There Are Pandas, and Then There Are Pandas.
And this isn't either of them! The Pandas we're talking about here, are watches, not bears. And what got me thinking about them (again) was a link posted this morning by @cm.rook who pointed a few of us to the very attractive (and not terribly priced) Yema "Rallygraph" Panda which, in it's most traditional arrangement, looks like the one on the left, but can also be had in the version on the right: The model on the left is a true Panda, while the model on the right is called a reverse Panda. The reason for that distinction is clear--Panda bears, only come in the first arrangement. Now at this point, everyone should be thinking about the most well-know Panda, The Rolex Panda, which is actually a Daytona, and among Rolex Daytonas, the most famous of which is the Paul Newman Daytona, which was famous first, because it was Paul's, and second because it sold at auction for $17.8 million (US Dollars). The story of that auction is well-known so I'll only...
Nov 8, 2019
To me, the best part of most mountaineering trips is after the climb. Before the climb you're nervous or tired or giddy with anticipation. During the climb you're trying to minimize suffering (dehydration, altitude, sun exposure, etc). After the climb, you get to relax and talk with your team. On a 2-day trip, or Avy Gulch if you summit on day 3, you climb then return all the way to your car and get back down to town - and suddenly you've so far removed from the wilderness that it's just not the same. I really like having dinner on the mountain after the climb and talking about our day, relaxing, getting to know my team better. And sunset from Hidden Valley is fantastic.