Black Diamond Prime Ski boot

Here is BD's catalog speil:



The Prime is Black Diamond's premier lightweight alpine touring boot-designed to tackle the world's most challenging ski mountaineering routes or simply to save your legs for one last powder lap. This is our lightest alpine touring boot, featuring a unique 3.5-buckle design that skis with the stiffness and control of a 4-buckle boot. Its state-of-the-art construction keeps weight to an absolute minimum, while our revolutionary Pivoting Cuff Technology delivers the ultimate combination of freedom of motion in walk mode and instant power transfer in ski mode.





Black Diamond Prime Ski Boot Features:

• Lightweight (1.64 kg) 3-buckle alpine touring boot with 4-buckle performance

• Triax Pivot Frame with Flex 110 and unmatched 40° of resistance-free touring motion

• Efficient Fit AT Light Liner with lightweight Boa closure system

• Rockered, rubber outsole with integrated tech inserts provides dramatic grip and durability

• Weight Per Pair: 7lbs. 4oz.

• Flex Index: 110

• Number of Buckles: 3







Here is mine:



In the past I've spent a lot of time in ski boots. Over a decade working full time at ski areas in different jobs including pro patrol, avalanche control and a tiny bit of teaching. I've back country ski guided on 3 pin, tele gear and AT gearand heli skied. All of it in the NW or western Canada. Right up till this week.



I've had some great boots and some not so great boots. But a warm boot and one that fit my foot hasn't been all that hard to come by. I had orthotics made for me in the early '80s and continue to use a good footbed, custom made for my feet and stance.



So I was pretty stoked to get a new alpine touringboot knowing what was in store for me this winter in France. Having generallyskied in a competition style boot I was looking for ski/boot performance over a super light weight boot. Although I might rethink that decision on my next pair. No matter, comfort is the real key for me in any boot, climbing or skiing.



The Black Diamond Prime is a three buckle boot that uses a Y strap on the first buckle to avoid the 4th buckle and save a tiny bit of weight. But as a "new generation" AT boot, it is not light weight by any measure.



But theydo indeed ski very well.Pretty much like a performace ski boot from what I can tell. Nothing lacking on this boot for performance...I could use it on a pair of old school 207cm GS skis cruising at mach 1 and be happy with the support.



In the morning walking the 15 minutes to the Midi tram from my apartment here in Chamonix I curse the walk mode. My toes are banging, the rigid sole is....well rigid There is never enough flex in a ski boot to make them walk "well." They may walk but it isn't going to be a pleasure. The skiday hereisgenerally half dozenruns and 20 THOUSAND vertical feet if I can stand up that long. By then I am happy to unlatch and unbuckle for the walkfrom the train to the coffee house. And I love how easy the Primes walk then and the finaltwo blocks back to the apartment.



Life isn't hard on AT boots or your feet here unless you make it that way.



So they ski great, and they walk...like a few of the betterAT boots I figure. Which is well enough to keep you from crying at the end of the day here in Chamonix or on the long day trips at Rodgers pass...where the train is generally avoided.



Butttttttttt?! There is always a but. I didthree trips to my local boot fitter at home with these boots before I left. Which is excessive even for me.The inner boot was tight. Too tight. You get the idea....it was getting ugly. All to no avail. Each time we remeasured the shell. Remember I wanted a "performace fit". Each time we all agreed the shell was perfect. Calls to BD Custoemr service and discussions with guys there who actually wear the same size climbing boot as me, all...once more.....agreed on shell size.



Two of the trips to the boot fitter at home would have been ski days. But the boots were killing me. The third trip I just flatly ran out of time to ski in them againbefore flying to France.But they were a bit better with each visit. "Better" being a relative term.



First run herewas a 15K and 5000 of vertical down from 11K feet. Think skiing from the summit of Mt. Hood to the parking lot at Meadows...or whereever 10 miles and a 5000 ft drop in elevation would put you.







At 10K feet I had to have helppulling my boot off and message away a cramp. Unbelievably hard to get the boot off let alone back on at home. Imagine that in 40mph winds and -15C. I have never been happy with the Boa system on any boot I have used. And the liners on the Primes just reinforce that opinion.The Boa sucks. One of the most unplesant 4 hrs I have ever spent in any boot finishing up the Mer De Glace. and walking home from the train. And that includes walking off the summit of Rainier as my toes unthawed. This was worse that walking down from Muir in socks.



My next move was find a BD ski boot dealer in Chamonix. And most importantly someone who was REALLY good at fitting boots.Easy enough to do here. Ths place is over flowing with good gear shops and expert staff. (amazing really just how many and how good!)



No problem they tell me..10 Euro per boot. They take 20 minutes looking at, measuring and marking my boot shells and liners. I am a little worried. The guys at home are good and I am beginning to think this boot will never be comfortable on my feet. I'm in Chamonix for chrimney sake...I have to have ski boots I can wear just to get to the climbs. And the skiing? No place has skiing like Chamonix.



