SWPA ice climbing season continues (without ice)

This is by far the worst ice season I've encountered in my 15 years of South Western PA ice climbing. The 10 day forecast isn't looking so favorable either. This morning the Laurel Highlands were dusted with a little snow. Enough to motivate me to load up a full winter kit and set off for the woods in search of some new climbs. I figured if nothing else i'd get some mileage in whilst bushwhacking through the greenbriar filled jungles of Dunbar in "Fayetteville Cong".



I took a hike into a seldom climbed area named Rattlesnake Rocks. It's in the vicinity of Krahlick and Elk Rocks. Climbed mostly in the 80's by Ray Burnsworth and pals. It's a short crag that houses a fair number of climbs in the 20 to 30' range. No sport climbing here. All routes were either top roped or led trad. There are numerous moderate cracks and flake options for the aspiring trad climber. Rattlesnake Rocks got its name from the rattlesnakes that are known to frequent the area during the warmer months. I spent some time dry tooling across the base of an overhanging wall.

The left end of Rattlesnake Rocks is a great place for dry tool training

It's a great place to dry tool train with many variations and a nice flat landing. I was alone and climbed sans crampons in my mountain boots. After about an hour of bouldering and a few shots of the area I set off further across the ridge to see what I could find new. I was bushwhacking and scrambling around the hillsides. All of a sudden out of no where I stumbled into this little place.

Slabs stacked like dominos this newly discovered crag is

approximately 50' tall and has some very clean looking trad lines.

There's more crag to the right of what is visible in this photo.

The climbing looks awesome. I didn't notice any signs of previous climbers, but a few ascents may have taken place here over the years. Ed Coll, Ivan Jirak, Cal Swogar... There were a few folks that thrashed through the thickets, climbed what they could and moved on. Unfortunately many of the pioneers of the area are now deceased or have moved on leaving the history a little less than known. Either way, the routes look like a lot of fun and we're planning our first climbing visit this New Years Day. Here's a few of the plums that adorn this crag.

The first line I walked up to,

a seam system unlike many in these parts

Center section of the crag. Nice flakes and corners awaiting us

It was getting later in the day and I still had quite a hike out. I finished exploring a little and made my way to the car dreaming of the great new climbs I found. I had a great day exploring old crags and finding new. After all the time I've spent wandering the ridges and valleys of SWPA, the thing that I enjoy most is what I find next...

Not only new crags, but this is one of the things you might find in SWPA???

MY “2 PENCE” ON MIDLAYERS

Croz Spur, courtesy of Ben O'Connor Croft

By Dave Searle





When the aim of the game in alpine climbing is to stay warm and dry it's no wonder that we all spend so much time agonizing over our shells without spending much time worrying about mid layers. “What's going to be best today? Softshell, hardshell, wind-shirt, or can I get away with just a mid-layer?” It's inevitable that we get it wrong at some point and will be cursing the Gods as we shiver out a long belay, get a good drenching or feel the sweat run down the small of our backs whilst our mouths dry up as we're sucking in that cold, dry air and remembering the measly amount of water that is left in our bag.....







Something that I have realized over the last few years is that most of our problems run deeper than the shell. Finding a mid-layer system that works well can often be overlooked by most climbers and skiers. My problem is I have slightly ridiculously long arms. This causes me all kinds of problems, things that I never thought about when I was starting out. First off having such long arms means that every time I reach up above my head (which strangely I do quite a lot whilst climbing) my sleeves start to creep up my forearms. Not a big problem you say, well actually it is a massive problem. Something that I have discovered (or maybe no one ever told me) is if my wrists get cold my hands are cold almost instantly afterwards, hardly surprising when you think where the blood that should be keeping your hands warm comes from. For me sleeves either have to be equally as ridiculously long or they need thumb loops. Ideally they should be both because if they aren't long enough but have thumb loops then you get another problem manifesting around the harness area. You'll know what I am talking about if you normally climb in trousers as opposed to salopettes. Being “un-tucked” around the waist can range from a slight draft to full blown harness-hip chaffing. I usually keep my climbers partners updated about this problem during a climb with a simple 1-10 scale. '1' being all tucked and correct, '2' being a slight draft/small patch of skin showing up to '10' being horrendous multiple layers out of the top of the harness with full lead-rack/harness-hip interface. Seriously though, I got my layering system wrong a few times in the last few years and ended up with some seriously rubbed hips to show for it.







