It brings a lark to your hand

Stomp.

Click.

Stomp.

It’s what I crave, and what I’d use to help sort out my troubles. I can feel it ringing through both feet.  Unfortunately, it’s high on the list of things I cannot do.

The Cascades are glowing today, against pristine sky with full snow coverage. TAY’s full of myriad reports of lines that go down once every couple years. It hurts. I can’t really complain, but it hurts nonetheless.

How do you judge the suitability of a surgical orthopedist for a task?

The next few months will be a curiosity for me. What will I do when I can’t climb, ski, hike, bike, swim, kayak, walk, or stand? How will my body change? Will my interactions with others change? Will I attack my physics work with renewed vigor? Will the loss of my usual sources of sanity cause me to finish burning out? Will I graduate before next Spring?

It will work out, of course, but how will I know it will be best?

I fear that I will hurt myself worse in November, when renewed strength, thin snowpack and deep powder arrive simultaneously.

So much love and support has come my way – I feel awful for feeling pissed off; I’m not that good, nor do I want to be, with the knife.

bee.

I’ve finally found a good use for my beloved bumblebee fleece pants. The full zip makes them perfect for wearing with a splint!

Check them out at an orthopedic ward near you!

The blog’s perpetual mascot decided to try Liberty Cap on for size. He looks like I felt – like some dude had crammed his thumb into my stomach.

A bumble on the descent led to the splint, and therefore into the pants.

.SYNOPSIS...A COOL AND SHOWERY UPPER TROUGH WILL SWING ACROSS
WESTERN WASHINGTON TODAY AND TONIGHT. HIGH PRESSURE WILL BEGINNING
BUILDING INTO THE AREA ON WEDNESDAY MARKING THE BEGINNING OF A DRY
SPELL ACROSS WESTERN WASHINGTON. THE HIGH WILL REMAIN IN PLACE OVER
THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST INTO THE FIRST PART OF NEXT WEEK.

What do you do in Washington when you can do anything, but only one thing?

It’s not really the time for a one day push up Rainier – the weather window is too good. Do we try for a camp on the Turtle and then climb and ski the Kautz and the Finger? The Tahoma? If need be, summit ski descents off Rainier could wait a week.

A friend just ticked one of the few unskied moderate routes I’m aware of in the North Cascades. One of the few others I’m aware of should be in fine condition right now. Should we do the impossible to get there? Can we do what others have done in six days in three with no moon? If there’s a time to do such a thing, this weekend is perfect for it.

Something like the Ptarmigan would be in fantastic condition now, but for whatever reason, it’s never pulled me.

What to do? what to do?

Well-laid plans for a triple Muir outing got shelved by late night experimental alignment and gooey snow. Still got 8k+ of gain on a pretty mountain with a friend!

Penguin’s a little fuzzy and spacey after flying to Muir in 2:31.

Round trip would’ve been about 3:10, had it not been aborted by funky snow. Sub-three hour times were possible for me today with a lighter pack and prior planning, I suspect. (Note, for perspective, that the round trip summit record is 4:40.)

Hot day tomorrow, and I’m not sure I’ve got the energy to divine a plan that will avoid mushy snow, so it’s probably back to the lab to bank time for the future.

Sharp, relaxed, and stately after a much slower Lap 2.

An essence of skiing on Rainier.

The Finger is plenty filled in. Ought to be consolidating this week….

No tracks on the Turtle? Sadness. I watched all day to see if anyone would ski it.

Oh, and, um, …

Got skunked Sunday by an unexpected start and late day snow. After fooling around on the Phantom for a couple hours, driving home and photographing sunny peaks along the way seemed like a good plan. Wish I’d caught the dramatic shafted light on Chair Peak while skiing, but I was too worried about goo-induced demise to cut way out onto softened open slopes to get a nice shot.  Catan made the evening even more fun.

Penguin admiring our work from last week

I’ve never seen runnels on that face before. Neato.