Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Monday, September 29, 2008
Minnesota's Maple Mountains
Photo taken just before sunset this evening. The colors are starting to get really nice out there!
Ed Cooper on Deltaform!
Many of the current generation of climbers may not know the name. But you should! Ed Cooper was climbing things years ago that many of us still aspire to today. He was likely there first either taking pictures or climbing some thing that most have not seen in North America yet unless you have gotten off the beaten track. FromDenali andEl Cap in the 50s to the "black hole" on the other side of the Canadian Icefields in the '60s. I am honored to present Ed's commentsand photos of Deltaform here on the blog. What a treasure, enjoy!
Interview with Ed here:
http://www.7photographyquestions.com//01/p35-show-notes-for-mountain-photography----an-interview-with.html
His website is here:http://www.edcooper.com/mountains1.html
Make sure you dbl click on the wonderful photos!
Ed's comments,
"I wouldn't describe Deltaform Mountain as an especially beautiful or aesthetic peak, but it is certainly an awesome mountain with a raw savage feel to it. It makes a great photographic study. Attached are several views of it, some with nearby peaks.They were all taken with a 4x5 view camera except for the view from the top of Mt. Lefroy, which was taken with a 2 ¼ x2 ¼ square folding camera. Low-res images are
included here, but the original scans are close to 300 megabytes each, enough to blow the images up to 30x40 inches and still maintain 300 dpi. Considerable restorative work was required on all the images, as over time the colors had faded, and fungal spots had appeared on the film emulsion."
"The north face has made my anti-bucket list; that is, I've added it to places I would rather not be. I have recalled two interesting anecdotes about this area."
"About the time the images taken in 1971, there was a fatal accident in the couloirs between Peaks 2 & 3 of the Valley of Ten Peaks. A climber was killed by a falling rock careening down the couloirs while he was ascending toward the Neil Cogan Hut located between Peaks 2 & 3. Sometime later, I happened to run across a climber that I knew, and he was very surprised to see me. He said, "I thought you were killed in the Valley of Ten Peaks area". It turns out that the climber that was killed had the last name of Cooper."
"The photo taken from the top of Mt. Lefroy has an interesting history behind it. It was the only time in my life that I have had a powerful premonition about a climb. This was a period in my life where I was exploring my inner self, with periods of intense meditation. In Augustof 1971, I met up with and joined a group of 5 other climbers to climb Mt. Lefroy.
We approached the Abbot Pass Hut via the "Death Trap". The next morning we headed out and traversed out below Mt. Lefroy, The unofficial leader of the group pointed up a snow slope that led directly to the summit with no interruption by rocks. He indicated that that was the route.
One look at it and I had an immediate foreboding and knew that I couldn't go that way. I expressed my feeling to the group, and one of them agreed to go with me up another route, close to rocks, to the right of the other climbers.
As we proceeded upward, we noticed snow conditions deteriorating rapidly due to the warm sun. Snow was starting to slough off and slide. We stayed as close to the rocks as possible and actually climbed on them where feasible. It was during this time that we heard some commotion and shouts off to our left, where the other climbers were. Once we had reached a perch where we could look to the left, we saw the other
four climbers near the base of the climb. It was obvious they had been caught in an avalanche.
There was nothing we could do at this point, as it was too dangerous to descend even the route we were ascending. At least two of the climbers were moving around, so we knew that they, at least, would be able to get back to the hut at Abbot Pass and call for help.
To make a long story short, we reached the summit (where I took the picture) and then proceeded eastward over unknown terrain to find our way down. We weren't prepared to follow a new route, and we wound up traversing many ledges below cliff faces in an attempt to get back to the hut. We had to rappel a few times. At some point we were aware of helicopter noise, which came in to rescue the most severely injured of the climbers.
We arrived back at the hut just as darkness was closing in, thankful that we had chosen a different route!"
Interview with Ed here:
http://www.7photographyquestions.com//01/p35-show-notes-for-mountain-photography----an-interview-with.html
His website is here:http://www.edcooper.com/mountains1.html
Make sure you dbl click on the wonderful photos!
Ed's comments,"I wouldn't describe Deltaform Mountain as an especially beautiful or aesthetic peak, but it is certainly an awesome mountain with a raw savage feel to it. It makes a great photographic study. Attached are several views of it, some with nearby peaks.They were all taken with a 4x5 view camera except for the view from the top of Mt. Lefroy, which was taken with a 2 ¼ x2 ¼ square folding camera. Low-res images are
included here, but the original scans are close to 300 megabytes each, enough to blow the images up to 30x40 inches and still maintain 300 dpi. Considerable restorative work was required on all the images, as over time the colors had faded, and fungal spots had appeared on the film emulsion."
