Correcting Mistakes :: Elsie and Charles Wiseman

Being human, we all make mistakes. Once the errant data is posted "out there" on the World Wide Web it can't be taken back. And then it gets propagated by others researching the same family. What do you do? If you wait to post anything until your research is "completed" then the chances are good your research will never be seen by anyone else. Dear Myrtle has a post this morning about Correcting Mistakes in your genealogy research. It's worth your time to read it.

My Tombstone Tuesday post earlier today is a case in point. The inscriptions for my dad's parents Elsie Shuder and Charlie Wiseman show that they were both born in 1886. And that was what was recorded by my cousin in the papers that I received from her years ago. I haven't done all that much research myself on my Dad's lines because my cousin spent quite a few years researching the Wiseman and Shuder lines. I'm not laying any "blame" on her, after all, I entered the date in my database without verifying it, and that's what was on the tombstone so it had to be right!

Anyway, as I was going through some of my cousins papers last year I noticed that there were no copies of the marriage application or death records for Elsie and Charlie. So, I ordered them and discovered that for both of them their year of birth is 1885, not 1886.

A search on WorldConnect for Elsie Shuder, born 1885, returned no results. A search for her born 1886 turned up 12 databases, all of which (including mine: rwiseman_bray) give her date of birth as 18 Aug 1886. A search for Charles Wilson Wiseman, born 1886, returned 14 results. The 13 entries that are for him all give 20 Sep 1886 as his date of birth. Someday, if I get ambitious enough, I might contact the contributors of those other databases or perhaps add a post-em note to their entries for Elsie and Charles. A second issue with Charles is his date of death. My cousin had it as February 4, 1943 but his death record shows that he died on January 28th.

In an ideal world, I would update my WorldConnect database immediately, but for a variety of reasons, it isn't likely that I will be doing that anytime soon. To me, this isn't "critical" information. Important, yes, but not critical. It doesn't involve a connection to the wrong lineage or anything major, so what I've done is add post-ems with the correct information. (You do read post-ems on WorldConnect when you see them, don't you?) As soon as this is posted I'll edit the post-ems to include a link here so people can see the documents for themselves.

As always, click on the images below to view a larger version. . .

Marriage Application, Charles Wiseman and Elsie Shuder. March 1, 1906. Kosciusko County, Indiana (Book N Page 224)

Death Certificate, Elsie Shuder Wiseman. February 3, 1926. Indiana State Board of Health (Certificate 5058)

Death Certificate, Charles Wiseman. January 28, 1943. Indiana State Board of Health (Certificate 3636)

Traveling from Dublin to the Antrim Coast, with Luggage and a Brompton

I am staying in a remote area on the Antrim Coast in Northern Ireland, near the town of Ballycastle. Getting here from the suburbs of Dublin was quite something, though very much worth it in the end. I had with me three pieces of luggage: A suitcase on wheels, my fully folded Brompton bicycle sheathed in a cloth cover, and a Carradice City Folder bag that can also be carried as a shoulder bag. I am an average sized female with below-average upper body strength, and lugging these 3 things around on my own through the various segments of the trip was doable. I rolled the suitcase in my left hand, carried the Carradice across my chest messenger style, and carried the Brompton by the frame in my right hand. This last part was the most difficult for me. The Brompton weighs over 20lb and I can only carry it in one hand for so long, especially if I am also dragging other things at the same time. But again, doable.




As is probably obvious by the rolling suitcase, this is not the sort of trip where I planned to ride to the train station and to my destination upon arrival. I am not touring, but rather traveling with a bike, which I intend to use once I settle in. I will be here for a while, staying in the same place the entire time, and so I wanted to be comfortable, have plenty of clothes to change into, and have all the camera equipment I wanted with me. I thoroughly researched the transportation situation in advance and determined that for the last leg of my trip, a bus could drop me off within walking distance of the place I am staying despite its remoteness. There is also a local commuter train (DART) that stops just down the road of where I stayed in Dun Laoghaire and goes directly to the train station in Dublin. I was a little nervous of course that things don't always work out in reality as they should, but I had an emergency taxi fund just in case.






