Hell's Canyon was nice - managed to find a little camp spot by a stream and have some nature time to myself. Lovely.
How to stay in shape and out of trouble (ie sitting on the couch or spending lots of money)... Took the last week to catch up with some Seattle friends, hiking and climbing and skiing, and get affairs like oil changes and drivers license renewals in order. A couple more days of that, then ready to head off on a bike trip to Portland, the long way.
It's about 430 miles around the north side of the Olympic Peninsula on Hwy 101 then down to Rain City avoiding the interstate. Plenty of time to ride as slow or fast as I want, with a couple days to escape the rain if need be. The weather's supposed to clear up next week (it snowed in the city today!), but it is, after all, spring in the Northwest. Rainy and 41 degrees...
Planning to return to town mid-April, with little chance of internet on the trek. Til then, it's central heating appreciation fortnight - enjoy!
Friday, March 28, 2008
Sunday, March 16, 2008
Apply powder liberally
Didn't realize I left things hanging in my mad dash from Alta to Oregon, but all is well!
I just got down from doing some powder hosting for Wallowa Alpine Huts for the last 11 days.
(see wallowahuts.com) It was great, and exactly what the WFR manual proscribes for cracked ribs. A
super-steep learning curve, getting to know the skin tracks and secret powder runs of the basin, but my lead hosts were generous and patient and extremely knowledgeable. It's a beautiful place, deep in the wilderness. The yurts are far enough in that day skiers don't come all the way in, and an hour of skinning yields whatever kind of terrain you're looking to ski, from some steep chutes to wide open bowls. Met some really cool guests, including some wild women from Idaho, and had a great time. Very much looking forward to spending more time here next winter.
A few pictures here pirated from the WAH website - more current ones if people send theirs to share.
It will be a little while longer until I don't have to worry about my rib, but I can actually take a deep breath again and almost sleep on my left side! It's the little things...
CB doesn't need me for the rest of the ski season here, so I have a whole month before work resumes in Washington. Headed out now for a few days of backpacking around Hell's Canyon since I'm in the area, then I'll need to get creative for the next little while to keep myself entertained. So far the potential list includes: cycling down the coast in the rain, living in the yome for a while, taking up residence in a fire lookout, heading for Moab or back to Alta... Low-budget suggestions accepted!
I just got down from doing some powder hosting for Wallowa Alpine Huts for the last 11 days.
(see wallowahuts.com) It was great, and exactly what the WFR manual proscribes for cracked ribs. A
super-steep learning curve, getting to know the skin tracks and secret powder runs of the basin, but my lead hosts were generous and patient and extremely knowledgeable. It's a beautiful place, deep in the wilderness. The yurts are far enough in that day skiers don't come all the way in, and an hour of skinning yields whatever kind of terrain you're looking to ski, from some steep chutes to wide open bowls. Met some really cool guests, including some wild women from Idaho, and had a great time. Very much looking forward to spending more time here next winter. A few pictures here pirated from the WAH website - more current ones if people send theirs to share.
It will be a little while longer until I don't have to worry about my rib, but I can actually take a deep breath again and almost sleep on my left side! It's the little things...
CB doesn't need me for the rest of the ski season here, so I have a whole month before work resumes in Washington. Headed out now for a few days of backpacking around Hell's Canyon since I'm in the area, then I'll need to get creative for the next little while to keep myself entertained. So far the potential list includes: cycling down the coast in the rain, living in the yome for a while, taking up residence in a fire lookout, heading for Moab or back to Alta... Low-budget suggestions accepted!
Tuesday, March 4, 2008
Alta warmup
Off to Alta to visit my friend Dan (going big in the picture) and get a little loading dose of winter. I left Seattle just ahead of an incoming storm, and sure enough it followed me to Utah for a nice 12" powder day. Finally got to get on my new powder skis (Atomic Janek boards), and was pleasantly surprised by how well my legs remembered their turns. Tired, definitely, but being acclimatized from the big hill helped a lot here at nine thousand feet.
Unfortunately, I had a little run in with a tree and managed to at least crack a rib - I can hear some sounds that ribs don't normally make. Went backcountry the next day anyway, which was not a good idea, but it was definitely fun. Mmm... deep powder...Taking today off in a belated attempt to take care of myself - I'm supposed to be working in the Wallowas in two days! Hmm. It's snowing again at the moment - it's nice to be back in the winter season after some time away. Always an adventure.
Friday, February 22, 2008
Aconcagua, round 2
Whew! It's a lot of work getting ten people up a big mountain, but that's exactly what we did! We had a great, strong crew - many thanks to them for sticking it out. Working with the same lead guide and another guide who stayed on the mountain from the previous expedition, we successfully got ten climbers and three guides to the top. Lovely and all, but it's essentially a big rock pile, and I'm glad I'm working to help others reach their goals.(These pictures don't have the same panache of those from the previous trip, but they're what you get with a disposable camera - enjoy!)
The weather wasn't quite as supremely cooperative as on the first trip, but was still good enough to summit at the beginning of our time window. Mendoza is a nice little city, even if I don't eat meat, one of the Argentinian specialties along with good wine. But it's time to get back to the north and catch up with winter rather than hang out here for another week.It was surprisingly painless to get my ticket changed - I should be getting back to Seattle sometime on Monday. Missing one of the best winters of snow in quite some time has been killing me - there's actually powder on the ground in the great Northwet from what I hear! Time to get some skiing in. See you soon!
