Equipment

I have finished my list of Things To Buy for the Rainier/McKinley trips. The total cost is a bit staggering so I'm acquiring the items slowly, as needed. For instance, the ice climbing trip is coming up, so I needed the gloves, boots and crampons. I'm not sure what my justification was for the early purchase of the parka - maybe because Winter was approaching - but it turned out to be WAY overkill for a New York Winter. It's an amazing jacket.

Speaking of New York Winters: I've heard no end of complaints about how bad it can be, so I did some digging. First, NYC has some of the mildest weather in the entire state, due to its proximity to the ocean. Although, the wind can really kick up between the buildings. I admit that's no fun. Second, according to Cornell, only two or three Winters out of ten produce sub-zero (Fahrenheit) temperatures. Anyway....

The crampons looks like they'd be useful in a shin-kicking contest. I suppose the rules for such a sport would probably preclude their use. Maybe it would be an underground shin-kicking contest. Those can get pretty brutal, I hear.