Climbing with Nuts and Bolts: Holiday Memories
As this holiday season draws to an end, I am reminded of the new and old memories that comes with this time of year. Have you ever heard of “nuts and bolts”; also known as Party Mix? It was a holiday tradition as I grew up. It marked the official beginning of the holiday season when my mom would spend a Saturday afternoon cooking this incredible concoction. The was pretty simple: Corn Chex, Rice Chex, Cheerios, pretzels, butter and Worcestershire sauce. Oh did I say butter? And her special addition were several cups of pecan halves. I remember seeing the cereal boxes spread out on our tiny kitchen counter, a large baking pan smeared with, you guessed it, butter and feeling the warmth from the oven as it preheated. The sound of the Chex hitting the pan rippled throughout the kitchen and brought smiles to our anxious faces. But we knew we had to wait so it was back to the television to pass the time. It took about an hour and half at a slow bake for all the seasonings to become embedded into the cereal. The occasional stir was the signal the time was getting closer. A sharp ting from the timer was music to our ears as we rushed to the kitchen only to be told, “Now it has to cool.” What! This was torture 🙂 Back to the TV for another episode of Star Trek or perhaps half of football. Our attention was mixed as the smell gave away the future. We had one eye on the TV, our nose sniffing the air like bloodhounds and our ears pointed towards the kitchen like kitties on alert The next sound gave it all away, mom using the big spoon, pushed the precious from the pan into a tin cookie container. I swear she used the same ones for 20 years! But it didn’t matter and the race had begun. She handed one still warm tin to me or my brother and carefully hid the other. She knew she had to pace us throughout the season! Today I would cringe at the nutritional analysis but it didn’t matter to 11 year-olds – or even 30 year-olds later in life! Each of us had a strategy to eat the Nuts and Bolts. My brother went for the pecans, my dad liked the pretzels, I loved a Rice Chex smothered in almost burned Worcestershire sauce. And my mom, well she just stood back and smiled at the entire scene content to pick at whatever was left over. And so it went. With admonishments not spoil our dinner or that we just ate, we would dive in before dinner, after dinner and sometimes during dinner each night from just after Thanksgiving to as long as the stash held out. A few years ago during Christmas, I asked my mom if she remembered Nuts and Bolts. With her sense of humor still in tact she reached for a screw holding her hospital bed and asked me if this was what I meant? No, I replied with a laugh and went on to describe that wonderful holiday tradition where she would mix and cook and serve and hide and … You often hear about all the stress around the holidays but today I remember Nuts and Bolts, the good time, the lifelong memories. So what does this have to do with climbing? Nothing and everything. I am sure you climbers out there thought this article would be a discussion of cams, stoppers and pro! You know, what I would give for a bag of mom’s Nuts and Bolts as a snack on the summit! We could always make some ourselves but it would not be the same. 2010 was a good year. Lot’s of new memories of time with family, friends and a lot of climbs. I finished climbing the Colorado 14ers. It was the year we launched The 7 Summits Climb for Alzheimer’s: Memories are Everything. The first summit of the 7 with Mt. Vinson in Antarctica. The first series of donations all towards finding a cure for Alzheimer’s. And 2011 will be even better. The climbing will continue with the remaining 7 Summits, including Everest in April and May and Kilimanjaro in September – please consider joining this one! We are excited to have more extensive coverage of the campaign to reach more people. And we are hopeful that more progress will be made by researchers and support for caregivers. A major event will be the signing by President Obama of the National Alzheimer’s Project Act (NAPA). This act would require the department of Health and Human Services to create a strategic plan for the federal government’s role in fighting Alzheimer’s disease, form an advisory council, and coordinate research, care, institutional services, and home- and community-based programs. This will put Alzheimer’s on a similar path taken by the Government for AIDS and cancer. However, donations are still needed to fund research. Bill sponsor Senator Susan Collins in this New York Times article mentions: While the act itself does not authorize more money, one of the recommendations of the national plan “is likely to be for an increase in research money for Alzheimer’s,” said another co-sponsor of the bill, Senator Susan Collins, Republican of Maine. “We spend one penny on research for every dollar the federal government spends on care for s with Alzheimer’s,” she said. “That just doesn’t make sense. We really need to step up the investment.” There is still time for a 2010 donation. Also please tell your friends about our 7 Summits climb and follow along throughout 2011. My to all of you and your families. I hope your holiday memories last a lifetime. Climb On! Alan Memories are Everything
Taking Photos of the 7 Summits
