Black Diamond Express Ice Screws?

Jeff Shapiro climbing hard,fully kitted inBD with a rack of Express screws



I have a couple of drafts started in the blog about eating my words on gear. Hadn't finished any of them of course because it is really hard for me to convince ME, I am ever wrong :) Weak, I know, but here isthe first.









Few that don't know me can understand the time I have spent at my desk or at the workbench in the shop measuring, sharpening or just examiningice screws. A couple of my climbing partners have seen me wind in dual screws at placements on climbs and wondered just how much of a knuckle head I was going to be that day. Andif I could just get on with it!If I am placing dual screws it is generally because I am scared but I can go with the gear testing story when pushed.



But, with all the playing around I at least *think* I know something about ice screws.



When you understand what makes the teeth bite and how much each screw weights and why there isn't much else to understand. Simple pieces of gear really...well pretty simple anyway.



So you have to understand that I know Black Diamond has a better set of teeth than most anyone making screws. And no question the Black Diamond Express screws will take a "set" faster than anything else I use. By taking a "set", what I mean by that is the screw will generally catch the threads with a a single full turn at the wrist and stick in the ice so you can now employ the hanger's crank knob.



True, the Black Diamond screw is faster than the Grivel Helix on the "set".



But in a perfect world you have severalstepsto placing an ice screw, the "set", the wind and finally the clip.



If we have a "set", then the wind and finally the clip to eachscrew placement theneach step is equally important to me. On difficult climbing how long it takes me to fully place a screw defines how many screws I will place. I can decide to place screws inseveral ways. The first is by the difficulty of the climbing. I place screws often because I am likely to fall off at any given moment. Thatis not how I like to climb on ice. Umbilicals are my first line of defense so my preferred wayis to place fewer screws. It is an old habit I have from the days when screws were extremely hard to place. None of the screws available now have that unenviable reputation. So thescrews I do place better be bomber and take as little time as possible to get in. Time is a factor because if the climbing is difficult and steep, endurance and strength is always inquestion. I want to end the pitch strong enough to finish with a reserve. I don't want to ever fall on ice.



So from my own observations I thinkthat the BDExpress is the first screw to "set". If it only ended there the conversation would be over. Next up is the wind. So your screw is set and there is little fear of it launching into space unattended. You can now grab your winding knoband sink the screw to the hilt. Done. Almost finishedhere...snap a QD or slingbiner on. Thengrab your rope to make the final clip. And now you are off again climbingor just as likely, relieved,taking a mental break and shaking your arms with no risk of catching big air.



Whaaaoooo! Not quite that fast. There are a couple of steps we missed here. You likely are a smart climber so you racked all your Express screws with the winding knob up and open right? Well I don't. So I "set", then turn my winding knob up, (good place to kick a "free" screw loose into space), then I start to wind. Sink the screw, clip the screw, then clip the rope and finally flip the knob down. Gotta remember to flip that knob down. ( can't wait to hear how everyone else muddles through this better than me, as obviously many do:)



So easy to see my dilemma with a fast "bite" as oppose to a fast screw placement. I like the Express and own a rack of them specifically for hard alpine ice. They are lighter than anything available and they 'set" amazingly fast. But they don't placefast enoughto be my preferred screw onwater fall climbing.



*Since I am looking at thedetailshereI had forgotten this one. I think the offset hanger on the BD screws encourages you to start the wind off center to the axis of the screw. So you get a wobbly start if you are notvery careful. Obviously you can over come this with practice. But for the newbie or gumbie like myself it is annoying. The hand position on the Helix (at least for my XL size hands) naturally encourages you to be more centered to the axis of the screw on your *set*. That alone almost makes up for the better design on the BD teeth imo. And in practice makes the *set* on the Helix almost as fast, if not as fast, as the BD screw for me.



