Autumn Sunset, Grand Portage Bay

A recent sunset over Lake Superior. The clouds lately for our sunsets have been spectacular. Nice variety in the clouds and some amazing colors. Definitely better than August's sunsets, which most of the time didn't have a single cloud in the sky!

Proof that chickens are crazy

Chickens can be particular about where they lay their eggs.

The first nest boxes we tried were stackable platic crates with holes in the sides.

The chickens hated them. Wouldn't touch them with a ten foot pole.

We heard that a cat litter box with a top worked well, and they do love that. But they are neither cheap nor stackable. Well, one is cheap. Six or eight are not.

So my husband installed a 6-holer that he built from scrap wood.

They use it grudgingly. Their two favorite spots are still a) between the 6-holer and the wall on the right, and b) the cat litter box.

The 6-holer has a preferred seating arrangement. Bottom row is best overall, and first choice is always bottom right. (We placed golf balls in all the nest spots, to convince them that it's ok to lay an egg there, but most days they're not buying it.)


1: Lakenvelder arrives to find all the good nest boxes already taken.


2: I like your spot so much better than mine.


3: Lakenvelder leaves? No. Look closely at the bottom right. A Buff Orpington is already in the plum spot, but that does not deter Ms. Lakenvelder. She decides to lay her egg ON TOP OF the other chicken.


4: Oh wait, maybe it's better over there.

Velo Withdrawal

Earlier I posted about having to stay off the bike for a few weeks after a minor injury. It is now week 2 and I am climbing the walls. My mood, energy levels, and general sense of well being have plummeted after the velo-induced high of the past few months. I want to be on my favourite path, blissfully flying past the river and the meadows!

The addictive and stress-reducing qualities of cycling that many report are fairly typical reactions to aerobic exercise. Yet, I have never had this sort of response to any other form of physical activity. I hate jogging and going to the gym, and I get worn out by any sort of sport within minutes. This makes it especially difficult to explain how I am able to cycle for hours without getting tired.

It is not long now until I am able to cycle again. Still, this "withdrawal" is difficult to endure. How do you deal with having to take a break from cycling -- be it due to travel, weather conditions, health, or other obstacles?

La Sportiva GTR and the Dynafit Broad Peak

Skimo or "Edged Alpinism" gear?














For many who enjoy ski mountaineering and are concerned about performance versesweightthe Dynafit Broad Peak ski is a known quantity.



Nate covers the high pointswell here:

http://wilsonalpine.blogspot.com//02/steep-chalk-at-village.html



Total review at Wild Snow:

"Dynafit’s other new ski, the Broad Peak (112/74/96 in 167 cm), is Stoke’s opposite. Built for edge hold when you encounter conditions such as white ice during ski descents of big peaks, the ski is still said to handle varied conditions, as a board of this sort would have to. My take is that the Broad Peak is a quiver ski. You’d own it if you want something that’ll help you survive steep icy terrain you might encounter during spring ski descents and that sort of thing — or if you’re heading out for a quick blast up and down Broad Peak before your morning espresso."







Broad Peak Spec sheet:

Dimensions:	112 / 74 / 96 mm
Turn Radius:	(dual radius) [167cm] 17.7 / 17.1m
Profile:	traditional camber
Construction:	sandwich
Core:	paulownia, beech and bamboo stringers, carbon reinforcement
Base:	sintered graphite
Tail:	flat
weight per pair	1142g/ 5lb

Weight *per ski* with a Dynafit Low Tech Race (Ti heel spring) 1300g/ 2# 13.5oz

the pair with bindings = 5# 12oz









The La Sportiva GTR Spec sheet:



Size(cm):168cm

Radius(m): 22

Dimensions:

114 / 82 / 104 mm

Camber(mm):7



Tip Rocker(mm):192



Weight(g): 1230g per ski (verified)



3lb 1oz per ski with TRAB low tech race binding, (steel heel spring)



Weight *per ski* with a TRABlow tech race (steelheel spring) 1389g/ 3# 1oz

The pair with bindings = 6# 2oz







Dynafi LowTech Race binding comes in at 234g/8.3oz

Trab Race binding comes in at 282g/9.9oz






Dynafit Low Tech Race heel on the Broad Peak ski




Broad Peak ready to ski 5# 12oz

GTRready to ski 6# 2oz



bindings? 1.6 oz difference for the pair.