As I am leaving I notice that have several different models of Palau custom liners on one little corner wall. Palaus are kinda like Intuition Liners back in the States just better made over all. I own a pair Intuition myself. But I also have some Palau liners made for the La Sportiva Baruntse I use in my Spantiks. The Palau liner is amuch better liner that the Intuition imo. I turn around and we start the bootfitting converstion all over again.



Over lapping tongue on the Palau is much easier to get in and out of than the Boa on the BD liner. Liners are warmer as well besides the obvious added comfort (dbl tongue for example) even if the BD liner did actually fit.



The retail sales mentality is different in France. You aren't goingto be pushed into buying anything. Lucky in fact if you can get the sales staff to help you, let alone answer a question. Sometimes it is annoying. But I kind of like it generally. You can look at anything and no one will bug you asking, "can I help you?" Which can so often sound like "buy something or get the hell out of here!" in the USA. When I start asking questions on the Palauliners I am politely told they didn't want to sell me something I didn't need. But going on, in their opinion, as a BD dealer,all the BD boots came with liners too small for the shell. Which certainly would seem to be my problem when looking at and trying to fit my factory liners. And the boot fitter goes on, "almost every BD boot they have sold had the liner replaced with a Palau".



BD boots are notcheap here! But it does say something for the performance of the BD shell.



Theopinions expressed by theStaff after I was fittted and the liners were paid for were even more to the point. Sanglard, Chamonix's premier ski boot fitter.













20 minutes and 150 Euro later the Palua "Soft" liners were expertly fitted and molded with my orthodics. Same orthotics that I couldn't even get in the BD liners. The next day I skied 15K vert in 2 hours and spent a total of 5 hrs in my boots walking, eating a great lunch and skiing. I dropped off a nice bottle of wine that night formysales person/ boot fitter.



Happy now in his new liners on the start of the 15k run down from the Midi.







I now like my BD Primes. But it might wellbe a one night stand, 'cuz I aint in love.



Palau liners...designed, patented , serial numberedand made in France.

BD Boa liners.... designed in SLC, made in Thailand

http://www.ets.palau.fr/



For more on AT ski gear, gear reviews and opinions, this is the US destination on the internet:



http://www.wildsnow.com/





Palau liners in my Primes.

Red Rose

The Bear Run trail run challenge

The welcome sign behind the barn - maps located here

I've lived in Southwestern PA all my life, but have yet to explore the trails of Bear Run Nature Reservein Mill Run. Its located on Route 381 between Normalville and Ohiopyle. I've had no particular reason for not going, I guess there were always other places being explored. Several climbing buddies even told me of some climbing that exists here. I always thought of checking it out as I sped by on the way to one of the normal destinations, but never did. This past spring Laura and I stopped and walked a short section of the trails while birding. I must say the birding was good, Hemlocks amazing, and the forested trails very inviting.





Yesterday I had to work in the morning but my afternoon was free. I wanted to go run and started discussing options with Laura. She brought up the idea of trying Bear Run. At Bear Run none of the individual trails are over 3 miles, but together they add up to about 20 interconnected miles. For the backpackers out there, they also offer a few campsites for overnight trips. Registration is easy right at the parking lot behind the barn. It was time to map an interesting route. I read a little about the trails online while Laura started getting out maps and books with additional information. After studying the options for a while, I settled on running the perimeter of the whole trail system. This run would end up being about 11.5 +/- miles and a great distance for some higher speed running. It looked easy to follow on paper, at each intersection, turn right. I'm not sure about other areas, but locally some trails are blazed and work well most of the year, but summer months can bring on thick vegetation which blocks the view of blazes and chokes out "established" trails turning them into navigational nonsense. I was hoping this wasn't the case at such a popular area.I pulled into Bear Run and parked in the lot at the trail head (TH) behind the main barn building. There are paper maps available right at the parking lot to help guide you on this journey if you feel like giving it a whirl. Being somewhat unfamiliar with the trails, I picked up two just in case one got ruined or lost. I really didn't feel like stumbling out at midnight on a short distance, training run. Especially since I was starting later in the day. The trails are mostly marked with upright posts at the intersections. They display the trail name and direction of travel arrows to make things easier...

Starting point of route, Registration Board at the trail head

Here's the route: Clock starts at the registration board - (TH) kiosk. Start on Arbutus, turning right onto Wintergreen, follow Wintergreen about a mile to the intersection with Warbler. At the end of Warbler, turn right onto Hemlock (a little chin scratching, blaze hunting was done several times on this one), follow Hemlock to a confusing downhill intersection at the campsite. (Hint) From the campsite basically make a quick switchback right onto the logging road (Bear Run trail.) Its blazed red/maroon, although you'll have to travel several hundred yards to find one. Many are hidden behind new growth along this section. Just after the turn you'll encounter some awesome boulders right on the trail (hint, hint to any climbing friends still reading).Follow the (I'm guessing seldom used?) Bear Run trail to the intersection with Tulip Tree trail (freshly blazed red), but unmarked I believe. Turn right and follow this incredible, rocky, freshly revamped trail to the intersection of Laurel Run trail. Follow Laurel Run trail all the way to a crossing at route 381. Cross the hardtop road and continue on Laurel Run to Peninsula trail. This intersection is tricky so pay attention or you'll add an out and back hill climb to your run too. Near the end of Peninsula trail, you'll come to Paradise Overlook (a rock outcropping that offers a view of the Youghiogheny River below. From there follow the trail uphill to a gravel road. Turn left onto the gravel road(Tissue trail)and follow it back to route 381. The entrance to Bear Run (the starting point) is across the road. Finish the run at the same sign where you began.