There are many different types of mid-layers from the super sleek and thin fleeces such as the Patagonia R1 Hoody and the NWAlpine Spider Light Hoody (I have one of the latter and I'm super impressed with it so far, just need to get out there and give it a good test) all the way up to synthetic or down insulated offerings like the Arc'teryx Atom (a firm favourite of Dane's). I am going to concentrate on the fleece type here as that's what I use most of the time in the Alps. I've only written a few up here but it should give you a good idea of what I look for in a mid layer and how important they are.



(edit by Dane: Just to be clear I don't use the Atom LT as a mid layer as Dave implies here, but as my outer layer/action suit top.A R1 or the other tops Dave is discussing in this review I use as my base layer. More here on how I layer. http://coldthistle.blogspot.com//09/winter-layers.html )



During the day, before myself and Ally headed over over to Grindlewald to climb the '38 route on the north face of the Eiger, I was getting stressed out about what I was going to wear on the climb. All my kit was in order and I was tossing up what I was going to do about my top half insulation. I decided, to calm my nerves, I should take a trip to Snell sports in Chamonix to buy some more energy gels (as you can never have enough, Yum) and check out what was the latest offering was for a mid-layer. I spent some time trying on various brands and settled on one that I liked. I went for the Mammut Yukon hoody and shelled out half a week's wage buying one at full price, hours before we set off (and the other half on energy gels!). That was almost a year ago and I haven't regretted buying it for one minute and it has come with me on nearly every outing into the mountains in the last year.



Golden granite is on theDirect des Capucin courtesy of Gavin Pike

It has everything I was looking for. A light hood that can be worn under a helmet and is also stretchy enough to pull over the top at a belay. Thumb loops and long sleeves keep my wrists warm and hovering between 1-3 on the 'Un-tucked Scale'. The thumb loops are well thought out and comfortable next to the skin and stretchy enough to pull over the top of thin gloves. The main body material is slightly wind-proof without sacrificing any breath-ability and is also very stretchy and hard-wearing. The one small pocket on the chest is big enough for my camera and I like that it doesn't have 'handwarmer pockets' because I never need or use them. If I could change one thing about this I would get rid of the full length zip for a ½ length one to keep things simpler. Apart from this it really is the ideal mid layer fleece.







Like I said I am really looking forward to giving the NWAlpine Spider Light Hoody a run for its money when I get the chance.



http://nwalpine.com/black-spider-light-hoody



It's more of a fitted mid layer that can be worn next to the skin and would be great for really fast paced alpine routes where you might just be wearing a wind-proof or light shell over the top. It's got a ½ length zip that curves to the side to eliminate the dreaded chest bulge that you can get when you raise your arms in some mid layers. The thumb loops feel good, the hood is great for going under a helmet, and it's got a chest pocket too. This is a proper dedicated climbing base/mid layer fleece. I can't imagine it would stand up to granite stemming in the same way that my Yukon did but it's designed to be used under a shell because they have used thinner, more breathable fabric.



When I was given a First Ascent Hangfire Hoody to test I really wanted to like it. I really did. It looked and felt great and seemed to be fairly similar in design and features to my beloved (now slightly worn out) Yukon Hoody.



