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Show THE DAILY HERALD, Provo, l Tueday, September 24, 19 i-F- luira O By CAROL KAUDER Knight-Ridd- r Newspaper BOULDER, Cola'C Sixty-fiv- e million years ago the modern Rocky Mountains were uplifted, exposing one and a half billion years worth of rock sedimentation on the Earth's surface. Erosion continues to change the landscape, creating canyons and valleys, leaving jagged ridges nd solitary boulders. , It s scenery to some, but for oth ft f Hi ers. it's a plaveround. . Today Eldorado Canyon, or "Eldo" as it is affectionately called, is crawling with rock climbers." So are other outdoor locales, as well as indoor rock gyms from Tallahassee to Chicago to Boulder. The number of .climbers is rapidly ascending. An estimated l half a million Americans climb .Mi- rocks on a regular basis, although ll hat's a difficult statistic to pin Bown because climbers don't need jo buy a license or register in any official capacity, the way hunters pr fishermen do. In Boulder alone, Boulder Rock tlub John McGowen "says last year about 20,000 residents were members or guests at !the indoor climbing gym, based on Jentry questionnaires. After open-lin- g a second, larger gym he 'expects that number to rise. Club and climbing instructor Newman says club ;Casey has tripled since it first opened in 1991. . i. ' And today's climbers are loo1 king for more than just thrills. They ifind the rocks offer a strength !' ! workout for the body, as well as a i mental challenge that carries over y '.into other aspects of life. To the uninitiated, rock clim; t'l an actibing can appear absurd vity that would appeal only to the ; insane or men with a physique like 'Sylvester Stallone in the movie 1 "Cliffhanger." To those who do - .1 'climb, the case is quite the oppo site. Although strength is impor-- ', tant, size has no direct correlation ! with climbing prowess, and many ; people climb for the challenge of ; achieving what appears to others, to I ; be impossible. I ; In Eldorado Canyon, climbers j test their skills, strength and nerve Jon formations that are "the result 3 of folding and uplifting of the v 'Earth's crust and the erosional effects of wind, water, and gravi-ty,Vdescribed jo the Eldorado State Park literature. The Canyon " canyon's unique geology makes it an internationally known climbing hot spot. On the "West Ridge," a formation of fountain sandstone about a mile up the canyon, Margit Mestdagh appeared to effortlessly ease her way up the rock, graceful-- . I ly shifting weight between her feet l and hands. "I've seen her do 30 says her climbing partner, Judy who Lovdokken, "belayed" controlling the rope Mestdagh v ji ; ( ; as Newspapers er : Report. A very professional job: Teachers, engineers, doctors, nurses, lawyers and librarians. Not to mention newspaper columnists. Those of you who are professionals people who hold jobs that require varying degrees of higher make up 15 percent education of the country's work force, according to U.S. News & World i ' ' ' . V' 2. Knight RidderTribune Photo Julia Moravcsik ponders her next move on Flagstaff Mountain in Boulder, Colo. Rock climbing is gaining popularity as both a physical and mental workout. time kept many people away from the perception that climbing climbing is a is now drawing them to activity try it. " The danger factor seems really hip these days; everyone seems really into the extreme sport thing. People feel like they are really stepping out on a limb to call us up and take a class. But then when they come in and actually do a program, they find out how controlled it really is," he says. "Really, the most dangerous part is the drive there. This isn't sheer death-wisIt's something you can make a part of your life everyday." "Climbing is as dangerous as walking across the street," agrees Fedor who, in the past, "soloed" routes,) climbing without protection or a rope. "It's the decisions that you make going into a climbing situation that determine whether it is going to be safe or not. It can be as safe or as dangerous as you want it to be." While climbing may be surfing the wave of extreme sport enthusiasm, Newman thinks it will remain popular because of the psychological elements, when other forms of athletic adventure ebb as passing fads. Newman recently began train h. says that the highest concentration of professionals in the country is in Los Alamos County, N.M., home of the government laboratory that produced the first atomic bomb. Invasions of privacy: You may say, "It's no one's business but mine," but more and more businesses believe your business is The magazine their business. The Wall Street Journal says a new American Civil Liberties Union study estimates that more than 20 million workers now have their computer files, voice searched by their mail or bosses. In addition, the study says, d of newly hired nearly employees undergo drug testing. one-thir- I ' Utilizing the Newest Physician Assisted Diet Pill Therapy! ing with a sports psychologist to gain more control over his thought processes while climbing, through breathing techniques and exercises in mental focus. He thinks the future of climbing will advance in that direction. "I think it is going to become a Zen kind of thing. If you don't intensely believe you can get up a difficult climb, pure brute power isn't going to do it," he says while belaying a student up the Bastille. The rock is estimated to be more than 300 million years old and is the same kind of sedimentation as the West Ridge, from which Margit Mestdagh dangles by her fingertips. "It's all about personal growth, Neldon F. and Rhea H. Wride will celebrate their golden wedding at an open house on Monday, Sept. 30, at 7 p.m. at their home. They were married Sept. 30, 1946, in the Salt Lake LDS Temple. Neldon graduated from Spanish Fork High School and attended floor covering school in Los Angeles, Calif. He attended Brigham Young University and served in the U.S. Navy Air Force. He was a