tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-73833105364837726402024-03-21T16:10:11.879-04:00FollowZack.comIdeas and images from me to youZacksNovakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16556062449567816108noreply@blogger.comBlogger53125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7383310536483772640.post-74737321480908617492017-05-11T21:34:00.002-04:002020-09-09T15:07:59.316-04:00First Hebrew Speaking AscentI had the pleasure of spending the final 4 days of my 32nd trip around the sun in the company of Erez Kaminski, my first Israeli client I've had since making an abrupt career switch almost four years ago, going from Tour Guide and Outdoor Educator in Israel to Mountain Guide here in the US.<br />
Erez is one of the more unique individuals I've met lately. When People in Israel say they play football, they are often talking about the kind with a round ball that's black and white, but when I met Erez a year ago, he had just wrapped up his undergraduate degree in Alabama, playing college football and studying sciences, which apparently is also an unique combo as well.<br />
He had heard that an Israeli guide was working on Hood and by chance we ran into each other on the summit. Post climb and mildly delirious, we sat down for an afternoon, pre nap beer and to talk about the climbing.<br />
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Hood was a last minute, surprise endeavor for Erez and his debut in mountaineering. He admitted to having been a little humbled by how hard climbing Mount Hood was, even for someone like him that is used to working out more hours a week than most. The shocker for me however was when he told me that he wants to climb mountains as part of his life long aspiration of becoming an astronaut! This sounded crazy at first but apparently it's a thing, and many a modern space traveler has pursued alpine objectives to help them learn about themselves and how they deal with stress and critical thinking in life or death situations.<br />
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We played phone tag and exchanged emails for the last few months and after quite a bit of back and forth, we finally managed to nail down a few days in early May. With the standard Pacific Northwest weather patterns in full effect, we had 3 plans on the table we ended up escaping to the East side of the Cascades, into the arid rainshadow and away from the typically rainy gloom of the coast.<br />
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Erez touched real rock for his first time during our first day out in Leavenworth, WA, climbing 10 pitches of phenomenal granite, only to be topped by the 11 pitches the next day on Prime Rib of Goat (5.9).<br />
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This was my first time guiding in the mountains in Hebrew and on day 3 together as we were making our way up to camp on Washington Pass, I realized that despite my historical and deliberate avoidance of working with Israelis, I was actually having a great time! It was refreshing to speak Hebrew and share stories and jokes that I haven't told in years. Turns out spending time with people of similar backgrounds is tons of fun!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Cruising up Icicle Buttress on his first day climbing outside. Erez kept noting how the car got smaller with each pitch we climbed.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Making progress on one of the lower pitches on Prime Rib</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">I even got caught behind the lens for a hot second at a belay transition. The clouds were nice enough to keep us out of the direct sun for most of the day and not start pouring until right after we got back to the car.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">How do these things work again? Snowshoes are one of my least favorite tools but when you're not a skier, they are a necessary evil sometimes.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">This one is for Tova, who laughs at me for how violently I try to avoid taking selfies</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Looking back at the Silverstar ridge line on day 4 before getting to the car for the long ride back to Seattle</td></tr>
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I've realized that maintaining a blog, despite being quite time consuming is also a great creative outlet that offers me a chance to reflect on experiences, and others a chance to be better connected to what I'm doing in life. So no promises, but I will attempt to write more this year.<br />
I also think I might make an deliberate attempt to spend more time with Hebrew speakers, so if that's you, feel free to reach out and if that's not you, feel free to reach out anyways.ZacksNovakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16556062449567816108noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7383310536483772640.post-78289393976939185912016-03-02T01:09:00.000-05:002016-03-02T01:09:37.608-05:00Footy for the boys, and girl too!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Took me three days to make a three minute video of the AMGA Ski Guide Course that I just finished in Crested Butte. Figured I would put it out here for those of you that are still loyally awaiting blog updates.</div>
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<br />ZacksNovakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16556062449567816108noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7383310536483772640.post-80894111114316597472015-09-16T21:58:00.000-04:002015-09-16T22:13:00.343-04:00Professional developmentAbout six months ago I was starting to stress a little over the fact that I was putting a lot of time, effort and money into my training, hoping to one day be a mountain guide, but hadn't yet worked a single day in the profession. Nor did I even know if anyone would be willing to hire me.<br />
When an ad popped up on the <a href="http://amga.com/" target="_blank">American Mountain Guides Associations</a> website that <a href="http://berlinemtguides.com/" target="_blank">Timberline Mountain Guides</a> was hiring, I knew that I should send them an email. Pete Keane part owner and had been one of my instructors for the Rock Guides Course last year. During the course, I had been struck by his amazing ability to keep even the relatively stressful course environment feeling super playful, which helped keep things more relaxed and create a much better learning experience for everyone.<br />
After emailing a little back and forth and a phone interview, I committed to leave Colorado immediately after finishing my Alpine Guides Course in May, this was second out of ten courses on a long road to full certification as an American Mountain Guide that I am hoping to one day become.<br />
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The company's home base is in Bend, Oregon, right around the corner from the world famous rock climbing destination of Smith Rock, which also happens to have an amazing campground known as <i>The Bivy, </i>that I had the pleasure of calling home for a large portion of the summer.<br />
Aside from guiding rock climbing at smith rock under the company's other name, Smith Rock Climbing School, our home turf for the summer is Mount Hood and that is where I worked most of my days this season.<br />
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The first day started with some serious staff training for all of the three of us first year guides. Tico went over his ways of doing things, some of which were pretty standard and others were a little out of the ordinary. Like hitting the jump on illumination saddle while Elliott and Ryan were still practicing crevasse rescue.<br />
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As the season progressed I became more and more comfortable with the path I have chosen, my fears that giving up a comfortable life of outdoor education and tour guiding in Israel, where I would overdose on buffet food at hotels with my clients, in exchange for guiding as a hired rope slinger and assuming the risks that my guest haven't the expertise to handle on their own, in the high risk environments that we live in day in and day out had subsided into a realization that what I am doing just feels right. I can't fully explain why it does but I'm sure that in part it has to do with being physically active and constantly stimulated by my surroundings. Guiding is not climbing, climbing is a part of guiding but the main focus is the experience that the guest is going home with at the end of his trip, rather than my own personal climbing objectives as a guide. I believe this is part of the reason that I can climb the same route countless times without tiring of it, every person that comes to climb presents himself with a different set of challenges standing between him and his goals and I am truly enjoying trying to master the art of attempting to not only decipher what they are but also cater to them and provide a rewarding experience at the same time. Maybe the fact that I can tell the same joke or story countless times and not get sick of it helps a little too.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">First of many beautiful mornings on Hood</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Shadow of the summit gets cast in the clouds most morning.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Evenings at the Bivy in Smith Rock offer pretty awesome views as well</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And you would be amazed what can be done on a camp stove</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq5ohihaGJg33HBvPOTFjjnLlRcyifqfLdMTOge9hjBY4nwsyVCymaHPgYj3IcefqeJ9qIP1vlBGP7Lvd2pstCaEuGjYDnOS0TwCBDqFBCdqKbLka42aU4S1czE94K2xxWa3zWsegYpq0/s1600/2015-07-03+07.35.48.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq5ohihaGJg33HBvPOTFjjnLlRcyifqfLdMTOge9hjBY4nwsyVCymaHPgYj3IcefqeJ9qIP1vlBGP7Lvd2pstCaEuGjYDnOS0TwCBDqFBCdqKbLka42aU4S1czE94K2xxWa3zWsegYpq0/s640/2015-07-03+07.35.48.jpg" width="360" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Getting close to the summit, high above the Sulphide glacier on Mount Shuksan</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_wahFqqkxEgU49q_B_N9-DkUzo6Lmx_2_5xRkXGcOQqwoc13qFavoHCUipAd0OFDP_wHoZdFcVDBb4qqCXw3Ll7UQ_os41zyZG2mZxzuP94_kAknKoCqeSFilOiKE4RZbOWhBx0iAdfY/s1600/2015-07-18+11.03.23.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_wahFqqkxEgU49q_B_N9-DkUzo6Lmx_2_5xRkXGcOQqwoc13qFavoHCUipAd0OFDP_wHoZdFcVDBb4qqCXw3Ll7UQ_os41zyZG2mZxzuP94_kAknKoCqeSFilOiKE4RZbOWhBx0iAdfY/s400/2015-07-18+11.03.23.jpg" width="225" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Every once and a while there was a day of work at Smith that was great for thawing out too</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimKi6uRB0QkZEeFuGSvtQMiXZljFfyKh2HBDiCMQ2X4A1PaRucmZsYaw7-q5Fh7zK8JvZ6stBuzVNrioKYpelhElUNTq1MgQORIbPimetag0JFukI2NfuVQp_aOxPPVw83YHOux5no-DM/s1600/2015-08-03+09.25.23.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimKi6uRB0QkZEeFuGSvtQMiXZljFfyKh2HBDiCMQ2X4A1PaRucmZsYaw7-q5Fh7zK8JvZ6stBuzVNrioKYpelhElUNTq1MgQORIbPimetag0JFukI2NfuVQp_aOxPPVw83YHOux5no-DM/s400/2015-08-03+09.25.23.jpg" width="225" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tova and I even managed to get out for her first mountaineering experience in the North Cascades and climb Sahale via the Quien Sabe glacier</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivsSmEJUampNN6jHwCQddbagqQkYhMEmVBKORiRhDpD_-wvrNNRcFiyVNbYOy64cZT3O0mN0nz_KGGHyEdNZbuvWC1hWSP0jXUytUNK3DqmHjFUDQRbAQiPr391pkh4zhunrhxvXHMbjE/s1600/2015-08-06+06.40.41.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivsSmEJUampNN6jHwCQddbagqQkYhMEmVBKORiRhDpD_-wvrNNRcFiyVNbYOy64cZT3O0mN0nz_KGGHyEdNZbuvWC1hWSP0jXUytUNK3DqmHjFUDQRbAQiPr391pkh4zhunrhxvXHMbjE/s400/2015-08-06+06.40.41.jpg" width="225" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Guiding the American Lung Association on Mount Adams with Mount Hood in the background</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRMBxxnfuBM51yPas9_jug68_i2Po0Bl8aSZ5yBSpaksI-d2nGNii1zgUwR5zBTliVgN6Fnfhi9m55OvmBzkAKqaCQzlZtISwDlLWXhSl1JutYc6uiY1V4tl8EoX8qAooWZ3Pd-K7C6ow/s1600/2015-06-19+05.05.02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRMBxxnfuBM51yPas9_jug68_i2Po0Bl8aSZ5yBSpaksI-d2nGNii1zgUwR5zBTliVgN6Fnfhi9m55OvmBzkAKqaCQzlZtISwDlLWXhSl1JutYc6uiY1V4tl8EoX8qAooWZ3Pd-K7C6ow/s400/2015-06-19+05.05.02.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Not everyday on Hood presented itself with perfect weather</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDU14VvgCCtbZIl8409YXOr7T2c2h90ooMDMjFt8uzaO70pO14cn1mYPcRrSBbdfZXRh_UAM7rsw81Kp-Vuwu6XjN_9khyrU29vlxq4M2kKWIeQdrctL4VICg1MR_mSzPzd3QKUq3uHvY/s1600/2015-06-19+18.25.13.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDU14VvgCCtbZIl8409YXOr7T2c2h90ooMDMjFt8uzaO70pO14cn1mYPcRrSBbdfZXRh_UAM7rsw81Kp-Vuwu6XjN_9khyrU29vlxq4M2kKWIeQdrctL4VICg1MR_mSzPzd3QKUq3uHvY/s400/2015-06-19+18.25.13.jpg" width="225" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Even my Brother Aaron and Rotem came out for their first West Coast adventure</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPgZQ_QNM_lCk__Auz_y4cqUD8QpQPb3KFNYbDORakUfWoj6Q2eNpJGEusgafozo4DmCAMM2HkdMDhX3PKAaXJh0AtWeoF_hBsjHsnH4QzRTGXF75b5uKC6EG-TnSr3AKh6NFpTwjnxoA/s1600/2015-06-21+04.50.16.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="228" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPgZQ_QNM_lCk__Auz_y4cqUD8QpQPb3KFNYbDORakUfWoj6Q2eNpJGEusgafozo4DmCAMM2HkdMDhX3PKAaXJh0AtWeoF_hBsjHsnH4QzRTGXF75b5uKC6EG-TnSr3AKh6NFpTwjnxoA/s640/2015-06-21+04.50.16.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Summit ridge on Hood with Adams and Rainier in the background and a lone climber standing on the summit on the right</td></tr>
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I can comfortably say that this guiding and sharing the things that I am so passionate about with clients is one of the most rewarding things I have ever done, I am thankful to the amazing people that have hired me to do so over the past few months, while looking forward to many more amazing experiences and encounters on the path ahead.<br />
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Now I'm sitting in Vegas and trying to get as much climbing done in the next few weeks as possible, in preparation for my 3rd course, The Advanced Rock Guide Course and Aspirant Exam.<br />
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Shanah Tova and Happy Trails to all, feel free to also check out the new blog that Tova and I are working on together, we are still looking for a better name but it's live and rolling <a href="https://lifeoftz.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">HERE</a><br />
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<br />ZacksNovakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16556062449567816108noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7383310536483772640.post-52032608751587281232015-04-25T19:59:00.001-04:002015-04-25T19:59:26.980-04:00The Democrats from ArkansasI've been working pretty hard for a fair bit of the ski season on trying to find people that have both the time and motivation to join me for some overnight ski trips. It's not that I have a huge list of objectives that I'm trying to tick off like skiing all of the fourteen thousand foot peaks in Colorado, really my motivation has been pretty simple and straightforward. I want to take the AMGA Ski Guide Course next winter, the registration opens in July and it has been a super competitive course to get into. One of these requirements is having five overnight backcountry ski trips on your personal resume and I want to be able to send in a full and good resume the moment enrollment opens.<br />
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With all of that in mind, I was talking to my friend <a href="http://benmarkhart.com/blog/" target="_blank">Ben Markhart</a> and having had a bunch of new snow over the last week, we really were playing a guessing game, trying to figure out where the best skiing would be for an overnight trip.<br />
I had spent a great day skiing North facing powder earlier in the week in a great zone that we usually ski in the middle of winter when avalanche danger is higher, but we were mentally in with the rest of the backcountry skiers in the state that want to take advantage of stable snow and long spring days to ski bigger and longer lines.<br />
The big trick was finding something that hadn't been too wind loaded with the new snow and would still give us some options to play around in good cold powder if we decided that a bigger line would be unstable.<br />
Ben had been skiing a few days earlier in a gladed area known as Pleasantville, right off of Fremont pass, a mere 15 minute drive from Frisco. As you can guess by the name, it's a pretty safe and friendly zone to ski after a lot of new snow, like the foot and a half that we had received over the weekend. Right around the corner from there though is a nice valley that lays in the shadow of Mount Democrat (14,154ft) and Ben had read something about West Face that can be skied and as I have since learned is a highly sought after descent because the upper portions rarely get filled in at a time of year when the snow is actually stable enough to ski safely.<br />
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We packed our bags and skinned up into the basin between Democrat and Arkansas in the Afternoon and just as we found a spot to pitch our tents, a mere 2 miles from the road, our line came into view.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq-jF0Y9pY4gbAddUsRookwjqnklBKlYb0WBAyobyKW0FK78ye7VImdKFLxn5YizE0yb4oSG43tzC3bjlfNgCD1BfxM-tXegKur0hBnFKopuyfVXKPEGGZkBTqxN6PO5yPIsoPCP-u6V4/s1600/img_1542.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq-jF0Y9pY4gbAddUsRookwjqnklBKlYb0WBAyobyKW0FK78ye7VImdKFLxn5YizE0yb4oSG43tzC3bjlfNgCD1BfxM-tXegKur0hBnFKopuyfVXKPEGGZkBTqxN6PO5yPIsoPCP-u6V4/s1600/img_1542.jpg" height="411" width="640" /></a></div>
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Ben highlighted our line as you can see and it was one of the best I've ever skied. But it was late ine the day and we still had some daylight to take advantage of before crawling in our tents for the night. First we set off and climbed up West over the hill to the crazy alpine cirque of Mount Arkansas where we found another great and short line that is pictured below. We were a little worried about stability in the zone so it was refreshing to see that much of the new snow had slid already where were looking to ski. Skiing through avalanche debris was, to put it lightly, a little bit of a challenge, but I feel like it was also really good training and it was a fast way to know that the line was stable, chunky as it may have been.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaAh72op8onJ0PWrjfbd289me0Z95_3dkIezJIx4FazSbhGQKwa9cT-BTUcXZaTE2t6_D_-bGBSZWoSt3kwZKCM4zxT8Xg-kNswUKu0y9X76i1sn9mfJr9vNTlzlMLTfWrUQ19qEB0vEM/s1600/img_4410.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaAh72op8onJ0PWrjfbd289me0Z95_3dkIezJIx4FazSbhGQKwa9cT-BTUcXZaTE2t6_D_-bGBSZWoSt3kwZKCM4zxT8Xg-kNswUKu0y9X76i1sn9mfJr9vNTlzlMLTfWrUQ19qEB0vEM/s1600/img_4410.jpg" height="414" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6C2AJVlbYCzuj0PKhRDSxp1v3qvvch0-S4gtOE9I40zPoVqNlLDRxrPtfD7t0vgXLjjuzrKk-QX-F1RYfxe2iUJr-mD4019-r8KRo5nyxni8x6c43jaL819yJ48JQcR1WBRRhs5euXc0/s1600/img_1550.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6C2AJVlbYCzuj0PKhRDSxp1v3qvvch0-S4gtOE9I40zPoVqNlLDRxrPtfD7t0vgXLjjuzrKk-QX-F1RYfxe2iUJr-mD4019-r8KRo5nyxni8x6c43jaL819yJ48JQcR1WBRRhs5euXc0/s1600/img_1550.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
Here I am, staring down the 50+ degree couloir that for all we know doesn't even have a name, you can see the chunky avalanche debris below my skis, I wish I could say that it was nice and soft to ski over.<br />
