Thursday, August 6, 2009
Saturday August 1st
Norma, Katie, Brian, and Andrea have a plane to catch all the way in Calgary at 2:30pm so they leave at about 5:30am. We were going to get up and pack the car and maybe do one more hike on the way out, but realize how tired we are and go back to bed. We get up eventually, pack and are on the road at 10am. It is another really hot day, so we decided to skip a hike. Who wants to be in a car and then camp sweaty and stinky? Plus, they did some controlled burning and the whole area is fuzzy with smoke and does not offer any good views of mountains. We were going to camp the night at the border of Canada so we could get there with no lines, but it takes us so long to get there that there is no line at 6pm. We cross the border and start to look for camping. Unfortunately, it is about 95 degrees here. There is no way we are camping in that! Plus, if we stop at 7pm, what are we going to do in the heat until dark (10pm)? We make the decision to keep going until the temperature is under 85. Well, that didn't happen until we were an hour away from home. (1am) It has been 90's the whole way. We simply popped in the rest of our Biography on cd about Franklin Roosevelt and listen until just outside of Portland. We get in 10 minutes before 2am. We grab the bare essentials and dive into bed.
Friday July 31st
Last full day in Canada. We head out to some hot springs and take a much needed soak. Then, we drive back to town to do some white-water rafting. We can't believe that we got Norma to go. She is so nervous that she tries to back out at the last minute, but we don't let her and remind her that she needs to live life to the Max. She loves it, as do all of us. We even buy a cd of pictures they took of us when we get back, only to discover later that they have given us the wrong cd. Bastards! $26 and they better give us the right cd. We head back to camp after a shower at another campground (ours doesn't have one!) and then our final dinner. We had a hodge podge of things left from our grocery run so we eat boiled potatoes, mac and cheese, hamburgers and of course s'mores. We re-pack our things, get ready to leave and sadly go to bed.
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| Banff Rafting |
Thursday July 30th
We get up fairly early and head out for a day hike. Our muscles have recovered enough finally to do some hiking again. We head to Mt. Edith Cavell and hike up to some alpine meadows. It is beautiful and sunny and hot, so we take our time and eat lunch at the top. On the way down, it starts to cloud up, so we drive into Jasper for some much needed ice-cream. We head to another lake called Malign which is supposed to be pretty. It was ok because the clouds prevented you from seeing it's beautiful blue color. We take a short walk around and head back to Jasper for Pizza! Brian has been dying for pizza (me too) ever since we thought we were going to order some when we did Mt. Temple (it was closed Monday night!). So, Brian treated us all to great pizza with interesting topings. We head back for camp and play a few hands of Farkel until it finally gets dark about 11:30pm.
Wednesday July 29th
We get up and pack up our things. We are off to camping in Jasper, the park north of us. We get a fairly good start, but traffic is slow and we make it to the Columbia ice-fields late afternoon. You used to be able to walk up to the glacier and walk on top of it, but sadly it has erroded so much due to the environment that you cannot walk on it anymore and can't even walk close enough to touch it. You have to pay $50 to ride an "ice bus" that drops you off near the top where you can walk around. We are NOT about to do that, so we take some sad pictures and head on. We get to the campground fairly early, so we decide to check out Athabasca falls. It is really cool and one of dad's favorite waterfalls. Plus, it isn't far from where we're staying. We go back to make dinner of brats and beans. Yum. We also make s'mores of course...
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| Banff Trip - Wednesday July 29th, 2009 |
Tuesday July 28th
We wake up late. Aubrey offers to take everyone to breakfast, but we sleep instead. Eventually, we get up and Norma fixes everyone pancakes, eggs, and bacon. We can barely move we are so stiff. We scarf down everything we are offered. Josh and I had scheduled deep tissue massage for today and were looking forward to it. Everyone is wearing the t-shirt I made for everyone that has dad's picture on the front with "Live Life to the Max" and "NO MERCY" on the back with everyone's name on it. We decide to get a group photo at the hotel after Josh and I's massage. We love the massage and take a great group photo. It is raining on and off today, so we head to Banff for dinner out. We get a chance to do some shopping and find posters of our hike. Dinner at the Indian restaurant hits the spot. We say goodbye to Aubrey and April, who go stay with friends, and head to the hotel. We watch the RIFF track of Twilight and go to bed happy.
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| Banff Trip - Tuesday July 28th, 2009 |
Monday July 27th, The big hike!
The day of the hike finally arrived. Everyone had been training and working out to this big day. It started VERY early at 3:30am when Norma's alarm went off. Unfortunately, Josh, Norma, and I were awake many times during the night because the alarm was actually Katie's phone and her friends decided to text her many times in the middle of the night (which of course made a loud beeping noise). Plus, I was so nervous about everyone on the hike that I probably only got 1-2 hours tops that night. I was so nervous and under-slept that I didn't eat, but I did make breakfast of bacon and eggs for everyone. We jumped in the car half-awake and drove to the trailhead at Lake Moraine. We got out and going about 5:30am. Later than we wanted, but not too bad. The weather was looking good and the trail was plenty light (even though we all packed headlamps just in case). We started off on the trail which was a series of switchbacks. My pack had 5 liters of water (heavy), the usual just in case stuff (ropes, bungies, clothing, snacks, etc)(not as heavy), and of course my dad's ashes (very heavy) which were in a wooden box with a picture of our climb 18 years earlier at Mt. Eiffel (which showed Mt. Temple in the background). I was VERY slow. My pack weighed a lot. Plus, I didn't eat breakfast, get any sleep, and was still feeling sick to my stomach. After about an hour, Josh noticed that he was getting wet. We pulled out his water pack to discover that it had a hole in it. Unfortunately, we had only used this water bladder one other time and it was the largest, 3 liters. We had no choice but to empty it and put it back in empty. He still had Norma's 2 liter (for Norma) but I very willingly gave him my extra 2 liter. This helped both of us. I lightened my load by 2 liters of water and he lightened by 1 liter. We quickly caught up to the rest of the party.