"The north face has made my anti-bucket list; that is, I've added it to places I would rather not be. I have recalled two interesting anecdotes about this area.""About the time the images taken in 1971, there was a fatal accident in the couloirs between Peaks 2 & 3 of the Valley of Ten Peaks. A climber was killed by a falling rock careening down the couloirs while he was ascending toward the Neil Cogan Hut located between Peaks 2 & 3. Sometime later, I happened to run across a climber that I knew, and he was very surprised to see me. He said, "I thought you were killed in the Valley of Ten Peaks area". It turns out that the climber that was killed had the last name of Cooper."
"The photo taken from the top of Mt. Lefroy has an interesting history behind it. It was the only time in my life that I have had a powerful premonition about a climb. This was a period in my life where I was exploring my inner self, with periods of intense meditation. In Augustof 1971, I met up with and joined a group of 5 other climbers to climb Mt. Lefroy.
We approached the Abbot Pass Hut via the "Death Trap". The next morning we headed out and traversed out below Mt. Lefroy, The unofficial leader of the group pointed up a snow slope that led directly to the summit with no interruption by rocks. He indicated that that was the route.
One look at it and I had an immediate foreboding and knew that I couldn't go that way. I expressed my feeling to the group, and one of them agreed to go with me up another route, close to rocks, to the right of the other climbers.
As we proceeded upward, we noticed snow conditions deteriorating rapidly due to the warm sun. Snow was starting to slough off and slide. We stayed as close to the rocks as possible and actually climbed on them where feasible. It was during this time that we heard some commotion and shouts off to our left, where the other climbers were. Once we had reached a perch where we could look to the left, we saw the other
four climbers near the base of the climb. It was obvious they had been caught in an avalanche.
There was nothing we could do at this point, as it was too dangerous to descend even the route we were ascending. At least two of the climbers were moving around, so we knew that they, at least, would be able to get back to the hut at Abbot Pass and call for help.
To make a long story short, we reached the summit (where I took the picture) and then proceeded eastward over unknown terrain to find our way down. We weren't prepared to follow a new route, and we wound up traversing many ledges below cliff faces in an attempt to get back to the hut. We had to rappel a few times. At some point we were aware of helicopter noise, which came in to rescue the most severely injured of the climbers.
We arrived back at the hut just as darkness was closing in, thankful that we had chosen a different route!"
Esmerelda ..
I got to go out with Steve for what seemed like the first time this year. (I wanted to say Summer, but it is no longer, and I doubt I have been in the mountains with Steve since Spring.)
Due to my long hard day the previous day, and Steve bringing his wife's cousin along, we opted for a fairly mellow scramble of Esmerelda Peak in the Teanaway.
To avoid traffic we started a touch late, and arrived at the De Roux camp trail head after 9:30am. We hiked up the trail and took frequent breaks. After consulting the map we ignored the turn off point thinking it was just a cut off a switch back. We went too far and arrived at Gallagher Head Lake. We hung out a bit on some wooden benches taking in the scenery and getting cold. We altered our approach and headed cross country to the ridge to climb.
With some light bushwhacking we were on rocky slopes picking our way up the mostly solid terrain. With a few sections of third class rock, we were on the summit, taking in the views. We hung out for a while and then headed to the next "summit" on the ridge to the east. We continued to the next and then developed our plan to hike down a different way. A few loose third class bits got us down the ridge where we followed game trails down most of the way back to the trail. The slope was steep and loose and only got easier as we descended. I saw a fat garter snake on the way down and then we hit the trail and hiked out.
Scrambling the second summit (photo by Steve Machuga)
This was a fun trip and a good trip to do after the bruiser I had the previous day. It was fun to be out with Steve, and the summit of Esmerelda offers pretty nice views in all directions. It took almost as long to do the round trip drive as it did to climb the peak. Steve and I discussed how the book listed it as a T3, but we found it to be fairly easy with only a few steps of 3rd class. However, I am beginning to think that the technical scramble rating used also increases for navigational difficulty. But who knows. Yet another nice day out in the mountains.
My pics are here.
Due to my long hard day the previous day, and Steve bringing his wife's cousin along, we opted for a fairly mellow scramble of Esmerelda Peak in the Teanaway.
To avoid traffic we started a touch late, and arrived at the De Roux camp trail head after 9:30am. We hiked up the trail and took frequent breaks. After consulting the map we ignored the turn off point thinking it was just a cut off a switch back. We went too far and arrived at Gallagher Head Lake. We hung out a bit on some wooden benches taking in the scenery and getting cold. We altered our approach and headed cross country to the ridge to climb.
With some light bushwhacking we were on rocky slopes picking our way up the mostly solid terrain. With a few sections of third class rock, we were on the summit, taking in the views. We hung out for a while and then headed to the next "summit" on the ridge to the east. We continued to the next and then developed our plan to hike down a different way. A few loose third class bits got us down the ridge where we followed game trails down most of the way back to the trail. The slope was steep and loose and only got easier as we descended. I saw a fat garter snake on the way down and then we hit the trail and hiked out.