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxsoJQEB5jkVUng4j2_Ca_xzrLX_DgjbhGJhOTxmfLXHB1fDQGyVXEk0gG7YD9LdrVCFgqi3G7hj9vB6hCcwPflttGVxlhikiFbLpCF0nmN2_XsBRbIloiJeOdtNsFNv3XlosnLuXVz98/s1600/2015-04-22+19.05.58.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxsoJQEB5jkVUng4j2_Ca_xzrLX_DgjbhGJhOTxmfLXHB1fDQGyVXEk0gG7YD9LdrVCFgqi3G7hj9vB6hCcwPflttGVxlhikiFbLpCF0nmN2_XsBRbIloiJeOdtNsFNv3XlosnLuXVz98/s1600/2015-04-22+19.05.58.jpg" height="360" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">Ben, practicing some artistic poling, I think this is just about the spot that I demonstrated my graceful ski cartwheel</td></tr>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-N3iYYFq66fTOG5cfaIXStbGmAaaEsJojxViAfTokv5qyaEwfXiAwuaB04mW8_I7JaGkZdioUCL2FkLnQVZo9vcihMLck1uknW7ejFI6VDLLQ0GwyO086ZfCBLKfWBenVY3VatmsJOGw/s1600/2015-04-22+19.06.17.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-N3iYYFq66fTOG5cfaIXStbGmAaaEsJojxViAfTokv5qyaEwfXiAwuaB04mW8_I7JaGkZdioUCL2FkLnQVZo9vcihMLck1uknW7ejFI6VDLLQ0GwyO086ZfCBLKfWBenVY3VatmsJOGw/s1600/2015-04-22+19.06.17.jpg" height="640" width="360" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">Yeah, that way looks good to me too</td></tr>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh69NhWQQNt3I6YCAYhdfC7xKQEelfeD2UshfQhl98IfMZvG29lpeleYDHYPyyAULaj6pIAaK46r9DqaEsBRLTaJADMwIoG662aX9L6waoN7VT36HTAUIuMrb42LBkS-PnG8ltLUyL98eQ/s1600/2015-04-22+19.42.17.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh69NhWQQNt3I6YCAYhdfC7xKQEelfeD2UshfQhl98IfMZvG29lpeleYDHYPyyAULaj6pIAaK46r9DqaEsBRLTaJADMwIoG662aX9L6waoN7VT36HTAUIuMrb42LBkS-PnG8ltLUyL98eQ/s1600/2015-04-22+19.42.17.jpg" height="640" width="360" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">Getting that initial water in there is crucial for snow melting as we get ready for a well earned dinner.</td></tr>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0jw3D1H8TzWp_ooXoQclrWj3RSrWkWVwHRqfm4w48qHVrdKfixEskH2z2oSDO_uEjp6WxKrdz45fPzu1MjsnnOQ71GpZA8WoSmYBrh4wEyUv7861ekCFSEjw5z83yEiUmjqWR6o2rSaE/s1600/2015-04-22+20.58.54.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0jw3D1H8TzWp_ooXoQclrWj3RSrWkWVwHRqfm4w48qHVrdKfixEskH2z2oSDO_uEjp6WxKrdz45fPzu1MjsnnOQ71GpZA8WoSmYBrh4wEyUv7861ekCFSEjw5z83yEiUmjqWR6o2rSaE/s1600/2015-04-22+20.58.54.jpg" height="640" width="360" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">And, hours later, we've eaten but we're still melting snow so that we can drink water the next day.</td></tr>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWo8jb8UhqNmB-kmjPdTbucqAe7jlEQuHnFWLAIhiSdY6OzIjqp7I7LTTECB1_UmjuFUZgBTCwAD4T563uc69xwhoaU4YpVkfqBiKlZ1mbENwq56olTax27zUt4VgtUCo45zcL9_FzWtQ/s1600/2015-04-23+09.24.04.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWo8jb8UhqNmB-kmjPdTbucqAe7jlEQuHnFWLAIhiSdY6OzIjqp7I7LTTECB1_UmjuFUZgBTCwAD4T563uc69xwhoaU4YpVkfqBiKlZ1mbENwq56olTax27zUt4VgtUCo45zcL9_FzWtQ/s1600/2015-04-23+09.24.04.jpg" height="360" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">Not so early start the next morning after the sky had cleared and left us with this spectacular day</td></tr>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRfrE8t3U6_ZfXjX3vhlIDaf0Bvp5fQgy9tZVt_fnelJ-oPQjbbKTF4ZpTJgIDpI_1PiFdYQULxdWNpiswqUg6jAErImOAhxmsqdSX1ki5mxRPII9UKwWuz7h7j0fnRaBXQkAuEZ-gSbQ/s1600/2015-04-23+09.37.40.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRfrE8t3U6_ZfXjX3vhlIDaf0Bvp5fQgy9tZVt_fnelJ-oPQjbbKTF4ZpTJgIDpI_1PiFdYQULxdWNpiswqUg6jAErImOAhxmsqdSX1ki5mxRPII9UKwWuz7h7j0fnRaBXQkAuEZ-gSbQ/s1600/2015-04-23+09.37.40.jpg" height="640" width="360" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">Looking up the beginning of our line with the sun starting to poke through</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPYx2acsVcyWMSrO2SSbhMOgxwD0v0NlAxGX5ulIWyVtKVG107yfU1ye2FcxUv13pkIKaGbai1qZ-TGly09u1rnJKd4yXpuE6WltLbqAAO_kOrU2A8XwW2FNkaOxXIiR64rrmxw7D4v0I/s1600/2015-04-23+11.13.54.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPYx2acsVcyWMSrO2SSbhMOgxwD0v0NlAxGX5ulIWyVtKVG107yfU1ye2FcxUv13pkIKaGbai1qZ-TGly09u1rnJKd4yXpuE6WltLbqAAO_kOrU2A8XwW2FNkaOxXIiR64rrmxw7D4v0I/s1600/2015-04-23+11.13.54.jpg" height="640" width="360" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">As we got close to the top, the skinning was getting harder so we strapped the skis on our packs and started booting, at this point we were both moving a little slower</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA0bpLqNQreEfhNmeFUGCIdw0R3GkC3DSLGLTsc3PtCRmbxMWdem1fi8JC7zFw7gADsnP8W6pV725SFRg5u-ncyWfrK6FDYLERRyrU0olcUCU2Kdo-UhnzIZeHt_c6Xpnh0yY98Guw26Q/s1600/img_4478.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA0bpLqNQreEfhNmeFUGCIdw0R3GkC3DSLGLTsc3PtCRmbxMWdem1fi8JC7zFw7gADsnP8W6pV725SFRg5u-ncyWfrK6FDYLERRyrU0olcUCU2Kdo-UhnzIZeHt_c6Xpnh0yY98Guw26Q/s1600/img_4478.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">Ben took this shot from the summit of me booting up the last section with Mount Buckskin in the background</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0oGRQeYRsJddC5HVAUIyNxjc2oJI0pcK0tmy0pt5IDuU5g6lH_zgkfT1q-wvIULMS92DbRZYq5PMmVPU5zXuE0Omwm156WIMUHfs95VT9wMuxNgy_1-9J7rM7Vpf4sldC3yKzKXnDaLA/s1600/2015-04-23+13.15.56.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0oGRQeYRsJddC5HVAUIyNxjc2oJI0pcK0tmy0pt5IDuU5g6lH_zgkfT1q-wvIULMS92DbRZYq5PMmVPU5zXuE0Omwm156WIMUHfs95VT9wMuxNgy_1-9J7rM7Vpf4sldC3yKzKXnDaLA/s1600/2015-04-23+13.15.56.jpg" height="360" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">This turned out to be the best of the bad summit shots, I'll try a little harder next time.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc0e9A3Ry78AjG2q5V5K53c-iMKmiFLl8jtYu7tjatwapyJdNryNYn7fwrVOyoI2TmTjSEpWTjZxQQuyT4I8LFY4KM6Jgjj9tlccnfS_U_qlCrrd3wst33bzBGy8No7Pnbs2RQjoL82Nc/s1600/2015-04-23+13.26.29-5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc0e9A3Ry78AjG2q5V5K53c-iMKmiFLl8jtYu7tjatwapyJdNryNYn7fwrVOyoI2TmTjSEpWTjZxQQuyT4I8LFY4KM6Jgjj9tlccnfS_U_qlCrrd3wst33bzBGy8No7Pnbs2RQjoL82Nc/s1600/2015-04-23+13.26.29-5.jpg" height="360" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">Finding new horizons on the down</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXLYvZVBXbPhkrWzFjnYoLxtqrVloaCT0ZVv-gYV1ka00lxmEhiRkeA-6gHSguT2aPsjSxqFybt9qsVcrmLOvZ_QVxCnChHMMWZ8AFRZ6ZebNH4mhH79jsR6rPZgQaMNhbAJZ-1Mimj5I/s1600/2015-04-23+13.26.32-16.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXLYvZVBXbPhkrWzFjnYoLxtqrVloaCT0ZVv-gYV1ka00lxmEhiRkeA-6gHSguT2aPsjSxqFybt9qsVcrmLOvZ_QVxCnChHMMWZ8AFRZ6ZebNH4mhH79jsR6rPZgQaMNhbAJZ-1Mimj5I/s1600/2015-04-23+13.26.32-16.jpg" height="360" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">Ben kicking up some cold smoke</td></tr>
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<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxVZyYBeGGlwuz-f4SmlGkFSzLHWjlCJ8vSvAzFbhG5zcrdcObgvoGyhJxh89YJthZho1K9g_zZObsD1iEY4f0cms4QQ_byuNYllkFX8Yydn5VByvYGj-VM6f8TJjGGVOauQnL_86Rszg/s1600/img_4539.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxVZyYBeGGlwuz-f4SmlGkFSzLHWjlCJ8vSvAzFbhG5zcrdcObgvoGyhJxh89YJthZho1K9g_zZObsD1iEY4f0cms4QQ_byuNYllkFX8Yydn5VByvYGj-VM6f8TJjGGVOauQnL_86Rszg/s1600/img_4539.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">Did I mention that we skied the line in amazing powder conditions?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEmj91qnovKiHgNoxCHPAcfQ-D3esYCqxjn2LblcNC5ZJBIkU-mUIHXey0TInluvM8gTtPhJ73pmb9zzPEEAEpcyYi22u3lfdsD0F5RxTXtZxkxvlSo55p3pCfntOQamZL0oz8zJEwdcg/s1600/2015-04-23+13.38.01-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEmj91qnovKiHgNoxCHPAcfQ-D3esYCqxjn2LblcNC5ZJBIkU-mUIHXey0TInluvM8gTtPhJ73pmb9zzPEEAEpcyYi22u3lfdsD0F5RxTXtZxkxvlSo55p3pCfntOQamZL0oz8zJEwdcg/s1600/2015-04-23+13.38.01-2.jpg" height="360" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">Playing around in natures terrain park</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2z1whyphenhyphencqa-tD3HS6leBW9c29j22dwMHhVuQYTpI61ivTYFNkvKEi104JI3ne1Eoe0ubvm4ZhyphenhyphenW85vr4m6oXG5YgREPKunEsQBSqJPrdbBMA_mxG-a1wPq5EkklSPZWOEVolD7Y97wPGc/s1600/2015-04-23+13.42.22.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2z1whyphenhyphencqa-tD3HS6leBW9c29j22dwMHhVuQYTpI61ivTYFNkvKEi104JI3ne1Eoe0ubvm4ZhyphenhyphenW85vr4m6oXG5YgREPKunEsQBSqJPrdbBMA_mxG-a1wPq5EkklSPZWOEVolD7Y97wPGc/s1600/2015-04-23+13.42.22.jpg" height="360" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">A small speck on a big mountain</td></tr>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgl8t-IpIdhHXrCrtydUNqBJzRK5m2iNmViAxhVIls2a_LNryQxZIhDyEgecVHNa_82LBvbAvwrPBO_BpAvG82bGoE_S_Dkv60yKy2oIeRjwceWs3KO5bqR9ibuxFUGQ8TLGk44i4Cc94/s1600/2015-04-23+13.35.44-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgl8t-IpIdhHXrCrtydUNqBJzRK5m2iNmViAxhVIls2a_LNryQxZIhDyEgecVHNa_82LBvbAvwrPBO_BpAvG82bGoE_S_Dkv60yKy2oIeRjwceWs3KO5bqR9ibuxFUGQ8TLGk44i4Cc94/s1600/2015-04-23+13.35.44-1.jpg" height="640" width="360" /></a></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaE9fhZnNpR5nQXi7bT-PBz6dChGpau1ooJnb_fvShL8losHAZrkCLPb8TolDl0oGklKT_5LWzU5oqRzDOjyLn-vybwhXt9fbTdDBSKYQXsumh2pbRJ6h_qR-Q9r1GvpPxzuN3jfOwFNA/s1600/img_4580.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaE9fhZnNpR5nQXi7bT-PBz6dChGpau1ooJnb_fvShL8losHAZrkCLPb8TolDl0oGklKT_5LWzU5oqRzDOjyLn-vybwhXt9fbTdDBSKYQXsumh2pbRJ6h_qR-Q9r1GvpPxzuN3jfOwFNA/s1600/img_4580.jpg" height="640" width="488" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">Home stretch of even more spectacular turns</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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All in all, I got to put another overnight ski trip on my resume for the course.<br />
We got to ski an amazing line in spectacular conditions and we have some great photos to show for it, if I dare say so myself.<br />
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I highly recommend checking out some more of Ben's photos from the day and in general, he is not only a great skier but also a fantastic photographer, you can find his writeup <a href="http://benmarkhart.com/2015/04/24/2500-feet-of-powder-on-the-west-face-of-mt-democrat/" target="_blank">here</a><br />
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Thanks for reading!ZacksNovakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16556062449567816108noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7383310536483772640.post-55474670499031352202015-02-27T19:13:00.001-05:002015-02-27T19:13:53.334-05:00Goodbye ol' friendIn Judaism, it is a common birthday blessing to wish someone that they should "live to 120" just like Moses did. Well my dear friend and as some might say life companion, died two days ago at just a hair over 130 thousand miles and and I still feel it was far too young!<br />
<br />
Let's back up a second, I spent a few great days in the Tetons and then drove up to Bozeman, Montana, the last time I was here ended in a night in the hospital and two nights in a cast but didn't change my view of Bozeman as a truly amazing place with some spectacular skiing and climbing just a stones throw away. The day after I drove it, I faced my fears and we drove back up to Hyalite canyon, the same place that I had been <a href="http://www.followzack.com/2014/03/plans-change-fast.html" target="_blank">dragged out of with a shattered heel</a> just last March. We had a great day of climbing and had to dig and push a little but eventually got the van back out of the parking lot. It had been snowing a lot and there were probably 30 cm or so of new snow on the road as we drove out.<br />
As we hit the lower canyon, I lost traction on a turn and managed to avoid a head on collision with an oncoming vehicle and ended up just grazing him on one side and the guard rail on the other, then I bounced back and flew into the snow bank on the right hand side of the road.<br />
<br />
At first there didn't appear to be much damage but when I tried to back out of the snowbank, the wheels wouldn't spin and the steering wheel wouldn't turn them.<br />
We hopped a ride to where we could call a tow truck from and by the time I got back to my van about two hours later, someone had spun out in exactly the same spot and rear ended me, pretty much destroying the rear passenger side of the van and the rear windshield.<br />
<br />
I just got off of the phone with the insurance guy that evaluated the damage and he informed me that much as I had expected would be the case, repairing the damage would cost more than the value of the vehicle and because of that, they are declaring it a total loss.<br />
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It's a sad day to see an old friend go, this van has taken me to many places that I'm sure the engineers at honda would have said are impossible to get to with a two wheel drive passenger van like this.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_9Qwx5xirR-quXEQUPsM6Ip1oC54hFDlAQXmg_MCrBtFbb0N79-Gygv1mS5RYTMOl-jNgxCds5uf-HxJTjHSvSNc8Xrj9vmRHp8ltzo9_1_FcO3j2LnLwB33MY0HwBDn8dSxkWTSHFGE/s1600/P1010329.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_9Qwx5xirR-quXEQUPsM6Ip1oC54hFDlAQXmg_MCrBtFbb0N79-Gygv1mS5RYTMOl-jNgxCds5uf-HxJTjHSvSNc8Xrj9vmRHp8ltzo9_1_FcO3j2LnLwB33MY0HwBDn8dSxkWTSHFGE/s1600/P1010329.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Looking down at her on her from the top of Seneca Rocks on the first stop of her maiden voyage </td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJEkeGdxP83JcPBPJlCUC__25Zwnw5ZLM9FhaXsc2uaVWhtz7FAzGwcPLRpGlXmUrq87dtVU4CxGSElUuOcbcSLnf3rmKFRyKAa38nT3t3qnWXkxPpYxORaE2Qwih8vSeu4rrYv8m4blo/s1600/P1010411.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJEkeGdxP83JcPBPJlCUC__25Zwnw5ZLM9FhaXsc2uaVWhtz7FAzGwcPLRpGlXmUrq87dtVU4CxGSElUuOcbcSLnf3rmKFRyKAa38nT3t3qnWXkxPpYxORaE2Qwih8vSeu4rrYv8m4blo/s1600/P1010411.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Here, she graciously offered her windshield wipers to hold onto my climbing shoes that were so stinky they had to be removed from the car.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji4PdL-j5nfCVEUD-mqhNX937K_7_AR9ig_ADNseUTfB36J8WKLclxf-_N5N7XXArjEGFXtNh0eA-cR2_4j4BEXztHPEUpo6ou2381rK2mjr5G_a33ZYakGzuIaI2p1zeRg86nED_sOY0/s1600/P1020512.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji4PdL-j5nfCVEUD-mqhNX937K_7_AR9ig_ADNseUTfB36J8WKLclxf-_N5N7XXArjEGFXtNh0eA-cR2_4j4BEXztHPEUpo6ou2381rK2mjr5G_a33ZYakGzuIaI2p1zeRg86nED_sOY0/s1600/P1020512.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">Here she is gazing at the sight of Devils Tower and remembering the </span>unforgettable<span style="font-size: 12.8000001907349px;"> notes from Close Encounters of the Third Kind. You can see that this dates back to the pre platformian period.</span></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih7BfjUtqbX01dGFZwToLvA1VASv8L2D73gl1OsQ5YQ6dxBQUqei1Dj6VJECU5ZZ9GoA_wbsvJQCU04TSPWxpoI-itbFnYw4iIeaC9h5SwZefL6OPAX5LFQ8hf_-3FlA2TsrNKsZtfNzk/s1600/P1010544.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih7BfjUtqbX01dGFZwToLvA1VASv8L2D73gl1OsQ5YQ6dxBQUqei1Dj6VJECU5ZZ9GoA_wbsvJQCU04TSPWxpoI-itbFnYw4iIeaC9h5SwZefL6OPAX5LFQ8hf_-3FlA2TsrNKsZtfNzk/s1600/P1010544.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Doing some venting at the SuperBowl Campground at Indian Creek after braving the rutted entrance road.<br />The red dust lived on in her to her very last day.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZP-48PCvOWj0Kkm-W0UzJ5-jwMLhPY5jxlacVqjYAfZXEdHmDkZwbOgAJ74XVhxq7VAYk0RCrufkI9qLhJL98-wnxm8htCDjFjnNsU2hYW1pzmTd-n28pgcSycDM55FNbD5W0ysNR9v4/s1600/P1010569.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZP-48PCvOWj0Kkm-W0UzJ5-jwMLhPY5jxlacVqjYAfZXEdHmDkZwbOgAJ74XVhxq7VAYk0RCrufkI9qLhJL98-wnxm8htCDjFjnNsU2hYW1pzmTd-n28pgcSycDM55FNbD5W0ysNR9v4/s1600/P1010569.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Doing what she did better than any other, disguising priceless amounts of climbing gear under the disguise of a Soccer Mom from Washington DC, on a road trip with her little brats.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwq1Bn-3FtwQAdbheH0KXEDgeiPxbgfgjrIHX9ZCmmLnkVBVxfC8roAXfiG-x2TeNUydHaa9P3FR2jdnwod9AgKy5yq2vd1z-Tivx_aLdOZ-Gqc9oWKvudqldbsM4tgDthUkj3PsaQeHc/s1600/P1010811.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwq1Bn-3FtwQAdbheH0KXEDgeiPxbgfgjrIHX9ZCmmLnkVBVxfC8roAXfiG-x2TeNUydHaa9P3FR2jdnwod9AgKy5yq2vd1z-Tivx_aLdOZ-Gqc9oWKvudqldbsM4tgDthUkj3PsaQeHc/s1600/P1010811.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Just days after the construction of her First Platform was completed</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqdC9VMLBJsHFLqmmIOwvwxmTBsmrR7ukVTQhi3VD9zrYtdkJEiZ35hGmvlu51y7do6bPWEPArhfajkFONadC_OEgLelxmnhb6TKejrclvOBdoFBGh5SzNG6kzSm9txgYMOQjVl5SrXjw/s1600/P1020019.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqdC9VMLBJsHFLqmmIOwvwxmTBsmrR7ukVTQhi3VD9zrYtdkJEiZ35hGmvlu51y7do6bPWEPArhfajkFONadC_OEgLelxmnhb6TKejrclvOBdoFBGh5SzNG6kzSm9txgYMOQjVl5SrXjw/s1600/P1020019.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">If the people at Honda had only known that she was cut out for things like Titus Canyon Road in Death Valley, a place so clearly and justifiably marked "4x4 only"</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisH6Qi-0alHwcfOdOAE6UiHKOnJ5pGHAQcnoCDhymuFrla96XLFRAVjzlqwjjZPSYj0bX3I5fB0aWCRkLz3OqYF3j5uvQKoJrvhnXGULalrIOALAvO8DZpYOuQBtIW61ae2THC6xahHU0/s1600/P1040966.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisH6Qi-0alHwcfOdOAE6UiHKOnJ5pGHAQcnoCDhymuFrla96XLFRAVjzlqwjjZPSYj0bX3I5fB0aWCRkLz3OqYF3j5uvQKoJrvhnXGULalrIOALAvO8DZpYOuQBtIW61ae2THC6xahHU0/s1600/P1040966.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">After the great revolt, she decided that a climbers life is better without distractions, so a new platform period began, one that had room to seat four but only comfortably sleep one. I later got over the sentiment but never got around to adding another extension to make room for company.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS7ElOl8qLoGEORIS0AMLOi2y2ILR3g5fNmsAGORcLh2pz92CCssOrqYTBrbPOZQJ2rr751lNEG7sWDGsqNOIjBoKXryVjVkrrJz-WzdfPRFXF5_pOcV419Z3bZk-KIvam5QAO0M0-EDI/s1600/P1040967.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS7ElOl8qLoGEORIS0AMLOi2y2ILR3g5fNmsAGORcLh2pz92CCssOrqYTBrbPOZQJ2rr751lNEG7sWDGsqNOIjBoKXryVjVkrrJz-WzdfPRFXF5_pOcV419Z3bZk-KIvam5QAO0M0-EDI/s1600/P1040967.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">She even brought my Father to a state in which he held some tools for a brief moment and he aided Steve and myself with the construction of the second platform.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3yR98akKkqF2Cp0-jq_dkxM1bVBknHZTVvDXjfb3kNP3NrQ6769ELIYItxleFykwi9rYvxFG-qG_1ntPB1-aociGZ1HFXEqIpHeq1bKVST9C08UjDdv2qCqRjz9XP0NhOOZdHOKyX-j4/s1600/P1050228.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3yR98akKkqF2Cp0-jq_dkxM1bVBknHZTVvDXjfb3kNP3NrQ6769ELIYItxleFykwi9rYvxFG-qG_1ntPB1-aociGZ1HFXEqIpHeq1bKVST9C08UjDdv2qCqRjz9XP0NhOOZdHOKyX-j4/s1600/P1050228.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Smiling as she watched Nadav's jaw drop the first time he laid eyes on Half Dome in Yosemite.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQtMyZC2RPgnsOcknxKKvAeadAt0KPaojXPwEf2O5hlrsexu6ESNf9AJcu1MyGiYz8AiYrUjyYlKBNiR3SGFbbmUXFApcfIZ_pksBz9OJ7VfdvAh0eYiNysl433NFrpZXibI8ZUUiVGho/s1600/P1050427.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQtMyZC2RPgnsOcknxKKvAeadAt0KPaojXPwEf2O5hlrsexu6ESNf9AJcu1MyGiYz8AiYrUjyYlKBNiR3SGFbbmUXFApcfIZ_pksBz9OJ7VfdvAh0eYiNysl433NFrpZXibI8ZUUiVGho/s1600/P1050427.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Waking up in Castle Valley before and ascent of Fine Jade.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjydNqIWgA1RchTM3_B9nFG1t4_krs7inCTPv9bHFxaalJ2ywYSHSdwjg-tNcXrEWqHxgtrI51i_EyWBpZqhFUKLTMMA4W-HNwtdtvk77Y6wIBCWPnBmN_SE0o-MhiZl7PgZDM4EnXhugU/s1600/P1060163.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjydNqIWgA1RchTM3_B9nFG1t4_krs7inCTPv9bHFxaalJ2ywYSHSdwjg-tNcXrEWqHxgtrI51i_EyWBpZqhFUKLTMMA4W-HNwtdtvk77Y6wIBCWPnBmN_SE0o-MhiZl7PgZDM4EnXhugU/s1600/P1060163.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hyalite Canyon may have almost killed me last year and it may have killed my beloved van this week but going back to ski there yesterday proved that despite its slightly terrifying access road, it is a truly spectacular place. Here, Keenan breaks trail high up in the Twin Falls drainage on yet another full value day in Hyalite.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In her element on her way to the Creek Pasture campground after a day in Indian Creek. North Six Shooter standing clear through the windshield.<br /><br /><br /></td></tr>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I'm pretty sure that if I had been born a van instead of a person, this is the kind of life I would have wanted. RIP ol' friend.</div>
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I'll be heading to Colorado in search of a new vehicle, and although none will be a true replacement, if you happen to know of a good vehicle with All Wheel Drive for sale around the front range or summit county, please let me know.</div>
ZacksNovakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16556062449567816108noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7383310536483772640.post-8070451495503207932015-01-24T23:04:00.000-05:002015-01-24T23:04:37.319-05:00A Day Full of GoreIt's not so often that I have a day that leaves me absolutely certain that it will be followed by a rest day. When Justin Ibarra texted me the other night and we started talking about where to ski yesterday, I didn't fully appreciate the magnitude of what he wanted to do.<br />
"Grand Traverse Peak, it should be 9 miles and 4500 vert" is what the next text message read.<br />
I immediately pulled out my map of the area to look for the aforementioned peak and just as I had suspected, the name wasn't on the map. A little fishing around on the intrawebs lead me to the understanding that the summit was at 13,041 ft, and it was above Deluge lake, of course there was nowhere online that had a map but after a few minutes of cross referencing, I managed to find it on my map and then, based on that, pinpoint it on one of my new favorite websites, <a href="http://hillmap.com/" target="_blank">HillMap</a>. The site allows you to measure distances and get elevation charts based on a number of different maps.<br />
The Gore Range that we would be venturing into is between Eagle and Summit counties, sort of between Frisco where I'm hanging out for a few months and Vail, and despite how close it is to the front range and some of the countries most crowded ski resorts, long approaches keep the crowds out of all but the easiest access portions of the Gore.<br />
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We met for breakfast at my place at 6 am and by 7:30 we were making our way up the Gore Creek trail, me on skis and Justin on his splitboard. Justin had been up there in the summer before and had seen a picture on Instagram of someone on the peak with skis a few days earlier, knowing that there was already a track in made for an even more inviting objective. In the few words that he exchanged with the guy who had been there, he learned that they had ascended via the summer trail, something that proved to be pretty slow going and in retrospect we probably would have stayed in Gore Creek until Deluge Creek and just gone straight up that, which is the way we eventually skied out.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB7XvJ0PnqCvUu0S4m0WKqzMVZwDvCJh1DLecxPavD_U39GGkjPxxxNEUrfsnFnFbt6-HzUz6BaMl_xT6BLa_8rtPoDriSkcA1VCNR94DZMyyjfmrSQ5chiMC7NmtOKqkL0WKbsjFEgrs/s1600/P1050802.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB7XvJ0PnqCvUu0S4m0WKqzMVZwDvCJh1DLecxPavD_U39GGkjPxxxNEUrfsnFnFbt6-HzUz6BaMl_xT6BLa_8rtPoDriSkcA1VCNR94DZMyyjfmrSQ5chiMC7NmtOKqkL0WKbsjFEgrs/s1600/P1050802.JPG" height="640" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">First shot of the day after about an hour of spicy skinning up a weird and icy skin track, starting to enjoy the early morning light.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq7glKCfzJJANsDCu6Co1xv-CvRVHWRtKj8SwMpzEU0E1f4FdoBurQ7H1WSOU1UVYwC1bJlKNqmfQmpxhQdrbE7AtgrhFJ1-OBOUTXoXvvd5fpLpb3qh3rUb7gz4Hmd3_OJVo6n7ddTsI/s1600/P1050810.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq7glKCfzJJANsDCu6Co1xv-CvRVHWRtKj8SwMpzEU0E1f4FdoBurQ7H1WSOU1UVYwC1bJlKNqmfQmpxhQdrbE7AtgrhFJ1-OBOUTXoXvvd5fpLpb3qh3rUb7gz4Hmd3_OJVo6n7ddTsI/s1600/P1050810.JPG" height="640" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Speaking of the morning light!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvuR0cHa3_AfMzxJegmZAwCjorh0d-HN9nfQwi_FE4lc8eYQC2pA4_y-RosveuKu-6Sagwi5lroJbcuLMFIbNoeYjmFWC9P1l87Qo6UykAzAb0c-KSvUBUgLOMAQTINGklPvWQJ3_4bYA/s1600/P1050815.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvuR0cHa3_AfMzxJegmZAwCjorh0d-HN9nfQwi_FE4lc8eYQC2pA4_y-RosveuKu-6Sagwi5lroJbcuLMFIbNoeYjmFWC9P1l87Qo6UykAzAb0c-KSvUBUgLOMAQTINGklPvWQJ3_4bYA/s1600/P1050815.JPG" height="640" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">4 hours in and our objective finally came into sight.</td></tr>
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I've only been into the Gore range a few times so far but I feel like everytime, the word mission gets used in the planning stages. Something about that word implies that it's going to be a big day!<br />
Justin and I had both had pretty big weeks and I think we were both caught off guard a little by the amount of effort that this was going to take. In fact, we almost called it a day after about 3 and a half hours of pretty consistent uphill action but luckily a little food got us going again for long enough to realize that despite both of us being exhausted, standing on that summit was still a realistic goal.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLbpL41ni47Ll5mDuy49pc03Ys6BCTtOggxOZRZ34SlOsIsIsbi_JKNT0Chu6CfS9Kfil7A37YrrdC9paA54GrlK5XYFUtywt513fiPa1_9Rqko1KgybLILeEge3_Y1taqUixM3BsgIDc/s1600/P1050820.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLbpL41ni47Ll5mDuy49pc03Ys6BCTtOggxOZRZ34SlOsIsIsbi_JKNT0Chu6CfS9Kfil7A37YrrdC9paA54GrlK5XYFUtywt513fiPa1_9Rqko1KgybLILeEge3_Y1taqUixM3BsgIDc/s1600/P1050820.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Justin, Hanging out by Deluge Lake, about 4.5 hours into our day. I swear it's down there somewhere under the snow. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiJW873skDy2sxoi99cMjPsCRnd6EecuCVscIDdyAXRRFR1YFj6MB3vKjS-l4UiqnDAfaDPuJ_yN1TybPLxpFxHQ-REiii70dHgDcFFDInN5xIoPHUtOjjYjrNwuSt66_8-SAcg9uvINw/s1600/P1050822.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiJW873skDy2sxoi99cMjPsCRnd6EecuCVscIDdyAXRRFR1YFj6MB3vKjS-l4UiqnDAfaDPuJ_yN1TybPLxpFxHQ-REiii70dHgDcFFDInN5xIoPHUtOjjYjrNwuSt66_8-SAcg9uvINw/s1600/P1050822.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Traversing the ridge before the final steep snow climb, our summit is on the left and the Traverse ridge goes off right towards South Traverse Peak.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2QOQqFQipoRGIU0u4TtWT7IPypJvAhVkLCJjebAqFSF1E5c6dPmm_CGTiEkuwPEMVdgp3f-HJMghqun0KhM54dE61o1tRio1llRL8tOKOvEKW_YV2yjDHUxPmpAwPn04SfXaPWu2Xm4s/s1600/P1050830.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2QOQqFQipoRGIU0u4TtWT7IPypJvAhVkLCJjebAqFSF1E5c6dPmm_CGTiEkuwPEMVdgp3f-HJMghqun0KhM54dE61o1tRio1llRL8tOKOvEKW_YV2yjDHUxPmpAwPn04SfXaPWu2Xm4s/s1600/P1050830.JPG" height="640" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Justin on the summit! I admit that it wasn't until I saw this picture with the poles that it reminded me of the following video, and yes I know my mind works in a very "special" way. Maybe it's the mustache?</td></tr>
