Wind Poppy

The small and rare wind poppy, Stylomecon heterophylla.

Hartington to Dovedale ,via Thorpe Cloud

With Maureen, Barry and Gordon. Eddie, in spite of his back, climbed Thorpe Cloud, but not via the path. Glorious weather. 8.5 miles for the whole thing.



The start of the walk is in Hartington, at the side of the public toilets, on the Hulme End side of, and across the road from, the Charles Cotton Hotel.





The walk is clearly marked at the start, and once you arrive in Beresford Dale it is simply a matter of walking the well-worn path beside the river.

You go through a section of youngish woodland, Morson Wood, which was planted by Les Morson and family in 1994. The plaque with this information was presented by the 1998 Hartington Sports Committee in memory of Les. My photo was out of focus, hence this paragraph.



As we walked along there were several footbridges over the Dove, some leading to footpaths, some to private land. Wonderful names like " Frank-i-th-rocks bridge" and "Gipsy Bank bridge". Scenery delightful - mainly wooded slopes and grassland.



Just before the villlage of Milldale we came to a bridge over the river - the road to Alstonfield goes uphill to the right and the Milldale road carries straight on.







We took the Milldale road, which has a footpath alongside, and goes closer to the river for a short time. We decided to take a break at Milldale and support the local shop - always a welcome oasis for hungry and thirsty walkers. Even after last night's meal, a couple of cheese and onion sandwiches went down rather well. Okay, we had had breakfast as well, but we had walked almost five miles and there were more ahead.



After Milldale, Dovedale begins to show its "little Switzerland" side, with the limestone rocks and more dramatic scenery. The Dove Holes caves, Ilam Rock, Tissington Spires, Lion's Head Rock, Reynard's Cave, up a bit to Lovers Leap and down and onward to the Stepping Stones.

A heron perched very high above the river

Decision time - who's up for Thorpe Cloud? A trickier ascent than I remember, and worse going down. A dreadful path but worth it for the sense of achievement and the views.

We conquer the Cloud

All that remained was an essential dipping of my bare feet into the river, a welcome cereal bar provided by Maureen, and the half mile or so saunter to the car park. One last ice-cream and we headed for home.

This poster is in fact of Millers Dale (not Dovedale or Milldale).

- the elevation profile of this walk is interesting. Compare to yesterday's walk as well. Even Thorpe Cloud summit is lower than the walk we did along the Tissington and High Peak Trails!



Dry stone Walls in Derbyshire- a brief history of the walls and enclosures in the county.

A Day with a Distant Cousin!

Towards the end of October, I received an email from a gentleman who happens to be my fifth cousin or fourth cousin once removed – or something like that! A distant relative to be sure. He found me through the blog, or rather, his brother found me and told Jesse to contact me!

Jesse is a descendant of John Bray and his second wife, Elizabeth Coones (or Cooney or Coonie or Coonies or Coonis) through their daughter Sophia. I am a descendant of John and his first wife, reported to be Nancy Morgan, through their son Samuel Bray. John and Nancy are my 4th great grandparents.

Anyway, Jesse said he'd like to meet with me sometime. So, since I was headed south and Vevay was more or less on the way, I said I could stop by on the 9th. That also happened to be the only day this week he had free! Great timing, eh?

Me and my cousin, Jesse. November 9, ...The Markland Dam and Ohio River in the background.
We spent a couple of hours at the Switzerland County Library in Vevay comparing information then took a drive to McKay Cemetery where John Bray is buried.

Jesse had a copy of the marriage record of John Bray and Elizabeth but it was difficult to read. The county seat of Gallatin County, Kentucky is Warsaw, which happens to be across the river a short distance east of Vevay. It was a beautiful day (sunshine and 70 degrees! In November!!) and the drive took just a few minutes.

The marriage records were in the office of the County Clerk located in a building behind the courthouse. The earliest marriage records were in a binder whose back had separated so all the pages were loose. Each page had also been laminated. The record for John Bray and Elizabeth is at the bottom of a page numbered 59. Rather than try to make a paper copy, I used my digital camera... (double click on the image to see a larger version).

Elizabeth's last name is in the middle of the fifth line from the bottom...
After examining the full page containing this and two other records, I think her last name is Coonis. The word directly beneath her name is Licens and is written the same way on the other two records on that page. It is definitely not Cooney, which is how it is transcribed in the published book.

