On the Trail

On the Trail, originally uploaded by ParsecTraveller.

Temple Crag looms in the distance, towering above Second Lake.

Big Pine is one of the best hiking areas I've yet seen. There are many trails, lots of lakes, and spectacular mountains.

It's Not About the Weather

While we wait for Hurricane Sandy to arrive, I am still finding sand caked on my bike from an earlier rainy, muddy ride. It seems that every time I have ridden this bike so far, it has rained. Of course today, on my inaugural ride with fenders, it is sunny and dry. A friend consoles me by reminding me of the approaching hurricane. Surely I will have the opportunity to test the fenders then. I take the idea seriously and begin to mentally map out a route on some local trails, before realising how utterly insane that is. When the townsfolk are stocking up on canned goods and flashlight batteries, I should probably stay indoors.




With the season marching on toward starker days, I find myself thinking of weather.As cyclists we all tend to have an idea of the "perfect weather" for riding. For some it's the height of summer. For others it's that elusive "60 degrees and sunny, with a mild breeze." A few riders I know prefer cooler temperatures, and some even claim to enjoy rain. I think for me, the biggest revelation has been that, when push comes to shove, I can feel good in almost any weather.






After a recent post describing a rainy ride on dirt roads, a reader wrote:"It's in our nature to want to be comfortable and coddled, but you celebrate the joy of pushing yourself through rain and mud." I felt guilty reading this, because honestly I don't feel as if I am overcoming discomfort or pushing myself when I ride in those kinds of conditions. And I think that is the key to my being able to do it. The secret is to find a way of being comfortable, to just go with it and appreciate the situation for what it is, rather than spending energy on trying to overcome it. Maybe this is just a different way of looking at the same thing, but to me it makes a big difference. Rather than pushing through discomfort, I extract comfort.




Part of it is of course practical considerations. Figuring out how to dress, eat and drink in different conditions. Over the summer I stumbled upon some tricks that enabled me to ride in heat in humidity like I'd never managed to do before. And last winter, I discovered that riding in sub-20 degree temperatures was also very doable with the help of strategic layering. But equally important is the attitude. We have to be curious, interested. We have to want the experience.




What is my idea of perfect riding weather... Probably high 40s to low 50s, with heavily overcast skies. I feel most alive then; the raw energy in the air makes me want to ride faster, further. But in the end, it's not about the weather, but about finding comfort in whatever is thrown at me, about feeling coddled by the beauty of the surrounding landscape.

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, .