http://www.eddiebauer.com/EB/First-Ascent/Mens-First-Ascent-Fleece/index.cat



The thing is that it's just not quite right. First of all I was puzzled as to why it hasn't got thumb loops. I know they probably cost a little extra to add to a jacket but for me it not worth having a jacket like this without them. The body fitted me really well and was almost better than my Yukon. Unfortunately the lack of thumb loops and much shorter sleeves on the Hangfire meant that they would ride a few inches up my forearms and pull the bottom out of my harness and the cut around the shoulders means that you get a large chest bulge with your hands above your head. Not ideal if you need to look for that next foothold. Also the hood on the Hangfire is neither stretchy enough to go over a helmet or thin enough to wear underneath, rendering itself slightly pointless. The main body material seems a lot tougher than that on my Yukon and it does shed light precipitation which is a plus on some approaches. This jacket hasn't found its way into my action range because it just not quite dedicated enough. I can see what they've done, I can spot it a mile off. It's a more casual, around town, going cragging hoody.... It's just not trying hard enough to come out with me on a big alpine face I'm afraid, so a Cragging/Pub hoody it will remain. I was hoping to use it as a skiing mid-layer this winter, of which I'm sure it would have been very well suited... unfortunately being British I still haven't learnt how to ski so I thought I would just give this winter a miss and sit about at my mum's house in the UK eating chocolate. :-)

Saturday Morning

New morning glory flowers on my 15-foot vines. These 'Heavenly Blue' plants just keep on growing, autumn or not. Sadly, a squirrel cut one of the vines down at the bottom, and now it's shriveling up.

Assateague Island :: The Wild Ponies

For many people, the only reason for going to Assateague Island is to see the Wild Ponies. If so, it could be a little disappointing for them, especially if they only spend a few hours on the island. A 20-minute video shown at the visitor center provides a good, if somewhat romanticized view, of the little ponies that have roamed the beaches, pine forest, and salt marsh of Assateague Island since the 1600s. There are two theories regarding the stout little ponies: one is that they arrived on Assateague's shores when a Spanish galleon ship, with a cargo of horses, sank offshore. The other is that they are remnants of the herds of early colonial settlers who grazed their horses on the Island. Apparently a Spanish ship wreck was discovered recently in the waters off Assateague which gives credence to the first theory.

Both the Maryland and Virginia sides of Assateague Island have wild ponies; each has a herd of about 160 and a fence at the state line keeps the two herds separated. They roam the island in bands of 5-10 ponies so you aren't going to see a lot of them all at once. I did see a group of 10 or so one day sauntering through the main parking lot on the beach side of the island. They were there long enough to stop traffic, then moved on down the road.

Although there are 30+ miles of beautiful white-sand beach, the part that is easily accessible to visitors is only about 5 miles long. Undoubtedly, the ponies roam the beaches too but I never saw any on the beach though they were grazing along the road on the beach side of the Island. I did see quite a few ponies on the bayside - in the marsh areas and in the campgrounds. My suspicion is that there were one or two bands of ponies that roamed those areas and I kept seeing the same horses over and over ;-)

These guys followed me around for quite awhile one day. I'd back off and they'd keep coming. Eventually they tired of the game and went off looking for better pastures.

The grass must have been pretty good alongside the marsh boardwalk. On this day there was a group of six of them. Three were on the boardwalk and the other three were off in the marsh. The ponies aren't very big. Short and stout is an apt description. In the background there is a woman standing next to two ponies, she towers over them. The tallest ones that I saw were maybe 5 feet tall.


There are signs posted stating that you are not to feed, touch, or even approach the horses. I never saw anyone feed them but did see a few people touching and petting them. I didn't go searching for the ponies. If they were in the same area where I was I'd go see them but I really didn't get too close. They are considered to be wild animals but they are definitely not afraid of humans. The ponies are left on their own, to fend for themselves. They are not cared for or treated if they become sick. The only food they get is what they find for themselves: marsh and sand dune grasses, rosehips, bayberry twigs, persimmons and even poison ivy.

Cocoa Beach and Good Friends

I had the chance not once, but twice this past week to share with family members of ours how great of friends we have made since living this lifestyle. I was so fanatical in my sharing with one of them that I think I may have scared them a bit. It's hard not to be really passionate when trying to explain how special of a crowd we have been lucky enough to hang out with the past few years though.