At any rate, how it is spelled is probably a moot point, since what Jesse really wants to know is what is her maiden name! Elizabeth would have been about 18 years old and a widow when she married John Bray. There is no record of her first marriage in Gallatin County, Kentucky and we don't know what happened to her husband. John was 12 days shy of being 60 years old when he married Elizabeth. His youngest daughter by his first marriage was 16 years old – but she had been married the year before when only 15 years of age. So, John was an “empty nester” and perhaps didn't like living by himself...

John passed away on June 10, 1832 at age 71 – the three youngest children by his wife Elizabeth, were Amelia, George and Sophia – age 11, 9, and 3, respectively. Elizabeth was married for a third time to Robert Bakes on October 4, 1834. He passed away in 1847. Elizabeth died in 1876. The 1850 and 1870 census records show that she was born in Kentucky about 1798-1800, though Jesse has her birth year as 1802.

After a short visit to the library, Jesse and I stopped at Jewels, a little restaurant on Main Street in Warsaw, for a late lunch. The place was full with no empty tables, but a lady waved us over to her table saying we could join her and her husband. Turns out they were friends of Jesse! A rather nice coincidence. The food was good as was the company.

All in all, it was a delightful day. Thank you, Jesse, for inviting me to visit! It was a pleasure meeting you.

Quick tour of my choice in biners....

In my "best of" list I mentioned a few biners that I think are stand outs.



It has been a while but I haven't countedhow many different styles and brands of carabiners I currently have. It is more than six.. What I actually use is three or fourstyles and generally just two, maybe three on a regular basis.



I generally try to hold on to my gear so I have carabiners that go back a few years. If you think super light and small 'binersare a "new deal" check some of these out.



The blue Latok mini biner is rated at kN 1700 and weighs 28g. The newest green Metolius mini is rated at kN 2200 @ 26g.



I have to agree with Colin Haley, who once described the Metolius by saying"they finally made a biner that is too small". I have them. I don't use either.













A biner I have used a lot is a bent gate. One of the first imported into the US, the blue gate "New Alp" imported by Climb High from France in the late '70s is on the left. Rated at kN 220 @ 56g. I did most of my hard rock climbing with that biner on my rack. The idea was a quick clip and it worked very well for that purpose. In the middle is a more recent bent gate by Black Diamond that I still use in some situations 19 kN @ 46g. And on the right my current favorite the Trango Super Fly 30g and 24kN











The runner up for my own use on the Trango is the BD Oz @ 30g as well and 20kN. Pretty much the same size and feel. BD is off on the numbers a bit but I use both on my rack now depending on the price they can be had at.







I use three locking biners depending on the required use.Left to right, Trango 40g @ 24 kN,Black Diamond Gridlock 78g @ 22kN and theMammut 78g and 24kN.







And I have a few I am still undecided on. Trango on the left, a small Camp @ 22g and 20kN and the new Petzl @ 30g and 20kN





And finally a carabiner that impressed me while we watched it beingdestroyed at the Grivel factory.

Thehard anodized Grivel Yamma K2W biner, 34g and 27kNthat is individually tested and serial numbered in production. An extra 3 to 7 kN bmp in stregth is a big bump in all these lwtbiners. No quessing either as Griveltests biners like this one to failure on a regular basis.





If nothing else I like consistency. I find it annoyingto climb with all sorts of differing sizesand styles of carabiners on my rack. So I try not to, even if that means we use my rack a lot :-)

The Estate of John Rupert :: Goods and Chattels

The will of John Rupert dated October 17, 1828 was admitted to probate in Columbiana County, Ohio in August of 1831. The appraisers were appointed on September 3, 1831 and an inventory was submitted to the executors on that date. These documents are of importance because they place John Rupert in Hanover township. I'm not sure that this is a complete inventory, because the sale bill seems to have more items. It is possible that some pages were missing when the estate papers were microfilmed.





Appointment of Administrators of the estate of John Rupart. Packet 1439. Family History Library microfilm 2032592.

State of Ohio

Columbiana County



Before me Michael Arter a Justice of the peace in and for said county personally came Philip Andrew Peter Guisinger David Wiley appraisers of the estate of John Rupert late of Hanover Township in said county deceased and were sworn well and truly to apprais all the goods and Chattles of said estate which shall be presented to them for appraisement, and also to set off to the widow of said deceased such possessions or other property as they shall think reasonable for the support of herself and children twelve months from the time of the death of the said deceased.