What I would liketo see is the BD tube and teethwith a totally new hanger. No knob to futz with, but a big winder, a hanger that naturally centers your hand for a straight drive on the *set* and keep the BD weight advantage.Easy enough to do. BD has the technology in house right now for a hanger as I described it. I had come to the same conclusion last winter just got there from a totally different train of thought. Not likely to happen any time soon though :) No one convinced it is needed except me.*



Damn, just wish my own screw of choice"set" that fast though......gotta think some more on this :)





Jeff again, on the 5th pitch, STH, Provo Canyon

More here on the BD Express screw:http://coldthistle.blogspot.com//01/be-attentive-when-placing-ice-screws.html

One of the Lucky 30%

Sunday afternoon (August 8th) I met up with Sue and Fred as planned. The next morning, despite gloomy, overcast weather we drove the 15 miles of the Denali National Park Highway that is open to vehicular traffic, out to Savage River. To our delight and amazement, a few miles into the park the cloud cover broke up and the sun came out as did the blue skies!

It is said that only about 30% of the people who visit the park actually get to see “The Mountain” (also known as Mount McKinley or Denali). I'm happy to say that Sue, Fred, and I are amongst the lucky few!

This was taken at the nine-mile marker, which is the first place within the park where “The Mountain” becomes visible. That white blob in the middle of the picture (behind the blue-gray mountain peaks) is Denali, about 70 miles away.

Maybe this one is a little better? A couple of miles down the road (and with the aid of the zoom lens).

A little two-mile trail at Savage River was a very pleasant walk and even though there were other people around you sensed the remoteness.

This fellow, a Hoary Marmot, was right alongside the trail. When it caught sight of us it scurried up the hill. Its coloration allowed it to blend amazingly well into the hillside along with the rocks. (This is an enlargement from the zoomed-in image. We were about 100 feet away from it.)

The Savage River Trail (photo taken on the way back, looking to the west). The hardest part of this hike was enduring the cold, stiff wind that was blowing!

Looking toward the east, where we had been.

The Savage River, looking west, from the middle of the highway bridge.

There is also a short but very steep trail at Savage River that leads up to a large rock outcropping, which also happens to provide a great view of Denali. (The Mountain is hidden from view at the river level by the nearer hills.)

Looking east down the Savage River Valley.

Denali from the top of the short trail.

Sue and Fred on the trail back down to the river.

Our second “wildlife” sighting of the day was shortly after leaving the trail parking lot. These three Caribou were in the middle of the Savage River, quite a ways away. (This is a small portion of a zoomed-in image.)

All-in-all, it was a good day at Denali – we saw The Mountain and Wildlife too!

Be sure to check Sue's blog for additional photos!

One Last Chance...

Thursday, March 15th - - As I was driving east along Interstate 40 I decided to take the time to visit one of my favorite places – after all, I might not get back this way again, at least not any time soon. The Grand Canyon is only about 60 miles north of I-40 and it was simply not possible for me to pass it by, especially after I checked the weather report and found that it was going to be a beautiful day!



It was about 11:30 in the morning when I arrived to find the parking lots nearly full. I certainly wasn't expecting that!





Like most visitors, the first place I went was to Mather Point. As you can see, it was a bit crowded.





But the view from Mather Point is worth bumping elbows with other visitors or having to wait until someone moves away from the railing so you can get that “perfect” shot. The weather could not have been better. The temperature was in the low 60s and there was barely a breeze blowing. Also, the “blue haze” wasn't too bad either.



Because there were so many people and I had only a few hours, I decided to skip the western end of the rim trail. You had to walk or take the shuttle buses to see that side of the canyon and I had walked much of it the last time I was here. Instead, I went to get some lunch and then take the drive along the road to Desert View at the eastern end of the park.



While in the cafeteria line I learned why there were so many people here – it's Spring Break! I should have known but the thought just never crossed my mind.



It was a leisurely drive to Desert View (over four hours to drive 30 miles!) with stops at nearly every viewpoint along the way and spending as much time as desired at each one. The further along the drive, the fewer people there were. I took lots of pictures, but I also took time to simply sit in the sunshine and enjoy the gorgeous day and the awesome views.





The view from Grandview Point near the beginning of Desert View Drive.



This tree is amazing. Beyond words.



It looks so close, but 'tis far away. I think that foreground area is Cedar Ridge!



