Traveler

H
These are of Traveler playing and then standing to be brushed. Wish the background had been better on the one photo instead of having the trashcan in front of the garage in it. Tuffee is helping keep Trave under control in the one photo.

Florida Carriage Museum and Paintball

Today we split up and some of us went to play Paintball:




and the rest of us visited the Florida Carriage Museum in nearby Weirsdale, Florida. I don't know much about the paintball fun beyond seeing the battle scars and hearing talk of a return visit but I got the impression they had a blast. We had our own version of fun at the museum.



I didn't know quite what to expect when I read online that it was a carriage museum. I was very pleased with what we did find there. The collection was even more extensive and interesting than I'd suspected might be there.



The tour guide did a good job of sharing the history behind many of the carriages they had there and the general history of carriages and driving.



I especially enjoyed being able to share the visit with Brittany. This is the first museum we took her too and I probably should have warned her that this will be the first of many museums she will see if she is a part of the family. She said she really enjoyed it, so hopefully that is a good thing for her too!

Unusual Seismic Recordings from Mount Rainier Glaciers

This is Steve Malone with the Pacific Northwest Seismic Network located at the University of Washington in Seattle. We operate seismographs throughout the Pacific Northwest and have three located high on Mount Rainier. We often record seismic events from all of our glacier-clad volcanoes that we associate with glacier motion, i.e. "ice-quakes." However, since about May 20, we have detected a strange set of these events coming from the upper Winthrop Glacier. We are calling these small events "clones" because the seismic waveforms from one event are near-duplicates of those from other events indicating a repeating source. They also seem to occur at very regular intervals.


The interval between events is often as short as every 3 minutes but changes from time to time and has been as much as 15 minutes between events. We think that their magnitude (on the Richter scale) is about M = -1 (i.e., 8 orders of magnitude smaller than the Nisqually earthquake of 2001).



So, what are these puppies? We think they represent small periodic slips at the bed of the glacier. Perhaps there is a large rock embedded in the bottom of the glacier and as the glacier moves it scrapes this rock along the bed, only a few mm in each slip. But why are they so regular in time? Maybe water pools up-hill of the rock until it slightly lifts the glacier allowing the rock to more easily slip and this then drains that small pool of water starting the process over. We think that water has an important influence on glacier sliding but don't understand the mechanism very well.


How can you help? Anyone climbing Rainier on the east side (upper Emmons or Winthrop Glacier routes) may see or hear things that would help us pin these suckers down. Please let me know of anything you think may be out of the ordinary (sounds, sights, feelings???). Particularly those of you who have been in this area before and can compare what may be different from previous climbs. Our best guess where these originate (based on stacking 4000 individual events to get the best relative seismic wave arrival times at six seismic stations and using a 1-D seismic velocity model with station elevation corrections, blah blah blah, other scientific mumbo-jumbo) puts the location at 46.85950 north 121.7610 west (i.e., 2.5 km WSW of Camp Schurman or 3.4 km NNW of Camp Muir or about 600 meters up from the top of Russell Cliffs).

To see these suckers yourself check out our "webicorders" at: http://www.pnsn.org/WEBICORDER/VOLC
and click on the date-time for one of the high Rainier stations (RCS, RCM, STAR). The small blips that have about the same size and shape are our "clones".

Send email to: steve@ess.washington.edu or give me a call (206-685-3811)


Steve Malone

Surprise visitors

I looked out the window and couldn't believe what I saw.



Oh! Oh oh oh oh oh!



A wild turkey with four babies! (Meleagris gallopavo.)



I was grinning from ear to ear all afternoon.

Sorry everything's a bit blurry - I never wash the windows. It cuts down on the number of birds that break their necks trying to fly inside. No, really! That's why. Really.

Skiing Mount Rainier

There is nothing totally new about skiing Mt. Rainier. Sure, it's not done that often, but people do ski and ride it... However, skiing the Wilson Headwall is something special. The recent snowfall is settling nicely in some areas. Climbers-turned-skiers (or are they skiers-turned-climbers?) are making their moves on Rainier's slopes. Ski, board, and snowpack reports are welcome!

As for the internet... this blogger site has its down days... But that's ok, because it's easier to express frustration at an internet site, than say, well... we'll just move on...

A few "climbing instigators" have been sending GREAT route conditions information. I've been trying to dump most of it directly into the blog. But as the amount of information grows, I wonder if it would be easier to have a bullentin board?

