Safer, safe and ‘less dangerous’

Claire after her skydive yesterday. Not looking too scared

I was just listening to Amartya Sen explaining on radio about his ideas about justice in the world, and his way of looking at this aspect of humanity struck me as just as relevant in another.

His thesis in the world of justice is that we should think in a more pragmatic, and less idealist way in order to achieve the best possible outcome for people. Specifically he has the idea that we pour a huge amount of energy trying to solve completely particular injustices, with the intended outcome being to make them 100% ‘just’. But, he says, the ideal of a perfectly just scenario often remains out of reach. Instead, if we first seek out the biggest and deepest injustices, and measure success against their starting points, rather than against the ideal finishing point of perfect justice, we will end up increasing overall justice by a larger amount. So the focus on scrubbing out the last remains of stubborn injustice becomes not just a black hole for our resources, but a distraction from deeper injustice elsewhere.

It struck me that this parallels closely recent arguments about risk in life and society. Economics right now is teaching popular society a lot about the importance of risk. Namely that pursuing the ideal of eliminating risk is actually harmful to economies, just as very risky and unstable situations are. Similarly, a statistical perspective minus the blinkers of a ratings driven media such as this book on the risks we face highlights some of the ridiculous situations we find ourselves in when we attempt to eliminate tiny risks (such as terrorism) and allow these to completely distract us from huge risks elsewhere.

Amartya’s idea projected onto risk makes a lot of sense to me and to me reflects closely the decision making process I’ve aspired to in the risky climbing I do. Other climbing bloggers thoughts recently (such as Dougald and Will’s) have reminded us well that believing in complete safety in climbing will always prove a fallacy. So it’s important to try not to be distracted by making tiny risks tinier, if larger ones lie ignored in the background (and they often do in my opinion).

A common example that often worries me when listening to other climbers discourse on safety is a fascination with the fine details of climbing equipment systems. Nothing wrong with that whatsoever, so long as it’s seen in context of the whole picture of climbing safety, which is often isn’t. The trouble is that our safety systems relating to climbing equipment are only one link in a chain of factors that determine how much risk we face when climbing.

The ‘soft’ skills (I hate the term but can’t immediately think of a replacement) of our tactics, decision making and movement skill on rock, ice or mountains are the other, larger part, and they often suffer relative ignorance.

A more specific example; Out of the climbers I know who onsight E6 or harder, I can't think of any who aren’t expert at downclimbing (out of trouble). Why? Quite simply, having this skill allows you to go with far less danger where it would be hideously dangerous to rely solely on ‘up’ climbing ability and safety equipment. In contrast, the trad climber’s I know who’ve suffered a series of confidence destroying serious falls are more often than not poor at climbing down out of scary situations. I’ve had a million climbers ask me all sorts of weird and wonderful questions about the fine points of equipment, and strategies for it’s use, and it often shocks them when I don’t always know an answer. But I can’t recall ever being asked about downclimbing.

Important things are often at the mercy of things less important. Looking for dangerous things to make less dangerous will often be more successful than looking for anything to make perfectly safe.

A Walk Along the River :: San Antonio

After leaving Davis Mountains State Park (on December 10th), I spent the day driving to San Antonio. The fog wasn't too bad once I left the mountains and got onto the Interstate Highway and I didn't get into any significant rain until about an hour from the city.



I spent three nights in San Antonio with my friend Diana. She is also a Joslin cousin (3rd cousin once removed). Her great grandfather, Luther Joslin, was a brother to my great-great grandmother, Malissa Mariah Joslin Brubaker Bower. Our families made contact for the first time in 1968, lost contact a few years later, then were reunited in 1999 through the wonders of the internet! The folks I'll be staying with in Louisiana for the holidays are also descendants of Luther. Don't you love it when distant family members become friends too?



One evening we ventured down to the Riverwalk for a stroll and supper. All types of Cafes and Restaurants line both sides of the river for a considerable distance. And, of course, the area was all decked out with lights for the holidays.