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/AkrZ7wSnSco?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Summit shot!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVK2_ieGV_BG42WvTFYfY7RKPqmZB7UcgiLWS2p8RfiPiAXUOVpZ0uZPcKV5eMWCtShhxvKh3nTFEeBJHTGl5Ntv-hgSdJ3QKXOEgEJC_jSebYCUqdDbYzhndjFB_sH7Khs0cwgjEgPq4/s1600/P1050844.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVK2_ieGV_BG42WvTFYfY7RKPqmZB7UcgiLWS2p8RfiPiAXUOVpZ0uZPcKV5eMWCtShhxvKh3nTFEeBJHTGl5Ntv-hgSdJ3QKXOEgEJC_jSebYCUqdDbYzhndjFB_sH7Khs0cwgjEgPq4/s1600/P1050844.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of the things that was making it harder for us to motivate earlier in the day was the belief that the snow was going to be horrible. Much to our surprise, we ended up with an almost 2,000 ft run of recycled powder back to the lake.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk7tFNH5jCGpkpTgawHn8s8zh6PjCnwypfxTZIkhbneTZhWTKiPm0UFDINVlC-RF6Ui-eGfT3i_Elbfpc9JMS2sypFFjwRJEzYOljJLZEJqBF3AJFQGaSkt_QYqTY68KsPwzk9MyB_LPE/s1600/P1050851.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk7tFNH5jCGpkpTgawHn8s8zh6PjCnwypfxTZIkhbneTZhWTKiPm0UFDINVlC-RF6Ui-eGfT3i_Elbfpc9JMS2sypFFjwRJEzYOljJLZEJqBF3AJFQGaSkt_QYqTY68KsPwzk9MyB_LPE/s1600/P1050851.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Looking up at Justin as he farms some of my turns, can you tell it was nice and soft?</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Getting a little air off of a lip, I couldn't help but spread my wings!</td></tr>
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It took a total of 6 hours to reach the summit from the trailhead and 2 hours to get back to the car. all in all making for an amazing day!</div>
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On a side note, I have joined the social networking world of Instagram as ZackSNovak and have been more consistent about putting up a couple of pictures every week than I have been about blogging, so feel free to follow me on there.</div>
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Also, Check out<a href="http://seizethecarp.weebly.com/dragons-tail-couloir-flattop-mountain.html" target="_blank"> Justin's blog post</a> about the awesome day we had together in Rocky Mountain National park skiing the Dragons Tail couloir! Here is a picture just to make it that much more enticing!</div>
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ZacksNovakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16556062449567816108noreply@blogger.com0Frisco, CO, USA39.5744309 -106.0975202999999939.5252154 -106.17854429999998 39.623646400000005 -106.01649629999999tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7383310536483772640.post-15832819712730596342014-12-07T23:59:00.000-05:002014-12-08T00:02:35.820-05:00Turning down the TempsAs normal I find myself playing catch up here again, and again I am going to do my very best to start going a little more in depth with each post and not try to "dance on all the weddings" as we say in Hebrew.<br />
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This last month has been a really good one, starting with my first experience taking the a course with the AMGA, followed by some hard climbing and mock guiding (taking friends out as clients for free), and finally transitioning from the red desert rocks to the white snowy rockies.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOCSXnh05DnKHoZqa2AdQ1pksuxHWKw0tZ0oCiBeQgk4h29zNZsya1H9FhYdA6A56wj_v2IzUB_1YAUPM3jEtWudSXjggDHuetQX6KMenPUwlOSwc3nexMMYTKYqrhWga86NfsDZgDsSY/s1600/P1050373.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOCSXnh05DnKHoZqa2AdQ1pksuxHWKw0tZ0oCiBeQgk4h29zNZsya1H9FhYdA6A56wj_v2IzUB_1YAUPM3jEtWudSXjggDHuetQX6KMenPUwlOSwc3nexMMYTKYqrhWga86NfsDZgDsSY/s1600/P1050373.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Adam Fabrikant following the third pitch of the classic Smith Rock sport route, Wherever I may roam 5.9, This was a few days before the beginning of our Rock Guide Course and neither of us had climbed at Smith Rock before so we were really happy to get in a little early and get used to the weird kind of pebble pinching that goes on there.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipsFuZ-lZJgsUaXJhGgSEpHLk-KcaUFsTZ7zH95xeFqk0BXnabThawJbOyRswX83nd1NUChqssXVGqxFjMEOYJEhyphenhyphenHEYRw4A1x8McEnc7OZVPjXgRBQMz5dntUt4WcqLjl5b7BIP450rU/s1600/P1050376.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipsFuZ-lZJgsUaXJhGgSEpHLk-KcaUFsTZ7zH95xeFqk0BXnabThawJbOyRswX83nd1NUChqssXVGqxFjMEOYJEhyphenhyphenHEYRw4A1x8McEnc7OZVPjXgRBQMz5dntUt4WcqLjl5b7BIP450rU/s1600/P1050376.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The first on rock course day was probably a not so rare moment where if felt like I could have gotten an entire course in one frame, on the wall if I had a slightly wider lens.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYsaec29qqsIwV2RQj9dV94O_8gKrqMXo9anIn2JNrMvLGq1CDZ2q0zHcOYjyCCz15s5nRG6xnMyv4Vg5-Is6DVikmAIX2HvFz8JRmHFxo9m3p5gk1Yfd2tSe_CwP73hmuuGccrKHqY5c/s1600/P1050383.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYsaec29qqsIwV2RQj9dV94O_8gKrqMXo9anIn2JNrMvLGq1CDZ2q0zHcOYjyCCz15s5nRG6xnMyv4Vg5-Is6DVikmAIX2HvFz8JRmHFxo9m3p5gk1Yfd2tSe_CwP73hmuuGccrKHqY5c/s1600/P1050383.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Adam, owning it, as you can tell by the awesome facial expression. Note the T-shirt, we were lucky to have great weather for the first half of our course.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhO4cWogGR3jmhmBj52XmLhRR0Or5ziBNsinOGKIWC3PUNRHxPeb-oBj1jYwsgN3II-d-XFG1BM-k-FNyNZ6XohQ-7-7Kx1o-aXex0urvXCj2WMlqK7xXkP4blVkH-N9QPp81QKRrmsTE/s1600/P1050390.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhO4cWogGR3jmhmBj52XmLhRR0Or5ziBNsinOGKIWC3PUNRHxPeb-oBj1jYwsgN3II-d-XFG1BM-k-FNyNZ6XohQ-7-7Kx1o-aXex0urvXCj2WMlqK7xXkP4blVkH-N9QPp81QKRrmsTE/s1600/P1050390.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Adam doing some anchor transitions on the Cave Route while Marc the Jedi ropemaster Chauvin peers over at what's done and Aaron Hartz just looks amused as usual. You may note that at this point we had some more layers on already, this was the last of the warmer days we had before the temps started to drop.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir86Ya-h6JORHenTTST3hjIQ3vwT1LdbI_Gm-Yju48kp8XA7Vas4oSpEnm9SMwjJkeyLukyphiKq4ddUo9yHcbPQxFotPjdYBuEg4xz9bGk-dRN4SUvd6lGBJu344g6ZaV_d_EfsadcPU/s1600/P1050399.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir86Ya-h6JORHenTTST3hjIQ3vwT1LdbI_Gm-Yju48kp8XA7Vas4oSpEnm9SMwjJkeyLukyphiKq4ddUo9yHcbPQxFotPjdYBuEg4xz9bGk-dRN4SUvd6lGBJu344g6ZaV_d_EfsadcPU/s1600/P1050399.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pete Keane following Voyage of the Cowdog with some of the standard amazing views of Smith that make it such a special place. There are actually quite a few Bald Eagles that fly around on a regular basis here and we got to see them a couple of times throughout the course.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Temps dropped and we all went for whatever clothes we could dig out of our vehicles.... Since we were playing with ropes in one spot here, I even went as far as pulling out the down booties.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilPhQBjiTvPH8rhcepFCF9-FYGfrcZPwmcrxb7hAZ8lL3f4iv5HvlTGly7_XIHvZBoCdk8KXSheBWkn5_0Qy8rZxH9_9pVa4bmk2fpIbt7j2jnFIhWBtZOiMOhGdkthLgt9nokVahJmv0/s1600/P1050403.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilPhQBjiTvPH8rhcepFCF9-FYGfrcZPwmcrxb7hAZ8lL3f4iv5HvlTGly7_XIHvZBoCdk8KXSheBWkn5_0Qy8rZxH9_9pVa4bmk2fpIbt7j2jnFIhWBtZOiMOhGdkthLgt9nokVahJmv0/s1600/P1050403.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Finally out in the sun on a cold, sub freezing day on the MonkeyFace. Temps were 13 degrees F when we met at 8:00 am that morning and they didn't warm up too much either. That night it snowed over a foot, forcing us to spend the last two days of course indoors, luckily the Bend Rock Gym managed to accommodate us and we even got some climbing in after course hours.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNIrBgHe7T1j3sOr1U-8O3EV1kZfWKAGbWqaCMWHXXapNTMpUZt1VteZeWZWFR-9MF_lITiChWVtyBL1EAqDNyPteVr_vQ8sfROVm88i33JUHOmxCrXND0XuBhmqGjkiTttulTbpzdRUI/s1600/P1050412.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNIrBgHe7T1j3sOr1U-8O3EV1kZfWKAGbWqaCMWHXXapNTMpUZt1VteZeWZWFR-9MF_lITiChWVtyBL1EAqDNyPteVr_vQ8sfROVm88i33JUHOmxCrXND0XuBhmqGjkiTttulTbpzdRUI/s1600/P1050412.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">After evaluating the weather scene in the Pacific Northwest, I decided to go where I knew it would be warmer, a nice day of driving took me back down to right outside of Las Vegas, where I was lucky enough to meet Eric Lynch at the Red Rock campground and we spent a few days climbing together. Here is Eric racking up for the first pitch of Levitation 29 5.11+, a climb the Lynn Hill has called her favorite in the world!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6HBgJWxQkR03Fjtm_WakXpJX0qsHzn4aOcqy-DwNzSSOcxd4Y-b-yj3m_QbdUjMCqag9gnUNIvVc_rxtG7fIbm1IWrJh8kTTl0Hp4L7vaganVW0CB6Dtq8w70oTFLMfAX2VVFUropmvg/s1600/P1050418.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6HBgJWxQkR03Fjtm_WakXpJX0qsHzn4aOcqy-DwNzSSOcxd4Y-b-yj3m_QbdUjMCqag9gnUNIvVc_rxtG7fIbm1IWrJh8kTTl0Hp4L7vaganVW0CB6Dtq8w70oTFLMfAX2VVFUropmvg/s1600/P1050418.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12.7272720336914px;">I put in a good fight and Eric waltzed up the route, here he is following the final 5.11a pitch before some easier climbing led to the summit.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I met Greg Robinson and Jake Rotchstein at the campground in Smith Rock a few weeks earlier and when I told them that I was looking to take some people out as mock clients on some longer routes, they were stoked. Here is Greg helping out with belay duties to bring Jake up to one of the anchors on Black Orpheus 5.10a </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0sjW33B8-puNogqDbwTLYQmnNKbHqvqU482lOlGyvK0uJ0gbcqFNQa8hB3tAWsXd9Sn78vuVwbDfU9Twyl-zWT5ltpMhmVen0gyt-SNULKr-qKxfB-5pHprq396Iqcmt6u_aX4mPe-ys/s1600/P1050426.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0sjW33B8-puNogqDbwTLYQmnNKbHqvqU482lOlGyvK0uJ0gbcqFNQa8hB3tAWsXd9Sn78vuVwbDfU9Twyl-zWT5ltpMhmVen0gyt-SNULKr-qKxfB-5pHprq396Iqcmt6u_aX4mPe-ys/s1600/P1050426.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Unfortunately, a morning delay to find Jake a helmet led us to getting a little stuck behind a slower party and we had to spend about three hours getting back to the car in the dark but I guess that's all part of the challenge and adventure.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie71TwFYnJZm_Hv1yYdn7pCIIHRxCUQZz-mh9aO3tARGrAMEReQtFFLMQ3FiVijHKCS8Xx-9z8NdurGjRcdOuIsnN00Bu3h2xyQPThPX3oxD0pnQ4rtvXd6uHp2y1GkarVj9LjcS7cGpo/s1600/P1050427.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie71TwFYnJZm_Hv1yYdn7pCIIHRxCUQZz-mh9aO3tARGrAMEReQtFFLMQ3FiVijHKCS8Xx-9z8NdurGjRcdOuIsnN00Bu3h2xyQPThPX3oxD0pnQ4rtvXd6uHp2y1GkarVj9LjcS7cGpo/s1600/P1050427.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It really is a shame when the camping is in such ugly spots, Eric and I were heading in the same direction so we decided to meet up for a day of sunny climbing on the Rectory, across from Castleton tower. The route we climbed is called Fine Jade 5.11a and it is on the sunny face the I woke up staring at just to the left of the tower.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq6mJSZhBjo_GVn1oPaghAVw5Gl9W4h0IwRPw_Sn3aFxwYk16Twp0dTz79z86Akm-Gp1g6vsx2ubR1rA3OurNUA9YCrYYOtaOZBd5QVNP1qJMl4aDZnOE6XeG6IYDvKnL3E1teBuHQumo/s1600/P1050431.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq6mJSZhBjo_GVn1oPaghAVw5Gl9W4h0IwRPw_Sn3aFxwYk16Twp0dTz79z86Akm-Gp1g6vsx2ubR1rA3OurNUA9YCrYYOtaOZBd5QVNP1qJMl4aDZnOE6XeG6IYDvKnL3E1teBuHQumo/s1600/P1050431.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Eric, leaving the belay to start the second pitch.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisWmf-11GpOSTUmY1wOVNJ1-UptrJxT4P9P0PdI_Tc67x-GaBivkG7wtg2aIYU9tDZgCrD4vPWOL1mmhwomTLXjL-9WMFCRay4EoostzJmWgo-bpNnTz7uzpwitV_hp0FseT0aPZXBXW4/s1600/P1050439.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisWmf-11GpOSTUmY1wOVNJ1-UptrJxT4P9P0PdI_Tc67x-GaBivkG7wtg2aIYU9tDZgCrD4vPWOL1mmhwomTLXjL-9WMFCRay4EoostzJmWgo-bpNnTz7uzpwitV_hp0FseT0aPZXBXW4/s1600/P1050439.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pulling into the good holds on the final direct 5.11 sporty finish. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJCr3bjbXXGgqMMQwuwPyF43j_gJncR_YHzdcx5hL7wgcF4Q2VWk-ZwX5DUi0QkbgFxg2DIXaWR1tfg7cm6z4DtgGmiUSPcJIUSPc-tYdg8gYRGG7poWtXZO4buIzFGUvrHDyAguYOtxU/s1600/P1050441.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJCr3bjbXXGgqMMQwuwPyF43j_gJncR_YHzdcx5hL7wgcF4Q2VWk-ZwX5DUi0QkbgFxg2DIXaWR1tfg7cm6z4DtgGmiUSPcJIUSPc-tYdg8gYRGG7poWtXZO4buIzFGUvrHDyAguYOtxU/s1600/P1050441.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Not sure what the pinky was all about, I think it might have been bleeding. The South Face of Castleton was looking so shady across the way that we were psyched to be out in the sun! That night I drove into Colorado and the very next day, I was skiing at Keystone, what a crazy contrast!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd6fkqkZsrBHpmaRu9sEG-ZVGEZQfg3evP_LxFs7CQt1NVsOkuGQ15IA8AHyv6jXFju2bw62Ak2vH-PUXH90tWrKeYPUCvmOnCL_Gpa5KldcZLi_n1dNznOFLNWq42O5B_azoAkrR1SRw/s1600/P1050445.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd6fkqkZsrBHpmaRu9sEG-ZVGEZQfg3evP_LxFs7CQt1NVsOkuGQ15IA8AHyv6jXFju2bw62Ak2vH-PUXH90tWrKeYPUCvmOnCL_Gpa5KldcZLi_n1dNznOFLNWq42O5B_azoAkrR1SRw/s1600/P1050445.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I was lucky enough to run into Justin Ibarra at the supermarket and we went for a mellow tour up Gasoline alley the other day. Here he is with Frank Bowman and Copper mountain sticking out in the background.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho9J6tXrcz6mY6ljvqaC_sotecPnSIHuWe04lFTU37mJq1qmpsTa8Rta7EC0hYjVbmZRl0zt_w9UR9DxQ9v85AKiH_n-Ky4xiWGyJBmCM921kFOGsY_5tPQlDsHLkziScO_9yfCcJmizo/s1600/P1050448.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho9J6tXrcz6mY6ljvqaC_sotecPnSIHuWe04lFTU37mJq1qmpsTa8Rta7EC0hYjVbmZRl0zt_w9UR9DxQ9v85AKiH_n-Ky4xiWGyJBmCM921kFOGsY_5tPQlDsHLkziScO_9yfCcJmizo/s1600/P1050448.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Justin, Shredding on his splitboard.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Frank, looking for some better snow amongst the baby pines.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr72yAJsk2gVFnyCGVZrhK-sVF6a23JlB5ErVgSUPTvVvflePQX0lV2LPXq5_SwcY5UF72gQRjvsPJT6HIFOCc5GN0HupkxE-F0KIQLDPuYh1nn4HvBFEFymEyAHvVMCNcJhNNCJbgZKM/s1600/P1050461.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr72yAJsk2gVFnyCGVZrhK-sVF6a23JlB5ErVgSUPTvVvflePQX0lV2LPXq5_SwcY5UF72gQRjvsPJT6HIFOCc5GN0HupkxE-F0KIQLDPuYh1nn4HvBFEFymEyAHvVMCNcJhNNCJbgZKM/s1600/P1050461.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Check out that grin with the view of Gasoline Alley in the background! Justin has more great shots of the day, including some of me on his <a href="http://seizethecarp.weebly.com/blog/peak-4-gasoline-alley" target="_blank">trip report here</a>, and the rest of his blog is worth checking out too, he is constantly getting after it up here.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPflrbtHZjWJRllV2l78Epn9PycHV7anLuVG6JXq2EZ2a6iZQUvPvqz8hraELtGtozJhKHQEnLbXuqsJ6ASX5EN_dMz-mEL_SlkX4ojiiTWhmps-XuSNfloFFMq9gbpwNlVaC5e_9ZJKw/s1600/P1050464.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPflrbtHZjWJRllV2l78Epn9PycHV7anLuVG6JXq2EZ2a6iZQUvPvqz8hraELtGtozJhKHQEnLbXuqsJ6ASX5EN_dMz-mEL_SlkX4ojiiTWhmps-XuSNfloFFMq9gbpwNlVaC5e_9ZJKw/s1600/P1050464.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">While on my way to go ice climbing in Vail the other day I noticed a big curtain of ice hanging way up high above East Vail, after looking for it in the guidebooks and online and not finding anything, I finally found out from some locals that it is a route called The Original Staircase, WI3, and it involves a lot of plunging through snow because hardly anyone ever climbs it. After a short convincing I managed to get Mike Bannister excited about it and he drove up from Golden this morning to come give it a shot with me. Here is Mike taking a turn and breaking through the crusty snow and wallowing up to the first step of ice.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivdel3NipEfxj7pJvsHxvsMc6MqUubQJg5Y_u2BHesu5BddfL2A7WZUdxw7dEZKM1HUx30CR9LkKe610M5kqWoOZPILTWi58B9w8jImjBGmubnB8MiooSQDXfrYoX7JQ5YsFGbNW4SwR0/s1600/P1050467.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivdel3NipEfxj7pJvsHxvsMc6MqUubQJg5Y_u2BHesu5BddfL2A7WZUdxw7dEZKM1HUx30CR9LkKe610M5kqWoOZPILTWi58B9w8jImjBGmubnB8MiooSQDXfrYoX7JQ5YsFGbNW4SwR0/s1600/P1050467.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The route has three nice pitches of ice to it, the first one we skirted around on the left because it was short and we were not sure how long the whole ordeal would take us, seeing that we had very little info about the climb. This picture shows the second pitch of ice which despite being pretty low angle steps, was pretty challenging to lead because of the weird conditions. in the Background you can see the final 35 meter pitch of ice.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRqst2p9fKGmxSlOQkzE5JgAYt1FldpbIE_e3kDY-EXHGRPNxQzF74c3BshBmgcChpCH9Y8zweWplU490bYYOLilFe0uKXTzESLnlr9wsSh4nglCWzy20jAFuHY3P4mzwDD8niQSO-2M8/s1600/P1050468.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRqst2p9fKGmxSlOQkzE5JgAYt1FldpbIE_e3kDY-EXHGRPNxQzF74c3BshBmgcChpCH9Y8zweWplU490bYYOLilFe0uKXTzESLnlr9wsSh4nglCWzy20jAFuHY3P4mzwDD8niQSO-2M8/s1600/P1050468.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mike, looking happy that the uphill wallowing is almost over.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzL8kOJpk7Fsw_1zH0pT1ANBMPa8GopqgP9lWRW8SWiy3-zJbLC9KKu-dC93OhK-moLnc5UmKW3dA5lhUD6hU89meg6Mx_OqkmbBA14r19j_P77YVG-dzs3gH62lpBkd2sR3yhDLt0EzI/s1600/P1050470.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzL8kOJpk7Fsw_1zH0pT1ANBMPa8GopqgP9lWRW8SWiy3-zJbLC9KKu-dC93OhK-moLnc5UmKW3dA5lhUD6hU89meg6Mx_OqkmbBA14r19j_P77YVG-dzs3gH62lpBkd2sR3yhDLt0EzI/s1600/P1050470.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Looking up at the final pitch.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL4L0Mbx_atAKbmKUYjYSqx4WxgYibiPYWDM17snWTStJNaCV-ETIbZMFyuhBEgqHpax3q_k8Tc1KPDwRK1TKFiJFCkAOUoJLjE9bn7dPHZ6zn8CEVC5U4QLo6o61ttYDXxI0Dr3ZODSU/s1600/P1050473.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL4L0Mbx_atAKbmKUYjYSqx4WxgYibiPYWDM17snWTStJNaCV-ETIbZMFyuhBEgqHpax3q_k8Tc1KPDwRK1TKFiJFCkAOUoJLjE9bn7dPHZ6zn8CEVC5U4QLo6o61ttYDXxI0Dr3ZODSU/s1600/P1050473.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Final wrap around the tree move at the top.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIb7jF7HuvljrDbeIbkv5I3Rh4Iyo_dgUTFO8Hk9c5fM8XW0IyCpJmVD4RjhMVJivjDL8mlTCq74fLn-ERbZu7BvMJ98YsgorucoO7ZD6rugFhgRQnJHWFb0Tlw0CqBanIYWUzsn_b_fQ/s1600/P1050474.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIb7jF7HuvljrDbeIbkv5I3Rh4Iyo_dgUTFO8Hk9c5fM8XW0IyCpJmVD4RjhMVJivjDL8mlTCq74fLn-ERbZu7BvMJ98YsgorucoO7ZD6rugFhgRQnJHWFb0Tlw0CqBanIYWUzsn_b_fQ/s1600/P1050474.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Views of the Gore Range from the top did not disappoint.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKZ5VRkLaWwpMU2hoOXpDmnEDuSOijPca6UXm8NJepuJ8BBfjt6yC8XjuQGLuX5jYAUs_iGucGtJwpOxURT70IndC7x3STsJvVF5eWBYBDYjysp_eGlmTw6JFPlB_T7THu_g6tVIXq-ZU/s1600/P1050476.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKZ5VRkLaWwpMU2hoOXpDmnEDuSOijPca6UXm8NJepuJ8BBfjt6yC8XjuQGLuX5jYAUs_iGucGtJwpOxURT70IndC7x3STsJvVF5eWBYBDYjysp_eGlmTw6JFPlB_T7THu_g6tVIXq-ZU/s1600/P1050476.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rapping off the final pitch.</td></tr>
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I was just about to hit the publish button on this post and then Aaron my brother called and asked me what I was up to, I told him I was blogging about the last month of my life and he said, Oh, really? You're writing about thanksgiving in DC and 3 days with us in NYC? There was a short pause on my end and then I cracked up laughing as I realized that I write here based on the photos that I take and that I hadn't shot any pictures on the east coast. It's not that I don't love you, it's just that your coast isn't as photogenic, sorry! But really, thanks for an amazing holiday week!<br />
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If you are looking for me this winter, I'll be far from the East Coast, focusing on skiing and climbing and constantly looking for more partners. My plan is to be in the rockies most of the time but I am open to other crazy ideas as well so come on out and play!</div>
ZacksNovakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16556062449567816108noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7383310536483772640.post-40202160530796261462014-10-31T18:36:00.000-04:002014-10-31T18:36:16.673-04:00A Month with Nadav Just over a month ago, I was on the east coast and slightly dreading the gap across what over the last couple of years I have come to call the great abyss, those lovely states that show up the moment you make it west of the Appalachian hills and leave you driving a relentlessly straight line until just before you start the steep climb up into the Rocky Mountains.<br />
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Knowing exactly what laid ahead of me, I started searching for potential partners in climb, preferably of the sort that like to climb, to drive across the country with. I had known that Nadav was in the states, he had been out of the army for almost a year and working a job at a summer camp up in Vermont for the summer, so I shot him an email and a few days later got a call back.<br />
