hookin

Yep, the corners weren't too friendly this weekend. For some reason everyone was trading needles. My joke about how if I had a needle for every STD I had I'd have just as many needles didn't go over well. Business was slow so at least the euphoric rush following each needle prick made the night go by quicker. But I digress.... this post isn't about THAT kind of hookin.

Mt. Lincoln: tough approach to crappy ice. It's about a half-mile slog to the first belay and the last few hundred feet are a scramble. Tough enough when the trail is well trodden, harder when pushing through 6 inches of new powder and the trail is snowed over. Usually the pace is step, step, breathe, step, step, breathe, ... Saturday was more like post hole, crawl, gasp, stand, post hole, swear. We finally get up and the first pitch is nice WI2-3 rope length. The next pitch was the least fun so far. There was lots of air in the ice here. Every swing kicked out a saucer of ice and after 6-7 swings you had a bowl that deep enough you could hook. A less than desriable placement with ever more anxiety on lead. This pitch was only half a rope of WI 3-4 to some nice bolts for a couple laps. We moved over thinking the ice could be a little better. It wasn't. I got two laps in, Winter said pull it, and we started down. We were spent, the sun had gone behind the clouds, and the wind was turning our 8 degree day into something a might colder. Aside from not getting much climbing in I tweaked my shoulder in a new spot and it's murder today. I may take this weekend off and do a bit of camping.