trigger warning: mention of Other Forum Things
I had an awesome past few days with my brother and his friend at Horseshoe Canyon Ranch while they did the 24HHH. If anyone is interested here's my report; my heart is pretty full from the family time. Here's the timeline and highlights. The guys have a pretty good sense of humor so some of this is the jokes. Ian is my brother, Rico's the friend.
tl;dr: did some team mom-ing for my brother and his friend, had a blast hanging out and taking care of them while they did their thing. If you like climbing, 24HHH is a must-do, and that recommendation is from someone who doesn't climb much... great atmosphere, super fun.
Tuesday
5:30 pm: leave Stillwater, drive to Tulsa, get ice cream from "microcreamery" (was so good), drive to hotel. Sleep about 3.5 hrs til...
1 am: collect Ian and Rico at airport, had parked car and waited in airport w sign that said "IAN AND RICO" all fancy-like. (hadn't met Rico before but I do this sign every time Ian flies in). Rico thinks sign is funny.
1:30 am: arrive at hotel after stopping to get gatorade, Perrier, and beer from a convenience store that locks its doors at night but will sell stuff via the sort of contraption you use for drive-thru banking. Sleep 3.25 hrs
Wednesday
4:45 am: get up and go to pool, swim 5100 yds
8:45 am: get back to hotel, find boys still sleeping (unsurprising), eat complimentary breakfast enough for two and make a sandwich for lunch on the road; decide I have gotten my money's worth for the three complimentary breakfasts we were allotted. Do some work while boys sleep.
11 am: leave hotel, drive to airport hoping to get rental car as mine is really old and has some maintenance issues. Learn that rental cars need to be booked ahead of time. Whoops. Stop at grocery store for provisions.
noon: drive the 3+ hours to Air B&B in Jasper, AR. Rico, worried about noises car is making, says he is considering putting his helmet on in car. Toss stuff in air b&b, drive 15 min to the ranch.
5-7:30 pm: scout one of the cliffs, climb two routes (1.5 for me, second one was too hard). Drive back to air b&B.
8 pm: I make PB sandwich for dinner. Boys get Subway. Subway is the only restaurant open in Jasper (and one of its only restaurants - there is a small diner, and a bistro that appears to be seasonal). Sleep like a rock, on sleeping pad and sleeping bag so boys can have bed and futon.
Thursday
7:45 am: finally crawl out of bed, go to senior center wellness fitness room (I like to run on the treadmill) and run 7.5 miles. Had gym entirely to myself.
11:00 am: boys realize they don't have a good bin for their cache (food/gear stockpile). Hit up the farm store for a 5 gallon bucket. Feed store does not have them, but they have grain bins. Purchase grain bin. Fill with the food and gear. Drive to ranch.
noon: clinic for first timers. Guy goes on and on about the linear regression he ran with his data from last year of feet/min and difficulty grade. Consider asking what the R^2 value is, and if he considered any ANOVA models to take in other variables, but am unsure if these questions would embarrass my brother, so keep mouth shut.
1 pm: stash cache. I get teased when I ask if I can switch sides with my brother, "haven't you been doing farmers carries at the gym?". Spend the rest of the afternoon scouting more routes. There are basically two (giant) areas: the North 40 and the East Side. The 12 hour competition is going on during this. We see Hans Florine. Ask Rico if I should ask for an autograph. Rico asks if I have his book. I don't, so I skip the autograph. Ian gets very bad haircut. (free bad haircuts are part of this thing, as are tattoos). This is probably not what his girlfriend has been after when wanting him to get his hair cut.
7 pm: grill pizzas on little Weber charcoal grill. Go to bed. Sleep like a rock.
Friday
5:00 am: wake up, run 7.6 mi at wellness center, streaming the Friday Morning Joke Off on a radio show from home (Maine).
8:00 am: Ian and I eat yogurt for breakfast. Rico eats a sandwich with pepperjack cheese, garlic hummus, and hot sauce on cheddar-jalapeno bread.
8:15 am: drive boys to ranch, competition supposed to start at 10, pre-comp meeting supposed to start at 9.