"<i>I need to be in Smith Rock, Oregon by the end of October, you wanna come climbing?" </i>those were more or less the words I used to describe the roadtrip that I had in mind. Despite initial hesitation on Nadav's part, names of potential stops on the way, like Eldorado, The Black Canyon, Indian Creek, Red Rocks and maybe even Yosemite helped seal the deal and a few days later we met down at the Red River Gorge where we climbed for a day until the weather turned bad and we hit the road.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5h-FfQrLmz1d1XGIKvhRhcQQiBXgb0RCGJsF2f6iKPJAFzzmrf65MaryUVLoYU3vW6aCbKGO-_en3QFdA05j7YbcZ3NUsvTy8t0BEvG5NLdBONJdca4cuk9lOR57lRPJwdv_BSNhIdrU/s1600/P1040974.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5h-FfQrLmz1d1XGIKvhRhcQQiBXgb0RCGJsF2f6iKPJAFzzmrf65MaryUVLoYU3vW6aCbKGO-_en3QFdA05j7YbcZ3NUsvTy8t0BEvG5NLdBONJdca4cuk9lOR57lRPJwdv_BSNhIdrU/s1600/P1040974.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Somehow, Driving across the middle of nowhere in the great abyss, we managed to time things just right that Obama was landing for some reason so they closed the interstate for about an hour. Turns out the divider in the median makes a pretty decent slackline.</td></tr>
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After two days of driving, we made it to Colorado and managed to sneak in a fun day in Eldorado before heading up and over the Rockies and finally getting a chance to do a little less driving and more climbing.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXfgeyulmPSa-IiwKjPjb0RgUJGBwWz8aXGPldKJgV6xl-NlhHWUCMmKFZuMWgzMx38BjvlDV4eFYt_RO9tSCi1qSjDCHmDZzCzepJX5r1M05DfBfXgUe12MX1i01EDUdpq143wkzvH_4/s1600/P1040991.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXfgeyulmPSa-IiwKjPjb0RgUJGBwWz8aXGPldKJgV6xl-NlhHWUCMmKFZuMWgzMx38BjvlDV4eFYt_RO9tSCi1qSjDCHmDZzCzepJX5r1M05DfBfXgUe12MX1i01EDUdpq143wkzvH_4/s1600/P1040991.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Driving towards the campground in Indian Creek, Utah. Just as the skies decided to basically look like they lit on fire.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH8-5RjAF3-unOsOUkDozc9lVZitfPwHnXXQo_LFHGFfbiVEtwtn2UAKY1SGbzo362ceyAloeDdPqi_D7cPYEli9weHgxBz2H2-YBYUOyNFzJU6lCtAkEBy3J8qE1fqA5e0dohbe3jo20/s1600/P1040997.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH8-5RjAF3-unOsOUkDozc9lVZitfPwHnXXQo_LFHGFfbiVEtwtn2UAKY1SGbzo362ceyAloeDdPqi_D7cPYEli9weHgxBz2H2-YBYUOyNFzJU6lCtAkEBy3J8qE1fqA5e0dohbe3jo20/s1600/P1040997.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Back in 2007, I visited Indian Creek for the first time and my buddy, now turned Highline Guru, <a href="http://slacklinevisions.wordpress.com/interveiws/" target="_blank">Terry Acomb</a>. He had really wanted to get on Pente, a 5.11- thin hand crack, so that ended up being my intro to crack climbing. Years later I had decided that I really wanted to get on it again and this time on lead, so I convinced Nadav that we should go to the reservoir wall and I got to hop back on the route for an exhausting red point. In the picture, you can see me taking full advantage of the best rest on the route. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLN-lM4l3XapJJWHBKU9Q2CZ1s1Ssse1I-sJupEPFuwNUEHeW-P9Wppwt_8dHmXOXFG9McoMnbtqsHbA2g89yYgBdwmPXWTKQimKmOeuA_BuB7S8Dq5g2-orwikniKX-uqy6lUFeUefYI/s1600/P1050040.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLN-lM4l3XapJJWHBKU9Q2CZ1s1Ssse1I-sJupEPFuwNUEHeW-P9Wppwt_8dHmXOXFG9McoMnbtqsHbA2g89yYgBdwmPXWTKQimKmOeuA_BuB7S8Dq5g2-orwikniKX-uqy6lUFeUefYI/s1600/P1050040.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Indian Creek was short lived, it started raining after two days of climbing, so we hit the road and moved on to Zion. This is me on the second traversing pitch of Ashtar Command.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhekSlh3-qakM0LnrAYexZeDkowfBeevssA92K2RJPv0wljheLlY8yz3uPycty1bV0Xe-MBuBlHRpBaUgTB93WzcsKSqdbgwi0m5G7tVfC0STMGe9F50x4_gToYY5T1pvW_Hn3aMRQyGjw/s1600/P1050123.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhekSlh3-qakM0LnrAYexZeDkowfBeevssA92K2RJPv0wljheLlY8yz3uPycty1bV0Xe-MBuBlHRpBaUgTB93WzcsKSqdbgwi0m5G7tVfC0STMGe9F50x4_gToYY5T1pvW_Hn3aMRQyGjw/s1600/P1050123.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nadav took a selfie on Moonlight buttress, you can see me in the position I like to call "the attentive belayer" on the ledge down below.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-Ne5WxiIg8FA7sZtZXx4_SXjS2gg_khk0Vih3TzAq6J0TF2MiwamFrNx2Jxrahnu8RRU_bseyqMknHA9ypJSSRbainEJp4mGAkiklr1SDQ8BgZNrmDfHsFMEmo_T1sZ7R4Ywqk7fUdEs/s1600/P1050155.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-Ne5WxiIg8FA7sZtZXx4_SXjS2gg_khk0Vih3TzAq6J0TF2MiwamFrNx2Jxrahnu8RRU_bseyqMknHA9ypJSSRbainEJp4mGAkiklr1SDQ8BgZNrmDfHsFMEmo_T1sZ7R4Ywqk7fUdEs/s1600/P1050155.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nadav Following the third pitch of the Headache, note the bus full of tourists that unloaded at the hairpin turn below and were cheering him on as he cruised up the crack.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd6AtOK1ROxLYFBfz69ka9FMPgFLFteVjwYB3Abkqfw_Pd4h0rH6UD3HAM0f7er4YND9mlOu4YeuopG6-MJ-g2bgUFDfKMzwvjyq_YRpbpAAzxOPYlGYm3LMEkgOd1r8Y1iOLGbu0teA4/s1600/P1050222.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd6AtOK1ROxLYFBfz69ka9FMPgFLFteVjwYB3Abkqfw_Pd4h0rH6UD3HAM0f7er4YND9mlOu4YeuopG6-MJ-g2bgUFDfKMzwvjyq_YRpbpAAzxOPYlGYm3LMEkgOd1r8Y1iOLGbu0teA4/s1600/P1050222.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">After Zion, we went on to Red Rocks for a few days where we ticked off Cloud Tower that had been on my list for a long time, Nadav led the 5.11d crux pitch like a champ. Here he is getting ready to do the famous tunnel through that apparently used to be wide enough for only the smallest of climbers to squeeze through but today is somehow suited for normal sized people as well.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggAO0QaBl8LpcGgs68RDhzF5dOiKxOBY1msfblCB-7Nr_f8W28HfKAYNoiUZllNWk6OqvV2QEaT2OPNPlOzewviH-PkGyuyrKnIxkoHMvPoXunorIRHUAh96vdjb8I0GL1g8eha1b4RiM/s1600/P1050233.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggAO0QaBl8LpcGgs68RDhzF5dOiKxOBY1msfblCB-7Nr_f8W28HfKAYNoiUZllNWk6OqvV2QEaT2OPNPlOzewviH-PkGyuyrKnIxkoHMvPoXunorIRHUAh96vdjb8I0GL1g8eha1b4RiM/s1600/P1050233.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Every climber is excited to make it to Yosemite for the first time in their life. My hands start sweating just thinking about pulling in there. Some show excitement in the form of handstands with the iconic face of Half Dome sticking out in the background.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIQ8FDYiXN8XMWqfN2qoGf7QuYlVjktGamIcbT4VelfEiG_e4Ky122lrZGMejrPPs3hN9ZNcT1wGny94hnFOLb7KNyLPeW1UhOvLz1Cd3NMrPcI3CuRexwQYA7SAmiT4kKnh9GeWz4wRI/s1600/P1050236.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIQ8FDYiXN8XMWqfN2qoGf7QuYlVjktGamIcbT4VelfEiG_e4Ky122lrZGMejrPPs3hN9ZNcT1wGny94hnFOLb7KNyLPeW1UhOvLz1Cd3NMrPcI3CuRexwQYA7SAmiT4kKnh9GeWz4wRI/s1600/P1050236.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We started our climbing out in the Valley (Yosemite) with an ascent of Reeds Pinnacle. We later learned that the 5.10a flaring chimney pitch of the route is seldom led and usually top roped from atop the normal finish. I somehow missed that detail and started the trend that prevailed for the rest of our time in the valley. Nadav led most of the official cruxes, while I led most of the unofficial cruxes.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV-BoBYsSn-OonTa0M5-odjDG5ZDShiHQwYz1TUTIxh0w3gJ7TR7-bkmOIhnqrbfc69RF1-Ly-D5pQkHx8pynIAchK6BYjKPnm8rIbE2fT07xx-9heWJtME8icPG3vN6Oh8FN9QHWLj28/s1600/P1050242.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV-BoBYsSn-OonTa0M5-odjDG5ZDShiHQwYz1TUTIxh0w3gJ7TR7-bkmOIhnqrbfc69RF1-Ly-D5pQkHx8pynIAchK6BYjKPnm8rIbE2fT07xx-9heWJtME8icPG3vN6Oh8FN9QHWLj28/s1600/P1050242.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We met up with our friends from Israel, Ido Gayer and Gadi Woll that were back in the valley for another week or so before heading to Utah. Here is Gadi about halfway up the classic Royal Arches.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXFeuo4aIu2EnjrUujuzGopq_ihrQIsR0df-EwaXCE8pXBkaF5qblclRZYhSOVAYRttwkAlAjNrBTFKCuPSmgdBI1rLw0pEFkz4y0u1JYuXTsubSnP82a8RTKvRvkCE31qYXGml8t4y5E/s1600/P1050249.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXFeuo4aIu2EnjrUujuzGopq_ihrQIsR0df-EwaXCE8pXBkaF5qblclRZYhSOVAYRttwkAlAjNrBTFKCuPSmgdBI1rLw0pEFkz4y0u1JYuXTsubSnP82a8RTKvRvkCE31qYXGml8t4y5E/s1600/P1050249.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nadav follows the traverse pitch on the North East Buttress of Higher Cathedral Rock.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPN-aYsF_tLxTlU16b6-qjxr3gd0GEeaFwOUuw-yZKXql1Nh1pOMTXgcODxEDEdTzuxKG4A2yUHjBLUUDdm_1K_RmKLiDj77mCEl7vcACfttYozApQ7RWnBR4YTCqcABw8nWMyo7hmSlY/s1600/P1050280.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPN-aYsF_tLxTlU16b6-qjxr3gd0GEeaFwOUuw-yZKXql1Nh1pOMTXgcODxEDEdTzuxKG4A2yUHjBLUUDdm_1K_RmKLiDj77mCEl7vcACfttYozApQ7RWnBR4YTCqcABw8nWMyo7hmSlY/s1600/P1050280.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Looking strong on the third pitch of the Rostrum.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNat1g9sAYM_bYvkZ-wzuhXGFLzDkAenTScUES1MboOdVlLDwWHDNbAPJuhC5ZE6vur3d3j4bPrML0mouD1Rj4x98Oy6cGqaqTYPtBg9UAYhHPYJsxm_nF1wxxgmro-HeDf_rXgz69If0/s1600/20141023_135649.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNat1g9sAYM_bYvkZ-wzuhXGFLzDkAenTScUES1MboOdVlLDwWHDNbAPJuhC5ZE6vur3d3j4bPrML0mouD1Rj4x98Oy6cGqaqTYPtBg9UAYhHPYJsxm_nF1wxxgmro-HeDf_rXgz69If0/s1600/20141023_135649.jpg" height="640" width="360" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nadav, on lead on the official crux of the Rostrum, Thanks to Francois for trading pictures with us.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic6_Gmv_1c3c6E0BtYXlgG8jVAy-4BExKrpjILLQCkVkkCHNvpkfBt-kJGCSi8dgsjyVjcqoLcWkzVf6FZU9fcxaayxU6T2dWSo4CO-WTGE_LIDFYfiYWpdLiwTPAlG5OyIEkeAUnYTtc/s1600/P1050293.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic6_Gmv_1c3c6E0BtYXlgG8jVAy-4BExKrpjILLQCkVkkCHNvpkfBt-kJGCSi8dgsjyVjcqoLcWkzVf6FZU9fcxaayxU6T2dWSo4CO-WTGE_LIDFYfiYWpdLiwTPAlG5OyIEkeAUnYTtc/s1600/P1050293.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I was proud of myself that I managed to hang on to the 5.11c crux without peeling out of the kinda slippery finger crack.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7zp2MRamArZoDmcNTynJmtIWiAHAoi60niUMGuL-Ibv7ySPT3eepAhYAZs6VG48pIF5sdNNjsmvt_K0m5bJO3brwUR30YpZ0zlalkS3pzO28U7NBzTu_CZePaYbBYsb9p46Gzh6M1E_8/s1600/P1050324.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7zp2MRamArZoDmcNTynJmtIWiAHAoi60niUMGuL-Ibv7ySPT3eepAhYAZs6VG48pIF5sdNNjsmvt_K0m5bJO3brwUR30YpZ0zlalkS3pzO28U7NBzTu_CZePaYbBYsb9p46Gzh6M1E_8/s1600/P1050324.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">By this point, we were both totally exhausted, despite the lack of any good pictures, I led the next pitch after this, having to cheat and pull through on my gear through the 5.10d, offwidth flare and by the time Nadav reached me at the belay, he looked at me and said "<i>You wanna go down too?". </i>For the first time in nearly a month of climbing together, Nadav was so exhausted that he was ready to bail. We later heard that the last two pitches of the route are a lot easier than what the guidebook makes them sound like but none the less, we were both totally spent and it's good to admit defeat every now and then.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBGxL8lGLSgZ4h8PywZcMhOf3zZmeDrIekGPsj0M1xKHw3OByLx8t7KkMmh-U3S3SEhQOqpVCcJhgdwu6WreBgbwwrCHRF4Dztei1Sj7gLHUSFpqpEK0M8toChHO4yKMWQoTEcUs1yL8U/s1600/P1050344.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBGxL8lGLSgZ4h8PywZcMhOf3zZmeDrIekGPsj0M1xKHw3OByLx8t7KkMmh-U3S3SEhQOqpVCcJhgdwu6WreBgbwwrCHRF4Dztei1Sj7gLHUSFpqpEK0M8toChHO4yKMWQoTEcUs1yL8U/s1600/P1050344.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nadav on the bolt ladder pitch of East Buttress of Middle Cathedral Rock.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5Id0uHc4IlW5pK6yseKI9fjE4ek0e8salHvOVDBR7Igw5aTUWXJuJ8Ue9HgAPb9_8WGk7-kjacHz2cZ0ztOCdATPDCWUWLdznKb_z06eEfxO6Uv1DESJjHYtdEK0jGxA6ZZKpsV9BwSc/s1600/P1050363.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5Id0uHc4IlW5pK6yseKI9fjE4ek0e8salHvOVDBR7Igw5aTUWXJuJ8Ue9HgAPb9_8WGk7-kjacHz2cZ0ztOCdATPDCWUWLdznKb_z06eEfxO6Uv1DESJjHYtdEK0jGxA6ZZKpsV9BwSc/s1600/P1050363.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">On our last day in the valley, we ticked off a route that has been on my list for a long time, Steck Salathe is 16 pitches long, most of which are very physical chimney and offwidth climbing. Ido was getting over feeling sick so Gadi joined Nadav and I for the adventure and despite letting us lead all of the pitches, may have had the hardest time on the route with his insistence on carrying, or rather dragging our one backpack up the entire route. That is my helmet hanging on the belay in order to allow me to fit into the infamous "Narrows" pitch where if you wear a helmet, you find yourself unable to turn your head for much of the pitch.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnI7EDz5gAQGPXIyl3TxFOTyYXj_oQCDAX5gQQeqg8lQYsSKBYRn6HL8kAIfP-M1eoORFEPbGeWhkLCT8C3UMpinRSwbEX7gYtwKYGbpbgzEdjgQmoITwxfUlmsURPaAhsZAOOUHCHyo4/s1600/P1050358.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnI7EDz5gAQGPXIyl3TxFOTyYXj_oQCDAX5gQQeqg8lQYsSKBYRn6HL8kAIfP-M1eoORFEPbGeWhkLCT8C3UMpinRSwbEX7gYtwKYGbpbgzEdjgQmoITwxfUlmsURPaAhsZAOOUHCHyo4/s1600/P1050358.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Doing my very best to levitate into the squeeze, Had I known better I would have left most of my climbing gear at the belay as well.</td></tr>
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It's been an amazing month with tons of great people and great friends, both old and new. After two days of recovering from the valley in the East Bay area, Nadav and I parted ways, each of us on to our own next adventure, He is digging through grey water systems outside of Santa Rosa an I'm up at Smith Rock in Oregon, waiting for the rain to end so that I can get some climbing in here before starting the AMGA Rock Guides Course next week. Wish me luck.ZacksNovakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16556062449567816108noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7383310536483772640.post-34580244941791161932014-09-30T13:28:00.000-04:002014-09-30T13:30:32.959-04:00Alpine in Style - Europe Part Deux<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1KIHV2dnT65XEDA3_h9B78GE0_tE5sNmF5nRZD_Ugv1dOIU2gBDf8fS0PpU3MsW39C-DtL6oVOjrvUVtC2XrpvYudxmBCcvioop-6gdBPDotA3kDeN_B_3rxDhVz3g3EyZt9jmq9IW6k/s1600/20140918_192423.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br /></a></div>
Some things are just amazing, so different than anything you've ever experienced that they leave you baffled. For me, over the course of the last couple of weeks that I spent in Europe, hiking and climbing, the biggest realization of all was culinary and it had nothing to do with the amazing French croissant that I can't even begin to count how many I consumed.<br />
What I found truly amazing is that there is an entire alternate (alpine) universe of sorts, one where people struggle up hills with large packs to go climb alpine routes or even just hike in alpine meadows, but when they are ready to have a quick bite and retire for the night, they don't pull out their tiny bivy sacks and jetboil stoves in order to heat a dehydrated meal and try not to shiver the night away with the minimum clothing that they hauled up in order to save on weight for an alpine style ascent of something. Instead, they pull into a plush mountain hut, with ample beer and wine, wood burning stoves and five course meals that get served to the guests with a smile.<br />
Sure, it takes something away from the ruggedness of the mountains, knowing that you will have a place like this coming up, that even if your clothes are drenched and you're freezing, you can get hot soup and sit in a heated space. On the other hand, it's a good way of making the mountains more accessible to those that wouldn't be able to carry full backpacking gear and days worth of food so far, and seeing how long standing a tradition they are, I think they certainly have their place. Even more so, I couldn't stop thinking about how nice it could be to bring some of my parental units to visit places like this, it could be the closest thing to backpacking and wilderness travel that they can experience today, as long as they are willing to sleep in shared rooms.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrd6HrOiRt7lToNozoXaFuU_2UVT8EvaSC-HZ8aLLpetRU5-298E5tJkaZoZVi7vrR5QX0Woq0_pDOkoaWMkdmuHmOcYlRKHFnuuhTOqZ0b0eXcWFyca3NvM7b5wN-6C27685ZpV687FA/s1600/P1040760.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrd6HrOiRt7lToNozoXaFuU_2UVT8EvaSC-HZ8aLLpetRU5-298E5tJkaZoZVi7vrR5QX0Woq0_pDOkoaWMkdmuHmOcYlRKHFnuuhTOqZ0b0eXcWFyca3NvM7b5wN-6C27685ZpV687FA/s1600/P1040760.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Looking up at Pointe Precee from the parking lot</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEp3vhvQYrewWYIte-YXgKds0r7juWVXwywtgqjU-hrhLt-OcLjQ1baJHdg7R6dDU3DxmOR6PIjUNze9-b5r7EA8mx4jiqA8edWnLaDl5GGhzAldxZTV00dkoaLEYm3B6CPYpp0vS7yto/s1600/P1040798.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEp3vhvQYrewWYIte-YXgKds0r7juWVXwywtgqjU-hrhLt-OcLjQ1baJHdg7R6dDU3DxmOR6PIjUNze9-b5r7EA8mx4jiqA8edWnLaDl5GGhzAldxZTV00dkoaLEYm3B6CPYpp0vS7yto/s1600/P1040798.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A nice beer on the front porch at the hut after a little climbing on the day we hiked up.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-igLazphyphenhyphenrlbmaumCCfn8YjUd64fNSNTtYp9DK8gKdfOLzqaUEZMF4N_E9AV6upfQtGPwT6GZ8w_19vn3h6FWRBbngT0QMVGXczAtkarBpq_omlCeiklnPZw1PMjmQMB6Xd2M6ryCCC8/s1600/P1040809.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-igLazphyphenhyphenrlbmaumCCfn8YjUd64fNSNTtYp9DK8gKdfOLzqaUEZMF4N_E9AV6upfQtGPwT6GZ8w_19vn3h6FWRBbngT0QMVGXczAtkarBpq_omlCeiklnPZw1PMjmQMB6Xd2M6ryCCC8/s1600/P1040809.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Helen hiking up towards our route on the North Arete with the hut in the backdrop, well fuelled after the five course meal of the night before.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbWuehhWrg0BE4fFptBS09Co77sncD4ayD1lfnxQTAgo_cCX3EEUH0mFlNmJoLMTyBFWLYri_AvjAcEz_XjF-u3yCfv7dR0gJwx0gcCiuTX-khGwZ1GlpJzg0grS0U7JZugG84OXRIzEk/s1600/P1040814.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbWuehhWrg0BE4fFptBS09Co77sncD4ayD1lfnxQTAgo_cCX3EEUH0mFlNmJoLMTyBFWLYri_AvjAcEz_XjF-u3yCfv7dR0gJwx0gcCiuTX-khGwZ1GlpJzg0grS0U7JZugG84OXRIzEk/s1600/P1040814.JPG" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Much of the 12 pitch route was along this ridgeline, pretty easy climbing in places you really don't want to fall.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-9nw_bvz1287CWIWS7linbUyl5xiuEZv2Dxp4m2pvVNgEF-FFrH9Fz0qisiV9y5_pWD4Z0jWpdRSR7SUfSCp8MQUXgZeHP-41XMOTZUhVN9AchxUtQou7CFObG1TytdDnHrL86AW0Kyg/s1600/20140911_120216.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-9nw_bvz1287CWIWS7linbUyl5xiuEZv2Dxp4m2pvVNgEF-FFrH9Fz0qisiV9y5_pWD4Z0jWpdRSR7SUfSCp8MQUXgZeHP-41XMOTZUhVN9AchxUtQou7CFObG1TytdDnHrL86AW0Kyg/s1600/20140911_120216.jpg" height="225" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The clouds make it a little hard to see how "airy" the belays are along the route.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNwTNnif2T8S1XoL5VEvcCXghJ5kZhWjaOik5vpc0EXJCWKkWXD38-pOTMblMHQqTEi8ToPOY7SZtVlRLO8pJD3RNWXKb-FOqQGKprjIcA7JuuuUxiyhx_wJ7yzwA_Yx6_V1CvxeN2EyA/s1600/20140911_141113.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNwTNnif2T8S1XoL5VEvcCXghJ5kZhWjaOik5vpc0EXJCWKkWXD38-pOTMblMHQqTEi8ToPOY7SZtVlRLO8pJD3RNWXKb-FOqQGKprjIcA7JuuuUxiyhx_wJ7yzwA_Yx6_V1CvxeN2EyA/s1600/20140911_141113.jpg" height="400" width="225" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Looking back at another party coming up behind us.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaZeSFedR0ZaA3rHZ_9SaYY79f7wEee9Uikgmve-aMANRhvspO9bN7xYg0NvJX8QdI5UEPA4sPBf8izQsvmWmzGzZnWRYyRaJCdMk28hQFRLcLayuzojcDxXbEeljNkR3QJkigv5MMhz8/s1600/P1040820.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaZeSFedR0ZaA3rHZ_9SaYY79f7wEee9Uikgmve-aMANRhvspO9bN7xYg0NvJX8QdI5UEPA4sPBf8izQsvmWmzGzZnWRYyRaJCdMk28hQFRLcLayuzojcDxXbEeljNkR3QJkigv5MMhz8/s1600/P1040820.JPG" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pretty sure this was one of the harder pitches, still pretty casual but crazy amounts of exposure.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj63o08xFhKrL89yZOLQjHzJy1eqyWKq5i-zAu2TEpi922dPr4qZq8zOuf8GWG9h3gTvGr34HNqoUWSYq8Kv6G_kSiilmvoMF9HKxFuTannSN78GIVGrF68lWPDKWDbY3LlyVsq_2I9jGI/s1600/P1040823.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj63o08xFhKrL89yZOLQjHzJy1eqyWKq5i-zAu2TEpi922dPr4qZq8zOuf8GWG9h3gTvGr34HNqoUWSYq8Kv6G_kSiilmvoMF9HKxFuTannSN78GIVGrF68lWPDKWDbY3LlyVsq_2I9jGI/s1600/P1040823.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pointe Percee summit shot with a little bit of Chamonix and the Mont Blanc sticking out in the background.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisdC_CZp_Gtz6DZ2aN0QpbOVWjkQUw1HtpBq6CkV-0pJreqBcha0A54IOwoCs3FaOfM3afqC-2T3hbzNZJV4qEndOzp83ddgr9O5IrTG0oUVV3VZEcYpU3jbRAvaGhCrR_qQrvy8c7hME/s1600/20140911_192527.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisdC_CZp_Gtz6DZ2aN0QpbOVWjkQUw1HtpBq6CkV-0pJreqBcha0A54IOwoCs3FaOfM3afqC-2T3hbzNZJV4qEndOzp83ddgr9O5IrTG0oUVV3VZEcYpU3jbRAvaGhCrR_qQrvy8c7hME/s1600/20140911_192527.jpg" height="225" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">As it often is in climbing, the most dangerous things tend to happen on the descent, I tried to hint to him that he should move and he scraped his foot on the ground and pointed his horns at me. I got the hint.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNGRXMUCPMv3KvlIZ7JnQYkd5BkBM5EHqdOxJeDomFTqUkBQcsEVIom0MjGnOdtj9QkRG1voV-2-WSTF6tm1dVQJzNEI1_QaYyIMdry2Sl766Lr-DyDaJG8LIp7e4OjXg2H-HUNN1cwzs/s1600/P1040827.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNGRXMUCPMv3KvlIZ7JnQYkd5BkBM5EHqdOxJeDomFTqUkBQcsEVIom0MjGnOdtj9QkRG1voV-2-WSTF6tm1dVQJzNEI1_QaYyIMdry2Sl766Lr-DyDaJG8LIp7e4OjXg2H-HUNN1cwzs/s1600/P1040827.JPG" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We took a nice hike with friends one day up to the Moiry Hut, Overlooking the glacier.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_9PcGJFJVJ-m-iE-KItsapdE7otatkXvZQKwaljmZn2j0WsAE88I8A5pNAYJQzBSZVZ5bkofJaYcp6TmjsQiN6tmrCIrOlkHe_11mdv50Yl7AFf6JcgMy5-abnReJjdbM3sDQ2S0lsQc/s1600/P1040839.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_9PcGJFJVJ-m-iE-KItsapdE7otatkXvZQKwaljmZn2j0WsAE88I8A5pNAYJQzBSZVZ5bkofJaYcp6TmjsQiN6tmrCIrOlkHe_11mdv50Yl7AFf6JcgMy5-abnReJjdbM3sDQ2S0lsQc/s1600/P1040839.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">They had just renovated recently and built this new hang out and dinning room, the weather was so nice that we ate our lunch outside on the porch but I just had to take a picture of this.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDHoZYXGXAj7GnNwdJbKlrTB_Z9-OrHDqlpYp8I10tAnqOUZtQVQBvmmYk2KPMSFcnAOE0VFIj6MyI_Wu1KlOOHzZrDV3-fEgT3HZBVxpSLu239nS8CWFM3OPpw6MqBz_lQ0OaT1sTu-s/s1600/20140916_173938.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDHoZYXGXAj7GnNwdJbKlrTB_Z9-OrHDqlpYp8I10tAnqOUZtQVQBvmmYk2KPMSFcnAOE0VFIj6MyI_Wu1KlOOHzZrDV3-fEgT3HZBVxpSLu239nS8CWFM3OPpw6MqBz_lQ0OaT1sTu-s/s1600/20140916_173938.jpg" height="225" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hiking up towards the Cabane de Arpitettaz.