Budget "Dutch bike" from Republic

Having introduced their Aristotle "fixed gear" bikes last year, Urban Outfitters and Republic Bikes now announce that the Plato "Dutch bike" is forthcoming. Like the Aristotle, the Plato is described as a "build your own bike", which means that the customer can choose the colour of the bike and accessories. The bicycle has a fully lugged hi-ten steel frame and crown fork. It is fitted with balloon tires, coaster brake and front Shimano rollerbrake. Fenders, front and rear racks, a dressguard, and a full vinyl chaincase are included. Retail price of $399.

[image from Republic Bikes]

I played around with the Republic Bikes website and "built my own": tusk frame, ivory skirtguard and chaincase, brown saddle and grips, and green tires. The bicycle is available in 47cm frame size only and is recommended for riders 5'2" - 5'11". The tires are 26" x 2.35" and it is not mentioned who manufactures them.

[image from Republic Bikes]

If you are not a fan of the green tires, then this is how it would look in all-cream.

[image from Republic Bikes]

And another colour combination I like in gray and brown. Of course if you prefer flamingo pink, mint green, or candy apple red, there are those options as well.

[image from Republic Bikes]

Given how many readers email me every week asking about inexpensive bikes, I think that news of the Plato will be welcomed by the market. I cannot speak at all about the quality of this bicycle or about the feel of the ride. But the specs make me hopeful that it might actually be ridable - especially if you are on the shorter end of the recommended range. It is especially impressive that a full chaincase and a dressguard have been custom made and included in the price, when even some bicycles in the $1-2,000 price range have not been able to offer this option. Questions of manufacturing locations and practices aside - If one's budget is $400 and this is not negotiable, the Republic Plato may prove to be a good option.

If anybody has already ordered and ridden the Plato, it would be great to get your feedback. I don't think it's possible for me to to test ride this bike, as they are built to order.

Switzer Land :: Disposition of Jacob's Land in Salem Township

Jacob Switzer passed away on November 2, 1859 and in this transaction dated November 27, 1860 his widow Leathy is selling the land in Salem Township ( S ½ NE ¼ S33) to his heirs in this straight-forward Quit Claim deed.



Daniel Deemer, Peter Buhecker, Jacob Yarion and Jacob Manaweck paid $400 to Leathy for the land.





Columbiana County, Ohio Deeds Volume 62, bottom of page 507 (FHL Film 926960)



Then, on March 7, 1861 the heirs sell the land to Mary Stalloup for $3,525. What makes this deed interesting is that it provides the current place of residence for each of the parties:



Jacob and Barbara Monawick of St. Joe County in the State of Indiana, Jacob and Elisabeth Yarian of the County of Portage in the State of Ohio, Peter and Rebecca Bubecker of the County of Mahoning in the State of Ohio, and Daniel and Susan Deemer of the County of Columbiana in the State of Ohio.



The deed was not signed “in person” rather, each of the parties involved signed an affidavit attesting to the fact that they had signed the deed and that it was voluntary on their part. The affidavit's were signed at a court in their respective places of residence.



When I obtained this deed, I already knew that Jacob and Elizabeth Yarian resided in Portage County but was not aware of the residences of the other three. This information helped me to locate the families in census records.



Columbiana County, Ohio Deeds Volume 62, top of page 508 (FHL Film 926960)



Columbiana County, Ohio Deeds Volume 64 page 256 (FHL Film 926962)



Columbiana County, Ohio Deeds Volume 64 page 257 (FHL Film 926962)

The Death of Joseph A. Joslin :: 1919

Joseph's certificate of death was obtained from the Health Department in Plymouth, Marshall County, Indiana back in May ... Even then, they would not make a copy of the actual entry. I requested a "genealogy copy" so, thankfully, on the back of the death certificate she typed the "additional information" that wasn't included on the face of the certificate.



Information from the front of the certificate:

Joseph A. Joslin died June 21, 1919 at Plymouth, Indiana. He was 86 years old at the time of his death. Cause of death was Chronic Colonietis and Senility. It was signed by L. D. Eley, M.D. He was buried June 23, 1919 in the Bremen Cemetery by J. L. Bunnell, Undertaker. The record was filed on June 23, 1919. Certificate No. 1662 recorded in Book CH-30 Page 113.

