Old school technology on modern ice?

There is a lot to recommend the really light weight boots with super soft ankles like the La Sportiva Batura and Trango Extremes on steep technical ice but comfort and calf support aren't two that come to mind.









One way I have found to help that style of boot on endurance ice is use some old technology that a few back country skiers are now remembering as well.









Long Thongs and Alberg straps in the past were used to help stiffen the ankle on ski boots, long before I started skiing. A extra wrap or two around the ankle, then snugged up tight, is just what I need for long, full days on continuous ice. Might not be enough for Alaska but should get you up things like Polar Circus, Slipstream or the N. Face of Athabasca with a bit more comfort in those soft ankled, stiff soled, light weight boots we all love. Not required for the typical ice cragging day though. Nice because with the option of stiffening the ankle the biggest advantage to me of these boots is how easily they walk with those same, soft ankles. Hard climbs with long approaches (or long climbs with only a moderate amount of hard climbing) is where i think these boots excel.









Black Diamonds heel levers and their safety straps ($30 a pair for the entire kit straight from BD catalog sales) offer the perfect option and length of strap on my size 12 boots and skinny ankles. You can use BD and Grivel levers on Petzl if you like. Cut the wire straps off the front bail and the Grivel/BD straps will work in a similar manner with at least one full wrap around the ankle for additional support. Heel levers are easy to switch off and on. Another advantage is you are less likely to ever loose a 'pon if the 'pon clips ever pop off your boot. Something else I really appreciate is you can then cut those damn toe retainer pieces off the front bail and forget about them!

Moose Meadows, Pigeon River

(Click the photo to view a larger version)

This photograph was made from the Pigeon River Helipad and Overlook on Otter Lake Forest Road in Northeast Minnesota. Ever since the forest service created this helipad and overlook, I've been stopping there whenever I'm in the area in the hopes of seeing a Moose down along the river. Being quite familiar with the river from the seat of a kayak, I knew that this bend in the river was quite popular with the Moose. However, I had never seen one from the overlook until today! I watched through my telephoto lens as the Moose moved throughout the shallows for several minutes. Eventually he turned and gave me a nice profile of his body. It was cool to finally see a Moose from this vantage point! This marks my 18th Moose sighting of this year!

Happy Birthday America!

Lots of sun and blue sky up here on Rainier are adding to our celebration of America's 237th year of existence. The forecast for the holiday weekend looks great, and conditions should be great for summit bids. We are expecting a very busy weekend so climbersshouldshow up early at the ranger station to improve chances of getting their preferred camping spot. The popular camps such as Muir, Schurman and Ingraham Flats will be busy places. Climbers are encouraged to have a backup plan since there are many places on Rainier that will not be crowded at all. Looking for moderate routes? Try the Tahoma, the Kautz, the Success Cleaver or Couloirs, or the Wilson Headwall just to suggest just a few. Skiing conditions still seem to be holding strong but some booting is required from most trailheads these days. Check out recent route reports from the DC, The Tahoma Glacier and Ptarmigan Ridge among others.







On this fourth of July remember that you have the freedom to bring celebration items such as watermelon, spareribs, and refreshing drinks into your national park. You even have the freedom to share your goodies with rangers or other people you meet. You do not have the freedom to bring fireworks, explosives, or share your edible goodies with any non-human species such as foxes or marmots.



Come on out and enjoy the natural wonders this country has to offer.

Snowpack Profile Update

There is 17" of new snow on the ground since the extreme avalanche conditions and avalanche activity earlier this week. The forecast is calling for 12-18" tonight and 7-11" on Saturday with the possibility of more snow on Sunday.





Neither a compression test or extended column test yielded any failures. No evidence of recent avalanche activity in the immediate area allows me to think that the slope did not fail earlier in the week, unlike many other slopes in the area.





All layers were well defined and fairly settled.

Snow Worm

Phend-Fisher Family Reunion Ledger (1937)

The 28th annual reunion of the Phend & Fisher families was held in the Nappanee Community Park, with 35 present.

It was moved and seconded to retain the same President and Sec'y. Treas. (motion was carried)

Entertainment Com.
Anna May Thornton - It was decided to have the reunion at Nappanee again next year.

Birth reported -
Sharon Elaine Pletcher. Father Warren Pletcher.

1936 Bal .18
Collection 1.75
[balance] 1.93
Park fee 1.00
Bal - .93
Notices .93
[balance] .00

Signed
Bob Bechtel
Sec'y Treas.

By The Numbers?

No one more surprised than me of the results over the last 3 years.



The first post I made onCold Thistle was 1/29/10

Dec'10 saw 63K page reads for the month.

Dec'11 saw 84K page reads for the month.

Dec '12 saw 99K page reads for the month



As of today Cold Thistle has just rolled over 1.5 million page reads! But we have yet to break 4K page reads in a day...close mind you but CT never hit 4K in a 24 hr period. Thanks to everyone for dropping by. Theaudience here is literally from every alpine country in the world, reading and commenting on a daily basis. Andbetter yet contributing with guest blogs when you can or have the interest. My wish was forthe blog tohelp spread good info in the community. I'm blessed to still be a part of and how small thethe tribereally is.



Your support (the readers and manufactures) has enabled me to see more gear that I ever thought remotely possible. Reporting back here in writing and pictures is still fun for me. Hopefully it has been useful to you. The page reads here are way out of proportion to the 500+ membership. If you would liketo see more gear reviewed, take a moment and sign up as a member of the Cold Thistle blog. It costs nothing but a few minutes of your time. I willknow nothing more about you past your little photo in the "list". Way less time that it takes to read this blog post. The advantage to you (and me) is manufactures are more willing to be involved and support Cold Thistle...if you, the climbing consumer, will. The numbers do count!





Cheers to all, will be agreat year!



Dane

The Grand Canyon :: Navajo Point and Desert View

Navajo Point is the last viewpoint before arriving at Desert View. Quite Spectacular. Indeed.





And a closer view of The River.



And this is how it looks from Desert View. The exterior of the Watch Tower was being renovated the last time I was here and this area was not accessible. I think the little blue wheelbarrow adds something to the picture, I'm just not sure what!





A slightly closer shot of the same view as above.



Each one of the stones used in construction of the Watch Tower was reportedly selected by the architect Mary Jane Colter. She also determined where each stone was to be placed.





I did go inside and was going to go up but after the first few steps, my legs cried out “no way” so I turned around. I was completely enthralled by the interior and took plenty of photos the last time, which you can see here.





The view to the east, looking out over the desert. The Little Colorado Gorge lies a few miles away and the terrain is still quite rugged.



And so, as the road to Desert View comes to an end, so too does this Journey of mine... I've made it safely back to Indiana. I'm Home Again. Thank you to everyone who has followed along, I'm so glad you could join me for the ride...



For those of you who are feeling the need for a bit of adventure, my cousins Sue & Fred will be hiking into the Grand Canyon in a few weeks. Then they will be traveling in the West and in May will follow the coast north and “driving” to Alaska via the Marine Highway. They will be spending the Summer Up North! I wish them well in their journey and will be following along virtually, as many of you have been following me...