Black Diamond video of Fight the Feeling

The video of my 8c+/9a from last autumn ‘Fight the Feeling at Steall is now up on the Black Diamond digital catalogue here. It’s on page 9. While you are there you should check out some of the other videos and articles from fellow BD climbers. There are pretty damn good. My favourite has to be The Wheel of Life footage of James Kassay. Would LOVE to go there sometime soon.

Hiatus

A peaceful park image - especially when the water is running! I've pawed my secretary for a while about putting "Monday Captions" on hiatus for a couple of months. By the fall, we can stockpile some great pix! I want to apologize that I haven't been around to your blogs - my mom has had a busy weekend and barely got this post in before work! Have a peaceful Monday.

My Brother and Toby Too

My older brother, Steven, and his wife had come to stay for a few days. This was the first night of their visit and his condition had rapidly deteriorated, he was struggling with the mechanics of breathing and was going into crisis.

It was 4am and it felt like a cast of millions were bustling about. Someone was ringing for an ambulance, giving clear directions on how to locate us, decisions were made about who should go to hospital with him, mobile phones found up, loose change located.

George took himself off to wait by the roadside, armed with a large torch, determined that the ambulance should not miss our turning. Others were hurriedly pulling on clothes, preparing to go in the ambulance to be with Steve - ready to explain his condition, for speech was beyond him.

As everyone bustled about Steve sat on a bench out on the patio, struggling to hang on. His desperate need for air had driven him out there to sit under the moonlit sky. The coolness helped, a little.

How he kept as calm as he did, I shall never know.

I sat beside him and I knew the end was very close and there was absolutely nothing which I could do for him. I can honestly say that I sensed Mr De'ath was waiting nearby. I silently shrieked at him to keep away from my big brother.

I held Steven's hand and told him that it was important that he knew how much I love him, then I lost the use of my voice. I found myself tracing a pattern of small circles on his knee - each being one and a quarter turns - unconsciously using the technique which is so soothing and calming for dogs. I was completely powerless to help, useless.

Rapidly progressing Myasthenia Gravis (bulbar) is a cruel disease.

Luckily, Steve did make it and has received wonderful treatment, for which I thank the NHS. It won't cure him, but it helps to bring a semblance of 'normality'. He lives to tell the tale, and I am happy that he has more time. Our younger brother, Owl, has been there for him all this time. Visiting, entertaining, keeping his spirits up, driving, fetching, carrying, giving support and showing his love in the most practical of ways.

I have two wonderful brothers...we don't always see eye to eye, we have vastly different opinions and perspectives for we are three very different people, but there is an extremely strong bond of love.

Talking of love - I found this photograph, taken on the preceding afternoon.

Steve had just met Toby Too for the first time...



Toby Too likes to take his time to get to know people and yet here he is snuggling up to Steven, after just ten minutes, as though he has known him forever. Poor Steve looks dreadfully ill in this photograph.

Do dogs show empathy? I think so.

Moving on, my next post will be somewhat cheerier.

Ming Ming very kindly gave me lots of photographs before she and Jonny returned to China, I hope to share some of these with you. I may even get around to showing you some of the wonderful meals which she cooked for us - thanks, Ming Ming! x

Flat and Walk

It was a pretty nice day for a bike ride yesterday. Just a little windy (10-20mph from the WNW). I needed to get out and ride - been off the bike for a week! Loaded up the road bike and headed for the Wabash Trace Trailhead Park. The parking lot was almost full. Must be lots on the Trace (though I had heard about trees over the trail). My destination was the Trails Center.

Lots of folks out on the trails. Stopped at the river boat ramp parking lot. Check the river level and visited with a couple mountain bikers.

Head-wind slowed me down a bit. Worst was the last mile from Penny's to the Trails Center. Ready for my rest, drink, and granola bar when I got there. Knew the Trail Center would not be open (Holiday), but it was a good place to turn around.

Great to have the tail wind most of the way back. Coasting much of the way. Having a great ride when I flatted. I heard it, not sharp crack, more of a whimper. Must have been some glass on the trail into the dirt there at the pumping station (E. Manawa Rd just off Rt 92).