Paradise Overlook

My first try at this run was 1:47:21. I was off trail several times, referenced my map too much, stopped for a couple photos, yet ran my ass off to set a benchmark for myself and others. My experience was top notch and I highly recommend it to trail runners looking for new places to venture. Seemed like hard work despite its shorter distance. Route finding proved to be a little more difficult than I expected. Now knowing the route I look forward to trying this one again. There's some long moderate hills, short steep hills, high speed technical rocks on (my favorite part) Tulip Tree trail. Thick sections, Stinging Nettles, even an oozing deer carcass that currently requires a surprise long jump! All kinds of trail goodies. I really enjoyed the many types of forest , wildlife and vegetation that you encounter on this run. As I ran I identified birds by call to pass the time. I heard Black-throated Blue warbler, Black-Throated Green warbler, Wood Thrush, Veery, Rose Breasted Grosbeak, Scarlet Tanager, American Robin, Indigo Bunting, Field Sparrow, Eastern Wood Pewee, and Red-bellied woodpecker. Others were present I'm sure, these are what I remembered.




If you happen to try this one, please share your experience. I'm sure someone can run this much faster (I'm surely going to try). I hope to get other runners motivated to come give it their all. How fast can this be done? A friendly challenge if you will... Come try it, you won't be sorry! (printable trail map)

Embracing Wrinkles

One question I am often asked about cycling to work, is how to avoid wrinkles on business and formal attire. I don't have many pictures of myself dressed up, but I do cycle in suits and dresses that fall into the business/ formal category. And rather than avoid wrinkles, I tend to choose clothing that either doesn't wrinkle easily, or that is meant to look wrinkled. This habit is a hold-over from a life of constant travel combined with a hatred of dry-cleaning and ironing boards, and it lends itself well to cycling. Here are some suggestions I can make from personal experience.

My go-to fabric for looking presentable in the warmer months is linen (shown above). I own several linen skirt and pant suits, and I mix and match them to create a variety of outfits. People tend to think of linen as a limited, "afternoon tea at a resort" sort of fabric, but in fact it comes in many weights and textures. A dark, crisply tailored linen suit can look formal, while a pastelgauzy linen dress can look whimsical. But what all linens have in common is that they actually look good wrinkled; wrinkles are part of their "personality." That's what makes them great for tossing into a suitcase, and it's also what allows me to get on and off the bike as many times as I want without worrying whether my skirt needs to be frantically smoothed out before a meeting.

I am also a fan of "twist-dried" designs. There may be a formal name for this process that escapes me, so someone please help me out. But what I mean is that there is a style of shirts, skirts, even evening dresses where the wrinkles are part of the garment's very design. This is achieved by drying the article of clothing in a wrung-out, or twisted manner. The resulting wrinkles are clearly intentional. They add a sense of structure and the illusion of subtle colour variation to the fabric once it is dry. Typically, the twist-dried effect is produced by the manufacturer, but you can create it on your own by simply drying any shirt, skirt, or dress (crisp cottons and silks with no pockets work best) in this fashion. Having wrinkles as an inherent design element of your outfit eliminates the need to worry about them.



To some extent, the same idea can be generalised to textured fabrics. Tweed, seersucker, lace, embroidery - the texture both disguises wrinkles and somewhat prevents them from forming.



If your dress code limits you to more conventional suiting, I have found that wool skirts and trousers tend to be more forgiving as far as wrinkling goes than other fabrics. They still wrinkle, just less so. Not getting on and off the bicycle saddle every time I stop (but leaning the bike and putting a toe down instead) has been helpful in preventing wrinkles from forming as well.

Of course for dresses there is wool jersey, though it has become increasingly more difficult to find ready-made. I've been working with a designer to help create a cycling-specific dress with a couple of interesting features, and one reason we chose jersey is for its non-wrinkling properties. While I prefer wool or bamboo jersey, cotton jersey and various artificial blends work well in this respect also and are easier to find in stores.IbexandIcebreakerhave begun to make wool jersey dresses, and while theirs tend to lean toward the more casual, it's a promising sign. The nice thing about jersey fabrics, is that they not only resist wrinkling, but also have some give to them, allowing you to move easier on the bike.



One last suggestion I can make for those whose clothing is wrinkle-prone, is to try throwing a coat on over the outfit. Granted, this works best in cooler weather, with stiff wool coats. But in warmer weather even a thin trenchcoat can be helpful.