Please send me your thoughts? I'm very pleased that you are willing to share their experiences! Everyone REALLY appreciates it!

Image by Sky Sjue, just before he drops down the Wilson Headwall...

The Infinite amount of snow

Today was another great day of climbing. Despite the 36" of snow that fell upon the Laurel Highlands, Joel joined Laura and I for some fun at SCII. As soon as we could see the cliffs, we knew we were in for a treat. The cold weather the past week had built up some great lines that were begging to be climbed. We slogged through the knee -to -waist deep snow down to the cliff. We were treated to some great climbing in a pristine setting. The clouds cleared and provided us with some bluebird skies on several occasions. The ice was new and untrodden, presented many challenges and left us all (except Laura) pumped. It was one hell of a good time. Dr. Bob and Regina showed up before noon, dropped a line on the centrals and enjoyed the fun as well. We were hiking out as it was getting dark... Heres the photos that Laura and I snapped during the day... Enjoy

Thomas Edison and Henry Ford Winter Estates

We missed another get together with good food and good people in order to get out and do some sight seeing yesterday. It was the warmest day for some days to come, and I was getting very stir crazy!



We headed down to a neat place south of us. Thomas Edison and Henry Ford had winter estates in Ft Myers, Florida. Their homes were on the same piece of land and Edison had a lab there also. We've been here a few times before, but we had not seen all of the museum yet. It had the usual cool Edison inventions that I enjoyed seeing. I think the first two pictures were my favorite things to see this visit:



and a picture of Helen Keller and her autograph which reads: To Mr. Edison Not loudness but Love sounds in your ear my friend. Helen Keller

For those that don't know, he was almost completely deaf.



Some of his inventions:





I love all of the cars on display there:



My very favorite thing here by far though is the Banyan tree. All of this is the same tree, and I didn't begin to capture all of it because it was raining by the time I took these shots:





Living the life in chilly Florida!

Gunks Routes: Easy Overhang (5.2) & Son of Easy O (5.8)

It was one of those treasured weekdays in the Gunks. I was going climbing with Margaret, one of my longest-running climbing friends, but with whom I somehow haven't climbed outside in years. She wanted to do some easy leads. I just wanted to climb and didn't much care what we did. And with a heat wave rolling through and temperatures in the high 90s, easy leads sounded pretty good to me.



After I warmed us up with a run up Rhododendron (5.6-) we took the quick walk over to Easy Overhang, which neither of us had ever done and which Margaret wanted to lead.





(Photo: Almost through pitch one of Easy Overhang, having gone in and out of the 5.1 chimney.)



Pitch one is rated only 5.1, but the opening move (up a little flake and left to the chimney that makes up most of the pitch) sure feels harder than that. Neither Margaret nor I were at any risk of falling off, of course, but it was kind of a wake-up call. I get this same wake-up call whenever I do a super-easy climb in the Gunks. There's always a move somewhere that makes you think a little, no matter what the rating is. On Easy Overhang it comes right off the ground. It's just hard enough, I imagine, to give a brand new leader pause about what's to come, and it could cause real problems for a totally inexperienced climber. After we finished the climb, in fact, I saw a young girl of perhaps twelve or thirteen struggling mightily with these first moves of the pitch while her belayer/dad chatted on his cellular phone, oblivious. I gave her a little beta and she eventually got through it, but not without some skidding feet here and there.



Once you are established in the chimney the climb is as easy as advertised up to the bolts at the belay ledge. I thought it was pleasant, good fun. When I got to the bolts I looked up at the 5.2 pitch two and it too looked like another entertaining sandbag. The holds appeared to be plentiful but the climbing looked quite steep, and not just at the namesake overhang(s).





(Photo: Pitch two of Easy Overhang.)



Margaret set off and made quick work of it. As I followed her, enjoying the moves, I tried to imagine Hans Kraus leading it in mountain boots in 1941 (or perhaps sneakers, as he wore for the first ascent of the crux pitch of High Exposure that same year). It wasn't easy to envision. I tried to picture what this cliff was like without the lines already drawn in. I attempted to see this hunk of rock as a blank slate, as Kraus saw it; to find the line without outside influence, as he had found it. And it was hard for me to imagine that a person could look at this particular line and think it would be easily climbed with the tools of his day: clunky boots, a few pitons, hemp ropes. I resolved to try it one day-- not with hemp ropes or pitons, but maybe in mountain boots, as one internet climbing forum participant proposed somewhere a few months ago. Easy Overhang seems like the perfect climb for it. The going is steep in places, but rests are plentiful and there are great edges for stiff soles; no need for smearing. I think primitive footwear would work well, and that leading Easy Overhang in them would scare the crap out of me, in a good, safe way.