Scrambling the second summit (photo by Steve Machuga)This was a fun trip and a good trip to do after the bruiser I had the previous day. It was fun to be out with Steve, and the summit of Esmerelda offers pretty nice views in all directions. It took almost as long to do the round trip drive as it did to climb the peak. Steve and I discussed how the book listed it as a T3, but we found it to be fairly easy with only a few steps of 3rd class. However, I am beginning to think that the technical scramble rating used also increases for navigational difficulty. But who knows. Yet another nice day out in the mountains.
My pics are here.
Monday, September 22, 2008
Wordless Wednesday :: Stone's Trace
The Tavern at Stone's Trace. Built in 1839. South of Ligonier, Indiana.
Bartering at the encampment.Photographs taken on September 6, ...
Copyright © .. by Rebeckah R. Wiseman.
Saturday, September 20, 2008
The Cyclist and the Roundabout
Though not nearly as widespread as in the UK, roundabouts - also known as rotaries and traffic circles - are fairly common back in New England, particularly in the sort of areas that brevets and similar rides tend to take us through.Personally, I don't know anyone in the US - be they cyclist or driver - who actually likes roundabouts, and I am no exception. Over the years my attitude toward them has transitioned from one of pure terror to one of a more manageable, subdued loathing. There are right of way rules to navigating them, but somehow the traffic flow ends up being chaotic despite those rules. Drivers don't always yield to other vehicles correctly, and bikes they sometimes outright ignore. As a cyclist, you can end up waiting your turn forever despite having the right of way. Or worse yet, a driver's failure to yield once you're already moving through the circle can result in a close call or collision.
Now cycling in Northern Ireland, my relationship with roundabouts has moved to an entirely new, downright intimate level. On the North Coast they are everywhere, often used in leu of traffic lights, and I go through at least one - but more typically anywhere between three and six - every day. There are large roundabouts the size of parks. There are smaller ones that might display a modern sculpture or two. And there are tiny ones that are just painted circles on tarmac, easy to miss. There are urban roundabouts through which cars move at a crawl. And there are rural ones, through which lorries fly at top speed.
Most impressive of all are the roundabouts situated along steep hills. One such stunner is just outside of Limavady town, approaching the village of Aghanloo. When I first saw this thing appear in front of me, my jaw dropped. When approached from one direction, this roundabout requires being ready to yield or stop while climbing a 10% grade, from another direction while descending the same. And to be clear, the hill does not start or end with the roundabout; the intersection is half way through the climb. For a cyclist this can be rather ...interesting, requiring precise control of one's bike and brakes.
But one thing I realised about the roundabouts in Northern Ireland over time, is that they are predictable: There is no chaos or confusion, as everyone actually follows the right of way rules. Traveling on the left side of the road, you yield to traffic approaching from the right, and in the same manner other traffic yields to you. Unlike in New England, drivers do actually yield when it is another vehicle's turn - even if that other vehicle is a bike! It took me some time to trust in this, but once I started to all the stress from navigating the roundabouts was removed. When it's my turn, I go and when it's not, I stop: easy, and, admittedly, more efficient than a traffic light. I like it!
What has been your experience with roundabouts as a cyclist in the area where you live?
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Phend-Fisher Family Reunion Ledger (1924-1925)
The fifteenth annual reunion of the Phend-Fisher families was held at East Side Park, Nappanee, Ind. Sep. 5 - 1924
64 members being present. After dinner was over, those who cared to attended the ball game. Same officers were retained for another year.
Ed. Phend
Sec'y
The 16th annual reunion of the Phend - Fisher family was held at the home of John Rhodes, Nappanee, Aug. 28 - 1925.
65 being present.
The time before dinner was spent in a social way. After dinner a short programme was given by the McGowan sisters of Niles, Mich. A short business session was held. The following officers being elected
President, Sam Ringinberg
Secy. Ed. Phend
Treas John Ernest.
A collection of $2.55 was take[n]
1.50 paid to sec'y. cards & printing.
Place for next reunion was left for officers to decide.
Ed. PhendSec'y.
64 members being present. After dinner was over, those who cared to attended the ball game. Same officers were retained for another year.
Ed. Phend
Sec'y
The 16th annual reunion of the Phend - Fisher family was held at the home of John Rhodes, Nappanee, Aug. 28 - 1925.
65 being present.
The time before dinner was spent in a social way. After dinner a short programme was given by the McGowan sisters of Niles, Mich. A short business session was held. The following officers being elected
President, Sam Ringinberg
Secy. Ed. Phend
Treas John Ernest.
A collection of $2.55 was take[n]
1.50 paid to sec'y. cards & printing.
