Celestial Fantasy

It looked like the sky might be clearing to the northwest so I decided to head that direction in search of openings in the clouds. The first break in the clouds that I found was along the Arrowhead Trail whichmeanders through Grand Portage State Forest just out of Hovland, MN. I found this nice shooting location just past Irish Creek on the Arrowhead Trail. The clouds were breaking up just enough to let the aurora shine through, and it was magnificent! Light fog along the ground added an extra bit of mystery to the scene and all around me the spring peeper frogs were singing full blast as the lights danced overhead. I even heard a couple of Barred Owls talking to each other in the distance. Similar to seeing the lights back at my house, they were visible only for a few minutes before the clouds closed in again and blocked the view of the sky.

Mt. St. Helens, Worm Flows

Foursquare Mountaineering split up and climbed 2 different mountains on the same day. This group went south and climbed the St. Helens winter route. What a view!






Pete M. and Dan on top.



Brian, Matthew, Diane, Andrew, Todd and David on the summit.

It was a great day to climb a mountain!

Gunks Routes: Easy Overhang (5.2) & Son of Easy O (5.8)

It was one of those treasured weekdays in the Gunks. I was going climbing with Margaret, one of my longest-running climbing friends, but with whom I somehow haven't climbed outside in years. She wanted to do some easy leads. I just wanted to climb and didn't much care what we did. And with a heat wave rolling through and temperatures in the high 90s, easy leads sounded pretty good to me.



After I warmed us up with a run up Rhododendron (5.6-) we took the quick walk over to Easy Overhang, which neither of us had ever done and which Margaret wanted to lead.





(Photo: Almost through pitch one of Easy Overhang, having gone in and out of the 5.1 chimney.)



Pitch one is rated only 5.1, but the opening move (up a little flake and left to the chimney that makes up most of the pitch) sure feels harder than that. Neither Margaret nor I were at any risk of falling off, of course, but it was kind of a wake-up call. I get this same wake-up call whenever I do a super-easy climb in the Gunks. There's always a move somewhere that makes you think a little, no matter what the rating is. On Easy Overhang it comes right off the ground. It's just hard enough, I imagine, to give a brand new leader pause about what's to come, and it could cause real problems for a totally inexperienced climber. After we finished the climb, in fact, I saw a young girl of perhaps twelve or thirteen struggling mightily with these first moves of the pitch while her belayer/dad chatted on his cellular phone, oblivious. I gave her a little beta and she eventually got through it, but not without some skidding feet here and there.



Once you are established in the chimney the climb is as easy as advertised up to the bolts at the belay ledge. I thought it was pleasant, good fun. When I got to the bolts I looked up at the 5.2 pitch two and it too looked like another entertaining sandbag. The holds appeared to be plentiful but the climbing looked quite steep, and not just at the namesake overhang(s).





(Photo: Pitch two of Easy Overhang.)



Margaret set off and made quick work of it. As I followed her, enjoying the moves, I tried to imagine Hans Kraus leading it in mountain boots in 1941 (or perhaps sneakers, as he wore for the first ascent of the crux pitch of High Exposure that same year). It wasn't easy to envision. I tried to picture what this cliff was like without the lines already drawn in. I attempted to see this hunk of rock as a blank slate, as Kraus saw it; to find the line without outside influence, as he had found it. And it was hard for me to imagine that a person could look at this particular line and think it would be easily climbed with the tools of his day: clunky boots, a few pitons, hemp ropes. I resolved to try it one day-- not with hemp ropes or pitons, but maybe in mountain boots, as one internet climbing forum participant proposed somewhere a few months ago. Easy Overhang seems like the perfect climb for it. The going is steep in places, but rests are plentiful and there are great edges for stiff soles; no need for smearing. I think primitive footwear would work well, and that leading Easy Overhang in them would scare the crap out of me, in a good, safe way.



After we were done with Easy Overhang it was my turn to lead something. I couldn't resist hopping on Son of Easy O (5.8). I led it two years ago, just a few days before I broke my ankle. When I looked back on it I remembered the thin face climbing on pitch one as rather tough going, and the pitch two overhang as a surprisingly easy pleasure.



I was eager to get back on it because I've been feeling so good on the 5.8 climbs lately. I wanted to see if pitch one would seem easier this time around. I also wanted to check it out again because a few weeks ago in this space I declared Birdland to be perhaps the best 5.8 in the Gunks, and the reason I qualified my praise with that word "perhaps" was that I thought possibly Son of Easy O deserved the honor instead.