As I prepare to leave for the first of my 7 Summits climb – all to raise awareness and research funds for Alzheimer’s, ment recording my climbs is a serious consideration. Taking photos in extreme conditions is often as challenging as the climb itself. So I asked 2010 Everest summiter, Brad Jackson, his thoughts. This Australian takes stunning photos and knows a trick or two. This is his advice to me and useful for anyone looking to take great photos on any climb. By the way, Sandy, Brad’s wife, summited along with him in 2010. Thanks Brad! ColdSnap – Some thoughts on taking photos in the mountains. Over the next year we shall eagerly follow Alan’s journey to climb the highest peaks on every continent to raise money for Alzheimer’s research. For some of us, a large part of the joy of climbing is to try and capture some of the splendor of the world’s highest places. Taking photos at altitude and in the cold takes some special techniques and I shall try and outline some of the main considerations of high altitude photography with an emphasis on what worked for me on Everest this year. For starters, prior to almost any trip, I like to review what I consider some of the websites for mountain photography from Jake Norton, Jon Griffiths and Alexandre Buisse. 90% of success is showing up If I was to summarize the three websites above and my own experience, the advice for climbing photography is to have a system where you can readily access your camera. It doesn’t matter whether you shoot with a point and shoot or a full frame dSLR, the camera needs to be accessible. For dSLR use, Alexandre uses a shoulder bag, Jake a fanny pack or for those of us with Commonwealth sensibilities, a bum bag. Plus I like Jake’s idea of having some chemical hand warmers with his camera. Myself, I have been experimenting with a holster system from cottoncarrier.com and camera ‘pockets from Aarn. Regardless, if your camera is in your backpack, you might as well be carrying a rock. For those of you who prefer a point and shoot camera, I use a simple pouch, which attaches to my backpacks shoulder strap, although for temperatures consistently less than -10° C, you will probably need to keep your camera more on person. Powering the Beast How does one keep all this electronic gear up and running? On Alan’s shorter trips, he can probably get away with carrying some spare lithium batteries and keeping them warm. If you are organized enough, I like Alexandre’s idea of keeping 1 battery for climbing and another battery for shooting around camp. On Everest, a 2-month trip there are basically 3 choices to keep batteries charged and this year, I used a combination of all three. For starters, on the way through the Khumbu valley, one can charge batteries at most teahouses. The price for charging rising with the altitude as do all the costs associated with teahhouses. Secondly most commercial expeditions will have charging facilities consisting of solar panels, 12 v car batteries and possibly a small generator as backup. This is generally the most cost efficient option for charging batteries. The downside is that you will need all the skills of Machiavelli to access the 2 charging points amongst perhaps 20 climbers. And in the past sat phones have taken priority (This now may change considering the recent installment of a a cell phone tower at Gorak Shep) Thirdly, as we call it in Australia, there is the BYO option. That is to bring your own solar panel and device to convert the suns rays to DC. Most systems now involve the use of a portable battery which sucks up the suns rays and then can discharge to the device of your choice. For my phone, I used a powdermonkey. For cameras, there are systems from explorersweb.com and I noted with interest in the November 2010 Climbing magazine a device from Goal0.com. (Interesting to note that the cover of the magazine is from Alexandre Buisse) CanNikOlySonPenPan The dreaded what camera question. When I was researching cameras to take photos of Everest from the summit, I did a Flickr search of cameras used on Everest summit. What did I find? Just that about every camera from every manufacturer seems to have made it to the summit. For example I love this photo taken from just below the Everest summit. The photo was taken with what I would consider a fairly dinky Casio camera. (http://www.flickr.com/photos/radson/4852171653 I also know many people who have been unable to take photos from the summit. So what does that tell us? Well, summit day can have remarkably different temperatures, from probably -15 to – 40 °, so if you are unlucky enough to be at the top in a brutal -40 °. Skip the photo shoot, just get down fast and save your fingers and toes. For more ‘reasonable’ temperatures, the only reason I took photos on summit was that I had a spare battery in a pocket on my thermal underwear (for the gear heads, the Patagonia r1 hoody has a handy pocket) Even though my Point and shoot camera was in a pocket inside my down suit, the battery had died (battery hypothermia) by the time I pulled it out at the south summit. At that point, I put the new battery in and it worked perfectly…. ..and yes replacing batteries in a small camera at 8,700 m is a delicate task. For the big cold mountains, I would recommend the pro-sumer cameras from the main camera manufacturers. They generally have buttons that might actually be used with gloves on. The more chic lightweight cameras have buttons designed for the fingers of malnourished preteens. A further note. When taking pics higher up, no matter how clunky the buttons, you will generally have to take off your glove or mitten to take a pic. Gloves or
Gear Review: SteriPEN
If you have ever had bad water on a long backpacking trip, or even a trek, medical you know it can be the end – literally! In my time, I had come to depend on filtration pumps or iodine to bad water so when SteriPEN came out with a small, lightweight device that used ultraviolet light to water, it caught my eye. But it has been a bit expensive. Early in 2010, REI sent out their annual dividend so combined with a 20% , I picked up the SteriPEN Adventurer model for about half of the retail $100. After five months of heavy use, I though a review was in order. Click the link for all the details. But the bottom line is I like the SteriPEN. It is small, simple and fast. I like knowing my water is ed without chemicals and appreciate the maintenance free aspect of the technology. Gear Review: SteriPEN Adventurer Climb On! Alan
Gear Review: Tents, Poles and Packs oh my!