Most already know how good the Broad Peak is. Great ski on hard snow and ice. Light weight and easy to carry. I've skied them a lot of places and in every snow condition I can imagine. It is better on hard snow obviously than in knee deep powder. But the BP will ski anything you are capable of skiing is my take on it. The steepest skiing and the longest tours I have done were allon my pair of Broad Peaks.



But one too many ridesover the handle bars on the Broad Peak in deep soft snow made me think that a little more modern and widerski design, if I could keep the weight down, might be a worthy investment.



*pause for station identification*

I need to pause here for just a moment. I've been getting lazy and have not kept up on reviews of the gear I am using this winter and spring. I mentioned this ski toBrian over at :



http://www.getstrongergolonger.com/



So hesoonhad a pair in his capable hands as well.Brian skis more in a week than I likely do in a season. The only race where I willbeat Brianis to this review and the comparison of these two skis. We are both getting a chance to ski on the newest Dynafit Nanga Parbat and Cho Oyu shortly. So more to come on technical skis like the twodescribed here. Be sure to watch Brian's blog in the near future for his reviews of all these ski.



Back to the comparison/review.



The GTR has a very modern, slightly rockered tip, good camber under foot and I think most importantly a little more width than the Broad Peak. While it will float a tiny bit better and makes manky snow a little easier to ski, the down side is it is a little softer under footand not as good on really hard surfaces IMO. But so far in really poor snow conditions this has be a workman like ski. Which means I have nothing bad to say about it. That may not mean a lot but the conditions I have skied to date with the GTR have been dismal. More side stepping and kick turns than I care to recount. Nice that the ski will turn once you have he opportunity to get it done.



My customcut narrow skins used on the GTR weigh in at exactly what my BP skis do. But the Broad Peak factory Speed Skin is full coverage. Both climb well. Edge to the Broad Peak there.



To be honest I had thought my entire package of either ski and skin was closer than the 6oz on the scale shows. 6 oz means so little on a full day tour. It is less than a full cup of water.



Half dozen of one 6 of the other.



The question remains..."which ski do you think is better?"



The first comment I think needs addressing is, I don't think either of these skis is a quiver skis. Bare with me for a moment on my reasoning here.



Skimo or "Edged Alpinism" gear?



I do have a quiver of skis. I also have a "quiver" of ice tools. But in actuality I don't have as big of quiver of either as one might first think.



For technical tools these days I have Nomics.One technical tool that serves many different types of terrain. Of course I have other axes/tools. But one technical tool that I use.



Same with skis pretty much. I have one ski that I consider a really technical tool. That is the Broad Peak. And now the recent purchase of the GTRmakeit two.



Either ski could easily replace the other IMO. But *THE* technical ski is one I will not easily be without. If you practice"Edged Alpinism" I'd suspect you have a ski that is similar to one of these two TOOLS. Two is not much of a quiver.



A fewof the best SkiMo or "Edged Alpinism" web sites? At some point it isn't "just" skiing any more.



http://slcsherpa.blogspot.com/



http://slc-samurai.blogspot.com/



http://jasondorais.blogspot.com/



http://theoutsideout.blogspot.com/



If I dared ski some of the stuff shown on these web sites, I would pull outa technical tool. That would beone or another ski of this typethat I own at the moment. Both of these skis are good tools. But I don't look at them as ski as much as I look at them as just another piece of alpine climbing kit. Just as I view an axe or crampon or a harness, these aresimply tools.