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0VGxrHRryDoRFUS8O_Nf8Dxn0Hm0tBahZFQirZXVbsCAWKugM1ysQTCeQfp-PxIsJ-lSQThwuEfZTuQxGmlYwWl4Vgvbk0qAWvJ8M6JzRxe35KctIEcyOYa6b-dPzI4b0kHcjTLBiwCw/s1600/P1040865.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0VGxrHRryDoRFUS8O_Nf8Dxn0Hm0tBahZFQirZXVbsCAWKugM1ysQTCeQfp-PxIsJ-lSQThwuEfZTuQxGmlYwWl4Vgvbk0qAWvJ8M6JzRxe35KctIEcyOYa6b-dPzI4b0kHcjTLBiwCw/s1600/P1040865.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is the Cabane de Arpitettaz, almost four hours of hiking above the Swiss town of Zinal and almost totally isolated, we spent the night here and although they did not offer full meals, we still had a huge amount of soup with great bread and a nice platter of cheeses and saucisson. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXqyYtqQbMHf1IcMCkJiVTPeLN9ksTkF5P6DxPeybkbb-_HI-OKSSg2f0C78227yJrNyRA6QuvIXTiE-NAc0E5GRYbJxLUKlvU-FE8tgrI-WCGIO5_diGQPqJ0_tnm-6JfopKEcnWAJnc/s1600/P1040869.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXqyYtqQbMHf1IcMCkJiVTPeLN9ksTkF5P6DxPeybkbb-_HI-OKSSg2f0C78227yJrNyRA6QuvIXTiE-NAc0E5GRYbJxLUKlvU-FE8tgrI-WCGIO5_diGQPqJ0_tnm-6JfopKEcnWAJnc/s1600/P1040869.JPG" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Turns out, Swiss playing cards come with thirty some odd card decks, so we finally found a 52 card deck but it looked like this.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHzMEOkSA_N92a83-YvUzYwVpcIuK2P5vTYD1JMOL7ZWpIPY3yP1MtW5_wFsquh3tBPZ3hRuD8ToGjtsSIQ4lJoc1C5Tv7jXfrl1D9AUraGjGsGrHoXweAXbPV38yNDbX6fiKVFDIwS_U/s1600/P1040876.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHzMEOkSA_N92a83-YvUzYwVpcIuK2P5vTYD1JMOL7ZWpIPY3yP1MtW5_wFsquh3tBPZ3hRuD8ToGjtsSIQ4lJoc1C5Tv7jXfrl1D9AUraGjGsGrHoXweAXbPV38yNDbX6fiKVFDIwS_U/s1600/P1040876.JPG" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">About twenty minutes out of the Cabane de Arpitettaz on our way up to the Tete de Milon, The hut is out of sight but the Zinalrothorn is just sticking out of the clouds left of center.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTPkQQznmycb5XuktJLXXZneWnJg4SVezD4iW2_0OafQJMqdt_zGYDcqo1L7CUH2a-N84kwbT55dsvVL-7Ih9U-Cvew3Io6y43GldAXYumFcn1HR9-qaSXTpXGP8BBSR7nwUWpAFDiVmM/s1600/P1040880.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTPkQQznmycb5XuktJLXXZneWnJg4SVezD4iW2_0OafQJMqdt_zGYDcqo1L7CUH2a-N84kwbT55dsvVL-7Ih9U-Cvew3Io6y43GldAXYumFcn1HR9-qaSXTpXGP8BBSR7nwUWpAFDiVmM/s1600/P1040880.JPG" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Starting our way up the on the North side of the western arete. Conditions were sub prime on all but the largest of rocks and boulders.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">First roped section on the Tete de Milon with the beginning of the ridge in the background. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLsnoXwl4PeWC_JZNfZMuRO7d0M1CSDr6YcdteuGpfk6UNGEHNRfxEqWUsS3xNLqBHVmr0CAvbneEUEMXYZIafDXNGsC68PAvAvQDjRlMoNCCP6YmyM5SIBXUD0TQtlinBszA6XpjySZY/s1600/20140917_171602.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLsnoXwl4PeWC_JZNfZMuRO7d0M1CSDr6YcdteuGpfk6UNGEHNRfxEqWUsS3xNLqBHVmr0CAvbneEUEMXYZIafDXNGsC68PAvAvQDjRlMoNCCP6YmyM5SIBXUD0TQtlinBszA6XpjySZY/s1600/20140917_171602.jpg" height="225" style="cursor: move;" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px; padding-top: 4px; text-align: center;">After many hours of negotiating the ridge, we finally made it to the glacier and began our descent which in low visibility proved a little challenging, we ended up bailing off the glacier and descending via the ridge to a lower angle scree slope on the West face. Followed by close to four hours of walking in the dark back to Zinal where we showed up at 22:45, about six hours after our last bus and ten minutes before the last hotel receptionist closed the doors so we spent a night in a hotel before heading back to Chandolin the next morning.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1KIHV2dnT65XEDA3_h9B78GE0_tE5sNmF5nRZD_Ugv1dOIU2gBDf8fS0PpU3MsW39C-DtL6oVOjrvUVtC2XrpvYudxmBCcvioop-6gdBPDotA3kDeN_B_3rxDhVz3g3EyZt9jmq9IW6k/s1600/20140918_192423.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1KIHV2dnT65XEDA3_h9B78GE0_tE5sNmF5nRZD_Ugv1dOIU2gBDf8fS0PpU3MsW39C-DtL6oVOjrvUVtC2XrpvYudxmBCcvioop-6gdBPDotA3kDeN_B_3rxDhVz3g3EyZt9jmq9IW6k/s1600/20140918_192423.jpg" height="225" style="cursor: move;" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px; padding-top: 4px; text-align: center;">Back at the chalet in Chandolin, taking in a last Sunset in the Alps before heading to Geneva and Paris and then the US.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgEFAezFWfX7iJ6NHl0Pkkjvd1MyiYakX5wpVhZAvBfPrj_pExqDB9NBQTWQwOUaJwUeGRexJ3PfIoBfWC0ZctKSV_1zK1_cQOMMJEcDyFUzJpZ5OMJWvQwcdGfD79J8iqMsROX-UT9OA/s1600/P1040926.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgEFAezFWfX7iJ6NHl0Pkkjvd1MyiYakX5wpVhZAvBfPrj_pExqDB9NBQTWQwOUaJwUeGRexJ3PfIoBfWC0ZctKSV_1zK1_cQOMMJEcDyFUzJpZ5OMJWvQwcdGfD79J8iqMsROX-UT9OA/s1600/P1040926.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Was going to finish this with a picture of the Eiffel tower at night but it didn't have me in it. It's not that I like being in all of the pictures on my blog, it's more that, I had a feeling certain members of my family might not believe me that I spent any of my time in Europe somewhere other than the mountains. So this is me, riding a free rental bike by the lake in Geneva with Helen, Alix and Alan in the background.<br />
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Shana Tova to all my Jewish friends and many adventures to all!<br />
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Tomorrow morning I will be leaving DC for Kentucky to go climb at the Red River Gorge on my way out West. Plans are to be in the US at least until next summer so hit me up for beers or climbing or even just to hang out.</div>
ZacksNovakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16556062449567816108noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7383310536483772640.post-10099614073401797822014-09-19T10:10:00.002-04:002014-09-19T10:10:42.828-04:00Ode to thy Devils Blades - Europe part 1For years I've been hearing about these two places in Italy that have granite rock climbing routes that are as good as Yosemite but just a few hours away from Milano.<br />
So when Dov Weisberg asked me if I wanted to come climbing in Europe somewhere at the end of August, these were the first places that came to mind. The new Easyjet flights from Tel Aviv made it pretty affordable and easy to get to Italy, so we both bought one way tickets to Milano in order to go climb in Val Di'Orco for a week. Dov continuing afterwards to India for a month long pre marital honeymoon and myself going on for a little over two more weeks of European adventures before heading to the states for coming year.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi56O-i12jAoG3v0ONdzHRjREjJW0OdkyVTqsdtH54rOuohA1KNBoqDjxKKWZKszp1pllLu3hXbfgUY04FioTHiYrzXF2_JociztTxx1bYt8m4KtgyJrvCKzP3VUB9kfMAMWZMU14lya1w/s1600/IMG_0480.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi56O-i12jAoG3v0ONdzHRjREjJW0OdkyVTqsdtH54rOuohA1KNBoqDjxKKWZKszp1pllLu3hXbfgUY04FioTHiYrzXF2_JociztTxx1bYt8m4KtgyJrvCKzP3VUB9kfMAMWZMU14lya1w/s1600/IMG_0480.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">At the airport in Tel Aviv, both super stoked to be going climbing soon!<br />Notice Dovs awesome womens specific helmet that he borrowed from Dafna so that he could leave it there for her and wouldn't have to haul it around India for a month.</td></tr>
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Turns out that landing on a Saturday night in Milano and taking a late night bus to Turino with plans to take public transportation to Val Di'Orco was not the most realistic of planning, in case you have not experienced public transportation in Italy, it is even better on Sundays than it is normally, so as you can tell by the following picture, we ended up relying on the public for transportation.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1crztmRvavDAASs8t4TXZifsqtHqLU4zGiYY9gPRiAut6zrhgbgqj28gr5nRWtSlRaC1WLDouqUoxTqOyWdU79EvOg450VVU6ZQbkwVycGrwWACxkurSV3Ju1jDo7B1jyfuVy2cgoSQ8/s1600/IMG_0495.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1crztmRvavDAASs8t4TXZifsqtHqLU4zGiYY9gPRiAut6zrhgbgqj28gr5nRWtSlRaC1WLDouqUoxTqOyWdU79EvOg450VVU6ZQbkwVycGrwWACxkurSV3Ju1jDo7B1jyfuVy2cgoSQ8/s1600/IMG_0495.JPG" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">There were a good several hours of standing on the roads with thumbs up and big smiles to encourage people to pick us up.<br />Despite everyone trying to help, it took us nearly 6 hours to make it from Turino to Ceresole Reale.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUuquPXjaAp2EnkqK-L8mhOFa998ivXWsAIUWUcAo-2NUDtw2BorEFRWvRhAkph4YzQvKrQCNbjSqlYoXP1Lj679ESXzmEAATOIIoHHkrL_M8X5Qu4IWTzbKF84DKYcz6pUv4oRwt6zoM/s1600/P1040689.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUuquPXjaAp2EnkqK-L8mhOFa998ivXWsAIUWUcAo-2NUDtw2BorEFRWvRhAkph4YzQvKrQCNbjSqlYoXP1Lj679ESXzmEAATOIIoHHkrL_M8X5Qu4IWTzbKF84DKYcz6pUv4oRwt6zoM/s1600/P1040689.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our little tent on the right, pitched at the lovely campground, you can see a little bit of the rocks sticking out in the picture.<br />Approaches are as short as 15 minutes for some of the routes.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRpqLcVkCD7LWj0W4xgJDk_PEAdyBtMMXiSkcLLXCEydja2gGTzsFrMEl7V3-R4rE1m15tHc145SHQoTDW9ei-HUSkXcyIYZaWayqyd4hRyUUC0EkeqIjZN3LqfrIrCOTwTB6zPRxMigw/s1600/IMG_0556.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRpqLcVkCD7LWj0W4xgJDk_PEAdyBtMMXiSkcLLXCEydja2gGTzsFrMEl7V3-R4rE1m15tHc145SHQoTDW9ei-HUSkXcyIYZaWayqyd4hRyUUC0EkeqIjZN3LqfrIrCOTwTB6zPRxMigw/s1600/IMG_0556.JPG" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The campground doubles as a small fish farm that sells fresh fish to order, they scoop one out with a net and you say yes or no. We opted to let them gut the fish for us and used the super simple wood grill they had in conjunction with a little bit of aluminium foil that we had brought to half grill and half bake it on the coals.<br /><br /></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj1vayE_7JbAXV4GrWJVcFs28pLzpLrrk-gycDMOOZvZmoc_DqHUGx_hH35Svwci2Rspid8Or2KNDJDlZGXdUEjV5Ac9DmA5F6QWoeU6QVVtm9ezdaSmpm0DiWo1xyXGeMv33kQswS3DI/s1600/P1040672.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj1vayE_7JbAXV4GrWJVcFs28pLzpLrrk-gycDMOOZvZmoc_DqHUGx_hH35Svwci2Rspid8Or2KNDJDlZGXdUEjV5Ac9DmA5F6QWoeU6QVVtm9ezdaSmpm0DiWo1xyXGeMv33kQswS3DI/s1600/P1040672.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dov is looking focused while following me up Incastromania 6a+ </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcBm-NENWxN21Sr8sOxdvDpm7jtyJUHw9GM99tVKmpWIZo2aYIbhhlUlwEMXRy8WZDvOXOnYFkYPj7P-owIQLqY2O0W_lawMI5jq56mfqoeWOxVkhND6Z7u3Hmxo7RWaG8TRLKatZZBbQ/s1600/P1040713.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcBm-NENWxN21Sr8sOxdvDpm7jtyJUHw9GM99tVKmpWIZo2aYIbhhlUlwEMXRy8WZDvOXOnYFkYPj7P-owIQLqY2O0W_lawMI5jq56mfqoeWOxVkhND6Z7u3Hmxo7RWaG8TRLKatZZBbQ/s1600/P1040713.JPG" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Swapping gear at a belay on Diedro Nanchez, this shot gives an inside peak at the scariest part of climbing that week. <br />HINT - it wasn't the rock!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfkxCF7pI6Tvgd4_HQt6O9KO5z9eYQQyLVMY-UpdJwWFkWqrp4FGdyE_RaC0HAZxsRJHYEKrwA_Lda4rEuRyHDhIj0X1gHHtSE4u5CUS1ju3ll8LXmv5jOaAhso38bXnyqoMSwTyMWW7k/s1600/P1040724.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfkxCF7pI6Tvgd4_HQt6O9KO5z9eYQQyLVMY-UpdJwWFkWqrp4FGdyE_RaC0HAZxsRJHYEKrwA_Lda4rEuRyHDhIj0X1gHHtSE4u5CUS1ju3ll8LXmv5jOaAhso38bXnyqoMSwTyMWW7k/s1600/P1040724.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me, following Dov up the last pitch of Diedro Nanchez 6b</td></tr>
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Like I said the scariest part of climbing that week had absolutely nothing to do with the rocks we were climbing. I am convinced that these blades were grown by the devil himself. Well maybe that's a little harsh but seriously, the was this grass that was both so sharp and prickly that it would stab you through your pants and at the same time, so slippery that if you somehow lost footing, you would probably keep going until some nice rock stopped your fall.<br />
If I were a more poetic person I would have written an ode to thy devils blades of grass, but since that's not really my style, I simply offer you the following picture that makes me smile every time I look at it.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDA2_xQwfJC0GwZ2zMqsbFM7A65cchK6AthuJKoN5_ClOu4HhLXf66i7izhjwHYnl7MFTJju_X1MLCw6tAuhGmZoLbf9Vo9vOjwUwSplEODSaLMMq7HEUIawf59RoA46xzVMxJg5Mw7LA/s1600/P1040748.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDA2_xQwfJC0GwZ2zMqsbFM7A65cchK6AthuJKoN5_ClOu4HhLXf66i7izhjwHYnl7MFTJju_X1MLCw6tAuhGmZoLbf9Vo9vOjwUwSplEODSaLMMq7HEUIawf59RoA46xzVMxJg5Mw7LA/s1600/P1040748.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Poetic Justice</td></tr>
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More updates to come about the last two weeks in France and Switzerland, Off now to Geneva and then Paris before flying to NYC on Wednesday. So stay tuned for Europe part 2, the struggles of balancing climbing with the consumption of large quantities of delicious cheese and wine!ZacksNovakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16556062449567816108noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7383310536483772640.post-36687200151210715842014-08-30T10:55:00.001-04:002014-08-30T10:56:10.244-04:00Seventh time's a charmIt's been a nice long summer!<br />
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Recovery from an injury,<br />
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4 Birthright groups,<br />
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One amazing wedding,<br />
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One military operation / war,<br />
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One group cancelled because of the situation,<br />
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Countless new friends and old ones too,<br />
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An amazing joint effort of love coming from so many different people,<br />
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Like the P.B.J sandwiches that my Mom made for me to take to the airport, using the amazing jam that Elisha Ben Haim sent me with his new cousin Elliot that was just on my last Birthright trip.... It's totally ok if you didn't follow who all those people are and that is only one of the examples.<br />
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And now, it's my seventh time back at the airport this summer and this time it's for my own departure!<br />
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So thanks a ton to all of the people that helped make this an amazing summer and you're all free to look for me on my US cell or on Facebook towards the end of September as my journey continues.<br />
For now, I'm off to Europe for a month of good food, climbing, people and whatnot.<br />
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More blog posts should be coming soon now that the engine is rolling again!ZacksNovakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16556062449567816108noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7383310536483772640.post-21759174274926190672014-08-06T19:00:00.000-04:002014-08-06T19:00:28.356-04:00We must cancel soccer!A few months ago, I saw an amazing <a href="http://www.ted.com/" target="_blank">Ted Talk</a> by Israeli member of Keneset (parliament) Meirav Michaeli talking about marriage. One of the first things she says there is that "We must cancel marriage!", a drastic statement no doubt, but when she goes on to rationalize it, she makes a whole lot of sense and I recommend that you spend the 20 minutes to watch it because it is truly fascinating. As proof of how good it was, I still remember it months after watching it for the first time and that is not normal for me.<br />
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OK, so whats the connection between marriage and soccer you ask? Besides the fact that I am personally quite far from partaking in either of them as more than a spectator in the near future, and probably for ever in the case of soccer. They have to do in my eyes with the day we as Jews mourned this week.<br />
The ninth day of the Jewish month of Av, or Tisha Be Av in Hebrew is the day that we mourn the destruction of the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem that happened at the end of a four year revolt against the Roman empire that ruled Judea in the first century to the common era.<br />
<br />
The standard Jewish explanation for the fall of the second temple, and the first one for that matter is normally "Causeless hatred", or in plain English I see that as the polar opposite of the guys hanging out on the street corner with a sign that reads "FREE HUGS". And no, not the perverts, the ones that genuinely just want to cheer people up and make the world a better and nicer place.<br />
<br />
Over the last month or so we've seen plenty of causeless hatred around, be it Arabs against Jews or Jews against Arabs or even Arabs against Arabs and Jews against Jews. I'm not talking about the operation here, or war or whatever name you want to choose for it, I'm talking about the things that are going on in the streets and on facebook. It's been disturbing enough to see people standing out with racist signs or going to harass peaceful demonstrators for going out and trying to make a moderate voice heard, one that's in favor of co-existence and opposed to violence. Today it got even worse when I experienced a piece of this myself.<br />
<br />
After climbing at the gym tonight I got on my bike and rode towards the market to meet friend for dinner. Pedalling uphill for 15 minutes or so and riding on the somewhat makeshift bike path that runs most of the way I needed to go, one of the last sections of the path runs through Sacher park.<br />
The time immediately following Tisha be Av is when the Yeshivas (Jewish religious schools) all let out for vacation and the students and families go out to take over the public parks and grill out.<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPzimdf-2OTkq0vHxLaffc2U6dSBEXzr7dr7E_q_ArSPkPQK7rMNypByLoR0KSCU-y82JpxjuoUBrD1RRunmXDENs-TgnybcjIQC8QJtB7WVRliq5miPp96TaBuhhrK3SU5yw3TvgfJ30/s1600/%D7%91%D7%99%D7%9F+%D7%94%D7%96%D7%9E%D7%A0%D7%99%D7%9D+%D7%91%D7%92%D7%9F+%D7%A1%D7%90%D7%A7%D7%A8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPzimdf-2OTkq0vHxLaffc2U6dSBEXzr7dr7E_q_ArSPkPQK7rMNypByLoR0KSCU-y82JpxjuoUBrD1RRunmXDENs-TgnybcjIQC8QJtB7WVRliq5miPp96TaBuhhrK3SU5yw3TvgfJ30/s1600/%D7%91%D7%99%D7%9F+%D7%94%D7%96%D7%9E%D7%A0%D7%99%D7%9D+%D7%91%D7%92%D7%9F+%D7%A1%D7%90%D7%A7%D7%A8.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I didn't take this picture but it is from the park across from my apartment as it is just starting to fill up.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
In the picture you can already see some of the trash that gets left every day and arduously removed by municipal employees in the middle of the night so that the park will be clean for yet another day of unpaid festivities.<br />
Being the first day after Tisha be Av, I didn't think about the fact that I should have probably ridden out on the road and stayed out of the park because of all the uncontrolled toddlers running around on the bike path so I rode through, and I would even dare say uneventfully, until my attempt to leave.<br />
The exit from the park is a narrow passage between a stone wall and an emergency gate that is meant to be kept clear incase an emergency vehicle needs to drive in for some reason.<br />
On the outside of the gate were two private cars parked closely and completely blocking the passage.<br />
After managing to just barely weave my way through on my bike I pushed through and folded one of the parked cars mirrors while riding, a thing I've been known to do when people are parked on sidewalks and in bike lanes, especially if it's in a way that leaves no room for people to get by.<br />
Thinking little of the whole thing, I rode on slowly, dropping the curb into the oncoming traffic on Ben Zvi Blvd. as there was no room left due to all the parked cars on the bike path and hugging the curb in order not to get hit by a car.<br />
Next thing I know, some guy is yelling at me and kicks my rear wheel sideways while I'm riding, from the momentum of his kick he went flying face first onto the sidewalk. I figured I was in the clear and better not stop when a few moments later I got rammed from behind by his friend that I hadn't noticed either but had decided he would try to knock me off of my bike. At this point, after being physically attacked twice, I stopped and turned around to try and figure out what the hell was going on.<br />
Both these guys were larger than I am, and I am the last person to pick a fight. They were wearing black kippot (Jewish skullcaps) and black T-shirts and looked far from happy.<br />
The first one gets up off the ground and yells that I could have broken his car mirror, the second one says, never mind the mirror, you "made him fall on his face". I'll try and keep that in mind the next time someone kicks my rear wheel from behind hard enough that I'm going to have to true it tomorrow to try and get it to be round again.<br />
Going on the basis of their Kippot, I said what I thought might speak their language, "don't you think there has been enough causeless hatred in our country this month?". The bigger one made a violent gesture and said "I should beat you up real good for that". To which I responded by apologizing if I hurt them by folding in the car mirror, wishing them a good night in the nicest and calmest voice I could conjure up and riding off to meet my good friends for dinner. Obviously upset.<br />
<br />
Don't ask me how I know, but I am convinced that these two pillars of our community must be fans of the infamous Beitar Soccer team, the same team whose fans have for years let out cries of "Death to the Arab" and other racist chanting that cannot be excused, continuing to do so even through the recruitment of Muslim player from Chechnya last year, nice welcome, huh?<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj99TKOkM-LKKpTZkveE6GqX-Wa6c7k2M7xa9JzXJzeLnHRmJNb2Jxp9ildcAJZ-hL_mjOVbX2JAD8kz9fgGJFEyviTVryf28e4TnxHBALqnT9kyJyFcU394hUeINITT5CQa4pw9aYcCwA/s1600/BeitarJLM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj99TKOkM-LKKpTZkveE6GqX-Wa6c7k2M7xa9JzXJzeLnHRmJNb2Jxp9ildcAJZ-hL_mjOVbX2JAD8kz9fgGJFEyviTVryf28e4TnxHBALqnT9kyJyFcU394hUeINITT5CQa4pw9aYcCwA/s1600/BeitarJLM.jpg" height="400" width="293" /></a></div>
<br />
The same team that as I mentioned in my <a href="http://www.followzack.com/2014/07/off-high-horse.html" target="_blank">last post</a>, a group of it fans decided to burn Muhammad Abu Khdeir last month to death while he was still alive. Proving that the violence that is tolerated in the bleachers surrounding the soccer field has no borders and that hatred that is not stopped at the source will only get worse and harder to control as it moves on and escalates.<br />
