Two weekends ago our weekend was - well, busy. With boring homework, house stuff, a sweet engagement party, and life. But we needed some fresh air so Sunday morning we headed east with the Chisums and our snowshoes. Goal: back by 12:30.
12:30 doesn't really leave a lot of room for climbing mountains so we parked at Commonwealth Basin and decided to see where the wind took us. Last time Matt & I did that we ended up on top of Guye Peak - which was amazing, but took all day. This morning we took a different trail, and when we found some cool icicles high up a slope and couldn't get a good enough pictue we decided the solution was to get closer.
It was steeper than it looked and a good little workout. When we neared the bottom again we still had a bit of time left, and knew we weren't going to arrive anywhere spectacular another half mile down the trail so we....practiced self arrest!
Self arrest is using your ice axe to stop yourself when you fall on a steep slope and find yourself careening down the mountain. It had been a while since any real practice and there's all sorts of moves to master: feet first on your back, head first on your stomach, and the scariest of all head first on your back. We amused ourselves for 45 minutes with throwing ourselves down the mountain. We even got a spectator taking pictures and saying ' I love watching people practice self arrest. It's hilarious.'
With some added mountain confidence we bounded back to the car, took a record breaking fast shower, hit up some wine tasting in Woodinville with Jarrett, and were off to the engagement party! Congrats Josh & Lindsay!
12:30 doesn't really leave a lot of room for climbing mountains so we parked at Commonwealth Basin and decided to see where the wind took us. Last time Matt & I did that we ended up on top of Guye Peak - which was amazing, but took all day. This morning we took a different trail, and when we found some cool icicles high up a slope and couldn't get a good enough pictue we decided the solution was to get closer.
And then the fog rolled in..
Cute
Vals pic!
Val snapped me leading up
It was steeper than it looked and a good little workout. When we neared the bottom again we still had a bit of time left, and knew we weren't going to arrive anywhere spectacular another half mile down the trail so we....practiced self arrest!
This is how you do it wrong (aka, a somersault)
Gettin ready for near death experience...not really
(All Vals pics below!)
Val's got it DOWN!
And we all manage to clean up o.k.
Self arrest is using your ice axe to stop yourself when you fall on a steep slope and find yourself careening down the mountain. It had been a while since any real practice and there's all sorts of moves to master: feet first on your back, head first on your stomach, and the scariest of all head first on your back. We amused ourselves for 45 minutes with throwing ourselves down the mountain. We even got a spectator taking pictures and saying ' I love watching people practice self arrest. It's hilarious.'
With some added mountain confidence we bounded back to the car, took a record breaking fast shower, hit up some wine tasting in Woodinville with Jarrett, and were off to the engagement party! Congrats Josh & Lindsay!
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