One of the benefits of climbing is it requries gear. As they say, the difference between men and boys is the price of their toys. This goes for the ladies but it doesn’t rhyme as well. Anyway, ed I really don’t a lot of gear anymore since I have my favorites but when I do I research my options and try to get what I think fits my needs. Sometimes it works, thumb other times, it is a learning experince. I just posted three new reviews for items I am using quite a bit this summer in my Colorado mountains. First up is the Black Diamond Trail Shock Trekking Poles, an invaluable item to keep my old knees, well old. Next my goto backpacking tent, the Big Agnes Seedhouse 2. A 3-season model that has seen some tough times. And finally, a new addition to my pack collection; the REI Flash Pack. I use it as a summit pack after a long and heavy approach. My goal with the reviews is a quick read that shares my real-life experience with a bottom line for each review. Read more on these at the Gear Review. One more thing, I will be attending the Outdoor Retailer show in Salt Lake City in August 2010 where I will see the latest in climbing, camping and outdoor gear. I am excited to see if I need to update my favorites with the latest. I will be tweeting from the show and posts some thoughts when I return. Climb On! Alan
Gear Reviews: Ice Tools, Base Layers and Gloves
One of the great things about climbing after Christmas is chance to try out all those new toys you got over the holidays as gifts or on . And I am guilty as charged! I recently went ice climbing in Ouray and then made the summit of Colorado 14er, Quandary Peak in temps well below zero and winds gusting over 30 mph. Perfect time to try out new gear. In Ouray, I used my new Black Diamond Cobra ice tools for the first time. I had bought them on at the BD site and was anxious to see if they lived up to their well-earned reputation – I was not disappointed. Over on Quandary, the harsh conditions were perfect to try out some new products from First Ascent, their merino wool base layers plus my new Hestra leather gloves. Let me say, my body never got cold. To read all the details, check out the reviews on each piece at Gear Review. Climb On! Alan
Support Haiti Relief
Those who want to make an immediate contribution, check there is a quick and easy way to do so. By texting “HAITI” to “90999” a donation of $10 will be made to the Red Cross and charged to your cell phone bill.
2010 Digital Photography
Welcome to a new decade! And as you would expect, technology leads the way with cameras at the center stage. Most hikers, trekkers and climbers love to take pictures from their perils so picking the right camera is important. I have updated a long time section of my site for the latest technology now available in 2010. Probably the most exciting announcement in the past year or so was a brand new format called Micro Four Thirds. The promise is of a camera with the performance of a DSLR in the size of a point and shoot. Panasonic and Olympus are leading the way trying to put long time leaders Nikon and Canon on the defensive. However there is a lot of action in the point and shoot and Digital SLR markets as well. Manufactures have come to their senses and have slowed the megapixel race and in some cases dropped back. By now, consumers are starting to understand that more is not better with respect to megapixels. Simply put, a 4mp camera with a great lens can take a better picture than a 12mp model. But we have been trained that a big number is better than a small number so most cameras today start at 8mp and most at 10-12mp. Sadly these result in poor pictures. Video has come a long way with most cameras now offering some form of high quality video and many with full 1080p HD video. This is now available on some DSLRs, something new in the past year. Dedicated video cameras continue to evolve as well including some inexpensive flip cameras that offer great convenience while at the cost of quality video. And what about cameras in your phone? That is another entire story. Apple’s iPhone seems to be leading the way with features and software but decent pictures are available from Nokia and Sony Erikson as well. So if you want to catch up or just read about digital photography, visit the Digital Photography page. Climb On! Alan
New on www.alanarnette.com
When I started this website almost a decade ago, my vision was to simply share my experiences through introspective and candid reporting. That has not changed however the site has evolved over the years so let’s take a brief look back before we look forward. All of my 16+ big climbs including Denali, Aconcagua and the 3 to Everest had extensive coverage that included live dispatches, gear lists, an FAQ page plus an extensive collection of pictures presented in a gallery format with a sideshow presentation. Every Colorado 14er summit has it’s own page – 52 at this point. Over time, I added pages on climbing gear, reviews, guides and links to other climbing oriented sites and a community forum for discussions. Of course, I have some editorials and Mimi even had her own Blog for a few years. However, my annual coverage of Everest generates the most visits. Today, the site’s objectives and content remain the same but my purpose has expanded. In August 2009, my mom, Ida, died from Alzheimer’s after a 8 year struggle. Now, as an added purpose, I hope my visitors will learn a bit about this devastating disease and make a donation for research through the Cure Alzheimer’s Fund. Starting in 2010, I hope to add coverage of my 7 Summits climbs