After we were done with Easy Overhang it was my turn to lead something. I couldn't resist hopping on Son of Easy O (5.8). I led it two years ago, just a few days before I broke my ankle. When I looked back on it I remembered the thin face climbing on pitch one as rather tough going, and the pitch two overhang as a surprisingly easy pleasure.



I was eager to get back on it because I've been feeling so good on the 5.8 climbs lately. I wanted to see if pitch one would seem easier this time around. I also wanted to check it out again because a few weeks ago in this space I declared Birdland to be perhaps the best 5.8 in the Gunks, and the reason I qualified my praise with that word "perhaps" was that I thought possibly Son of Easy O deserved the honor instead.



Well, pitch one was still tense the second time around. Maybe the heat was a factor. Maybe my performance was also affected by the fact that the party before us elected to rap from the pins near the top (this requires two ropes or a 70 meter single) and dropped their rope on me while I was negotiating the crux. (They were actually nice guys; they realized this was an error and then waited until I said it was okay before they dropped the other end.) Whatever the reason, I thought this was one of the hardest, and best, 5.8 pitches I've done at the Gunks. It just doesn't stop coming. It is steep for 15 or 20 feet, with thin moves past the pin and the little left-facing corner. Then the angle eases but the thin moves continue. You are over your feet so you don't pump out, but there isn't much in the way of a rest stance until you are practically at the ledge. It's just one thoughtful move after another, with great, abundant pro, the whole way. So good.



I wonder if this pitch feels harder than it used to because it is so popular. The route is polished, so much so that you can pick out the line from the carriage road by the streak of polish going up the wall.



I know it is fashionable these days to combine pitches one and two but it was so hot out I thought it might be nice to take a break between the pitches. I also wanted to experience the traverse over to the overhang at the start of pitch two again, and this traverse is skipped when the pitches are combined. So I angled up left at the ledge and belayed at the traditional spot at the end of pitch one. After Margaret arrived at the belay ledge (remarking as she finished climbing that she couldn't believe pitch one was only a 5.8) I set off on pitch two.





(Photo: In the thick of pitch two of Son of Easy O (5.8).)



Again my impressions of two years ago were more or less confirmed. After a slightly dicey step into the traverse, which requires a move or two before you can get good pro in, the pitch is steep, with great holds and gear as you move up into the overhanging corner. Then it is over before you know it. I made the traversing moves, thinking things were getting pumpy in a hurry. Then I stepped up to the pin, telling myself I'd better keep it moving. I placed a dynamite back-up cam to the right of the pin. I moved up and placed another cam in a horizontal. I thought about whether it was worth the energy I would have to expend to improve this last placement... and then I looked to the right and realized the hard stuff was already done. One step around the corner to the right and the pitch was in the bag.



Having done both pitches of Son of Easy O again I have to say it is a close call, but I don't think it is the best overall 5.8 in the Gunks. If the second pitch were just a bit longer it might get the nod. The first pitch is amazing, the second is only very good. In addition, the climb is a victim of its own popularity; it is getting quite polished on the first pitch. Regardless of these small caveats, it is certainly still among the best 5.8s, and it deserves of every one of its three stars.



But Birdland remains the champ as far as I'm concerned.

Wrapping tool shafts?

The reason I wrap my tools almost full shaft (2" shy of the head) is I like to do a lot of high dagger position on easier alpine terrain. And I actually like climbing easier terrain with radically curved tools. I'll run my hand from the upper grip to the head of the tool to avoid as many placements as possible. Just to save strength and climb faster. A good tape job keeps the hands warmer on aluminum when it is really cold out. And I like the rubber texture over bare aluminum or carbon fiber. On steep ice I like to match on the second grip so I wrap there with better tape than Petzl supplies and wrap over the the BD Fusion/Cobra upper grip and higher on the shaft just for consistancy. While you are at it, easy enough to wrap farther up the tool and can't see that it hurts anything besides adding a bit of weight. If for no other reason, it helps me at least feel more secure.