9:30 am: pre-comp meeting starts. Event director says "if you can be yourself no where else in the world, be yourself here." I LOVE this. Roll Call is taken in which they call team names. Team names are nearly all inappropriate ("I cam in my pants" and the like, very funny)Teams can take a couple seconds to say something. Example: Daddy Daughter Dance dad says "I never took her to a daddy daughter dance, so I brought her to hell." Whole thing very amusing. When this ends, something perhaps best described as a Roman re-enactment occurs. One climber, ice axe for staff, bare-chested and in pants and a crown, is carried in on a wood throne, held on the shoulders of 8 climbers. Roman God Climber has a (fake) whip, which he pretend-whips a ninth guy who is leading the whole endeavor, and is tied to Roman God via a leash around 9th guy's neck.
9:55 am: Roman God Climber recites ode with information in code about not littering, making sure to poop in wag bags and not the woods, etc.
10:10 am: shotgun start. Follow boys into crag.
10:30 am - 7:15 pm: log the boys' climbs on the app (this is allowed). Admire eye candy backs/arms/shoulders. Thank volunteers as much as possible. Eat snacks. Try to shoot photos - and video. Video is hard because nearly every time the boys say something my parents don't want to hear. Example: Rico gets halfway up a pitch while Ian is trying to un-tangle the rope. Rico "ever belayed before?" Ian: "I'm trying to un-f*** the rope!"
7:15 pm: dusk, wish the boys a good night. I head to the air b&b. Sleep like a rock, in the bed :-)
Saturday
5:00 am: wake up, run 4 miles at wellness center. Cannot go to boys until daylight, as we forgot a headlamp and/or flashlight for me.
7:45 am: locate boys on other crag. Greet them by asking how they slept. Not sure they find this funny, but they look okay and say they are feeling okay. I reel out my collection of signs (see other thread). Rico laughs at "it's quickdraw, not slowdraw." Take over the logging of stuff on app.
9 am: Ian's girlfriend texts. Ask if he wants me to read it aloud to the group (we're near 2 other climbers). Get an unamused "no, Allison." oooo tired cranky brother.
9:55 am: Rico gets on, and finishes, the last pitch of the comp for them.
10 am: shotgun signals end. I pull the rope and we hike out of one edge of the canyon, then back to the other to collect the cache. I find a FOSSIL! It is in a big rock so I can't take it home. Boys refuse to let me help carry cache, which I understand, and admire.
11:00 am Boys each have one beer and ask to go nap. We drive back to air b&B. Boys both nap; I am exhausted but can't fall asleep so I read.
3:40 pm: get subway, drive back to ranch for awards and party
5:00 pm: watch cycle barrel racing, participate in footrace barrel racing and come in embarrassingly second to last... get beat by girl w beer in her hand. But, am proud of self for participating. Watch awards. Boys each get a sticker that says "mile high club" because they each climbed over a vertical mile. Shirts with slogan will follow in the mail. Rico says he hasn't bought a shirt in 15 years because he just gets them at stuff like this. (note: Rico is a professional climbing guide; his work attire is t shirt). They also each get a horseshoe for climbing a pitch every hour. Boys drink free beer.
7:00 pm: hanging out; I tell them that I now understand why the party start time was marked for 7:30 pm, "because that's when it gets dark." Rico says "she's getting it!"
8:00 pm: boys ask to go back to air b and b after party is barely started. I am secretly grateful as I was tired and partying isn't my thing. We hit the dollar store on the way back (Rico needed something). Go to bed, sleep mostly okay ish.
Sunday
5:30 am: wake up, run 10.35 mi, walk a km, do some hip exercises
9 am: pack up from air b&B
10:30: drive back to Tulsa. Boys discuss their competition; Ian naps; Rico streams a football game. We go to a brewery to kill some time before their flight, and watch more football. I order a garden salad "without the bacon." I'm a vegetarian - the "garden salad" in OK nearly always comes w/ bacon. (deep sigh)
4:45 pm: get to airport, walk in w boys (who check the feed bin, full of some of their stuff, as carryon luggage. They like the feed bin). Get hugs, watch them go through security (my parents always park the car, walk me into the airport, and watch me til they can't see me anymore... it is super sweet and yeah there's something about that just a few more min of laying eyes on your loved ones that I like)
5:10 pm: drive back to Stillwater. Feel grateful car made it.
maybe she's born with it, maybe it's chlorine
If you're injured and need some sympathy, PM me and I'm very happy to write back.
disclaimer: PhD not MD
I had an awesome past few days with my brother and his friend at Horseshoe Canyon Ranch while they did the 24HHH. If anyone is interested here's my report; my heart is pretty full from the family time. Here's the timeline and highlights. The guys have a pretty good sense of humor so some of this is the jokes. Ian is my brother, Rico's the friend.
tl;dr: did some team mom-ing for my brother and his friend, had a blast hanging out and taking care of them while they did their thing. If you like climbing, 24HHH is a must-do, and that recommendation is from someone who doesn't climb much... great atmosphere, super fun.