We have said time and time again what exceptional people the pickleball crowd in particular are. This past week was a great example of that. Rich and Donna invited us to their beach condo. I can honestly say we have never had friends invite us along on their vacation to stay in their condo with them, let alone a beach one! I am so grateful to them!



We had to squeeze this trip in around my work schedule so we only had a few days to visit, but we made those days as fun filled as possible. We were also spoiled rotten by Rich and Donna who definitely have the gift of being great hosts. I do not have this gift, so I will have to bake extra goodies when they come to stay with us to make up for it! First thing we got to tour the facilities at the place where there condo is at, and we were very impressed with it.



We then headed out to do a bit of sight seeing. We have never actually visited Cocoa Beach so it was neat to visit some place new in Florida. There was the typical touristy Florida beach stuff of course, but they took us to some non-touristy unique spots. We stopped at Manatee park where they have been able to see manatees and dolphins in their previous visits. Sadly, we did not encounter any wildlife but the park was really pretty so we still enjoyed the stop.



We then visited the pier there, which Donna already wrote about so I'll just send you to her blog Florida Picklers. The first thing I saw there was this cool 3-D mural on the side of this building.



We stopped to catch a few waves, with the ladies trying out the surfboard first.







Then on to the pier, where we visited a shop and I found a pair of flip flop earrings that I loved (and bought).



We saw some fishing being done, birds flying around, lots of beach activity and real surfing in the water.



I thought the pier itself was really neat.



Donna had a great idea for a group shot, taking a picture of our reflections in the water. Love this!



We also managed to squeeze in dinner at an Italian restaurant they have eaten at before. Nathan was able to try one of their small stombolis. Yes, folks, that is their small size! The food there was very good!



After all of that, we still were not done with our day. We took our drinks outside and lounged by the pool and chatted for a bit. Once we digested enough of our dinner we headed over to the tennis courts and chalked off lines for some pickleball. It was very windy and we had fun even with the frustration of not knowing at all where they ball would go after we hit it. I didn't realize until the next day how hard I had really played because the wind really kept me cooled off. After so much fun, we headed to bed for the night gearing up for another fun day the next day.

The Age of Ascent

Ian Elliottis a modern sport climber.

Heclips bolts, he grabs draws, he uses tricks, sticks andkneepads.





But he's no slouch.

Tenacity like a cockroach. He comes back from injuries again and again. The kind of stuff that would stop someone half his sons age.











He's known almost exclusively as Old Ian. Not sure how he got that name.



Style:Gandolf meets Harry Butler. Rocking these Arthritis support kneepads in blue, poly pro underwear in black, and red polar tech beanie by Hot Tuna.

He gets the covetedjjobrienclimbing tick.











Ian channels Bhagwan Shree Rajnessh as he works the moves on "Weapon of Choice" 27, Coolum Cave.Spooky, huh?



I somehow feel proud that the cave has such a climber as Ian, as though I gain some prestige just by association.Climbers, I have to confess to being ageist. I know, coming from me! Old people, they gamble, they take drugs, they drive like maniacs.But then there are exceptions that give us an alternative model.







I could watch it again and again:The scene where this kindly old gentleman shows a Forester load ofbumpy boyshow to do the route they've been dogging all day. And then offers to retrieve their draws.Priceless.









Grow old, stay strong.jj

Yuccas on Southern Blvd.

Went I went to the post office the other day I saw this wonderful, big, clump of yuccas blooming on the landscaped area between Southern Blvd. and the houses in the area. There were three yuccas. Two had white blossoms but they were different shapes. One was more round while the other was longer in shape. The other yucca had the round blossoms with the hint of purple in the outer petals of the flower. This picture is of the round white flowers with a slight view of Southern Blvd. and a car.

Peace River After Much Rain

The kids kept telling me how high the river was after all the rain we've had. I think this winter it has rained more than any winter I can recall in Florida. So it didn't surprise me to hear it was high.



Tonight, we took a walk back there to see it ourselves.



It was as beautiful as always back there. And the river was higher than I've ever seen it before!

