Tag Archives: Patagonia Clothing

by

The Green Woolies

50 year old wool pants from LL Bean.

So how many of you have a pair of 50 year old pants that still fit you? How many of you have pants or anything else for that matter that you can still use at 50+ years old? I got these pants when I worked up at Sugarloaf Maine teaching skiing many years ago. It was cold up there. 40 below straight temps most mornings and I even wore these under my ski pants instead of long underwear when it was bitter cold. They are warm, they are comfortable and they still fit. Amazing.

I wear these pants these days is when it is cold in the parking lot at our church when I am on parking team duty. The guys always make fun of me wondering when I will pull out the green woolies. They can gauge how cold it is by my pants. LOL!!! I also wear them on hikes in the winter when I am not riding or skiing. I must admit that when it hits the teens and single digits with a 30 MPH wind, my riding ceases. I am not that tough anymore, and I also don’t have studs in my tires for the snow and ice issues. The melting and refreezing tends to make the trails a little dicey. I also don’t have a fat bike. I am just not that hard core anymore. But I will still bring out the woolies for a nice winter hike. Then back on the bike when the temps moderate bit ,and the trails are no longer icy.

The winter bike takes a break if there is ice on the trails.
My local trails.

As much as I like to ride mountain bikes and ski, there is something nice about just putting on my tunes in my earpieces and listening to my old music from back in the day. I don’t have to pay much attention to what I am doing, and just hiking along gives me the freedom to daydream and think about all the fun times I had when I first listened to this music. Bonnie Raitt, Karla Bonoff, Jackson Browne, the Dead, Poco, the New Riders of the Purple Sage, the Flying Burrito Brothers, The Byrds, and on and on and on. All good music that has stood the test of time and reminders of people, friends, and events from back in the day. On a snowy day it is almost like I am transported back in time as I listen to all of this old stuff. Old like my green woolies.

Judy and Janet on their snowshoes. Another winter pastime

This past weekend we got a big dump and I hauled out the snowshoes. Same tunes, same woolies, and more transports back in time. Fat bikes and studs on tires are great, but sometimes there is even too much snow for them. Lot of dedicated guys ride all winter, but sometimes it is a bit much for me and I can get lost on the trails with my hiking boots or snowshoes. I don’t like to exercise indoors. I like to be outside in whatever weather that is thrown at me, I like the fresh winter air, the solitary snow- covered trails, and the opportunity to wear my nice ski parkas with a pair of 50 year old pants from LL Bean.

Jan and I even snowshoed in our neighborhood. Big storm for us.

Another old piece of clothing that I have is my original Patagonia gray fleece pullover. This item I have had for about as long as the woolies and I recently posted an old picture of me wearing it from the top of Mt. Washington in New Hampshire. I sent it to Patagonia ,and they posted it on their web site and it got 28,000 hits. People probably like the old pullover and the story behind it.

So, if you have an old piece of clothing that you like, hang on to it for as long as you can. If it serves you well, that is great. If it is just for nostalgia, that is cool too. The stories in those pieces of clothing are well worth the space it takes up in your closet. Janet just shakes her head at me, but deep down she realizes that the stories are good and the mocking of my friends is well worth the pain of keeping the items. I laugh with them, but I bet they don’t have clothing like that. Legendary! Thanks for reading. Enjoy the snow and winter and remember to follow the blog on http://www.chroniclesofmccloskey.com It helps me.

“By the breath of God, ice is given. And the broad waters are frozen fast” -Job-37,9-10

by

The Crowbar

We all know what a crowbar is. It is the tool that is used to pry open a door or a trunk and see what is inside. It is a rough way to open something. Just use that crowbar to get something out. You can just hear the nails squeaking and that groaning of the wood under pressure. That is what Janet and I say when I get her out of the house to do something active. It’s not that she doesn’t want to do it, and once she is out, she has a good time. It is just getting her out of the comfort zone of our house and out and about. I say- ” I just crowbarred you out of the house.” The groaning and squeaking seem to stop once the door is opened.

As with an actual crowbar, there is always the initial resistance. Take this weekend for instance. We have a lot of snow on the ground and I always say take advantage of the weather when you can. Jan likes to snowshoe but when it is 20 degrees and the wind is howling on the golf course near our house, it can become a real sales job on my part to crowbar Janet away from the fireplace. We set up the camp chairs, strap on the shoes, and then trudge off into the north wind. She is bundled up and moaning a bit but then the sun shines and we move towards the valley to shield us a little from the relentless biting wind. Things get better. The hands warm up a little bit and the conversation between the two of us distracts her from the bitter temperatures and wind. Clothing helps too in that she has a nice Patagonia Gore Tex shell and pants.

No such thing as bad weather.

I try to pick the good days to make the crowbar a little easier. When the sun shines, I have a better chance and nice groomed conditions doesn’t hurt either when we venture to the slopes.

Nice weather out west.

But sometimes, we get caught in nasty weather which makes the crowbar situation a little more resistant. Like when we get caught in a freezing rain situation.

Thanks Pat- freezing rain.