The main leg of the trip was taking the train from Dublin to Belfast. These leave from Connelly Station in Dublin and they run roughly every hour on weekdays. I knew that it was supposed to be hassle-free to travel to Northern Ireland. But I didn't expect that it would be quite this nonchalant. There was nothing about the ticket purchasing or boarding experience to indicate that we would be crossing a border. I simply bought a ticket to Belfast. No one asked me to show ID. No one asked why I was traveling there.




The train station itself was a remarkably calm place compared to other train stations I have been to in large cities. No pushing, no yelling, quiet, everyone incredibly courteous. A few people tried to help me with my luggage at various stages. I wasn't struggling with it, so I think the motivation might have been a sense of fairness - that they had none and I had three pieces, so they might as well carry some of mine to even it out.






On the platform I saw a man with a folding bike and a couple of large bags. He must have been watching me also, because when the train arrived he pointed to an entrance indicating that I should use that one. I did, and it contained a nice empty luggage compartment. I easily fit both my suitcase and my bike on the middle shelf. I then sat nearby with the Carradice bag on the floor next to me.




Once the passengers settled in and the controller checked everyone's tickets, a trolley cart was brought by selling food. I bought a hot tea, and the server asked whether it was okay to give me change in pounds sterling, since he was out of change in euros. This was the first indication that anything would be different at our destination.






The train from Dublin to Belfast proceeds mostly along the coast, and the views are beautiful. The sun even came out. I relaxed and felt pleased at how well everything was going.




An hour and a half later, the train broke down. We waited inside for 15 minutes as they tried to fix it, but were finally asked to disembark. It was then announced that we would be switching to a local service commuter train for the remainder of the journey, and that this train was waiting for us on a platform a short walk away, accessible by multiple staircases. An elderly lady beside me poked me with her elbow, winked, and said "Welcome to Northern Ireland."




I braced myself for the ordeal of multiple staircase climbs with a suitcase and a Brompton, but thankfully there were lifts, so it wasn't that bad. However, the commuter train was crowded with locals and did not have luggage compartments. I stacked my things in a corner near one of the exists, found a seat from which I could keep an eye on it, and hoped for the best.



At length we arrived in Belfast. I expected a busy station and a rush to get off the train, but there was neither. No one shoved me or even expressed annoyance at my things being piled in front of an exit. My suitcase was promptly placed on the platform for me by a huge hand whose owner I didn't even have a chance to glimpse, and I quickly grabbed the bike, worried that who-ever tried to help with it would try to pick it up by the (bottomless) bag.






The Belfast Central Rail Station is very small. There is a ticket stand, two tiny coffee shops, and two bank machines: one dispensing pounds sterling, the other dispensing euros. The one dispensing pounds was out of order. As luck would have it, I hadn't brought any cash in GBP, figuring I'd easily withdraw it here. So I bought a coffee, paid with a 20 euro note, and got the change back in pounds. A few others had the same idea and the coffee shop became the currency exchange booth.




Speaking as a visitor, it felt a little disorienting that there was nothing acknowledging a border between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland, and yet there was suddenly a different currency system.A local radio station was playing, and in between songs the announcer said something like "the weather across the United Kingdom is beautiful today" and that too felt odd, since at no point had there been signs or announcements mentioning the United Kingdom.It's hard to explain, but the dichotomy feels confusing.







At the Belfast Central Rail Station, I bought a ticket for the local train to a place called Ballymena, which was the closest train station to my destination. These trains also ran very frequently, which impressed me given how sparsely populated County Antrim is. At the end of each train car, there was a section dedicated to bikes and baby strollers, with liftable seats. I easily stored my luggage there. The train route from Belfast to Ballymena is mostly inland, and there I saw saw some light industry and some farms. The landscape in this area looked a little stark compared to the Eastern coastline.




Up until this point it had been sunny, but as soon as the train stopped at Ballymena and I disembarked, it began pouring. Thankfully the Ulster Bus terminal was just across the road and it was covered. I carried my luggage there and found the Ballycastle bus stop. According to the schedule posted, the next bus was due to arrive in just 5 minutes. I was alone in the terminal except for a man in his 60s, who was pacing back and forth nearby. So far in Ireland, I have found it impossible to occupy the same space as someone else without ending up having a chat with them, and this was no exception. Within minutes I learned that the gentleman was a retired policeman who lived in the area and enjoyed a free bus pass on account of being a pensioner. Glancing at his watch, he gleefully announced that my bus was already late and that I was lucky if it showed up in the next half hour despite was the schedule said. "He's probably stopped for a sandwich, or having a chat with his mate," the man speculated cheerfully. However, the bus pulled up only a few minutes behind schedule.




