Tartarian Cherry Tree

I love cherries. They are my favorite fruit. And I love fruit. There are lots of kinds of cherry trees. The Bing is the most common but my favorite is the Black Tartarian. I have two of them and usually only get a few of the cherries as the birds get most of them.

Passing the Link-Love Around

There's a love virus meme being propagated through the genea-blogosphere and kinexxions has been tagged twice! Thanks go to both Thomas MacEntee at Destination: Austin Family and Sheri Fenley at The Educated Genealogist.

The rules associated with this particular tagging thingy are that the tagged blogger

• can put the logo on his/her blog
• must link to the person who gave the award
• must nominate seven other blogs and link to them
• must leave a comment on each of the nominated blogs

I've selected some of the "newer" blogs that I enjoy reading.
Listed in "reverse" alphabetical order ;-)

• We Tree by Amy Coffin
• Twig Talk by Sheri Bush
• TJLGenes : Preserving Our Family History byTravis LeMaster
• Taylorstales-Genealogy by Taylorstales
• Photo-Sleuth by Brett Payne
• Nana's Diggins by Suzy
• From Axer to Ziegler by Linda "in Lancaster" Stienstra
  

The Bigger Picture?

I get a lot of email here from climbers just beginning to get out and get serious about their owntechnical climbing. Over the last week I had a conversation with my climbing partner about the "bigger picture" and our own personal climbingobjectives.



Neither of us likes crag climbing in particular. Truth is, likemost of us we'd rather be in the mountains. The flip side to that is it takes a LOT more effort to get out in the mountains and get somethings done. As in something actually climbed. By this time of year, every year I have usually had a full belly offrustration with the bad weather and the dangerous avalanche conditions.



We came up with a less than 50% percentage of successful trips compared to what we have actually attempted in the mountains. Alpinists are a hardcore and stubborn tribe! Attributes I can admire even if I don't always possess them. By this time of year I can moreeasily turn to rock climbing and riding my road bike. I hatebeating my head against the climbs I still want to get done before the temps soar and the snow and ice disappearsfor another year. My lack of motivation can be telling this time of year. But it is also the time of year I most want to get my alpine projects done.



One of the many discussions we had this last week was the difference between crag climbing and actualalpinism. From that discussion and the local conditions we were experiencing the conversationsplitinto several topics. One of the most interesting topics to me was how I end up labeling"little picture" and "big picture" climbs.



Hopefully what Irelate from those conversations my help others sort out their own projects.



"Little picture" climbs in the context of Cold Thistle and Alpinismare generally crag climbs. Climbs that are close to the road, little objective danger and generally (but not always) at the upper limit of one's technical skill level. Little picture because you really don't have to concentrate on much past how hard the climbing is, what gear will I need and how will I get back down.



Small picture climbs generally allow you to make huge errors in judgment and the gear selection with little consequence for the mistake. It is a great place to learn from mistakes.



The ice climbing in Ouray and Codywill generally fall into this category. As will most of the top roping and smaller cragging areas around the country. But there are "big picture" dangers anywhere it snows. Ice always falls down when it gets warm or cold enough. Bozeman at any given time gets snow and wind as can Cody. There is no easy label when it comes to ice climbing.



Hafner and Johnson Canyon are other "little picture" climbing areas. The places you might head whenthe overall conditions are dismal in the Canadian Rockies.



Alpine objectives in the Canadian Rockies are not "little picture". When it snows, the wind blows, or there is a radical temp change there, the actual technical difficulties will mean almost zip. What really matters in Canada and the Alpsis what might drop on your head at any given time, It might well be rock, ice, lightening,rain or snow! The climbing might well be "easy" by comparison.



If you spend enough time out you get to know what the real timepicture is for your own objectives. Small picture or Large picture? Some climbing areas might be little picture in summer (few issues that need to be on your mindbut the actual climbing) and big picture (a laundry list of objective dangers) in winter. The "picture" and what is required of you mentally canchange by season or be the same year around.



It is easy to come from a strong technical back ground and jump into "small picture" objectives safely.



"Big picture" objectives on the other hand might well have little patience for strong technical climbers without the ability to process all the issues alpinism will eventually require.



The climbs that I generally see turn onto epics are where the climber's technical abilities get over whelmed by the bigger picture of the climb's objectives dangers. That in turnforces the climber into a mental and physical state oftunnel vision. Call it "sketched out". But things go bad quickly when it happens. Once you are forced to deal with the world via tunnel vision it is very easy to over look the environmental details that defineyour safety and well beingon a big climb.