Knew it was about 3 miles to the car. Debated and decided to change the tube. Got everything torn apart and ready to apply the new tube. I could not my CO2 inflater to work. It would not put any air into the tube. Emptied on inflater. Of course, there was no one on the trail that stopped with a pump. I ended walking the bike 3 miles back to the trailhead and my car.

As I was walking along the trail, I noticed LOTS of glass shards on the trail. Think there have been may idiots pitching glass (beer bottles?) from the car, at the trail and/or bike riders.

Will be at the bike shop to get the tire repaired and the inflater checked out (or I will have to bring a pump on the road bike).

Back in the saddle

Eight days without a ride - ouch. Now 2 rides within 24 hours. I am exhausted.
Over the last week, the weather was just not with me. Lots of rain and wind. Last weekend the weather was good, I had gotten busy with other stuff.
Yesterday was NOT turning into a good day. After breakfast, I had car problems. The ignition switch is locked up - has happened 2 time before, 2 years apart. Means had to have the car towed. Stopped by at Xtreme Wheels. It was that day I needed to decide to order a new trail bike. Well, they had already ordered one - Trek Fuel EX7. Hope the bike is the ride for me.
I needed the Tuesday Evening Ride - any bike ride. Dennis rode with me. Headed out towards Manawa. Not sure why I was not riding well. Heart rate was high during the ride - and I was not riding that fast. Maybe I ate to much in the day, perhaps it was the 8 days off the bike. Rode the hybrid. Still was a good ride - how can you complain when it is 73 deg, sunny, very light wind, and you are on your bicycle!
Today was the first Wednesday Morning Ride (mountain/trail bikes). Now, I had problems sleeping - probably from the ride last night. But I wanted to get out to ride since the morning dawned clear and calm. Little cool but forecast for warm day. Wonders of wonders even Zach made it - isn't great to ride in the early morning?.
Blaine, Randy, Zach and I headed out from the bike shop. We rode the paved trail to the Lake Manawa mountain bike trail. Started on the West side, moved over to the East side. I was riding pretty good - heart rate was much lower than last evening. Layers started coming off as the temperature climbed.
Zach headed back, Randy, Blaine and I rode the West side again, then rode to the shop. Great morning ride. (Thanks for starting the ride, Randy).
If you want to join us for the weekly ride - show up at Xtreme Wheels ready to ride at 7am.

Welcome visitor

This is not so much a pond these days, as a grassy mud hole. (This is actually more water than it held a month ago.)

But not everybody thinks this is a bad thing. Look who popped in - a Wilson's Snipe (Gallinago delicata).¹

If the previous picture is the heads-down position, this must be half-mast. And the following is...

Up periscope! Almost looks like a different bird.

I love the way the stripes continue from the head all the way down the back.

He tends to sink in the mud a bit, so you're not always aware...

of the big feet.
He was quite content to have us stare from an open position across the pond. He wasn't shy or wary at all. We didn't try getting any closer though - we're hoping he'll stick around a while.
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¹ I didn't realize until I went to look up the latin name just now, that this bird's name had been changed. The species formerly called the Common Snipe (Gallinago gallinago) has been split, and the one here in the Americas got a new name.

This Is A Bike Rack???

During my preparations for attending the American Trails Symposium,I contacted the group to inquire about a secure bicycle rack during the symposium. I am visiting friends in Little Rock and planned to bike the 2 miles from their home to the convention center.
The first response was: "No one has ever asked for that - we'll get back with you". A week or so later they told me they will have bike racks.
Today, a day before registration starts, I rode over to the State House Convention Center to check out the bike rack. What they showed me was not a bike rack, but crowd control fence sections - see photo. The person with the Convention and Visitor's Bureau told me that's their bike racks (or what the use as bike racks).
Now, I can understand the real bike rack may not important for many conventions like the VFW, or garden show, or an auto show but this is the American Trail Symposium. There are bicycle rides during the function.