Incredibly, it looked like I was to be the only passenger and the driver suggested that I simply toss my luggage onto the front row of seats. That is what I did, then sat down next to it.






We traveled 27 miles from the inland town of Ballymena to the coastal town of Ballycastle, as the weather alternated between glorious sunshine and dark skies with pelting rain. We passed mostly farmlands with lots and lots of baby lambs. Occasionally there was a village center, then back to lambs. They were beautiful and fluffy and I began to get sleepy counting them.




As we approached the coast, the driver asked me where I wanted him to stop. This sort of stunned me, but he assured me that he had nothing better to do and might as well take me to my door so that I didn't have to walk. As a dramatic view of the sea opened up in front of us, I told him the address and that is where he dropped me off.






And so finally there I was, with my suitcase, my Carradice bag and my Brompton, ringing the door bell of my new residence. At this point I was utterly exhausted. But all things considered I think the trip went well. I left Dublin at 7:40am and arrived at Ballycastle just past 12:30 in the afternoon. I managed fine with my luggage, and now here I am settled in and with my own bike on the Antrim Coast.




The transportation system in Northern Ireland is impressive as far as density of coverage and the frequency with which the local buses and trains run; I had not expected anything nearly this good. For anyone interested in traveling through County Antrim, you can definitely do so without the hassle of renting a car. Prices for buses and trains are reasonable, and the stops take you not only to local village centers but also to remote scenic locations along the coast such as the Giant's Causeway.Traveling with a folding bike should not be a problem, especially if it's one that folds up as small as the Brompton. For anybody considering visiting the Antrim Coast in this manner, I highly recommend it.

The Black Diamond Crampon report

"A piece of climbing gear you don't trust 100% is probably best retired or simply destroyed. eBay is not a good answer here."




Dane Burns @ Cold Thistle







The full BD report is well worth the effort and the read imo.

QC LAB: Gear Doesn’t Last Forever – CRAMPONS




http://www.blackdiamondequipment.com/en-us/journal/climb/all/qc-lab-gear-doesnt-last-forever--crampons

Bottom line from Black Diamond

• Vertically oriented front points are best for climbing water ice and/or heavy climbers, and tend to do better in cyclic fatigue.
• Horizontal front points are best used for the alpine.
• Flexible center bars can increase the lifespan of your crampons, but at a cost of performance.
• Boots aren’t as rigid as they used to be and break down/wear in quicker.
• Use flexible center bars with truly non-rigid boots.
• Gear doesn’t last forever.




My take from the report is there is still a lot of guess work as to what is really reliable and what is not for boot and crampon combos at BD. I tend to want my own gear to be 100% reliable without having to second guess every little decision. And I'd like to enjoy what I consider the highest performance currently available from both boot and crampon. That combo for my own needs would seem to be labeled as "unreliable" by BD. Anecdotal evidence would seem to back up that conclusion.







A crampon and boot combination I really like on steep water ice. But not a combo either I or BD recommends.






While I don't agree with every conclusion or all the numbers as they have been presented I think the newest BD report does go a long ways in telling us how Black Diamond has decided to answer the problems they have experienced with stainless crampons. Any answer is a good answer imo when it comes to climbing gear.




From BD's own data:

Sabre Pro SS
Average Cycles to failure: 12,312 +/- 3,047

Sabre Pro CrMo
Average Cycles to failure: 15,079 +/- 2454

In summary, the CrMo fails after completing 23% more cycles than the SS.













A rather esoteric boot here in North America, the Scarpa Phantom Ultra.





Previuous masthead photo...dbl click for full effect



Because of this year long discussion, my current crampon choice, with a rigid center bar and this boot is obvious in the masthead photo and below, Petzl Dartwins. While not perfect imo they and the Dart have no significant history of failure that I know of with any boot combo.















" Flexible center bars can increase the lifespan of your crampons, but at a cost of performance" BD QC

First Autumn Snow

Autumn at Mount Rainier, especially in the alpine and subalpine zones, does not last long. In fact, some argue whether it exists at all. Camp Muir had beach-like weather last Thursday; by the next night there was 70 mph gusts slinging fresh snow into climber's tents. Summer conditions to winter conditions in less than 24 hours.

