Sunday, Sunday
This is probably my favorite type of Sunday, I slept in and gingerly got out of bed, grabbed the bottle of Ibuprophen and a big glass of water. Surprise, surprise its not a hangover, but from a day of climbing the day before.
Tom and I headed out to Bear Spirit yesterday. After much mulling over climbing routes and carefully watching the escalating avalanche hazard we decided it was best to play it safe and go to a climbing crag. I was so happy to finally get to Bear Spirit. Colin and I made an ill-fated attempt 3 yrs ago. We posted holed in thigh deep snow for 2 hours up along the creek bed never finding the lefthand turn to get to the crag. This time there was easily half the snow and a beaten down trail the whole way.
We assumed other people would have the same idea since all climbers are faced with the same conditions and only unaware climbers (and hopefully lucky) would brave the avalanche conditions. We did hear the Ghost was ok after talking to Sean Easton in Canmore. However we weren't worried about avi hazard in the ghost but snow drifts along the large river beds you have to drive on. But Sean told us there were some big ass urban assault vehicles out there eager to test their mettle with the heavy wet snow and they were able to create some decent hardpack tracks for others to the follow. However we got to Bear Spirit early enought to get a rope up a good line. About an hour later the place was full but everyone was cool with sharing ropes so it was plenty of fun.
Bear Spirit is a mixed climbing crag, there are some fun Gr 4 pillars and some nasty hard mixed climbs. You can walk up and set up a Top Rope. I always thank Nathan the trainer when I get on stuff like this. Mixed climbing takes muscles, core strength and technique. Its always challenging the first time up a climb you've never done before. I did plenty of hanging on the rope but I made it up. The second time I actually looked like I knew what I was doing. It was an M7 I think, which 2 years ago I couldn't get up so I'm happy that it wasn't *that* hard once I could work out the moves.
The result today though is that I'm tired, body tired and sore. Today will be all about lazing around as I'm climbing tomorrow and I am really hoping Yuka and I can get up Moonlight as we tried last year and got scooped. She doesn't know it yet but I want us to get up at the Crack of Christ to be the first there. Especially with the Avi hazard, other climbers will think its a good choice too.
The cats got their nails clipped today. Always a precarious endeavour. If I'm quick and efficient it can be pretty easy. But Bomber has patience for roughly 7 nails getting clipped and then the last 3 are him making noises that indicate he's thinking of biting (he never has) and him squirming and pulling away his paws. Once he was finally done, I looked over and saw that Ginger had been sitting on the stairs watching the whole production. The look she was giving me cracked me up. It was absolutely this unimpressed look, ears at half mast. Here's a cat lesson for you, if a cats ears are up and perky they're probably happy, if their ears are down against their head, they are either scared or getting ready to attack. Ears at half way means they are undecided as to how they want to react. So I start coaxing her over, I gave up pretending she wasn't going to get her nails clipped, I'd already been busted. Reasoning with a cat isn't easy, they really don't give a shit what you have to say. But after my telling her it'd be quick, its not so bad.. pppllleeeassse.. she came over . Which I was damn impressed with, she used to hide when she even saw the nail clippers. I'm always always relieved when this job is done. Like I said, I have never been scratched or bit but who knows if one day your cat decides to go postal as your almost sitting on them with your face close to their teeth and claws. I love animals but sometimes people forget that their pets are animals first and pets second. Sometimes instinctual animal behaviour will take precedence no matter how friendly and docile they are 95% of the time. We like to treat our pets like they're people with fur but I think this does our furry friends a disservice, we should never rob them of their essential animal nature. Perhaps that's what I love about cats, their domestication will always be tenuous and on their terms, I appreciate they could probably get along just fine without me.
So far my lazy sunday is progressingly along quite nicely, I'll probably read a book, have a nap and maybe socialize abit. Then an early night for more climbing tomorrow - life is good.
Tom and I headed out to Bear Spirit yesterday. After much mulling over climbing routes and carefully watching the escalating avalanche hazard we decided it was best to play it safe and go to a climbing crag. I was so happy to finally get to Bear Spirit. Colin and I made an ill-fated attempt 3 yrs ago. We posted holed in thigh deep snow for 2 hours up along the creek bed never finding the lefthand turn to get to the crag. This time there was easily half the snow and a beaten down trail the whole way.
We assumed other people would have the same idea since all climbers are faced with the same conditions and only unaware climbers (and hopefully lucky) would brave the avalanche conditions. We did hear the Ghost was ok after talking to Sean Easton in Canmore. However we weren't worried about avi hazard in the ghost but snow drifts along the large river beds you have to drive on. But Sean told us there were some big ass urban assault vehicles out there eager to test their mettle with the heavy wet snow and they were able to create some decent hardpack tracks for others to the follow. However we got to Bear Spirit early enought to get a rope up a good line. About an hour later the place was full but everyone was cool with sharing ropes so it was plenty of fun.
Bear Spirit is a mixed climbing crag, there are some fun Gr 4 pillars and some nasty hard mixed climbs. You can walk up and set up a Top Rope. I always thank Nathan the trainer when I get on stuff like this. Mixed climbing takes muscles, core strength and technique. Its always challenging the first time up a climb you've never done before. I did plenty of hanging on the rope but I made it up. The second time I actually looked like I knew what I was doing. It was an M7 I think, which 2 years ago I couldn't get up so I'm happy that it wasn't *that* hard once I could work out the moves.
The result today though is that I'm tired, body tired and sore. Today will be all about lazing around as I'm climbing tomorrow and I am really hoping Yuka and I can get up Moonlight as we tried last year and got scooped. She doesn't know it yet but I want us to get up at the Crack of Christ to be the first there. Especially with the Avi hazard, other climbers will think its a good choice too.
The cats got their nails clipped today. Always a precarious endeavour. If I'm quick and efficient it can be pretty easy. But Bomber has patience for roughly 7 nails getting clipped and then the last 3 are him making noises that indicate he's thinking of biting (he never has) and him squirming and pulling away his paws. Once he was finally done, I looked over and saw that Ginger had been sitting on the stairs watching the whole production. The look she was giving me cracked me up. It was absolutely this unimpressed look, ears at half mast. Here's a cat lesson for you, if a cats ears are up and perky they're probably happy, if their ears are down against their head, they are either scared or getting ready to attack. Ears at half way means they are undecided as to how they want to react. So I start coaxing her over, I gave up pretending she wasn't going to get her nails clipped, I'd already been busted. Reasoning with a cat isn't easy, they really don't give a shit what you have to say. But after my telling her it'd be quick, its not so bad.. pppllleeeassse.. she came over . Which I was damn impressed with, she used to hide when she even saw the nail clippers. I'm always always relieved when this job is done. Like I said, I have never been scratched or bit but who knows if one day your cat decides to go postal as your almost sitting on them with your face close to their teeth and claws. I love animals but sometimes people forget that their pets are animals first and pets second. Sometimes instinctual animal behaviour will take precedence no matter how friendly and docile they are 95% of the time. We like to treat our pets like they're people with fur but I think this does our furry friends a disservice, we should never rob them of their essential animal nature. Perhaps that's what I love about cats, their domestication will always be tenuous and on their terms, I appreciate they could probably get along just fine without me.
So far my lazy sunday is progressingly along quite nicely, I'll probably read a book, have a nap and maybe socialize abit. Then an early night for more climbing tomorrow - life is good.
posted by Lise B at Sunday, February 18, 2007
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