Photo ops?

As many of you might have noticed my photos have recently (may be always) been pretty dismal.



I like the mast head photo here at Cold Thistle to inspire and peak your imagination. So it never has a photo credit or a description. It might well be a road cut in Montana or the North face of the Eiger. Your guess!



If any of you have a photo that you think should be on the mast head for a week or two...and it gets you excited about being back in the mountains send it along via email to rdburns@cnw.com in jpeg format.I'll add it to the collection. At some point you will likely see it show cased here.



Photos like the one belowsimply get me stoked and off my chair! Where skiing meets climbing! Be sure to double click on this one for full effect.






Photo courtesy of Trevor Hunt and http://www.coaststeepskier.com/wphome/

Tombstone Tuesday :: Christian and Eve Schuder

Christian Schuder and his wife, Anna Eva Christina (aka Eve) Stoever, are my 3rd great grandparents and also my 4th great grandparents! Their grandson Isaac Shuder married their great-granddaughter Nancy Jane Lavering.

Christian and Eve were the parents of nine children: John (1795-1850) married Mary Elizabeth Gephart, Barbara (1797-1865) married Christopher Leighty, Peter (1799-1867) married Rebecca Barbara Huntsicker, Samuel (1803-1878) married Christena Shade, Catherine (1805-1876) married Christopher Leighty after her sister Barbara passed away, Elizabeth (1808-1863) married William Lavering, Daniel (1810-1897) married Justina Shade, Christian Jr. (1813-1885) married Sarah Nancy Huntsicker, and William (1815-unknown).

I suspect that Rebecca and Sarah Huntsicker were sisters or related in some way as were Christena and Justina Shade. The photos below were given to me by my cousin, Caroline Conrad Fawley and were taken in the early 1980s. She has done the research on the Schuder/Shuder family and graciously provided me with copies of her research. (Thanks, Caroline!)

Christian and Eve are buried in Ellerton Cemetery, Montgomery County, Ohio. As always, click on the images for a larger, more legible, version.

IN
MEMORY OF CHRISTIAN
SCHUDER WAS BORN IN
LANCASTER COUNTEY
PENNSYLVANIA. THE 12 D
OF GANHARY IN THE YEAR OF
OUR LORD 1762. DEPARTED
THIS LIFE THE 13TH JULY
1842. AGED 80 YEARS 6
MONTHS AND ONE DAY
EVE CHRISTINA
WIFE OF
CHRISTIAN SCHUDER
DIED
JAN. 6, 1855,
AGED
80 yrs. 11 mo. & 16d.
(the verse at the bottom of the stone is illegible)

Grand Canyon :: Sunset at Hopi Point

On our last night at the Canyon (April 17th) we decided to take in another sunset. This time on the southwest side of the Canyon, at Hopi Point.

A close-up view showing a bit of the ruggedness of the Canyon.

The late afternoon sun emphasizes the “hills and valleys” of the Canyon.

The waning rays of the sun also bring out a little of the color in the Canyon.

Quite a few people view the sunsets at Hopi Point. There were three buses and more in the queue to take everyone back to Grand Canyon Village.

The setting sun, split in two by a layer of clouds. It was a fitting end to a very nice day and a great way to end our time at the Grand Canyon.

Come on! Why aren't these still being made?

La Sportiva? Dynafit?Scarpa? Kolfach? Come on guys it is about time someonereinvented the wheel here again ! I'd buy a pair in a heart beat! This is the 2005 Dynafit Mtn LT Model. Was it ever produced in any numbers? Ever imported to the US? Any of the readers here still have or used a pair?



I want a pair! And I don't really care who makes them. Just give me an inner boot I can heat mold and I am good to go. 2.5 # per boot please in a size 45/ US 12.



This would seem to be a no brainier for the boot makers.

Wild Flowers

Two different white wild flowers that we have in our yard. These guys are some of the few that really seem to like the dry sandy soil we have.

A mountain of maintenance

I've been wondering about the upper mountain. It must be snowing up there today, because the temperatures are much cooler here in Longmire. The Camp Muir and Paradise weather stations are both offline... Perhaps they are casualties of the intermittent disruption of power, phone and internet. I do know this: there was 7 inches of snow on the ground at Paradise yesterday, and I can see a snowline at 3,500 feet today.

I am also wondering about all that rain on the glacier. I have a feeling that at some elevations, the rain turned the glacier into hard/bulletproof ice when the temperature dropped. Here is the Nisqually Glacier from the air, taken on Wednesday.

It has been raining steadily today, but the river flow and currents have remained normal. Access to the backcountry and mountain is dependent upon repairing the park's infrastructure. A lot of cranes, dozers, and dump trucks will be needed to re-sculpt the land for roads and sewer systems. Like today, I saw a large crane moving rock in the Nisqually River in order to help protect a historic cabin, road and treatment plant. But it's not everyday you see this sort of thing in a national park.

There was another spate of articles online at MSNBC and in the local papers about the park closure and flood damage. The big pieces were in the News Tribune, Seattle Times and the Yakima Herald. In the meantime, let there be colder temps and stable weather.

Summer OR wrap up?

Rafal has done a nice job covering most of the alpine climber'sinterests. (look at the link below) It is summer after all, not much new for the alpine. But what is new is pretty exciting. Look for indepth field tests and written reviews on almost everything Rafal has mentioned ASAP.The idea is to get the word out before the first big freeze of fall. The Salewa Pro Gaiter and the third generation Batura (they call it #2 but thatis incorrect) will be up first It should be a good comparison. Gen. three La Sportiva against the new kid on the block for technicalMtn boots,Salewa.



The new Lynx crampon from Petzl looks even better in person than on paper. Those I already know I want! Big raves from the last year's prototypes I am told. Just too many options to ignore in the new design that no one had yet put in a single package, until now. And a reasonable retail of $240. Not the $300+ I was first quoted, thank goodness! Petzl has upped the game again by all accounts.



My list of winners is La Sportiva'snewest Batura, Petzl of course ( new 'pons and the Nomic and Ergo are BACK!) as always and the new blushing bride, Salewa's alpine boots are hopeful.







Rafal, thanks for a well written, detailedupdate.



http://rafalandronowski.wordpress.com//08/07/or-summer-market--report/