How she got her name

Snapping Turtle (Chelydra serpentina)

Ms. Snappy was in search of a place to lay her eggs, when she was detained by a barking dog and a human with a blog.



The business end, a.k.a. how she got her name.



The other end. The gait reminds me of a toddler.

If you've got your sound turned on, you can hear an Eastern Bluebird (Sialia sialis) in the background of both videos.

Yard Sale...again

Gear for Sale?

















I'll be adding more gear, clothing
and boots and deleting the items that have sold on a daily basis for the next
week or so. Happy to ship Internationally if you are willing to pay the
postage.



More here if interested:




http://coldthistletools.blogspot.com//03/yard-sale.html

Why do hard and dangerous climbs?

Learning moves on a project. Photo: Steven Gordon

We can all readily appreciate the beauty of rock and the shapes it gives to the world, we just have to travel through the landscape. If we want to dig deeper, we can travel over mountains and look at them. A visual interaction with the rock.

Rock climbing is a deeper interaction with the rock. The medium of movement on rock allows us to crack open the beauty of rock not fully visible to the eye and get more back.

The harder the rock climb, the more we have to understand the rock to move, the more we learn. The more dangerous the rock climb, the more we have to understand the rock so we can stay alive.

The hardest and most dangerous climbs are the most meaningful, but they come at a cost most rock climbers wouldn’t dare to pay. Every climber finds their own balance of cost and reward.

Pet projects

"You never show Beaker on your blog," my sister complained.



Yes I do.



And Geckie too.

You can read more about Beaker, including a list of the things he says, here.

I had to give him his own web page since he flirted with so many soap customers on the phone. ("That's not me asking for a kiss, it's the bird. Really. He's on the web site.")

The picture is not exactly tack sharp, sorry. I only had lamp light... the flash would've been too close (not to mention too scary for him).

I probably should never have let him develop the habit of wanting to tear up tissues. Now that it's allergy season he's in budgie heaven. You can't blow your nose in peace.

When trying to name the leopard gecko, we started laughing about the method our young niece uses to name her pets: Hermie the hermit crab, Turtie the turtle, Hammy the hamster, and so forth. And somehow "Geckie" just stuck.

Geckos shed their skin every month or so. They usually eat the entire thing, although from time to time we find an eerie ghost foot in the tank.

Tree Burl

A burl is a large knot that has formed on a tree on the trunk or on a branch. It is formed when the tree is slightly injured or damaged in some way usually by the wind, or a break or cut in the bark, or by insect damage; and it is nature's way of putting a bandage on the wound. But the burl keeps growing with the tree and some of those in the northwest are huge. Here is a large one that had been cut off of the tree and was displayed near the beach at Seaside, Oregon

A royal dining experience at Restaurante Museo 1514 in Trinidad

Blondine and I accidentally discovered this wonderful place while walking around in Trinidad. We were looking for a place to dine in the evening anyway so when we stumbled upon ‘Restaurante Museo 1514’ we thought—wow, this is it!

When you walk in, you right away feel the aristocratic ambiance of the restaurant. The tables are dressed regally with antique-looking china (I checked; they were from the USA, perhaps early 1900’s), crystal and silverware.

The setting is in an open garden courtyard that is elaborately designed in aristocratic style, channelling a retail atmosphere of an antique interior design shop specialising in kitchen and diningware. There is also a rooftop terrace that offers nice views of Trinidad. And food is cooked traditionally in the kitchen using wood and coal.

So after a quick tour, we told the waiter that we will be back later for dinner =)

Let me rewind that a bit so I can give you a quick tour as well through my pictures. Here they are!

And of course we came back for dinner! The waiter was very happy to see us.

We eyed the elevated private patio beside the stairs that goes up to the open terrace on the roof. It’s a very beautiful and romantic area of the restaurant and it would have been perfect if we were with our other halves but unfortunately Blondine and I are stuck with each other for this Cuba trip.

The decision was made and we will have fish for the evening. I ordered a fried one and Blondine with white sauce. The food verdict? 4.3 stars out of 5. We enjoyed it very much. It’s really good, above average compared to other Cuban restaurants.

Our little private patio corner.

Our lovely royal dinner experience, except that the food does not really fit the term royal... but the ambiance? YES.

The gay dancer came up to me and said that he likes my attire. Hmmm.

And during dinner we were entertained by a group of musicians and a couple dancing salsa. Then it rained a bit so we moved down to the main house to finish our dinner.

This is probably one of my impressive and unique dinners. I’m the type who is more drawn to the ambiance, the decor and theme, and the views of a restaurant than the food itself. So this one is indeed a success in my book. Dining traditionally the royalty way.

When in Trinidad, check this restaurant out. It is not just about dining, it is about the experience.

It is all the same..

When I was a kid a few of us that had skied together started climbing. Almost immediately that next spring as the snow melted out higher and higher the question came up, "are we now climbers or skiers"? I rememberhaving the discussion, likely over a coke and pizza, not beer, more than once. Geeze we were young!









