I quietly descend into a canyon surrounded by ice and rock. I am lowered by a rope 150 feet to a small patch of ice that has frozen over the river below. I can still hear the rushing water under foot. It is hollow sounding. The ice steals the sound and muffles everything. I inhale..then exhale and stare at the massive display of vertical ice that is before me. I shake out my arms. All around me I hear the sound of coins hitting a glass floor and splashing in a wishing well. The ice throws tiny pieces at me while I prepare to step off solid ground. The sound bounces from one wall and quickly smashes another. With only fifteen or twenty feet between the canyon walls I feel trapped. the only way out is up. I stare up at freedom.
Swing, smack! My ice ax sticks with precision. I repeat with the other ax followed by my feet which are attached to crampons. I am no longer on the ground. Ice sprays my face. I turn my head to avoid injury. I repeat the same motions a hundred times. Swing Smack! right foot, left foot. Head turn. Stare up Swing Smack right foot, left foot. Im alive! I can feel the blood surging through me. My heart tries hard to pump blood up my arms which have been above my head for ten minutes. I relax my grip to save my arm strength. A few more steps. Swing Smack! there is my guide Kevin securely holding the rope. I take a moment to regain my strength. Kevin moves the anchor over ten feet to a new spot. Again I find myself quietly descending into the abyss. Welcome to Ouray!
Ice is diverse. It grows and forms unique structures. It can cool your drink or soothe a pulled or sprained muscle, it can make roads impassible and driving conditions treacherous, or it can provide a clear pathway out of a canyon. It is a necessary element in the sport of ice climbing. Without it there is nowhere to stick your ice tools or your crampons. I would be a stuck man in a canyon without ice. How interesting though that ice is also fragile. You have to move delicately over it at times to keep it from fracturing and failing under your ice tools. Other times it is solid and secure and you can hang multiple persons off two forged ice screws fastened into the ice.
As I stared up at the ice I couldn't help but draw similarities between ice climbing and life. Life can be fragile like the ice. Unexpected things can cause the ice to give way or the smallest inconsistency in it such as snow or an air pocket can shear off a human sized piece of ice sending it plummeting to the ground. Life is also fragile. An unexpected event occurs and fractures your way of thinking or how you make sense of the world. Things that are not supposed to happen to you or me. As if the stories of tragedy are somehow fictional because we only read about them and don't experience them. Like the ice we can also be a strong foundation. One that others can cling to for support. Life can give us exhilarating moments. The birth of a new child, the accomplishment of graduating or getting a new job.
I talked with a fellow traveler who I had seen on the same flight to colorado on my return flight. We exchanged stories from our trips and when I told her I had been ice climbing she said "isn't that dangerous, how do you do it". I casually explained it "yes it is inherently dangerous, as is driving your car, but with the proper instruction and care you can greatly reduce the risk." We talked a few more minutes and I doubt I convinced her to go ice climbing but it was fun sharing my adventure with someone unknown. Then I thought about it. Life, like ice climbing is an adventure. It includes the loose terrain and bad weather. It also includes being on top of a mountain after giving it everything you have to get there. I think it's those mountain tops that give us the strength to keep going. After all if you are on the top of a mountain, you still have to get down no matter how hard the climb was! Ice climbing may not be for everyone, but life itself is a "daring adventure" - Helen Keller. What are your mountain tops? What is your drive to reach the top? Climb on!
I am fortunate and blessed to have the resources and friends, that allow me to do some amazing things. This past weekend I spent a few days in Colorado visiting my friend Dan. I met up with him in Denver and hopped a small prop plane to Durango in the southwest corner of Colorado. The first morning we drove up to Molas pass and spent the day snowmobiling with a company called Ice Pirates! I recommend them if you are ever looking for a fun time. There are hundreds of miles of trails and our guide led us around them all and eventually to a hill climb that put us 14,000' above sea level. Then we drove to Ouray to ice climb, sit in the natural hot springs and enjoy the Switzerland of America. I don't get to do these trips all the time but it is a great reminder of how blessed alot of us are in America. Take advantage of the beauty and nature, but don't lose sight of where they came from and how fortunate we are! Keep on exploring, wherever you are, whatever you do, life is an adventure, go live it!
Thanks Dan for taking so many great photographs! The blog would not be complete without them.
