Re[2]: [at-l] crampons

[Bob Cummings <ellen@clinic.net> (Bob C.)]

"...Why do those people climb... a shear wall of ice, or, hike on top of 5 or 6
ft of snow??" asks t.

  Climbing walls of ice is a challenge: like climbing Everest, or white water
  canoeing. It's a way to test your ability. Something like becoming a thru
  hiker -- just a bit more dangerous.

  I used to play around with such things. You need some technical abilities to
  climb Katahdin in winter and I wanted to do that. But I was married and had
  three kids and I was climbing with kids in their 20s who were 15 years younger
  with no responsibilities.

  After a while they progressed into things I just didn't feel right attempting.
  
  Katahdin in winter is pretty much an expedition. The access road isn't plowed.
  and it's 16 miles from the private logging road at Abol Bridge to Chimney
  Pond, the primary mountaineering base camp. People who go in to climb the
  mountain or the ice walls generally spend a four or five days or a week to
  make the visit worthwhile.

   With ropes, ice axes, camping gear, food, and what not, packs can reach 60-70
   pounds or more. And you don't become proficient unless you do it regularly. I
   just drifted out of the loop, after awhile.

   I've rarely walked on five or six feet of snow. But I've often been on three
   or four feet. It isn't dangerous, especially. It's just strenuous, especially
   if the snow is soft and you sink in a foot or so, even with snowshoes.

   Weary