I think part of this selection of gear is matching boots to skis. Obviously I am using the lightest binding I can get to save weight. I and others trust these lwt bindings every where in and out of the "no fall zone". They are a given now for "edged alpinism".



I use both the TLT5 Performance and the Mtn version of the same boot. But there are other, lighter,high performance boots in several versions including those from Scarpa. You can save a tiny bit of weight by ditching the tongue and power strap on the TLT and even more by using a lighter, full on (exensive) race boot with little loss of performance on these technical skis. The original Palau liner of the Performance or the Intuition Pro Tour Liner will save some weight as well in the TLT.



I really like the more progressive flex of the TLT Mountain compared to the carbon cuffed TLT Performance. Something to thing about if you are looking for new LWT boots.



My point is you don't need mondo ski and boots for this kind of stuff. And a poor selection of heavy gear and the wrong clothing choices will drastically cut your likelihood of success on many projects.



It is easy to say, "boots" are your most important piece of gear." And they might well be. But it is the system of technical ski, lwt boot and race bindings that really make this system so efficient and a joy to use in the mountains. Doesn't matter if you are doing "edged alpinism" of skiing some super fun, summer snow field with your dog.



As an example of a "heavier" but very similar system my 177cm Huascaran (113mm @ the boot) and a slightly heavier "race" Dynafirt Speed Superlight bindingweights in at 8# 12oz for the pair and another 5oz for their skis.A full three more pounds of the pair of ski, binding and skins. That is a lot of extra weight on a skin track.



These light technical skis are both stellar skis to get it done on. At the moment I am swayed by the slightly wider GTR for my fun. And the tiny bit more lift and ease on the turns that the width and rocker brings. But I have the BP in the back of my mind every time I have to ski orside slip through a nasty patch of ice and wonder if the BP might have well allowed me a little more security there.



TRAB, Atomic, Elan, Haganand a host of other rando and rando race skis brandsare out there. Check out the other blogs if this kind of ski interests you. See if you can mate up your own system for best effect. I have little interest in true rando race skis. But one or two steps up from the 65mm under foot race ski does interst me.






snowing and spitting rain here yesterday @ 6000'

Cuban Fashion: The mini skirt and black lace stocking obsession

You’d think that Cuban fashion is like this...



Or this...



Well yes, that is correct, for the most part. Cuban women like wearing insufficient fabric on their bodies that leaves nothing much to the imagination. They love to swagger down the decaying streets of Havana in their tanned or very dark skins. Pull down that cleavage more, throw out that overflowing chest, rock that waist, strutt off that voluptous belly and do the salsa with that bum. And they don’t care even if they are showing off copious amounts of stretched and sagging skin either. No one cares.



I guess it’s part of the sexy, exotic, confident and somewhat promiscuous culture in the Caribbean. Maybe it’s the weather. Who knows? Your guess might be good as mine.



But what we really found odd in Cuba were the women security guards. They are like gate watchers of buildings, museums and important establishments in the city and they wear DIMINUTIVE SKIRTS and BLACK LACE STOCKINGS. When Blondine and I first saw our first security guard in this unbelievable uniform, we were gobsmacked.



‘Did you just see that?’ ‘OMG... is this for real?’



‘WTF!?’ lol









WHY ARE THEY WEARING REALLY SHORT SKIRTS WITH BLACK LACE STOCKINGS?



This is a major, major, major fashion faux pas. I have no words. And then we realised that all women security guards wear the same thing. Seriously, they all wear this. This is work attire in Cuba. Work fashion.



Then we thought that it might just be a Havana odd fashion look, but oh dear, we were so wrong. We saw the same odd fashion trend in Trinidad, Sancti Spiritus, Santiago de Cuba and many other places. Waitresses, more security guards and even bank employees wear the dreadful combination. While some of these black lacy stocking designs are so hilarious and perplexing, I at the back of my mind demand to know who started this trend!



