Wordless Wednesday :: Snowplant

In Our Winter Garden March 27, ..Copyright © .. by Rebeckah R. Wiseman

Bicycle approach to Confluence ice flows

Went out to check conditions at Confluence and SCII yesterday. We loaded up our bikes and gear and left the house around 7am. We decided to ride our bikes into Confluence to check conditions and possibly do some dry-tooling. I figured the ice would be a no-go since it hasn't been that cold very long. Since we hadn't had snow, the bike ride seemed like the logical way to get the flat 2.25 miles on the Rail/trail out of the way quicker. This only left the 800+ vertical gain up the hillside to the old quarry wall. It was the coldest morning of the season (about 12 degrees) I've never ridden my bike in mountaineering boots, but it worked out well. We took the ride slow and made it to the hike in about 10min. The sun was out, but it didn't seem to make it any warmer. Riding in sure did save the legs for the hill climb. It was about the easiest its ever felt. The hillside was frozen solid with a slight crust of snow in some areas. We saw the tracks of someone from what I would guess was the day before checking conditions or just trying to locate the ice. The tracks disappeared by the top of the hill and we didn't see any sign of them walking around near the ice, so maybe they didn't make it to the ice. Confluence has been an elusive place for many people to find. I've heard stories of folks hiking around for 7 hrs trying to find the place (they paid and were being guided believe it or not). Well we made it to the cliff, and as I expected the wall had ice in many places, but was in the process of being washed out due to all the water run off. Confluence, for the most part is one of the least reliable places to climb in the region. It gets direct sun and melts out very quickly. It also has old mine openings at the bottom that spew warm air up under the ice and causes it to melt out from the backside. We thought we would be able to check out some dry tooling possibilities, but there was soooo much water running, that it would've been completely miserable to even try to give anything a go. We hung out for about 30min. watched tons of ice fall on every line and decided to head back to the car. On the way out, we stopped at the old stone walls near the bottom of the hill to pick around for a minute and shoot some photos. We made the ride out and decided to go check conditions at SCII.

Those Pesky Gunks Sevens!

(Photo: That's me in the yellow/green jacket past the crux on Thin Slabs Direct (5.7+).)



In my last post I discussed (and expressed skepticism about) several supposed 5.8 sandbags in the Trapps.



Then on Friday of last week, climbing with a new partner Matt, I was reminded of some other sandbags that are not so easily dismissed.



These climbs are like landmines for the unsuspecting leader. They promise smooth, moderate sailing but instead deliver moments of puzzlement and sketchitude.



I speak, of course, of those bewildering oddites otherwise known asGunks 5.7's.



LastFridayMatt and Iwerehoping tojump onBirdie Party, but we found it occupied. Matt suggested wedo Anguish instead since it was open and neither of us had done it. It seemed like a good idea to me. I intended to link the first two pitches in one and take us all the way up to the GT Ledge. Matt would take the crux 5.8 pitch to the top. I thoughtthe first two pitcheslooked pretty easy, except for the new crux of the first pitch that Dick Williams described in his 2004 guidebook. Instead of the traditional route, which moved to the right over a flake/corner at 5.4, Dick now recommends a roof escape to the left at 5.7-.



I thought I remembered a thread on Gunks.com where folks had complained that this roof escape felt much harder than 5.7. (I can't find such a thread now, so maybe it never existed.) But I wasn't worried. I thought it might feel like a 5.8, but so what? I'd be fine. How bad could it be?



Then I got up there under the roof and found out.



I had pro in the corner but it was all the way at the back. I tried to get something in the little flaring notch at the lip of the roof but I couldn't get anything on my rack to stick.



Then I started to pull over the roof, looking for holds, but whatever holds there were seemed very far away.



So I retreated a bit to a stance and thought it over. Dick said escape left, I realized. He didn't say to pull the roof directly.



Goingback up, Itried to follow Dick's orders and escape left. I got a hold of some small crimps and moved around the outside arete. But this put me at a really pumpy stance and the next move up was far from certain. Plus my pro was over to the right and back in the corner. I didn't like this at all. I retreated again.



