This past weekend I made an attempt on the summit of Mt. Washington in New Hampshire. The mountain is known for having the worst weather in the world. I confirmed that it is pretty bad. On a relatively calm but cold day down below, it was howling up high on the mountain. I went with my friend Scott, who I must credit with getting me to do outdoor activities other than ride my bicycle. He's pretty salty and has the holes in his gaiters to show it. When he said we're turning around 2/3 of the way up, I listened. We had 70 mph sustained winds and air around 10 degrees. It was hard to stand up. I hope you forgive us for not taking pictures.
Probably the most fun I had on the mountain was on the way down. It was quite steep and I saw Scott sit down and slide for a bit. I followed suit. I actually got going fast enough to need to self-arrest. That's the fancy way that mountaineers stop when they're falling down the mountain. I'm happy that I was able to do it a couple of times. Scott needed too also, which made me feel better about needing to pull the e-brake.
On the way out I said to Scott that when I would look up the mountain at the climbers ahead of us I thought it looked like a mountaineering movie when the brown stuff is about to hit the whirly thing. The snow was blowing sideways and reducing visibility, my camera (head) was shaking in the wind and the climbers ahead looked like they were having a tough go.
Bike racing starts this weekend. I hope you're ready, because I am. I'm scheduled to ride to and from the race. It's about 2 hours each way plus 1 hour plus of racing. It's on.
Niv had his 6 month weigh 10 days ago. He's 21 pounds and 28 inches. For reference I checked and saw that I as 21 pounds at 11 months. This kid is a beast. The pictures that follow are much cuter than pictures of people struggling on a mountain.
Niv is happy that I didn't get blown off the mountain.
I can feed myself.
Niv and Shiri had fun without me this weekend.
Do you mock my sweet potato mustache? En garde!
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3 comments:
A kid after my own heart! He loves food just like his uncle! I can't wait till he's old enough to enjoy baked goods and old enough to help me bake.
Driving up Mt. Washington is enough adventure for me. Where's the race this weekend?
josh - i enjoyed your recap - each time we drive west and i see mt rainier and hood, i think of you. good luck on the start of the racing season.
tell the sprout to hold on just one more week - i'll see him next friday! can't wait! :)
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