After 2 hours of hiking in the woods on switchbacks, we got to the valley! It was beautiful and although the clouds were covering our mountain, we could see through the valley to the next stop: a saddle looking spot that was just before the rock scramble to the top. This is where things got more interesting. The switchbacks to the saddle were very precariously placed in rock scree that did not give a very wide or stable path. This is where April and Norma started to get nervous. But, they both made it to the saddle in fine shape and everyone took a nice long rest before heading up the rest of the mountain.
Now, when I say the rest of the mountain, I mean the 5,000 feet elevation gain we had left! This was a very intense rock scramble and this was the 3rd largest peak in the park. 11,626 feet tall. This was not your everyday hike.
Katie, Andrea, and Brian quickly dashed up ahead of everyone. Josh and I stayed with Norma. Aubrey stayed with April at the saddle and told us they would catch up. Well, the rocks were very slippery (imagine walking up large particles of sand very very steeply.) basically one step forward and then you slide a few inches backward. You have to use your momentum to really get up it. The three of us were moving very slowly. Norma was very scared and wanted me to lead, show her where to put her feet, then Josh followed behind as a support to her back to help her realize that she wasn't going to fall. Brian, Andrea, and Katie found a nice place to rest about 500 feet above us (we were about 1,000 ft up so far) and yelled down to us if we were coming. We told them yes, but slowly. Then, we got to a very tricky part where there were solid (ish) rocks that you had to really climb like stairs. They were very steep and Norma really started to panic. We told her that we had only gone 1/5 of the way up and that if she wanted to turn around we could. At that point, we spotted Aubrey below us and yelled to him. He said he and April were coming up to us. So, Norma was encouraged and decided to proceed on. After about 10 minutes, Aubrey yelled back that they were not coming up afterall. We yelled down to him that we were coming back down. As much as I hated Norma to fail, we simply could not keep doing this coaching and slow pace if we were to get all the way up. Plus, if she didn't turn back now, she would have to wait alone. So, with many tears, we started back down the mountain. Well, this took even longer than going up. We were very grateful that we had only made it about 1,000 ft up because it took about 1 1/2 hours to get down to the saddle where Aubrey and April were waiting. Norma did fall near the end (flat on her back) and after resting in that position, we continued to the saddle. Norma was very upset at being left behind, but Damn it, I was going to climb that mountain. Aubrey agreed to take Norma and April back to the bottom (sadly because he really wanted to climb too). April and Norma were too scared to go back alone and too scared to stay there alone. Aubrey sacrificed his climb and headed back down.
Lucky Josh and I got to climb that 1,000 feet again! (we are now in hour 5 of the climb) We got to where Katie, Brian, and Andrea had been waiting for now 2 hours. They were cold and bored but waited for us anyway! We had a short rest and then started to continue upward.
Now, back at the saddle (the first time) we had passed some Swiss mountaineers. You know, the ropes, harnesses, and climbing equipment to pull yourself up the steep rock face of the mountain. We started climbing up and after a while, we saw the Swiss above us. We thought maybe somehow, they had gotten to the top already and were back down (which would have made them the fastest climbers ever). We were at a difficult part and were getting rocks rained on top of us from them above. We stopped to let them pass and asked what they were doing. They told us that they tried to go up, but the high wind, rain, and cloudy conditions (we were in the clouds at this point) were turning them away and back down without making it to the top. This sort of shook us. I mean, why go to the top if the Swiss mountaineers couldn't do it, and why get up there if there were only clouds. Josh and I did that when we climbed Mt. St. Helens and it was very disappointing. We decided as a group to go on up anyway, since we were surely going slower and the weather could always clear. Plus, they were climbing and we were hiking, two very different paths.
A little while later, we got to a rock band (a section of solid rock you must scale up) and could not find a way up. Up to this point, we were following cairns (which are piles of rocks stacked) to lead us up the trail. The huge boulder ahead of us had a spray-painted arrow pointing up, but we saw no way to climb it. The top of the rock was about as high as I could reach my hands. Plus, even if we could somehow be hoisted up, how the hell would we get back down? Up is ALWAYS easier than down, especially with rock climbing. The weather was still foggy and cold, so we were seriously considering giving up.
That's when we spotted another group coming up behind us. We decided to wait and see what this group would do and if we could just follow them. They arrived and it was a person leading a group for his 6th time up the mountain. He knew exactly where to go. We all followed him. It turns out that 8 feet away from the spray-painted arrow was a hidden nook that you squeezed inside and then found a hidden section of almost rock stairs. We were relieved to follow them. They were going MUCH faster than I could possibly go with my heavy load. I encouraged Brian and Andrea, who were very fast climbers, to go ahead of us and follow them to see what other tricks/paths they could find. They would go ahead and Katie, Josh, and I would make our way up. They only needed to stay ahead enough to see their path and behind enough for us to see them. It worked out great. Seeing them above us was encouraging us to keep going, and yet it allowed us to go our own speed.