While cycling to work is easy if your typical wardrobe already lends itself to it, I think it's important to address the concerns of those who would like to ride in their regular clothing but, for whatever reason, find it impractical. Sometimes it is a matter of having the right bike or accessories, other times it's a matter of making minor alterations to your wardrobe without inherently changing the way you dress. What are yours strategies for dealing with wrinkles and other forms of dishevelment that cycling may impose on your clothing? If it were crucial in your line of work to always look crisp and impeccably groomed, would you still ride to work?

More Plumerias...

Will my obsession with them ever stop?

Solo

An early-blooming Pacific coast iris.

Albuquerque

This was my best photo actually looking down at Albuquerque, NM from Sandia Crest. It was hazey this day, on better days you can actually make out buildings and streets in Albuquerque, and with field glasses you can see my house way, way west, almost 100 miles west of the mountains.

Snow

I took this photo from our kitchen window looking over to our neighbors house.

Last Leg of The Journey

Mom and I sit together for one last cup of coffee and remember our times together here in Greece with this family who have so generously given us their time and opened up their hearts and home to us. George trys so hard to convey his thoughts to us pondering over each word he speaks. One morning comes to mind. When we first arrived he was not feeling well, and on the third morning he tells me of a problem he has been having. "One of my organs is upsetting me." I sat in stunned silence waiting for which organ it could possibly be. He goes on to say, his stomach is upset . I breath a sigh of relief.
Another day we talk about the driving of people of a "Big age." Of course we will not mention any one in particular at this time.
Chrissa is all things to all people. If you even mention an item or place you would like to have or see, she will say, "It is nothing." She runs for everyone.
On the big market day they close off the streets, and vendors are everywhere.
They sell clothing- which they throw on tables in huge mounds, and one must paw through it to acquire the item wanted-house wares, fish, nuts, and fruits.)
Chrissa went to the market 3 times with 3 different people. She buys us two enormous bags of fresh oregano. We will try to get thru customs with this and hope we are not thrown in jail for its resemblance to marijuana.
She does banking needs, jewlery stores, optical etc. etc. etc. Her mother, who lives below requires a lot of attention as well so it isn't just us that she does for.
(We would like to take her home with us.) We will miss that fresh bread each morning, and the tomatoes will be just a fond memory. On our best day for tomatoes in America they don't hold a candle to the worst tomato from Chrissa's tomato man.
We will now spend the rest of this day packing and trying to put their home back the way we found it. Ellie will prepare one more sumptious meal for us and then it will be time for the long trip home. Our personal taxi driver, Panos, will arrive around 4:00 to take us to the airport. Our first leg of the trip will take us to London, where we will spend the night at an airport Hotel. Onward to home sweet home. We have had a terrific time but there truly is no place like home.
Thaaat's all folks.
We Three

Murphy

Murphy admiring a couple of the last morning glories we had just before all my annuals froze. I already miss the new flowers that were waiting for me to see them each morning when I got up.

Sun in Smoke

I tried several different shutter speeds and setting trying to get a shot of the sun with all the smoke in front of it to come out the firey red that it looked like to me, but it just wouldn't come out.

Heat wave and route condition updates

The temperatures at Paradise hovered in the high 70's all day today while Camp Muir fixated in the mid-50's. For the past couple of days it's been VERY warm, and those trends are going to continue. This sort of news is great for sunbathing but not so great for the snowpack.

There has been quite a bit of upper-mountain action over the past week. Dan McCann of UT recently ripped the Disappointment Cleaver on tele-boards (see that line in the lower center of this photo? It's his!). And rumor has it, some gnarly NW skiers are headed for the Mowich Face this weekend!

More climbing updates can be found on the Emmons, DC and Ptarmigan Ridge routes. As for the Emmons, there was some interesting action on the Inter Glacier approach, proving that you could be killed while hiking to high camp! In other words, be "heads up" for the possibility of massive rockfall and snowslides. [Ed.: stratovolcanoes are "geologic junkpiles]

In other photographic news, Eric Simonson, with Paul Baugher piloting the airplane, provided the aerial image of the upper DC , Ingraham and Emmons. Climbing ranger Stoney Richards took a number of GREAT route images on the following lines: Gib Ledges and Gib Chute, Ptarmigan Ridge, Mowich Face and South Tahoma Headwall. Check them out in the updated route reports!

Indian Runner Ducks

We ordered Indian Runner Ducks from a hatchery. I expected them to look like the pictures in the catalog.

Here is what they really look like:



Somewhat upright, especially compared to the Mallard, but not exactly the bowling-pin posture we were led to expect.

And I was a bit disappointed when the yellow fuzz of the Fawn and White ducklings gave way to the mishmash of colors that barely resembled the catalog drawings.



At least the black ducks' color was mostly correct.

Notice that the black duck in the foreground has a couple of white feathers though. I thought it was kind of cute when they first appeared. A black duck with a few stray "white hairs".

Now that they've molted, she can't seem to decide what color she wants to be.

