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Quaken
Trad climber
Las Vegas
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Having just passed this mile marker a few weeks ago, I like what Tahoe said in 'Funny Climbing Sayings'
I'm "pretty sure' that was the crux, it all looks easy from here.
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ron gomez
Trad climber
fallbrook,ca
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BVB,
Classic, "Fitty is all about sex with your hot wife"! Not quite fitty yet , but when I am....that's one of my goals!!! I love ya man! gonna go have a drink for you!
Peace
do ya need the REALLY big screen....to see it at fitty?
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scuffy b
climber
The town that Nature forgot to hate
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Right, on, JKV.
It was unusual walking around that day, not being an outlier.
If one could multiply ages by numbers of climbs by difficulty
the output of the Woodson Shindig 2007 would be truly
phenomenal. A joyous mass onslaught.
I'm going on 56 now, in the midst of a comeback myself. I won't
be climbing as I did in my 30s or 20s but, Man Alive, I fully
expect to be the climber I was in my 40s.
Part of it is climbing weirder. Due to a longstanding state of
benign neglect, I am in the position of being able to do the
hardest Offwidths of my entire life.
In fact, the ones I did at the Shindig are at the top of my list
right now. Personal Bests will be a major feature of my season.
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bvb
Social climber
flagstaff arizona
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at the shindig, hangin' at the base of "bat flake", beehay dispensed this pearl of wisdom:
"once you hit fifty, you never pass a bathroom, never waste a boner, and never trust a fart."
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G_Gnome
Trad climber
Knob Central
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I just hit my halfway point of 55. Haha, I guess I have higher expectations than the rest of you.
Anyway, when I was in my late 40s I was wasting away until I was diagnosed with a killed pituitary gland. One too many blows to the head. Since then I am on the juice like there is no tomorrow. I now have more muscle mass than I have had in my entire life. I am re-f^cking-born!! And I am never going back. I climb a LOT. Fortunately, I have lots of great friends who also climb a lot. While the climbing is still important to me, the time spent with friends is more important. However, I still have goals and all of them are 5.12 or harder. Not too bad for a short, old Garden Gnome.
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Ed Hartouni
Trad climber
Livermore, CA
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All of you are inspirational to me, really... when I get down on my self 'cause the mojo just ain't working I just take a deep breath and watch you dads sending. I know that I can figure out a way to do it too.
I don't say this enough to you all, but thanks for the support and the fun. The climbing is very sweet, and it is because of my great partners.
Let's climb forever!
and even if we can't, let's do it with grace
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RRK
Trad climber
Talladega, Al
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cool thought Largo - you can look down but don't look back.
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wayne w
Trad climber
the nw
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i'm not wayne wallace couchmaster...but i will be back in the valley next week!
cheers! wayne willoughby
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johnboy
Trad climber
Can't get here from there
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Yep, I'll be turning 50 in 2002.
Wait.
What year is this?
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Hummerchine
Trad climber
East Wenatchee, WA
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Sweet post by John Long! I turn 50 in less than a month, and I'm psyched about it. Hey, look around, most 50 year olds are COOKED!!! I'm thinking I look pretty hot compared to my peers...heh. Was planning to solo El Cap to celebrate, but ended up soloing Lurking Fear last fall when my partner bailed...I figure that counts, close enough! Just went to Indian Creek for a week with the Mighty Thor, he ruled but I did not climb so bad, certainly had a gas! Just climbed Iconoclast to Hyperspace with the Psychopath and Yellow Wall variations clean, I'm super jazzed about that. So happy birthday to all, especially the 50 year olds! We could be dead...
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mooser
Trad climber
seattle
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Topic Author's Reply - May 2, 2007 - 01:54am PT
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This is so cool! First off, bvb, your quoted wisdom is truly profound. I'll be pondering that for many days to come...