I think it is better to first label and then study your climbs. Note the avi terrainon the approach and decent. What are the snow conditions you want as compared to what you have. What is the hour you want to be up and off the climb? Will conditions allow you of attain your goals? What is your plan if you can't maintain your time schedule?



There is a reason we look for "perfect conditions". Perfect conditionsmake ourclimbs easier on the approach, decent and the actual climb. Perfect conditions make the picture smaller.



What I learned, again, from the conversation is notto let anyone or any one climb over whelm your ability to appreciate the "picture" fully. If something "feels" wrong, it generally is. Don't let your inability to articulate what is wrong stop you from making good decisions. The mountains have been there a long time. They aren't going any where.



Postscript:



I suspect it has something to do with the conditions in Canada last week but it is worth checking out Will's recent comments as well. Same idea,different voice.



http://willgadd.com/?p=668

Ziva & Wiley

Our new puppy, Ziva, playing with our black cat, Wiley. Check out more about Ziva at my blog, http://thepuppytale.blogspot.com/

Pets

A few new photos of some of our pets. Ziva, a 3 year old shepherd mix.




And this is of Ziva, Tuffee, our 9 year old Border Collie, and Murphy, an 11 year old black cat.





This is Cassie trying to see what the weather is going to be according to the TV weather man.

A view

Another nice view from the seating area behind the gift shop

Colchuck Peak

Colchuck Peak, in the Stuart Range, was to be our first real climb of 2007. We camped near the trailhead the night before and then got a 4:00am start on the climb. The road to the trailhead was closed due to a mudslide that needed to be cleaned up. We pushed and rode bikes for 4 miles up the dry gravel road.




Mark crossing the bridge over Mountaineer Creek.



Doug, Mike and Dave enjoying the view.


Dragontail Peak is on the left, Colchuck Peak is on the right and the Colchuck Glacier is in-between. Our route would start directly below the summit as seen from this angle. Colchuck Lake was still frozen. We were able to save a lot of time by going straight across the lake.



Our route was the North Buttress Couloir (NBC). It is the snowy strip going up the left side of this photo. This is the NE side of the peak.





Heading up the lower part of the NBC. The snow was in great shape on this side of the peak. We could easily kick in steps and they were solid.





Dave, the moraine and the end of the lake.






We made it up to the notch and crossed over to the NW side of Colchuck. The snow on this side was loose dry powder.







Mark with Colchuck Lake in background.








Mark, Doug and Dave on top of Colchuck Peak with Mt. Stuart and Sherpa Peak behind us.









The Colchuck Glacier consisted of hard icy snow. We were numb by the time we finished glissading down to the lake!








Dave takes a lot of flower pictures. Here is just one. We hopped back on the bikes, made good time coasting down to the pickup, ate some real food and headed for home.

Temperature Regulation and Underlayers

From a reader's email, quoted with permission:

...not sure how to put this delicately, but when I ride my bike in the cold I inevitably end up with a sweaty bra. Even if I am not exerting myself, the bra is soaking wet by the time I get to work and The Girls are not happy spending an entire morning waiting for it to dry. I've taken to stuffing paper towels in there, but was hoping you could share a better solution. How do you deal with this? Don't tell me you only wear wool bras?

Now approaching my third winter of cycling, one of the most valuable lessons I've learned is how to dress for the cold weather. Merely piling on layers can lead to overheating, then freezing underneath the sweat-soaked clothing when stopped at red lights. This is where choice of fabric becomes important. Wool and silk not only keep me warm, but regulate my body temperature - meaning that I sweat lessunderneath all those layers of warmth than I do wearing cotton or synthetic fabrics. And compared to technical synthetics, wool and silk do not retain body odor.




When choosing temperature-regulating fabrics, the key to the whole system working for me is to start from the inside out. If I am wearing a wool sweater with a cotton long-sleeve tee underneath, that cotton is going to be drenched in sweat; it's better to wear a wool baselayer and a non-wool garment on top of that. Similarly, underwear matters a great deal, since it is the first thing to contact the skin. Cotton or polyester underwear will end up soaked in sweat, causing discomfort even if every single other article of clothing I am wearing is wool.