Sunday, February 3, 2008
Back up the hill...
Ushuaia was great - nice to get some time in the forests and mountains and greenery, and some time to myself. 
Ironically, the weather was great there (where Mary got snowed on several years ago) while it rained buckets every day in Mendoza. Unlike my winter season coordination (it is dumping snow now both at Alta and in the Northwest while I'm down south), I actually picked the right time for the weather here.
After much more relaxed preparation this time around, we're getting ready to head back up for our second expedition. The group is looking strong, and the weather good, and it's time to climb a mountain! Keep an eye on Aconcagua's Team 6: http://www.alpineascents.com/aconcagua-cybercast.asp and check out the previous Aconcagua post below for a couple of pictures. See you on the other side!
Ironically, the weather was great there (where Mary got snowed on several years ago) while it rained buckets every day in Mendoza. Unlike my winter season coordination (it is dumping snow now both at Alta and in the Northwest while I'm down south), I actually picked the right time for the weather here.After much more relaxed preparation this time around, we're getting ready to head back up for our second expedition. The group is looking strong, and the weather good, and it's time to climb a mountain! Keep an eye on Aconcagua's Team 6: http://www.alpineascents.com/aconcagua-cybercast.asp and check out the previous Aconcagua post below for a couple of pictures. See you on the other side!
Thursday, January 24, 2008
Ushuaia unwind
A quick ¨later"...
At the risk of this turning into a real blog (ie self-important ramblings to take the place of actual conversations with those I care about), an afternoon of reading Three Cups of Tea and a wander on the waterfront have done a world of good. There´s something about the ocean that brings calmness: perhaps the finiteness of land. Like a peak, which, when reached, denotes a concrete end to effort, the ocean is an undeniable boundary, unlike rivers or ranges that merge into others to draw you ever onward. Tierra del Fuego (if not Ushuaia itself) is indeed an end of the earth.
Speaking of which, Erratic Rock is a local company which runs expeditionary trips to the southernmost tip of South America, not a drive-to-it destination like that of Africa or Australia. Check it out... Which got me thinking - Point Barrow in AK is slightly lower in latitude than Murchison Promontory in Canada, and it turns out a place called Cape Chelyuskin in Russia is the northernmost point in Asia. It´s a 5-day trip here to the southern land´s end - wonder what adventures would be involved in getting to the north? Think about that til I get back...
At the risk of this turning into a real blog (ie self-important ramblings to take the place of actual conversations with those I care about), an afternoon of reading Three Cups of Tea and a wander on the waterfront have done a world of good. There´s something about the ocean that brings calmness: perhaps the finiteness of land. Like a peak, which, when reached, denotes a concrete end to effort, the ocean is an undeniable boundary, unlike rivers or ranges that merge into others to draw you ever onward. Tierra del Fuego (if not Ushuaia itself) is indeed an end of the earth.
Speaking of which, Erratic Rock is a local company which runs expeditionary trips to the southernmost tip of South America, not a drive-to-it destination like that of Africa or Australia. Check it out... Which got me thinking - Point Barrow in AK is slightly lower in latitude than Murchison Promontory in Canada, and it turns out a place called Cape Chelyuskin in Russia is the northernmost point in Asia. It´s a 5-day trip here to the southern land´s end - wonder what adventures would be involved in getting to the north? Think about that til I get back...
Aconcagua, round 1
Back down from the mountain, everybody safe and sound. Aconcagua is, indeed, both harder and easier than expected - for a tall mountain, involving lots of acclimatization and attention to potential altitude issues, it is intensely non-technical. The carries to higher camps and rest days in between were uneventful, especially since we had great weather. Last year was crazy windy, but this first trip was pretty mellow - only one day of wind and a moderately cold summit day.
I was not able to summit this time around, having brought down two climbers who didn't have the energy to continue to the summit and back. I turned with them at 21,000 feet, which is my high mark, hopefully just until the next trip. My body seems pretty happy at altitude, so I´m looking forward to summiting with the next trip. (And the ones next year, and the next...)
These are just two of several amazing photos lent by one of the climbers on the trip. (Thanks!)
After three weeks with people, I booked a quick (and expensive!) flight to the southern end of the continent and am in Ushuaia, Argentina, for a week or so. It´s not so easy to rent a kayak independently, so I´m headed to Tierra del Fuego National Park for some hiking and may do a kayaking trip early next week before returning to Mendoza. A funny little tourist town down here, but beautiful, with green and water and spiky peaks, a much-needed contrast to the driness of the Aconcagua area. More later...
I was not able to summit this time around, having brought down two climbers who didn't have the energy to continue to the summit and back. I turned with them at 21,000 feet, which is my high mark, hopefully just until the next trip. My body seems pretty happy at altitude, so I´m looking forward to summiting with the next trip. (And the ones next year, and the next...)
These are just two of several amazing photos lent by one of the climbers on the trip. (Thanks!)After three weeks with people, I booked a quick (and expensive!) flight to the southern end of the continent and am in Ushuaia, Argentina, for a week or so. It´s not so easy to rent a kayak independently, so I´m headed to Tierra del Fuego National Park for some hiking and may do a kayaking trip early next week before returning to Mendoza. A funny little tourist town down here, but beautiful, with green and water and spiky peaks, a much-needed contrast to the driness of the Aconcagua area. More later...
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