never see hikers, it was very strange to have a group hike up to where I was taking a nap on a rock yesterday and stop to chat. They knew where they were by GPS, but had never heard of the sphinx or Watergate or Hemmingway.  It had never occurred to me that these formation names would be known only to Climbers.  I pointed out a route on the Spinx and one woman mentioned she had tried climbing one time 20 years ago and she would never do it again.

In the afternoon, I watched Adam Ondra climb Silence and listen to him narrate the process in a presentation with Jerry Moffett.  I always thought the name Silence was an intentional goof because of all the screaming, but in fact Ondra said it was because of the profound stillness he felt after clipping the last bolt.  I think this is something most Climbers experience?  I remember sharing with Guy the exhaustion I felt after a day of climbing here, but also the profound peace. I was so tired. I couldn’t lift a bag of Epsom salts, but I was so entirely serene.

We also watched a very early episode of Reel rock with Chris Sharma climbing bibliography. Tony firmly believes that if it’s not competitive, it’s not a sport so I asked him to explain the crowd of people at the base of that climb who were losing their minds as Sharma climbed.

I thought maybe I could compare it to golf, something he loved to do, but he said no, if he was golfing with someone, it was to win, not to cheer them on.

There’s so many ways that rock climbing is special and unique. With all the progress in health span coaching there is a real emphasis on creating fast response situations so that if you were to stumble, you can catch yourself before you hit the ground. So they rig all these exercises in the gym to create strength and speed. I am thinking of the hundreds of times I have been on rock where trying to maintain balance on minuscule foot holds and being fast enough to right yourself before you peel off— I don’t know of any contrived gym exercise that can compare to the hours and days and weeks of training on rock.  The longer I don’t climb in this heat, the more I am truly looking forward to being back on the rock as a beginner, and letting these routes inform my body and regain strength and power by doing.

On the downside I walked outside last night to look at my five precious tomato plants and a huge green worm had eaten them all. That’s it for me. My good friend in Northern California keeps sending me pictures of the bounty from her garden. There is a local Carpenter here who will build a beautiful enclosed gardening house with that metal fencing underneath and some kind of chicken wire all around. I would still have to get Water to it and there is still hot, dry wind, and sun to consider. This just may not be my thing anymore.   

Climbers cheering other climbers on is absolutely:

a. akin to golfers cheering on the players at the Masters.

b. highly competetive.

Crush your enemies projects, have them fail miserably on yours, and revel in their wails and lamentations. 

Tony might enjoy watching some World Climbing comps on YouTube.

Cherokee Nuneswrote:

Climbers cheering other climbers on is absolutely:

a. akin to golfers cheering on the players at the Masters.

b. highly competetive.

Well at least no climber that I know of has threatened to call President Trump if something didn't go their way. Which just happened.

Bryson DeChambeau threatened to call Trump during Open penalty row