Three or four times I tried to make my escape but on each occasion I didn't like the move or the potential fall so I came back. And then, defeated,I finally said "screw it" and finished the pitch the 5.4 way.



What a way to start a new climbing partnership! Bailing on a 5.7-.



Matt led the 5.8 pitch three of Anguish and it is really very good. It has some nice crux moves up to the overhang; then the overhang itself is a bit easier. The rest of the way is even more casual but thegear is a little thin. The topout requires a few easy slab moves above your pro.



I wouldn't bother to repeat pitches one and two of Anguish-- the quality moments are few, even if you include the part I skipped--but if I were descending from another climb using the nearby Three Pines rappel routeI woulddefinitely consider running up the third pitch of Anguish again.The pitchbegins on the GT Ledge right around the corner from the bolted anchor, and once you top out it's an easy walk just a few yards over to the bolts on top of the cliff for the descent.



Later in the day, after I'd redeemed myself a bit and led some harder climbs, I mentioned how embarrassed I was to have begun the day by chickening out on a 5.7-. Matt responded that he'd taken a fall at the tricky crux move of Baskerville Terrace (5.7) just a few weeks before-- and thisright after a successful lead of Roseland (5.9)! So I didn't have to feel too bad. He knew what I was going through.



Those pesky sevens!



There sure seem to be a lot of "problem" sevens at the Gunks, no? I've certainly had more 5.7difficulties than 5.8 difficulties. I've never bailed on a 5.8 lead. But here I abandoned Anguish pitch one, andI also remember a couple of seasons ago trying the opening move to Trapped Like a Rat (5.7) and then abandoning that one too. And don't even get me started on that stupid grease-pole-of-a-sandbag Laurel. Come to think of it, I once bailed on a 5.8: Drunkard's Delight (5.8-), but that route too wasuntil recentlyconsidered a 5.7+!



We finished our day last Friday with perhapsthe mother of all 5.7 sandbags: Thin Slabs Direct.



Matt led the 5.7 variation to pitch one, and wouldn't you know it, as he approached the end of the vertical crack that marks the early part of the route, I heard him muttering "Why is this so tricky??"



And then "Watch me here!"



But he sketched through the hard part and then took the lead all the way to the GT Ledge.



When it was my turn to follow I was kind of shocked at how thin the first twosteps off the ground were. I wasn't sure I could even get started on the pitch. But we all know that no matter how hard the first move is, it doesn't count as part of the difficulty rating in the Gunks. Once I got my feet on the wall and my hands in the crack, I thought the climbing was enjoyable and, yes, kind of stiff for 5.7.



When I got near the top of the crack I saw what Matt had been concerned about. The hands were good, but the feet were smeary.I knew with one morereach the angle would ease off; the harder variation start would be over.As I smearedand reached up with the security of the toprope,I thought:"nice lead!"



And: "5.7??"



Once Igot tothe GT LedgeI had to confront the Thin Slabs Direct finish, which is supposedly 5.7+. This variationhas the distinction of being the only "direct" finish I can think of that is actually substantially less direct than the regular route. It is in fact the very antithesis of "direct." The whole point of the variation is to force the leader to traverse to the right for fifteento twenty feet out of the way, over aterrifying drop, with slippery hands and no real footholds to speak of.



I first attempted this pitch in . Before I got to the Direct finish, I led Sente, onsight, to start the climb. This wasmy first 5.9 lead ever, which made me very proud. Then I joined Thin Slabs up to the GT Ledge and promptly got thoroughly humbled by Thin Slabs Direct. I remember being so pumped as I attempted it. Ifound itvery difficult to let go with one hand long enough to clip the three ancient pitons that line the traverse; forget about even attempting to place my own gear. Eventually, after going out and back a few times and taking a hang in the middle,I got to the end of the traverse and managed to pull my body inelegantly onto the shelf on the main face of the cliff. Lying there on the shelf, I was grateful I had survived the climb, but I knew it was no victory.



I wrote a little self-deprecatingpieceabout the experience at the time on Gunks.com (see my post at the bottom of the page). Until last Friday I hadn't been back.