Place for next reunion was left for officers to decide.
Ed. PhendSec'y.
Mirabelle's first camping trip ..
Jennifer and I had been plotting this trip for a while, but weather and work kept getting in the way. This time I had a span of four days off and a better weather window to work from. The goal was to head to the dryer east side of the Cascades, and spend a night in the van. OK, not tent camping, but a start. We considered tent camping, but since we'd be in the van anyway, why bring a tent?
First thing we learned was that Mirabelle needs breaks from the two hour car trip. She slept a bit on the way over, but perhaps awoke from pressure in her ears as we cleared Steven's Pass. We made a few stops on the way over to comfort her and opted to stop in Leavenworth to walk around and give her a nap.
We did touristy things for a bit and then hung out by the Wenatchee River where she got her feet wet and played in the sand. We had dinner in town before setting out to our destination of Glacier View Campground in Wenatchee National Forest.
The Glacier View Campground is a great car camping destination if you are going to be kayaking on Lake Wenatchee. However, it is not well suited to our purpose of just parking the van and camping in it. Most sites have a walk in, so many do not have good platforms to park and camp. We did a lap before opting on site 18 where we got ready for the night.
Camping went well and we all slept in the pop top through the night. I had pillow issues which left me with a stiff neck/back the next day, but Mirabelle appeared refreshed when we awoke the next morning. We intended to hike up to Hidden Lake, but typical of mid summer in the Cascades, the mosquitoes were biting. Since we didn't wish to bundle her up too much, and we wouldn't dream of putting deet on Mirabelle, we turned back and figured we could find a less biting option near Leavenworth.
Mirabelle fell asleep in the car ride and we drove up Icicle Creek hoping for a place to hike. When she awoke we tried to hike up the Snow Creek Trail a bit, but that proved too sunny, even with her hat and sunglasses. We once again went back into town to Riverfront Park. We hiked a bit there before stopping at the same locale on the river to have her play in the sand and eddy.
Overall I think this trip went well. We'll perhaps try our first tent outing this summer as well. We may also return to Leavenworth in the autumn when the sun is not so strong but it is drier than the west side. When we got home MIrabelle was a little flush and we thought she had gotten a sun burn. It dissipated, and we were relieved that we were not bad parents.
First thing we learned was that Mirabelle needs breaks from the two hour car trip. She slept a bit on the way over, but perhaps awoke from pressure in her ears as we cleared Steven's Pass. We made a few stops on the way over to comfort her and opted to stop in Leavenworth to walk around and give her a nap.We did touristy things for a bit and then hung out by the Wenatchee River where she got her feet wet and played in the sand. We had dinner in town before setting out to our destination of Glacier View Campground in Wenatchee National Forest.The Glacier View Campground is a great car camping destination if you are going to be kayaking on Lake Wenatchee. However, it is not well suited to our purpose of just parking the van and camping in it. Most sites have a walk in, so many do not have good platforms to park and camp. We did a lap before opting on site 18 where we got ready for the night.
Camping went well and we all slept in the pop top through the night. I had pillow issues which left me with a stiff neck/back the next day, but Mirabelle appeared refreshed when we awoke the next morning. We intended to hike up to Hidden Lake, but typical of mid summer in the Cascades, the mosquitoes were biting. Since we didn't wish to bundle her up too much, and we wouldn't dream of putting deet on Mirabelle, we turned back and figured we could find a less biting option near Leavenworth.Mirabelle fell asleep in the car ride and we drove up Icicle Creek hoping for a place to hike. When she awoke we tried to hike up the Snow Creek Trail a bit, but that proved too sunny, even with her hat and sunglasses. We once again went back into town to Riverfront Park. We hiked a bit there before stopping at the same locale on the river to have her play in the sand and eddy.
Overall I think this trip went well. We'll perhaps try our first tent outing this summer as well. We may also return to Leavenworth in the autumn when the sun is not so strong but it is drier than the west side. When we got home MIrabelle was a little flush and we thought she had gotten a sun burn. It dissipated, and we were relieved that we were not bad parents.
Riding to the Ride
Most of the rides I take part in start on the outskirts of Boston, usually about 10 miles from my house. Since I don't have a car, naturally I ride my bike there - which means tacking on 20 miles or so to the mileage of the ride itself. A 30 mile club ride is really a 50 mile ride for me, and so on.
In the beginning I thought this put me at a disadvantage to most of the other cyclists there - who either lived nearby or arrived by car. After all, by the time the ride starts I've already cycled 10 miles, whereas the others are well-rested and full of energy. But as I kept riding and learned more about myself as a cyclist, I realised that it was quite the opposite. I am one of those riders who is slow to warm up - feeling sluggish for quite a while before suddenly waking up and getting that "I have wings!" feeling. How lucky that riding to the ride provides me with a warm up!