<br />
If you took the time to listen to Meirav Michaeli's compelling arguments on canceling marriage, you noticed that she is not against life long partnerships or love or children being brought into this world in a healthy environment, but rather the control that we give the government over our lives by allowing them to control the institution of marriage.<br />
In much the same way, I don't think we should outlaw soccer, although it might not be the worst idea.<br />
I am however convinced that we need to find the places in our society that are cultivating hatred and figure out how to turn them around. This should be done on both sides of the fence. Regardless of whatever solutions politicians do or do not come up with and the longer we wait, the harder it will be.<br />
If there is one thing that I have learned in the last two months, it's that contrary to what we Jews have always been so proud of as a self titled "light amongst the gentiles", we have proven our ability to at times be no better than our worst enemies and I hope that scares you as much as it scares me.<br />
<br />
May the cease fire hold strong and lead way to a prosperous rebuilding in Gaza that in turn can lead to the election of a forward thinking government that would rather build schools than tunnels and buy books than rockets. One that can take the people of Gaza out of the horrors they have been stuck in for years, hopefully leading to a peaceful arrangement between us and them that will allow for healthy life on both sides.<br />
<br />
May the families of all who have lost loved ones, find it in themselves to take their memories and create a positive force to promote forgiveness and peace on and towards both sides of the fence.<br />
<br />
May this cycle of violence lead us to realize that we have to find a different way to fight, to put an end to this with our pens and not with our arms.<br />
<br />
And last but not least, may the people of Jerusalem find a different fucking sports team!<br />
<br />
Sorry about the rant and thank you again for reading my frustrated thoughts.<br />
As always, your comments are much appreciated and I promise that I'll be back to posting pictures and tales of adventures in beautiful places before you know it.<br />
<br />
Oh, and last but not least, Aaron, I'm sorry I sent you that link before your wedding but it really is that good, so if you haven't watched it yet, I still highly recommend it.<br />
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ZacksNovakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16556062449567816108noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7383310536483772640.post-16112423584711720692014-07-24T06:50:00.001-04:002023-11-07T13:30:30.360-05:00Off the high horseI didn't start a blog years ago in order to talk about politics, I still have no intention of doing so.<br />
There are however a few events that have been extremely thought provoking over the course of the last few weeks and I feel they are worth talking about.<br />
<br />
For weeks now, I've been thinking about what to write and how and when to do so. it wasn't until I found myself standing at the Funeral of Max Steinberg yesterday that I knew I had to write something.<br />
Max Died in Gaza as part of the ongoing operation Protective Edge, he is one of the 30 or so soldiers that have been killed in combat over last two weeks since the start of the operation.<br />
He was also what we call a lone soldier, meaning, he was in Israel alone and his family was still at home in Los Angeles, in fact, coming to Israel to lay their oldest son to rest is the first time his parents Stuart and Evie have been to Israel, just like Max, that little over 2 years ago had never set foot in this place.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDSOznefVouTOdjLCZd2kuVp4S5zzkYOhPXWamPoY0q8iTyvd34mVx_fvGFq0rtqdhrcvCnHxRtS678cAIk28IieLO0C2jrDs6qyp47HXYjkrNB3b2sE5Z-vbYJAczQmg6c2ju11B5lIA/s1600/w-max-steinberg-72114.jpg.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="218" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDSOznefVouTOdjLCZd2kuVp4S5zzkYOhPXWamPoY0q8iTyvd34mVx_fvGFq0rtqdhrcvCnHxRtS678cAIk28IieLO0C2jrDs6qyp47HXYjkrNB3b2sE5Z-vbYJAczQmg6c2ju11B5lIA/s1600/w-max-steinberg-72114.jpg.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Max Steinberg 1989 - 2014 z"l</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
In June of 2012, Max came on Taglit, Birthright, the same free 10 day trip to Israel that I so often guide. I did not have the pleasure of guiding him personally but perhaps we crossed paths somewhere that summer. He went on the trip with his younger brother and sister who spoke of the experience as the most memorable experience of their lives. Max was so touched by it that immediately upon his return he informed his parents that he would be returning to Israel as soon as possible.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_mxXoo0a3UlvSTi-hcnA5xRthyCmufel2ScSxRGESma3Iox3yU7z55O_tfA8JPUaQWG0-C79gcXswvz0sZ8gdWqxmcAFBPBRFPueqovA7DmwlMQe5kDf-FEQYhDe8Es8UgkvoYLodOiM/s1600/Mike+Levin.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_mxXoo0a3UlvSTi-hcnA5xRthyCmufel2ScSxRGESma3Iox3yU7z55O_tfA8JPUaQWG0-C79gcXswvz0sZ8gdWqxmcAFBPBRFPueqovA7DmwlMQe5kDf-FEQYhDe8Es8UgkvoYLodOiM/s1600/Mike+Levin.jpg" width="297" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Michael Levin 1984 - 2006 z"l</td></tr>
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<br />
During the trip, they visited Mount Herzl, Israels national cemetery and Jerusalems military cemetery. Whilst there, one of the many uniform graves stood out for Max, this was the grave of another lone soldier, <a href="http://lonesoldiercenter.com/about-us/michael-levin/" target="_blank">Michael Levin</a>, born in Philly and raised in the east coast Jewish world of USY and Camp Ramah, had made Aliyah and was killed in 2006 during the Second Lebanon War.<br />
Almost every Birthright group visits Michaels grave and hears his story, I know that I try never to skip him. Out of all of the people buried there, Michael is the one that is probably easiest to connect to as a young American Jew, someone that gave up the comfortable and easy American life and came to Israel to make a life, and never made it past the military stage. During the funeral, one of his eulogizers remarked that standing at Michaels grave was the moment that Max realized he wanted to find a deeper connection with this land.<br />
<br />
You can read endlessly about both Max and Michael online, I did not bring them up in order to merely tell their stories. What really got me yesterday, standing at that funeral was the feeling that I was in some way responsible for part of this, maybe as a tour guide that often works as an educator with Birthright, maybe one of the hundreds of people that I have had the privilege of guiding on Birthright or youth trips have unbeknown to be made Aliyah and joined the IDF and are now fighting in Gaza as well?<br />
Well aware of the fact that even though I make it a point not to preach towards Aliyah and joining the IDF on birthright, or at all for that matter, I still feel like this is connected to me. A few hours before the funeral I received a message on Facebook asking to come to the funeral of a kid I had never even heard of until his name showed up on the headlines the day before. Remembering the story of Michaels parent that flew in from Philly for his funeral and were convinced that there must have been multiple funerals that day because there were so many people at Mount Herzl, I made sure to get up and race over there as a show of support.<br />
Initially I was concerned that Max's parents might not have the same experience as Michael. I guess I wouldn't have been missed as it turns out that an estimate of 30,000 people showed up to pay respect.<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi46OHCFzLWiP8x5688agsou-j-8jZfHxv2rb392p1xwO3GtMWBc1BEtUKWMHUtP1h1Lhyphenhyphen2cGwjtmbXX3PvkQwNJDOLlQsisSdOonHpiHyV_Q_LSE5_fUrN7ye2IYGPzweYmcTKjfiQLj8/s1600/P1040617.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi46OHCFzLWiP8x5688agsou-j-8jZfHxv2rb392p1xwO3GtMWBc1BEtUKWMHUtP1h1Lhyphenhyphen2cGwjtmbXX3PvkQwNJDOLlQsisSdOonHpiHyV_Q_LSE5_fUrN7ye2IYGPzweYmcTKjfiQLj8/s1600/P1040617.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The flow of people trying to make it up to the level where the funeral was being held.</td></tr>
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<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYwUtrZRTzIxdvLAdW1vKgbjk5sEQuqJnYNDH-S-mMY6eisk8V62_9ReDg8lf2oKcTm8scdMtUEdzkW7RsM7M6IhL0sWtX8_DvWQk0t0sfhymL8oqv_8_IIb-QGOoqBjnUteWHcRLnMv0/s1600/P1040625.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYwUtrZRTzIxdvLAdW1vKgbjk5sEQuqJnYNDH-S-mMY6eisk8V62_9ReDg8lf2oKcTm8scdMtUEdzkW7RsM7M6IhL0sWtX8_DvWQk0t0sfhymL8oqv_8_IIb-QGOoqBjnUteWHcRLnMv0/s1600/P1040625.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">45 minutes after the end of the funeral I made it to the grave, moments before a loudspeaker announcement requested that everyone clear out the area so that they could prepare for the funeral of the next soldier that had been killed.<br /><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Last week I finished my 3rd Birthright trip of the season out of 4, and it was an amazing corrective experience after the one before it that had left me a little down about the project (perhaps being post college Californians vs NYC teenagers had something to do with it too).<br />
A few days into the trip the IDF discovered the bodies of the 3 kidnaped youth from three weeks prior and the next day, the horrific story of the brutal death of Muhammad Abu Khdeir happened. It didn't take long after that before Barrages of rockets and missiles started flying out of Gaza and one of the Israeli students that had joined us for the program received an emergency draft notice and left the group for reserve duty.<div><br />
The next morning, my phone rang at 6:30 am, I normally put it on silent while I'm sleeping but I need to be reachable while I'm guiding groups. I answered to the sound of an automated message asking me to punch in my military ID number, something I would normally struggle to remember but somehow just flowed out naturally through my fingertips. The message instructed me to report to duty as soon as possible and the call back number at the end of it was out of commission, typical.<br />
The phone started working overtime, first calling the office, letting them know that they might have to find a different guide to finish the last 5 days of the trip instead of me.<br />
Next to my mothers house to see if they could find me a different phone number to use for contacting the army in my piles of paperwork, which they did but not without criticizing me for my decision to let the army know about my <a href="http://www.followzack.com/2014/03/plans-change-fast.html" target="_blank">shattered heel of less than 4 months prior</a> and not go to fight, stating that in their opinion, if I was healthy enough to guide and make money than I should be healthy enough to go to war.<br />
<br />
On a side note, for those of you that do not know, my military service was in one of the most dangerous combat units in the IDF, one that specializes in finding and demolishing tunnels. To this very day, I am convinced that the single most important week that I spent doing for my country during my service was the week spent on Birthright, representing and showing Americans a small taste of Israel from a peer perspective.<br />
<br />
It took a full day of phone calls, paperwork and threats of military police if I don't show up by midnight before finally receiving a phone call during dinner time at the hotel, informing me that my emergency draft notice has been cancelled due to my recent injury.<br />
I announced this to my group and received a joyous cry in response, the kind that makes you apologize towards the rest of the people in the hotel dining room that are busy trying to cover their ears but at the same time, warms your heart with an overflow of compassion.<br />
I had mixed feelings, even during my service, I was never a big fan of the system, just as I am not the biggest fan of governments today. but somewhere inside me I felt torn over the fact that other people are going and doing their part and I am staying at work.<br />
Luckily my work this time was also a national mission of sorts, guiding young adults through Israel with threat of missiles that sent all 50 of us running for shelter more than once over the course of the following days.<br />
Keeping them calm and still making the most out of our trip, despite changes in itinerary and frantic phone calls from some of the parents, this was as important a mission as any.<br />
<br />
Having a bite to eat with another tour guide friend of mine that I ran into at the Shuk yesterday after the funeral, she mentioned that standing there, she suddenly realized the influence her words can have on other peoples lives. As pissy as a group of teenagers can be, one of them might just show up the next year to come call this place home and fight for it like Max and Michael both did. The responsibility is scary and I'll finish with something that I read from one of my last participants this week that gave me the warm fuzzy feeling of what I feel is a job well done.<br />
<br />
This was his post:<br />
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<span class="userContent" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}">If you don't have context please stop posting about the Israeli/Palestinian conflict. It's obviously a complicated topic that has no one right answer, so stop pretending you have that answer and get off your high horse.</span></div>
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<span data-reactid=".2a.1:0.0.$right.0.0.0"><span data-reactid=".2a.1:0.0.$right.0.0.0.$text0:0:$0:0">You, </span><a class="profileLink" data-hovercard="/ajax/hovercard/hovercard.php?id=611196648&extragetparams=%7B%22hc_location%22%3A%22ufi%22%7D" data-reactid=".2a.1:0.0.$right.0.0.0.$range0:0" dir="ltr" href="https://www.facebook.com/rachel.yarnold" style="color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;">Rachel Yarnold</a><span data-reactid=".2a.1:0.0.$right.0.0.0.$text1:0:$0:0">, </span><a class="profileLink" data-hovercard="/ajax/hovercard/hovercard.php?id=590060099&extragetparams=%7B%22hc_location%22%3A%22ufi%22%7D" data-reactid=".2a.1:0.0.$right.0.0.0.$range1:0" dir="ltr" href="https://www.facebook.com/jake.teitelbaum" style="color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;">Jake Teitelbaum</a><span data-reactid=".2a.1:0.0.$right.0.0.0.$text2:0:$0:0">, </span><a class="profileLink" data-hovercard="/ajax/hovercard/hovercard.php?id=1225740042&extragetparams=%7B%22hc_location%22%3A%22ufi%22%7D" data-reactid=".2a.1:0.0.$right.0.0.0.$range2:0" dir="ltr" href="https://www.facebook.com/shorofsky" style="color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;">Lauren Shorofsky</a><span data-reactid=".2a.1:0.0.$right.0.0.0.$text3:0:$0:0"> and </span><a ajaxify="/ajax/browser/dialog/likes?id=10101357681986278&actorid=6717710" aria-label="Jared Wiener
Allegra Misonznick-Davidson
Aaron Wiener
Clara Rachel Alexandravna
Katie Hanrahan
Jesse Krompier
Petrov Swarnovsky
Raz Samira
Kayla Simone Fowler
Samantha Lubow
Maddy MacDonald
Ilana Hannah Wexler
Marisa Swain
Alvin Lee
Atalya Stachel
Aaron Jones
Eviatar Minerbi
Tom Alexander Supple
Robyn Oretsky
and 49 more..." data-hover="tooltip" data-reactid=".2a.1:0.0.$right.0.0.0.$range3:0" data-tooltip-alignh="center" href="https://www.facebook.com/browse/likes?id=10101357681986278&actorid=6717710" id="js_28" rel="dialog" role="button" style="color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;">68 others</a><span data-reactid=".2a.1:0.0.$right.0.0.0.$end:0:$0:0"> like this.</span></span></div>
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So simple and at the same time, so necessary.</div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: small; line-height: normal;">I hope this mess ends soon with as few casualties as possible on both sides.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: small; line-height: normal;">I hope more people in this world can find it in themselves to stop being so dogmatic and figure out what little steps we can take towards solving problems.</span></div>
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There is so much room for more thoughts about this, I mostly stopped writing because it was getting to be too long. Thanks for reading and please share your own thoughts in the form of comments.<br />
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</div>ZacksNovakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16556062449567816108noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7383310536483772640.post-78340120017885228092014-06-25T05:30:00.000-04:002014-06-25T05:30:17.544-04:00The places in betweenSummer has come into full swing in Israel and the pain of my injuries has subsided leaving little more that dull aches. Birthright trips have come and gone, with two down and two more to go before the season ends. By the time the summer is over I will be totally ready to focus the rest of my year on getting out in the mountains and working towards becoming a mountain guide. The AMGA has told me that they will not accept any of the course work that I have done in Israel and that I will have to start from scratch so I am signed up for the first of the courses this fall.<br />
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In between the madness of guiding these groups has been another madness, the family is prepping for a huge celebration tomorrow when my beloved Brother Aaron Novak will be getting married to the spectacular Rotem Bar (soon to be Novak as well).<br />
They came into the country for a month and here are a few pictures of the peaceful moments we have managed to weave between the constant stream of insanity.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR6pcnhj_xqWittFQB0X7KvEGDEORKeUMshYhclTOKdgFEneTgRX-oqe5KOHyWNXCDiFUOOj_j6XLFffBW8FJdfRk6ezMFJeRTAAMqM41mZIZ8AiQEZDUd6ojELFtOPvj3iyvXXPObZNk/s1600/P1040491.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR6pcnhj_xqWittFQB0X7KvEGDEORKeUMshYhclTOKdgFEneTgRX-oqe5KOHyWNXCDiFUOOj_j6XLFffBW8FJdfRk6ezMFJeRTAAMqM41mZIZ8AiQEZDUd6ojELFtOPvj3iyvXXPObZNk/s1600/P1040491.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
We figured out that three weeks before the wedding is the only weekend that we could grab Aaron for a quick getaway so we abducted him and fled north for three days of lots of good food, alcohol, shenanigans and a small taste of nature. Here we are, hanging out by the Arbel in the evening after "breaking in" to the nature reserve.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcEAJJaYniENgQGQLtX81bkZQhkj2XnmYOwfT89CSNu8zlW8zuW-_XIn7ZVarj4bSDmWxTcnC2gJ9iXtzuhyphenhyphenLQ_5xZzIf7-lcHed2rvdy-yWaG3EeIt1dkX65Px_Dy2IN1pC9Nut4NuoU/s1600/P1040512.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcEAJJaYniENgQGQLtX81bkZQhkj2XnmYOwfT89CSNu8zlW8zuW-_XIn7ZVarj4bSDmWxTcnC2gJ9iXtzuhyphenhyphenLQ_5xZzIf7-lcHed2rvdy-yWaG3EeIt1dkX65Px_Dy2IN1pC9Nut4NuoU/s1600/P1040512.JPG" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
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The not so rare moment where Aaron looks really pleased with himself, not sure if he is playing a game or taking pictures of Ziv and Amots there.</div>
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It's customary to go to the Mikveh before your wedding for a ritual cleansing bath. Our Dad had just landed from the states and we all went to a spring a few minutes from Jerusalem to partake in the dip.<br />
This was a great break from a very hectic day of logistics and running around to pick people up from the airport.<br />
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Aaron was hesitant about going in at the beginning because the water was cold and a little bit grungy, he actually hesitated for so long that when he finally did go in, I missed the shot of him immersing himself in the water.<br />
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As a consolation prize, I caught a shot of Dizzy trying to un-immerse herself from the water after she may have possibly received an "assisted entry". Sorry Pupps!<br />
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Love you Aaron! Mazal Tov!ZacksNovakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16556062449567816108noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7383310536483772640.post-58012204991155849592014-05-01T04:59:00.003-04:002014-05-01T07:50:18.206-04:00See you again in 2033Being injured has been allowing me to take some time to come up with all sorts of random ideas for blog posts. I was going to write one about the occupation that ended in Jerusalem this week, referring to the fact that my hands are no longer occupied by crutches. As of Sunday, I've been hobbling around on two feet again, I wouldn't quite call it walking yet but I'm in the right direction and getting better every day.<br />
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Next Tuesday will be the fifth day of the Hebrew month of Iyar, and for the first time in 19 years it will overlap with an otherwise pretty insignificant date, May 6th. That might not mean much to most but for me it's the day of my birth so needless to say I like the day and this time around it will mark the beginning of my 30th year in the world.<br />
The fifth day of Iyar is important to a few more people than just me, 66 years ago on that Friday, in the basement of the Tel Aviv art museum and in the middle of a war that lasted a year and a half, David Ben Gurion declared the independence of the state of Israel.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9Yy3DAOsdKtL2iiFByRKi_F56qrSwfnvjIYF0akns3i4t9OOhAw1yO8c7AzYSrJ_lQf3Gbwmf-JMF5CjCgGn9rGDNpJE_zugcL3WoC7AJ7y-x1ATy9NpQ-gz68dGJb9gpBZP3n0woMRU/s1600/4017548149.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9Yy3DAOsdKtL2iiFByRKi_F56qrSwfnvjIYF0akns3i4t9OOhAw1yO8c7AzYSrJ_lQf3Gbwmf-JMF5CjCgGn9rGDNpJE_zugcL3WoC7AJ7y-x1ATy9NpQ-gz68dGJb9gpBZP3n0woMRU/s1600/4017548149.jpg" height="400" width="267" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ben Gurion during the 32 minute declaration ceremony, looks like he's thinking "Oy, I have to share independence day with <i>that</i> guys birthday again?!"</td></tr>
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That means, the last time I had my birthday on Israel's independence day was the day I turned 10 years old.<br />
Honestly, I've only got a really brief memory in my head of that day, it was my Mom, Aaron, and myself walking around downtown Jerusalem, King George st. to be exact and trying to not get totally pulverized by the all too familiar hooligans with cans of stringy foam and inflatable hammers with Israeli flags printed on them.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">For those of you that don't know, these tend to be standard fair on Yom Haatzmaut (Independence day in Hebrew), they are about as long as an arm and tend to be equipped with a squeaky toy style thingy in the mallet portion. Maybe it's supposed to be an over inflated replica of the one Ben Gurion used to wrap up the declaration of independence, I don't know. So why are people going around and hitting each other over the heads with these? </td></tr>
