kingrat

I managed to rip a hole in my pants with an ice axe during the self-arrest practice. Now, this may not seem like a big deal, but those ice axes are sharp. I am lucky I still have a leg on which to walk.
William had a date on Friday night. It started off that he was just helping someone pick out gear and it turned into a date. According to him "And then I was done around 1 o'clock." So he got to sleep around 3 a.m. and got up around 5 a.m. to drive to the trailhead. Good to know our instructors are working on less sleep than we are.
My sum total of injuries was:
- One small blister on my right big toe. I didn't even notice until I got back home. I had a few other hot spots on the way down, but none of them blistered up. Got nothing even close to a blister on the way up the trail. I think I just didn't lace my boots tight enough for the trip down. They seemed to come looser with the quicker pace we had on the way down.
- I have a relatively severe sunburn on my face. It blistered and is now peeling. But no pain except where I've picked at the skin. It takes a pretty severe burn to cause me actual pain.
- I was somewhat sore yesterday, and there is a little lingering soreness in my left arm. Other than that, nothing.
I really like Sarah's personality. It's sarcastic and biting.
Things I should have had:
- Gaiters. Didn't actually need them, but Eddie said they were required for the self-arrest practice. I didn't get any snow down my boots though.
- Ski poles for balance while walking the trail.
- A real tent
- A better selection of food. I was afraid to bring anything with weight, like canned goods. However, there were lots of other possibilities I just didn't think of.
- Spare camera batteries
- better trail pants. while the fleece were warm and comfortable, they were too loose and I felt like they were slipping off the entire time.
- some kind of bivvy sack to hold my food. I just threw my food into the backpack.
- More water
- Bring water bottles with lids that are looped to the bottle itself. They are much easier to carry to a water source, and they can clip onto your pack if necessary.
- better accessory straps
- my own sunscreen
Marmots are not really afraid of humans.
It wasn't really as cold as I thought it would be. The proper clothing can really make a difference. In addition, it is easy to overheat because the work is harder in the snow than on regular surfaces.
You aren't allowed to crap in the woods on Rainier. You have to crap in a blue bag, then carry your waste back to the trailhead and deposit it there. Although I did not know this, I made an effort not to have to use the facilities in this manner by taking care of business before I left. Figured it would be simpler this way.