I've grown so used to riding my bike straight from home, that doing a couple of rides with remote starts this year was incredibly strange. It felt unnatural to load the bike into a car, and I couldn't shake the feeling I was forgetting something, my standard operating procedure for getting out the door disrupted. The remote start was the one aspect of D2R2 I didn't love, while part of the appeal of the overnight ride to Maine was starting from our neighbourhood and ending up across two state lines. Here in the Northeast we have fantastic regional events, and I am trying to decide how interested I am in those that aren't within reasonable cycling distance. ...Of course the definition of what's reasonable is subjective. Some have been known to ride to D2R2 from Boston. A 100 mile warm-up certainly beats my 10!
Monday, September 15, 2008
Fineshade - Blatherwycke - Fineshade
5.5 miles. WithSue, Kate, Norma, Jill,Maureen, Steph, Terry, Barrie, Barry, Phil, Gordon.A much cooler day, we almost saw the sun, and had shadows for a few minutes. Most of the photos were taken on Saturday.
From Top Lodge car park, we walked back down the road towards the A43, turning left just after the bridge to take the path across a cultivated field, downhill then up towards the woodland.
Down through the woods, then follow the path across grassland, then through a stile and between fences to another stile above Fineshade Abbey stables and the house with a lake.
There's a fine statue of a magnificent stag, and a (live) flock of Jacob's sheep.
We took the path downhill, and just before the bridge we turned left and uphill through a field with woodland on the left.
After another field or two you come to a gap in the hedge and the path leads across a cultivated field diagonally to the right.
From here there are views of Blatherwycke Lake
The path continues downhill and over a stile to a minor road junction. Follow the road round into Blatherwycke village, and across the Bridge, past the entrance to a private road. Just as the road makes a right hand turn to the right, there is a footpath sign to the left. Follow this track which passes behind the church. On the hill, just after a second private track goes left you can see the statue of Apollo Belvedere.
The path continues past the lake, which you can glimpse through trees. Before long, you come to a gap in the hedge where you have a choice of two directions. On this walk we took the left-hand alternative, downhill to a footbridge over the Willow Brook.
The path goes through some strips of maize plants - left as shelter for the pheasants -
- and then across grassland to a gate in the hedge, where we turned right towards Blatherwyck. After a couple of hundred yards there is a bridleway sign, between agricultural buildings
shortly before the restored watermill house.
From here there is a wide track leading up towards the woods.
You follow this until it enters the wood, turning slightly left and leading down towards a field gate. From the gate you can see the top of Fineshade Abbey buildings.
It is possible to cross the field without losing any height, arriving at the stile above the stables, from where you follow the narrow path between fences, cross a field, and walk back uphill through a section of woodland, before crossing the cultivated field where we began this walk.
From Top Lodge car park, we walked back down the road towards the A43, turning left just after the bridge to take the path across a cultivated field, downhill then up towards the woodland.
Down through the woods, then follow the path across grassland, then through a stile and between fences to another stile above Fineshade Abbey stables and the house with a lake. There's a fine statue of a magnificent stag, and a (live) flock of Jacob's sheep.We took the path downhill, and just before the bridge we turned left and uphill through a field with woodland on the left.
After another field or two you come to a gap in the hedge and the path leads across a cultivated field diagonally to the right.
From here there are views of Blatherwycke Lake
 |
| The only photo taken on Monday - note greyer sky. |
 |
| Ripe for a caption competition? |
The path continues past the lake, which you can glimpse through trees. Before long, you come to a gap in the hedge where you have a choice of two directions. On this walk we took the left-hand alternative, downhill to a footbridge over the Willow Brook.
 |
| Looking back to the gap in the hedge (where's the sky gone?) |
 |
| Footbridge over the Willow Brook |
- and then across grassland to a gate in the hedge, where we turned right towards Blatherwyck. After a couple of hundred yards there is a bridleway sign, between agricultural buildingsshortly before the restored watermill house.
From here there is a wide track leading up towards the woods.You follow this until it enters the wood, turning slightly left and leading down towards a field gate. From the gate you can see the top of Fineshade Abbey buildings.It is possible to cross the field without losing any height, arriving at the stile above the stables, from where you follow the narrow path between fences, cross a field, and walk back uphill through a section of woodland, before crossing the cultivated field where we began this walk.
Sunday, September 14, 2008
More Moose!
(Click the image to view a larger version)
What a day! Saw FIVE moose today... 4 on the same bend of the Pigeon River, first a male and female pair, then another female with a calf showed up and scared the other two away. Fifth one was seen on Partridge Falls Road on the way home. Paddled 10 miles on the river... besides Moose saw lots of Beavers, the Otter family of 6, and many ducks. The cow and calf shown in this photo crossed the river upstream from me three times, and I was able to get images of them each time they crossed. The image shown here was my favorite.