There will be a few more posts on my short visit to the Grand Canyon... so many pictures, and such a beautiful day!

New Video from Wildfilm Productions

Amphitheater II



Our good friend Ray Burnsworth of Wildfilm productions put together a short clip of Upper Meadow Amphitheater. A huge thanks goes out to Rayman for the efforts and great clip. Follow the link from here to view or click on the image above.

Switzer Family Number 4 :: Jacob G. and Catharina

This previous post was a summary of the Tax Lists, Land Records, and Census Records for each of the Jacob Switzers, and in that post this Jacob was identified as Jacob #4.



The Estate File in Columbiana County, Ohio (Number 4874) gives his name as Jacob G. Switzer while the Columbiana County Cemetery Inscriptions (v1 p6) lists him as Jacob C. Switzer. I'm going with Jacob G.





Jacob G. Switzer died March 25, 1859 at age 70y 4mo 17d (date of birth calculates to November 8, 1788). He is buried in Columbiana Cemetery, Columbiana County, Ohio.



His wife Catherine/Catharina died December 17, 1850 at age 62y 3mo 5d (date of birth calculates to September 12, 1788). She is also buried in Columbiana Cemetery, Columbiana County, Ohio. The gravestone transcriptions give her name as Catharina. The Ohio Death Record for Anna ( Switzer) Grove gives her mother's name as Catherine Mummert while that of Sophia Sweitzer shows it to be Catherine Murmmouh. A record on Find-a-Grave gives her name as Catharina Murmmoth.



On April 16, 1859 Isaac Switzer of Stark County, and James Crook and Joseph Anglemyer of Columbiana County signed a bond for $.. for Isaac Switzer who was named Administrator of the estate of Jacob G. Switzer.





Above is a portion of the final account that shows there was a balance of $917.63 in the estate of Jacob G. Switzer which Isaac Switzer was ordered to distribute according to law.

“The deceased in his lifetime having made advancements to most of his children of unequal sums, in order to equalize each as near as possible, the above balance was distributed as follows between the six heirs who have received the least by way of advancement, as per receipts filed.”

The above statement implies that there were possibly other heirs that did not receive a part of the final distribution... Census records seem to show that there may have been other children not named as having received a distribution.





The heirs that received a distribution and the amount they received were:

Ann Switzer – 194.60 ½

Sophia Switzer – 194.60 ½

Benj. Switzer 134.60 ½

Lydia Keck – 194.60 ½

Eliza Crook – 94.60 ½

Isaiah Holloway agt for Susan Holloway - 94.60 ½

Probate Judges & Attorneys fees – 10.00

Equal balance in Admr's hands $917.63

In the sale bill for the estate of Jacob G. Switzer, which was very difficult to read, there were several entries for a Tobias Switzer but none for Isaac or Benjamin. Is Tobias a son? Tobias also owed several notes to the estate amounting to $452.07 and it was reported in the final account that T. Switzer had paid $456.28 to the estate.



This Jacob Switzer does not appear in Columbiana County census records until 1830 and then he is listed in Fairfield Township from 1830 through 1850. See the above-mentioned previous post for details on the census records and well as the land ownership information.



From the census records it was determined that the family of Jacob and Catherina Mummert Switzer seems to have consisted of at least:

one male born 1826-1830

two males born 1821-1825

two males born 1816-1820

two females born 1826-1830 [Anna born 1829 + one other]

one female born 1821-1825 [Sophia born 1822 and Lydia born 1824]

one female born 1816-1820 [Eliza born 1818]

one female born 1811-1815 [Susan ?]

Known children of Jacob G. and Catharina Switzer (they received a distribution of his estate):

• Susan (Switzer) Holloway is probably the Susan Switzer who married Charles Holloway on March 10, 1839 in Columbiana County (v3 p208).

• Eliza/Aliza (Switzer) Crook. Aliza was born October 4, 1818 and died April 20, 1903. She is buried in Columbiana Cemetery, Columbiana County, Ohio. Eliza married James Crook on September 12, 1844 in Columbiana County (v3 p382). James Crook was born September 17, 1820 (calculated from age at death) and died October 23, 1895 at age 75y 1m 6d. He is buried in Columbiana Cemetery, Columbiana County, Ohio.

