This trip was a wet one; it was raining/sleeting the whole time. Had on layers of Gore-Tex and still got soaked. Dammit – what did I spend all that money for if it doesn’t keep me dry?
This is what I had on, which is typical for these trips in the snow:
Capilene silk-weight long johns (Patagonia), poly hiking pants (REI), full-zip waterproof pants (Marmot), wool mid-layer quarter zip shirt (Mountain Hardware), windproof fleece full zip jacket (REI), Gore-Tex hardshell (Arc’teryx), goose down puffy jacket (REI), balaclava (OR), climbing helmet (Black Diamond) liner gloves and outer mittens (OR), Gore-Tex gaiters (OR), mountaineering socks (Smartwool) and waterproof leather hiking boots (Keen).
And I still got wet.
For the ice axe training, we all gathered at Hyak Sno Park, on the Eastern slope of Snoqualmie Pass. Chris and I carpooled up there so we could study for the GCC mid-term, which is on the 30th. Students must pass the mid-term in order to continue in the course.
We arrived at the parking lot around 7:30am. It was pouring but at least it wasn’t too cold (yet). A lot of the snow had already melted but there was still plenty up on the slopes. We paired off into groups of 3-4 students per 2 leaders, and started hiking up the slope. We wore no traction devices (Kahtoola Microspikes or crampons), and we didn’t bring the trekking poles. All we brought were our packs and ice axes (and all the layers of clothing mentioned above). It was a slippery hike up the slope, but that gave us a good excuse to use those ice axes. We were taught how to hold them, which is pretty important because those things are sharp and have lots of pointy edges to them. If you slip and fall on the axe the wrong way, bad things will happen. We were taught about self-belay, where you are on a very steep slope and put the axe out in front of you, hanging on the head with both hands as you drive the handle all the way into the snow with every step. Also, for regular traversing on steep slopes, you use just one hand and always keep the axe on the uphill side. For example, if you are moving right-to-left across a slope, and the slope rises to your right, you hold the axe in your right hand, and plunge it in every other step. If you shift directions and start moving left to right, and the slope now rises to your left, you use your left hand to manage it. And every time you shift directions, you need to yell out to everyone else behind you that you’re changing directions, and they need to yell their acknowledgement back. This is important, since you need to remain in a single file line at all times. You never know where a crevasse may be lurking under the snow and the leader needs to use their ice axe to probe for hidden crevasses as they go. The theory is that if they don’t step into a hole, then the people following in their footsteps won’t step in a hole either. Of course, if you are walking on a snowbridge over a hidden crevasse, then maybe only the heavier people in the group will break through. Maybe they should make rule that the heaviest person in the group needs to go first….
When we got halfway up the slope, we started learning about glissading and ice axe self-arrest. This involved finding the steepest part of the slope and hurling yourself downhill, twisting and turning while trying to jam the pick portion of the ice axe into the snow and ice. Fun!! Doing that while sitting up was easy, and also while laying down on your back, going feet first. Doing that while going down headfirst on your stomach was a lot harder (since you were eating a lot of snow on the way down, as well as getting a lot of slush down your pants). The hardest part was when we had to go down head first, but on our backs. At this point you are hoping that you’re not flying headfirst into another student or a barely submerged rock outcropping.
After a few hours of this, it was time to hike the rest of the way up to the top of the slope. We hiked in a line, as if we were all roped up together (although we were not). The instructors walked beside us, yelling out “FALLING!!” every few steps. You see, when you’re on a glacier, and roped up, and someone falls, they are supposed to yell “FALLING!!”
Right.
Seems to make sense, but really, if you’re suddenly falling off a mountain, are you going to have the presence of mind to yell Falling!!? I think people will get the message when they are suddenly yanked off their feet by your rope.
So anyway, after you yell, the rest of the rope team is supposed to instantly drop to the group in the self-arrest position: laying on the slope, ice axe imbedded in the snow while under your chest, feet splayed out for maximum stopping power. If you don’t do this, there is a very real possibility of the person who fell taking the rest of the group with them off a cliff or tumbling down into a crevasse, neither of which are typically survivable. So you learn to drop quickly and hopefully the rope holds and the person ends up dangling over the abyss instead of crumpled on the bottom.
The instructors kept yelling Falling!!, and the three of us kept hitting the ground, then getting back up, walking a few steps before they yelled again. Frankly, I was getting tired of this. I was cranky. Our group was falling behind the other groups. Damn. Eventually, the leaders figured we had learned the lesson, and let us continue walking up to the top. Once there, we had a quick lunch, gathered for a group pic, then we got to glissade down the slope back to the parking lot. This may look like fun, but the snow is not smooth and your butt gets sore pretty quickly. But glissading down a mountain sure beats the hell out of climbing up a mountain.
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| At the top of Hyak Sno Park. Thats me, standing near the front on the right, with red gloves |
The slope we were on was very steep and slippery and the great thing was – I wasn’t scared at all! Having learned how to stop myself from sliding all the way off the mountain was a huge thing for me. When we got to the top of the hill, I looked down and it was very steep but again, there was no fear. I liked that feeling and I hope it lasts. We’ll see next week, at Muir. ..
I am still trying out different combinations of boots on different pieces of terrain. The Keen hiking boots are very comfortable, however they are not completely waterproof and they are not stiff enough to effectively kick in steps in steep terrain. I was slipping quite a bit during the walk up the slope at the Sno Park. I am going up to Camp Muir this coming weekend, on the 4th, and will bring the plastics for that trip. It will be in all snow, which should be better, but it’s going to be a 5 hour hike, one way, and that will be terribly difficult in those plastic boots. But people do that all the time! I don’t know how this is going to work out. I may be hobbled, or it may be just fine.
The trip to Muir is the second time trial. Climb up there in less than 5 hours – no minimum weight required on the pack. I’ll go light, but will need to bring a lot of water. I usually will fill up the water bladder in the pack, which holds 3 liters. That’s a lot of water! But I’ll bring an extra liter just in case. The forecast is for sunny skies, which will actually be a problem for us. I’ll need some serious sunscreen up there. I also need to bring lots of food. I’m still figuring out the whole food thing. I don’t know why it’s so hard, but it is. I always seem to forget something when it comes to food. I have this great JetBoil stove that Rachael and Julie got me for Christmas, but I have yet to use it on one of the hikes. I need to get into the habit of firing that thing up and having some warm noodles or hot cocoa. For snacks, apples work well, so do trail mix. I have dried figs – those are good energy. Also will be bringing some dried ginger root. This will help provide energy as well as settling the stomach as AMS sets in. The climb to Muir starts at 5,400’ and ascends to 10,100’. That’s a high elevation gain, especially considering that I’ll be starting the day at elevation 100’ (which is about the elevation of our loft on Capitol Hill). Guide books recommend an elevation gain of no more than 4,000’ per day to avoid AMS (Acute Mountain Sickness). Hmmm. The only way around that is to spend the night at Paradise the night before the climb. Some people will be doing that. I will not.
Wish me luck!
