markwebster
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Posts posted by markwebster
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This is Lisa, my partner that day, cleaning Karate:
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My surgeon told me that fusing was not a good choice because it would hurt my ability to climb, and I think he meant cracks. He is a climber. My understanding of fusing is that the ankle can't roll sideways. Cracks are what I'm good at, I'm still hoping to get a clean send of Karate...I got really close this fall. This is me, one hang at the traverse on top.
He also told me that he would only consider ankle replacement surgery if I was a sedentary 85 year old. They are very fragile, and not recommended for climbers.
The ankle cortisone shot he gave me helped a lot, as have the tall work boots.
Now I'm going climbing. The next time I show up on this board should be to post my standard xmas at jtree tr.
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Thanks for the input. I have also heard about the distraction. I bought some good work boots. They go above the ankle. 6 inch boot. When laced up it's almost like a brace.
I've been mostly pain free with the new work boots.
My ankle barely hurts at all when I climb, just on long approaches, and that was with my old chacos. We will see how I do at jtree, 2 weeks of full time climbing starting tomorrow. Those approaches are mostly short.
I like this line from the Matt: " we older climbers need to learn to live with the punishment life deals out". Very true!
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The road is calling me. A siren song of freedom. No one to see, no where to be. Leave the job behind for a while. See who I am. Woke up at 4 thinking about that long highway to sunshine.
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Sorry you can't go. I'll keep going down there as long as the old body can take it. Looks like I am driving down solo. My wife is flying in Xmas day. I plan to paint some seascapes at Big Sur for few days, then head up to the desert. It's relatively easy to find partners at jtree. One year a guy walked into my site, looking for a partner named John.
"Nice to meet you, the name is John!".
And he had a girlfriend who climbed with us. They were sport climbers, and wanted to do some cracks...my specialty. Here she is:
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I may have lucked out. I saw a surgeon and he told me to stop whining and go climbing. There is nothing he can do surgically that would help. Told me to get some better, more supportive shoes. Apparently my Chacos are not ideal. Then he gave me a cortisone shot. So now my limp is pretty much gone, and I'm headed to joshua tree. Escaped the knife again!
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Who wants to go to jtree for Christmas? I'm leaving Friday evening 12-14 after work, coming back to Tacoma 1-1. I have lots of room in my RAV 4. If you are hesitating because of family...don't worry, they will get over it. Trust me on this one
This is last years trip to jtree:
These are pictures from my summer of climbing:
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In addition to the Camp 4 crags, Manure Pile and Church Bowl both have routes 5.8 and under that can be led, and then top roped. Same thing on the base of El Cap.
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My doctor told me today that I may need ankle replacement surgery. I broke the darn thing in 1982 in a climbing fall, and it's never been the same, though I climb all the time...vantage last weekend, had a great time on George and Martha, etc.
The chronic pain has been getting worse lately. Lots of grinding and snapping noises down there, and I'm limping.
Anyone have experience with this?
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What everyone else said, and then visit this website:
http://www.supertopo.com/a/How-To-Big-Wall-Climb-Table-of-Contents/a139n.html
My buddy Phil had not done much aid at all 3 years ago. He read all that stuff, watched the videos, and then started putting it into practice around Vantage, Leavenworth and Index. He went solo when he couldn't find partners, getting his systems wired. Now he's done a bunch of big walls in the valley.
For me personally, I love freeclimbing too much to aid...figure I'll get back into aiding when I start really sucking wind at free climbing
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pm sent
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I be dere wid James. I'm down for anything, but I especially like the smoke bluffs. Love to warm up on some eights and nine trad (Penny Lane, Octopus Garden, etc), then try some longer stuff. I'm bringing a guitar and blues harp. The more the merrier!
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I'm pretty sure someone has been living just east of the exit 38 parking lot in a pull out. Their van has been there since spring.
Truckers have traditionally pulled off and slept there, west of the main 38 parking. Many people used to camp on the river at the swimming hole under the bridge at the Far Side parking lot. Haven't seen them this year yet...but it was common a couple years ago. They would park right at the bridge...but that may be restricted now.
My son has slept on top of Headlight Pt, far side, very cool campspot just south of that top cliff, North of Ellies Sweet Kiss.
If you leave your car overnight, be sure to leave your car empty...and preferably a beater car...maybe take the rotor out of the distributor cap...or pull off a battery ground wire...so it is disabled.
The cops know truckers sleep up there...I'd guess they consider it an informal rest area.
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PM sent
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Pisces is also known as Libra, depending on which of the many Index books you have. I filmed Craig leading Libra last summer. It is in high def, you have to click the HD link:
Crack climbing pain is hard to pin down. But your observation about the pain diminishing with practice rings true. Much of crack climbing is dependent on your hand size. I've climbed with petite women who excel at thin fingers, but flail in fist cracks.
I'm the opposite, I have wide feet and huge hands. I suck at thin fingers, but excell at wide hand and fist cracks.
Hand jammies are nice for cruising, but not good for thin hand cracks, where tape has a thinner profile.