And this time, climbing Thin Slabs Direct felt... well... tough for 5.7, that's for sure. And it was still scary, there's no doubt about that. But mostlyclimbing it againmade me realize how much I've improved. If you hang off that shelf in justthe right way it isn't so pumpy. There are footholds to be found, they just aren't very big.And ifyou turn your body sideways, just so,your feet can really help you, and the clipping isn't so hard. A little technique will get you there.



This time, once I committed to the traverse I moved right through it, coming around the corner without a hitch. It was a great way to end the day, and it nearly erased the bad feelings I got from pitch one of Anguish.



But still, after it was over, there was no escaping one conclusion: Thin Slabs, with both variations, isafreaking HARD 5.7. I mean really, what is it with those Gunks sevens?

Harry H. Wise and Family

The Harry Wise family, about 1916 or 1917
Wayne, Emma, William, Gladys, Harry, and Kenneth
Harry H. Wise, son of William P. Wise and Sophia Dunfee, was born on August 10, 1874 in Whitley County, Indiana. He died on November 29, 1938 in Lorain, Lorain County, Ohio at age 64, and was buried in Elmwood Cemetery in Lorain, Lorain County, Ohio.

Harry married Emma Klieman. She was born on August 6, 1881 in Mount Clemens, Macomb County, Michigan and died on October 17, 1952 in Mt. Vernon, Knox County, Ohio at age 71. She was buried next to her husband, Harry Wise, in Elmwood Cemetery in Lorain, Lorain County, Ohio.

His obituary was published in the Columbia City Post (Whitley County, Indiana) on November 29, 1938.

Harry H. Wise, 64, native of Thorncreek township, died today of heart trouble, at his home in Loraine, Ohio, after an illness of two weeks, according to a message received today by his two sisters, Mrs. Jos. Yontz, of this city, and Mrs. Harlo Burns, of Troy township.

Mr. Wise, a son of the late Mr. and Mrs. William Wise, of Whitley county, located in Ohio forty-four years ago. For forty years he had been district agent for the Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company, and during that time has maintained offices in Lorain.

He is survived by his widow, Mrs. Emma Wise, a native of Mount Clemons, Mich., and three sons, William, a druggist, Dr. Wayne Wise, a chiropodist, and Kenneth; and a daughter, Gladys, now married, a former teacher, all of Lorain. Besides the two sisters residing here, Mr. Wise is survived by a brother, Morris, residing in Sturgis, Mich.

Funeral services will be held Thursday afternoon at 2 0'clock in Lorain and committal services will be held there. Mrs. Yontz will be unable to attend the funeral rites of her brother because of illness which has confined her to her home in this city.

His obituary was also published in The Lorain Journal (Lorain County, Ohio) on 29 Nov 1938.

Harry H. Wise, 64, 901 7th-ct., prominent Lorain Insurance agent, died this morning at his home following a brief illness. Born in Indiana, Wise came to Lorain in 1895. He was appointed the first paid driver of the Lorain fire department in March, 1901, stationed at No. 1 station.

Leaving the fire department after nearly six years of service, he went into the real estate business for a short time and then into the insurance business, in which he had been engaged for the past 30 years. Wise was connected with the Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Co. at the time of his death. He was an active member of the Christian temple and Woodland lodge Knights of Pythian.

Survivors are his wife, Emma, to whom he was married Jan. 1, 1900; three sons, William, Amherst; Kenneth and Wayne, Elyria; one daughter, Mrs. Gladys Stegall, Mt. Vernon; one brother, Morris, Sturgis, Mich.; and two sisters, Mrs. Harl Burns, Etna, Ind., and Mrs. Joseph Yontz, Columbia City, Ind. Eight grandchildren also survive.

Funeral services will be held at 2 p.m. Thursday at the Sidney B. Royce funeral home with Rev. B. H. Linville, pastor of the Christian Temple, officiating. Burial will be in Elmwood cemetery. The body will be take to the home tomorrow.

Emma's obituary was published in The Lorain Journal (Lorain County, Ohio) on 18 Oct 1952.

