adventuregal

Is that a pickup line?! Hehe... really though. I'll be out there all summer. Plenty of time to live the PNW lifestyle...

Watch this... I am now a... MINIWANKER!!!

Ok. Well then, us Midwesterners are a dense lot for sticking around here when we could be in the Northwest... Especially when the temp is -10. And I'm not seeing any mountain peaks either...

So, the Midwest is not particularly known for our high-quality beer brewing. Unless you take Ol' Mil into consideration... Anyways, I'm out with some friends last night, and what do I see on the beer list but FULL SAIL! I ordered it partly becuase I like it, and partly out of nostalgia. It reminded me of Hood River, good beer, and beautiful scenery. None of which are here. Moral of the story: You Northwesterners don't know how lucky you are... Just wanted to share.

UPDATE: She went to the gym (Yes GYM. No real rock in MN at the moment...) to climb by herself today... I guess one of the employees bitched her out pretty good because she wasn't belaying properly. I think it shook her up. Hopefully it either knocked some sense into her or made her rethink her new found enthusiasm?!

Yup. I'm in MN for the time being. I will be heading to Oregon in a few months though! I've been trying to get her to take a class at VE, but no such luck yet. I'll keep trying. Yes... most people are involved in the outdoors. How did I end up with the one person in town who isn't? And who is obnoxious and boy crazy to boot?!

Hehe... That would be a good experiment.

Aww... And the Midwest didn't even make the list?!

Damn. You guys are geniuses!! What would I do without you all?! Hehe... I'll have her turned off to climbing in no time. I'll take her on an overnight trip. She hates getting dirty and hates bad smells. I'll make sure to confiscate all deodorant before we leave too...

You sure you're up for the challenge??? I wish I could take ya up on that... Only problem: I'm at school in MN for the moment. I'll have to find someone to occupy her around here... Good idea though.

My objection is that she is doing this solely for the men. She doesn't particularly enjoy physical exertion, the outdoors or challenging herself. She pays no attention whatsoever to anything an instructor or I try to tell her... It's annoying as well as dangerous. She tries a route once, gets a few moves up, then wants to come down. I would be happy to help her out (I am a recent newbie as well, so I wouldn't do much teaching.) if she actually wanted to CLIMB. But all she wants to do is check out the hot guys. It's embarrassing for me, not to mention the fact that I don't feel safe climbing with her. Argh.

Help!! My roommate bought a harness and shoes yesterday and has a new plan to climb with me ALL the time. Outdoorsy stuff isn't and has never been her thing. She openly admits this, and claims she's in it for the 'cute guys'. Come on now, honey... I'm seriously afraid she's gonna hurt me or herself. I don't want her belaying me or anyone else if she's gonna be trying to pick up guys at the gym/crag at the same time. How do I deter her from starting the sport? I can see how us newbies often get a bad rep. Arghhh!!!!! I'm not a bitch, I promise. I know, I know... I should be happy I have another person to climb with or just ignore her and do my own thing. If only you knew her... This was a random roomie placement. It's bad news, but I'll survive. Thanks for letting me rant. I needed that. Any tips would be greatly appreciated! My other thought was to take all her gear, sell it, keep the money and let her think it got stolen... Thoughts?

Can't we all just climb and be happy?! Why all the animosity? Who cares what anyone else is doing or saying? You and the rock are all that matter...

Good plan except for the -30 windchill (most days) and snow (little that there is. How sad. We need a normal winter.)... I've got plans to climb on the shore as soon as it warms up though! You Northwesterners aren't gonna know what hit ya when I get out West this spring after training on all of this supposed great climbing around Duluth. Ha! Only kidding... I've been climbing for... what? one month? I won't be able to talk smack for a long long long time!

One more thing... I hate being a 'lurker'. So mundane. I've gotta start posting some more to boost my status, huh?

Thank you everyone for all the great advice, and keep it coming! I have passed the test at the gym and am 'checked out' to lead... But don't worry, I am taking it very slowly and will only lead under the supervision of an experienced climber. And I am not pushing my limits. I want to be safe. I'm just trying to learn all I can about climbing. I love it and am completely addicted! I am trying to go about this the safest and most logical way possible. I can't wait to climb on some real rock, but I do realize that there is much more involved once you get outside(Plus way better scenery! Although I am one of the only females at my gym, so I suppose my scenery there isn't too bad either. ). I think it will be a while before I lead outside. I want to be confident. You guys are such a great resource! Thanks!!! When I get back out West, I'll buy ya'll a round...

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Ok, here's a question... How long had you been climbing before you started leading sport routes? I've only been climbing for about a month (3-4 days a week), but am improving quickly and my climbing partners tell me I'm ready. I know all the mechanics, safety, etc. I led a 5.9 today w/ no problems and feel confident about my abilities. But I get the feeling some people at the gym (Yes, it's the gym in MN for now... Gotta wait till the snow melts to get outside!) disapprove of me starting to lead so quickly? Am I making this up? Should I have more regular top rope experience before I start leading? Help!!

Thanks guys! I can't wait to check out some of those routes. Alas, I'll still be in the Midwest for another 2 months.... I'm counting the days. Erik - I see your location is "A burrito stand near you"... Tried the one in Hood River yet? Damn good.

Roger - Thanks! I appreciate it. (Who is Amber? A psycho ex of some kind? Don't worry, Sara is my real name... ) Cheers!

Thanks, I'll check them out. And then I will be one pissed off lady if you turn out to be right. (I KNEW I should've chosen a different school!!! ) I don't even pretend to know everything about this area... Maybe someday I'll have an inkling as to what is going on? Luckily... I have been using my book as a mouse pad(great place for it, huh?) so it is right here handy for me... "Muscle glycogen provides the primary fuel during intense exercise." and "Stored intramuscular fat and fat derived from adipocytes becomes important during prolonged exercise. In this situation, the fatty acid molecules supply more than 80% of the exercise energy requirements." All I can say is - as oxygen consumption rises, this book tells me that the amount of carbs burned increases and fat burned decreases. And long duration = more fat burned. But there's always debate about this stuff, and there are studies to support both sides. Thanks for bringing my attention to a different point of view. Someday maybe we'll know the truth. Until then... (My personal view... Who cares if it's higher calories. It tastes good. Why deprive yourself of something you love just for those 5 extra lbs? Live it up, man!)

Keep studying. Although proportionally more fat is utilized as a fuel source during "LOW INTENSITY CARDIO", it still is used during high intensity exercise. The rate of fat-burning does not change much with increase in exercise intensity. Thanks, I will keep studying. Can never know too much, right? You're correct, higher intensity exercise does burn SOME fat. BUT... I know for a fact (unless of course my textbooks are wrong?!) that low intensity still burns more. And besides, with a higher intensity workout, the duration would be shorter and thus less fat burned. With a long slow workout, you will burn more fat and for a longer period of time. I'm sticking with my previous advice.

Besides a healthy diet (sorry... no beer! ) and building muscle, the key is LOW INTENSITY CARDIO!!! Interval workouts will NOT burn fat. They are mainy anaerobic activities, and anerobic burns only carbs. Lower intensity cardio uses mainly fat as an energy source. Also, remember to keep working on muscle mass, because the more muscle, the higher your resting metabolism will be and thus you will burn more energy(fat) all day long. Good luck!! (I'm an exercise physiology major... If you have any other questions, let me know!)

Ankle weights are bad news!!! They'll destroy your joints... Don't do it man!!!