• Anna (Switzer) Grove was born December 25, 1825 in Fairfield Township, Columbiana County, Ohio and died March 16, 1910 in Columbiana, Columbiana County, Ohio. The Ohio Death Record of Anna Grove gives her parents as Catherine Mummert and Jacob Switzer. Anna was widowed at the time of her death. Since she was named as Ann Switzer in the distribution record or her father, it is likely that she married “Mr. Grove” after 1860. The informant on the death record was Valentine Grove.

• Sophia Switzer was born May13, 1830 in Ohio and died April 27, 1916 in Youngstown, Mahoning County, Ohio. She is buried in Columbiana Cemetery, Columbiana County, Ohio. The Ohio death records give her parents names as Catherine Murmmouh and Jacob Sweitzer.

• Benjamin Switzer was not found in a quick search of the marriage records or census records for Columbiana County.

• Lydia Ann (Switzer) Keck was born April 27, 1837 and died March 11, 1870 and is buried in Columbiana Cemetery, Columbiana County, Ohio. Lydia married to Peter Rick [Reck/Keck] on 27 April 27, 1858 in Columbiana County (v38 p333). Peter was born October 17, 1834 and died October 6, 1900. They are buried in Columbiana Cemetery, Columbiana County, Ohio.

Other possible children of Jacob G. and Catharina Switzer:

• Isaac Switzer was the Administrator of the Estate of Jacob G. Switzer. He may be the Isaac Switzer who married Christina Zimmerman on January 2, 1840 in Columbiana County (v3 p226). He was found in the 1850 census in Lexington Township, Stark County, Ohio (page 462): Isaac Sweitzer was 37 years old (born about 1813 – doesn't quite “fit” the ages of “sons” in family of Jacob G). He was a farmer and was born in Ohio. In his household were Christina Sweitzer, 40; Silvenus Sweitzer, 8; Henry Sweitzer, 6; and Benjamin Sweitzer, age 3.

• Tobias Switzer was the only Switzer that purchased goods from the estate. He also owed several notes to the estate, which he paid on April 6, 1860.

=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=

I do not plan to pursue this family any further. The information is being presented here because I have it and hopefully it will be of some use to another researcher someday.

Mt. Baker

The other guys had to head home after Shuksan, but Dave and Doug stayed to climb Baker the next day. As the forest thinned out, we came to a staircase of flat rocks.





We see a lot of awesome flowers on our climbs.





Sulfur gas and clouds high on Baker. We climbed the Easton Glacier.





An icefall area low on the Easton.




Baker is known for it's numerous huge crevasses!






Dave taking in the view.



Climbers on the edge of Sherman Crater. Sulfur gas is rising behind them.







Sherman Crater as seen from the summit.







Sulfur gas is constantly hissing out of fumaroles in Sherman Crater.













Dave and Doug on the summit.







Doug looking down at the Easton and Deming Glaciers.

The iGene Awards for Kinexxions

It's time for the Annual iGene Awards in which we announce our “best” blog posts from last year in five categories. Created by Jasia at Creative Gene for the Carnival of Genealogy, this year marks the 5th anniversary of the awards.



And this year, the ceremony for kinexxions is coming to you from Salt Lake City! What better place for such an event? And now, the winners...



Best Picture: Going through my Mother's papers after her death last February, I discovered a photograph that I had never seen before. In Mom :: Before she was Mom I presented that photo and several a lot of others. Is this my Mom?





Best Screen Play: The post Joslin Rendezvous :: The Homestead discusses a few of the trials and tribulations encountered by Virgil Joslin when he homesteaded in South Dakota in the early 1900s. Additional material written by his son Irwin would be used to create a feature-length movie that would star Sam Elliott and Meryl Streep as Virgil and Mary Joslin.



Best Documentary (investigative research): This past summer I decided to take on my Switzer family in Columbiana County, Ohio and found that there were Not One, Not Two, Not Three, but Four of Them! with “them” being men named Jacob Switzer. One of them was my ancestor, but which one? Yes, this is one of a series of posts, all of which are listed here.