Well, pitch one was still tense the second time around. Maybe the heat was a factor. Maybe my performance was also affected by the fact that the party before us elected to rap from the pins near the top (this requires two ropes or a 70 meter single) and dropped their rope on me while I was negotiating the crux. (They were actually nice guys; they realized this was an error and then waited until I said it was okay before they dropped the other end.) Whatever the reason, I thought this was one of the hardest, and best, 5.8 pitches I've done at the Gunks. It just doesn't stop coming. It is steep for 15 or 20 feet, with thin moves past the pin and the little left-facing corner. Then the angle eases but the thin moves continue. You are over your feet so you don't pump out, but there isn't much in the way of a rest stance until you are practically at the ledge. It's just one thoughtful move after another, with great, abundant pro, the whole way. So good.



I wonder if this pitch feels harder than it used to because it is so popular. The route is polished, so much so that you can pick out the line from the carriage road by the streak of polish going up the wall.



I know it is fashionable these days to combine pitches one and two but it was so hot out I thought it might be nice to take a break between the pitches. I also wanted to experience the traverse over to the overhang at the start of pitch two again, and this traverse is skipped when the pitches are combined. So I angled up left at the ledge and belayed at the traditional spot at the end of pitch one. After Margaret arrived at the belay ledge (remarking as she finished climbing that she couldn't believe pitch one was only a 5.8) I set off on pitch two.





(Photo: In the thick of pitch two of Son of Easy O (5.8).)



Again my impressions of two years ago were more or less confirmed. After a slightly dicey step into the traverse, which requires a move or two before you can get good pro in, the pitch is steep, with great holds and gear as you move up into the overhanging corner. Then it is over before you know it. I made the traversing moves, thinking things were getting pumpy in a hurry. Then I stepped up to the pin, telling myself I'd better keep it moving. I placed a dynamite back-up cam to the right of the pin. I moved up and placed another cam in a horizontal. I thought about whether it was worth the energy I would have to expend to improve this last placement... and then I looked to the right and realized the hard stuff was already done. One step around the corner to the right and the pitch was in the bag.



Having done both pitches of Son of Easy O again I have to say it is a close call, but I don't think it is the best overall 5.8 in the Gunks. If the second pitch were just a bit longer it might get the nod. The first pitch is amazing, the second is only very good. In addition, the climb is a victim of its own popularity; it is getting quite polished on the first pitch. Regardless of these small caveats, it is certainly still among the best 5.8s, and it deserves of every one of its three stars.



But Birdland remains the champ as far as I'm concerned.

John Caspar Stoever and Hebron Lutheran Church

The charming little town of Madison, Virginia lies on U.S. Route 29 about 10 miles south of Culpeper and 25 miles north of Charlottesville. A few miles north of Madison there is a small church that is significant for several reasons. The Hebron Lutheran Church is the oldest Lutheran Church in continuous use in the United States. Built in 1740, it is one of the few wooden churches surviving Virginia's colonial times. The first pastor of the congregation was my 6th great-grandfather, Johann Kasper Stöver aka John Caspar Stoever, in my father's lineage, on his mother's side.

Baptized January 18, 1685 in the Lutheran church at Frankenberg, Hessen (in present day Germany), Johann Kasper Stöver was the son of Dietrich and Magdalena (Eberwein) Stöver. Along with his son of the same name, he arrived in Philadelphia on September 11, 1728 aboard the ship James Goodwill with David Crockett as the ships Master.

Several years earlier, after fulfilling their obligations at the Germanna Colony, a group of German Lutheran colonists purchased land near what would later become the town of Madison. They settled there and carved out lives for themselves and their families. And in 1726, they built a small log chapel along the Robinson River. It wasn't until the spring of 1733 that they were finally able to secure the services of a minister - the Rev. John Caspar Stoever (Senior).

His time as pastor of Hebron, was short - only about a year and a half. But in that time he laid the foundation for the future growth and prosperity of the church. A new house of worship was badly needed. The chapel in which he preached had become too small for the growing congregation and unsuitable for church purposes. The means of his people were limited. After paying their pastor's salary and taxes for the support of the established church, they felt that the burden of building was too great for them to bear alone. It was finally decided to ask for help from their brethren across the seas. Thus it was that in the fall of 1734, Pastor Stoever, Michael Smith (an elder), and Michael Holt (a member of the congregation) were sent to Europe to solicit funds to aid in building a church, establishing a school, and supporting an assistant pastor.

The fund-raising trip was quite successful. Sadly though, on the return voyage to Virginia, in the spring of 1739, Pastor Stoever became critically ill and died at sea. Though constructed in 1740, after his death, the church building is part of the legacy of John Caspar Stoever as is a school built in 1748 - the first school for German speaking colonists in the South – that was used for 100 years.