Tuesday
5:30 pm: leave Stillwater, drive to Tulsa, get ice cream from "microcreamery" (was so good), drive to hotel. Sleep about 3.5 hrs til...
1 am: collect Ian and Rico at airport, had parked car and waited in airport w sign that said "IAN AND RICO" all fancy-like. (hadn't met Rico before but I do this sign every time Ian flies in). Rico thinks sign is funny.
1:30 am: arrive at hotel after stopping to get gatorade, Perrier, and beer from a convenience store that locks its doors at night but will sell stuff via the sort of contraption you use for drive-thru banking. Sleep 3.25 hrs
Wednesday
4:45 am: get up and go to pool, swim 5100 yds
8:45 am: get back to hotel, find boys still sleeping (unsurprising), eat complimentary breakfast enough for two and make a sandwich for lunch on the road; decide I have gotten my money's worth for the three complimentary breakfasts we were allotted. Do some work while boys sleep.
11 am: leave hotel, drive to airport hoping to get rental car as mine is really old and has some maintenance issues. Learn that rental cars need to be booked ahead of time. Whoops. Stop at grocery store for provisions.
noon: drive the 3+ hours to Air B&B in Jasper, AR. Rico, worried about noises car is making, says he is considering putting his helmet on in car. Toss stuff in air b&b, drive 15 min to the ranch.
5-7:30 pm: scout one of the cliffs, climb two routes (1.5 for me, second one was too hard). Drive back to air b&B.
8 pm: I make PB sandwich for dinner. Boys get Subway. Subway is the only restaurant open in Jasper (and one of its only restaurants - there is a small diner, and a bistro that appears to be seasonal). Sleep like a rock, on sleeping pad and sleeping bag so boys can have bed and futon.
Thursday
7:45 am: finally crawl out of bed, go to senior center wellness fitness room (I like to run on the treadmill) and run 7.5 miles. Had gym entirely to myself.
11:00 am: boys realize they don't have a good bin for their cache (food/gear stockpile). Hit up the farm store for a 5 gallon bucket. Feed store does not have them, but they have grain bins. Purchase grain bin. Fill with the food and gear. Drive to ranch.
noon: clinic for first timers. Guy goes on and on about the linear regression he ran with his data from last year of feet/min and difficulty grade. Consider asking what the R^2 value is, and if he considered any ANOVA models to take in other variables, but am unsure if these questions would embarrass my brother, so keep mouth shut.
1 pm: stash cache. I get teased when I ask if I can switch sides with my brother, "haven't you been doing farmers carries at the gym?". Spend the rest of the afternoon scouting more routes. There are basically two (giant) areas: the North 40 and the East Side. The 12 hour competition is going on during this. We see Hans Florine. Ask Rico if I should ask for an autograph. Rico asks if I have his book. I don't, so I skip the autograph. Ian gets very bad haircut. (free bad haircuts are part of this thing, as are tattoos). This is probably not what his girlfriend has been after when wanting him to get his hair cut.
7 pm: grill pizzas on little Weber charcoal grill. Go to bed. Sleep like a rock.
Friday
5:00 am: wake up, run 7.6 mi at wellness center, streaming the Friday Morning Joke Off on a radio show from home (Maine).
8:00 am: Ian and I eat yogurt for breakfast. Rico eats a sandwich with pepperjack cheese, garlic hummus, and hot sauce on cheddar-jalapeno bread.
8:15 am: drive boys to ranch, competition supposed to start at 10, pre-comp meeting supposed to start at 9.