So yes: In response to the reader's question, I only wear bras made out of fabric that regulates my body temperature effectively, which for me means wool or silk. Wool is the more durable and somewhat more effective option. But wool bras tend to be plain and sporty looking, and not everyone likes that. Also, women with larger chests often report that these bras do not offer sufficient support. If you prefer a look and feel that is more lingiree than sportsbra, real silk bras are available with everything from decorative lace to underwire support and nylon stretch. After having tried a number of manufacturers, I have settled on Ibexfor wool underwear,and onWinter Silksfor some fairly inexpensive silk bras. I also like to wear Icebreakerleggings instead of stockings once it gets cold, and always Smartwoolsocks. There are other excellent options out there. But as long as it's wool or silk, there should be no need to stuff your bra with paper towels before cycling to work.

Summer on Top

During the past week of cloudy weather in the lowlands, rangers and others have been enjoying sunny skies and stellar climbing conditions on the upper mountain. Even with the forecast of snow and cold temps the past few days rangers experienced the very opposite above 9,000'. Check out recent reports on the DC, Liberty Ridge, Little Tahoma, the Kautz Cleaver, and the Emmons on our route conditions page. We'll try to stay on top of things as they change and we get new information.

Upper Kautz Cleaver/Success Couloirs

Remember your sunscreen and sunglasses even when you are still under cloudy skies! Come up and talk to rangers for the most current conditions.

Kendall Knob ..

Dan and I headed out to the Kendall Knob/clear cut area for some quick backcountry turns this morning. It turns out we didn't stay long.

What I have been learning is you need speed to easily execute turns in deep powder. I managed to do that last week at Hyak. However, trees were added to the equation today, and this made it more difficult to want to go fast. It is all a learning curve. On a positive note, I did not hit any trees. I did crash hard when catching a ski on buried alder.

Dan and I found the snow to be deep. Skinning was tiring. It snowed and the wind blew the whole time we were out. Dan had difficulty extricating himself a few times. I had difficulty with the one crash. A little more snow coverage would have made things somewhat easier.

We dug a snow pit at our high point to investigate the snow pack. Mostly soft snow for the top 30". We did a tap test and were able to have a 4" top slide with wrist taps on a fairly low angle slope. (~25° heavily treed) Often we heard the Alpental ski patrol bombing the slopes. (It was sort of scary.)

We made one run through the trees, and called it quits. By the time we left, I90 Eastbound was closed.

Dan breaking trail through trees

The view before conditions deteriorated.

Rain, rain, and more rain

By Saturday the ice went from great to unsafe. Joel Torretti, Josh Hurst and I made the best of poor conditions. Josh came all this way to climb so we did. We even put him to work. We decided to equip a new line at Upper Meadow Amphitheater. A short ice start leads to steep roof climbing, from there leave the rock, punch the curtain and finish on the last 15' of the ice pillar to the top OR continue left passing 1 more bolt to the left hanging curtain. Despite a single attempt by Josh and numerous attempts by Joel and I the line still remains unclimbed. (Josh was feeling under the weather with a head cold and busted ribs from a fall on Caveman extension the previous day). If he weren't in bad shape I'm sure he'd fired the line with little trouble. The line is strenuous and powerful. When completed it could be the hardest mixed route in SWPA. With all the rain in the forecast I doubt the finishing ice pillar will still be upright, thus rendering a true ascent impossible until ice reforms at the lip. Dont let that deter you. The route stays day and can be worked on rain days. Keep the season alive, go give it a go. Today we went back to work the line some more and possibly equip another. Instead we were lucky enough to witness a very cool natural event. As the morning temperatures rose an ice dam broke further upstream. The small, tame Meadow Run became quite intimidating in less than 2 min. We quickly gathered our gear and headed for higher ground up in the ampitheater. we sat and watched in amazment. Large ice debris and class five rapids lasted for 20-30min. then slowly the water receded. Quite a cool thing to see happen. Even though it was warm and rained we still had a great weekend, climbed hard and laughed most of the time. (Hope your ribs are feeling better Josh)!

Fountain

I do not remember this large fountain being in the Patio Market the last time I was here but it looks like it has been here forever. Inside of it somewhere was a pump that kept the water constantly circulating so that it looked like the bucket was always spilling water out.

Dark Secret

Last night I posted a picture of a gimlet-sippingbikeyface at dinner, and a reader emailed to ask what bikes we ride when we go out. It would be great, she suggested, to write a post about being out on the town on bikes.