Given under my hand this 3d day of September 1831

Michael Arter Justice of the peace





Inventory of the estate of John Rupart. Packet 1439.

“A true and accurate inventory of the goods and chattels of the estate of John Rupert late of Hanover township, deceased presented to us the undersigned appraisers of said estate, by Conrad Yarien & David Ehrhart, executors thereof, the 3d day of September 1831.”

one man's saddle - - 1.00 one wheel & Reel - - 2.50 one churn - - 1.00 one shovel, axe, &c. - - 2.00 one [?] kettle [?] - - 1.50 a lot of chissels - - 0.25 a lot of Iron, &c. - - 0.75 one hammer, anvil, &c. - - 0.50 one Kettle - - 1.50 one Scythe - - 0.37 ½ one Salt barrel - - 1.25 a lot of tubs and barrels - - 1.50 a lot of Tubs - - 0.75 a lot of Cradles [?] - - 0.75 A lot of Tubs - - 0.12 ½ A lot of Corn - - 0.25 One heiffer - - 6.00 one windmill - - 5.00 one dunghook & pitchfork - - 0.37 one Salt barrel - - 0.12 ½ A lot of wheat – 10.00 a lot of rye - - 3.25 A lot of oats – - 2.25 A quantity of Hay - - 4.00 Shovel & tongs - - 0.50 Two pot racks - - 1.50 one clock - - 2.50 one Cooking glass - - 0.50 a pair of Cards [?] - - 0.25 one chest - - 1.00 one table - - 1.00 a pair of irons - - 0.50 one bed - - 4.00

Dresser ware - - 4.00 one iron pot, $c. - - 2.50 Pewter ware - - 3.00 4 Chairs - - 0.50 one Cow bell - - 0.75 A quantity of Rye - - 2.50 a tub of wheat - - 2.00 2 barrels - - 0.25 7 bags - - 2.00 Corn in the ground - - 5.00 Cow Chains - - 1.00 Half bushel, &c &c - - 1.37 ½ A ½ pair of Steelyards - - 0.75 one griddle - - 1.00 one adze and basket - - 0.50 one spinning wheel - - 1.00 one trunk - - 0.16 ¼ one Rig [?] - - 0.50 one hackle - - 1.00 Cash on hand - - 12.12 ½ Philip Andrew David Wiley Peter Guisinger

Desert Calm

After an argument with someone you love a couple of hours out on the desert alone can really help. Or at least it helped me to calm down yesterday. There is something about being out on the desert that makes you realize just how small you are in comparison to all the nothing-ness that is all around you. Or at first it seems like nothing-ness but the longer you are there you realize just how much there is on the desert. At first it is hard to see anything but sky, dirt and weeds. But gradually the sky gets bluer or darker, or cloudy-er. Then the weeds become sagebrush, wildflowers, and juniper trees. The dirt wholes it all together. It may be sandy and blowing or just down right irritating but it is there to make sure the flowers, brush, and trees are able to survive. As you spend more time on the desert you will start to see the other lives that live there. The birds rabbits, mice, coyotes, foxes, badgers, and if your really lucky deer, bobcats, porcupines.

Here are a few photos of some of the cholla cactus that were blooming. That luscious purple color can't conceivable come from a stickery cactus but it does. And of course the bees were just thick on them.

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???

Tuffee's Hole

Tuffee dug a hole in the damp dirt by the house. She looked cute in it but I got afraid the rock would fall in on her if she dug any more so we filled it in. She just dug another one beside of the first hole but at least the rock wasn't near it.

Mom :: Before she was Mom

My Mother would have been 83 years old today. I thought that I had seen all of the pictures of her through the years, but amongst her things we found the picture below. I don't know whether it is her or not but it was in the same drawer as her marriage license and certificate.





Whoever it is, she is a cutie! Below are some (okay, a lot of) confirmed photos of Mom. What do you think? Is the above photo my Mother? As always, double-click to view a larger version of the photos.



1928 and 1934

1936 and 1937

1941 and 1942

1943 – fifteen years old – yes, 15!

1944 – sixteen years old

1945 (Junior Prom) and 1946

In May .., for her 80th birthday, I posted some photos of her in her later years.