to raise Alzheimer’s awareness and funds if we can get a partner to help with the PR to reach the millions required to raise a million dollars. Two new dedicated Blogs are now part of the site. The Blog@alanarnette.com (clever name huh?) serves as the main place for my thoughts on general topics and all things mountaineering. The second Blog, Everest 2010 Season Coverage, will be the home for my annual coverage of the spring Everest season including insight, interviews and team locations. Both are available on iPhones in an easy to read format. The main site will continue to be updated frequently and will remain the home for all dedicated pages on climbs. I suggest starting at the home page to navigate to all other content. And, of course, I am active on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube. Finally, I am honored to now be a regular contributor to Outside Online, the website of Outside Magazine. Thanks everyone for your visits and support of my climbing, Alzheimer’s research, my mom and family. I hope you have a great holiday season and a wonderful 2010. Climb On! Alan
A Month with a Mac
It has been about a month since we replaced our Windows PCs with iMacs so I thought a quick report was in order. I am glad to report – all is fine. As I posted on November 19, we replaced an HP and Dell PC running Windows XP with two iMacs. The installation and data transfers were simple. And the learning curve fast. We both have standard configurations with 4 MB and are pleasantly surprised at the speed. Alan’s World I also do a ton of surfing and email but a fair amount of managing digital images and music. For these task, I love my 27” iMac, especially the ability to have multiple windows open and accessible. But I go beyond some standard tasks with content for my websites. As I mentioned in the first post, for $79, I d the Windows emulator, Parallels, that allows me to run all my previous Windows apps on my iMac. Overall, I have been pleasantly surprised with this app. I regularly run Dreamweaver, Photoshop and Quicken via Parallels. Interestingly, these apps runs at least twice as fast as on my old PC. My only gripe was a caps lock issue but in an update last week, this has been fixed by Parallels. Also, I am not thrilled how the fonts are displayed but it is manageable. Anyway, I saved almost $1000 by spending $79 and not ing new Mac versions of these apps. But, over time, I will. Behind the Screens On the system admin side of things, the network is invisible, the backups to the Time Capsule are automatic and OS updates happen almost without notice. This last item was bit of a surprise in how many updates Apple suggests – very similar to Windows but without the hassle and time. My only real complaint thus far is learning the cursor functions of page up/down, backspace, delete, etc. I quickly learned the red, yellow, green window buttons but Apple seems overly complicated on managing the cursor and text. Another app that needs improvement is Apple’s email. It is too simple when compared to Outlook. The simplistic signature feature is annoying as is the spell checker. It seems to take one more step than on Windows to do some simple tasks. While on the subject of apps, I downloaded Picasa as my image management tool and forgot iPhoto altogether. However, many Apple apps are integrated with iPhoto making me wish iPhoto was my primary photo app; but I can’t live with it’s issues. However, the Preview app that comes will iMacs is surprisingly powerful with it’s re-size, crop, annotation features. It almost replaces Photoshop for most simple image manipulation. Looking Back, Going Forward OK, with my gripes aside, we love our new iMacs and will never go back to Windows and those boring boxes from HP, Dell and others. As for support, I don’t know; I haven’t used it. And that is a good thing. As I said, I will pay a premium for excellence in design and engineering. There is a reason Apple market share has double in PCs recently – they are simply better. Climb On! Alan
Alan to Blog for Outside Magazine
I am extremely excited to announce that starting today, cheap I am a regular blogger for Outside Magazine’s Online website. After watching my annual coverage of the Everest climbing season the past few years, plus the content on my own site from my own adventures I was approached by Editor Joe spring to join their team. I am honored to join such excellent bloggers as Stephen Regenold of the Gear Junkie. In addition to sharing my experiences and a passion for mountaineering, this is also a wonderful opportunity to raise visibility for Alzheimer’s causes. I am most grateful to Outside for supporting my efforts. In fact, I will be in the December print issue which discuss climbers who climb for causes. This is how my first blog started: Recently while designing new business cards, I considered my title. With my early retirement after 30 years in high tech, I needed a new title and “retired” just didn’t fit. I considered many choices but couldn’t settle on just one. Thus these three made it on the card: Speaker, Mountaineer, Alzheimer’s Advocate. And with this new blog for Outside, I probably need to add writer. Hi, I’m Alan Arnette and welcome to my blog. Some of you may know me from my own climbs and annual coverage of Mt. Everest on my website www.alanarnette.com. With new blog for Outside, I hope to share my own adventures plus my thoughts on the world of mountaineering. And there is another objective; but let’s wait for a moment on that. You can read the rest of my first post at the Outside site. Thanks Outside!