Pink Poppy

Here we are, almost halfway through September already, but our flower gardens around the house still have a beautiful variety of blooms! Here is a recent shot of one of our pink poppies in the front yard. I used the macro mode on my Canon G11 camera to make this close-up, abstract image of the flower.

Work has been done

Work has been done. Everything looks better, apart from my work gloves.
About 4 years ago I had a similar break in blogging for two or three months. The common reason was primarily moving house. I am moving house shortly, and with it comes the need to do shed loads of work. After work, climbing and family time, there is little time left over. However, the physical work tasks that need done are only half the story.
Usually, it coincides with a larger transition in life, moving on to a new chapter. So in all aspects of life, there are old things and ideas to let go of and new things to grapple with. Such has been the last three months for me.
I’ve done this a few times now. So although it’s a scary process, I tend to grab it with both hands since it’s important. Since completing a lot of huge climbing goals over the past few years, I enjoyed a good bit of just going with the flow, choosing what to climb based purely on what the weather is doing or what friends suggest.
I visited some new climbing areas. After spending last spring in Switzerland I chose to stay at home this year which was a good choice since it didn’t rain for two months! I put good few days into preparing for a cool climbing enchainment idea I’ve had. I was in good shape for it and really psyched, but sadly the weather just didn’t play the game. Either the winter routes were white but the rock routes wet or vice versa. Such is the gamble. It was worthwhile to do the prep since I now know that I can do it. I might try another enchainment with only rock routes which will be a bit less weather dependent in the short term.
I went to some new boulders, climbed new problems and went on some sick hard projects I knew about. 2 of them I have sacked off because they are nasty with horrible moves on sharp holds. One of them is getting me more psyched. It’s a bit weird as it’s a horizontal roof which is low to the ground. But it’s really hard and all the moves go. I’ll keep trying that until the midge arrives. There’s another few really good boulder projects I know about but have yet to visit. It's been a lot of pure climbing, just going out on my own, in nice places
I tried to go trad climbing, but it was freezing. Every time I take a rope to go climbing lately it seems to start snowing. Winter is taking a long time to give in in Scotland. Yesterday (May 2^nd) it was still snowing on Rannoch Moor and I see yet more fresh snow on the hills this morning.The other day I sat for the whole evening making a new list of mountain crag projects to try when the May sunshine finally arrives. I can’t wait until I get the chance to start afresh on some mountains and islands I’ve never been to. But for now, the trad season is still a list on my notepad.

Sport climbing has also commenced, with a lot of hanging on the rope warming numb hands. I went back to Malc's 9a at the Anvil and seem to have finally figured out some beta that works for me after Malc turned the crux hold I used to dust, breaking it off when we were trying it 6 years ago now.
I also did some running. Not a lot really, but some. And I was enjoying it a lot. My troublesome ankle hurt, as expected. So I might have to take a break from that again. This made me somewhat depressed for a while. Speaking of injuries, A little setback came when I was doing a deep drop knee on my board at home. I’d just had a brilliant session and felt strong for the first time in months and ‘crack’ went my MCL and hamstrings tendon in my knee. Partial tears. It could have been a lot worse. For ten minutes I thought I was in ACL and meniscus hell. 10 days off running and 14 off climbing were all that was necessary, although I still can’t quite burl down on a heelhook just yet. The lesson? Dropknees are still my favourite move, but they are dangerous. Be careful.
I spent the time off building steps, walls, paths, sheds, floors etc at my house to get it ready to sell. Mixing cement gives you big shoulders and helps you sleep at night. Well, unless you are still mixing another mix at 3am.
During all these adventures, I went through a bit of a low. I realised that some things in my routine have to change. It’s not to say that what I was doing was bad - I’ve just completed that stage. I badly need some new badass projects to work on. My friend Nick Dixon used to say he needed a big project every 5 years. I don’t last so long! I have some good trips planned for later this year, but I’m rubbish at training for distant trips. So now that I have sorted out some goal routes, I can prepare for them much better.