Ice Climbing

The day has come. I dusted off my half-sharpened crampons and threw on my new boots: I realized that I hadn't yet sized the crampons for these boots, so I got that taken care of.

Then I opened up the trunks of climbing gear and pulled out everything I'm going to need next week. It made for a big pile. The boots, especially, don't pack well. The ice tools obviously can't go inside the pack; they have to be strapped to the outside. I hope the subway people here don't mind seeing me walk around with them.

Mon and Tue I'm climbing one-on-one (with a guide) and Wed - Fri I'll be joined by the two people who are going to Alaska with me. One of them is a professional photographer, so I'm expecting lots of good pictures from this trip (and that one).

I recently learned that there is great ice climbing to be had in San Juan, CO (in some place called Ouray Ice Park). The background pic on this page shows some guy climbing with the same ice tools I have. And related to all of this, I think I may have a new favorite blog.