Rain

It's all anyone talks about around here lately. Seems we never get more than one good day in a row and, even these good days seem fairly rare. Today, was another typical day in this wet spring - rain overnight, low cloud in the morning, a few hours of dry weather, then rain again. I got out with a friend and managed to climb three pitches before the rain moved in. Luckily, it was heavy and unmistakable - I hate sucker holes. 

More of the same usually doesn't help ....

I was leading a rock climb yesterday that is near the upper limit of my climbing ability, and, somewhat predictably, a long train of negative thoughts began clack-clacking its way through my mind. Some of these I must have spoken aloud, because, after catching my inevitable fall, my partner commented that I habitually had negative thoughts when climbing near my limit. Suddenly, as these things so often do, I realized that a certain behavior had got me where I was and more of the same certainly was not going to help.

The analogy to life is obvious. Our enduring patterns of behavior figure strongly in the "problems" we experience in life; yet all too frequently, we attempt to solve our problems using the same behaviors that got us into a particular predicament in the first place. Integral then, to moving ahead is realizing that we might have a hand in creating our own quandaries.

In any event, falling off once was stimulus enough for me to commit fully to the moves a second time around, and, yes, I finished the climb. 

Nearing the top of Black Magic

Mental Flexibility

Human beings, who are almost unique in having the ability to learn from the experience of others, are also remarkable for their apparent disinclination to do so. Douglas Adams, Last Chance to See

I can completely understand people who don't want to take unsolicited advice about their personal life, but I don't get people who prefer to fail at their desired goal rather than incorporate pertinent information that has been passed on to them. Even more inexplicable are the people who feel it is their right to drag a whole bunch of people along on their failed trip while withholding the fact that they have information that would virtually guarantee success.

A woman I know recently attempted to get to the top of one of our local mountains via the south side and was unsuccessful. A week later, she planned to go back again with a similar group of people and try again to get to the top via the south side, but this time, starting slightly (perhaps 200 metres) to the west. Undoubtedly, it's clear to the reader that 200 metres either west or east is insignificant, as both routes are essentially the same.

Having been up this local mountain - it is very easy as a road, clearly marked on the map, passes within a half a kilometre of the summit - I, with some trepidation, offered her route beta. In fact, I knew this beta would be completely ignored - as it was - because some people, and you know them as soon as you meet them, just will not hear anything.

The issue isn't really that any of us should immediately discard our plans the moment someone else offers a contrary position. None of us would ever achieve anything if we adopted that tactic, but we should at least have the mental flexibility to consider additional information, and, if warranted make a change in our plans.

And, no, they didn't make it.

 I'd hate to be doing this simply because I couldn't rethink my plans in the light of new information

Noobs and Gumbies

Frequently, on the internet, you'll hear newcomers to a sport described - I can only think pejoratively - as "gumbies", "newbies", "noobs", or a host of other not particularly flattering terms. The idea that these people are somehow lesser beings than ourselves is definitely implied and frequently stated outright. Somehow, we've all forgotten that, at some point, we were all new to our chosen sports and needed coaching, encouragement and patience to improve our skills.

Oftentimes, experienced people don't want to spend any time with beginners to a sport, but I find that you can learn a lot from getting out with novices. Today was the KMC Rock Review, which generally involves easy rock climbing on top-rope, with some volunteer (by me) instruction at one of the local crags. I've been doing this event for a number of years and, by and large, the climbers that come out are all relatively new to the sport and have a lot to learn. But that doesn't mean I don't also learn from them. Explaining, to someone new to climbing, why you do something a certain way, and what other equally safe options exist forces you to rethink everything you do, and, for all of us, that's not a bad thing once in a while.

Getting Some Rappel Practice

Sycophants and Cyber Bullies

I admit it, I'm hooked on discussion forums. Some have lots of information, some are friendly, some casual, but the most addictive internet forums are the long-standing ones where you can see people's personalities at play with - seemingly - none of the usual constraints of appropriate behavior that people exhibit when face to face.

There you find the cyber-bullies and their sycophants, the aggressively defensive, the terminally argumentative with poor impulse control, and, of course, the insecure who must, absolutely must, always have the last word.

Of course, there is also a smattering of normal, generally well adjusted folk; but the real joy of internet forums comes from watching the cyber-bully with an inferiority complex backed up by his/her sycophantic followers keep trying, and trying, and trying to have the last, very last, ultimately, the final, very final, last word. 

A Compass is Better

To say I'm not a fan of GPS units would be to speak too lightly. I find the current trend towards over-reliance on this piece of technology degrades people's existing (if they have any) map and compass skills and situational awareness in an exponential fashion. And, of course, there are all the trips I've been on that have become cluster-fucks or near cluster-fucks because people have spent inordinate amounts of time and energy with their full attention fastened on a screen the size of a matchbox. While I can readily acknowledge that there are some instances where GPS units are invaluable, I believe that the vast majority of our navigation should be done the old fashioned way, using a map, and if necessary a compass.

Recently (today in fact), I hiked to the summit of Mount Heinze from a logging road (Bear Creek FSR to Box Canyon FSR) to the east of the summit. We parked at around 900 metres due east of the mountain, so ascending the peak (all forested, no trail) was a simple matter of following a compass bearing due west. In these circumstances, I find a rough due west is good enough. Eventually, you'll hit the north-south running ridge of Heinze, and, gaining the summit, will simply mean following the ridge either north or south to the top.

I used a compass both to the summit and back to the truck, while my companion used a GPS. As usual, I found a compass perfectly adequate for the job, and, as usual, using a compass was actually faster and more efficient. While my companion would be forced to stand about waiting for a satellite fix, I could pull my compass from my pocket and confirm we were traveling in the right direction without even breaking stride. Add to that the inevitable dallying while batteries are changed and screens are flicked through and the compass wins hands down. 

 We are on the summit, but GPS users feel compelled to check the little screen

Overconfidence

The trouble with the world is that the stupid are cocksure and the intelligent are full of doubt. Bertrand Russell.

Recently, I received an email from someone looking to enter a team in an adventure race soliciting more team members. Now, personally, I have no interest in adventure races, as, among other reasons, I feel capable of designing my own adventures and, hence, feel no need to pay out big bucks for the dubious pleasure of sampling someone else s' "adventure." But, philosophical ramblings aside, what caught my eye about this solicitation was the comment that map/compass skills were an asset but not mandatory as one person on the team already had those skills and that was entirely sufficient.

Now, having spent almost 30 years wandering around the bush, the mountains and the oceans, most of it off-trail, off the beaten path, and off the grid, I am only too aware of how easy it is to get turned around and suddenly find yourself, if not frankly lost, at least misplaced. I actually can't think that anyone who is a reasonably competent navigator would be naive enough to think that they always chart the best course or know exactly where they are at all times. After all, even the great make mistakes. So the idea that someone would launch off into an adventure race with themselves as the only navigator strikes me as the ultimate in overconfidence.

Or perhaps, this is merely the perfect illustration of the Dunning Kruger effect where the unskilled overrate their abilities simply because their own incompetence denies them the ability to recognize that incompetence.

Off Route on Mount Clutterbuck in the Purcells