Nevertheless, we weren’t able to get around to asking the locals about the mini skirt and black lace stocking obsession. We have figured out somehow the mini skirt phenomenon, after all the young school girls wear their school uniforms with really short skirts, but they have underpants underneath though.



It is a common sight throughout Cuba to see school girls in very short skirt uniforms, so that quite explains it a bit. But for the black lace stockings...? Well, this one remains a mystery. For now.



All pictures in this entry were taken in Old Havana (Havana Vieja).

One of the First

One of the first California poppies of the season.

The Road is Calling

Despite those innocent-looking cherry blossoms, Marianne is gradually turning into a lean, mean, cycling machine - albeit in the loveliest way possible.

My upside-down Albatross bars are considerably lower than my saddle, which I hope will gradually prepare me for the drop bars on my (soon to be ready!) Sam Hillborne. I want to make sure that by the time I get the drop bars, I am able to use them properly (with my hands either in the drops or on the hoods of the brake levers, but not on the straight top portion of the bars).

But I guess the big question here is "why?". Why the desire for speed and aggressive riding positions, why this sudden appearance of shorts? Well, because I like it - Not instead of relaxed cycling on a nice heavy loop frame - but in parallel to it. It's like someone enjoying both strolling and jogging - but not at the same time and not wearing the same clothes. I have discovered that I like pedaling fast and traveling far, I like learning how to maneuver a road-bike, and I like using those muscles in the back of the upper thighs that only get engaged when riding in this position. I am a remarkably un-athletic person with some long-standing health problems, and yet I can handle cycling. So I suppose I want to see how far I might go if I put my mind to it. Can someone as "frail" as me really hope to do century rides? Multi-day touring? Race at the velodrome? I guess we shall see!

Meanwhile, meet my latest addition to Marianne's fearsome accoutrements: these vintage Atom 700 French road pedals. Harris Cyclery had some used ones in the shop, and now they are mine!

To describe these pedals in an uneducated manner: The metal surface is toothy and grippy, more so than that of touring pedals I've tried. In addition, there is a raised notch on the side, that keeps your foot in place - At least I am guessing that this is what it is for, since that is the effect it has on my foot.

See the raised notch? Once the shoe is firmly placed on the pedal, the toothy surface and the outer notch make it feel glued in place. It is the closest thing to a foot retention system I have been able to handle so far. The benefit of feeling your foot "attached" to the pedal became clear to me once I switched Marianne's previous pedals to these, and returned to the rolling hills of Concord. I know that there are conflicting opinions regarding whether retention systems are useful, so I speak solely for myself: These pedals made a difference to me when cycling long-distance, especially on hills.

The downside, is that these are a pain to use in the city where one has to make frequent stops and starts. Unlike other pedals, there is a "right" and a "wrong" side to them: The correct side has the grippy surface and the outer notches. The wrong side is slippery and pretty much impossible to keep your foot on. The problem is that the pedals naturally want to hang wrong-side up when left alone, and so, when starting from a stop, you first plant your foot correctly onto the starting pedal, then push off and begin searching with your other foot (without looking at your toe! - remember, you're in traffic) for the correct side of the other pedal. Sounds horrifying, but actually it's not so bad once I got used to it. I've got the toe-searching down to only a few seconds now. For long sporty rides, it is worth it. I will keep cycling with these as they are for a while, and add "half-clips" when I feel ready... I need to get myself used to foot retention systems gradually if I plan to try cycling at the velodrome in the future!

Pegasus

Another sculpture at the Brookgreen Gardens and this one has the honor of being the sculpture that took the longest to create. Nine years in fact. It is worth it. And I say that knowing I wouldn't have the dedication to last nine hours on the project.





And a nature shot from the same beautiful place:

Ringling Museum of Art

Today we headed over to Sarasota. We stopped off at one of my favorite Florida museums, the Ringling Museum. We only had time to see the Art Museum, which we are always impressed by. If you have never visited this museum, I highly recommend it.