But for the most part, Gore Tex always does the trick especially when you can successfully get out of the house. And Janet always admits when we return home, she was glad she went and feels good that she got another day outside. Whether it is hiking, cycling, skiing, snowshoeing or just a plain walk in the neighborhood, once she is crowbarred out, things seem generally to go well. Some initial complaints wane as the outing progresses. Jan is a good sport and I have put her in some pretty nasty weather situations which never seem to be daunting to me. But I am a different type of person. Janet would prefer warm weather but she will take the good with the bad here in Western Pa.

The Hiker

Jan and I are empty nesters now. And with the pandemic, there is a lot of time spent in the house together. Not that we don’t like that, but it is important for us to be active outside. Jan loves her home and takes pride in having it well kept despite having to live with a guy who is a little less neat. She enjoys the comforts of home especially in the inclement weather. But when the crowbar comes out, deep down she knows that she will have a good time despite the feeling that she is being forced out into the frozen tundra. Or a rainstorm. Or blazing heat. That perfect day with sunshine and pleasant temperatures is the Holy Grail that we seem to rarely grasp. I am a ” stick your face in the wind and let it rattle your teeth” kind of guy and Jan bundles up and pulls her facemask tight. But that is ok. She allows me to crowbar her out and I do things for her at home. Together we are making the best of the pandemic, and also enjoying more time together. We are getting used to this empty nest thing and haven’t killed each other yet. My type A personality is motivating her and her common sense is teaching me – daily. After 33 years together, we have used the crowbar analogy to our advantage. You can’t buy much in the way of sports equipment today- all sold out. Lift lines are longer, and in general it seems like most people are trying to be more active outdoors. Maybe somebody is crowbarring them all out too. Enjoy the winter and thanks for reading

by

Being a Brand Ambassador

For those of you who know me, you are aware that I get excited about things. My friends always laugh and say, ” Really Pat, is this the best?” I say, ” this is absolutely the BEST!” They chuckle and laugh at my enthusiasm for a wide variety of products. Recently, I went camping with a friend and used an instant coffee called Alpine Start out of Boulder, Colorado. Now I am a bit of a coffee snob but cranking up my Jet Boil, I got the water nice and hot and used the packet of Alpine Start which is a convenient instant coffee for the outdoors crowd. I was pleasantly surprised and so was my friend when we sipped the absolutely delicious coffee each morning. When I tell you it is the best, believe me, it is. I can hear my friends, but try some Alpine Start.   info@alpinestartfoods.com

As part of my enthusiastic nature, I usually contact a company and tell them how much I like their product. In some instances, like with Alpine Start, they made me a “brand ambassador.” I am not on the payroll, I just get some courtesies for promoting the product and a nice SWAG box full of goodies. It is their way of saying” thank you” and hoping that I talk it up with my friends. So what makes me a candidate to be a “brand ambassador” for anything? Well, lets go to another example from my friend Niall who is in the bicycle industry. He asks me from time to time to post something on my blog about new lines that he carries. For that courtesy, he makes me a “brand ambassador” and I get more SWAG and some courtesies from his companies that he represents. I don’t do it unless I believe in the product, but Niall says that I cover a wide swath of outdoor people with whom I interact and that makes me, in his eyes, a good brand ambassador. I am not a pro athlete, I am not on the payroll, the companies just see me as an enthusiastic guy who might exert some influence on my friends in the outdoor world to try a particular product.

When I became certified as a ski instructor back in the day, it opened up another similar opportunity to take advantage of “pro deals” which gives me deep discounts on ski equipment and clothing. For this courtesy, these companies rely on us to use the product when skiing and generate some conversations on the chair lifts which may result in a sale of the product to the public. Again, not on the payroll, just promoting the products in exchange for some nice discounts on products which I would normally use anyhow.

Taking this a step further, being a brand ambassador can be applied to recommending a shop with whom I am comfortable. I like Dirty Harry’s Bike Shop in Verona, Pa. and recommend their products and services. Barry and the boys are always nice to me down there when I buy something or get my bike repaired. I appreciate their friendship and great service and recommend them mostly because they are my friends. I am not on the payroll, just promoting them because of their friendly expertise.

Taking this a final step, our marketing department for the company where I am employed recently had a lunch and learn where they said that we all are “brand ambassadors” for the company when we interface with customers, carriers, and suppliers. When you think of it, if you are employed, you are representing your company every day. In exchange for a good job, benefits,culture, and the occasional SWAG, you should promote your company like I do with Armada. We do a great job for our clients like McDonald’s, and they appreciate the hard work and ethic that we have in servicing their supply chain needs.

So again, you don’t have to be a pro athlete to be a brand ambassador. I do it as an employee of my company. I also do it for companies like Alpine Start where I believe in their product. I promote my local bike and ski shop. I also promote product which I believe is superior in the outdoors industry such as Stockli Skis, Lange boots, and Patagonia clothing. Yes I get a pro/bro deal, and it helps my financial bottom line, but I would not do it if I did not believe in the product. You have to be true to yourself, otherwise, you are just a deal monger and your influence and recommendations are nothing short of shallow. So, think about it. You can be a brand ambassador. If you are enthusiastic about a product, email the company and tell them. You never know, they might come back to you and ask about your sphere of influence and make you a “brand ambassador.” I doesn’t cost you anything other than the specified guidelines for promotion and your good word. Thanks for reading.