In 1932 I am sure that Montpelier was a bustling state capitol with many things happening.  There were many houses built around this year within the town even though it was during the great depression in the economy. As new houses were being built people were thinking about cars as they were just becoming affordable to the middle/upper class of society. The Empire State Building was in the process of being built and one of the famous black and whites of the workers sitting on a girder was just taken.  The assembly line concept was a major process of society in this day and everything from cars to houses were built in this style.  Rail cars shipped Sears Kit homes to towns and there were assembled right there via the part numbers on site. The auditor of My Left Foot was born with Cerebral Palsy and his mother believed that he was very intelligent despite what doctors said.   FDR ran for president and won b y a landslide (although VT was not a state he won in...) 

In Climbing history the first ascent of the lauper route on the North Face of the Eiger took place.  It took two days and was considered a fast and direct route.  In today's standards it can be done by superhuman athletes in about 2:45 for a speed record.

And I am writing all of this because Steph and I have finally found our house that we are moving into and close on tomorrow.  Our house is a colonial type revival and it was built in 1932.  I have been researching history and looking into things as I have my spare time.  Our first task is going to be the wallpaper in the master bedroom and getting down to a nice white wall with no paper.

Very Exciting....

Deer Leap

Steph and I have started getting ready for our trip to California in between all of the house buying things that have been going on.  I will post on the house later as I could not be more excited about it I just am doing my research for the post. 
We made it to Deer Leap on Sunday and did a bunch of the classic cracks and face climbs that are pretty good and I am hoping will get us in gear for Tahoe area and Donner pass/lovers leap. 

We ended up doing one called the monkey that is good finger lock type constrictions in a slanting seam and another called offwidth but it is just a changing crack size the whole way and then another that was a simple ramp type climb but was good to get some feet in of climbing.

I got one picture in of Steph rappelling after we did the offwidth crack. 

Mountain Fit!

Two months ago I was talking with my wife and I found that she had signed us up for the cross-fit program.  It is an exciting thing and also an overwhelming thing to try a new type of fitness regime. The first four sessions were two hour training classes where the technique of each of the moves that happen during a typical class have been reviewed.  This was the first time that I have learned some type of physical movement that has some serious technique to it.  The concept is to take high intensity movements such as an Olympic weight dead lift and combine the timed aspect of a cardio type exercise and enough core exercises to make my head spin.   The idea is to do this two days a week and get some serious power in all my movements beyond climbing so that I am more efficient. Each of the four workouts that we have done so far has used some form of body weight type exercise and another piece of equipment to build accuracy and fitness. Each time I have also been sore enough to know that I am going somewhere with the program.

The hope has been that it will help me on hard sport climbs to just power through the tough overhangs and get to a point where I can relax again during the climb. In my research while learning about the crossfit program I found a gymnastics specific type WOD or (workout of the day) type program that looks really interesting too.  It makes me wonder if there is already a climbing one out there and some searches have revealed that there are but I have not been able to do the full amount of reading.  The one thing that I will say even though I am trying not to drink the cult like kool-aid is that there is a lot of camaraderie it seems in the workouts and I like that aspect.

Now I am at the point where I have completed two months and have enjoyed it emensely and am thinking that it is time for climbing outdoors to see what it has done.  I am also thinking that this is something I could get back to.  So far I think that the most impressive thing I have learned to do is a gymnastics style muscle up on the rings.  This I am hoping will make my mantle type move in climbing really progress