Additional information typed on the back by the Clerk

Date of Birth - Sept. 11, no year given in Ohio
Retired farmer
No father listed
Mother - Abigail Goodrich

==+====+==

So, here we have it, finally! Something that definitely connects him directly with his parents, though only his mother's name is given. At least it is something!

Joseph's obituary, published on June 26, 1919 in The Weekly Republican, Plymouth, Indiana does not give the names of his parents but does say that he was born in Delaware County, Ohio:

Joseph J. Joslin, aged 86 years, died at the home of his daughter, Mrs. J.W. Burger, 220 N. Walnut street, this city, at 4:20 Saturday morning after a week's illness. Mr. Joslin was born in Delaware county, Ohio but for several years has lived on a farm near Lapaz. He is survived by four children, Mrs. J.W. Burger of Plymouth; Mrs. Seymour Kanaar, of Lowell, Ind.; Mrs. Silas Wener of Bremen, and Delbert Joslin who lives on the old homestead near Lapaz. The funeral was held in Lapaz Monday afternoon, at 1:30, and burial was in the Bremen cemetery.

His obituary was also published in the Plymouth Weekly Democrat on June 26, 1919:

James [sic] J. Joslyn died Saturday morning at 4:20 o'clock at the home of J. W. Burger, corner of Walnut and Washington streets, aged over eighty years. He came here from Lapaz and was making his home with the family and was the father of Mrs. Burger. He had been sick for more than a week. The funeral was held at Lapaz Monday at 1:30 p.m. and the body was taken to Bremen for burial.

It's odd that in most other records I've found for Joseph his middle initial is shown as "A" and not "J" as in the two obituaries.

Laura Virginia Dunfee

As promised, here is an example of the results of using the "foil technique" for reading nearly illegible tombstones mentioned in a previous post. There will be several more examples, with even more dramatic results, posted soon. (As always, click on an image to view a larger version.)

Laura is buried in the Masonic Section of Greenhill cemetery in Columbia City, Indiana near her parents and several siblings. Both pictures were taken yesterday afternoon. The larger letters on the stone are mostly legible but the foil enhances them considerably. The very small letters towards the bottom of the stone still can't be read, even with enhancing the image. There just isn't enough left to get a legible rubbing. Laura Virginia Dunfee was the first child born to my 3rd Great Grandparents, William Hamilton Dunfee and Catherine B. Jones. Of their seven children, four would die young and Laura was the first to pass to that other world.

There is some confusion on my part as to her date of death. According to the cemetery transcriptions done by the Genealogical Society of Whitley County in .., Laura died May 1, 1861 aged 12 years 3 months and 6 days. That information is confirmed by the photos above, and based on that information, Laura's date of birth would be January 25, 1849.

Many, many years ago Nellie Raber compiled the "Digest of Obituaries Published in Newspapers of Columbia City Whitley County, Indiana 1856-1910". A mouthful, for sure, but a very useful and valuable resource. Especially since many of the very early county newspapers didn't make it to microfilm and the originals are no longer extant. Why am I mentioning this, you ask?

Well, Nellie had an abstract of a death notice for Laura: "Died - At the residence of her father, Laura Virginia Dunfee, daughter of William and Catherine Dunfee, on the 4th inst. of scarlet fever, in the thirteenth year of her age." Nellie listed her source as "Whitley County News, May 28, 1860". And therein lies the confusion. How could an obituary be published a year prior to Laura's death? It could have been either a transcription error on the part of Nellie Raber or the person typing the final copy read her writing wrong.

Laura's parents, William and Catherine, were married on March 5, 1848. Based on the date of death and age inscribed on her grave marker, Laura would have been born 10 months and 20 days later. If you go by the date of the newspaper as provided by Nellie Raber and the fact that Laura was in her 13th year, then she would have been born 2 months before her parents were married.