Mrs. Emma Wise, widow of the late Henry [sic] Wise, a Lorain insurance agent for many years, died last night at the home of her daughter, Mrs. Fred Steagall, Mr. Vernon. She was 71. She had been ill for several months and had just recently moved into Mrs. Steagall's home.

Mrs. Wise was a member of the Christian Temple, and is survived by two sons, William, Lorain, and Wayne, Elyria, in addition to Mrs. Steagall.

The body is at the Thompson Funeral Home, where services will be held Sunday at 2 p.m. Rev. Wood B. Cundiff will officiate. Burial will be in Elmwood Cemetery.

The family of Harry Wise was located Lorain County, Ohio in the following census records:
1900 1717 Lexington Ave., Lorain, Black River Township page 30 E.D. 79
1910 408 Idaho Ave., Lorain, Black River Township page 175 E.D. 89
1920 Lorain, Ward 2 page 54/3A E.D. 8
1930 Lorain, Ward 2 page 16/2A E.D. 11

Harry H. Wise and Emma Klieman had four children:

1. William Harold Wise was born on August 3, 1900 in Lorain, Lorain County, Ohio. He died on September 18, 1969 in Wilkinsburg, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania at age 69, and was buried in Elmwood Cemetery in Lorain, Ohio. William married Anna Hazzard about 1921. Anna was born about 1901 in Cleveland, Cuyahoga County, Ohio. She died on January 22, 1960 in Lorain, Lorain County, Ohio 10 at age 59, and was buried in Elmwood Cemetery in Lorain, Ohio.

An unidentified article in "the scrapbook," presumably from a Lorain, Ohio newspaper, no date, provides a short description of the wedding of William Wise and Anna Hazard. The 1930 census indicates that they were married when they were both 21 years old, which puts the event at about 1921.

Charmingly attired in a suit of navy blue broadcloth with a picture hat of black velvet, and carrying a bouquet of white roses, Miss Anna Hazard, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Hazard, of West 27th street, was united in marriage to William Wise, son of Mr. and Mrs. Harry Wise of Washington avenue. The ceremony was performed at seven o'clock last evening in the parsonage of the Church of Christ by the Rev. L. O. Newcomer. Only the immediate families witnessed the wedding.

Miss Gladys Wise, sister of the groom, attended Miss Hazard. She also wore a navy blue suit with fall hat to match. Her flowers were pink roses. William Hazard, brother of the bride, attended the groom.

Mr. and Mrs. Wise left last evening for a short trip to Buffalo and Niagara Falls. Upon their return they will reside in Lorain. Mrs. Wise is one of Lorain's most popular young women. She is a graduate of Lorain High School and is employed as bookkeeper at the Allen Shoe Store.

Mr. Wise is also a well known local man. He is a graduate of Lorain High School and at present is attending Western Reserve University where he is studying pharmacy. He is a member of the Church of Christ.

William's obituary was published in The Lorain Journal (Lorain County, Ohio) on September 19, 1969.

William H. Wise, 69, 1423 D St., Lorain, a lifelong resident of Lorain, died yesterday at Columbia Hospital, Wilkinsburg, Pa. He had been visiting his son, William, in Monroesville, Pa. He was a pharmacist and had worked for Standard Drug and Revco Companies. He was a member of the Christian Temple Church.

Survivors besides his son, include a daughter, Mrs. Charles (Mary Ann) Lambdin, Port Arthur, Tex.; several grandchildren; a sister, Mrs. Gladys Steagall, Huron, and a brother, Wayne Wise, Elyria. Friends may call at the Schwartz, Spence and Boyer Home for Funerals tomorrow from 7 to 9 p.m. and Sunday from 2 to 4 p.m. and from 7 to 9 p.m. The Rev. James Hartley of the Christian Temple will officiate at services at the funeral home Monday at 1 p.m. Burial will be in Elmwood Cemetery.

Anna's obituary was published in The Chronicle Telegram (Elyria, Lorain County, Ohio) on January 22, 1960.