Now, we had been climbing for over 7 hours when I looked at my watch and saw that it was after 1pm. I thought if we were ever going to get down before dark, we needed to get to the top by 8 hours (or by 1:30/2:00). I set that as my goal and vowed to turn around if we weren't there. Well, that time came and went and we were still not there. But, we could see the first group (and then even a second group that passed us) were already at the top. WAAAAAYYYYYY above where I was resting. It was very encouraging to see they had made it, but also discouraging to see how far up we still had to go. Plus, I was starting to feel those 1,000 extra feet Josh and I covered twice. Still, we pressed on because I wasn't going to get that far and not make it. Plus, the sun had come out and the view was amazing.
After 9 hours, we finally made it to the top. Katie and Josh stopped just short of the actual top because Katie was DONE with hiking, exhausted, hungry, thirsty, just DONE. The top was just after a very narrow ridge with 9,000 ft drop on one side and 5,000 foot drop on the other. The last group that had passed us was about to leave the top so Brian and Andrea encouraged me to hurry the last 60 or so feet. I dropped my pack, scooped out my dad, and hurried pretty hysterical to the very top. I was more emotional than I could imagine. I had worked for over a year training with my trainer Nick and Josh to get to this point. I had hauled dad up with no rest or help. This was the moment I had looked forward to and dreaded the whole trip. The top. It was time to say goodbye to my dad, my favorite person in the world. I was sobbing pretty hard and the people I was passing to get to the top assumed that I was tired and scared but I wasn't. I was with my dad and we were almost to my destination. It was momentous and I will never forget the top as long as I live. Brian and Andrea posed with me and dad for the group to take our picture and then they were gone. Just us Mays were up there now. We took many photos and my hands shook too much to write in the log book that is kept at the top. Brian wrote the date, "in Max May's memory", "No Mercy", and "Live Life to the Max." He signed our names (Brian, Andrea, and Molly). We took photos for posterity and then looked around. We saw a huge grey storm cloud headed our direction and hauled ass back to Katie and Josh. Half way there, we realized that we were stupid and did not write everyone's names. This was dumb because they were every part of the trip that we did, so Andrea (being the most sure-footed and confident and energetic) headed back to the top to add everyone's names and take another picture.
Katie was doing better by the time we reached her, but still not great. We all paused long enough to get some food and water. Then, seeing the cloud was not veering away from us, we started heading down. Down at first was easier because you just leaned backward toward the mountain (which the heavy backpack helped) and let your feet slide in the rocks. But, as we got to the harder parts where you have to climb with your hands and feet, the sky darkened. Then, the thing we all talked about and were most worried about happened. We did not reach the tricky large boulder band before it started to rain. This has very many serious consequences. The small rocks get wet and slide more like mud, streams of water fall like rivers making everything slick. Worst of all, the places where we needed our hands and feet would be the slickest of all because it was like climbing smooth, polished rocks. Then, when we thought it couldn't get worse, it started to thunder, lightening, and worst of the worst it began to hail. We're not talking light hail, but pea-sized hail that hit at an intense rate. It pounded on our helmets as we scrambled quickly for the large rocks. The lightning crashed closer and closer to us, and there was no where for us to seek shelter. Plus, we realized that we weren't sure what the opening for the boulder was and Katie started crying. Then, along came our 2nd miracle. A single hiker we passed earlier was on his way down too. He knew the mountain and despite the fact that he only had a t-shirt and shorts in this storm, he slowed down and showed us the way. Unfortunately, he told us the best way down was not the way we came, but down that huge boulder that was spray painted with the arrow. We had to sit on the top of the ledge, jump off to another narrow ledge straight below and not fall off. This would be scary and difficult if it weren't still raining and hailing on us. He jumped down like a mountain goat, then spotted Brian and Andrea. Katie was next and was frozen with fear. Just below her, if she missed was a very steep 2,000 ft drop. She was tired, hungry, cold, and scared. Brian really stepped up. He swore to her that he would never let her fall, stood on the edge of the ledge (with his heels almost off the cliff)and told her to jump and he would catch her. Josh and I were behind her trying not to slide into her too. We were on the slick rock scree which has a nasty way of sliding down on top of people's heads and almost propelling us down the cliff ourselves. We tried shouting encouragement to Katie (least we slide down and push her off the cliff) and finally using Brian's head as a hand hold, she sort of slid/fell off the boulder and Brian used his hands to quickly push her against the rock wall of the boulder and slide down to where she could touch. The second she realized she was down, she threw her arms around Brian's neck and hugged him like I've never seen anyone be hugged before. "I love you Brian," she literally cried before finally letting go. The best hug I have ever seen. Brian then spotted Josh and I and then followed our buddy (later we found out his name was John) further down the boulders. None were quite that scary, but it was still raining and hailing. John waited for all of us with is face to the hail, getting soaked, until we all passed the difficult spot. He went on faster ahead of us, but said he was going to find a spot to dry out.
It finally stopped raining and the sun came back out just as we finished the hard spot. We relaxed a little bit, but only rested for a minute, then continued down. We caught up to John eventually (drinking a beer!)and got his email and information. We're going to have to think of something nice to do for him. We continued down without really stopping. No one was in the mood to stop since we were so tired and wet and ready to be down the damn mountain. We did stop to stretch our legs just before the switchbacks started our path out of the valley, but otherwise we just dragged on.