My aunt Phyllis has a very old scrapbook full of newspaper clippings. Almost none are dated. Stamped on the back cover of the scrapbook is "PAT. MARCH 1876". Most of the clippings are obituaries of friends, neighbors, and family. We think that it was started by Catherine Dunfee, got passed down to her daughter Sophia who contributed many of the clippings , then to her daughter Maude Wise Brubaker. Then to my grandmother and on to Phyllis. I've only seen it twice as it is very fragile but a cousin made copies of it and gave a copy to my mother and her siblings. Making the copies probably didn't help its condition any but at least the information is available to me. The clippings are not in any kind of order. They were not pasted on the pages in chronological sequence. They aren't grouped by families.
Laura's obituary from "the scrapbook" with no date, no newspaper noted.

Laura, though young, had quite a circle of acquaintances to whom she had become endeared by her kind and gentle conduct. She was dutiful to her parents, kind and sisterly to her little brothers and sisters, social at school with her school mates, everywhere made and had friends. Her numerous acquaintances have lost in her death a dear little friend. It is truly sad to part with those we love whether old or young, but Providence so orders and we must and should meekly submit. She is gone and from our sight; but let this be our consolation, such as she compose the kingdom of heaven.

A branch has been torn from the family vine;
Unlooked was the storm that swept by,
And suddenly ceased the fond tendrills in their twine,
And slowly the tear drippings dry.
A star from the household's bright sky has gone down,
O'er Jordan's dark shore one has risen,
There sparkles o'er yonder another bright crown,
A voice swells the music in heaven.

Greetings from... California!!

I am sitting in the "Park Rock Cafe" at Joshua Tree National Park in southern California, using their free wifi - which is the first wifi I've found in over a week.

I gave up finding warm weather in Texas. The further north I went, the colder it got. It was nice (50s and 60s) during the day but at night the temperatures were still dropping into the lower 30s. Not too bad but just cold enough to make it uncomfortable when the sun went down.

I also realized that if I were to visit Joshua Tree and Death Valley in a few more weeks, it might be somewhat uncomfortable the other way - too hot. So I buzzed through New Mexico and Arizona. But I'm going back. In a few days I'll be going to Death Valley, and then I'll return to New Mexico and Arizona for a while. At least that's "the plan" for now. I didn't make it to Guadalupe National Park. High winds and colder temperatures didn't make it sound too inviting. Perhaps another time.

There will be a few more posts on Big Bend and then I'll update you with where I've been since leaving there. But that's dependent upon internet access. I'm a bit further behind with posts than usual - it's difficult finding internet access in remote locations!

Taken at Picacho Peak State Park.
The stereotypical image of an Arizona Sunset!

Quiche Lorraine

Quiche Lorraine, originally uploaded by ParsecTraveller.

I just made this quiche lorraine from a recipe found in a 35-year-old French cookbook, La Cuisine Toute Simple.

The quiche was actually pretty good. Just make sure you use plenty of Gruyère cheese - that makes for the best flavor!

Honeymoon Trail, Northeast Minnesota

The colors are fantastic right now! Better get out there and enjoy them while they last!

Brooks Saddles: Demystifying the System

Lately there has been some discussion about Brooks saddles in the comments sections of the posts. We have Brooks saddles on all six of our bicycles, and we have learned a lot about them. So I offer these notes for those riddled with indecision about which Brooks to get.



When choosing a Brooks saddle, there are really only two main factors to consider: width and spring. I will try to explain the role of each.



WIDTH



The basic rule is: The more upright your riding position (handlebars above saddle level), the wider your saddle needs to be. Brooks saddles come in several width categories.



For upright riding: The B72, B66, B67, B68, and B73 are all pretty much the same, generous width and are all appropriate for a an upright bicycle. Which one of them you will prefer depends on your preference for sprung vs unsprung saddles, and whether your bicycle has a modern or an old-style seat post (for example, the B66 and B67 are identical, except the latter is designed to fit modern seat posts).



If you are heavier than 200lb and are riding a completely upright bicycle, you may want to consider the B33 or the B190. These are extra heavy-duty saddles and can take even the weightiest of riders on long upright trips.



If you are female, love Edwardian design, and have a bicycle with very relaxed geometry, there is also the B18 "Lady". This is a very wide and short saddle, designed to be ridden by women wearing skirts and sitting completely upright on a bicycle with an extremely slack seat tube. See here for a detailed discussion of this saddle.