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Turns out 19 years is a pretty long time, in the first 19 years of Israel's existence it managed to triple it's size, never mind the fact that it waited until the last <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/6_day_war" target="_blank">6 days</a> to make that happen, it's still a fact. And in the last 19 years Israel has been through Lebanon twice, an Intifada, a disengagement from Gaza and parts of the west bank, the assassination of a prime minister, the indictment of another and the imprisonment of a president.<br />
Phone tokens gave way to phone cards, which in turn gave way to cellphones.<br />
The internet found Israel and Israel helped reinvent the Internet and the entire tech world along with it.<br />
The Dead Sea dropped close to 20 meters while at the same time the "Sea" of Galilee has risen closer to normal levels due to our increased reliance on desalination instead of ground water that has allowed us to stop pumping so much from it. Huge amounts of natural gas have been discovered, but for some reason we're still burning coal. Even bike lanes have been built and although they are often sub par, they are a good start and thanks to them in conjunction with ineffective public transportation and rising gas prices, more and more people have been getting out on their bikes (pedal assist electric motors may have influenced that too).<br />
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Sitting with my mother for lunch today, we managed to figure out that in the same period of time, I have deprived her of countless nights sleep and may be partially accountable for her shiny white head of hair. helping myself to no less than 6 broken bones and 3 head injuries, not to mention countless other hospital stays ranging from ruptured esophagus to over exposure to volatile chemicals and even a mystery illness from some desert cave that the doctors never figured out.<br />
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I can comfortably say that I have held many a radical opinion, most of them have changed over time, some to the radical opposite of what they were originally. I've also learned a whole lot about the country I grew up in and the more I learn, the less I'm convinced of any one single and polarized truth. I have fought for my country and felt an inseparable part of it, and I have sat here and tried to figure out what the hell this place and I have in common, especially when the mountains I love so much are anywhere but here.<br />
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A little comic relief, in 1903 the British offered Theodore Herzl, the man considered the father of modern Zionism the option to settle the Jewish people in Africa, this was called the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uganda_Scheme" target="_blank">Uganda Scheme</a>. The offer fell through pretty quickly for a myriad of reasons, most importantly the understanding that accepting would mean giving up on the establishment of a Jewish country in still Ottoman Palestine of the time, but that hasn't kept Israelis from wondering what life in Africa might have been like every now and then. This is pretty old and kinda stupid but still fun.<br />
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If there is one rule of thumb that I have learned from spending so many years in this crazy city, it's that there really are not any rules and that everything is complicated and every question has a subtext.<br />
As with any young country, it takes time to iron out the kinks, and with this one, we've had some hugely influential people throwing kinks in over the years to make things work to their benefits but for some reason I still feel optimistic that we are slowly working things out and that at some point this might even be a sane place to live.<br />
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The perfect example is the growing consciousness about the meat industry. Traditionally, Israelis have been stuffing themselves silly with meat on Yom Haatzmaut but for the first time I can remember, online news sites are flooded with as many holiday veggie and vegan recipes as they are meat ones. It's been about 70 years since the holocaust, I think we can stop eating like we don't know when the next meal will come.<br />
So either as a nation, we're becoming a little more eco conscious, of we're just sick over eating so much meat, either way, the outcome is positive.<br />
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Happy Birthday Israel, may you live to 120 (and hopefully longer)! I wonder where we'll both be the next time we share birthdays in the year 2033? It's a little weird that we'll share birthdays when I turn 48 and 67. But who cares, by then we'll probably all have clones and hovercrafts and google glass contact lenses, and maybe even a normal bike lane!<br />
<br />ZacksNovakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16556062449567816108noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7383310536483772640.post-87365184915509309782014-04-17T05:45:00.000-04:002014-04-17T05:45:23.566-04:00Time to ReflectIt's been a month, most of my injuries have mostly gotten better. I can tell because I'm no longer sleeping 20+ hours a day like I was a few weeks ago. I can also tell that I'm not quite there yet, because I'm still feeling the urge to sleep 12 or so hours a day and getting tired pretty easily.<br />
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I am no longer in Bozeman, Montana, I came back to Israel a week and a half ago and have been working on recovering at my Mom's place. It's funny really, how life slows down on you when you really can't do all that much. On the one hand, I've got tons of time, I spend most of it in bed or on the couch. Energy is low and I really hope that the doctor will let me start weighting my foot again in two weeks when I go back for a checkup. More than that, I've got my fingers crossed that the low energy levels I'm having are mostly related to a lack of physical activity and that once I start physical therapy, they'll bounce back pretty quickly. I've got a group I'm supposed to be guiding that lands five weeks from now and if there's one thing I know about recovering, it's really good to have a target to aim for, and that's mine at the moment.<br />
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The last post I wrote was all about what happened that day, one month ago and since that day I've had a whole lot of time to sit around and analyze the event, a lot more so than I had when I wrote the post, still totally exhausted and somewhat dazed after a head injury.<br />
First of all, I realized how lucky I am that Nadav not only survived the fall, but had no significant injuries and was able to haul me out of there, a process that took about three hours. Had he been hurt even half as badly as I was, we may have had a true epic on our hands figuring out how to get ourselves to the car and then the hospital.<br />
Secondly, I couldn't have asked for a better partner than someone who is not only cool headed but also both a wilderness emergency medical technician and has spent years of his life teaching rescue technique to find myself in this predicament with. Again, I'm convinced I got the best case scenario here.<br />
Third, a whole community of people that I had only recently met came together to help me out, starting in the hospital, followed by the week I spent on the couch and then with Nadav who helped me drive all the way to Minneapolis and Rotem, my brothers amazing fiance who flew in from NYC to help me with the rest of the drive to DC. Tim and Irit that hosted us in Milwaukee on our way there and of course my Dad and Renee and her brother Eric that all helped me unload the van and pack for Israel. Being on crutches really sucks but I can only imagine how impossible it would have been if I had needed to figure out all that stuff on my own!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6j4NeCpS7FKfxPRxGSBxEZYWXhMuwXtL2RZkWzCh3Q1Cd1A-JBBVM2CJoZZgRotm8KtiVxv2g6wokEKH2dt_qx5LBh6tOIgK3lW9cbN-S-2-hwn1UJZWdID16wddgNU5zj14uGK85Fv8/s1600/10012144_1431697473735996_551758076_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6j4NeCpS7FKfxPRxGSBxEZYWXhMuwXtL2RZkWzCh3Q1Cd1A-JBBVM2CJoZZgRotm8KtiVxv2g6wokEKH2dt_qx5LBh6tOIgK3lW9cbN-S-2-hwn1UJZWdID16wddgNU5zj14uGK85Fv8/s1600/10012144_1431697473735996_551758076_o.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">What would a blog post be without at least one photo? I was going to put up some shots of stitched up hands and swollen feet but I decided that this picture that Phil Lester took on my last skiing day before the accident was a lot prettier looking. You can see more of his photos <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Qimmiq-Photo/1385492458356498" target="_blank">here</a>.</td></tr>
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People often ask me about being back and forth between two pretty different places, Israel and the states. I have come up with a kinda smirk answer that I usually use, it's called International Displacement Syndrome or IDS for short. Sometimes I add words like Chronic or Acute to the beginning of it just to spice things up.<br />
Really though, for most of the last few years I've managed to live life ping ponging back and forth between Israel and the US and for the most part those transitions have happened at moments where I felt I have hit a dead end doing something and needed to change things up.<br />
Most of the time this has worked out really well for me with just letting these "chapters" of life sort of run their course, maybe it's the fact that I sort of got "dumped" out of this chapter and expedited back to Israel that has me sitting here cycling through existential thoughts, or maybe it's the time in Bozeman spent experiencing a place that has a healthy community with all of the things I love to do within a short distance that has led me to start thinking that if I really need mountains to be happy in life then I should find a community in the mountains somewhere.<br />
Maybe it's the fact that in Israel, we're all stuck in the same basic season all year and hurting ourselves overtraining on limestone sport projects while trying to push into harder grades because we've climbed everything else already. In any case, I'm not sure exactly why I'm using my blog as an outlet for these frustrations but I am certain that it's time for me to spend more time away from here and come back with more clear expectations and ambitions.<br />
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Since getting back to Israel, I've had a chance to hang out with a whole bunch of friends, most of them had heard about the accident last month already but for some reason, despite them having read what I thought was a pretty clearly written blog post, have been saying things like "Oh, I read your blog, the picture of the broken helmet looked really scary... but what happened?". In the shortest possible explanation, we were standing above an ice climb and a small avalanche (or just a lot of loose snow) came down and sent us falling over what we had just climbed, About 50 meters in total.<br />
Sorry if I used too many technical terms without explaining them, I'll try to keep things more reader friendly for the general non climber audience in the future.<br />
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In the end, it's back to the same conclusion. Broken bones get better in the end but it looks like IDS and wander lust are for life.ZacksNovakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16556062449567816108noreply@blogger.com0Jerusalem, Israel31.768319 35.21370999999999231.552388 34.89098649999999 31.984250000000003 35.536433499999994tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7383310536483772640.post-70288288864277262952014-03-19T17:07:00.000-04:002014-03-19T17:07:05.939-04:00Plans change fastLife is funny that way, the big things always catch you off guard.<br />
Two days ago, Nadav and I had planned on going to ski at Big Sky for the day. By the time we got up we decided it was a little too late and that we should instead head up into Hyalite canyon, the ice climbing area right outside of Bozeman, that is a little faster to get to and doesn't close like the ski resort does.<br />
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At about 10:00, we left Bozeman for Hyalite, it was supposed to start snowing later that day but instead it was already starting to come down on us when we hopped out of the car at the trailhead.<br />
We had decided to go climb a mixed route just to the right of the dribbles but for some reason we ended up turning uphill a little early by mistake and thought we were probably a little off when we finally got to an ice flow and even in the low visibility, looking up and left we could see the iconic test piece WinterDance. The flow in front of our face looked to be about WI3 or so and we both agreed that we should hop on it since it would take us too long to try and figure out something else to climb, especially without the guidebook on us (later we discovered this to be a climb called "over easy").<br />
I took the lead and it was pretty straight forward, 30 meters or so of WI3+ish followed by about 15 meters of plunging through snow that I'm pretty confident was at least a few degrees below 30 and seemed stable to me. This brought me to a little tree on the right hand side on the gully that after a little bit of digging I found a bunch of tat on from other peoples rappels. I belayed Nadav up and when he got over the painful thawing process of his freezing fingers we looked up the slope together and quickly decided we would stay roped up and climb together through the snow to see if we could find some more ice higher up.<br />
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I took in about half of the ropes in a mountaineers coil or kiwi coils as they are often called in the US and tied them off before starting to follow Nadav of the snow slope. It was pretty easy going and the drainage was narrowing up before a short step of low angle ice at its narrowest point. When Nadav made it over the ice he started to notice some sloughing in the new snow. As he stepped off the ice, there was some serious sloughing coming down and when he tried to move forward again, another nice amount released. we looked at each other and with a quick exchange decided to back off and rap from the tree that was now about 10 meters below me.<br />
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I took a step to the right, placed my ice tools in the snow in front of me and started to remove the coils from over my shoulder in preparation for the rappel. Nadav started downclimbing the low angle step and the next thing I remember is snow starting to fly down the drainage and myself trying to hold on to something while getting knocked around by the snow and slowly losing control. I was very aware of the fact that I still had coils on me and that they were not tied off to my harness anymore, so there was nothing stopping them from coming tight around my body and I have some memory of trying to unwrap the rope from around me while it was coming tight. This leads me to believe that Nadav probably flew past me and pulled me down and maybe had I still been in on the anchor, things would have ended a little differently.<br />
The last thing I remember was a pain in my left ankle, probably from snagging one of the points of my crampons on some ice, followed by the sensation of tumbling in mid air.<br />
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Nadav says that when he stood up on the ground he instantly hoped that I hadn't taken the same plunge as him, then he noticed all of the rope in the snow and started following it until he found me partially buried and unconscious. He says he yelled at me for a minute or so and checked his cell for service but didn't have any.<br />
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The first thing I remember is hobbling down the approach trail on two arms and a foot with a rope going from my harness to Nadav, I guess it took me a while to fully understand what was going on but by the time we hit the main trail out I was lucid enough to tell Nadav the he should run and get his skis out of the car so that he can pull me out on them like a sled. A few minutes later he was back with reinforcements, a few guys that we had met in the parking lot earlier that day had agreed to come and help pull me out. Two of them came straight up to help drag me out while the third went all the way to the trailhead to go grab some skis for a sled. The whole process is a bit of a blur but I'm pretty sure it didn't take more than two hours to get back to the trailhead . From there it was another forty minutes or so to the emergency room.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgdQvNHoVQk7XrDuJzM1vkkVww2U-twgEIt8YiqX1BkVPVYZloy3QRARHyKPIVPu8qYwhASu_78volFm-bA3JsAGJjapEqLml5I2iFcFK0MUvZINz2CRN6LcOONXUkR3UNHOTiqVrmkzM/s1600/2014-03-19+14.35.23.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgdQvNHoVQk7XrDuJzM1vkkVww2U-twgEIt8YiqX1BkVPVYZloy3QRARHyKPIVPu8qYwhASu_78volFm-bA3JsAGJjapEqLml5I2iFcFK0MUvZINz2CRN6LcOONXUkR3UNHOTiqVrmkzM/s1600/2014-03-19+14.35.23.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I guess it was time to retire this helmet in any case.</td></tr>
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As a result of the fall, Nadav and I both broke our helmets. We are both amazingly fortunate to have come out of this incident at all and the fact that he had no major injuries meant that he could carry me out. I still can't stop thinking of how bad it could have been had we both gotten injured.<br />
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After a day in the Bozeman hospital, I have a fractured Calcaneus (Heel bone), a fractured MetaCarpal with a laceration at the base of my left pointer finger, some rope burn on the left side of my neck and a bunch of general aches and pains but that's about it. The Orthopedist said that I should be fully recovered and back on the sharp end within four months which I feel is something I should be able to deal with.<br />
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Still haven't figured out the next step of my trip, I was supposed to be in the stated through April 30th and I still have to figure out how to get back to the east coast with my car. In any case, I plan on hanging out in Bozeman for a few more days to let the swelling subside and maybe even wait for a 7 day checkup and getting the stitches out of my hand.<br />
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Last time I broke a bone, it eventually led me to going on a bike tour that I still consider to be one of the more formative experiences in life. I wonder what this experience will bring.ZacksNovakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16556062449567816108noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7383310536483772640.post-9296024063058694392014-03-16T15:58:00.000-04:002014-03-16T15:58:01.680-04:00So that's where the name comes from<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I've always been a big planner in life, I like to figure out the things that I want to try and achieve and I usually manage to find a way to make it so that all sorts of awesome experiences just sort of come along as a byproduct.<div>
When I started this blog a few years ago it was for the first real big trip that I would take on my own into an area I knew very little about. The catalyst for this trip had been something that my late Grandfather, Ellie Borowski had always said. He, as a man who spoke and read more languages than I can count, insisted that learning new languages is easy until the magical age of 25, and I at the time was 25 years old.</div>
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So, I told my family that I was off to learn a new language, Spanish. And what better way to do so than a 5 month bike tour through Central America and Colombia? Needless to say, there was no shortage of eye opening and amazing experiences during that trip, and as a bonus, I even learned Spanish.</div>
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Now I'm on a new mission, I'm playing with the idea of working towards a mountain guides certification. Still not sure where in the world I would undertake this 5 or so year process but after the last two weeks, I'm pretty sure that this is truly a direction I would like to pursue in life.</div>
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As mentioned in my <a href="http://www.followzack.com/2014/02/fresh-places-to-make-some-tracks.html" target="_blank">last post</a>, I was already in Bozeman, Montana, enjoying world class ice climbing and some great skiing.... Along with top notch beer and lots of good new friends.</div>
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A post came up on facebook from my buddy <a href="http://www.elcapreport.com/content/el-cap-report-102608" target="_blank">Alik Berg</a>, the self proclaimed Canadian Sport Wanker and probably one of the farthest things from one that exists. He had just returned from 6 weeks in Patagonia and I told him he should come play in Bozeman, to which he replied "You should come up to Canmore, the ice here is way better". So, about a week later, I upped and drove a nice 10 hour day, into the Canadian Rockies and ended up in Canmore where I made myself a little nest in between the back of the couch and the row of closets in Aliks livingroom that I would call my bed for close to two weeks.</div>