Trees were wrapped with lights on every branch and all the way to the top!





It was a rather cool evening but not uncomfortable – if you could stay out of the wind!





I hesitated to include this photo since it is out of focus, but I think it provides more of the ambiance of the evening. I actually kind of like it! Just consider it an “impressionistic” rendition of the Riverwalk...

CAMP RACE 290 skimo race crampon

ByJerry Johnson Ph.D.



Headed out the other day for a quick run up Hyalite Peak and
thought I’d try the new ultralight CAMP RACE 290
skimo race crampon. I’ve used regular crampons on my TLTs for some ice pitches
but had never seen the need for bootpacks. If the snow is that hard I usually
have an axe along. My initial impression is that a small crampon can save a lot
of energy especially when combined with a whippet. I didn’t really worry about
slipping out of small steps and basically just went straight up the 40 degree
gully. Ten ounces for crampons seemed like a good tradeoff for an axe. If I
needed both I’d want to have a different set of points though.






The 290 is marketed as a race
crampon, light and ten points - minimal. The heel attachment fits the tech
binding heel in any race boot. It’s supposed to be faster but it isn’t always
easier. In fact, it’s a bit fiddly. Overall fit on my TLTs was pathetic. Using
the included bar I could never get them to fit so I tried the Dyneema linking strap. First
thing I noticed was that a little bit of metal on the heel that is supposed to
align the back of the boot prevented me from tightening the binding so I took
it off. After a lot of trial and error I got the linking straps just right. The
sideways fit is too wide for my boots so back to the linking strap and by
making so tight I could barely get the thing on, I finally managed to minimize
side to side movement at the toe – sort of. For my boot size the toe bail needs
some major bending but I’m afraid it might break so will live with it. On one,
I wrapped some rubber tape on the toe bail to make spacers so will try that
next time.










With
the Dyneema strap the crampons fold up super small package, they are so light I
just clipped the ankle straps together and hung them around my neck for a short
rock section – if you are interested in having these for the long term keep
them out of the rock. The soft aluminum will wear, bend and break.



Like
ski crampons, a lightweight aluminum crampon for the boot is not something you
are going to use all that often. They will come in handy occasionally though
and could be a useful bit of kit. For my money, I would probably opt for some
other model that weighs a couple ounces more but has twelve points and fits my
boots better. For racers, this is likely all you need as most sections will be
relatively short. For the sort of things I do here in Montana and in Idaho, a
light crampon and whippet would replace both ski crampons and an axe; I can
leave the heavy crampons at home – not a bad trade.


Jerry in his own back yard




Postscript:
On a tour today I became a true convert. My whippet in one hand and crampons on
my feet, down climbing a spunky mixed gully was possible
and saved me an hour of sketchy scrambling on typically loose Hyalite rock. The
crampons have found a permanent place in my spring skiing kit.



Editor's note:



This from a buddy of mine after playing with them mid climb/transition and a little less patience than normal :)



"Yeah, I'm not a big fan of those. It was an interesting idea but I
practically had a stroke trying to get them on and off when they were tight
enough. Fucking pissed me off. Never bothered with a review because they
sucked so bad. I'm a huge fan of the Grivel Haute Routes, though. Just
wished the points were a half inch longer."

I also tried the CAMP 290. I was jonesing over this crampon from the first day I saw it at Summer OR a few years ago. Brilliant idea IMO on the heel attachment point. Turned out while brilliant I simply couldn't get the damn things to work on my size 29 boots. In frustration I finally gave them to Jerry. And watched him fit them to his own size 27 TLTs with a lot less issue. A bit of bending on the front bail and they looked good to me and GAWD only knows how analI can be about crampon fit. Turns out a few of us with bigger feet have had the same problem. The fit sucks. Now CAMP will be the first to tell youthat if you are bigger than a 28 shell size don't bother. I'd lower that suggestion to a 27 shell...and TLT size 27 at that. And I suspect still takes snapping off the center heel support to get right. Try before you buy on these guys is my suggestion. I love the idea and I know what needs ot be fixed for my TLTs, the front bail and back heel support spacing. No clue what boots these are suppose to work on. But if you have THAT boot, I suspect these little guys will really rock for the intended purpose.