The way down is easily as hard as the way up, especially if you have bad knees. We used our walking poles to help with stability, but it didn't stop me from falling twice (scaring the crap out of Josh) and others from falling too. This kind of fall is like a slow-motion fall. Your foot slips and you gently (sometimes) slide the rest of your body onto your butt and back. By the last few switchbacks, we were really getting tired of hiking. Our feet, quads, calves, and knees hurt. Your toes are completely jammed into the bottom of your shoes, hurting your big toe and other toe nails. Your shoulders grow tired of the weight of the back pack. You run out of water (or at least I did). You are hungry for something that isn't an energy bar. You fall silent and your body droops. You think, we've got to be almost to the bottom by now. Then, you catch a glimpse of that beautiful turquoise lake through the trees. You realize that you aren't as close to the bottom as you'd hoped. Then, we saw a rainbow in the mountains over that lake and smile. You trudge on. Then, you finally get to the lake side and see the parking lot. You have to walk up hill a tiny bit and it feels good. You get to the car and collapse inside. Andrea had to drive, poor thing, and we were quiet much of the way. We got to the car after 14 hours and 50 minutes. It is practically dark, but you see more rainbows on the drive back to the hotel. You think of dad and how proud he would be of our teamwork, persistence, and our drive to get to the top and back down. We hurried right back because we knew that Aubrey, April, and Norma had seen the bad weather above and were worried sick about us.
We walked in the door to tacos and hugs. Josh and I raced to strip and get in the hot tub at the hotel. The rest stay behind and tell the tale. Katie starts throwing up and is taken to the urgent care center nearby. She has an electrolite deficiency. She has not eaten or drunk enough. She is taken home and fed gatorade. We stay up far later than we thought possible reliving the hike and smiling and laughing with our family. Bed never felt softer or more comforting.
Enjoy the pictures:
After 2 hours of hiking in the woods on switchbacks, we got to the valley! It was beautiful and although the clouds were covering our mountain, we could see through the valley to the next stop: a saddle looking spot that was just before the rock scramble to the top. This is where things got more interesting. The switchbacks to the saddle were very precariously placed in rock scree that did not give a very wide or stable path. This is where April and Norma started to get nervous. But, they both made it to the saddle in fine shape and everyone took a nice long rest before heading up the rest of the mountain.
Now, when I say the rest of the mountain, I mean the 5,000 feet elevation gain we had left! This was a very intense rock scramble and this was the 3rd largest peak in the park. 11,626 feet tall. This was not your everyday hike.
Katie, Andrea, and Brian quickly dashed up ahead of everyone. Josh and I stayed with Norma. Aubrey stayed with April at the saddle and told us they would catch up. Well, the rocks were very slippery (imagine walking up large particles of sand very very steeply.) basically one step forward and then you slide a few inches backward. You have to use your momentum to really get up it. The three of us were moving very slowly. Norma was very scared and wanted me to lead, show her where to put her feet, then Josh followed behind as a support to her back to help her realize that she wasn't going to fall. Brian, Andrea, and Katie found a nice place to rest about 500 feet above us (we were about 1,000 ft up so far) and yelled down to us if we were coming. We told them yes, but slowly. Then, we got to a very tricky part where there were solid (ish) rocks that you had to really climb like stairs. They were very steep and Norma really started to panic. We told her that we had only gone 1/5 of the way up and that if she wanted to turn around we could. At that point, we spotted Aubrey below us and yelled to him. He said he and April were coming up to us. So, Norma was encouraged and decided to proceed on. After about 10 minutes, Aubrey yelled back that they were not coming up afterall. We yelled down to him that we were coming back down. As much as I hated Norma to fail, we simply could not keep doing this coaching and slow pace if we were to get all the way up. Plus, if she didn't turn back now, she would have to wait alone. So, with many tears, we started back down the mountain. Well, this took even longer than going up. We were very grateful that we had only made it about 1,000 ft up because it took about 1 1/2 hours to get down to the saddle where Aubrey and April were waiting. Norma did fall near the end (flat on her back) and after resting in that position, we continued to the saddle. Norma was very upset at being left behind, but Damn it, I was going to climb that mountain. Aubrey agreed to take Norma and April back to the bottom (sadly because he really wanted to climb too). April and Norma were too scared to go back alone and too scared to stay there alone. Aubrey sacrificed his climb and headed back down.
Lucky Josh and I got to climb that 1,000 feet again! (we are now in hour 5 of the climb) We got to where Katie, Brian, and Andrea had been waiting for now 2 hours. They were cold and bored but waited for us anyway! We had a short rest and then started to continue upward.
Now, back at the saddle (the first time) we had passed some Swiss mountaineers. You know, the ropes, harnesses, and climbing equipment to pull yourself up the steep rock face of the mountain. We started climbing up and after a while, we saw the Swiss above us. We thought maybe somehow, they had gotten to the top already and were back down (which would have made them the fastest climbers ever). We were at a difficult part and were getting rocks rained on top of us from them above. We stopped to let them pass and asked what they were doing. They told us that they tried to go up, but the high wind, rain, and cloudy conditions (we were in the clouds at this point) were turning them away and back down without making it to the top. This sort of shook us. I mean, why go to the top if the Swiss mountaineers couldn't do it, and why get up there if there were only clouds. Josh and I did that when we climbed Mt. St. Helens and it was very disappointing. We decided as a group to go on up anyway, since we were surely going slower and the weather could always clear. Plus, they were climbing and we were hiking, two very different paths.