After our visit there, we ate at an overpriced restaurant that we are still talking about. On the way home we played 20 questions. I love that the guys are still able to be entertained by such simple fun things. I hope they never outgrow that. Living the life in Florida!

Rowdy Hotel Guests

Photo of old ship's bell on the warf in a small park.


After deciding to spend the night in Port Angeles we had a bit of trouble finding a hotel. We finally did and it was a nice hotel, or would have been if it hadn't been for the other guests being so rowdy, noisy, and just down right rude. My thanks to the hotel staff that did their best to keep an obnoxious bunch of boys under control when the chaperons of the boys decided to let them take over the hotel. I think they were a group of some sort of ball players - baseball, basketball, football- who knows. I'm not good at ballgame sports. My son was into cars, horses, and snowmobiles. The boys took over the swimming pool (which was fine, boys do need to run off excess energy) but they then decided to try to run all the adults out of the hot tub. That was just down right rude. And their chaperons didn't seem to care. Thankfully someone complained to the manager who made them get out, but as soon as it would be empty, in they would go again, not allowing any adults time in the hot tub. These same hooligans played ball in the parking lot, throwing balls against other peoples cars, and the next morning at the breakfast bar they tried to take everything offered by the hotel, not allowing other guests to have their share. Again,my thanks to the hotel staff for doing the best they could under these circumstances. We did have a nice room with comfortable beds and got a good nights sleep.

Comfortable Carbon: Trying the Parlee Z5

Looking down at my handlebars around mile 50, I felt a pang of alarm at the sight of unfamiliar decals. Then I remembered: I wasn't riding my own bike. I had gotten so comfortable, I'd forgotten. A stern voice in my head began to chastise me. "Come on, you are doing a test ride. You're supposed to be paying attention to the ride characterisics - not enjoying the scenery." Easier said than done!




To explain how I came to test ride the Parlee Z5, it may help to give a bit of a backstory. For some time, I've been interested in getting a feel for carbon fiber roadbikes. However, my attempts at this have been less than successful. I've ridden a handful of carbon bikes briefly, but either they were not set up for me to do a proper test ride, or I found the ride quality too harsh to actually want to ride them for any length of time. Of course not all carbon bikes feel the same, just like not all steel bikes feel the same. With this in mind, I finally approached the matter more strategically and talked to some industry insiders familiar with my riding style and preferences. A few suggestions kept coming up. Among them was the Parlee Z5.






Parlee Cycles are a small and local-to-me company, based in Beverly, Massachusetts. So the idea of trying one of their bikes was appealing. Later this summer I plan to visit the factory and write about them in more detail. Parlee offers both custom frames, built on the premises, and production models designed inhouse and built in Taiwan. The Z5 is the latter.




The demo bike was lent to me by Cycle Loft, a Boston Parlee dealer. After undergoing a fitting session, my position on the Z5 ended up near-identical to that on my own roadbike, making for a seamless transition. I kept the bike for a week and rode it for about 135 miles.






Even before I rode the Z5, I could see why this bike was suggested to me. To call its appearance "classic" might be pushing it. But the aesthetic is clean, subtle, neutral. I did not find myself biased against it, in a "Meh, this is ugly" kind of way. In fact, I find it rather pretty.






Made from a single carbon piece (what is known as "monocoque construction"), the Z5 frame has a seamless, sculpted look to it. At the same time, the round tubes and the smooth, but crisply delineated joints, bear a resemblance to those of metal bikes. There are no MC Escher-esque bulges or round-to-square taperings here; the frame looks simple and familiar. For those who are curious to try carbon fiber but wince at the look they associate itwith, I do think Parlee eases the transition.