Hmm that does sound nice. But it would be pretty tough. Because the truth is, we didn't ride bikes. Last night our destination was only 15 minutes away and walking just seemed easier. The other week we did the same when going to see a movie. Come to think of it, most of the time we see each other there are no bikes involved. We live in the same neighbourhood and are usually so tired that we stick to local places and walk to them. Does that make us bad bicycle bloggers? Maybe I should have kept this a secret!





When I first began cycling for transportation 3 years ago, I was so excited about it that I would ride everywhere no matter the distance just for the heck of it. I would ride down the block, or to the store around the corner and back. Now that cycling has lost its novelty, it seems too much of a hassle to get my bike out just to ride a short distance. I would rather walk.



In a sense there is some sadness in having lost that beginner's excitement. But I think it also means that I've transitioned to a stage where transportation cycling has become truly normalised. With cycling established as an inherent part of life, I don't feel the need to ride down the block when I can walk. If you've been riding for a while, have you had the same experience?

The Paradox of Long Rides

Since describing my overnight ride to Maine last week, I've received an unexpected amount of correspondence from readers who feel drawn to long bike rides, but aren't sure they can handle them physically. The only other time I've had such a volume of email, was after my 100 mile ride along the Danube last Autumn - a similar theme. There is considerable interest out there in long distance cycling among those who love bikes but are not necessarily athletic.




Here is an excerpt from an email from Barbara that sums up the sentiment nicely:




"...[I am] not a strong cyclist, but I just loved your description of riding to Maine in the moonlight. I want to do a ride like this so much, it makes me want to cry! Can the weaklings among us experience a similar journey, or am I a hopeless romantic?"




This resonated with me, because it pretty much expresses my own point of view. I love the idea of covering long distances by bicycle, of experiencing beauty and adventure along the way,of bonding with companions as our wheels hum and our headlights illuminate the road. In my imagination, I do not envision this as an athletic activity or an endurance event. Ideally, it would be just a very long bike ride.




And therein lies the paradox: Yes, it is possible to experience long distance cycling from this perspective. But in order to do so, we have to get to the point where we are strong enough, so that a 100+ mile ride feels like a fun adventure and not like a physical feat we've just barely managed to survive. And this, in turn, means working up to it and getting in shape for it.




How is this different from just riding? I suspect there is more than one answer. But the way I interpret it, the crucial difference is that the rides are more structured - with the goal of building up miles, speed, and time in the saddle. Prior to last summer, I never followed any kind of structure, hoping that my endurance and handling skills would just build up organically, inspired by the joy of riding alone. I am sorry to say that this did not happen. Only when I started taking part in club rides,met experienced riding partners,and adapted a more focused approach, did I undergo significant improvements. The structure and discipline changed my body, ultimately giving me more freedom. This may not be the path for everyone, but I am being honest about what it's been like for me.




While the readers who contacted me about long distance riding did so seeking some form of insight, it was in fact I who ended up gaining insight from them; insofar that they helped me recognise this contradiction. I am sometimes asked what my goal in roadcycling is. And I think that my goal, if any, is to get to the point where riding long distance is entirely about the journey and the scenery, not about overcoming physical limitations. But I am willing to work on overcoming those limitations in order to get to that point.

Ultimate Direction's, Juric Running Pack?

The perfect place to use my Ultimate Direction pack.






















Last Fall Igot to talk with the guys at Ultimate Direction about their new race series of running packs. In the middle of January I received the Scott Juric version. But it wasn't until today that I finally got a chance to use it.




HYDRATION SYSTEMS

…DESIGNED BY ATHLETES FOR ATHLETES.

"The Signature Series was designed by three of the most successful, most well-known ultra runners in the world. Using power mesh for zero bounce and state-of-the art cuben fiber for its unsurpassed strength to weight ratio, our Signature Series vests integrate load carrying, performance, and comfort into one unified system. With water bottle pockets in the front of the vest for quick and easy access, the Signature Series represents the next generation of ultra running hydration packs for runners.


Learn about the inspiration behind the Signature Series from UD Brand Manager, Buzz Burrell. "



http://www.ultimatedirection.com/



Make no mistake. I'm no ultra marathoner runner. A marathon distance race with full support tears me up. Every fewyears in the last decade I've done something similar. May never do another...ever. Anything over20 milesI really haveZERO interest in. But I do...sometimes...like long days in the mtns with almost nothing on my back.