I suspect that a lot of your pain will go away as you climb more. Your body gets used to being stuffed in cracks, like breaking in a pair of shoes.
Working your way up through the 5.6,7,8,9 cracks at Castle rock in Leavenworth, or Tieton is a great way to master crack climbing in all it's flavors. Believe it or not, Smith actually has a ton of great crack climbing too.
Smoke Bluffs at Squamish also has awesome beginner crack climbing.
For fist pain, put your fist in palm down or up, thumb tucked down below the fingers. Only the fleshy muscle of your fist on either side should be touching the rock, not bone.
If you live in Seattle, the new Vertical World gym has 4 cracks, and probably the best long hand/fist crack in Washington. For me, it is perfect hands, for small people, it can be tight fists. Tape up and work it until you can climb it up and down.
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awesome photos, thanks for sharing!
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After destroying REI's most expensive 9.9 in one year, I had sort of a knee jerk reaction and went back to thick ropes. I have the 70 meter Sterling 10.7. I definitely notice the weight at the top of a long pitch, but it's fine. I've only got 15 pitches on it, but so far I love it and expect it to last quite a while.
Hell, I climbed for 15 years on 11's, as did all old climbers. If all you do is short approach cragging, and you are young, there is no reason you can't handle a thick, durable rope.
I think, and this is just my opinion, that the trend to go ultra light is wrong when it comes to ropes and simple cragging. Why sacrifice sheath thickness when that is the thing that wears first? The rope manufacturers probably love the thin rope trend, they get to sell twice as many ropes.
Now, if you are doing first ascents, super hard sends, or mountaineering with long approaches, by all means get yourself some dental floss rope.
Flame on :-)
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Try having kids, it's like an achilles that will never heal.
Otherwise known as the "prison years".
Gimme a break, I climbed all through the "kid years". Bring 'em along, they love playing in the dirt and chasing lizards. It's only a little hard when they are babies, you just need a third who doesn't mind kids while the wife climbs.
We carried my son out to Leavenworth and Squamish at 5 weeks. Babies are a lot tougher than people think.
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Cool! Nice tr, and I even liked the dog pictures, which is weird. I have become a bit burned out on mean barking crag dogs.
I've never seen a mean Corgi, perhaps they are the exception to the rule.
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I did buy a variable ND filter, but I foolishly bought it for my smallest lens...the el cheapo nifty fifty for shooting video. It was $120. I've since bought a fixed ND filter for my larger lens, and it was around $70. It works fine, even though it's fixed.
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Awesome timelapse. I loved the way you can feel the earth spinning under the camera! So I'm assuming you used the built in timelapse function settings on your 60D?
I've heard of external add ons that do it too...
I've never done one, but you make it look very cool. And then I presume you brought the images into something like Adobe Premiere to get the video?
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I've had great luck using talking books on my smart phone to stay awake. They are a free download at the library and they last for up to 8 to 12 hours. Some have been so good we fight over which chapter to listen to, since each driver gets to a different "page". You can put a dozen on your smart phone no problem. If it's a droid, they don't expire.
Driving barefoot can help, or rolling down the window. If my wife is with me, she does this thing where she scratches my right arm very lightly like a rotisserie massage or something.
Beyond that, chocolate covered coffee beans are cool because you get the buzz without the liquid.
And, of course, slow down. When you find yourself going 40 on i-5 it's time for a nap.
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I've always been nervous about leaving my car unlocked, even empty. I get the logic. And maybe the windows rolled down too. It just seems like it makes it too easy for anyone to hop in and sit down. I guess if it was a beater car I could do it.
Now obviously, lots of people leave stuff in the car that has no business being left out, like smart phones and computer bags.
But on a road trip, you have to have your camping gear in there. The best solution I've come up with is an armored box. One guy had an old Korean war ammo box chained to the car frame, in the back seat. I think it was Alan Kearney at Smith back in the '80s when he was shooting video. You would have needed serious bolt cutters and a torch.
I do something similar now on road trips for camera gear. It slows down the smash and grabbers.
But the best solution is a big ugly yellow screaming rubber chicken, right in the middle of the front seat. Don't know why it works, but I've never been ripped off. And keep yer hands off my chicken!
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I think it would fit in a backpack. That might be the best solution. I've seen bolts chopped by rock fall (grand central slab, pinnacles).
It would come down over those bolt climbs to the left of Rogers Corner...assuming it didn't start bouncing weird. It's about the size of two volleyballs...but sort of flattened.
When I stepped on it while rapping off the top of Great Northern slabs upper most anchors, I was about level with both the bottom of BOC, and the 5 inch tree that is visible when you are looking up towards the last pitch of Great Northern Slab...from the 5 bolt belay.
It slid sideways about 2 inches on it's ledge, and almost tipped off. It's to the right of where you climb. I only hit it because I was rapping straight down.
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Awesome night shots!!! Those are some of the best I've seen. Thanks for sharing.
What did you get for Christmas?
in The Gear Critic
Posted
My present was: my wife, flying in to join me for the second week at Joshua Tree