A little while later, we got to a rock band (a section of solid rock you must scale up) and could not find a way up. Up to this point, we were following cairns (which are piles of rocks stacked) to lead us up the trail. The huge boulder ahead of us had a spray-painted arrow pointing up, but we saw no way to climb it. The top of the rock was about as high as I could reach my hands. Plus, even if we could somehow be hoisted up, how the hell would we get back down? Up is ALWAYS easier than down, especially with rock climbing. The weather was still foggy and cold, so we were seriously considering giving up.
That's when we spotted another group coming up behind us. We decided to wait and see what this group would do and if we could just follow them. They arrived and it was a person leading a group for his 6th time up the mountain. He knew exactly where to go. We all followed him. It turns out that 8 feet away from the spray-painted arrow was a hidden nook that you squeezed inside and then found a hidden section of almost rock stairs. We were relieved to follow them. They were going MUCH faster than I could possibly go with my heavy load. I encouraged Brian and Andrea, who were very fast climbers, to go ahead of us and follow them to see what other tricks/paths they could find. They would go ahead and Katie, Josh, and I would make our way up. They only needed to stay ahead enough to see their path and behind enough for us to see them. It worked out great. Seeing them above us was encouraging us to keep going, and yet it allowed us to go our own speed.
Now, we had been climbing for over 7 hours when I looked at my watch and saw that it was after 1pm. I thought if we were ever going to get down before dark, we needed to get to the top by 8 hours (or by 1:30/2:00). I set that as my goal and vowed to turn around if we weren't there. Well, that time came and went and we were still not there. But, we could see the first group (and then even a second group that passed us) were already at the top. WAAAAAYYYYYY above where I was resting. It was very encouraging to see they had made it, but also discouraging to see how far up we still had to go. Plus, I was starting to feel those 1,000 extra feet Josh and I covered twice. Still, we pressed on because I wasn't going to get that far and not make it. Plus, the sun had come out and the view was amazing.
After 9 hours, we finally made it to the top. Katie and Josh stopped just short of the actual top because Katie was DONE with hiking, exhausted, hungry, thirsty, just DONE. The top was just after a very narrow ridge with 9,000 ft drop on one side and 5,000 foot drop on the other. The last group that had passed us was about to leave the top so Brian and Andrea encouraged me to hurry the last 60 or so feet. I dropped my pack, scooped out my dad, and hurried pretty hysterical to the very top. I was more emotional than I could imagine. I had worked for over a year training with my trainer Nick and Josh to get to this point. I had hauled dad up with no rest or help. This was the moment I had looked forward to and dreaded the whole trip. The top. It was time to say goodbye to my dad, my favorite person in the world. I was sobbing pretty hard and the people I was passing to get to the top assumed that I was tired and scared but I wasn't. I was with my dad and we were almost to my destination. It was momentous and I will never forget the top as long as I live. Brian and Andrea posed with me and dad for the group to take our picture and then they were gone. Just us Mays were up there now. We took many photos and my hands shook too much to write in the log book that is kept at the top. Brian wrote the date, "in Max May's memory", "No Mercy", and "Live Life to the Max." He signed our names (Brian, Andrea, and Molly). We took photos for posterity and then looked around. We saw a huge grey storm cloud headed our direction and hauled ass back to Katie and Josh. Half way there, we realized that we were stupid and did not write everyone's names. This was dumb because they were every part of the trip that we did, so Andrea (being the most sure-footed and confident and energetic) headed back to the top to add everyone's names and take another picture.
Katie was doing better by the time we reached her, but still not great. We all paused long enough to get some food and water. Then, seeing the cloud was not veering away from us, we started heading down. Down at first was easier because you just leaned backward toward the mountain (which the heavy backpack helped) and let your feet slide in the rocks. But, as we got to the harder parts where you have to climb with your hands and feet, the sky darkened. Then, the thing we all talked about and were most worried about happened. We did not reach the tricky large boulder band before it started to rain. This has very many serious consequences. The small rocks get wet and slide more like mud, streams of water fall like rivers making everything slick. Worst of all, the places where we needed our hands and feet would be the slickest of all because it was like climbing smooth, polished rocks. Then, when we thought it couldn't get worse, it started to thunder, lightening, and worst of the worst it began to hail. We're not talking light hail, but pea-sized hail that hit at an intense rate. It pounded on our helmets as we scrambled quickly for the large rocks. The lightning crashed closer and closer to us, and there was no where for us to seek shelter. Plus, we realized that we weren't sure what the opening for the boulder was and Katie started crying. Then, along came our 2nd miracle. A single hiker we passed earlier was on his way down too. He knew the mountain and despite the fact that he only had a t-shirt and shorts in this storm, he slowed down and showed us the way. Unfortunately, he told us the best way down was not the way we came, but down that huge boulder that was spray painted with the arrow. We had to sit on the top of the ledge, jump off to another narrow ledge straight below and not fall off. This would be scary and difficult if it weren't still raining and hailing on us. He jumped down like a mountain goat, then spotted Brian and Andrea. Katie was next and was frozen with fear. Just below her, if she missed was a very steep 2,000 ft drop. She was tired, hungry, cold, and scared. Brian really stepped up. He swore to her that he would never let her fall, stood on the edge of the ledge (with his heels almost off the cliff)and told her to jump and he would catch her. Josh and I were behind her trying not to slide into her too. We were on the slick rock scree which has a nasty way of sliding down on top of people's heads and almost propelling us down the cliff ourselves. We tried shouting encouragement to Katie (least we slide down and push her off the cliff) and finally using Brian's head as a hand hold, she sort of slid/fell off the boulder and Brian used his hands to quickly push her against the rock wall of the boulder and slide down to where she could touch. The second she realized she was down, she threw her arms around Brian's neck and hugged him like I've never seen anyone be hugged before. "I love you Brian," she literally cried before finally letting go. The best hug I have ever seen. Brian then spotted Josh and I and then followed our buddy (later we found out his name was John) further down the boulders. None were quite that scary, but it was still raining and hailing. John waited for all of us with is face to the hail, getting soaked, until we all passed the difficult spot. He went on faster ahead of us, but said he was going to find a spot to dry out.
