Christmas Post

Merry Christmas and happy New Year!

I will not post another article until the fourth of January.

Enjoy the time off.


K

The House Advantage

For me success in the mountains boils down to one thing; coming home in one piece.

-K

To Be, or Not to Be

Letting loose a long sigh, I walk downstairs and look over my gear, trying to decide what to bring and what to leave behind. This is the plan, drive the car to the top of Mt. Evans, ride the bikes down the mountain, lock them up, then after a short scramble climb a multi-pitch ridge to the top, grab the car, then the bikes, and head home. We brought as little climbing gear as possible, and just enough layers to stay warm. We rechecked the weather, high of 50 degrees, overcast, and decided to try it. We did everything we could to make that day a success. 

The House Advantage   

When you walk out your front door in the morning, when lock the car and put the keys in your pack, you agree to play by mother natures rules. We reached the foot of the climb, an hour after leaving the car, put on all of our climbing gear, then the snow started to fall. It was light at first, and then it wasn't as light, then we could see no farther then 50 ft. We locked eyes and said without words, 'lets wait and see what happens'. 10 minutes later it had gotten worse, and now the loose shale we had come over was covered in snow. 

Having A 'Successful' Day

We packed up our climbing gear, which turned out to be dead weight, and set up a steep section that we thought was doable without micro-spikes and without having to use the climbing gear to remain safe. Every step we took had 8 inches of vertical gain. It was difficult, and when we reached the ridge line, the snow stopped, and nature laughed at us. After we got to the car and picked up the bikes both of us decided that we had made the right call knowing what we knew at the time. 

Knowing the Odds

The biggest thing that you need to know when you are in the mountains, is having the courage to say 'today isn't the day'. Realizing that the mountains will still be there tomorrow, next week, next year. That will keep you safer then any piece of equipment money can buy. Goran Kropp is a perfect example of that. After riding his bike to the base camp of Everest he made it to within 300 feet of the summit, and tuned around. If he hadn't he would have been coming down in the dark. 

This was the same day the events of Into Thin Air took place. Had he not turned around, he too would have been caught in the legendary storm.

Final Thoughts

There have been days where I regret not going to the mountains, never for a second do I regret getting somewhere and deciding its not the right time. Do I wonder what would have happened had we stayed another 10 minutes, yeah, I do. But I can sleep soundly because we made the right choice and played it safe. Some might say it was a day wasted, I would answer them there is never a bad day in the mountains, there are some days that don't go according to plan but that is what makes it an adventure. What I have learned from days where I walked away is far more valuable to me then the days where everything went according to plan. Things went according to plan because somewhere, to some degree, sometime before we learned that something didn't work. You don't learn from success, you learn from your failures. I believe having a failed attempt, yet learning from that 'failure' is actually a success. 

Check this out.

K

Us Gear Heads

I love my gear and will tell anyone who will listen why I love it. My family and friends struggle to find gifts that I will use in my pursuits outside. I hope to give some helpful suggestions on what to buy your gear head as a late Christmas gift.

R.E.I.

(really entertaining inside)

Walking into an REI or any other big outdoor retailer can be over whelming, and the only response you can come up with when an employee asks if there is anything they can help you with is 'I'm just looking.' Big outdoor retailers can be a good place to start for inspiration for a gift idea and sometimes just going into the building does the trick. But other times retailers leave us shaking in our boots.

A Note From Inside

Any gear head friend of yours has his or her preferences on styling, layering, and philosophy on the outdoors. We spend so much of your money looking at, and then buying the high end gear that we forget about the small things. Which leaves an open door for you to give a gift that will be cherished for years to come. 

Think Small

When you buy for a gear head shoot for a no receipt policy, give them something they will use. My personal favorite is the trucker hat. With a mesh fabric and durable graphic front this brand specific gift is the perfect extra tidbit to complete the outdoor look. Every outdoor brand has their version, pick desired color and away you go. Not far from the hat you will see the graphic t-shirt. That is another great option, its something that we want but never have money for. My finally thoughts on what to get as a gift is a pair or two of socks. Not just any pair of socks but a nice pair of smart wool socks. Those will be much appreciated and used often. All three gifts are less then $30, all of them will be loved, and they will all have a place in your gear heads life.

Think Smart

If you decide that you want give them something else another thing we can never have enough of is outdoor shirts and hiking pants. For less then $100 you can get just about any base layer on the market. You need to do you home work first, homework on what the receiver of the gift does outside. That starts by getting them to talk, ramble really, about the gear they want. Listen for a base layer or a brand name. Either one will work, then use your best judgement to decide if you want, synthetic, wool of some blend, compression, etc. This is another item that we want but hardly save for because it its not 'expensive'.   

Think Safe

If you tried looking for a gift for your gear head and just couldn't find something here's what you do; get a gift card. A card with a a couple of gift suggestions and let them choose. This allows them to get something for themselves, while still staying inside of your rule set. For example if you give them $70, but instruct them to only get accessories from brand they already own, something along those lines.

Another distraction.

Happy shopping.

If you enjoyed this article please share my URL so more may enjoy the same articles you did.

journeyofthethree.blogspot.com

I have started another blog that focuses on the equipment of the mountains.

Here is that link. 

montemcalces.blogspot.com

Thanks.

K

No Two Ways About It

Too often I find myself looking for my next challenge, running around from task to task, never really stopping to breath. I was up in Loveland on my new skis and skiing had finally clicked; everything was going smoothly for the first time all season. Halfway down a blue, I was flooded with everything that had been going right today: I was in the mountains, wearing all of my own gear, I hadn't fallen yet, and was headed down my first blue and wasn't worried about it, I wasn't stressed, I was enjoying it.

It is such a small thing, so small that I feel we miss it too often. Enjoy the little things in life. I'm embarrassed that it took me being on skis to finally grasp that concept. Once I started thinking about it,  there are lots of 'little' things to be thankful for. One of my teachers gave us a little book that every school day we were to write 3 happy things in there, it will no longer be a box to check off but something to really ponder. I encourage you to find something, right now, that you are thankful for, something you could enjoy for 30 seconds.

Looking at the incredible panoramic view from the top of Loveland, I was asked to take a picture for a couple,  and after the ensuing chit-chat I learned that they were from Chicago and had bought a 4-pack of lift tickets for Loveland. The gentlemen noticed my Rab Guide Glove, and soon he was in my mits as I was holding his and telling him why I bought those gloves. As an outdoor community,  the ability to ask questions about the gear that others have is so important to the expansion of high quality apparel. He only knew of Rab because a store was opening in town. I had a little more knowledge of Rab. Rab is a European  company that was started in the early 80's, and I filled in him, politely answering his questions to the best of my ability.

It is crucial that we listen to others that are  passionate in their field of interest. We don't have to believe their conclusion, however, when we listen to their ideas they also listen to us. That was my favorite moment of the day. They made me feel human, made me feel like I was valuable, and I didn't abuse that respect. Something to ponder.

If you would like to read more about my world,  go to any outdoor website and look for articles near the bottom of the home pages. That is where I get my 'distractions'.

Speaking of, another distraction.

K