Last weekend about 2" of melted precipitation dropped on the mountain. This caused drifts of snow "knee to mid-thigh" deep on the climbing routes. Snow and high winds can make navigation, especially on the upper mountain, difficult. Be sure to have a solid navigation technique, whether it's using a GPS or map/compass/altimeter, before venturing onto the mountain.

The high winds associated with the storm cycle resulted in poor skiing conditions. Some leeward locations have loosely wind packed freshies, while other windward locations are scoured, grit-covered, hardpack. Though the skiing hasn't become great, the climbing conditions have held out! The lower freezing levels have solidified the sketchier crevasse crossings and the feshly plastered snow has kept loose rock in place.

This upcoming weekend, September 24th and 25th, will be the last weekend that the Climbing Information Center in Paradise is open. Please come on by to chat, chill, and register. We'll be open from 7:00 am to 3:30 pm. After this weekend climbers can self-register in Paradise at the self-registration kiosk on the porch of the Paradise Old Station (the small A-frame right next to the toilet tunnel in the upper parking lot). Directions on how to self-register are posted.

Happy Birthday Ambir!

Today is our gorgeous girlie Ambir's birthday. I still remember my very difficult pregnancy while I carried her and my very easy delivery when I finally gave birth. She was the most striking newborn and baby that I think I've ever seen. So much so people would stop me in public and ask me if I had considered putting her in modeling. She still is gorgeous so clearly her good looks are going to last.



I wish you were here with us, Bambi, but I'm glad you and Daniel are celebrating the day together. If I had thought ahead, I could have had a birthday cake for you when you and Daniel were just here. I guess we will have to make up for it next time. Happy Birthday sweet girl! We love you so much!

Lake Itasca :: Headwaters of the Mississippi

Monday, August 8th - - About 9:15 pm a Park Ranger drove through the campground at Copper Falls announcing over the loudspeaker that the National Weather Service had issued a severe storm warning effective until ten o'clock. High winds, hail, heavy rain and lightening were imminent. All campers were to take immediate shelter!



I saw people scurrying around their tents putting things away and heading towards their cars or trucks. Me? I was already sitting in Van Dora. Snug as a bug in a rug. I didn't see anyone leaving the area so I stayed put. Besides, where were we to go?



Within a few minutes after making the announcement, the rain came. Aside from a lot of lightening there was only the rain. No hail. No high winds. And it only lasted about an hour. And for that I was thankful. My thoughts went to that campground in Arkansas last year where flash floods went through the area and several people lost their lives. We had some warning, and I was ready to leave, if necessary. But the question came once again, where would we go?



Tuesday, August 9th - - It was cloudy and overcast this morning. It rained off and on all morning. I was traveling west on US 2 toward Minnesota. At Ashland, Wisconsin I picked up State Road 13 and followed it along the beautiful Lake Superior shoreline all the way to Superior-Duluth where I returned to US 2. By then the weather had cleared. The clouds were gone (mostly) and sunshine filled the skies as I traveled nearly three-fourths of the way across Minnesota. I would spend several days at Itasca State Park south of Bemidji.



Wednesday, August 10th - - Itasca is a huge State Park with a lodge, cabins, two campgrounds with more than 250 sites, more than 40 miles of hiking trails, a 5.8 mile paved biking trail, and numerous lakes within its 32,000 acres. The Park was established in 1891 to preserve remnant stands of virgin pine and to protect the basin around the source of the Mississippi River.





This little stream doesn't look like much, does it? However, it is the Mississippi River, flowing rather quickly just a few hundred feet from its source at the north end of Lake Itasca.





This sign proclaims “Here 1475 ft above the ocean the mighty Mississippi begins to flow on its winding way 2552 miles to the Gulf of Mexico.” My Mother and I visited New Orleans in the summer of .. and saw where the Mississippi flowed into the delta and into the Gulf. Like US Highway 41, I've traveled along portions of the Mississippi and now I've not only been at its end, I've seen its beginning. Rather cool, I think.





This is it. The headwaters of the Mississippi River. People are encouraged to “walk across the Mississippi” here, one of the few places accessible for the average person to do so.