Lorain - Mrs. Anna M. Wise, 59, of 1423 D St., died in St. Joseph Hospital this morning after a short illness. She was the wife of William H. Wise. Besides her husband she leaves a son, William W., Hobart., Ind.; a daughter, Mrs. Charles Lambdin, Sheffield Lake; five grandchildren; her mother, Mrs. Mary Ann Hazzard, Lorain; two sisters, Mrs. William Bock, Salem and Mrs. Eugene Wood, Amherst; two brothers, Joseph Hazzard, Avon and William Luther, buffalo. The body is at the Schwartz-Spence Home for Funerals. Arrangements for services are incomplete.

2. Kenneth Klieman Wise was born on October 18, 1901 in Lorain, Lorain County, Ohio and died on July 10, 1948 in Elyria, Lorain County, Ohio at age 46.

The Ohio Death Records online at www.familysearchlabs.org provided his birth and death information. It also gives his wife's name as Vada Mae. The 1930 census for Lorain County (Elyria Ward 1 page 22) shows Kenneth as head of household, age 28 and wife Vada, age 27. They were married when he was 21 and she was 20 so year of marriage would be about 1923. Also listed was a son Jack and a daughter Betty.

3. Gladys Margaret Wise was born on March 10, 1903 in Lorain, Lorain County, Ohio. Gladys is not listed in the Social Security Death Index so it is possible that she may yet be living. She married Fred Steagall about 1927. He was born on January 24, 1903 in Ohio and died on March 27, 1984 in Fort Myers, Lee County, Florida at age 81.

In 1930, Gladys and Fred were living in Knox County, Ohio (Mt Vernon, Ward 3 page 45/2A E.D. 9). They were living in Mt. Vernon, Knox County, Ohio when her mother died in October 1952. Gladys lived in Huron, Ohio when her brother, William, died in September 1969 and resided in Ft. Meyers Beach, Florida on March 23, 1974 when her brother Wayne died. My grandmother's notes indicate that Gladys and Fred Steagall had two sons.

4. Wayne Clayton Wise was born on September 20, 1909 in Lorain, Lorain County, Ohio and died on March 19, 1974 in Fort Myers, Lee County, Florida at age 64.

An abstract of his obituary was on found online at the the Cleveland Necrology File (The Plain Dealer, Cleveland, Cuyahoga County, Ohio March 23, 1974) shows that his wife, Margaret, was still living as were two children.

Sources are available upon request. Harry Wise is my Great-Granduncle, a brother of my Great-Grandmother, Maude Wise Brubaker Yontz. If anyone reading this is related to any of these people, or knows anything about them, please contact me at kinexxions "at" gmail "dot" com!

More northern lights images!

Here are a few more shots from the incredible auroras that I witnessed in the early morning hours of May 18, .

On The Road

Wow, here it is, September 6th already. It's been two weeks since my last post and the time has, quite literally, flown by!

After a few very long and hectic days (and nights) of packing, the apartment was vacated on August 30th - - It was 11pm when I got to my friend's house and 6:30 came around awfully quick the next morning! After my doctor's appointment in Fort Wayne on Monday, I finished going through the last bit of stuff deciding what to take and what to store. We worked a while on installing curtains in the van and after several unsuccessful attempts, came up with something that will work, I hope.

It was a little after 4 pm Tuesday when the bicycle rack and bike were secured to the back of the van. A few minutes later I was on my way, almost. A couple of quick stops to drop off the last few items in storage, get ice for the chest, and gas for the car... I left Columbia City at 5:00 pm

My friends thought I was crazy to leave so late in the day, but I just wanted to be on my way. I also knew, from past experience, that I wouldn't be able to sleep that night. Just too hyper and stressed out. I only drove for 3 hours or so and stopped for the night on my way to southern Indiana.

The next morning I was up at 7:00 but didn't leave the motel until 10:30. The plan was to go to Vevay, in Switzerland County, and to McKay Cemetery to get some good photographs of the grave-sites of my 3rd great grandparents, Samuel and Susanna (Ball) Bray. I had previously taken pictures of the stones but they were covered with moss or lichens and the images were not legible. I knew that the stones faced west, so the best time to photograph them would be shortly after noon. It was about 12:30 when I arrived at the cemetery and, as suspected the stones were still covered with lichen and illegible. However, a little bit of water and a soft bristle brush made all the difference in the world!

