[at-l] acid-spewing aliens.... Re: No regrets

[Cutter]

Wait, what?


On Sat, Dec 19, 2009 at 4:54 PM, Tom McGinnis <sloetoe at yahoo.com> wrote:

> --- On Sat, 12/19/09, David Addleton <dfaddleton at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> > I also have no regrets bailing when the opportunity appeared.
> > Here's a link to some of my pics
> > http://www.flickr.com/photos/mellowsardine/sets/72157623031870148/show/
> >
> > On Sat, Dec 19, 2009 at 3:11 PM, Jim Smith <cutter78 at gmail.com>
> > wrote: If there were any doubts left in my mind about bailing
> > out a day early yesterday on my two-night solo trip in the Smokies,
> > they were erased a few moments ago. I just read that Mt. LeConte got 20
> > inches of snow. I would be walking 9 miles in that right now if I had
> > stayed at Laurel Gap as planned.
>
> THANK GOD for a New England up-bringing, eh Dee?
>
> Jeez boys and girls, why don't we get a little grip on ourselves here. What
> you're writing about in such horror is SNOW. Frozen, crystalline, WATER.
> It's not like the skies were opening up on you with acid-spewing aliens or
> something.
>
> You know, you were kids once, and thought of snow as something FUN. I'd
> highly recommend re-adopting that viewpoint before you ruin a perfectly good
> outing for which SOME of us were jealous.
>
> Now, looking at the calendar, this time 6 years ago [sniff sniff wipe of
> tear] I was prepping to leave Fontana Dam southbound for Springer. The
> sneaux was 8-12" at the bottom, but quite thick and slippery. Uh-oh.
>
> I slogged out of Fontana and used the numerous pauses of heavy breathing to
> turn back at the scene I was leaving -- m-m-magic. *Everything* was
> beautiful -- not frightening, but *beautiful*.
>
> On the ridge, the snow was knee deep and not quite so thick -- though it
> was hardly fresh and still stuck to everything. But the thing of it is, 24
> hours later (roughly), it was sunset/dark/6pm-ish on top of Cheoh (?) Bald,
> and there was just this deep-snowed (thigh-deep drifts on the lee) 6 mile
> descent to NOC, where was my first food drop (my car!)....
>
> WHAT A BLAST! In shirtsleeves, taking 10'-long super-steps cushioned by
> snow over huge (thigh high) drops, it was like one big kid's game, and it
> was MINE. (And it was FREE.) Just thinking about it brings a grin.... Jeeez
> that was special. I whooped and carried on all the way down, arriving horse
> and exultant, about 8:30pm -- that's quite a pace for me.
>
> And then the whole business melted and fractured off some days later
> descending Albert Mtn -- huge crashes of ice sculptures
> sliding-silence-silence-cRASH. And we were in our shirt sleeves on Springer
> New Year's Day. Yowsa.
>
> [But I digress.]
>
> SNOW WILL NOT BITE YOU. YOU WERE KIDS ONCE.
> Remember?
> If you were prepared for cold, and prepared for wet, and knew not to sweat
> (be patient, slow down and vent and shed), you'da been in the playground.
> And without sticks and rocks to trip you up or stab at your feet -- THAT'S
> special all by itself! Your hike becomes a *romp*!
>
> Okay. I'm done.
> Frankensense, my winter hike is evaporating. (Hence some frustration? And
> disbelief that them as were OUT in it ran home?! Gad! Let's trade! Here,
> take this stack of finals and tell the happy students what the good news
> is.) Anyway, I don't think it's happening at ALL this year. Way bummed.
>
> stayathometoe
>
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://patsy.hack.net/pipermail/at-l/attachments/20091219/cb53cd5f/attachment.html