Thursday, September 11, 2008
Red Vase
I think that this red vase may be depression glass or carnival glass. Other than that I know nothing about it.
Monday, September 8, 2008
South Early Winter Spire SW Rib ..
Elevation Gain: 2600'
5 miles RT
Left car: 11:15 am
Summit: 7:30 pm
Back at car: 10:00 pm
11 hours car to car
Steve and I planned a big climbing weekend. We didn't finalize our objectives until a few days before the weekend. The first leg would be an attempt on the Southwest Rib of South Early Winter Spire. Our plan was to climb South Early on Saturday, and then head to Cascade Pass to climb Forbidden on Sunday/Monday.
We had a casual start from Seattle on Saturday and arrived at the Blue Lake trail head in the late morning. Temps were cool, and it was a bit cloudy. We made awesome time to the base where we ate lunch and started to gear up. (And Steve took a "bathroom break".) There was a party on route ahead of us and they were a few pitches up. We hung our remaining gear in the tree, and headed up the direct start. [Using the description from Weekend Rock.]
Steve led off on the first pitch which was a loose and not easily protected corner. He went a little off route at one point (he called it the 5.10 variation) and was finally at the belay. I followed and found the pitch a struggle, and mostly unenjoyable. The off route variation took me some time to complete as I couldn't manage the moves Steve did and did an even different variation. This off route issue on the first pitch burned a lot of time for us, (Steve thought over and hour) but we weren't too concerned.
I led off on the next pitch which was short and if we didn't go off route on the first pitch, probably could have been combined with it. This short pitch was a moderate crack that brought you up to the next belay just below a major flake that is the following pitch. We changed over leads and Steve was on his way.
This crack is wider and has an interesting design to it with a large edge as its left side. The crack was fairly steep, and Steve headed up it straddling the flake with one leg on the face and one in the crack. There was much grunting. (Not as much as from the woman who was ahead of us-I think she was actually crying at one point.) Steve made his way up and commented about the amount of blood on the rock. He combined the pitch with the following pitch and started to bring me up. I climbed the crack with both feet in for the initial part, and then about 1/3 of the way up I used the flake for feet as my feet were killing me from jamming them in the crack. The last third of the pitch you come out and lie back the final portion. Exciting to go from the relative security of the crack out on to the face. The second pitch of this link up was a wide crack in a slab.
Top of the fourth pitch (photo by Steve Machuga)
It was my turn to lead the next pitch which was a slab pitch. It starts out by going around a corner and then up a nice slab with some exposure. The book description said somewhat runout, but it was oddly only runout for the crux, which in the book was stated as being "an exciting step to the right." It was a fun pitch and I set a gear belay at the base of the bear hug cracks and brought Steve up.
Rounding the corner to gain the slab (photo by Steve Machuga)
Since I had told Steve at the base that I wanted to lead the bear hug cracks, he let me lead this next pitch as well. This was a super enjoyable pitch where you head up a short crack that brings you to a small ledge at the bottom of wide double cracks. They took a touch of effort to get on, but once on them, I found the climbing easy. What was not particularly easy was protecting them. We had brought a #5 Camalot just for this pitch (although we used it on 2-3 other pitches as well.) The bear hug cracks were too wide for the #4 and so I had to move the #5 up with me at least once. Just above the cracks I was able to get in a #4 and then proceeded up a ramp to the next belay, where I brought Steve up.
Bear Hug Cracks (Photo by Steve Machuga)
Steve led out on the next bit and then we started simul-climbing. (This was roughly pitches seven and eight.) He belayed me up to just below the bunny ears, and then I led a short bit to the rap anchor at the bunny ears. We rapped off the scary (freestanding block) anchor into the notch. Then Steve led the final pitch up to the summit area. It was a fun little crack that brought you up to near the summit. Since it was late in the day and clouds seemed to be rolling in, we bypassed the summit block and started our way down the South Arete.
Bottom of pitch 7 (photo by Steve Machuga)
We scrambled most of the the descent until we got to one of the chimneys. We opted to rappel at the rap station there and that is where we were joined by another party who had just topped out on an east face route. One of the guys, Blake, scrambled down to me and set up the next rappel at the next chimney and rapped down. They allowed us to use their rope and I rapped it to find Blake scrambling down to the base. One of his partners came down and said "its only 5.0 right?" and started scrambling the final bit as well. His other partner showed up with another rope and we rappelled to the base. The one partner who started scrambling got a bit sketched and rapped the last bit before Steve could finally rap down.
Once on the ground, we returned to our packs at the base, turned on our headlamps and hiked out.
Overall this was a great climb. Although it was 5.6, the first pitch was no doubt the crux for us. (Were we off route the entire time?) It was loose, not well protected, and strenuous. There were three really enjoyable (dare I say great?) pitches on the route and some other good pitches as well. While clouds threatened all day, they mostly stuck to bothering the nearby peaks like Silver Star and Cutthroat. It was windy and cool on route, but we did have brief moments of sun.