It finally stopped raining and the sun came back out just as we finished the hard spot. We relaxed a little bit, but only rested for a minute, then continued down. We caught up to John eventually (drinking a beer!)and got his email and information. We're going to have to think of something nice to do for him. We continued down without really stopping. No one was in the mood to stop since we were so tired and wet and ready to be down the damn mountain. We did stop to stretch our legs just before the switchbacks started our path out of the valley, but otherwise we just dragged on.
The way down is easily as hard as the way up, especially if you have bad knees. We used our walking poles to help with stability, but it didn't stop me from falling twice (scaring the crap out of Josh) and others from falling too. This kind of fall is like a slow-motion fall. Your foot slips and you gently (sometimes) slide the rest of your body onto your butt and back. By the last few switchbacks, we were really getting tired of hiking. Our feet, quads, calves, and knees hurt. Your toes are completely jammed into the bottom of your shoes, hurting your big toe and other toe nails. Your shoulders grow tired of the weight of the back pack. You run out of water (or at least I did). You are hungry for something that isn't an energy bar. You fall silent and your body droops. You think, we've got to be almost to the bottom by now. Then, you catch a glimpse of that beautiful turquoise lake through the trees. You realize that you aren't as close to the bottom as you'd hoped. Then, we saw a rainbow in the mountains over that lake and smile. You trudge on. Then, you finally get to the lake side and see the parking lot. You have to walk up hill a tiny bit and it feels good. You get to the car and collapse inside. Andrea had to drive, poor thing, and we were quiet much of the way. We got to the car after 14 hours and 50 minutes. It is practically dark, but you see more rainbows on the drive back to the hotel. You think of dad and how proud he would be of our teamwork, persistence, and our drive to get to the top and back down. We hurried right back because we knew that Aubrey, April, and Norma had seen the bad weather above and were worried sick about us.
We walked in the door to tacos and hugs. Josh and I raced to strip and get in the hot tub at the hotel. The rest stay behind and tell the tale. Katie starts throwing up and is taken to the urgent care center nearby. She has an electrolite deficiency. She has not eaten or drunk enough. She is taken home and fed gatorade. We stay up far later than we thought possible reliving the hike and smiling and laughing with our family. Bed never felt softer or more comforting.
Enjoy the pictures:
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| Banff 2 |
Sunday July 26th
I knew that everyone should do a nice, easy, but longish hike to get their legs ready for the climb tomorrow, so Josh and I found a nice one at Lake Louise. The hike went half way around Lake Louise, then up to a tea-house, then to a waterfall for a short rock scramble.
Everyone looked great and enthusiastic for the big hike. Aubs and April came over during breakfast and said they got in after midnight the night before. Everyone got ready quickly and we made an assembly line of sandwiches for our packs. We headed out and arrived at Lake Louise with no fuss.
The hike was very nice and level at first and then gently climbed to a tea house. Luckily, we reached the tea house just as it was starting to rain. We grabbed some seats and got some nice hot tea. It was still raining, so we ordered another round and sat enjoying each others company. The rain started to clear so we headed on to the rest of the hike. We made it to the rock scramble and quickly climbed up. Even Norma, who was very hesitant, made it up there with little fuss. We ate our sandwiches next to a waterfall and then headed back down. This was a little slower, but careful footsteps often are.
On the way back the sun came out and Josh and I got sunburned on our necks (despite our hats). Oh well, that's what we get for not wearing sunscreen until the sun comes out! We went over to Lake Moraine to try and get some info on our big hike, and also to see how long it would take to drive, and let everyone see how amazing our hike would be. (the main mountains in that valley are not as tall as the hike we were going to do!) We didn't find much information there, but were re-directed to the right place a minute away from our hotel.
We arrived at the information center and talked to a ranger who assured us about the hiking conditions, the bear warnings, and that we could make it. We also rented helmets (which were highly recommended) next door.
We went back to the hotel and ate a wonderful Spaghetti dinner and got everyone's pack ready for the next day. Unfortunately, this took a LONG time and we did not get to bed before 11pm.
Everyone looked great and enthusiastic for the big hike. Aubs and April came over during breakfast and said they got in after midnight the night before. Everyone got ready quickly and we made an assembly line of sandwiches for our packs. We headed out and arrived at Lake Louise with no fuss.