For leaned-forward riding: If you are riding in a forward-leaning position so that your saddle is right at or above the level or your handlebars, in my opinion there are only two Brooks saddles to choose from unless you are a very aggressive cyclist: the B17 and the Flyer. These are in fact the same saddle, only the Flyer has springs and the B17 does not.



In my view, all the other Brooks roadbike saddles (the B17 Narrow, the Team Pro, the Swift, and the Swallow) are too narrow for the majority cyclists who are likely to be reading this post. Many do not want to hear that, because those racing saddles often have the coolest aesthetics and come in all sorts of crazy colours and special editions. But cycling forums are full of people who bought the narrow saddle and are not able to ride them - either due to discomfort, or because the saddle falls apart under the rider's weight. The cycling style of a serious road cyclist is so aggressive, that their butt really only floats on the surface of the saddle, rather than actually sits upon it. That is what these saddles were designed for. If this does not describe your cycling style, I urge you to get a B17 or a Flyer.



SPRINGS



Sprung saddles provide suspension, the benefit of which is that you feel more comfortable going over bumps on the road. The drawback of suspension, is that you have less "control" over the ride. Which you prefer can be only decided via trial and error. For an upright bicycle, I would venture say that most cyclists tend to prefer the sprung saddles. For a more aggressive bike, it could go either way.



It is worth pointing out that not all sprung Brooks saddles are sprung equally. The B72 has minimal springs. The Flyer has larger coils, but they are very tight and provide a feeling of shock absorbtion rather than full spring. So if you are considering putting a Flyer on a roadbike but are worried that it may be too bouncy, it may not necessarily be the case. The B66-67 is generously sprung. The B33 and B190 are monstrously sprung, so choose these carefully.



"MEN'S" vs. "WOMEN'S" SADDLES?...



You may notice that many saddles are offered in a "woman's" version, where the saddle number is followed by the letter "S" (B66 vs B66S). I think this system is often misunderstood. The "S" stands for "short", and these saddles are simply shorter than their non-"S" counterparts - making them somewhat easier to mount and dismount while wearing a skirt without the skirt getting caught on the nose. I have ridden on both "S" and non-"S" saddles, and am still not sure whether the skirt-snagging difference is significant.



SPECIAL FINISHES



As for things like "Special," "Aged" and "Imperial" versions of the saddles, there is some debate whether they improve the saddle or not. The "Special" finish is more attractive and hardy than the regular finish, and features copper rivets. However, I and others have found saddles with the "Special" finish to be harder to break in. The "Aged" saddles are supposedly treated with some polymer, which some cyclists say improves their softness, while others say worsens it. And be careful choosing the "Imperial" versions of saddles, with cut-outs, because while some find those cut-outs helpful, others find them extremely painful. In short, my impression is that when in doubt it isa safer to go with standard finishes - unless you have a chance to try the saddle extensively.



To summarise it all:

If you need an upright saddle, choose one of these. If you will be cycling in a forward-leaning position, choose one of these. And unless you are an aggressive road cyclist, stay away from these. Sprung vs unsprung, and "S" vs non-"S", are personal choices within each category. Of course in the end everybody is different, but I believe this summary is applicable in the majority of cases.

OYB Pannier: a Modified Swiss Army Bag for Your Bike

The OYB Pannier is a small Swiss army surplus bag, modified via the addition of rack attachments and other features byJeff Potter - the owner and author of the project Out Your Backdoor ("indie outdoor lore and more"). I purchased this bag asa smaller alternative to the enormous shopper pannier I normally use. My criteria were durability, classic aesthetics, a trustworthy attachment system, a reasonable price, and a size just large enough to snugly fit my medium format camera equipment or my (very small) laptop.While I am aware that these same bags (without the bike-ready modifications) can be purchased from several other sources, I opted for the OYB version because I wanted the modifications to be made by someone with experience and because I wanted to support the "Out Your Backdoor" project, which provides some great resources for its readers.



Compact and boxy, the pannier is a Swiss military bag made of a thick, stiff, olive-green waxed canvas with brown leather trim and steel rivets. The OYB leather patch is a lighter shade than the rest of the leather on the bag, but this can easily be changed with a modest application of neatsfoot oil or even Proofide.I am not sure whether this particular bag started out as new-old-stock, or whether it had been used in its previous life, but to me it looks more like the former. The condition is better than I had expected based on the pictures and product description on OYB.