Pretty naive discussion then, but it seemed so serious at the time. Funny I would have a similar discussion just recently. Just not quite as definitive but just as serious.



I don't look at climbing or skiing (at least back country skiing) any different these days. If you are a kid growing up in Chamonix (lucky kid) or other real mtn towns around the world and have the opportunity to get out likely you won't look at them as separate sports either. More of a life style. You ski to climb and you climb to ski, the activity issimply defined by theseason you are in. Snow boarders of course have gone to split boards and own ice axes for self arrest. It is just semantics really. One way or the other you need to ski to get around in the mountains 12 months of the year.



Make the wrong choice and any of these activitiescan easily getyou killed.



Think about it, all the same skillsapply in any mountain environment. And in general it is your brain, and actually turning it on, then listening to it, not the gear, that keeps you out of trouble.



So what is really fun for me is to take specialised gear that might be considered only good for one sport and mix and match it to my benefit and use it in the arena I choose.



Threeitems come to mind off hand that I have wanted to write a little about since I got them early last spring. But haven't yet. There are others I have talked about previous and will again. And more yet that I'll give you a heads up on as I have time this spring.



The Dynafit TLT P ski boot is a great example of cross over gear. I written a lot about this boot. They say the new version the TLT6 will be even better. I let you know when mine show up. I'm a little leery that they "are a better boot". Anyone with wider feet will be sure to be happier!



The TLT 5 in any version is a good ice climbing boot and incredible ski boots. Easy to walk in and good enough to actually run in if required. Warm enough for mostany mtn environment. As is, they have been to the summit of Denali many times now with the P's Palauliner. The "almost" perfect mtn boot. Damn close if you live in Chamonix or Jackson.






Yes, it is true, I am risking life and limb betting on not havinganother BD stainless failure! But they fit my TLTs very well, so worth the risk on occasion if you check them for cracks constantly. I've pulled the bot plates so I can do that easier. While you are looking for cracks check out the net pocket located at my knee with thebright orange Flash Anorak stuffedin.



The second piece of kit I really like and many might shunis the Dynafit Movement pant. Lyra in part, snug fitting. A built in stirrup and reinforced gaiter to keep skis from chopping the pant up. Snug on the lower leg so crampons won't snag them and the gaiter material is tough enough to ward off the errant crampon as well. Handy net side pocket the right knee. Incredibly well placed and useful in fact! And a middle of the back, "energy pocket" plus a zippered right hand pocket as well. By far my favorite pair of pants to BC ski in or climb the volcano's in the summer. Greatweight, plenty of stretchandgenerally warmth enough alone. Add your favorite longs as required to make them four season pants.





The Movement pant cut out for the TLT boot buckles. They are intentionally madeto accommodate any ski boot buckle system or just left uncut and a fully functional pant with a sewn in stirrup.





The Movement pant uncut using them for summer alpine climbing



White and grey arean unusual color combo until you are spending the day on a big glacier under a broiling sun. Then it makes sense.





Skiing?









Climbing? Therereally isn'tmuch difference in the grand scheme of things





The last two pieces are from CAMP. The Flash Anorak is simply brilliant imo. It has no back.



"The Flash Anorak is unlike any other shell on the market—it has no back! This ultralight wind shell is carried in a pocket that attaches to the waist belt of any day pack. When things cool off, unfurl the anorak and pull it on without removing the pack. The shell is attached at the waist to prevent flapping and gives excellent protection from wind and even light drizzle. When no longer needed, simply take off the shell and stuff it back in the pocket without removing the pack. This is going to be a favorite with anyone moving fast in the high country."





4oz of wind and rain protection





If you take off your pack you will need somethingelse over the Flash







Because, if you look closely, theFlashAnorak has no back!





And in the bag it goes and around your waist.



Brilliant if you are carrying a pack anyway.

And you never have to take your pack off to put it on or take it off.

A lot of possibilities there if you open your mind.








Don't let the uniforms scare you away from trying some really useful and unique gear!



And finally...the lightest (or at least one of the lightest currently) helmet in production?



That would be the CAMP SPEED.

"With a weight of 7.4 ounces, it's the lightest UIAA-certified helmet on the market. " Jack turned me on to this one when he showed up in Chamonixin a thelid. The color grew on me :) But knowing Jack had changed brands and had been climbing in a Meteor prior(like me) did getmy attention.



Petzl's new Sirocco helmet is claimed to be 5.8oz so it now owns "the lightest" bragging rights.

Take a Petzl Meteor and their newestSirocco, throw them both in a blender and what you'd come up with is a CAMP SPEED. The Speed is in good company with those two.





Jack Roberts,doing what Jack did best.....teaching




More here on the Camp Speed

http://www.alpinist.com/doc/web11x/ms-jw-camp-speed





Guiding in some of the most incredible terrain and snow on the planet, the Bugaboos, 1985. It is all the same....but you knew that already, didn't you?