Stuff
So, a little bit o' update.
The 5 day weekend was mostly a weekend of relaxation. I didn't do much of anything besides attempt to climb Teewinot (12,325 ft) today. I failed in that effort just 500 feet from the summit (a 5,700 foot climb) when I got cliffed out at some highly exposed class 4 climbing. Being alone and unroped, I decided not to risk too much. The section was pretty cool, it was a gully which was a little wider than my shoulders, and all I had to do was follow it a few hundred feet to the summit ridge (a KNIFE ridge, too!) and then follow that to the TINY and super exposed summit (sheer drop on the west side for a couple thousand feet). It was a really cool sounding summit, but I couldn't get past the gully. I got up the gully about halfway when I came to a pinched section where a chockstone was wedged between two sheer slabs of granite. The granite didn't offer much in the way of handholds. I tried going around it on both the left and right sides and then I tried going over the chockstone a few times. I probably could've made it around on the left side and I probably could've made it over the stone itself, but both would've been very difficult to safely downclimb and I didn't wanna take too many risks. A fall would've meant 40-50 feet and that's IF I don't bounce when I land (the mountain was very steep). The 5,700 feet is gained in just 2.5 miles; the mountain was relentless.
But anyways, I turned around at the chockstone and carefully made my way back down (having already passed numerous tough/sketchy sections... didn't want to push my luck!).
In other exciting/disappointing news, the USFS offered me $14/hr for an additional three weeks of work in an attempt to close out the snowshoe hare study (at least around the cabin, where we're working now) before the winter starts. It's good money and I can really use it to pay back loans, so I'm gonna stay on. My new last day of work is now Oct. 18th, which is a Saturday, and I'll be leaving the 19th, hopefully home in a few days (but stopping at Guth's on the way, of course!).
This'll be cool to make some GOOD money for a change (the internship itself ends Oct. 3rd, so all work days after that are on the real pay) and I'll probably get to see some good snowfall, but it'll suck to miss homecoming (for the 2nd year in a row, even), and the camping trips associated with it. No biking with andy mcanderson, no camping, nothing. BUT it's only 3 weeks and, like I said before there are tons of things for me to do out here. I guess this just gives me another 3 weekends to try and bag those peaks I'm after. Maybe I can go back up Teewinot with a friend this time and actually make the summit?
Anyways, that's all for now, I'll update later on when I find something worth updating about!
Peace
The 5 day weekend was mostly a weekend of relaxation. I didn't do much of anything besides attempt to climb Teewinot (12,325 ft) today. I failed in that effort just 500 feet from the summit (a 5,700 foot climb) when I got cliffed out at some highly exposed class 4 climbing. Being alone and unroped, I decided not to risk too much. The section was pretty cool, it was a gully which was a little wider than my shoulders, and all I had to do was follow it a few hundred feet to the summit ridge (a KNIFE ridge, too!) and then follow that to the TINY and super exposed summit (sheer drop on the west side for a couple thousand feet). It was a really cool sounding summit, but I couldn't get past the gully. I got up the gully about halfway when I came to a pinched section where a chockstone was wedged between two sheer slabs of granite. The granite didn't offer much in the way of handholds. I tried going around it on both the left and right sides and then I tried going over the chockstone a few times. I probably could've made it around on the left side and I probably could've made it over the stone itself, but both would've been very difficult to safely downclimb and I didn't wanna take too many risks. A fall would've meant 40-50 feet and that's IF I don't bounce when I land (the mountain was very steep). The 5,700 feet is gained in just 2.5 miles; the mountain was relentless.
But anyways, I turned around at the chockstone and carefully made my way back down (having already passed numerous tough/sketchy sections... didn't want to push my luck!).
In other exciting/disappointing news, the USFS offered me $14/hr for an additional three weeks of work in an attempt to close out the snowshoe hare study (at least around the cabin, where we're working now) before the winter starts. It's good money and I can really use it to pay back loans, so I'm gonna stay on. My new last day of work is now Oct. 18th, which is a Saturday, and I'll be leaving the 19th, hopefully home in a few days (but stopping at Guth's on the way, of course!).
This'll be cool to make some GOOD money for a change (the internship itself ends Oct. 3rd, so all work days after that are on the real pay) and I'll probably get to see some good snowfall, but it'll suck to miss homecoming (for the 2nd year in a row, even), and the camping trips associated with it. No biking with andy mcanderson, no camping, nothing. BUT it's only 3 weeks and, like I said before there are tons of things for me to do out here. I guess this just gives me another 3 weekends to try and bag those peaks I'm after. Maybe I can go back up Teewinot with a friend this time and actually make the summit?
Anyways, that's all for now, I'll update later on when I find something worth updating about!
Peace