I rode the Parlee Z5 in size Small (Tall), which translates to a 52.5cm top tube and a slightly extended headtube compared to their standard Small. The complete geometry specs are here. The bike was fitted with a SRAM Force group andMavic Ksyrium Elite wheels with 23mm Michelin Pro 4 tires (complete build specs here). Though I have Campagnolo on my own bike, I feel very comfortable with SRAM and have no trouble switching back and forth. The handlebars included in the standard build were 2mm narrower than the (42mm) bars on my own bike, but otherwise the fit was almost identical.






The one disappointment was that the front-center was a bit tighter than I like. With 23mm tires, I had a tiny bit of toe overlap. The amount was minimal, and I still felt comfortable test riding the bike. But with 25mm tires I would not be.





Riding the Parlee home, my first impressions were dominated by how comfortable it felt - namely, the ride quality over harsh roads, bumps and potholes. To provide some background, I am pretty sensitive to ride quality and cannot stand a bike that feels harsh. It does not matter how fast it is, how nimble, or how good at climbing: If I feel vibrations from the road or pain from going over bumps, I just can't take it for more than a few miles. This sensitivity was a big factor in my own roadbike purchasing decision a couple of years ago, and a major reason I went with a titanium Seven. So with that as my personal bike, granted I am now a bit spoiled in the ride quality department. Lots of bikes feel at least a little harsh compared to my Seven.



Lots of bikes, but not the Parlee Z5. Nope. The Z5 was flawlessly smooth. As in zero road buzz sensation, zero pain over bumps and potholes. At some point I started intentionally riding it over every stretch of broken pavement I could find, but I couldn't feel a thing.





Of course, whether it feels painful or not, a roadbike with skinny tires will still toss you around on bad roads. And it is here that I could feel a difference in the Z5 compared to my own bike. Until now, I had considered my Seven to be quite stiff. But after some time on the Parlee, I could feel a "give" in my own bike that I had not detected before. In comparison, there is no give to the Parlee at all; on bumpy roads it sort of bounces as one unit rather than exhibit even a slight amount of yield.






But despite being stiffer, the Parlee did not feel harsher than my own bike, even as I rode it longer. To my surprise, neither did it feel faster. I rode alone and I rode with some fast friends. Each time, speed and effort-wise, it felt just like being on my own roadbike.




I decided to ride the Parlee on a 100K New England Randonneurs "Permanent" course I had done alone a few weeks earlier (67 miles, with 3,800 feet of climbing). Just as I'd done previously, I timed myself and genuinely tried to do my best. My average rolling speed on the Parlee was 13.3mph, whereas on my own bike it had been 13.1mph - a difference too small to be significant, considering that my fitness had also increased a bit since the earlier ride. Of course this bit of anecdotal evidence may not mean much. But it reflects my subjective experience of the bike.




One reason I picked this particular 100K route for the test ride, was for its brief unpaved stretches. The bike rode on broken pavement so nicely, I was curious how it would do on dirt and gravel. Just as nicely, it turns out. While I prefer to do unpaved rides on wide tires at low pressure, if I must ride skinny tires the Z5 is as good as it gets.






Aside from all this, I did feel something distinct to this bike in the course of my test rides. It was a sensation in the rear triangle - possibly the chainstays, and it was specific to cornering. It was as if the rear responded to cornering differently from what I am used to. The chainstay area felt lighter somehow, almost as if it wanted to skip or lift off on corners. Well, maybe describing it that way makes it sound too negative. Unfortunately, I don't know how to explain it any better, but I actually liked this sensation. I found the bike to be maneuverable on corners in a way I had not previously experienced.




Normally, I am pretty sensitive to a bike's front-end handling, and less so to other aspects. The Parlee was the first time I was struck by characteristics specific to the rear of the bike.






While technically not the first carbon fiber roadbike I've ridden, the Parlee Z5 is the first one I've put a sufficient number of miles on to warrant a report. In part this is thanks to Cycle Loft, for lending it out and setting it up to fit me perfectly. And in part it's thanks to the bike's comfortable feel, which made me want to keep riding for miles and miles. Much like on my own bike, I did not experience fatigue on the Z5 after strenuous rides. And much like on my own bike, the handling, for the most part, felt "unnoticeable" - encouraging me to focus on the scenery and the ride itself, rather than on the bike.