My pics are here.
5 miles RT
Left car: 11:15 am
Summit: 7:30 pm
Back at car: 10:00 pm
11 hours car to car
Steve and I planned a big climbing weekend. We didn't finalize our objectives until a few days before the weekend. The first leg would be an attempt on the Southwest Rib of South Early Winter Spire. Our plan was to climb South Early on Saturday, and then head to Cascade Pass to climb Forbidden on Sunday/Monday.
We had a casual start from Seattle on Saturday and arrived at the Blue Lake trail head in the late morning. Temps were cool, and it was a bit cloudy. We made awesome time to the base where we ate lunch and started to gear up. (And Steve took a "bathroom break".) There was a party on route ahead of us and they were a few pitches up. We hung our remaining gear in the tree, and headed up the direct start. [Using the description from Weekend Rock.]
Steve led off on the first pitch which was a loose and not easily protected corner. He went a little off route at one point (he called it the 5.10 variation) and was finally at the belay. I followed and found the pitch a struggle, and mostly unenjoyable. The off route variation took me some time to complete as I couldn't manage the moves Steve did and did an even different variation. This off route issue on the first pitch burned a lot of time for us, (Steve thought over and hour) but we weren't too concerned.
I led off on the next pitch which was short and if we didn't go off route on the first pitch, probably could have been combined with it. This short pitch was a moderate crack that brought you up to the next belay just below a major flake that is the following pitch. We changed over leads and Steve was on his way.
This crack is wider and has an interesting design to it with a large edge as its left side. The crack was fairly steep, and Steve headed up it straddling the flake with one leg on the face and one in the crack. There was much grunting. (Not as much as from the woman who was ahead of us-I think she was actually crying at one point.) Steve made his way up and commented about the amount of blood on the rock. He combined the pitch with the following pitch and started to bring me up. I climbed the crack with both feet in for the initial part, and then about 1/3 of the way up I used the flake for feet as my feet were killing me from jamming them in the crack. The last third of the pitch you come out and lie back the final portion. Exciting to go from the relative security of the crack out on to the face. The second pitch of this link up was a wide crack in a slab.
Top of the fourth pitch (photo by Steve Machuga)It was my turn to lead the next pitch which was a slab pitch. It starts out by going around a corner and then up a nice slab with some exposure. The book description said somewhat runout, but it was oddly only runout for the crux, which in the book was stated as being "an exciting step to the right." It was a fun pitch and I set a gear belay at the base of the bear hug cracks and brought Steve up.
Rounding the corner to gain the slab (photo by Steve Machuga)Since I had told Steve at the base that I wanted to lead the bear hug cracks, he let me lead this next pitch as well. This was a super enjoyable pitch where you head up a short crack that brings you to a small ledge at the bottom of wide double cracks. They took a touch of effort to get on, but once on them, I found the climbing easy. What was not particularly easy was protecting them. We had brought a #5 Camalot just for this pitch (although we used it on 2-3 other pitches as well.) The bear hug cracks were too wide for the #4 and so I had to move the #5 up with me at least once. Just above the cracks I was able to get in a #4 and then proceeded up a ramp to the next belay, where I brought Steve up.
Bear Hug Cracks (Photo by Steve Machuga)Steve led out on the next bit and then we started simul-climbing. (This was roughly pitches seven and eight.) He belayed me up to just below the bunny ears, and then I led a short bit to the rap anchor at the bunny ears. We rapped off the scary (freestanding block) anchor into the notch. Then Steve led the final pitch up to the summit area. It was a fun little crack that brought you up to near the summit. Since it was late in the day and clouds seemed to be rolling in, we bypassed the summit block and started our way down the South Arete.
Bottom of pitch 7 (photo by Steve Machuga)We scrambled most of the the descent until we got to one of the chimneys. We opted to rappel at the rap station there and that is where we were joined by another party who had just topped out on an east face route. One of the guys, Blake, scrambled down to me and set up the next rappel at the next chimney and rapped down. They allowed us to use their rope and I rapped it to find Blake scrambling down to the base. One of his partners came down and said "its only 5.0 right?" and started scrambling the final bit as well. His other partner showed up with another rope and we rappelled to the base. The one partner who started scrambling got a bit sketched and rapped the last bit before Steve could finally rap down.
Once on the ground, we returned to our packs at the base, turned on our headlamps and hiked out.
Overall this was a great climb. Although it was 5.6, the first pitch was no doubt the crux for us. (Were we off route the entire time?) It was loose, not well protected, and strenuous. There were three really enjoyable (dare I say great?) pitches on the route and some other good pitches as well. While clouds threatened all day, they mostly stuck to bothering the nearby peaks like Silver Star and Cutthroat. It was windy and cool on route, but we did have brief moments of sun.