For the rest of us the CAMP XLC Series has been my go to LWT crampon for the last half dozen years anyway on both mountain boots and most recently my AT boots. Way less fiddling around with fit and security. One thing I would disagree with Jerry on from my use of the XLC 390. They are way tougher and more durable than they look or have any right to be.



http://www.camp-usa.com/products/crampons/xlc-390.asp









I'll do a short blurb on these later amid a LWT crampon comparison . But if you can get away with a LWT *ALL*aluminum crampon for your own use...buy the 390. It is an exceptionally solid and well receivedall around crampon with a hard earned reputation for reliability and no worries.











RACE 290


• New for

• Competitive Ski Mountaineering

• 7075 T6 aluminum alloy construction

• 10 points for a solid hold on steep terrain

• Different colors for the left and right for fast and easy identification

• Dyneema linking strap reduces weight and allows the crampons to fold onto themselves for packability

• Patented heel attachment designed for rapid attachment to modern A/T boots

The new lightest crampons in the world and the new go-to crampons for competitive ski mountaineering. The patented heel is designed for rapid attachment with the fastest A/T boot models typically made for Dynafit or similar style lightweight backcountry bindings. The Dyneema linking strap reduces weight even further and allows the crampons to be folded onto themselves for packability. Solid aluminium linking bars are also included for a more rigid fit if desired. Anti-balling Plates optional. Carrying bag included.

SPECS

ID: 318

Material: 7075 T6 Aluminum Alloy

Points: 10

Binding: Rapid (Dynafit)

Anti-Balling Plates: Optional

Crampon Case: Yes

Size: 36 - 44 cm, 14 - 17.5 in

Weight: 290 g, 10.2 oz

$179.95 USD

A Dunfee Duo

Last December I wrote several posts regarding Aquilla and Eliza (Dunfee) Hoff and their son. In this post, I discussed the possibility that their son Jonathan H. Hoff (last found with his father in Drum Creek Township, Montgomery County, Kansas in 1880) and John Hazlett Hoff (found in Decatur County, Kansas in 1900 & 1910 and Lawrence, Douglas County in 1915, 1920, 1925, and 1930) were the same person.



Shortly after those posts were published, I contacted Cathy, the submitter of one of the most "promising" ancestry trees. We corresponded briefly at the end of December but came to no firm conclusions. In April, she ordered the marriage record for John H. Hoff that "Charlie" a kinexxions reader had located in an online index. It confirmed the names of his parents listed in the index, but didn't really bring us any closer to a conclusion.







Decatur County, Kansas Marriage Application dated March 15, 1892. Parents of Jno. H. Hoff are given as Olen Hoff and Eliza Durfee.



Part of the "issue" is that John H. Hoff is consistently 5 years younger than Jonathan H. Hoff. And there is the family tradition that John was "the only child of along-toward-middle aged parents, had a father 'mostly' German born in the United States. His mother, Irish, was born in Ireland and came to the U.S. in her seventeenth year" and John's parents reportedly died during his "early teen years" and he then went to live with an uncle.



Aquilla Hoff and Eliza Dunfee were married on September 4, 1851 in Ashland County, Ohio. He was 36 years old and she was 38. In the 1860 census, Jonathan is 6 years old. In 1870, he is 16 and in 1880 he is 26 years old - all consistent with an 1854 year of birth. So, yes, he would have been born to "late in life" parents with Aquilla being about 40 and Eliza being 42 years old. And he was an only child.



On his marriage application of March 15, 1892, Jno. H. Hoff gives his age as 33. In the 1900 census, John is listed as born in Nov 1859. In 1910 he is 51 years old. In 1915 he is 55. In 1920 he is 60. In 1925 he is 65. And in 1930 he is 70 years old. All consistent with a birth year of 1859-1860.