floor covering contractor in San Jose, Calif., for 18 years and returned to Provo to manage the floor covering department at Taylor's Department Store. Later he supervised the floor covering department for the LDS Church in Salt Lake City. Rhea was raised in Provo and Salem and graduated from Spanish Fork High School. She attended BYU. She operated a variety store in California and worked for the University of California Santa Cruz. After their return to Provo, she worked at BYU until retirement. They are members of the LDS Rhea and Neldon Wride Church and have served in many stake and ward positions. They served in the California Fresno LDS Mission. They are parents of three children and one foster child; Larry N. Wride, Keith E. Wride, Linda Rawlings and Bernard Write. They have 13 grandchildren and one d. MDA accomplishment," self-estee- Newman says. "Easy things don't give you that much of a buzz, hard things do." Muscular Dystrophy Association ii you mm BAH BUM??? an rjTjc8i) ijttte 0j to ease back pain or simply want If you're looking better night's sleep, then you're looking for the Signature Sleep System. With an optional, Adjustable lumbar support, pressure point relief and other features, such as wool and silk linings for seasonal comfort, this is easily one of the finest mattresses available. Don't wait another day, or night, for relief. I Lose 35 - 60 lbs. in 3 months & 70 120 lbs. in 6 months! -- E - M N i ,v:'S';..-'- Wrides to celebrate 50th Los Alamos has most professional jobs Knight-Rldd- if - f Stewart and Genevieve Whiting celebrated their golden wedding anniversary at a family dinner Sept. 21 at the Oak Crest Inn in Spanish Fork. They were married Sept. 19, 1946, in the Salt Lake LDS Temple. After mcing 14 times, they settled in Ueir hometown of Mapleton vhere they have lived for the past 42 years. Both ae Brigham Young University graduates and fulfilled LDS mhsions. Stew art served in the Navy during World War II. He taught in Richfield, Lyman, Wyo., and Nebo Stewart and Genevieve Whiting School District and farmed in the summers. He retired in 1983 after Church and have served in many 31 years. Genevieve was employed by position. the Provo School District for 10 They are the parents of four children: in and retired She 1983. Craig Whiting, Payson; Bruce years worked with the Whiting, Lincoln, Neb.; Brenda MountainlandRSVP volunteer Price, Lava Hot Springs, Idaho: and program and served as Mapleton Nan Murray, Springville. They have 19 grandchildren and four Council woman from 1988-199LDS are members the of They life-wish- ," ip ," Whitings celebrate 50th h; 'co-own- er pull-ups- J . Physician assisted Mfviirarinns: tn control aDDetite and cravings rwtntionguiaeDOOKanauLmuuiiicuuia r DDC'smotivauonaitape Last" Copy of "Thinner at Partner of the Orem Store y Pulmonary function test Use of Powerhouse Gym's facilities to mm1 Marl Eaton jr Complete lab work ' . . Ana- mnerlAC iiwpcaiiuwi-.u..v- Get more for your weight management investment, DoctortttetainictakesyourheallhSeriously! a Cheryl Stmih cam: to The Doctors Dd its. Ajiapamapatmg ewe weighing m CiKSU caongngrxanaiooKSonajcasgrcau 1heDiett That Works! Call Far Mart Irrnnation f 7 Norm too WKtr (vtuutcm tUttmn) yRGOPY Page t'5 .nilnnlnnnft si well-defin- er mem-bersh- that Mestdagh was tied to, ready to catch her if she falls. Mestdagh's back muscles carved shadows in the late afternoon sunlight, the way a dancer's body is accentuated by a spotlight. As strong as she is, Mestdagh enjoys cmubiug as fiiuch for the psychological aspect as the physi-- , cal workout. For Mestdagh, climb-- ; ing is like meditation, a time to completely focus on the task at hand. "Your world shrinks down realfast to your two hands and your ly two feet," agrees Lovdokken. Mestdagh and Lovdokken both appreciate the connections they make with people while climbing, which they say is unlike any other relationship. "You have to work as a team. You have to trust your leader (first climber up the rock) and your, belayer. It's a lot about trust." And while extreme sport competitions and Madison Avenue-create- d commercials often portray adventure, climbing as a high-ris- k many climbers say they're on the rocks for fun. "I don't have a death-wisI. have a says Newman of the Boulder Rock Club. "I don't want to die; I just want to have a fun life. I guess that's the part that people who don't understand climbing don't understand. Greater reward requires greater risk." Boulder resident Eliza Rayner says climbing is fun for her because it completely engages her mind and body. Strength and tech- - " nique are what get her up the rock, but mentally she has to plan where to place her hands and feet for each move, figure out the most efficient way to support her weight, and stay calm on a rock face 200 feet off the ground. "It gives you a sense of fulfillment when you are done," she says. "It's fun to take the challenge. It's totally physical, but it's totally mental too." "I think the biggest attraction to climbing is the mental aspect," says McGowen. "(You develop) skills such as problem solving being able to look at something and overcome the difficulties that it has." Boulder resident Erik Fedor, an elite climber, says climbing can teach lessons applicable to daily life "The act of climbing itself is like an analogy for life," he says. "You "have goals that you set; you , have successes and failures, and how you deal with those in a climbing situation is easily transferable into your own life." Rayner agrees. "It teaches you that you can overcome your fears and believe in yourself," she says. "You are afraid of falling and getting hurt. You can apply that to all of life. When you can work through your fears of climbing, you can work through other fears in your life, too." McGowen says that what at one th 373-240- 0 to . Sim j Mow FAST, SAFE, WEIGHT LOSS 'Aclwcrf 580 East 1300 South, Orem . r f- 2 Address: UTAHOACKIX,NETCOM.COM E-M- ail wwjlit lot mojp i 221-022- s t - v w. - |