SCOTT JUREK designed his signature series of running packs for Ultimate DirectioninSmall, Medium and a Large sizes. So even the big boys like me..that aren't really designed to be runners can fit one. And I fit a large...damn near perfectly by comparison to other off the shelf gear.



It is the only Ultimate Direction pack I ordered because of the available sizing. Most of the guys using these packs are likely lucky to hit 150# soaking wet!



I really wanted to see if I could adapt one of the Ultimate Directionsuper light/minimalistic packs to alpine climbing or some sort. Summer ridge traverses that involve little or no technical gear seemed like a good place to start.I was and am now very excited toget out and use thisone.



We did a 10 mile ridge top trip today followed by another 16 miles on a mtn bike that ended in a gruelling (for me anyway) 1700' vertical, 6 mile climb on the bike. Notvery steep but my steel mtn bike isn't my carbon roadie either.Not a long day but a fun one anyway. I walked away pummeled but still walking....even if just barely.













Gotta say I really like this pack. Th first hour in on the ridge traverse I was hooked. Super stable and super comfortable pack/vest, even with a little downhill trail running to get started. Not much in it. But plenty of room for more. Water, cell phone, camera, Gu, ShotBloks, lunch with 1500 ml of water in bottles. Some slings,rap gear with mysuper light weight Alp 95 CAMP climbing harness.All in, still well under 10#. Closer to 6# than 10#. Depending if I add a water bladder or not with the bottles.



The pack/vest is made for running. But nothing wrong with taking this sort of super light weight gear and adapting it to your own needs. If it would only carry skis easily I would use it year around. But for the rest of summer and a couple of projects I have in mind this thing is almost perfect. For a few long ridge traverses and a couple of lwt alpine climbs I am going to give the Juric version a serious beat down. I'll update the blog with the results.



I'm pretty stoked to find a "pack" that will do what I want and not be in the way.

Anyone that knows me is going to be surprise to see me out of my custom CCWs for serious climbing or my REI Flash for quick hits likethis lastridge "run".



Just a heads up on the pack details as the video covers it all much better than I do in writing.CAMP also deserves some credit here for my own lwt kit. I am relying on CAMP gear more and more through all four seasons now. Worth looking around to see if they have anything you might use as well. Some pretty innovative gear there with huge potentialfor skiing and lwt climbing.



But no one else doing anything similar to the Ultimate Direction designs that I know of short of military tactical vests. And none designed for orlight enough for trail running.



More on the Camp gear I am using withteh Ultimate Direction'svest here:

http://www.camp-usa.com/



Besides the OEM water bottles which I replaced with the Camp versions with the straw for easier use the packs holds everything I need. A Camp wind shell and lwtaxe are standard kit this time of year.



wind shell

http://www.camp-usa.com/products/apparel/flash-anorak-1446.asp

axe

http://www.camp-usa.com/products/ice-axes/corsa.asp

watter bottle

http://www.camp-usa.com/products/packs/action-bottle-w-tube-1795.asp

harness

http://www.camp-usa.com/products/harnesses/alp-95.asp

crampon

http://www.camp-usa.com/products/crampons/xlc-490.asp



http://www.camp-usa.com/products/crampons/tour-nanotech-367.asp



Cell phone and camera a easily stashed as is just about anything else I can think of including aluminum crampons via the bungee cord in the back. Just trying to think out side the box a little here. If you have similar goals of going long and light, thispack and the others in the signature series are worth a look. I like gear that allows me to look at projects with a new set of eyes and expand my own imagination. It is one reason thatnew gearstill excites me.

The guys behind the lens

And here's a rare treat... a couple photos of the guy behind the lens :-)



(Above: Me at Grand Teton National Park - Photo by Gary "Jake" Jacobson)

(Below: Me at Swan Lake, Yellowstone National Park - Photo by Gary "Jake" Jacobson)



(Below: Stuart and I under the elk antler arch in Jackson, Wyoming - Photo by Stuart Dahne)



(Below: Jake and Stuart in Yellowstone National Park)



I had a blast with these guys photographing in Yellowstone and the Tetons. Thanks again guys for one heck of an awesome trip! Jake and Stuart are both fantastic photographers... do yourself a favor and check out their work:

Jake's website: http://www.frozenshutter.com/

Stuart's website: http://www.stuartdahnephotography.com/

Enjoy!