According to census records, Aquilla was born in Maryland and Eliza was born in Pennsylvania. My mother and grandmother always said the Dunfees were Scotch-Irish so maybe the "Irish" part in the John Hoff family tradition has some semblance of truth to it. But Eliza was not the immigrant - her parents were both born in Pennsylvania also.



Eliza died on August 6, 1876 probably in Lagrange County, Indiana. She is buried in Greenwood Cemetery in Lagrange County. At that time, Jonathan would have been about 22 years old (i.e. not in his early teens). Aquilla died June 27, 1883 also in Lagrange County. Jonathan would have been about 29 years old. Even subtracting the five years "lost" when given the age of John H. Hoff, it means he would have been 17 and 24 years old when Eliza and Aquilla died.



Of course, I have a theory regarding the age difference between John H. Hoff and Jonathan H. Hoff, assuming that they are indeed the same person. Did vanity enter into the equation? Perhaps John "shaved" 5 years off of his age so that he would not be so much older than his wife Mary who was born in January 1868. Using their ages, she would have been about 14 years younger than Jonathan and about 9 years younger than John.



One idea that Cathy proposed was that maybe Aquilla was John's uncle and that John was adopted by Aquilla and Eliza. But if that is true, he would have been adopted as a much younger child, not one in his young teen years. And there were no other known children for Aquilla and Eliza, especially older children.



So we're back to square one, not knowing with any degree of certainty whether John is Jonathan.



But, entering into the picture is contact with another Dunfee descendant, this one through a brother of Eliza. No, Roger didn't add anything to the information we have, but he did have a photo that really got my attention when I saw it. Roger's ancestor is Jonathan Smith Dunfee who is a brother to Eliza and to my 3rd great-grandfather, William Hamilton Dunfee.



You see, Cathy has a photograph of her great-grandfather John Hazlett Hoff. And Roger has a photo of his great-great-grandfather Jonathan Smith Dunfee. And they both gave me permission to use those photos here on kinexxions.



When I first saw the photo of Jonathan S. Dunfee it immediately called to mind the one of John H. Hoff. I kept clicking between the two and finally got them displayed side by side as shown in the composite below. The resemblance is striking. At least it is to me.







On the left is John Hazlett Hoff and on the right is Jonathan Smith Dunfee. Possibly nephew and uncle. Photos used courtesy of Cathy Hansen and Roger Waller.



But a really neat thing that I was able to do, with Roger's permission, was to give a print of the picture of Jonathan Smith Dunfee to one of his great-grandsons that lives here in Columbia City. Cal is my 3rd cousin twice removed and I've known him for a very long time. Mom and her siblings "always" knew their Dunfee cousins, which I think is pretty cool. I spent yesterday afternoon with Cal and his wife, Ardilla, talking about the Dunfee family, genealogy and numerous other topics. We had a wonderful visit! (As a side note, Ardilla is a grand-aunt of my brother's two oldest boys. Their grandfather is Ardilla's brother.)



A hearty "Thank You" goes out to Cathy and Roger for willingly sharing their research and their wonderful family photographs.



I must say, these last few months have been absolutely fantastic for me in terms of genealogy and family history research! It's been amazing and I can't wait to see what comes along next!



For more information on the Dunfee family, see theIndex to Posts, which is a compilation of all the posts that have been published here at kinexxions on the family.

Buckeye

A Buckeye butterfly on Oleander.

