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roslyn
Trad climber
washington
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i've got a few more years before i hit 50.......i'll be turning 46 in about a week. I learned age is just a number years ago. One of the old gals i ski with celebrated her 76th b'day with a lively hike up killimangaro. Another sweet old friend of mine, mike, celebrates his birthday ever year with a bottle of good scotch with his friends at his ski cabin in the backwoods of BC. Everytime i see mike and ask, how's it going, mike replies "i'm alive and still skiing. it doesn't get any better". Mike is still ripping the slopes at 90.
life is good at any age
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eeyonkee
Trad climber
Golden, CO
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I'm 50 and regularly having the best sex I ever had (by far). Climbing-wise, I figure, on average, I'm climbing about 1.5 letter grades below my best. I'm hoping to cut that to 0.5.
Overall, I'm happier now than I was in my 20s.
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Fletcher
Trad climber
Varied locales along the time and space continuum
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Good stuff here. I appreciate Largo's and Werner's thoughts, as always. Numbers are fun yet they're just numbers at the same time. Grasping at youth, as with grasping at anything, is ultimately frustrating, futile and lots of other unpleasant things (exception... grasping for a big jug is good thing! But you even gotta let go of that if you want to continue having fun). Once you let go and embrace the impermanence of all, it gets a heck of a lot more fun.
Whenever I see something touted as "anti-aging" I always think, "heck, I'm PRO-aging!"
I am increasingly inspired by ST'ers who I'm gradually finding out tend to be in the 40's to 50's age range. Lots of people climbing cool and challenging stuff. Lots of good stuff to look forward to. More importantly, rather than grasping at the future and the past, how can we best immerse ourselves in the present? Climbing can be a GREAT way to get "present". Bills, jobs, wacky relatives, etc... it all just melts away when you're dancing on a stone.
I'll be 45 in a few days, but I've got a laundry list of things to celebrate today... Like these guys, just for starters:
Why wait for a b'day to celebrate?
Namaste,
Fletch
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mooser
Trad climber
seattle
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Topic Author's Reply - May 3, 2007 - 07:54pm PT
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These posts are getting better and better. Thanks, all!
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BeeHay
Trad climber
San Diego CA
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BVB, my 50th is well behind me and I got wood going to waste here. If I promise not to fart, can I shag your hot wife? BH
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BeeHay
Trad climber
San Diego CA
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The good thing after 50, you don't care what people think. See post above for proof. BH
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Toker Villain
Big Wall climber
Toquerville, Utah
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I knew it was hereabouts but yesterday I just learned that tomorrow, May7, the greatest desert climber of them all, Kyle Copeland, will celebrate his 50th birthday with family and close friends.
I was by a few weeks ago and it was not a happy scene.
Sadly nobody thinks he'll survive much longer. A victim of both Crohn's disease and lung cancer he hasn't climbed in a decade. The former 5'11" 175# is now down to 95# and has lost the use of his left arm.
Life is short people. Make it count.
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nita
climber
chico ca
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Happy Birthday ...Fletcher!
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Jaybro
Social climber
The West
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Happy birthday, positive vibes and thanks, to mr Copeland. Without you it would have been a different desert.
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nita
climber
chico ca
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Forgive me, I had not noticed, Piton Ron's post.
Mr Copeland, may your friends and families, thoughts and prayers comfort you..... nita
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Tarbuster
climber
right here, right now
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Sorry to hear that about Kyle Ron,
Thanks for letting us know and for keeping me in the loop a bit earlier.
Many of us will not bust the tape at the finish, but we've all inspired one another and sometimes that's what really counts.
Be well everybody.
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Jude Bischoff
Ice climber
Palm Springs
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Can't read the damn climbing magazine anymore. Masta Beta's miniscule print is impossible. Always hanging out with 20 somethings at Hidden valley camp talking about their high school teachers. Recovery time from the climbing and mountain biking is a bit longer. I assume I'll slow down around 80 and buy a Harley.
I was wondering where all the middle agers were. I thought your wives made you stay home and clean the garage.