SWPA ice climbing season continues (without ice)

This is by far the worst ice season I've encountered in my 15 years of South Western PA ice climbing. The 10 day forecast isn't looking so favorable either. This morning the Laurel Highlands were dusted with a little snow. Enough to motivate me to load up a full winter kit and set off for the woods in search of some new climbs. I figured if nothing else i'd get some mileage in whilst bushwhacking through the greenbriar filled jungles of Dunbar in "Fayetteville Cong".



I took a hike into a seldom climbed area named Rattlesnake Rocks. It's in the vicinity of Krahlick and Elk Rocks. Climbed mostly in the 80's by Ray Burnsworth and pals. It's a short crag that houses a fair number of climbs in the 20 to 30' range. No sport climbing here. All routes were either top roped or led trad. There are numerous moderate cracks and flake options for the aspiring trad climber. Rattlesnake Rocks got its name from the rattlesnakes that are known to frequent the area during the warmer months. I spent some time dry tooling across the base of an overhanging wall.

The left end of Rattlesnake Rocks is a great place for dry tool training

It's a great place to dry tool train with many variations and a nice flat landing. I was alone and climbed sans crampons in my mountain boots. After about an hour of bouldering and a few shots of the area I set off further across the ridge to see what I could find new. I was bushwhacking and scrambling around the hillsides. All of a sudden out of no where I stumbled into this little place.

Slabs stacked like dominos this newly discovered crag is

approximately 50' tall and has some very clean looking trad lines.

There's more crag to the right of what is visible in this photo.

The climbing looks awesome. I didn't notice any signs of previous climbers, but a few ascents may have taken place here over the years. Ed Coll, Ivan Jirak, Cal Swogar... There were a few folks that thrashed through the thickets, climbed what they could and moved on. Unfortunately many of the pioneers of the area are now deceased or have moved on leaving the history a little less than known. Either way, the routes look like a lot of fun and we're planning our first climbing visit this New Years Day. Here's a few of the plums that adorn this crag.

The first line I walked up to,

a seam system unlike many in these parts

Center section of the crag. Nice flakes and corners awaiting us

It was getting later in the day and I still had quite a hike out. I finished exploring a little and made my way to the car dreaming of the great new climbs I found. I had a great day exploring old crags and finding new. After all the time I've spent wandering the ridges and valleys of SWPA, the thing that I enjoy most is what I find next...

Not only new crags, but this is one of the things you might find in SWPA???

Tombstone Tuesday :: Jacob and Malissa Wise

On the left is the marker for Jacob Wise in Section "J" at the National Cemetery in Nashville, Tennessee. On the right is the marker for Jacob and Malissa in the Hively Corners Cemetery (now St. Matthew's Church Cemetery) in Thorncreek Township, Whitley County, Indiana.

JACOB WISE / BORN DEC 8, 1827 / DIED MAY 7, 1865
MALISSA A. WIFE OF / JACOB WISE / BORN APR 21, 1833 / DIED AUG 6, 1901

Melissa Ann Stem was the oldest of six children born to Conrad and Indiana (Sisley) Stem. Malissa and three of her sisters were born in Fayette county, Pennsylvania. About 1844-1845 the Stem family moved from Pennsylvania to Chester Township in Wayne County, Ohio where another daughter was born. By 1852 the family had arrived in Thorncreek Township, Whitley County, Indiana where their last child, a son, was born.

On June 27, 1850 in Wayne County, Ohio Malissa Ann Stem was married to Jacob Wise who was also a resident of Chester Township, and probably a son of Peter and Christena Wise who are buried in Gilead Cemetery, Miami County, Indiana.

Jacob and Malissa had seven children, three of whom died young. Their last child was born two weeks after Jacob was drafted. It is not known whether or not he ever saw his youngest daughter. After Jacob's death, Malissa remained on the family farm, and with the support of her oldest son, 13 year old William P. Wise (my 2nd great-grandfather), went about the task of raising her family.

In March 1876, Malissa married Jacob Scott. After he passed away on June 2, 1890 Malissa resided with her son William. A very short obituary was published in the Columbia City Post on August 14, 1901 which stated "The most of her life was passed in the vicinity where she died, where all learned to esteem her for her kind and careful life and many virtues. Her last days were fraught with suffering being a helpless invalid for several years, but she endured her suffering with hopeful patience making no complaint, but with faith looking forward to the relief of the coming dawn of Eternal day."

William P. Wise and Sophia Dunfee

William Pythagrus Wise, my Great-Great Grandfather, was the oldest child of seven children born to Jacob and Malissa Ann (Stem) Wise. According to my grandmother's notes, they were living in Miami County, Indiana on January 1, 1852 when William was born. William grew up on the family farm in the northern part of Thorncreek Township, Whitley County, Indiana near the Noble County line and near Malissa's parents, Conrad and Indiana (Sisley) Stem.

On October 5, 1864 Jacob Wise was drafted into the Army, just a little over a month after his son Sylvester (not quite two years old) had died and two weeks before the birth of his daughter Rosilla. William had probably been responsible for doing chores around the farm prior to his father being drafted, and I can imagine the talk that his father gave to him before departing. After all, he was the oldest child and his mother would be giving birth again soon, not to mention the death of little Sylvester.