Vevay is a nice little town on the Ohio River that was a major stop for river boats and packets traveling along the Ohio back in the day. Someone has commemorated that history with a fine mural painted on one of the buildings just north of the city parking lot, near the library. I should have, but didn't, take the time to find out who the artist was or when it was done.



It's a challenge to drive on the backroads through the hills and valleys of Switzerland County, but it is fun too. McKay Cemetery is situated on top of a hill on the east side of Patton Hollow Road. Isn't that a neat name? Nice and quiet, except for the dogs barking. There are three houses near the cemetery, one on the east side and two on the west, but I saw nary another soul. And though I could hear people talking occasionally, I couldn't make out what they were saying. Once in a while a car or farm vehicle would pass by, but otherwise it was pretty quiet and peaceful.

I stopped for lunch in Vevay at 3 o'clock and finally hit the road again at 3:30. A couple more hours driving and I stopped for the night at some little burg along US 231.

The next day I took US 231 south to Owensboro, Kentucky and then to US 60 the rest of the way through Kentucky and on into Springfield, Missouri. The drive through Kentucky was beautiful. It was a two-lane highway all the way and not much traffic. I enjoyed it tremendously. Crossing the Mississippi River into Missouri, the road changed to a four lane limited access highway, with parts still under construction. Somewhat desolate looking and rather boring scenery. But it was easy driving and I made good time, arriving at my destination a little after 7 pm.

Moving On :: Tok to Kluane

Sunday, August 22nd - - It is about 90 miles from Tok to the Canadian Border on the Alaska Highway. To get where I'm going (Haines) you have to backtrack a bit. Because of the terrain, your route options are limited - there aren't all that many roads in Alaska! (Reference the map at the bottom of my previous post.)

On my first drive through the area, the skies were gray and gloomy and it didn't really look all that pretty. But with somewhat blue skies and sunshine, things looked different this time around. There are so many small lakes and ponds dotting the landscape and with the mountains in the distance, it was quite nice.

You are probably getting tired of seeing reflections of the sky in the water, but I just can't help myself! I am captivated by them... a narrow view between the trees.

Even with the sunshine, there occasionally were a few scattered showers.
Once you get into Yukon Territory in Canada you are traveling on the absolute worst section of the Alaska highway! For nearly 100 miles you are jostled and jarred by dips and rises and jumbled pavement. If you are lucky you can get up to 45 mph in some sections but if you're not paying attention and you come to an area of bad pavement driving that fast you're in for an exciting ride!

I took several shots of the pavement but it just doesn't show what it was really like. See those yellow flags alongside the road? Those indicate dips in the highway. So while you are jostled from side to side with the uneven pavement, when you reach the dips you are also bouncing up and down. Throw in a few potholes and several really bad sections for a challenging ride! I was so happy to get through it unscathed.

I made it to the Lake Kluane (pronounced CLUE-AH-KNEE) area in late afternoon, and, remembering Sue's glowing report of the Cottonwood Campground, I stopped there for the night. It has to be one of the nicest campgrounds I've stayed in, not just on this Alaska trip, but anywhere!

The view from my campsite, looking south. Gorgeous. Forty-six miles long, Lake Kluane is the largest lake in Yukon Territory and the highway follows it on the west side for about half of its length.

A closeup of the mountains on the south side of the lake.
The next morning, the wind was calm and the sun was shining. And, of course, the reflections in the lake were amazing.

From the bridge on the west side of the south end. This is actually a river that feeds the glacial water into the lake.

Looking east. A narrow peninsula juts out from the western side of the lake.

The highway is at the base of that mountain, following the shoreline. Ten miles north of that point is the Cottonwood Campground.

Redbud and Sandias

Here is one of our redbud trees with a view of the Sandia Mountains behind it.

Finally some real ice in South western Pennsylvania

The south western Pennsylvania woods are finally looking like winter

Laura and I decided to take our chances and head into Sunday School Crag to try and climb one of the new lines I found last week. It was a warmish 29° when we left the house and made our way up to the parking area. Upon arrival it was 23° which made me feel more optimistic that the line would have held over the warmer days this past week.