Climbing Shooting Gallery on Andromeda a couple of winters ago in -30 temps and some deep snow was the first time I needed more insulation on the shaft for the high dagger position. Freaking cold tools that bite back and then cold hands through the powder snow to get a good stick. Not on my long list of "fun".

A quick look at several of the pictures in the blog will show a high dagger position (anyone climbing on Nomics) where a wrapped shaft will be warmer.


> What is the name of the tape that you use on your tools? I
> have been using electrical friction tape but I think there is
> something better out there more similar to the tape on the >Nomic.

You can generally buy this stuff at Lowe's, Home Depot or any big hardware store and on line.
There is a link in the comments after the post. Depending on how you wrap your tools one role of tape can do two tools. I use the tape for insulation so I use one roll per tool and throw the extra away. Stuff is fairly cheap....under $10 per roll.

Petzl Nomic tape is a little thin for my taste and not that durable but it is light in weight and sticky enough. I suspect it is the 3M Temflex.

3M Temflex #2155 Rubber splicing Tape

What I like better is similar but thicker, way stickier and offers better insulation.

Scotch brand 2228 Moisture sealing Electrical tape

3M Temflex 2155, "rubber splicing tape" is the same stuff Petzl uses but a lot cheaper in this form. One role will easily do two tools.

The better choice imo is Scotch brand 2228 Moisture sealing electrical tape. One role of 1" x 4" does one tool for me. It is heavier/thicker/way stickier than 3M and has lasted me 4 seasons so far (with no end in sight, on ice and alpine) and is always sticky, wet or dry. I use one role per tool with a tiny bit to spare on a Nomic (1" X 4') . You just need to watch what you lay the tools against 'cuz the stuff is so sticky it will wrap around anything, clothing, your other tool, helmets...you get the idea. Kinda like the climbing version of silly putty.

You don't need to tape the ends on either as it is self sealing and is easy to apply.

Nothing else even close that I have seen. 3M is cheaper and works fine. The thicker Scotch brand stuff is what I use to wrap the tools I climb with.

That Fateful Click

[image via GarySe7en]

So you're pedaling along a bike lane. Ever vigilant and keeping out of the door zone - or at least so you hope. And then, as you are cycling past a particular car - right at the very moment you are parallel to it - you hear that sound... that fateful click which accompanies the pulling of a car's door handle and precedes the flinging open of the door itself. You hear it, and your body reacts before you even have time to register a thought, let alone evaluate the situation and make a decision. Am I in the door zone? Will the swinging door hit me? If I swerve to the left, will I be in the path of car traffic? It hardly matters. The reaction to that click is a knee-jerk response. And what will it be?



Hurrying home at dusk with a pannier full of hot Indian take-out, I heard the blood-chilling click whilst passing a blue sedan. My knee-jerk response was to let out a pitiful yelp and hammer down on the pedals with all my might. I heard the door swing open a fraction of a second later. Would I have cleared it anyway? Very possibly. I really do my best to stay to the left in the bike lane. But our danger-evading instincts are strong and do not always work in our favour. I could have slammed the brakes. I could have swerved into traffic. We can't always control how we react when adrenaline floods our system.



It's times like these I wish that bike lanes weren't placed directly in the door-zone half the time. I know, what a tiresomely clichéd complaint.

Death Valley :: Desert Flowers #1

Mesmerising Metallics - and the Colours That Go with Them

[earlyRaleighin unpainted steel,image viaA. Weed]



I love the look of silvery-metalic bicycles: stainless steel,clear-coated steel,chromed, nickel-plated, silver paint, even titanium. And though I do not own such a bicycle myself, it is nice to live vicariously through others.One of my readers, Jim P. , is getting a stainless steel bicycle fromRoyal H. Cyclesthat will be ready in a couple of months.






[stainless steel Gerhard Marshall bike at DBC, image via Lovely Bicycle]




Jim's bicycle will be fitted with an internally geared hub and upright handlebars. And while waiting for the frame to be finished, he is trying to decide about colour. The frame will mostly be stainless steel, but he is considering a secondary colour - for some panels, Royal H. insignia, and lug outlining - and has asked me for advice. After thinking about it, I realised that it is actually quite difficult to decide what goes with stainless steel, or any silvery frame.