This historical marker is on the right side of the road when traveling north on the Blue Ridge Turnpike (Virginia Route 231) and is a little south of Hebron Church Road (County Route 638).

The inscription reads “Nearby stands Hebron Lutheran Church. This cruciform church was built in 1740 and is America’s oldest church in continuous use by Lutherans. The congregation was formed by 1725 by German families, some of whom arrived to Virginia in 1717 to work at Germanna, Lieutenant Governor Alexander Spotswood’s frontier mining community. The church was enlarged about 1800 and a pipe organ crafted by David Tannenburg of Lititz, Pennsylvania, was installed. The interior of the church has elaborate frescoed ceilings painted by the Italian born artist Joseph Oddenino. It was listed on the Virginia Landmarks Register and the National Register of Historic Places in 1971.”

It was on Sunday morning (October 25th) that I was given a tour of the church by its historian, Mrs. Judy Ann Fray. Due to poor timing, I arrived after services were over but was extremely fortunate that Mrs. Fray was still there. And even more fortunate that she was gracious and willing to take the time to show me around.

Hebron Lutheran Church, Madison, Virginia. The parish house is to the right (east) of the church. The cemetery and stone fences date from the early 1900s.

The south side (front) of the church was added between 1790 and 1802. The small platform in front of the church was used for mounting and dismounting from horses and carriages. There are three of them, the one in front and one on each of the east and west sides.

The north side of the church (now the back) was built in 1740.

The pews and balcony on the east side, part of the original church building.

Installed in 1802 and restored in 1970, the Tannenberg organ is still in use today.

The southern side, added between 1790 and 1802. In the balcony area, where the organ was installed, you can see that the church originally had a high barrel-shaped ceiling.

The ceiling was lowered and plastered during renovations in 1850. In 1884, the ceiling was painted by Joseph Oddenino of Turin, Italy. Additional renovations were made in 1961.

Sources:
History of the Hebron Lutheran Church, Madison County, Virginia from 1717-1907 by Rev. W. P. Huddle, Pastor. New Market, Virginia, 1908. Pages 23-30.

Stover-Stoever-Staver-Stiver, An Account of The Ancestry and Descendants of Johann Caspar Stoever of Pennsylvania by Vernon Stiver & Patricia R. Donaldson. Saline, Michigan, 1992. Pages 11-49 provide an interesting and detailed accounting of the life of John Caspar Stoever, Sr.

Pamphlet published by the Hebron Lutheran Church, Madison, Virginia. No Date.

The Best Gear of /

I am lucky enough to see a lot of new gear. The "new" generally gets started at the Outdoor Retailershow in January where products are shown for Fall delivery of that year, 9 or 10 months later.But that is only half the story as many of the European manufactures don't import everything in their production lines (or show them at the Outdoor Retailer Show in Salt Lake City) into North America or sometimes just not into theUSA. You have to keep up on the Web sites or make a visit to Chamonix to see what is really being used and collecting a buzz..



For the first time and not the last here is my list of the best gear of /. My season is generally broken up by the Fall delivery of new ice gearso I'll try to do update the listevery year justas summer gets started.



But unlike the yearly picks of some of the magazines once you make the list it is going to take a new and most importantly, a better piece of kit."in my opinion" to get knocked off THE list.



My list here is gear I actually choose to use over all the gear I have available to me. Nothing listed here that I don't have multiple choices of and have tried or still use some of those other options. But when pushed what I have listed is the"best of the best" for my own use. Once in a while price point helps make that decision but not often. But it has on this list so it is worth mentioning.What is listed hereis what I would cut my gear room down to if I have to make the hard choices choices or just own one. No surprise if some of this stuff isn't on your own list. That is what makes a horse race and keeps every one in business. Feel free to share your list as well in the comments or tell me why I missed the mark. Some categories are still missing, stoves, tents and sleeping bags for instance. And some times I have just skipped categories as it gets really confusing even to me.If there is not category listed I have yet to make up my mind or haven't used the gear enough to make a knowledgeable comment.. At some point I'll get to those as well but in a blog effort first before adding them to the list.



If you haven't read this blog first for context, you should:



http://coldthistle.blogspot.com//01/gear-smear.html



"Remember what works for me may not work for you. Always take my comments with a grain of salt and trust your own observations. I can only write what I see or experience. I don't pretend to know much, let alone know everything. Do your own research...learn through your own experience when you can what works for you. Then compare notes with anyone you can find that has similar interests, experiences or goals. Type it into Google. And always consider the original source."



If you have read much of the blog...few of these will come as any surprise.