The hike was very nice and level at first and then gently climbed to a tea house. Luckily, we reached the tea house just as it was starting to rain. We grabbed some seats and got some nice hot tea. It was still raining, so we ordered another round and sat enjoying each others company. The rain started to clear so we headed on to the rest of the hike. We made it to the rock scramble and quickly climbed up. Even Norma, who was very hesitant, made it up there with little fuss. We ate our sandwiches next to a waterfall and then headed back down. This was a little slower, but careful footsteps often are.
On the way back the sun came out and Josh and I got sunburned on our necks (despite our hats). Oh well, that's what we get for not wearing sunscreen until the sun comes out! We went over to Lake Moraine to try and get some info on our big hike, and also to see how long it would take to drive, and let everyone see how amazing our hike would be. (the main mountains in that valley are not as tall as the hike we were going to do!) We didn't find much information there, but were re-directed to the right place a minute away from our hotel.
We arrived at the information center and talked to a ranger who assured us about the hiking conditions, the bear warnings, and that we could make it. We also rented helmets (which were highly recommended) next door.
We went back to the hotel and ate a wonderful Spaghetti dinner and got everyone's pack ready for the next day. Unfortunately, this took a LONG time and we did not get to bed before 11pm.
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| Banff Trip - Sunday July 26th, 2009 |
Saturday July 25th
We got up early and quickly packed up. We drove to the first park which is called Yoho. There we saw the spectacular waterfall Takakkaw. We took a little hike and because it was so hot, we made it very short. We then drove to Banff where we bought our year round parks Canada pass. We also got some hiking information for the trip and inquired about trail conditions (very good!). We got back in the car and because it was still hot we decided to head to the hotel to check in. Norma had put our name on the list so we were able to check in before the others arrived. The room was a family-style loft with a bedroom with a set of bunk beds and a single bed (and that's about all that fit in the room!), a kitchen with all the pots and pans, a living room with a Murphy bed, a down stairs full bathroom, then stairs leading to a loft with a queen bed, single bed, and full bathroom. There was no air-conditioning so we opened all the windows and sat a few before unloading the car. That was many trips up and down stairs, but finished quickly. Norma and Katie flew into Calgary (about 80 miles south) the night before, but spent the night and waited for Brian and Andrea to get there at 2pm the next day (today). After they got in, they called us and asked for last minute requests from the grocery store. They made their purchases and headed up. In the mean time, Josh and I realized they would be a while and went to Lake Louise to hike around. We also stopped by Lake Moraine (where Mt. Temple is) to see what conditions everything was in. Everything looked good and we headed on back home. We waited FOREVER it seemed because we were so excited to see everyone. Aubrey and April were supposed to check in to the hotel that day and hadn't yet either.
Finally, Norma, Katie, Brian, and Andrea arrived! We helped them unload the car and I started dinner: STEAK! After dinner, we hung out for a while and then headed for bed.
Finally, Norma, Katie, Brian, and Andrea arrived! We helped them unload the car and I started dinner: STEAK! After dinner, we hung out for a while and then headed for bed.
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| Banff Trip - Saturday July 25th 2009 |
Friday July 24th
Josh and I decided to head up a day early since we wanted more time to really explore the area, do a little hiking, and get accustomed to our surroundings. We tried to leave Portland at 4:30 in the morning, but after a snooze or two, lots of stressful packing of the car, we were off at 7am. The car was so full that we weren't able to see out any window behind the front two seats. We were carrying enough food for a week (except produce which is not allowed across the border, camping equipment for 6 people, hiking stuff, day hiking stuff, and millions of other must-have items. The drive was pretty long and boring. We arrived at our campsite that was reserved just outside of the park. It was HOT, which I did not expect (remembering the last time I was there and froze the whole time). The campground was like a KOA with nasty pool and all (and yes, we did swim in it because it was HOT damn it!) We went to bed pretty early.
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| Banff trip - Friday July 24th, 2009 |
Canada! (the big trip)
As many of you know, Josh and I have been planning a trip to Banff and Jasper National Park in Canada for a few years. This is the home to the mountain that my dad wanted to climb. I first decided to go before dad even got sick, imagining that he and I would climb Mt. Temple together. Then, as we discovered the cancer, I imagined that I would climb it with him after the successful chemo and would probably carry all the weight and help support him along the way (with Josh's help of course). As he got sicker and sicker, I foolishly imagined that I would practically carry him up the mountain and make Josh carry all the supplies. After he died, I realized that I still needed to climb this mountain and wanted to carry him up there so that he could do his last mountain and the only mountain he ever regretted not being able to climb. (time and weather did not allow the few times he went there)Dad's final wishes were to be spread out at his favorite place, the cabin. So, I asked the rest of the family to wait and allow me to bring the ashes up the mountain and invited them all to come with us. Last summer did not work out, as many of us took too much time off of work to take another vacation. Plus, this is a HUGE mountain and everyone needed at least a year to train. (Josh and I had been training, but no one else had)So, it was decided that we would climb the mountain the next summer on his birthday. (July 27th)
Many months of planning and reserving hotels and camping, and endless emails and phone calls later, we were all at Lake Louise, ready to climb the big mountain...
Many months of planning and reserving hotels and camping, and endless emails and phone calls later, we were all at Lake Louise, ready to climb the big mountain...
