The Happy Climbers!Jay and I were just reminiscing about our climb up Mt. Blanc two years ago (already?!). I always laugh about how we look like two Teletubbies on the mountain. All we need are TV screens in our bellies.
I thought I'd share a few pictures. Climbing a mountain is the most amazing thing. It's just so incredible to stand up there and look all around you and see nothing but sky and mountain peaks below you.
I could go on forever about the climb, and I already did in the story I wrote about it. If you don't remember the story, or didn't see it, or you'd like to be entertained by it all over again, I'd be happy to send it to you. I have no idea how to link it to my post since it's a Word document. My computer saviness just doesn't reach that far.
This is our camp on the glacier the night before the climb. We laid in the tent for probably 6 hours, then started climbing at midnight. It was VERY cold "sleeping" there. I was the lucky one in the middle!
Me solo atop the mountain
In this picture, Jay is anxious to take the Happy Couple on the Hill shot, but I'm very busy blubbering. Reaching the top of the mountain was a very emotional experience for me. I couldn't stop crying. We had to take some do-overs once I was smiling again.
On his way down the mountain, the Spanish guy here (in the middle of the rescuers) had a giant rock fall on him and break his leg. He had to be helicoptered out. The rest of us had to spend 2 hours inventing new ways down the mountain, as the rock that tumbled on him held the ropes, and the only sure-fire path down the mountain.
See the small walking path on the ridge there in the middle of the picture? When the helicopter arrived, we had to throw our bodies over the left side of the mountain, and dig our ice axes into that path and hang on for dear life. I wasn't convinced I was going to live through it and was very glad to see daylight at the end of it.
3 comments:
True to form, the thing that caught MY eye in all of these pictures was the DC in your pack. Was it frozen? Could you drink it?
Nice eagle eye, Shaun. You've got me Laughing Out Loud.
I truly believe it was my regular Coke (for the sugar) and my caffeinated goos that helped me up that mountain. We got a 5-10 minute rest once an hour, and I took a sip of Coke each time. It just got a little slushy. I was actually very lucky to have it, because the tube on my Camelbak water became nearly frozen solid, so I was dependent on Jay's water when I could get to it, or my Coke. Ironic, eh?
I love those pictures, it is so beautiful up there. I don't think I have ever seen those for some reason, maybe just my faulty memory. Thanks for the re-visit.
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