The closure system is simple and secure: That very stiff leather cord pulls out of the metal loop, and the thick leather strap lifts up off the loop to open the bag. For those curious, the imprint on the leather reads "Fritz Gerber Sattlerei, Goldbach."



The attachment system is a combination of metal hooks and bungee cords, with which the pannier is secured to the rear rack.The rack I have on this bicycle is theConstructeurrack fromVelo Orange, which is quite small.

Here is a close-up of the metal hooks. They are riveted on to the bag.



And here is a close-up of the bungee attachment. Together, these two attachment points ensure that the pannier does not sway or bounce against the rack - a good feature when you are planning to carry camera equipment. When the bag is not being used as a pannier, the bungee hook attaches to that small leather strip you see on the back of the bag - so that it does not hang loose. [Edited to add: I am now told that the bungee cord is supposed to go through that leather loop before you hook it to the bottom of the rack - oops.]



In addition to the rack attachments, the OYB pannier can be ordered with a number of other optional features, including shoulder strap attachments with a removable shoulder strap. I asked for the strap, because I pan to carry the bag around when off the bike, and this set-up essentially this gives me a camera bag and pannier in one. Other options include lights mounts, and a variety of other attachments.



To give you a sense of scale, here is the pannier in relation to me and to the entire bike. It is a small bag. Dimensions are listed as:8.5" tall, 4" deep, 11.25" wide (5.4 liters). Inside, the length of the bag is listed at 10.75", but I was hoping against hope that it would fit my laptop. OYB gives instructions for stretching the bag out with magazines in order to make it fititems of that size, and I will give this a try.If I can get my laptop to fit, I will be thrilled - but I am not getting my hopes upand am prepared to content myself with this being a camera bag only.



If it were not for the laptop fit issue, this would pretty much be my dream pannier. The mil-spec colour scheme is not for everyone, but I love it, and it suits almost all of my bikes nicely. The durability of military surplus items is superb, and I appreciated getting the bag customised by Jeff atOYB. This is a classic, versatile, and reliable little pannier refashioned by someone who loves bicycles.



edited to add: I have sold the pannier since the review, only because it was too small for me. I loved everything else about it.

Solar Shock Wave

There were AWESOME northern lights last night! It was an unexpected (for me, anyway) occurrence as Earth passed through a region of south-pointing magnetism in the solar wind. I didn't know there was even a chance of northern lights until I looked at the Aurora Soft Serve News website late in the afternoon and saw that the aurora was "Active". I kept checking the site throughout the evening and the kp index kept creeping up until eventually it was at "Storm" level! We had quite a few clouds at sunset which had me discouraged but not long after the sun went down the sky cleared and stayed that way the entire night. I left the house at 11:00 PM and returned about 4:00 AM. This photo is my favorite out of the 300+ images that I shot last night. I was even lucky enough to capture a shooting star in the top left of the photo! The feeling that you get as these waves of aurora wash through the sky is indescribable. Let's just say you feel very humbled and fortunate to be able to witness such an awe-inspiring phenomenon!

Velo Inventory

Sometimes I am asked how many bicycles I have and what is the function of each. As we are building up my custom Royal H. mixte, I have been giving this some thought. I do not want to have redundant bikes and therefore I need to make some decisions. So here is my velo-inventory for the world to see - and pass harsh judgment upon, if so desired.



Pashley Princess Sovereign (Eustacia Vye)



used as: a transport bike

age: made in

unique? No. My vintage Raleigh performs the same role.

pros and cons? Pros: very stable and great in bad weather. Cons: very heavy and more sluggish than my vintage Raleigh.



Raleigh DL-1 Lady Tourist (Velouria)



used as: a transport bike

age: made in 1973

unique? No. My Pashley Princess performs the same role.

pros and cons? Pros: As fast and nimble as this kind of bike can possibly be. Cons: It is old and I am afraid to rely on it as my only transport bike.





Rivendell Sam Hillborne (Graham Greene)



used as: a road and touring bike

age: made in

unique? Yes. I have no other bike like this.

pros and cons? Pros: A fast and extremely comfortable bike for road cycling. Cons: none.