Canada! (the first time)
Ok, first we went to Canada to go to Scott's wedding (my buddy from the dorms in Madison, Wisconsin). It was held in Victoria on Vancouver Island. We headed up with Linze and Joshy Thursday night and spent the night at Heather's house in Seattle. She wasn't there so we entertained ourselves by hiding some of her decorative knick-knacks all around her house. We got up really early the next day to drive the rest of the way to the ferry. The ferry company told us to get there about 1 1/2 hours early for check-in, so we did. Unfortunately. We ended up waiting the whole time and the check-in only took 5 minutes. Of course, we kept thinking, well, they will probably load us first and then we'll also be the first ones unloaded. Nope. Those ass holes loaded us in the middle and then unloaded us practically last. The last minute people were first on and off. Bastards! Of course landing in Canada you have to go through customs and now have a passport. We waited forever. Linze and Joshy were in the car ahead of us so they went first. They talked to the guy a while and I thought they were going to get searched. No, they just wanted to chat. We went next and the guy was pretty rude. Asked all sorts of weird questions (I thought) like the name of the hotel we were staying at, where the wedding was at. Of course Josh and I knew none of this because we were simply following Linze and Joshy who are much better planners. We told him we were with the car ahead and he finally let us go. Later, we talked to Linze and Joshy and they said the guy made them get out the wedding invitation (because they couldn't remember where the wedding was either) and then had the nerve to ask why we were not staying at the hotel where the wedding was. They told him it was too expensive. And with that he finally let them go.
Anyway, we checked in to the hotel and started walking around the beautiful, very European town, of Victoria. After lunch we went back to meet our friend Adam (also from my dorm) at the bar of our hotel. We had a few drinks and then headed off to dinner. After dinner, we came back to our room and played Farkel.
The next day was the wedding so we only had time to do one thing, visit the famous gardens. We drove a LONG and WINDY road to the gardens only to discover they were $26 each person!!! That night they were having fireworks at 10pm (this was 9am) and they told us if we wanted to see the fireworks (which we didn't) there was no re-admittance! Crazy. How much money could they sponge off people? You pay $26 and then have to hang around all day (or even if you showed up at 8pm, what are you going to look at in the dark?) and probably end up buying dinner there or at least desert. Stupid. But, it was beautiful. We walked around for almost 2 hours (even though many people told us you needed at least 3 hours) and took lots of pictures. Then, it was time to grab some lunch and get ready for the wedding.
The wedding was at 2pm and the reception was at 5, so we decided to do a very Victoria thing in between, high tea. The wedding was in an old chapel and was very sweet and everyone looked beautiful and dashing. We saw the couple off to their photos and we walked a short ways to a tea that was recommended by our hotel.
Wow, anyone who has not done tea, you should go, but go hungry! It was a huge plate of goodies (and we had eaten lunch only 2 hours earlier) but I did my best to eat it all. We were now stuffed so we went to Adam's room to digest and play Farkel. His room was in the hotel where the reception was, so we glided down the elevator to the ballroom. We had some drinks on the balcony and turned down the finger food (since we were stuffed and trying to get hungry for dinner). After a while, the couple came in and we sat down to a wonderful dinner. Dancing was next and we stayed until after Midnight.
The next day, we met the wedding party at a nature park and did some hiking and even a little climbing. It was a nice way to end the weekend. Josh and I hung out with Linze and Joshy in their next hotel room (they were staying longer than us) and the next day caught the ferry and headed home.
I can't find my pictures of this trip right now (I think they are on the photo card I lent Norma) so if you'd like to see pictures, visit Linze and Joshy's blog!
Anyway, we checked in to the hotel and started walking around the beautiful, very European town, of Victoria. After lunch we went back to meet our friend Adam (also from my dorm) at the bar of our hotel. We had a few drinks and then headed off to dinner. After dinner, we came back to our room and played Farkel.
The next day was the wedding so we only had time to do one thing, visit the famous gardens. We drove a LONG and WINDY road to the gardens only to discover they were $26 each person!!! That night they were having fireworks at 10pm (this was 9am) and they told us if we wanted to see the fireworks (which we didn't) there was no re-admittance! Crazy. How much money could they sponge off people? You pay $26 and then have to hang around all day (or even if you showed up at 8pm, what are you going to look at in the dark?) and probably end up buying dinner there or at least desert. Stupid. But, it was beautiful. We walked around for almost 2 hours (even though many people told us you needed at least 3 hours) and took lots of pictures. Then, it was time to grab some lunch and get ready for the wedding.
The wedding was at 2pm and the reception was at 5, so we decided to do a very Victoria thing in between, high tea. The wedding was in an old chapel and was very sweet and everyone looked beautiful and dashing. We saw the couple off to their photos and we walked a short ways to a tea that was recommended by our hotel.
Wow, anyone who has not done tea, you should go, but go hungry! It was a huge plate of goodies (and we had eaten lunch only 2 hours earlier) but I did my best to eat it all. We were now stuffed so we went to Adam's room to digest and play Farkel. His room was in the hotel where the reception was, so we glided down the elevator to the ballroom. We had some drinks on the balcony and turned down the finger food (since we were stuffed and trying to get hungry for dinner). After a while, the couple came in and we sat down to a wonderful dinner. Dancing was next and we stayed until after Midnight.
The next day, we met the wedding party at a nature park and did some hiking and even a little climbing. It was a nice way to end the weekend. Josh and I hung out with Linze and Joshy in their next hotel room (they were staying longer than us) and the next day caught the ferry and headed home.
I can't find my pictures of this trip right now (I think they are on the photo card I lent Norma) so if you'd like to see pictures, visit Linze and Joshy's blog!
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