A little over seven months later, on May 17, 1865 Jacob died of chronic diarrhea at an army hospital in Nashville, Tennessee. So it was that William became the "man of the house" when he was a little over 13 years old. His mother would remarry, but not until 1876, when the children were older.

On October 9, 1873 William P. Wise was married to Sophia Elizabeth Dunfee. She was the daughter of Catherine Jones and William Hamilton Dunfee and was born September 18, 1850 in Columbia City, Whitley County, Indiana. The notice of their marriage appeared in the Whitley County Commercial on October 16th. "Married. Wise-Dunfee. By the Rev. John Miller, on Oct. 9th, 1873, William Wise, of Thorncreek, and Miss Sophia Dunfee, of Columbia City."

They soon purchased a farm in Troy Township, north of Columbia City and a few miles west of his mother's farm. This is where they would live out their lives and raise a family of four children.

• Harry H. Wise was born August 10, 1874. He would move to Lorain County, Ohio in the late 1890s, living near his aunt, Rosilla Wise Zinsmeister, and her family. He married Emma Klieman and they had four children.
• Maude Catherine Wise was born December 9, 1877. Maude is my Great-Grandmother. She married Charles Romain Brubaker on February 7, 1897 and they had four children.
• Maurice James Wise, twin brother of Maude, was born December 9, 1877. Maurice never married. He owned and ran a restaurant in Sturgis, Michigan and was killed in an auto-truck accident in July 1943.
• Hazlette Ann Wise was born October 10, 1885. She married Harlo Asher Burns on October 10, 1911. They lived on a farm in Troy Township, Whitley County and had two children.

Harry, Sophia, Maude, William, and Maurice. Hazlette, seated in front.
Sophia Dunfee Wise died on December 6, 1916; her obituary was published in the Columbia City Post on December 8, 1916:

Mrs. William Wise, of Troy township passed away Wednesday at 1:30 o'clock from blood clots on the brain and paralysis. She has been confined to her bed for the past two weeks and although her condition varied at times, she seemingly grew weaker and the end was not altogether unexpected by members of the family who were familiar with the ailments of the patient.

Mrs. Wise was a daughter of William and Catherine Dunfee and was born in this city September 18, 1850; she being aged 66 years, 2 months and 18 days at her death. She spent her childhood days in this city and received her education here. On October 9, 1873, she was united in marriage to William Wise, who survives. To this union four children were born; Harry Wise of Lorane, Ohio; Morris J. Wise, of Elkhart; Mrs. Maude Brubaker, of North Webster, and Mrs. Harlow Burns, of Troy township.

Mr. and Mrs. Wise took up their residence on a farm northwest of this city following their marriage and have resided there ever since. Mr. Wise was a successful farmer and was greatly assisted by his devoted wife who was constantly caring for her children and their home. She was loved and respected by her many friends. Mrs. Wise was a member of the Thorncreek township Christian church and was a faithful worker in the cause of the Master.

Besides her husband and children, she is survived by one brother, William Dunfee, of Columbia township, and one sister, Miss Rebecca Dunfee, of Troy township.

William would live for nearly 20 more years, passing away on October 12, 1935. His obituary was published in the Columbia City Post two days later:

William P. Wise, past 83 years old, well-known Whitley county farmer, died Saturday night at 8:45 o'clock at the home of his daughter, Mrs. Harlo Burns, in Troy Township. He had been in declining health for the past year but for the past two weeks his condition, due to a complication of diseases, had grown steadily worse until death ensued.

Born in Allen county on January 1, 1852, William P. Wise was a son of Jacob and Malissa Stemm Wise, and had reached the age of 83 years, 9 months and 11 days. He resided all his life except one year in Whitley county, for when but a year old his parents brought him to Thorncreek township where he grew to manhood.

On October 7, 1873, William P. Wise was united in marriage to Sophia Dunfee, who preceded him in death in 1916. Since her death Mr. Wise made his home with his daughter in north Troy township. In addition to Mrs. Wise, the deceased was preceded in death by two brothers and three sisters.

Surviving are two sons and two daughters, namely, Harry H. of Lorain, Ohio; Maurice, formerly of Elkhart and now of Troy township, who is a twin brother of Mrs. Joseph Yontz, of Columbia City, and Mrs. Harlo Burns. Two sisters; Mrs. David Anspaugh, of Ray, Ind., and Mrs. Rosie Zintz, of Lorain, Ohio, eight grand children and sixteen great-grandchildren also survive Mr. Wise.

Early in life Mr. Wise united with the Thorncreek Christian church east of Cresco and though this church has been long since abandoned he never changed his membership. William P. Wise was a farmer by occupation all his life and was regarded as an upright and honest Christian character and a fair dealer with all his neighbors, each of whom characterized Mr. Wise as one of the finest neighbors a person could have and one who never spoke anything but kind words of everyone with whom he was acquainted.