9:30 am: pre-comp meeting starts. Event director says "if you can be yourself no where else in the world, be yourself here." I LOVE this. Roll Call is taken in which they call team names. Team names are nearly all inappropriate ("I cam in my pants" and the like, very funny)Teams can take a couple seconds to say something. Example: Daddy Daughter Dance dad says "I never took her to a daddy daughter dance, so I brought her to hell." Whole thing very amusing. When this ends, something perhaps best described as a Roman re-enactment occurs. One climber, ice axe for staff, bare-chested and in pants and a crown, is carried in on a wood throne, held on the shoulders of 8 climbers. Roman God Climber has a (fake) whip, which he pretend-whips a ninth guy who is leading the whole endeavor, and is tied to Roman God via a leash around 9th guy's neck.
9:55 am: Roman God Climber recites ode with information in code about not littering, making sure to poop in wag bags and not the woods, etc.
10:10 am: shotgun start. Follow boys into crag.
10:30 am - 7:15 pm: log the boys' climbs on the app (this is allowed). Admire eye candy backs/arms/shoulders. Thank volunteers as much as possible. Eat snacks. Try to shoot photos - and video. Video is hard because nearly every time the boys say something my parents don't want to hear. Example: Rico gets halfway up a pitch while Ian is trying to un-tangle the rope. Rico "ever belayed before?" Ian: "I'm trying to un-f*** the rope!"
7:15 pm: dusk, wish the boys a good night. I head to the air b&b. Sleep like a rock, in the bed :-)
Saturday
5:00 am: wake up, run 4 miles at wellness center. Cannot go to boys until daylight, as we forgot a headlamp and/or flashlight for me.
7:45 am: locate boys on other crag. Greet them by asking how they slept. Not sure they find this funny, but they look okay and say they are feeling okay. I reel out my collection of signs (see other thread). Rico laughs at "it's quickdraw, not slowdraw." Take over the logging of stuff on app.
9 am: Ian's girlfriend texts. Ask if he wants me to read it aloud to the group (we're near 2 other climbers). Get an unamused "no, Allison." oooo tired cranky brother.
9:55 am: Rico gets on, and finishes, the last pitch of the comp for them.
10 am: shotgun signals end. I pull the rope and we hike out of one edge of the canyon, then back to the other to collect the cache. I find a FOSSIL! It is in a big rock so I can't take it home. Boys refuse to let me help carry cache, which I understand, and admire.
11:00 am Boys each have one beer and ask to go nap. We drive back to air b&B. Boys both nap; I am exhausted but can't fall asleep so I read.
3:40 pm: get subway, drive back to ranch for awards and party
5:00 pm: watch cycle barrel racing, participate in footrace barrel racing and come in embarrassingly second to last... get beat by girl w beer in her hand. But, am proud of self for participating. Watch awards. Boys each get a sticker that says "mile high club" because they each climbed over a vertical mile. Shirts with slogan will follow in the mail. Rico says he hasn't bought a shirt in 15 years because he just gets them at stuff like this. (note: Rico is a professional climbing guide; his work attire is t shirt). They also each get a horseshoe for climbing a pitch every hour. Boys drink free beer.
7:00 pm: hanging out; I tell them that I now understand why the party start time was marked for 7:30 pm, "because that's when it gets dark." Rico says "she's getting it!"
8:00 pm: boys ask to go back to air b and b after party is barely started. I am secretly grateful as I was tired and partying isn't my thing. We hit the dollar store on the way back (Rico needed something). Go to bed, sleep mostly okay ish.
Sunday
5:30 am: wake up, run 10.35 mi, walk a km, do some hip exercises
9 am: pack up from air b&B
10:30: drive back to Tulsa. Boys discuss their competition; Ian naps; Rico streams a football game. We go to a brewery to kill some time before their flight, and watch more football. I order a garden salad "without the bacon." I'm a vegetarian - the "garden salad" in OK nearly always comes w/ bacon. (deep sigh)
4:45 pm: get to airport, walk in w boys (who check the feed bin, full of some of their stuff, as carryon luggage. They like the feed bin). Get hugs, watch them go through security (my parents always park the car, walk me into the airport, and watch me til they can't see me anymore... it is super sweet and yeah there's something about that just a few more min of laying eyes on your loved ones that I like)
5:10 pm: drive back to Stillwater. Feel grateful car made it.
maybe she's born with it, maybe it's chlorine
If you're injured and need some sympathy, PM me and I'm very happy to write back.
disclaimer: PhD not MD
Last edited by:
Dr. Tigerchik: Sep 25, 22 17:59