The Dream-Climbing Ice in Squamish

The pain of writing final papers really sets in when the winter rain gives way to pockets of cool crisp sunshine. After what was literally weeks of daily wet weather, the clouds cleared and cold arctic air poured across lower main land BC, just in time for finals. For almost 2 weeks temperatures rarely rose above freezing. With papers completed I was anxious for some adventure.

Ice climbing in the North West is traditionally inconsistent, thin, and often a dripping wet affair; as we were picking our route Kris, a local of 11 years, told me he had never climbed ice in Squamish. However, as the cold persisted I was sure that ice was forming.

We decided on a moderate WI 3-4 gully, A Scottish Tale, that if fully formed promised almost 1000' of climbing. However, after our 7am dawn start, and 1hr+ swim through the forest under brush, we arrived at the route to find another party moving up the first pitch. Rather than catch the brunt of the ice that would certainly be funneled down onto us, we explored some of the other smears we has seen out on the granite face to the right of our proposed route

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We discovered a beautiful line, The Dream, that looked "do-able" and just barely protectable. Kris led the first pitch on thin ice. Up delicate smears and through overhanging chandeliered corners, it was a brilliant lead- especially impressive Given Kris had not climbed ice in 6 years.

The second pitch was more straight forward ice climbing, steep and easily protectable, however I found it was quite he head game. My tools and crampons felt more like awkward metal than the natural extensions of my body that they once were. Despite the mental obstacles the climbing was beautiful, with a steep pillar giving way to narrow runnels of ice in granite corners.

Kris finished the climb with another incredible lead, a full 60 meter rope stretcher through a mixture of step curtains, thin runnels, and challenging corners. I was happy to follow and feeling more comfortable as we moved upwards and acclimated with the icy terrain. As we topped out it was clear we had gotten more than we had planned on for the day, but we had certainly gone ice climbing.

We rapped the route and packed as dusk fell; it would be another 2 hours before we reached the car. We arrived after crashing through thick undergrowth, falling over rock and logs hidden in the undergrowth and darkness, but we found adventure, challenge, and a great day in the hills.

November

Well, this is my third attempt at putting up pictures tonight. I had planned a real blogging bonanza for you--three posts each with their maximum 4 photos. Alas, the first two were demolished by "Error # 400" and then a foolish mistake on my part (not that i make those very often).

So, November had its ups and downs. The major down being the rain, overcast skies, and ever-shortening days. It got so bad I was wondering if I was suffering from prenatal depression, and actually I'm not joking. However, we have since experienced almost 2 weeks of sunshine and I have felt 100 % better, so it appears that I do not have the constitution for rainy, wet winters despite my Irish heritage. What I do thirst for is SNOW. You could have seen some nice photos of Aurora in her new snow gear, but .... instead we will focus on what is often seen as a monumental moment.

Graduation

I have to admit that I strongly considered not putting the photos up because it feels rather self-congratulatory, but then I thought about how one of the primary purposes of having a blog is to share events large and small with loved ones who often live far away, it might seem odd to not include anything about it.

So, Aparna Rae (our dear friend and previous roomie) and I decided that we would "walk" at graduation despite the fact that we'd both finished several months ago. I admit that dressing up in our ridiculously expensive gowns did somehow make it feel more official than simply working more and not having any more papers due.

I really have felt like a new person since graduating--not feeling like there was always something I should be reading or writing hanging over me. I've had more mental energy for enjoying freindships and family and the rest of life. However, I do find that I am also a bit less productive with my time now, particularly in the evenings. I could also blame that on pregnancy. Yes, let's do that, shall we?

It was one of the coldest, wettest days possible. I wanted a goretex gown, but they didn't have any.

The following day was the first sunny day in two weeks. We celebrated by going to the beach.

It was pretty cold and not quite as pristine as summertime, but the coast is pretty unbeatable on a sunny day.

So, what I don't have photos of is our Thanksgiving dinner, which we had on Friday, the 27. It was lovely--great friends and food. It was such fun to have Aparna back in town, with her brother visiting and more opportunities to hang out with Stephen and the rest of her entourage.

So, yes, it's halfway through December now and its been mostly sunny and quite chilly. We've actually had little bits of snow the last few days, enough even to somewhat cover the ground today. I love it. So does Aurora, who calls snow "NooOoo!" Sometimes I wonder what she's loudly protesting until I see that she's looking admiringly out the window.

We are enjoying the Christmas season and looking forward to seeing lots of Castletons and McCunes and some Hawleys in the next few weeks. We are wishing we could see the rest of you too!

I hope you are each enjoying sweet times with family and friends in this wonderful time of year that softens our hearts and reminds us to be more loving and generous, a little more like the Savior each day.

Much love!

Shannon