Mercier Mixte (Suzanne)



used as: an errand bike to keep in my photography studio (which is in another town) for running local errands

age: made in the late 1960's or early 1970's

unique? No. My Motobecane Mirage mixte could take its place.

pros and cons? Pros: makes a great errand bike. Cons: It is old and ever-so-slightly too small for me.



Motobecane Mirage Mixte (Marianne)



used as: A light touring bike when I want to be upright, yet go fast-ish and climb hills

age: made in 1981

unique? No. My new custom mixte will make it redundant.

pros and cons? Pros: It is pretty, but not a rare or high-end bike; can lock it up and not worry. Cons: It is too aggressive for its purpose; not a comfortable bike.



Royal H. Mixte (not yet built up or named)



(will be) used as: a light touring bike when I want to be upright, yet go fast-ish and climb hills

age: frame built in

unique? No. The vintage Motobecane already serves the same function.

pros and cons? Pros: Hopefully, when all built up it will be perfect. Cons: I will be afraid to lock it up and leave it unattended anywhere.



So there you have it, my inventory to date. As you can see, I "only" have 5 bikes so far, which I do not think is too insane. Okay, and a 6th one being built up. Still not totally bonkers, right?..



In terms of bikes performing overlapping roles, there are two major redundancies: the Pashley vs the vintage Raleigh, and the Royal H. mixte vs. the vintage Motobecane. The redundancies bother me, and I would like to have only one bike in each category. This would mean either selling whichever bike is redundant, or repurposing them in some way. Not at all sure what I will do yet regarding the Pashley vs Raleigh conflict. As for the vintage Motobecane mixte, she is currently in the process of being saved from elimination (or being butchered, depending on your perspective). God, I guess I do have too many bikes!

Echo Wall first ascent

The final hard move on Echo Wall, Ben Nevis. This is a video still shot by Claire.

On Monday night (July 28th) I led my Echo Wall project. I was for me a perfect climbing day. Folk always ask me how doing a degree in sport science helped me do hard routes, expecting to hear about little details about physical training practice. But the biggest thing I learned was about how disparate the ingredients of a good performance are and how big an effect it has on the rare occasions when they come together at just the right moment. Monday was one of those days for me.

Throughout the spring and early summer, I pounded myself with training to reach a higher base level in my all-round strength and fitness. Once I started tapering in early July, I felt that strength come through. But my body was heavy from putting on a little too much muscle. 3 pounds taken off with a little diet in America (despite the lovely pancakes!) slotted in another piece of the puzzle.
Racking up for the lead, looking pale. Video still: Claire MacLeod

The break from the route in the US brought back the freshness and the fire to be back at the wall spending more time in those beautiful surroundings and reminded me just how badly I wanted to climb this piece of rock. But it also took the edge off my fitness.

Two hard days on the wall immediately off the plane with two gentle rest days afterwards put me in really good physical shape. Then, Kev Shields, a man who ‘knows the score’ when it comes to bold routes and a good person to be around on a scary lead day, was up for a look at some other unclimbed rock beside my project. A day’s worth of clear air broke the cycle of humidity of late, so we walked in on a relaxed morning.

At the shakeout before the most serious part of the climb. Video Still: Claire MacLeod

The air was so crisp but it was hot. Kev checked out a big groove, I belayed, time passed. I was waiting for the Katabatic winds of the late evening rolling off the plateau and snowfields just above the route. At 8pm the chill wind gently got going. I waited and waited until the temperature and rock friction was perfect, and at 9pm exactly, all this preparation over months crystallised and I led the route in a dream state of confident execution.

It felt easy, as every hard route I’ve ever done has – the great paradox!


Echo Wall, I am just pulling over the roof, low on the arête. Video still: Claire MacLeod

As I hoped, my feeling at the start was not “how can I dare to lead this route?”, but “how can I dare not to lead this route?” What an opportunity! All these ingredients coming together to put such a fine climbing experience on a plate in front of me.

There was the question of the last boulder problem. I had fallen there sometimes on the toprope. To fall here on the lead is to leave yourself with only an RP in a finger width flake of suspect rock, with a skyhook stacked on top of the RP as the last barrier between you and a 20 metre fall to the floor.