The rocks were quite slippery. This man and his son nearly toppled into the water several times. I didn't attempt to walk across the rocks but there was a narrow log footbridge - perhaps 18 inches wide, so maybe not so narrow, but it seemed so when walking across it without handrails for assistance!



I walked a ways down the trail along the shore of the lake but little could be seen because of the trees. There were some interesting wild flowers though!









And this small, fluffy, milkweed type of plant.

Harris Hill in Elmira New York

Aric and I went with Nathan to help him work today, so I was able to see more of this area. It is just beautiful here. Here is a waterfall on the side of the road:

And Aric getting close to the action:

We drove all around the area, finishing up with stopping at a park. Nathan was looking for something on the GPS, so I got out to look around at the Rails to Trails bike path there. There was a gentlemen standing there looking at the lake. He seemed so sad, with the kind of heavy grief that is normally from losing a loved one. I told Nathan I wanted to go and just hug him and when I said that, he looked over and waved like he felt our love. It was so neat.



After that, we headed to Harris Hill, in Elmira. We had a client there, so we visited him first. Then we went up the hill to the Soaring Center Museum which was closed. There was an overlook there that was really wonderful. We sat in one of the swings there and watched the sunset.

Living the life in New York!

Speed on Skis

So a couple of our rangers ran into some guys going for a speed record on the summit last week, they were able to get a brief conversation and snap a photo of them before they took off downhill. According to their clocks they made it from Paradise to the summit and back to Paradise in 4 hours and 19 minutes...which if you aren't familiar with that route means they went really really fast! Check out their full story here. There have been a number of speed ascents over the years but as far as we know Nick and Eric were the first to do it with skis.



It's looking like we are at the start of a spell of nice weather. Lots of fresh snow on the mountain should make for some great climbing and skiing conditions, especially if you hit it early before the sun turns everything to mid-day glop. Visit our route conditions page for recent conditions reports and thanks to Dmitry Shapovalov for a great report of their recent climb of Success Cleaver.

Clean or Dirty?

When I put my Pashley Princessup for sale last week, I had been planning to wash the bicycle before showing her to potential buyers. But things happened fast, and the Princesswas purchased just as she was. And the surprising thing is, she looked absolutely clean even without having undergone a washing.Examining the shiny frame with just a few specks of dust here and there, you would never knowthat this bicycle had seen a year of use, including having lived through a New England winter. Not only were there no scratches on the finish, but there were no mud stains either. I am not sure how exactly that's possible, but there it is. Is powdercoating not only durable, but somehow stain resistant? Seems unlikely.



In contrast, my poorRivendell Sam Hillborne is absolutely filthy after less than 4 months of use. I will spare you the close-ups of the dirty parts, but he seems to attract mud and grime like honey attracts flies. I am not a person who washes their bicycles after every ride, and I never will be. And while I expected the exposed components on a roadbike to gather dirt, it never occurred to me that the very finish of a bicycle could be dirt-prone or dirt-resistant. The pretty liquid paint on the Rivendell is delicate compared to the thick powdercoat on bicycles like the Pashley and the Gazelle and it is much easier to nick. But does liquid coat also require more cleaning than powdercoat? That is not something I had ever heard before, so I am wondering about others' experience.



Do your bicycles seem to stay clean on their own, or do they require constant washing? And while I do not mind the look of a dirty bicycle, I am wondering whether leaving the Rivendell like this for long can result in any sort of damage or corrosion? Your thoughts appreciated!

Desert Wild Flower

I don't

know what this plant is. It is one of the first to put on green leaves and bloom in the spring. It seems to be a native plant. The flowers are tiny, tiny on a long stem clustter of flowers. Leaves are long and stripped. Not much to look at but at least it doesn't have stickers on it.

Things I did ths week

1. Tasted Honeysuckle nectar.
I know that I am on the board of the South Carolina Exotic Plant Pest Council but I can't help loving this plant when it flowers! That scent signals the onset of summer for me. Bare feet, windows down, lightning bugs, screen doors. This is my time of year.2. Found 10 Killdeer Eggs.
Three nests and three shrieking momma birds. These birds love the gravel roadways of nurseries and they lay their eggs directly on the ground. You know that you are near a Killdeer nest because the mother will try to distract you by running from the nest dragging her wing. They are good actresses, playing the role of an injured bird.
3. Scouted a few nurseries.
This is best time of year to do what I do. Plants are flowering, trucks are being loaded and shipped to the garden centers and the weather is perfect. This wasn't one of the nurseries I scouted this week, but I love the way the different types of plants created a floral quilt across the hillside in this picture.