Going into this test ride, I had several expectations about the feel and performance of carbon fiber: Namely, that it would feel harsher, stiffer and faster than my own bike. The Parlee Z5 felt only stiffer, and even that was only noticeable to me under certain conditions. Granted, I don't race, I don't ride aggressively, I spin rather than mash, and I don't climb out of the saddle. My impressions are limited to the kind of riding I do. And that riding involves 50-100 mile jaunts, sometimes more, usually with lots of climbing and usually on bad roads.I like a fast bike that makes me feel weightless. And I also like to be comfortable. As far as that kind of riding goes, I felt right at home on the Parlee Z5.

More Unfinished Business: Alpine Diversions (5.8), but not Insuhlation (5.9)

(Photo: Just over the big roof on pitch two of Alpine Diversions (5.8).)



As I've worked my way through a bunch of 5.9 routes at the Gunks this past year, a certain route has been hanging out there in the background, taunting me. It is a two-star route that is supposed to be really good. It also happens to be the route on which I broke my ankle in : Insuhlation (5.9).



A part of me has really wanted to go back and climb it-- to slay the demon, as it were. To put it behind me. And to find out what I think of the route, two years later. Who knows, maybe if I climbed it now I'd find it to be no big deal.



But another part of me wants nothing to do with Insuhlation. I worry that I'd become a shivering wreck if I led it again; that I'd be so in fear of a repeat injury that it would become a self-fulfilling prophecy. And a repeat injury on Insuhlation would be absolutely ridiculous. I can't let that happen. I'd never forgive myself.



Perhaps the thing that makes me most wary of Insuhlation is that I don't really know why I fell off of it when I did. I am also unsure of whether I could have done anything to better protect myself. I recall a little roof, and a (wet) keyhole-like hold that I tried to use briefly while reaching for a chalked-up, bigger hold above that I thought would be a jug. I remember grabbing this jug and finding it to be not so juggy. I had a green Alien below the little roof and I was looking around for more pro (but finding none) when I went flying.



Did my hand slip off? Did my foot? Was there better pro available than what I had? I'd feel better about going for it again if I had answers to these questions.



I had a brilliant idea about halfway through the season. It suddenly occurred to me that I should have one of my partners lead the route, and then I could follow it. It is such an obvious idea, I don't know why I never thought of it before. I could, for example, send my reliable guinea pig Adrian (who seems always willing to lead anything) up there and then as a second I could suss out whether I thought I could safely lead it at a later date.



But then Adrian led the route with another partner before I had a chance to suggest it to him. It didn't seem right to try to make him go right back to do it again. Adrian's impressions seemed to be that the last bits of the route were totally straightforward, and well-protected too. Hearing this only deepened the mystery for me.



As the year came to a close and the climbing season extended into an unseasonably warm December, I came up with another idea. I decided to lead the route right next to Insuhlation, a 5.8 called Alpine Diversions. Dick Williams gives the route a single star and calls it "surprisingly good." It seemed worth checking out in its own right. And it goes very close to Insuhlation. The second-pitch crux roof is only a few feet to the right of the Insuhlation crux, or so I believed. I thought I could lead Alpine Diversions and get a good look at the exact place where I fell. I might even get some ideas for some placements I missed. Maybe it would help me decide whether to lead it again, and if I felt good on Alpine Diversions I could do Insuhlation immediately thereafter.



So on December 4 when I climbed with Liz I suggested we try Alpine Diversions. Liz was game to try it.



I thought both pitches were just okay. Each pitch has one interesting crux moment and not too much else to offer.