Best Biography: The rules are going to be stretched a little in that two series of posts are being selected, neither were actually “written” by me. The Life of Hazlette Brubaker presents the story of my Grandmother's life, as told in her own words, in a series of 15 articles.



The Berlin Family :: John D. and Susannah is the first in a series of articles that includes family Bible Records as well as 35 letters written between 1861-1895 between family members. (Links to those documents are included at the bottom of the selected post.)



Best Comedy: Humorous writing is not really my forte (I've often been told that I have a very dry sense of humor, almost humorless.) At any rate, I've selected One Half of an Old Mare called Van Dora for this category. Maybe you “had to be there” but finding Van Dora in the inventory of the estate of William B. Jones had Carol and me cracking up for several days.



And that brings to a close the iGene Award Ceremony for ..... hmm, well, not just yet. Since I've been doing a bit of traveling I thought I'd modify the categories in several areas and present a “travel” version also...





Best Picture: Nature's Trifecta



Best Screen Play time with Geneabloggers: Ah... Anastasia and St. Augustine



Best Documentary: It Sounded Too Good to Pass By



Best Biography Unique Event: Badlands :: Where the Buffalo Do Roam



Best Comedy: A Great Big Ball of Twine

Written for the 114th edition of the Carnival of Genealogy.

Big Cottonwood Tree

Lee is standing under a big cottonwood tree that looks like someone tried to chop it down once. But the tree is still alive. On the other side there was a really odd branch that started high up then dropped all the way to the ground and then shot up again. I couldn't get a photo of the whole branch as their was a small evergreen that hid the branch right where it was almost on the ground. So I tried from the other side and there were larger evergreens that hid the tree instead of the branch.

Another Loose Horse

Here are photos of the loose horse we found on Sunday in the horrible wind storm that went across NM. This one was outside the mares pens when we went to do the morning feed. We figure she is less than 6 months old. And not hand trained. She won't let us touch her. Yet. She will if she stays here. We didn't know what to do with one this little. Was able to slowly work her around so that she entered our yard and then into an empty horse pen. We feed her and she is eating hay and drinking lots of water. She had chunks of cholla cactus in her tail and still does have a few but can't get them out yet. We called the county sheriffs department as we don't have an animal control offerer here anymore. They said they would give us a call if anyone called them. The same with Rio Rancho Animal Control this morning and the livestock board. We put a listing on Craig's List and a sign on the corner and have been watching for anyone that looks as if they are looking for a lost horse. So far nothing. I really don't need another one but couldn't leave her out on the road and hungry. Just hope she doesn't have some weird horsesickness that she will give to mine as she has been nose to nose with all of ours.

Phend-Fisher Family Reunion Ledger (1924-1925)

The fifteenth annual reunion of the Phend-Fisher families was held at East Side Park, Nappanee, Ind. Sep. 5 - 1924

64 members being present. After dinner was over, those who cared to attended the ball game. Same officers were retained for another year.

Ed. Phend
Sec'y


The 16th annual reunion of the Phend - Fisher family was held at the home of John Rhodes, Nappanee, Aug. 28 - 1925.

65 being present.
The time before dinner was spent in a social way. After dinner a short programme was given by the McGowan sisters of Niles, Mich. A short business session was held. The following officers being elected
President, Sam Ringinberg
Secy. Ed. Phend
Treas John Ernest.

A collection of $2.55 was take[n]
1.50 paid to sec'y. cards & printing.

Place for next reunion was left for officers to decide.

Ed. PhendSec'y.

Hey I just liked the photo :)

Photo courtesy of Paul Clifford

Climber is Greg Vadasdi from the other side of the country, decked out in some sweet C-T gear suggestions. Thanks guys!

Cup and Saucer

This cup and saucer is marked on the bottom that it belonged to my grandmother, Alma Coe Green Williams. It also has a sticky tag on bottom that says 'Made in Japan'. I have no idea of it's age but I really like it. Notice the saucer has cut outs around the edge.