So, wow, I'm not that exciting!
But I'll take it.

Tombstone Tuesday :: JD and Della Quillen

Mandella Joslin, more commonly known as Della, was the 13th child of 15 born to Lydia Robison and Lysander Price Joslin in Whitley County, Indiana. Della was married to James Downey Quillen on July 30, 1884 in Barton County, Kansas. He went by James but more commonly was known as JD. Della and JD moved around quite frequently, residing, among other places, in Osage County, Kansas as well as Port Orchard, Kitsap County, Washington and Fountain Inn, Greeneville County, South Carolina.

Della and JD were the parents of five children:

1. Leroy "Roy" Quillen (1885-1917) and his wife Anna had a daughter, Pauline, who was born about 1911. He died in Winlock, Lewis County, Washington less than a month before his 32nd birthday.
2. Verni Robert Quillen (1887-1948), known as Robert, was a popular newspaper columnist in the 1930s and 40s when he resided in Greenville, SC. He was married twice and adopted a daughter.
3. Lydia Elizabeth Quillen (1893-1983) married Berthier Henry "Bert" Deason. They resided in Greenville, SC. No children were born to them.
4. Marjorie Quillen (1903-1903) was born on January 6th and passed away two weeks later on January 20th. She is buried in the Overbrook Cemetery, Osage County, Kansas.
5. Della Lucille Quillen (1909-..) was married to Donald Charles Agnew. He taught psychology and philosophy at several Universities and was president of Oglethorpe University in Atlanta, Georgia. They had two daughters, one of whom I have corresponded with.

JD and Della (Joslin) Quillen are buried in the Fountain Inn Municipal Cemetery, Greeneville County, South Carolina. In the photo above their graves are the last two flat markers on the far left.

DELLA JOSLIN / WIFE OF / J. D. QUILLEN / December 9, 1866 / February 7, 1943

J. D. QUILLEN / 1860-1919

The Grass is Always Greener...

As the summer season of bike shopping continues, some are still looking for the right bicycle while others have already snagged one. And if the emails I receive are any indication, those in the latter category are often plagued with "the grass is greener" regrets.



I bought a Dutch bike, but now I'm thinking it's kind of heavy. Should I have gotten a mixte?



I bought a mixte, but now I'm thinking it's kind of aggressive and twitchy. Should I have gotten a Dutch bike?



I bought a vintage bike, but the components are creaky and it seems unreliable. Wish I'd sucked it up and bought a new one.



I bought a new bike and sold my old rust bucket on C-List. Now I wish I hadn't, because the old one was so much more comfortable!



Look: I don't know what to tell you, except that all of these scenarios make sense. No bicycle is perfect. How do you think I ended up with three transportation bikes?... And even that has not made me immune to the "grass is always greener" effect. Having delivered the Pilen to the venue from whence it will be shipped to the give-away recipient, I am now nostalgic for its super-stable ride and off-road capacity. I remain haunted by the memories of riding Anna's ridiculously gorgeous Retrovelo last year. And seeing the Rivendell Betty Foy makes me wistful every time, just because it is so iconic.



I don't think there is a moral to this story, except that we humans are annoyingly indecisive, covetous creatures. And perhaps also that there is a greater choice for wonderful transportation bicycles out there than ever. Determine what your priorities are, conduct thorough test rides, and don't expect the impossible. No matter how wonderful your new bicycle is, you will always discover an aspect of it where the one you had been considering instead might have fared better.

Real weight?

Some times even I wonder just how important tracking you gear weights really is.