On pitch one the interesting moment comes right off the ground. The pitch follows a thin, steep vertical crack running a few feet to the left of a little gully. One hold, a sidepull, is easy to reach. A jug sits above. If you are tall enough to reach the jug from the ground, you will probably find the opening moves to be a breeze. If, however, you are short like me, you will have to boulder up to the jug. And this boulder problem is a puzzler. I don't want to spell it all out but I will tell you to look around to either side of the crack. I found another crucial hold off to the left which made all the difference for me. This hold allowed me to get on the wall and reach up to the jug. And once I had the jug, I threw in a piece and made another step up to find that the pitch was essentially over.



Dick Williams suggests in his description that you continue directly over a blocky overhang and then up to the belay ledge past the big pine in "the steepest way." What this all means (I realize in retrospect) is that the route is contrived. After the opening boulder move, there are ways to force yourself to continue making 5th class moves. But in order to do so you have to deliberately avoid easier climbing just a step to the left or right. I didn't really see the point. It just seemed silly not to scamper up the stair-like blocks past the tree to the belay ledge.



On pitch two, the main attraction is a rather large overhang. Nice moves up a corner take you directly underneath it. Then an easy move left might deceive you into thinking you've already escaped the crux. But no. You still have to move right and pull the roof. It is a big reach. I really enjoyed this crux move. And there's great pro at the lip of the overhang.



After the roof, you again have the option to force yourself to keep climbing. You can move left and up to another roof, this one smaller and dirtier (and from the looks of it easier) than the first. On the other hand, if you just continue straight up you are basically done. Some easy low angle moves will take you to the belay tree. I chose the easy way, again not seeing much point in contriving a harder path to the finish.



When I reached the top I realized that I had forgotten to look at Insuhlation! The roof on Alpine Diversions had captured my full attention. Once above the roof, I probably could have glanced over at the exact spot where it all went wrong two years ago. But as obsessed as I am, as much as Insuhlation haunts me, I still didn't think to do it.



I had already decided I didn't have the stomach for doing Insuhlation, anyway. But still I was bummed to have missed out on the chance to look over the route up close.



On rappel I attempted to scope it out. To my surprise, I couldn't spot the line at all. Maybe I was too far to the left, but I had no luck in finding it. I thought I'd immediately see the roof, the keyhole, the jug. But I saw nothing I recognized. It was baffling.



I'm pretty sure that if I ever get back to climbing Insuhlation the whole experience will seem new to me. I want to go try it. But I don't want to approach it in an unhealthy state of mind. I don't want to climb it to prove anything. I don't want to climb it all stiff and scared. I think the whole accident thing is still too much in my head, even two years later. Better to wait.

Gibraltar Ledges and Ingraham Glacier Direct Route Conditions

Two teams attempted these routes this week.

Tuesday at Camp Muir, two climbers departed in the morning hoping to climb the Ingraham Direct. The pair made it to 13K before turning around. They reported knee deep snow the entire way up the Ingraham Glacier. They also reported several crevasse crossings, most of which went smoothly. They stated that the bridges were in good shape and most were easy to cross. That said, one of the pair did take a crevasse fall at 13K... After a day of kicking steps in deep snow, the pair decided to descend after the crevasse fall.

Gibraltar Ledges was attempted on Wednesday by a soloist (carrying skis). He reported knee deep snow on the Cowlitz Glacier up to the beginning of the ledges. The snow on the Cowlitz was described as powdery, underneath a crust of varying thickness, but "thin" overall.

On the ledges, the climber experienced a lot of soft, sugary snow... Sometimes even waist deep. It took over 2.5 hours to traverse and climb the ledges. After pushing through what you get when you "open a bag of cane sugar," upward progress seemed futile. He turned around at 12,500 feet (about 3/4 of the way up the chute). It took over an hour to descend the ledges, as the footing was still quite challenging.

There is a boot path up the Muir Snowfield. The weather is supposed to be excellent this weekend.

Photo by Mike Gauthier, climber ascending Gib Ledges before the traverse and chute.