What I have reviewed on the blog is marked (reviewed). You should be able to find those reviewswith the search function.







CLOTHING (the outstanding pieces)



long under wear bottoms (available again fall '11)

Costco Paradox

http://www.costcoconnection.com/connection/09/?pg=51#pg51



base layer top

Mountain Hardware Integral Long Sleeve Crew



http://www.mountainhardwear.com/mens-clothing/mens,default,sc.html



lt hoody (reviewed)

Sherpa Adventure Gear Khushi Merino woolhoody (available fall '11)

http://www.sherpaadventuregear.com/



med hoody (reviewed)

Patagonia R1 Hoody

http://www.patagonia.com/



pants

Arcteryx Gamma Lt

http://www.arcteryx.com/?EN



Bibs

NW Alpine Alpinist bib (reviewed)

http://nwalpine.com/



Sweater (reviewed)

Arcteryx Atom Lt Hoody

http://www.arcteryx.com/?EN



Insulated jacket (reviewed)

Arcteryx Atom SV

http://www.arcteryx.com/?EN



Down sweater (reviewed)

EB hooded sweater

http://www.eddiebauer.com/home.jsp?siteId=2



Down Jacket (reviewed)

Norrona Lyngen

http://www.backcountry.com/mens-down-jackets

http://www.norrona.com/



Shell

Westcomb Epoc in Neoshell (available Fall '10) (reviewed)

http://www.westcomb.com/



glove liners

Black Diamond Med weight Liner

http://www.blackdiamondequipment.com/en-us/



gloves

Mountain Hardware Hydra (reviewed)



http://www.mountainhardwear.com/mens-clothing/mens,default,sc.html



Head gear (reviewed)

Sauce

http://www.sauceheadwear.com/main.php



Eye Wear

Smith goggles

http://www.smithoptics.com/products/#/Snow+Goggles/



Native glasses

http://www.nativeyewear.com/



Socks

Wigwam

http://www.wigwam.com/







BOOTS

single boots

Scarpa Phantom Ultra (reviewed)



http://it.scarpa.net/prodotti/high-altitude/



double boots

La Sportiva Spantik (reviewed)



http://www.sportiva.com/products







TECHNICAL GEAR



Biner (reviewed)

Trango Super Fly wire gate

http://www.trango.com/carabiners_draws/SuperFly-carabiners



Locking biner (reviewed)

Trango Super Fly

http://www.trango.com/carabiners_draws/SuperFly-carabiners



Belay biner (reviewed)

Black Diamond Gridlock

http://www.blackdiamondequipment.com/en-us/



Belay device (reviewed)

Petzl Reverso 3

http://www.petzl.com/us/outdoor



Brass Stoppers (hard to find in the USA)

RPs

http://www.climbinganchors.com.au/products/RP%27s-Brass-Nuts-Individual-Nuts.html?utm_source=getprice&utm_medium=cpc



http://rockandice.com/articles/how-to-climb/article/1129-the-guy-whose-nuts-revolutionized-climbing-rp



Stoppers

Wild Country Rocks

http://www.wildcountry.co.uk/



Cams

Wild Country Helium Friends

http://www.wildcountry.co.uk/



dbl ropes

Beal Ice Twins

http://www.beal-planet.com/sport/anglais/index.php



Single rope

Beal Joker

http://www.beal-planet.com/sport/anglais/index.php



Pitons

Black Dianmond Bugaboos

http://www.blackdiamondequipment.com/en-us/



Ice tools

Petzl Ergo (reviewed)

http://www.petzl.com/us/outdoor



Crampons

Petzl Dartwin (reviewed)

http://www.petzl.com/us/outdoor



Ice Screws

Grivel Helix (reviewed)

http://www.grivel.com/



Umbilical

Blue Ice Boa (reviewed)

http://www.blueice.com/en



Accessory

Cold Thistle Hammer (totally biased opinion)

http://coldthistletools.blogspot.com//08/ice-climbing-gear.html



Helmet

Petzl Meterior III

http://www.petzl.com/us/outdoor



Harness

Petzl HIRUNDOS

http://www.petzl.com/us/outdoor



Gear sling

Metolius (reviewed)

http://www.metoliusclimbing.com/



Dynamic sling

Mammut Shock Absorber Dyneema

http://www.mammut.ch/#



Tech watch

Polar

http://www.polarusa.com/us-en/



Small Pack

Cold Cold World Ozone (reviewed)

http://www.coldcoldworldpacks.com/



MOUNTAINEERING SKI GEAR

Boot

TLT 5 Mountain TX (version not currently available in North America but two other TLT 5s are)

http://www.dynafit.com/products-winter/boots.html



Hard snowski

Dynafit Se7en Summit SL

http://www.dynafit.com/products-winter/skis-skins.html



Soft snow ski

La Sportiva Hi5

http://www.sportiva.com/products(availalble Fall '10)



