Treacherous conditions = fun?

Training for the Kilimanjaro hike with my Climb2Cure friends has turned into quite an adventure.

The last couple of training hikes have included some difficult conditions. First, we went to Mt Monadnock (Elev 3165) in New Hampshire. If you’re unfamiliar with Monadnock, it is a massive mound of granite adorned with granite boulders of varying shapes and sizes. The day we chose to hike Monadnock snow had melted and refrozen in icy sheets of cascading death. We strapped on our micro spikes for traction and headed into the “you are about to break a bone” zone. Hiking up was a learning experience. At one point, I had my fingers wedged in stone cracks trying to pull myself up the slick surface. I made the mistake of putting my knee down. My right spikes came off the ice leaving me balancing on a slippery knee and my left foot. I thought I was about to plummet down the rock strewn slope when adrenaline kicked in and I hauled myself up onto a flat surface. Fear is an excellent motivator. Good news, I learned to keep my spikes on the ice. Bad news, going up is the easy part.

Descending the mountain was an exercise in concentration. Every steep section you had to study and pick a route. You could not relax when the going looked easy. I landed on my butt when I least expected it.  There were many slips and slides. One of my teammates, Jeff, took a spill. A nasty tumble that resulted in a deep thigh bruise and an aching arm. I don’t think anyone escaped without at least one fall. Somehow, it was fun. After it was over and the cascading sheets of death had not actually claimed a life that is. I look back on it fondly. I have never had a hike quite like that before.

Well we decided to play it safe after that. We met the N.Y. Climb2Cure team at Mt. Greylock for a moderate hike to the summit. Once again, I strapped on micro spikes in case of icy conditions. The trail and the weather were beautiful. A light coat of powdery snow underfoot and a few flakes drifting down. The summit was cold and breezy, as you would expect in January. After an uneventful ascent, we decided to take a different trail down. Everything was going well until we came to the Peaks Brook Ravine. Was that on the map? How did we miss that? The trail suddenly became quite steep with a hard glaze of windblown snow. The edge of the trail gave way to a precipitous drop down to the brook. You guessed it. People started shooting off the side of the trail. Luckily, nobody went all the way to the brook thanks to the good fortune of slamming into the trees. Once we made it to the brook, we had to scrabble up the equally unreasonable slope on the other side. I kept my spikes underneath me as I had learned from the previous hike. It only took us 90 minutes to cover half a mile. We emerged bruised, but not broken.

Again, I thoroughly enjoyed the experience. I am not sure everyone shared my enthusiasm. It is not necessarily fun when you are in the midst of it. Afterwards though I feel elated at the accomplishment. A little adrenaline can truly make your day. I wonder how many of my hiking companions agree. I am not going to ask; I’m fairly certain that I’m in the minority.