Parking area for Sunday School Crag

During our hike in to the climbs we were breaking through the crust that the recent ice storm left in its wake. I knew this recent ice crusting might be of some concern on the lines we were going to try and attempt. Sunday School Crag is the most alpine like crags of south western PA.

Coming out of the woods and into the crag

The temps are always colder, the wind is always howling and is usually downright uncomfortable. The ice lines are a lot more committing than most other local crags, with traditional gear being involved in most ascents. Most lines I've climbed here commonly involve some sort of barely held together limestone choss with varying thicknesses of verglas beteween sections of ice pillars and runnels. In other words some seriously fun climbing that might make you stain your drawers and then smile about it after its done.

On the way in we scoped out some of the lines. Here's a couple we want to try in the near future.

Laura below one of several unclimbed lines we eyed

One of the top options for the day!

Not sure if I should be excited or terrified for this one.

Either way its an incredible looking mixed climb that I want to try.

After checking all the other options, we headed to the long alpine looking corner route I found last week. I was really hoping it was in. I had thought about it all week and couldn't wait to get on it. We rounded the corner and it came into view and was looking at least as good as it did last week. I was afraid that the water might have started to wash it out from behind. The temperatures must have been quite a bit colder here that at our house. The climb had very little water running off of it and looked as if it were good to go. The climbs to the right were running hard with water and were dropping some rather large chunks of ice.

Standing near the bottom of our chosen climb

The climbs to right on this wall were running hard and dropping ice

We didn't waste much time. I've never been on this line and had seen it for the first time last week. I looked it over and scoped out a potential line and racked up accordingly. Going ground up is always a little more exciting and I find over-racking is better than under. The line looked a little boney so it was mostly 13cm screws. I also racked some quick draws, a few runners, screamers, a half rack of nuts, and 3 cams. Plus belay coat and gloves, belay device, thread tool, cordage, spare biners, a 22cm screw for a thread if necessary/possible. I recently received a set of the new Petzl dry T rated picks (which is a whole other post in itself). I'd been anxiously waiting to try them on an "ice" route. I resisted the temptation to take them dry tooling and dull the hell out of them over the past couple of weeks. Also new was a shiny pair of Grivel G4 crampons, complements of Rob "Griz" Ginieczki for helping with the second revision of Ice Climbing Pennsylvania (available for purchase soon). All this new gear to try and on a new line, How cool! I'd used the previous versions of the Rambo's over the years and always liked their rigid frame for pure ice. My last pair were hijacked by Laura (who likes them a lot as well) and I just hadn't replaced them when Griz surprised me with these. Thanks again Griz.

Racked and excited to get on some real ice!

The climb was well... Awesome! What a great first ice route of the season. It went well. The ice was mostly very thin. There were plenty "eyelids" on the bulges from the ice storm as expected. Lots of new ice and snow to be cleared as I ascended the runnels that flowed down the 200' cliff. Even with a "soft" swing attitude today I still managed to put falcons beaks on both of my new picks. They performed well and I can say that the new picks perform better on ice than the old Astro picks that I loved so much. Now that I've used them on an ice route I can go out and trash them at will. I have a few more sets coming my way. I'm definately NOT a fan of the new washer design that has now made changing picks in the field a big pain in the ass. Right up there with Grivel's three bolt system. The crampons were sweet as expected! Grivel has the rigid design and point configuration nailed. The extra weight seems to help drive them into the ice with much more authority than the Petzl Darts I've become used to.

We named the line Late Bloomer. We thought it a fitting name for our current season being the worst ice season in area history. Climbing this line today almost made me forget how unproductive local ice has been this season. I'm a little hesitant to grade the line. I'm sure it'll be much easier during a normal season of cold, producing plentiful ice. Today it felt like a commiting WI4+ in lean condition. Protection was a little sparse and I would not recommend this climb for the budding WI4 leader. What it lacked in vertical sections it made up for in sparse protection and lack of ice. Here's the photos of us on the climb.