The body was brought to the DeMoney Funeral Home in Columbia City and was removed from there to the Harlo Burns home Sunday. Funeral services will be held Tuesday afternoon at 1:30 p.m. at the Burns home. Dr. E. C. Lindsay, of Goshen, will conduct the services and burial will be in Scott cemetery.

The notice of his funeral was published on October 16th in the Columbia City Post. My mother says she vaguely remembers attending the funeral; she would have been seven years old at the time. Her brother, Billy, was only five.

Funeral services were held Tuesday afternoon from the Harlo Burns home in Troy Township, for the late William Wise, Dr. E. C. Lindsay, of Goshen, officiating. Ray Estlick and Mrs. Fern Marker sang the hymns.

The pallbearers were Charles Yontz, William Brubaker, Charles Anspaugh, Victor Phend, William Anspaugh, and Charles Jacobs. The flower bearers were Patsy, Phyllis, Virginia and Billy Phend, great-grandchildren of Mr. Wise. Interment took place in the Scott cemetery.

Those attending the funeral rites from a distance were Mr. and Mrs. Harry Wise, Lorain, Ohio; Mrs. Rosa Zintsmeister and daughter, Lorain, Ohio; Mr. and Mrs. David Anspaugh, Mr. and Mrs. Charles Anspaugh and Mr. and Mrs. William Anspaugh, Ray, Ind., Mr. and Mrs. William Brubaker, Elkhart.

Wise Family - Index to Posts

Another record - Puget Sound to Columbia Crest and back in one day

Climbers strive to push the boundary of their sport to new limits every day – faster ascent times (see the recent post about Justin Merle’s new unofficial speed summit record), more difficult routes, and even multi-sport athletic events. In the case of Randall Nordfors, he turned a simple guided summit climb with International Mountain Guides (IMG) into a full-on endurance race. Not only did he set out to bicycle a total of 162 miles from Puget Sound to Paradise and back, but he threw in a single push speed summit. If this trip wasn’t challenging enough, Nordfors set himself two personal goals: #1 Summit in under 12 hours and #2 Complete the entire trip in less than 20 hours.

The starting point for Nordfors trek was Tolmie State Park, located just a few miles from the end of the Nisqually River, whose source is glaciers up on Rainier. Despite problems that caused a slower than expected start and impossible to control time delays due to traffic and stop lights, Nordsfor still made the trip to Paradise in well under 5 hours. After successfully achieving his first goal in 11 hours and 40 minutes, Nordfors was back on his bike and headed downhill at speeds of about 40 mph. Although the final stage of his trip was mostly downhill, staying alert after such sustained physical exertion is a huge challenge. The final stretch of road was for sure the defining point of the trip. Behind in his time, Nordfors left nothing on the road, peddling hard and fast to make up for lost time and pulling in to Tolmie Park like a madman, finishing just under his goal of 20 hours at 19 hours 57 minutes and 30 seconds. Not bad for a day’s work...

Randall's To Do List:
Summit Mount Rainier under 12 hours – CHECK!
Finish crazy long bike ride and climb in under 20 hours – CHECK!

According to Nordfors, other than the actual physical conditioning required to complete this sort of endurance event, the two most important aspects of his training was eating when your body didn’t want to, and staying focused and mentally alert while your body is completely exhausted. As a retired competitive bicycle racer, Nordsfors is not new to intense training and challenges. Although only a novice climber, Nordfors, 45, decided that after his retirement from racing a few years ago, he wanted to try new things and test the ability of his body to new limits. His trip from Puget Sound to Summit certainly proved to be a worthy challenge, and although Nordfors achieved both of his lofty goals, he is not completely satisfied with his bicycle ride from Tolmie Park to Paradise and will attempt to improve his time in a another epic tour. Best of luck on your next adventure Randall!

Going Crazy With Scanning...

It has been a month since the last update on my scanning project, and I'm sure y'all are eagerly anticipating this update ;-) At that time I had completed scanning my personal photographs and had a good start on Mom's pictures, which netted a little over 3,800 image files in a three month time period.

The prep work for the most recent group of pictures has taken considerably longer than the actual scanning. I didn't keep track of the time, but it consumed a lot of hours. However, in the past week I've scanned another 845 family pictures! With that, the albums for my two brothers and myself are done! Done, I say! Yay! That's the good news. Bad news is that the pictures for my sister's family still need to be scanned - they are being sorted and organized by my niece. My guess is there is a couple hundred pictures yet to be scanned. Big Sigh. But the end is in sight! At least, for the pictures… genea documents are still waiting.

While sorting the family pictures I came across a bunch of photos from Phend Reunions. Those were pulled out and put with the Reunion albums. Then I organized the Phend Reunion papers from the 1960s through the present day and put them in the albums with their corresponding pictures. Scanning the papers and pictures resulted in 615 image files. (The Phend-Fisher Family Reunion Ledger which covers the early years had been scanned, transcribed, and posted to the blog in the latter part of ...)

