How to Climb a Mountain: Walk with me a moment. Winter. Pre-dawn. Climbing a mountain, looming grey silhouette on pinpricked black. A bootpack. Left foot. Right foot. Check breath. Check technique. Check posture. Repeat. Each step, a choice. Each breath, a lesson.
Category: mountains
Snowboarding Dawn Patrol
Trail Report. Dawn Patrol. Teton Pass. Wyoming. The ritual starts the night before by packing your pack, which if you’ve had a good winter is packed already and just needs replenishment. Water. Powerbar. Apple. Chocolate. Layers. Headlamp. First aid kit. Lighter. Multi-tool. Eyewear. Avalanche kit: probe, shovel, beacon, inclinometer. Optional small thermos for coffee on the summit. Keep pack light,…
Trail Report-Being Prey I
Being Prey. Mile Twenty-Four. Lightening jukes and strikes far down the canyon, moving away, out over the valley. I hike through a light rain, blowback from the hot day. My legs and feet are numb and heavy. I am one mile from the Spanish Peaks trailhead—one mile from the truck, flip-flops, and beer—and fifteen minutes from absolute darkness. I am…