Starting up the line it got thin early on

Short thin pillars with a few mixed moves, very alpine feeling

I'm in the middle of the photo, Giving scale to the climb

Just another day in the Pennsylvania alpine

Laura moving over a lower angle snow/ice slab

Even enough ice for a V thread rap!

Laura is all smiles on this one!

Late Bloomer WI4+

South Western Pennsylvania

Is there more? There's always more here in SWPA

The End!

So south western Pennsylvania ice season has officially begun for us. Who knows if February will contain colder temps and provide us with more lines to try this year. Hopefully it does. Keep checking back for all our PA climbing nonsense. With some luck we'll be able to send a few more of the new lines at this crag. I hope everyone got as lucky as we did this weekend! What a blast... cant wait to get back for more!

Identifying Things With Wings

Many of the birds that come to the birdbath fountain are common ones, not mysterious: the Blue Jays in my blog header, pairs of nesting Cardinals, omnipresent Mockingbirds, the English Sparrows who have taken over neighbors' Purple Martin houses, hoards of White-winged Doves, noisy Grackles and the most welcome Chickadees.

Robins were my companions when I gardened in Illinois, waiting for me to throw a grub their way, but we went a decade after moving to Texas without seeing a single one. What a thrill when they began to visit our Austin garden:
House finches flew in-and-out of a huge blue spruce at my friend Ruth's house near Chicago, but they didn't come to our Illinois houses. They're regular visitors at this house.
We saw waxwings 30-years ago at house #2 in Illinois - that house had a berry-covered Mountain Ash tree and a row of large, berry-covered junipers. Cedar waxwings began to stop here a couple of years ago.

Goldfinches (think it's lesser goldfinch?) didn't come to our previous Austin house, but they come here. Titmice and hummingbirds come here too, but are usually too fast for my camera.

Local birder Mikael Behrens has a wonderful website- Birding on Broadmeade. The people who go with him on birdwalks find themselves checking many species off their lists without ever leaving NW Austin - even Bluebirds and Caracaras! Birding along Mikael's magic creek sounds like fun if you're able to walk & look through binoculars at the same time.

Birdwatching takes practice and study, but it's probably necessary to have good vision in the first place. When the description tells me to notice if there is "a black smudge below the second wing bar" - it's a lost cause - I can't discern that even when the bird is right outside the breakfast room window and a bird book is in my hand. But even if being a true birder is beyond me, when something more exotic than the usual White-winged doves and Mockingbirds show up on the next Great Backyard Bird Count, it would be great to turn in the correct identities.

Mikael also uses the birds' songs to help identify them, but only certain voices can be heard through my windows - like grackles, jays and mockingbirds. Outside you can hear the calls of a chickadee, wren, cardinal or titmouse and it's easy to tell when a flock of cedar waxwings is in a neighboring yard.

Last year we had what I think was a male Yellow Rumped Warbler and it looks like another (or the same one) is here now, looking like a wet, real-life version of an Angry Bird through the breakfast room window! Hope this one is right, Mikael:

Could this be the female Yellow-Rumped Warbler? Here's the back of this bird A similar bird was around in January, so maybe they're not just passing through.

In March I took a photo of the male yellow-rumped warbler, perched on an herb trough at right, waiting a turn to bathe. Reflection from the water spoiled the image of the bird at left, but at the time I thought it might be a Nashville warbler.
I'm not sure if the same bird was here yesterday, but with those white eye-rings it looks a lot like the Nashville warbler from last year-

Could the bird with white eye-rings at top left in this trio also be a Nashville warbler ... or maybe the same one, rumpled and wet? As to the other two - any chance the one at right is a Ruby Crowned Kinglet?

Here's another shot of the trio. Did I get anything right?

Insects with wings can be confusing, too - this is some kind of Swallowtail butterfly on the Carolina Jessamine but which one?

A few days ago a mammal with wings rested for a short time on the wall in the Secret Garden - my guess on this is a Little Brown Bat. Some sites suggest a full moon can throw off the bat's normal schedule... my hope is that a night of eating mosquitoes made the bat too full to fly straight home. Thanks for any input ... there is some video footage of the little birds hopping around on the fountain - it can go up on YouTube once they have names.