I hit the big 50 back in November and celebrated with friends and family climbing in Josh. Adventure adventure adventure, that's all we do! Glad to see this thread, you people rock!
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Old Gnar
Trad climber
The Holler
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Birthday Child,
Oh, I wish I were 50 again...
When I turned 40 I ran a marathon, when I turned 50 I climbed a big wall in Yosemite and then some. Around 60 I climbed Sunribbon Arete with a woman my age and last summer I climbed some longish thing in the Dolomites.
Now I am 62, I creek and moan when I get out of bed after having gardened the day before. I am taking on crocodilian features and my roots required endless attention. I am happy duffer nevertheless as I managed to lead some 7's and 8's at the Red River Gorge recently and I am heading for City of Rocks soon.
Pilates is a great supplemental activity to stay agile and work on your balance, by the way.
So, "do old," it isn't all that bad and the good thing is that climbing is probably the one activity you can pursue into your latter years. Allen Steck is 81 and still out there.
Happy birthday.
Inez D.
PS When I was in my 30's I may have been California State Frisbee Champion....
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Chiloe
Trad climber
Lee, NH
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Nice post, Inez. With time comes perspective, along with all that other less welcome stuff.
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quietpartner
Trad climber
Moantannah
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Man, all you over-fitties are inspiring the crap out of me.
I started climbing two years ago at age 52 and am as happy as a kid in a rockbox. (sandbox?)
Ya'all give me hope to keep improving and maybe I'll actually move beyond leading 5.8 and lead a 5.10 in time.....at around 80 years old or so.
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Toker Villain
Big Wall climber
Toquerville, Utah
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May 10, 2007 - 11:08pm PT
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Well, sorry to be the buzzkill. I just got back from another trip to Moab to see Kyle. His parents and sister were there to take him to the U of U Med Center. They gave Alison a beautiful dinosaur bone necklace that Kyle had made when she showed up again.
It rends my heart to think of how she felt spending the better part of an hour talking alone with with such a pivotal person in her life knowing it is probably the last time.
And now she has become a doctor.
Later on his birthday (and it turns out that the info was wrong, he's only 49) I came back. My partner and an old acquaintance of Kyle's, Steve Johnson, was soon to arrive and Kyle didn't want to see him (actually of course it was the reverse), so I had a remarkable conversation with him. We embraced, he with his only functioning arm, and I went to meet Steve.
Early the next morning (5/8/07) we rendezvous with cameraman Mike Neal and completed the FA of Charlie Fowler Tower. The route turned out even better than expected. We scattered a bit of Charlies ashes.
Now if Steve would only send the photos.
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buster
Mountain climber
canada
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May 16, 2007 - 10:42am PT
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hi ron,i,m just back from sichuan.climbed a 5300m peak with the tibetan climber who found charlie,s body.couldn,t get into genyen,too much snow.i can see why charlie loved the area.no doubt that charlie and christine were eaten by a giant slide.charlie is a legend in sichuan,there is a strong local climbing community,charlie is who they all aspire to.too bad about kyle,i knew he was very ill.charlie and i talked about him when we were in moab last october.i,ll be in t,ride for mt. film,maybe see you there.not too many of us old yin,s left,dr. j.
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Doug Hemken
climber
Madison, WI
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May 16, 2007 - 12:30pm PT
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One nice thing about getting older is that your life expectancy increases!
But just FYI, *45 years old* is more than halfway for all but 2-3% of us.
WRT climbing, I find my motivation is starting to circle back toward the joys that first led me into this pursuit. The added perspective just makes it all the better.
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JOEY.F
Social climber
sebastopol
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May 16, 2007 - 01:11pm PT
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I turned 53 yesterday.
Celebrated by buying a stronger pair of reading glasses.
I started climbing 3 yrs ago, but
haven't led anything yet, so I don't really consider myself
a "climber", maybe closing in on journeyman status.
But I am having a ball with it, climbing inside and outside,
and feel like I'm getting stronger all the time.
I have inspirational climbing partners who push me well.
And a lot of inspiration on the ST forum as well.
So, I feel, the best is yet to come!
Cheers all!
Joe.
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