After checking in at the Ranger's station, we were all set and ready for our hike in. Yikes, I forgot how heavy a full pack is.
We took our time and enjoyed our way up - minus the horrible bugs at the start. I was almost ready to turn around they were biting me so badly. I was not a happy camper. I remember praying that God would provide a way out... either make all the bugs go away or allow us to run in to another hiker who had bug spray (I had spotted a gal at the start of the hike who was putting bug spray on and was about to ask her to borrow some but didn't). Before I know it, she comes hiking around the corner and Matt asks if she has bug spray. I was so thankful when I overheard him talking to her, I actually started 'running' back to where they were.
After we set up camp and spent some time practicing walking in crampons and self-arresting (if you start sliding down the mountain, you flip your body on to your tummy and dig your ice axe into the snow to stop yourself from sliding to your death... or potential death), we enjoyed a gorgeous sunset and attempted to sleep. The whole sleeping part wasn't really happening. I think I only got a few hours of sleep. Then up at 2:00 am to get ready to go. By 3:20 am we are fed and packed up ready to start on ascent.
Hiking in the dark is a very strange experience. I could really only see whatever was illuminated by my headlamp and simply followed the rope that was attached to Matt. We went around a number crevasses but only a few times was I scared for my life.
Once the sun came up, it was a whole new world of white! The actual hike up was easier than I had anticipated. Looks like my training paid off. As you can see, it was not some simple walk in the park; the terrain was tough. The last section before the summit is called the Roman Wall, it is extremely steep and feels like it goes on forever.
We were anticipating that we would take 4-5 hours to summit but it took us over 6. There were so many more open crevasses that we needed to go around, which made the trip much longer.
The Lord kept us safe and we made it to the top!!!! I think it's funny that the very top of the mountain is this little hill that has no snow on it at all. It was gorgeous!
Before Matt and I even met, I remember wanting to marry someone who was outdoorsy so that he could teach me how to be more outdoorsy and keep me safe while we are out on crazy adventures. Wish granted, thanks God!
This is probably the scariest part of the whole trip. This crevasse was up to 20-30 feet across and 60 feet deep in sections. There is this little footpath you follow that's only a few feet from the edge. As you can see off to Matt's left, there is a fairly steep slope. Only 20-30 feet down that slope is another crevasse. Don't slip!
We made it safely back to camp but had less than an hour to rest and eat before we needed to pack up and hike out. Next time we are doing a big trip like this, we will do it over three days. That way we just need to make it back to camp and rest, then we will hike out the next day. After it was all said and done, yes I would do it again!
Be joy-filled!
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