My pics are here.
Thursday, September 4, 2008
Heart Rate monitors?
Before jumping to conclusions read below
"Just double your heart rate once a day for 30 minutes!"
It is what one of my climbing partners tells the initiated to this day.
And so help methat has to be one of thedumbest remarks ever :-)
No matter if it is 30 minutes or 3 hours.
My resting heart rate even today is generally 40/42. It is creeping up from my 20's when it had been in the high 30s. I hit the mid 90s just walking my bike from the garage to the street, bathroom to desk. 190+ in a hard physical short term effort, gasping for breath.
This is a 48 minute 2000' gain, uphilleffort
So for most normal human beings doubling your heart rate means NOTHING!
It still means nothing even if you actually know what your resting heart rate is!
Helps to know that your heart rate number are personal, yours alone.And they have very little or nothing to do with your age. My maximum heat rate by those that are suppose to know is 160BPM. And seemingly "they"don't know shit! Or at least aren't telling us much!
http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/GettingHealthy/PhysicalActivity/Target-Heart-Rates_UCM_434341_Article.jsp
160BPM is hardly a difficult an effort for me running. Even less so on the bike.
The above 231 number on my bike computer?
The 231 MHR on my bike computer is in error. Simply a bad chest strap connection. I know that because I have seenmy actual MHR incontinued testing, long term over severaldecades. Testing? Or at least the number very close tomy MHR, which is 194 running. A beat or two lesson the bike andless than that swimming.
In straight talk...a 190HR for me, hurts. But in a good way. I know it is a hard work out and I also know I can't hold that HR for long.Sitting here at my desk, on a good day, well rested and well hydrated while typing? My average HR is 46bpm. That I can hold as long as I eat,drink and keep my body temperature stable :) Today it is up to 50 after two days previousof moderately hard work outs. Which I feel this morning. Ageing does slow recovery time.
I have a personal connection to HR monitors that I've mentioned previous. I'll get to that again eventually.
For the most part, when Ihave "trained", and I use that term loosely, it was at what ever maximum I could muster. There was no long slow efforts. There were just efforts...as hard as I could go as long as I could go. Stupid way to train. Almost as dumb as the "double your heart rate method".....almost.
Endurance efforts just meant getting it done. Getting something "big" done climbing wise was as much luck with the nutrition as it was my "training". Thankfully for most reading this that has changed. Not so much for my buddy and doubling his HR. But he has never trained that way, anyway :)
There is a ton of info out there for better/smarter training using a HR monitor. If that kind of thing interests you check it out. Eventually for most it turns into Perceived Effort anyway. HR generally matches that effort. But not always, which is where things start to get really interesting for me. And why a HR monitor makes sense if you want to train smart.
http://exercise.about.com/cs/fitnesstools/l/blperceivedexer.htm
I've been a big fan of Polar products for a decade or more. But I have used Mio in the past as well. Just recently been testing the newest Mio Alpha.
Party line below:
"MIO Alpha Strapless Heart Rate Monitor
The world of strapless, continuous heart rate monitoring has changed. Introducing: the MIO Alpha. This MIO strapless heart rate monitor is the world�s first strapless, continuous heart rate monitor that offers chest-strap free monitoring right from your wrist. Using groundbreaking optical sensor technology, the MIO Alpha gives you user-settable heart rate training options and monitoring like never before. Use your favorite fitness apps to track GPS, distance, speed, and pace, and take your workout to the next level.
The MIO Alpha offers long battery life, able to charge in just under an hour, and offer 8-10 hours of continuous monitoring. When you�re not training, shut off the HR feature and wear as a sleek daily watch for up to 2 to 3 weeks before needing another charge.
The MIO delivers monitoring at performance speeds, so you never have to slow down or modify your workout to get accurate tracking. Finally � untether yourself from chest straps and train in comfort at top performance speed with the MIO Alpha strapless heart rate watch."
I've been using one on and off for a week now. Not having a chest strap is a cool thing. Limited information is not. More to come on the Mio Alpha'stechnology.
And if all else fails...sure, "double your heart rate" every day ;)
Some titles I found useful on HR Monitors and their use:
http://thesallyedwardscompany.com/sallyedwards/books-by-sally-edwards.php
and
Joe Friel's2006 edition Precision Heart Rate Training
New Puppy
We have a new puppy. She is a German Shepherd mix about 4 months old. We named her Ziva or Zivy. I have a new blog to tell all about Ziva at http://thepuppytale.blogspot.com/as well as some of Ziva's tale at this blog. It was a new experence for us to adopt a pup at the Albuquerque Animal Welfare Center and well worth it to get such a nice pup. Go to my new blog to learn more about Ziva.
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