A Quick and Healthy Diet

I don't usually pay attention to my weight unless I start to feel uncomfortable. Well, a week ago that day came. I've been super busy and not riding as much as I'd like over the past month, without changing my eating habits to accommodate. It was fine for a while, until one day I got on the bike and... well, let's just say I felt my tummy jiggle and fold in on itself as I pedaled. It was disconcerting. So I decided to go on a diet and get myself to a state of feeling comfortable again. The healthiest version of a crash diet I know is a low-carb, high fiber, high nutrition diet. It works extremely well, because in addition to making you eat healthier it also acts as an appetite suppressor. Here are the rules for anyone interested:



Things to cut out completely:

alcohol, sweets, junk food, bread, pasta, potatoes, rice, soda, most juices



Things to eat:

vegetables, lentils, nuts, eggs, milk, fish and meat (or tofu and quorn),high-fiber oatmeal, apples, berries, cheese, butter, unsweetened carrot and cranberry juice



How much to eat:

For a woman my size not engaged in strenuous exercise, around 1,200 calories a day will work. But this is ballpark; adjust for size/gender/exercise level. Go heavy on the vegetables, light on the fatty stuff, and medium on the protein.



How long will it take?

I see results in 1-2 weeks when I follow this strictly.



Sample Day's Menu:

breakfast:

oatmeal with butter and blueberries

lunch:

steamed spinach with sesame seeds and sliced almonds

dinner:

grilled salmon and asparagus, lentil soup

snacks:

apple, nuts, broccoli florets, baby carrots, coffee and tea with milk



So... I have been doing this for 5 days now. It was difficult on the first two days, then it got much easier. The fiber, the reduced carbohydrates, and the elimination of alcohol are the key here. I already feel a difference and in another week my body should be back to normal. Then I will have a good look at my schedule and try to get more riding in, so that I can eat whatever I want again (kidding, I will try to generally eat healthy from now on is what I meant to say)...

Climbers against cancer

Climbers Against Cancer is a new organisation started by John Ellison. It’s a good story, and seems to have a lot of momentum in climbing. Check it out here.And when they are ready, do buy a T-shirt.




Thanks Shauna for the heads up.

A day in York: Roaming around town and discovering a special church with box pews

Without a doubt, I have seen so many churches, perhaps in the hundreds already in my lifetime, maybe more, that somehow I have come to the breaking point of enough is enough (I now can relate to the Dutchman). I have made a pact with myself that I will only check out a church if it is special or it has something unique to offer. Now this church, the Holy Trinity Church Goodramgate, I came across while I was roaming the pretty streets of York. I thought she was one of a kind.

This is Stonegate, a busy shopping lane.

I was just done walking the York ruin walls and I am now heading back to the centre. I still have time to wander off a bit before I take a quick lunch break. Not really hungry yet but I was looking forward later in the afternoon to some traditional English scones with clotted cream and jam, and of course tea. While walking on the street I saw an out of sight wrought-iron gate with a signboard in front that says:

‘A rare seventeenth-century survival, box pews like these were once common in Anglican churches. Each family would sit together, renting a pew annually.

The high sides of the pews limited drafts in unheated churches and provided privacy, but also forced the occupants to focus on the content of the sermon.

The widespread removal of the box pews during the nineteenth-century makes them an unusual sight today. Holy Trinity Goodramgate is now the only church in York with box pews.’

Hmm, this is interesting. I need to see these box pews. What do they look like? Curious, I entered the garden and walked into the church and look what I found:

I do not think I have been to a church with box pews. These are indeed a rare find. It is very special to see them being preserved for the sake of history and posterity. I made sure to give a donation before leaving the small church.

Here are some random fotos of York I shot while roaming around:

Fotos above were taken on Goodramgate, Micklegate, Stonegate, Colliergate and Barley Hall.

Next: Not hungry yet so what's for lunch?

Wild green apples and cultured red apples

While at Marienwaerdt I wanted to show MadamE the place. I was planning on taking a walk to the klooster (monastery) and the river banks however we did not have enough time on our hands. So instead we went by car.

We actually drove outside of the property. We drove on a narrow winding dike that protects the property from the rising rivers. The dike road was lined up with wild green apples. Being city girls, we were so amazed at the rows and rows of green apple bearing trees.

Further ahead as we reached the nearby village we saw fences of cultured red apples clinging to a stake. Apples seems to be a popular fruit in Geldermalsen area.

Next time when we or I have time I will go to a fruit farm and help pluck the fruits.

Visit Period: September