[Co-Habitant's silver Motobecane, image via Lovely Bicycle]


One direction to take, would be to go for low contrast. For instance, the Co-Habitant's vintage Motobecane Super Mirage has black insignia and decals that blend in with the frame colour. I have also seen beige, navy blue, white, and coppery-gold used in the same manner: to break up the sea of steel, silver, or chrome without attracting attention to the secondary colour.








[chromed Rene Herse, image by Mike Kone via J. Ferguson]


Or one could go in the entirely opposite direction, and choose a colour that creates a strong contrast. Red seems to be a popular choice when going this route, like on the Rene Herse above.






[chromed Alex Singer randonneur, image via cyclezine]


or on thisAlex Singer






[chromedWaterford bicycle, image via velospacee]


or on this modern Waterford, which I believe was built as an homage to the vintage Schwinn Paramount (though could somebody please explain that saddle?...). I have also seen the high-contrast look achieved with a lemony yellow (on a vintagePanasonictouring bike), and I think orange and pink can work pretty nicely as well - for those who like those colours, of course.






[nickel-plated bicycle; via Steve on Bike]





One colour Jim was considering was turquoise, or blue-green. I was not able to find any examples of this colour integrated with the frame, but you can sort of tell how it would look next to the stainless steel based on the picture above. Personally, I think this would be a great choice. It would not provide quite as much contrast as red, yellow, orange or pink, but it wouldn't blend in with the frame either. It would be an interesting and unexpected combination, and would evoke a shimmery seascape - which would be fitting, as Jim P. lives near the water. If it were me, I might also choose violet - which would offer a similar degree of contrast as the turquoise, but in a slightly warmer tone. And I would definitely keep the secondary colour to a minimum - maybe some narrow strips on the seat tube and downtube instead of full panels.







[chromed Peugeot PX10 via fixomatosis]





Of course if Jim is feeling indecisive, he can go with a little bit of everything and choose the rainbow look - which, if done in moderation, I in all seriousness think could look nice.






[silverRoyal H.track bike,image by Eric Baumann]


Generally speaking, what do you think of stainless steel as a frame material? - in of itself, as well as in comparison to chromed frames, nickel-plated frames, titanium, and "plain old" silver paint? Personally, I think stainless is a great idea, especially for those who live near salt water, or who cycle through the winter. And the finish looks fantastic to me. But I was surprised that I was not able to find any good images of stainless steel bikes on the internet. I have seen a few in person, but apparently not many builders are showing them off online. Bob Brown does have a few here, but I can't find one of a fully built up bike without a carbon fork. There are also a few by Bilenky, such as this one, but I am a little confused by the wiring and the components these bicycles are fitted with. Feel free to point me to any others, if I have missed them. Of course, when Jim's bicycle is finished I will take loads of pictures, so the internet should have no shortage of stainless steel "bike porn" after that point!

Team Straya, hell yeah! Australia day

Tom kicked off the proceedings with a stab at Sis's new route "Eraserhead" 26 (?!).

Now, lately,flood ravaged Queenslanders have been getting some expertise in sandbagging, and it seems Sis has mastered the form.

That mantle is slopey, and doesn't want anyone on it. And high.





Quote: "This is retarded" Tom O'Halloran

Tom O'Halloran - climbing for Australia.

John (not me) enjoys the saucey, salady goodness of theBBQ lunch.



Tom O'Halloran

Attention lovers

I keep hearing about how stand-offish cats are and wonder where people get that idea. Mine always want attention. They want to be petted, loved, and fed. They want to sit in my lap and reward me by purring and helping to keep me warm. Each and everyone of our cats has had a very different personallity. Some want a bit more attention than others. Some try to get into more trouble than others. Some are more adventurous than others. Some want one kind of food, others won't touch that kind and want a different food. Murphy is a great mouser, so is K.C. but Jade would rather be in the house in my lap. But if Murphy sees me when he is outside then he is under my feet begging to be petted as in this photo. Cats have always been known for helping people type. First on old fashioned manuel typewriters and now on computer keyboards and laptops. Sometimes it make you wonder if a cat didn't find a way to encourage people to make typewriters and keyboards simply for their amusement.Cat also have a love of laying on papers on desks, especially if you are reading or trying to sort them. Any time I am reading a book or newspaper one of my cats will be trying to read with me. Hummm---- I wonder if cats are able to read. The next thing I know a cat will be writing a bog.