Second, it sounds like lots of us are in the same generation, having climbed for roughly the same amount of time. I would've loved to be at the shindig, given that Woodson was my earliest stomping grounds, and so many of these guys were all my contemporaries as well. It's so cool to see the stoke lasting for so long with everyone.
Maybe we should schedule the largest climbing party ever to be roped up together on some classic climb to celebrate our collective 50th's. You know, like a party of 73 climbers on the Regular Route of Half Dome, or whatever. Could the belay ledges accomodate? Down side: no one would be able to lead the same pitch twice, and some no pitches at all. Never mind...back to the drawing board...
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Todd Gordon
Trad climber
Joshua Tree, Cal
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I'm 52 and the ONLY time I feel old is when I look into a mirror;.....and I say to myself;....dude;..you are OLD!.....the rest of the time, I feel , act, and truly am young! It's almost like looking at someone else;.....I can't be OLD;...I have 3 children under the age of 3!.....and I got ALOT more adventures, climbs, and trips left in me. OLD is for old people;....I'm busy being young. Many people around 50 start worrying about their youth slipping away from them;....many climbers around age 50 have YET to grow up, and are wondering if it is EVER going to happen! Climbers seem to have this crazy ability to put growing up on "hold" for decades;...they just keep on doing the same thing year after year after year;....climbing, traveling, campfires, beers, etc....and before ya know it;... you are fifty but pretty much still a teenager in many ways;...it's sort of pathetic , but can be a fountain of youth too!
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Bazo
Boulder climber
Ky
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Turned 51 this year. My body ( when I'm in my body that is ) is kinda like my old 71 Chevy Malibu. It can't go 130 mph any more and Yer always rebuilding something or switching out some part or another. And sometimes it just sits in the street waiting for enough capital to accumulate for a valve job or some such sh#t...But it can still take you down to the party store for a case of beer or a scenic cruise somewhere ( though not very fast ).
My 51st year goal is to onsight 5.11 once again ( or redpoint it maybe, my body's pretty f!#ked up ) If I can get enough time away from my 8 yr old twins that is...
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OldEric
Trad climber
Westboro, MA
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For my 50th (7+ years ago) I gathered a posse of 5 other 50+ friends that I had climbed with over the years and we went to the Gunks and did 5 different 5.10s that all had some significance to me. Different partner for each climb. Of course at the time I gave no thoughts to the future 10 years off (same as I had not considered it when I turned 40, 30, 20 or 10) but now I realize I need ot come up with an encore in just over 2 years. I need to find 6x 60+ year old partners who can do 10's with me - maybe at Rumney.
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mooser
Trad climber
seattle
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Topic Author's Reply - May 2, 2007 - 01:19pm PT
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Nice way of marking things, Eric.
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Peter Zurla
Mountain climber
Colorado Springs
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Age is a number on your drivers license.
Peter
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quasitrad
Trad climber
Corvallis, OR
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Hey, I just noticed that JB is wearing a brown shirt and red pants in his photo. I learned long ago that one ought to wear brown pants and a red shirt because, when things get dicey, they'll end up those colors anyway ...
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Curt
Boulder climber
Gilbert, AZ
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because at fifty it's all about:
early retirement
bouldering with your buddies
sex with your hot wife
good food and drink
and tv. really, really BIG tv.
Exactly how I spent my 50th, Bob. They say that great minds think alike--and, so apparently do ours.
Curt
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Tarbuster
climber
right here, right now
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Pretty cool thread.
I like Werner's news, that we are not our bodies, cuz this one's hammered at 46, but whatever, sometimes it turns a loop or two anyhow.
Hope to see all of you at the crags in whatever 50+ year old carcass you happen to scrounge up!
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Chiloe
Trad climber
Lee, NH
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I spent a happy 50th camping in JTree with my family. We climbed Diamondback and Possessed by Elvis, both onsights for me, which helped me believe on that day that getting old was not so bad. So did the coyote music as we sat around a campfire that night.
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