The only chance of falling would be to continue above the roof knowing you were too tired due to poor conditions or errors. A clear judgement to jump off before it got too late and you got out of range of the gear. I would have done this if I needed to.

I felt that the biggest risk of all would be to stand at the foot of such a great and memorable route (experience) and back out due to fear of injury. My fear of lost opportunity is greater, attraction to the positive experience on offer greater still.

Claire a tiny dot in Observatory Gully, left of the snow.

The feeling of climbing the moves on perfect rock, in perfect conditions in the company of Claire and Kev will stay with me all my life for sure. It’s hard for me to describe the feeling of freedom from experiencing that something that had seemed so unreachable could feel so effortless, all that was required was to draw the right ingredients together, piece by piece over time.

My strongest image from the day though was of Claire as Kev and I arrived at the top of the wall, high on Tower Ridge, looking down on Claire – a tiny dot climbing the endless nightmare of scree (Observatory Gully) yet again. Although my name only is on the route description, it was a team ascent.

There are so many things to talk about – Ben Nevis climbing, what to do now, more about the climbing on Echo Wall… But that will do for now. Thanks for all your messages you sent me about this over the past months I really appreciate it! There are more video stills from the route and thoughts from Claire on her blog.

Claire looking remarkably happy to be on the Ben after midnight!

Route description:

Ben Nevis, east aspect of Tower Ridge, about 1100m alt.

Echo Wall **** 100m Dave MacLeod July 28th

Grade: Harder than Rhapsody (or anything else I’ve been on)

A spectacular route taking the huge sharp arête of Echo Wall, well seen from Tower Ridge or when ascending Observatory Gully. Poorly protected in general with groundfall potential at 20 metres near the end of the crux section.

1. 30m Climb easy slabs to a belay at the foot of the grossly overhanging arête of the buttress.
2. 70m Pull into an overhung groove and exit this with immediate difficulty. A hard and poorly protected boulder problem leads to the roof and an upside down rest. (wires, poor camalot 6). Pull leftwards over the roof with desperate climbing up the wall just right of the arête to a shakeout (RP & Skyhook in suspect rock). Move left to the arête and make very serious moves up this to a good spike and reasonable gear. Continue with more ease up the arête (runout) to a small ledge (drop your left hand rope to relieve drag). Continue up steep flakes in a great position to gain easy ground and a short solo to reach Tower Ridge.

Looking west from Ben Nevis at the end of a long and perfect day's climbing.

Hot Springs - Taking the Plunge and doing Mammoth things

The forecast for our day off is a high of 51, rain and thunderstorms. So if you can't beat em join em. We head off to Hot Springs to take a dip in the 87 degree hot springs water park pool. But first we have a good breakfast - a short stack of pancakes





The drive down to HotSprings is a scenic one some of my favorite vistas



If you can't beat the rain take the plunge! Evans Plunge is an indoor/outdoor Pool/water park which is fed by the local hot springs and is a constant 87 degrees.

The Pool is 50x200 feet and the water is recycled at 5000 gallons a minute. There are two slides inside with a separate area for small children, a volleyball court and swinging rings that no one seemed to accomplish.

Gary takes the Plunge!

Gary comes out of the Chute! I only did this one once.










The outdoor slide


On to the Mammoth Site

In 1974 a bulldozer waslevelling out a mound for a housing development and turned up some Mammoth Bones.Turns outAbout 26,000 years ago a cave at the site collapsed resulting steep-sided hole, about 65 feet deep, was 120 by 150 wide at the surface.Warm artesian-fed spring waters created a pond that was attractive to wildlife. Mammoths that slipped into the hole found it difficult to escape. Over the course of the next 350 to 700 years, the hole filled with sediments and mammoth remains. As of , at least 55 individual mammoths had been identified.



Excavation at the site is ongoing



Theyhave aninteresting museum as well

A house made of mammoth bones

This depicts a wooly mammoth kill but the majority of the Mammoths found in the sinkhole were Columbian Mammoths they would have stood 14feet tall at the shoulderand weigh 8-10 tons

Well it was a Mammoth Day! Time to head home and plot out our adventures for tomorrow!



Till Later!

Meanwhile we keep on Trek'n

Melissa and Gary