If you wonder as well take a quick look at what I used on Polar Circus in '08 and what I used on the same climb in similar conditions in '09, '10 and '11.



pack-CCW in ballistics nylon 2#6oz

boots-Nepal Evo 2#10.5oz

screws-12 -12cm Helix 60.7oz

belay parka-Mtn Hardware Compressor Hoody 19.8oz

soft shell-Arcteryx Gamma MX Hoody XL 24oz

pants-Arcteryx soft shell Bib large 30.3oz

helmet-Grivel Salamander 13.7oz

crampons-Grivel G12 full bot 35.6oz



total weight in 16.5#



pack-CCW Ozone, custom, 20" back, Spectra 1#9oz no lid

boots-Trango Evo Extreme GTX 2#3oz

screws-8 -12cm Helix 40.8oz

no belay parka

hard/soft shell-EB Frontpoint XL 18.5oz

pants-Gamma Lt large 12oz

helmet-Petzl Meteor III 7.9oz

Dartwin 1/2 bot 30.5oz



Total weight in 10.6#



How does that relate to effort in the real world? In '08 we climbed the route as fast as I ever have with a partner. In '09, with more comfort and significantly less effort than I have ever used on the climb and not actually trying to climb any faster than normal we almost cut that time in half! And in very similar conditions.





Even better I didn't add the weight savings of my gloves, harness, 'biners or inner layers all of which added up quickly as well for an additional significant weight savings. So my take is; it really is worth paying attention to what you buy and carry.





It is always a learning experience. The system I last used in warm conditions?



pack-REI Flash 18L 9.2oz -

boots-Scarpa Phantom Ultra 2#3.5oz +

screws-8-13cm BD Express 38.4oz -

Arcteryx Squawmish XL 5.6oz -

pants-Gamma Lt large 12oz =

helmet-Petzl Meteor III 7.9oz =

Stainess Sabertooth stripped/Neve heel 25.4oz -



Total weight 8.2#



And what I used in -30C temps early last winter?



CCW packs 1# 9oz



Spantiks 3#.05oz / 1362g



screws-12 -12cm Helix 60.7oz



Atom Lt Hoody 14.4oz / 429g



NWAlpine Salopettes 21.6oz / 612g



helmet-Petzl Meteor III 7.9oz =



Vertical front point crampons 39.4oz / 1116g



EB down pull over 15.4 oz / 455g





14.5#













Close ups of the upper tiers on Polar Circus.

BikeShare: Possibilities and Limitations

As I have already mentioned, Vienna has a fairly well developed bike share programme: Citybike. And as I have already mentioned, I do not use it. Partly the reasons for that are practical.

For a tourist who wants to explore the center of Vienna by bicycle, Citybike is great. It also works for locals who both live and work in the city center. Sadly, I work in an area of Vienna that is not covered by the Citybike network and there are no stations near my office. In order to commute to work and back, I would have to rent the bicycle for the entire day, which would be financially prohibitive: The rental costs are calculated on a sliding scale, where the first hour is free, but the second hour is 1 Euro, and subsequent hours are priced increasingly higher. According to this scale, it would cost me 30 Euro per day to commute to work and back - which would of course be madness.

Even to go for a short recreational ride before or after work is not an option, because the bike's basket does not accommodate my work bag.

This is the bag I carry to work when I am in Europe. It contains my laptop and the documents I need for the day. As you can see, it does not fit in the basket - and since it's a one-shoulder bag, cycling with it in traffic is not something I want to do. This bag goes with me to official meetings, and switching to a messenger-style bag would not be appropriate in my line of work. I think that any city implementing a bike share programme must take this factor into consideration. In my view, it is a design flaw when professionals are unable to use the bicycles because the basket will not accommodate a standard laptop-sized bag. As you can see below, there is no rear rack either.

For those who want to cycle in the center of Vienna as tourists, the Citybikes are certainly well fitted for this purpose: step-through frames with adjustable saddle height; swept-back handlebars for an upright sitting position, dressguards, a chainguard,

fenders and mudflaps,

non-slip pedals,

a wide saddle with springs that is probably fine on short rides,

and the newer Citybikes have 3 speeds, which is sufficient for the central (non-hilly) parts of Vienna.

An additional reason I do not rent Citybikes is that, frankly, I do not wish to turn myself into a mobile billboard. In the photo above, you can see the juxtaposition of the Citybike moto "Vienna for free!" (this refers to the first hour of rental being free of charge - though there is still an initiation fee of 1 Euro) and the yellow adverts for Raiffeisen Bank, as well as the white and red adverts for Gewista (a local advertising agency). Personally, I would rather pay a small fee for the first hour of rental, than advertise for a company I have no connection to - though I understand that others might be perfectly fine with this practice. In the meantime, I will continue to support local bike shops by renting from them whenever I need a bike in Vienna.