Then, as I was rummaging through a box looking for something I came across my grandmother's genealogy "book" and realized that I had never scanned it in its entirety. Most of the pictures had been scanned at one time or another but not all of them, and not the family group sheets. The book has a "post-hole" type of binder that easily comes apart so it wasn't a problem to scan each page individually and then put it back in its proper place. The pages are just a little bit larger than legal size. Placement on the scanner was critical so that no data was lost. There were 90 pages with 116 pictures, ending up with 206 scans for that project. I went ahead and scanned all of the pictures again because I wasn't really happy with the previous scans from several years ago.

And, as reported in my 3rd update for the Genea-Blogger Games, I scanned 74 newspaper clippings on the Phend family that were in the Whitley County Historical Museum's "family clippings" files. I've since created a name index of the clippings for reference purposes.

Image files created from scanning in the past month: 1,611

• 845 family pictures
• 206 pages and pictures in Grandma's Genealogy Book
• 486 Phend Reunion documents (sign-in sheets, announcements, flyers, etc.) and pictures
• 74 Phend Family newspaper clippings

Total number of scanned image files created since mid-April: 5,434

Maude Wise Brubaker Yontz, aka "Mama" or "Grandma Bill", with her grandchildren. About 1933. From the Genealogy "Book" of my grandmother, Hazlette Brubaker Phend, which is now in my possession.

NEW PA alpine route at Sunday School Crag

Tom Thomas engulfed in PA alpine sending this new line

Tom Thomas, Andy Shriner and myself decided to go out climbing. As per my last post conditions looked fickle at most SWPA ice areas. I didn't check Sunday School figuring its usually one of the first to come in. Neither Tom nor Andy have been to Sunday School making it agood choice as a first stop towards getting some climbing done. We had a fourth lined up for the day, but he bailed at the last minute making us an uneven 3 man team... Not the best way to go out when conditions have been so limited and everyone wants to climb as much as possible. We made the adventurous hike into the ice. It's fairly steep going and... well to make this readable, I'll just call it "alpine" in style.

Tom and Andy approaching our destination

Those that have been here know exactly what I'm talking about. After our approach, we stood before the ice laden walls. A little boney, but definitely climbable. In the recent years though, boney has become the standard, thus making todays conditions "in" I guess? Either way Tom was amped up and anxious as a high strung cat to start clawing at the walls. Understandably so having climbed here for 15+ years. How can't one get excited with all the various options of ice between chossy, usually protectable, rock sections. Its alpine climbing heaven (in an easily accessible, miniature form ;) I always find the climbing reminiscent of The Black Dike in NH. Not nearly as long, but harder, similar pitches in abundance and concentration. Tom racked up an arsenal of screws, gear and pins while Andy flaked the rope and set up to give Tom a belay. It was at that instant that I realized the predicament of having 3 climbers. Tom and Andy were paired up to have a go at a surely fun line. The reality that our ice climbing has been ultra limited and I could be picking a plum as well. It really bummed me out to say the least. I WANTED to be climbing too. May sound like a childish thing to some, if so, I guess our passions for ice climbing differ. Its pretty high on my list of fun things in the world... Here's one of a handful of days being wasted all because of a backed out partner. It made me realize how valuable my wonderful "better half" Laura really is. I can't stress how much of a trooper she is. I just wish she could've been there. We make such a great climbing team and having her there is priceless! So cutting my losses on climbing and being totally bummed about being partnerless. I decided to take advantage of the great climbing talent and work on some photograpic opportunities I seldom get. I started hiking and worked my way up around to the return of an adjacent cliff to click off some shots from different angles, hopefully documenting a first ascent.

From a distance, Andy is in blue at the base of the climb

The route looked awesome and Tom did a great job leading it for a first visit to Sunday School. He described the opening rock section to be quirky as do most other climbers. I found it took a few seasons to learn to read this odd style of climbing. The rock isn't as friendly as other local rock for hooking, etc. Slopers are the norm with some odd fractures here and there for a "thank god" moment every so often.

Tom enjoying the opening moves

Either way after a quick introduction he was into the business and working up through the rock to a steep snowfield which appeared to be in good condition.

Snow covered choss

The snow led to the base of a vertical ice section that offered some reasonable ice screws and three dimensional climbing around thin columns.

some ice...

Then more ice...

The ice ended at a steep rock cleft that offered up a piton placement before another snow ledge. Another section of ice was above, but extremely poorly bonded.

The rock cleft finish

Tom wisely opted to end the route at the base of this ice. He built an ice screw anchor and Andy followed the line in fine style. He seemed to be enjoying himself the whole way up, pulling his first "legit" pin and getting some V-thread practice in lean conditions. I snapped quite a few photos of all the action. Here's my photo highlight recap of the guys in action on this new unamed line at Sunday School Crag. Congrats go out to Tom and Andy on the great new addition.




Here's Andy in action seconding...

Sunday School partial crag overview

Andy starting up the ice

Tom belaying below the delaminating upper section

Crazy Angle, could be rotated 90 right?

Andy Shriner enjoying a wonderful day in PA

My artistic attempt