Since we are gearing up to head out of this area in a few days...I'm wanting to soak up the beauty while we are still here. With all the rain, there is green everywhere. It just screams Spring!



I love it! Living the life in Florida!

Retrovelo Paula in the Countryside (with Her Vintage Friend)

I have written about Anna's Retrovelo Paula before, but I was not able to evaluate the ride after what was only a couple of minutes on a cold November day. This time around it was summer, and Anna and I went on a nice long trip along the Danube - she on her Retrovelo Paula and me on theSteyr Waffenrad (the bike I ride while in Vienna). Our ride was30-miles round trip, and for a stretch of it we swapped bikes.



Here is Anna on her beautiful bike.



I must pause and mention here that she was wearing a stunning outfit taylor-made for her in India: slate blue kaftan, white trousers and white cape. It looked elegant and kept her cool on what turned out to be a very hot day.



But back to the bikes: neither the Retrovelo nor the vintage bike I was riding had a problem with the magnitude of the ride, which did include occasional (but mild) hills.



We rolled out of Vienna and passed through the beautiful countryside of Klosterneuburg, Krietzendorf, eventually stopping at a scenic spot in Greifenstein.



Here is me with the Retrovelo Paula during our trip. This dog decided to join us for a bit - no doubt because he liked the bike!



Anna's feet and sandals. My main impression of the Retrovelo Paula is that it is a comfortable ride with a feel of gliding to it. The bicycle is clearly well-made and of high quality. It rode very differently from the vintage Austrian bike I was on, but similarly to my Pashley back home (afterthe latest round of modifications I made to the Pashley). Prior to its latest modifications,I would say my Pashley was more sluggish than the Retrovelo Paula, but post-modifications they are about the same. One interesting point, is that I did not feel a huge difference in "cushiness" between the Delta Cruiser tires that I had been riding on my vintage bike, and the Fat Frank tires on the Retrovelo; to my surprise the ride quality was similar.



Overall I liked the Retrovelo Paula, and found its ride quality to be in the same general category as that of Pashley and Velorbis. I think that between the three of these, preferences really depend on individual tastes more than anything else. I know of one former Pashley owner who tried the Retrovelo, liked it better, and has now gotten one (and is selling her Pashley). However, I do not feel the same, and wonder how much of the difference she felt is component and setup-related. The Retrovelo is a very pared-down bike in comparison to the Pashley, and I think the choices of tires and gearing further contribute to the sportier feel of the ride if we compare their "out of the box" set-ups - but all of that can be changed, and I feel that the basic ride quality is similar.



In terms of manufacturing quality, I would rateRetrovelo as being on par with Pashley and better than Velorbis.Aesthetically, I think the Retrovelo has hands-down the best fork-crown design and lugwork of the three, but it has a few practical drawbacks - such as a lack of chaincase and dressguard.As for weight, the Retrovelo Anna was riding felt to me as if it weighed exactly the same as my Pashley at home; it is not a light bicycle by any means.



Other random notes... The Retrovelo has handlebars that to me feel unusually wide, a bit like cruiser bars. Some may like this, others may not. The braking system is hand-activated hub brakes. If you are a coaster brake fan keep that in mind, but I know that some dislike coaster brakes and will see this as great news. The bicycle is equipped with dynamo lighting, front and rear.



The bottom line is: the Retrovelo is an excellent modern bicycle built in the classic tradition. It is fairly fast and maneuverable, comfortable, gorgeous, and its owners love it. If it is within your budget, I doubt that you will regret choosing this bike.



But... I have yet to find a modern bike with a ride quality I like better than my vintage Raleigh DL-1 or the vintage Steyr Waffenrad I ride in Austria. I honestly wish that wasn't so, as I'd feel more comfortable riding a reliable modern bicycle than a vintage one. But it is as if the modern designs did something to the geometry of the bikes that has made them less efficient than their vintage equivalents. Maybe someday I will figure it out.

Water Slide Fun

Today we hit the water slide here at the park. There is just not much that is better for summer fun than this!