Bindings

Non DIN

Dynafit Low Tech Race

http://www.dynafit.com/products-winter/bindings.html



DIN (well not DIN but releasable)

La Sportiva RT

http://www.sportiva.com/products



Best piece of retro gear

Dachstien Mitts

http://www.ortovox.com/classic-wool

Dancing with the clouds

Moonrise on January 9, . Had great fun last night watching the moon dip in and out of the clouds as they passed by. The first thing I thought of was "It looks like the moon is dancing with the clouds!". Voila! Another image title :-)



Last night as the moon was rising the light on the surrounding landscape was sublime. The moonlight, clouds, stars and snowy landscape made for quite a memorable scene! I know I've said this many times before, but I can't help myself by saying it again: "I LOVE living here!"

Old English vs New English

When I first posted about buying my vintage Raleigh Lady's Tourist, a reader commented that it looks like "the Pashley's grandma" and I replied that they were indeed pretty similar. But after riding the vintage Raleigh around on a daily basis for the past week, I no longer think so. Sure, the overt similarities are there: the loop frame, the upright sitting position, the enclosed chaincase and the general aura of lady-like stateliness. But the ride quality is so very different, that I was compelled to conduct a more thorough comparison.

Those of you who "know bikes" can probably see straightaway that there are significant differences in proportions and angles. The vintage Raleigh's seat tube is considerably more slack (leaned back) than the Pashley's. In the photo above, this difference is undermined by the fact that I've shoved the Pashley's saddle all the way back on the rails in attempts to replicate the other bike's geometry. But if you try to block out the saddle and just look at the seat tubes, you can see it. The other major difference, is that the vintage Raleigh is "all weels", with a relatively short headtube. The Pashley has much smaller wheels and a tall headtube.

Here is a close-up of the wheels and head-tubes, with my body in between for a sense of scale. If you think there is not much difference between 26" wheels and 28" wheels, look again! The vintage Raleigh's wheels are monstrous compared to the Pashley's. Traditionally, both men's and ladies' English Roadsters, as well as Dutch bikes, were built with 28" wheels. However, lately a number of bicycle manufacturers - including Pashley, Velorbis and Retrovelo - have been fitting the ladies' models with 26" wheels, believing this to be a better proportioned choice. I am not sure whether I agree with them. What do you think?

Additionally, there is more space between the saddle and the handlebars on the vintage Raleigh than on the Pashley. The difference is not quite as drastic as the angle of this photo makes it seem, but it is there.

The stem and handlebars are not part of the frame itself, but differences between them should still be noted. The Pashley's stem is taller and has an additional upward-sloping extension (like the Nitto Dirt-drop/ Periscopa stem), to make the handlebars higher. The vintage Raleigh has a classic stem with a horizontal (flat) extension, which positions the handlebars slightly lower. The handlebars themselves are different as well: On the Pashley, the gripping areas are flared outward more than on the vintage Raleigh.

As you may have noticed in the undertones of the past several posts, I prefer the vintage Raleigh's geometry to the modern Pashley's. Of course the Pashley has superior gearing and brakes, but the vintage Raleigh puts me in a more comfortable sitting position, and is faster and lighter than the Pashley. Yes, the 40-year-old clunker is faster and lighter - isn't that just bizarre? I can easily ride it for 30+ miles without being out of breath, whereas on the Pashley I often feel tired after much shorter trips. I am not certain which aspect of their anatomical differences accounts for this. It cannot be due to the 28" wheels alone: Batavus and Gazelle have 28" wheels and I find them to be slower and less comfortable than my Pashley.

In an attempt to make my Pashley more anatomically similar to the Raleigh DL1, I have made some changes: The saddle has been raised and pushed back on the rails as far as it would go, and the handlebars have been tilted downward. I did not take a "before" shot, but on this photo from a few months ago you can see the difference.

The Pashley does feel more comfortable this way, and my leg is almost entirely extended on the pedal now while still enabling me to touch the ground with the tip of my toe if need be. However, the Pashley is still as difficult to accelerate as it was prior to the changes. Hmm. If I had a magic framebuilding wand, I would build a bicycle that would replicate exactly - and I mean exactly! - the frame geometry of the Raleigh DL-1, while adding modern brakes and gearing. As far as I am concerned, the perfect bicycle already exists; someone just needs to start making it again.