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Waking up the first morning in Canmore, it was a little cloudy and I really had no idea just what the area looks like, it wasn't until later that day that the clouds lifted a little and gave me my first glimpse at the foothills of the Canadian Rockies.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Just a little taste of some of the views</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kirstin Bartsch on the sharp end at Haffner </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Finally getting back into the swing of things after getting a few ice leads under my belt this season</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We spent a day skiing at the Vermillion Burn, right across the border in BC, all the trees are dead which is pretty sad for them but makes for some awesome skiing.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kirstin, Dropping off a pillow above Floe Lake</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Alik Berg, putting up a mixed line at the Grotto </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH8e0y8jD1ye5WxJxUhCBqMs0E9XJzC_icVI4gu4_MP6CFTHjxsSYH67ltDU_WKtN53t2i2lBfRwnl60R9-bKThxyPxxgCNJ1ko-WsE77omYtObtXZWjfhl3ffyL9oWDxyXL2OUU4aEnE/s1600/P1040388.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH8e0y8jD1ye5WxJxUhCBqMs0E9XJzC_icVI4gu4_MP6CFTHjxsSYH67ltDU_WKtN53t2i2lBfRwnl60R9-bKThxyPxxgCNJ1ko-WsE77omYtObtXZWjfhl3ffyL9oWDxyXL2OUU4aEnE/s1600/P1040388.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Alik on lead again at Evan Thomas, on a pretty thin SnowLine WI4 </td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_-6l-_Y-h4_hkY99CmBOC5DrDNlgazVbrSMY1bhwlplFjl_Zvw6oxiri0wQ0Pi_oowmH-lUy3XO1XfcoCkRwPx-jirYTRGeKTywXkXQYCka-KrCUJntk-x_lreV6fEFbty8bAecK0pBU/s1600/P1040396.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_-6l-_Y-h4_hkY99CmBOC5DrDNlgazVbrSMY1bhwlplFjl_Zvw6oxiri0wQ0Pi_oowmH-lUy3XO1XfcoCkRwPx-jirYTRGeKTywXkXQYCka-KrCUJntk-x_lreV6fEFbty8bAecK0pBU/s1600/P1040396.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNvytDRzRcWGVcWkIiWDC8kkqgQbgDgDznvGb5o0162mYPGV_VqyCCRxUHVxLOxXjOi2QKenORp2erXPfQWMRUYRXOmrmVmUNHraE9IqubBXi12azyqg_bqBGb2HBk_YkgvBHbj4Y3ZEQ/s1600/P1040401.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNvytDRzRcWGVcWkIiWDC8kkqgQbgDgDznvGb5o0162mYPGV_VqyCCRxUHVxLOxXjOi2QKenORp2erXPfQWMRUYRXOmrmVmUNHraE9IqubBXi12azyqg_bqBGb2HBk_YkgvBHbj4Y3ZEQ/s1600/P1040401.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A warm day in March was the perfect excuse to go climb early season rock on Yamnuska</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhqMoEMEa2aXZQNQwxGxUa_7rwjHWh6e8SYDSlrbpKhX8ZPJOg-t6i7HUAiz7d3aIowN43FCTN_RouZe7wMwjBnPFf6JrGBKOeo-ZuNt-P2eAxUJMgjOYkkK6WrgPoNsTn5mlkCiZQaOU/s1600/P1040404.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhqMoEMEa2aXZQNQwxGxUa_7rwjHWh6e8SYDSlrbpKhX8ZPJOg-t6i7HUAiz7d3aIowN43FCTN_RouZe7wMwjBnPFf6JrGBKOeo-ZuNt-P2eAxUJMgjOYkkK6WrgPoNsTn5mlkCiZQaOU/s1600/P1040404.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I would take "Yam" as my local crag any day, up to 10 pitches or so of multipitch limestone adventure climbing!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1O5dvCdMQI6e4mhyAxyd-7ejTp0FJCPPT8Ad9_xhX0uJqfWn_aL7rwrbSQs9kUB8W78UGAKKhZcb_GXTmwPx1lnb45N_Dn5jme6QU9fnC5uI8WvYPsAkNN5vCrpI7vbxvKsWDR8qfT8Y/s1600/IMG_9102.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1O5dvCdMQI6e4mhyAxyd-7ejTp0FJCPPT8Ad9_xhX0uJqfWn_aL7rwrbSQs9kUB8W78UGAKKhZcb_GXTmwPx1lnb45N_Dn5jme6QU9fnC5uI8WvYPsAkNN5vCrpI7vbxvKsWDR8qfT8Y/s1600/IMG_9102.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Scott and I following Alik up the top pitch of GreyScale 5.11d, 6 pitches</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPsOmxrDME3XSzL0nn3qIsWSGmfCjUqzRvvRItmevFUuythkrLZr-WxvqTHzHVKT-ou6pxq-8NeERKdArDIWMH161Ovmt-JZ-h4dgSClHhvs-o4YF9bKQwVbOHfZElv8ctLt2291s95FI/s1600/P1040412.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPsOmxrDME3XSzL0nn3qIsWSGmfCjUqzRvvRItmevFUuythkrLZr-WxvqTHzHVKT-ou6pxq-8NeERKdArDIWMH161Ovmt-JZ-h4dgSClHhvs-o4YF9bKQwVbOHfZElv8ctLt2291s95FI/s1600/P1040412.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Alik belaying Scott up the final moves.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJbIJoQe-kLsFwV4aHN4cKqH523pft7lvnJW0HAneEyVKruiv-8VCNyET7k4tul50NDO6BBdU_T4eh2V-zzhfnlNr3FyiASWUE8sZc5PHvmXSAWWe3xDuv1lMAQtIttLvY9_XGKRLcj3A/s1600/P1040417.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJbIJoQe-kLsFwV4aHN4cKqH523pft7lvnJW0HAneEyVKruiv-8VCNyET7k4tul50NDO6BBdU_T4eh2V-zzhfnlNr3FyiASWUE8sZc5PHvmXSAWWe3xDuv1lMAQtIttLvY9_XGKRLcj3A/s1600/P1040417.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And some more spectacular views off the top of Yam, looking North at a seemingly endless world of rocks.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3-owrN845l1FFrZ2Kdieye7W0RMjsAMgQcnFCiObAasyBa2trsNgN3RuA3UJzssfX5TTqdPiaXPaDG5n8kD_kVuK3tSlbT0wixvgmWg9LuXGzlma3I7l0PHowhswHNYohQhL0T7AkyZE/s1600/P1040426.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3-owrN845l1FFrZ2Kdieye7W0RMjsAMgQcnFCiObAasyBa2trsNgN3RuA3UJzssfX5TTqdPiaXPaDG5n8kD_kVuK3tSlbT0wixvgmWg9LuXGzlma3I7l0PHowhswHNYohQhL0T7AkyZE/s1600/P1040426.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The next morning was another early start, I went out with Phil Lester to ski the French-Haig-Robertson traverse, you can see Mt. Robertsons jagged ridge in the background.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxAp5WLdX_W1At9e7EI5NLECDVAyqH8pI5mdwbZOb_CDJlidN4tJBkYLYs_0Z_cSwLi-iVYnf0jh2wqorX1xvjtprU7_VTN94KMrOY4bzrKIrl_c8AL-MHJ-qaPp8tBCrSEKb2nMifdtQ/s1600/P1040434.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxAp5WLdX_W1At9e7EI5NLECDVAyqH8pI5mdwbZOb_CDJlidN4tJBkYLYs_0Z_cSwLi-iVYnf0jh2wqorX1xvjtprU7_VTN94KMrOY4bzrKIrl_c8AL-MHJ-qaPp8tBCrSEKb2nMifdtQ/s1600/P1040434.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Phil is getting ready for lunch as we skin up the French Glacier.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq_4VNLDsEqnEgczc0SC14bE0ixGIRQnpGJ7PSG3fPo7lHBdCbbCUHQjKeTU8z4QVl3E14FGY6HXrz6vmNDMoMd0YP4bJSmzuinE2X8mcmzPR0TNQ5OLGO1A5ekZ6b0N5X1oIiplHOufc/s1600/P1040445.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq_4VNLDsEqnEgczc0SC14bE0ixGIRQnpGJ7PSG3fPo7lHBdCbbCUHQjKeTU8z4QVl3E14FGY6HXrz6vmNDMoMd0YP4bJSmzuinE2X8mcmzPR0TNQ5OLGO1A5ekZ6b0N5X1oIiplHOufc/s1600/P1040445.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Working our way across the Haig glacier, we were lucky to have spectacular weather and visibility. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHhBkHyyaKq2SQdy4ay1-lNUsxv7bTc_DB4vQ8sUCe8xaqG9ZQgyvHxyP4K2jyCOIlk2h5JuuCu9tygPcjVBrlAXlyEKoY5Kz_4it8-Aq8rPP3jsDpIua01xSVjdSM7xe0Qv2O3YOsV80/s1600/P1040449.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHhBkHyyaKq2SQdy4ay1-lNUsxv7bTc_DB4vQ8sUCe8xaqG9ZQgyvHxyP4K2jyCOIlk2h5JuuCu9tygPcjVBrlAXlyEKoY5Kz_4it8-Aq8rPP3jsDpIua01xSVjdSM7xe0Qv2O3YOsV80/s1600/P1040449.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A little more skinning before the bootpack up to the Col between the Haig and Robertson glaciers.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0pNsUtL0iX-krxx2lhG5FoFiqVX-Wy0Nk2j-gGyACTHv5kLctQO-eXq-rQa3B-hK52dzXvaUP7XpqH_-1_VZkbufVxwu3b3qdp8EOvfdsMG8blSIz68_91uIdjm7FRBfThebO45UT_o4/s1600/P1040452.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0pNsUtL0iX-krxx2lhG5FoFiqVX-Wy0Nk2j-gGyACTHv5kLctQO-eXq-rQa3B-hK52dzXvaUP7XpqH_-1_VZkbufVxwu3b3qdp8EOvfdsMG8blSIz68_91uIdjm7FRBfThebO45UT_o4/s1600/P1040452.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Slightly variable snow conditions but stability was good, and by good I mean bulletproof. </td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie951MjS4xhSFhF0jtSQlYL53HyF3r_anmhvhLpifVFLI1ZXkOwhXiKz-L8YLaB_GlXBiZwqHkWN1_1wdOZ3weT9ATjXnTPrpwfacyIZwf3Ivt0GvrB9H5dVz8wVwNGXLhhA_6PSwrz-s/s1600/P1040457.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie951MjS4xhSFhF0jtSQlYL53HyF3r_anmhvhLpifVFLI1ZXkOwhXiKz-L8YLaB_GlXBiZwqHkWN1_1wdOZ3weT9ATjXnTPrpwfacyIZwf3Ivt0GvrB9H5dVz8wVwNGXLhhA_6PSwrz-s/s1600/P1040457.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The fast descent into the warmer temps led us across some avalanche debris that was at least a few days old.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl0JrcGPZaS8YQv74aW48EQS766x9JnEPP1azTQr7txpcNbV-crxrlFqnA32Fp6G-HbohbJH-s6KapszQXjYl1RP3rRshw4LHDZHpIfcJvh4HD_-brz2cdAnOnQhMlGkGl-i_fNhgCYXM/s1600/P1040479.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl0JrcGPZaS8YQv74aW48EQS766x9JnEPP1azTQr7txpcNbV-crxrlFqnA32Fp6G-HbohbJH-s6KapszQXjYl1RP3rRshw4LHDZHpIfcJvh4HD_-brz2cdAnOnQhMlGkGl-i_fNhgCYXM/s1600/P1040479.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Avalanche conditions were looking good so we Alik and I went out for my 3rd consecutive long and full day, we woke up at 4:30 for the two and a half hour drive up the Icefields Parkway to climb this 700 meter gem called Polar Circus WI4+/5</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMPtSrKfGYLUGXBmcpf-Eghi4VurngVuW-KU91eFCgcMEZCOdCnt4ZwshzAbOhLFsZ-0inSV5_iSddloi1yCzMxv96pEZjPtrmNiHqYXCFdjJFRuGjHNkZg6UmX3eu24Ael11xiK5VofI/s1600/P1040463.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMPtSrKfGYLUGXBmcpf-Eghi4VurngVuW-KU91eFCgcMEZCOdCnt4ZwshzAbOhLFsZ-0inSV5_iSddloi1yCzMxv96pEZjPtrmNiHqYXCFdjJFRuGjHNkZg6UmX3eu24Ael11xiK5VofI/s1600/P1040463.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">First ones on the route since the last storm cycle, here is Alik on lead on pitch 1 after about an hour of wallowing through deep snow and breakable crusts.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJavkznw2kYRyaOOAc6bQSU5JJAd6WT2ujtjo079NpDkl_E8DgLGjNVpApOfEuYFoImDWXClxJGhoCvINlNgLBYYuvjRpu-S_BzShAgUWKDlPi9bGAorE7vHKKnSDXv3MFtYlAC7eO0Yo/s1600/P1040464.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJavkznw2kYRyaOOAc6bQSU5JJAd6WT2ujtjo079NpDkl_E8DgLGjNVpApOfEuYFoImDWXClxJGhoCvINlNgLBYYuvjRpu-S_BzShAgUWKDlPi9bGAorE7vHKKnSDXv3MFtYlAC7eO0Yo/s1600/P1040464.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Alik following up the slightly sun effected but still solid 2nd pitch.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuOtuLkhfjXwTrszafY6BBcKkEVi9nT4U1LMx5sMjqoMoW-BV386psNN5MkV92j-poTEjMSFZHt-UjIKieGKqvgYQ6vzBT6tWfUib0qPy-pU5eFk9dOCb2Xj3_Bh164_bf5El7ZgwXQdg/s1600/IMG_9108.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuOtuLkhfjXwTrszafY6BBcKkEVi9nT4U1LMx5sMjqoMoW-BV386psNN5MkV92j-poTEjMSFZHt-UjIKieGKqvgYQ6vzBT6tWfUib0qPy-pU5eFk9dOCb2Xj3_Bh164_bf5El7ZgwXQdg/s1600/IMG_9108.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The base of the infamous and unformed pencil in the background as I get ready to take over for close to an hour of trying to stay afloat for the snow traverse.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDy0m8O8-rt_Mmc5fQ9JwGVJCfYiDqWSAf9Ugs9EgwL8jNGJM2eRhqBsHRZXRsj7qlJbEYLBERJeCYeoX0SNxOCqaCMesHbGgPWfEY6eFJoc0_fkMd0dXFtd57eDm3Gp_DDm1l68_fVUo/s1600/IMG_9111.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDy0m8O8-rt_Mmc5fQ9JwGVJCfYiDqWSAf9Ugs9EgwL8jNGJM2eRhqBsHRZXRsj7qlJbEYLBERJeCYeoX0SNxOCqaCMesHbGgPWfEY6eFJoc0_fkMd0dXFtd57eDm3Gp_DDm1l68_fVUo/s1600/IMG_9111.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Staring up at the final 4 (better to have done in 5) pitches after finally making it back to firm ground after the snow traverse.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The lovely soaker pitch, luckily the sun came out a little later to help my pants dry. It's hard to see in the picture but this thing was running with water for a good chunk of the way. </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Alik, about half way up the first pitch of the final 100 meter headwall. </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Topping out with a smile!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And happy to be getting off the route before things warm up too much</td></tr>
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After having spent a fair bit of time playing around in the Rockies in the US, I think I finally understand the source of the name now. It's all about the big chunks of rock in Canada. When Robin Williams said that "Canada is like a loft apartment over a really great party", he was clearly thinking of the wrong kind of party for me.</div>
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Next up: Back in the states and heading to Colorado for a level 2 Avalanche course, one of the things that I'll need if and when I start training to become a mountain guide, or wait.... Maybe I've already started?</div>
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ZacksNovakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16556062449567816108noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7383310536483772640.post-84342775561752667282014-02-27T01:06:00.000-05:002014-02-27T01:06:43.320-05:00Fresh places to make some tracksComing up on a month in the states, I booked the ticket just a few days before the flight and though I had considered coming to play for some of the winter in the US, I hadn't really though too seriously about where and what I was going to do. I kinda figured that I'd head to Colorado, pick up my skis and figure out what I want to do from there.<br />
Just before taking off, a friend told me that I should come play in Cody, WY, a place known for its amazing multipitch ice climbing routes, there was a big festival going on and they already had a motel room lined up for a whole bunch of us to crash in. I'm not sure exactly why, I guess even I've got some of the vices of normal people that seem to pull me into routine sometimes, I just felt like I "should" be going back to Colorado, to do more of the stuff that I've done out there already. The Cody Ice Fest was a great catalyst that pulled me away from my creature comforts and into an area unknown to me and even though we didn't really get to climb in Cody to much it started a tumbling snowball that seems to be leading me into new areas that I've been wanting to visit for a long time.<br />
At the moment, I'm about a week into a stay in Bozeman, MT. This place is home to both amazing ice climbing in Hyalite Canyon and spectacular backcountry skiing with conditions that in general are way more stable than the notoriously sketchy Colorado snowpack.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBjDTXRhRC_FwIlgCCwVVdOax-qZ0ULDkfqcYv5oz1Arh9B4LMbW8sGyuRxEh_oWaBsvOUveIsTtJ0A4totL0gH6NttEstpApGT_fnJkrIFfKhlfdY9RFOwpuDHvOV2FOadUmtF4slS2s/s1600/P1040155.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBjDTXRhRC_FwIlgCCwVVdOax-qZ0ULDkfqcYv5oz1Arh9B4LMbW8sGyuRxEh_oWaBsvOUveIsTtJ0A4totL0gH6NttEstpApGT_fnJkrIFfKhlfdY9RFOwpuDHvOV2FOadUmtF4slS2s/s1600/P1040155.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Viviane looking just as disappointed as I was when we decided to bail off a route in Cody before we even started climbing because the temps were rising and rocks were falling in the bowling alley style chimney that we decided not to climb in.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Viviane, Craig and Keenan slugging up the last bit of the approach to Cleopatra's Needle in Hyalite.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me, leading the last little section of the first pitch of Cleo's. Moments after this shot was taken, my right crampon popped off my boot and made for a few interesting moments as I wobbled around, trying to get a screw in calmly so that I could fix my crampon and finish the pitch.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hanging out in the cave while Keenan belays Craig up the crux pitch of Cleo's (WI5)</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nick, getting at it on Ross Peak in the Bridgers right outside of Bozeman</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kyle stopped to scope out the best line.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We all went out skiing in Hyalite this last Saturday and since Nadav forgot to bring a puffy, he decided to get up close to everyone in order to stay warm. Notice the pile of skis on top of eachother.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Speaking of piles, not sure if I've ever seen so many BD poles in one place before.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjudnixWUDxqwovPizR1adm25xjE4Ietv9gqF1yfjej0nAua5CsHPn2a-aFhdvzdD8NHQuyyfk9Uye1sEz1bwdrMho9nl1e7HAZbfW10UrTYwgQhg4PSEdyYmWhNergnPxyj_HXBVvmo84/s1600/P1040251.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjudnixWUDxqwovPizR1adm25xjE4Ietv9gqF1yfjej0nAua5CsHPn2a-aFhdvzdD8NHQuyyfk9Uye1sEz1bwdrMho9nl1e7HAZbfW10UrTYwgQhg4PSEdyYmWhNergnPxyj_HXBVvmo84/s1600/P1040251.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We set out to try and ski Emigrant Peak, above paradise valley on Sunday, this was one of the spots with relatively decent snow coverage, lets just say that Jerusalem had more snow a this winter than some of the spots on Emigrant.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJuNH83MRa9GOmGhFy1w2lJv2sANE-BPWE26OSHtWCyXdiOmN40BG-QjLav3UAl5D8FHkMTx2jRhv2ksMDcHMsJjcJw4e8GzePgMYKLINWi-C42qhaTWHD892gdMmcLkKkQh641s0J2Kc/s1600/P1040275.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJuNH83MRa9GOmGhFy1w2lJv2sANE-BPWE26OSHtWCyXdiOmN40BG-QjLav3UAl5D8FHkMTx2jRhv2ksMDcHMsJjcJw4e8GzePgMYKLINWi-C42qhaTWHD892gdMmcLkKkQh641s0J2Kc/s1600/P1040275.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This however is Ellis peak in the North Gallatin range, no shortage of snow was happening here.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLJEUpUzmTnT5fpyIJD51E9zEzkPxeQUlTgegpQJgKIB0Y81ZIUyXyGngfCrgsCe5_wpVJzWHGk_2Lqir71ixTT-Lgol4lYSuVaomTE7WB5uw72lGCoce7ygvwzQG_0I9eW9XKh8HTOSs/s1600/P1040278.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLJEUpUzmTnT5fpyIJD51E9zEzkPxeQUlTgegpQJgKIB0Y81ZIUyXyGngfCrgsCe5_wpVJzWHGk_2Lqir71ixTT-Lgol4lYSuVaomTE7WB5uw72lGCoce7ygvwzQG_0I9eW9XKh8HTOSs/s1600/P1040278.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ian is skinning up, close to the top of Upper Ellis with the ridge to Lower Ellis standing out in the background and a little bit of Bozeman sticking out on the left.</td></tr>
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Since I've been on the theme of going to check out new places, it looks like the next stop is Canmore! I should be heading into Canada in the next few days so I won't be picking up the phone but should still be having WIFI every once in a while if you need to reach me.<br />
<br />ZacksNovakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16556062449567816108noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7383310536483772640.post-43890025480348906142014-01-30T07:27:00.000-05:002014-01-30T07:27:22.815-05:00Climb4ChangeI spent last Saturday volunteering with <a href="https://www.facebook.com/climb4change" target="_blank">Climb4Change</a>, a new non profit running under the <a href="http://www.ilcc.co.il/" target="_blank">Israel Climbers Club</a> that has been using rock climbing as a platform for coexistence programing with 13-17 year old Arab and Jewish youth. There are few things in the world as good as the feeling of tying in to a rope together in order to create strong bonds between people and I believe that this program can have a true effect on people.<br />
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Here is a short clip from the day I spent with them, it was their first time climbing outdoors after three months of almost weekly meeting in the Jerusalem climbing gym. We spent the day climbing at Zanoah and had a blast!<br />
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The group could really use whatever donations are possible, all of the gear they are using is handy down and loaner gear. If you would like to help out, let me know and I'll put you in touch with the right people.</div>
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On a side note, I'm heading to the state for a few months, so expect to see me driving into Colorado in about a week and a half or so! Will be looking for lots of climbing and skiing partners so start freeing up your calenders, waxing your planks and sharpening your tools!</div>
ZacksNovakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16556062449567816108noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7383310536483772640.post-29631485656972134062014-01-23T13:45:00.001-05:002014-01-23T13:46:35.826-05:00Taking the... um... Climbers out for a walkBy most standards I've been climbing for a pretty healthy portion of my life, doing my best to keep progressing with this pursuit that has become such a defining chunk of my identity. Some of you may know this already but back in 2009 I started a new journey into my climbing when I enrolled in the Climbing Guides course that was being run by what was still the Israel Alpine Club at the time. The course was divided into two parts, a prep stage where we learned advance rescue techniques and the actual course that we had to pass a rigorous exam in order to continue on to. I successfully passed the midway exam on my first go and informed the director of the tour guides course that I was also enrolled in at the time that I was going to be gone for about a month because of my sister Kaziah's Bat Mitzvah in DC, for those of you that don't calculate travel times the way I do, it looks something like this: 1 Bat Mitzvah weekend + 2 days of international air travel + a little climbing = 1 Month :)<br />
Only that about a week into my trip I was up climbing in the Gunks and took a big fall where I broke my ankle and was eventually instructed not to lead climb for 18 months! 18 months sounded like a lifetime and ended up feeling like one too. During that time I met Erin and Sam that was cycling around the Asia and the Middle East on their <a href="http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/?doc_id=3259">honeymoon to remember</a>. They inspired me to go on a bike ride that lasted five month, crossed eight counties and brought to the creation of this very blog that I have been doing my best at updating periodically ever since.<br />
Riding a bike for five months gave me lots of time to contemplate just about anything and everything possible, amongst these was the thought of a couple of large bins worth of climbing gear that I may never actually get back to using, I ran through questions in my head like; Will my ankle be strong enough to ever risk a fall again? Will I ever find the calm needed to act deliberately while knowing that I could fall and keep my cool? Even if I do heal up right will I still be drawn toward the sharp end of the rope and climbing as I had come to know and love it?<br />
After returning to Israel it took me some time to ease my way back into climbing but when it did eventually happen I found myself in a clearer place than I had ever been where I was doing things in a fully deliberate manner and had a much more complete awareness of the risks I chose to take.<br />
The Israel Alpine Club had since become the <a href="http://www.ilcc.co.il/">Israel Climbers Club</a>, possibly because of the lack of an alpine environment in Israel, and as demand has risen again, it became time to open a new climbing guides course and I decided to re-enroll and pickup where I had dropped off.<br />
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Here are some pictures of the ten days that I spent in Jordan recently, 4 of them were part of the guides course.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimkY2nhffEJwAAbw1MmO5vnkStEhKxcPKfZWJdEoXE_WzMpjRh32hVAQVf9vGNdG6Xi7nnBsY25cY5wBsailDkJude_ZgZLdhJ4FgoElCXyBKq52lSnHlRTDcM3oowhCunAqdjSBeQo5A/s1600/P1030904.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimkY2nhffEJwAAbw1MmO5vnkStEhKxcPKfZWJdEoXE_WzMpjRh32hVAQVf9vGNdG6Xi7nnBsY25cY5wBsailDkJude_ZgZLdhJ4FgoElCXyBKq52lSnHlRTDcM3oowhCunAqdjSBeQo5A/s1600/P1030904.JPG" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Haggai and I volunteered to mentor Benji and Yuki for a day or two before the course started, so this is Benji tying in to three ropes so that he can mock lead an actual trad route in Wadi Rum.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Benji, leading the awesome crack pitch on Little Beauty</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvCdu22Tvmbf9Pzrvv1SFzOmlK1En4kdM-bVSXlf0GtCuDdSzgmG3b9x9Mrl8EItDlHw5niMWJQBGf8NtD9IacVRq1PWTziKp3H-b267_vBhgImDc0NvtljOVvrCjY5UXRHBQu9yYG-G8/s1600/P1030939.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvCdu22Tvmbf9Pzrvv1SFzOmlK1En4kdM-bVSXlf0GtCuDdSzgmG3b9x9Mrl8EItDlHw5niMWJQBGf8NtD9IacVRq1PWTziKp3H-b267_vBhgImDc0NvtljOVvrCjY5UXRHBQu9yYG-G8/s1600/P1030939.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Standing on the top of the Volcanic Tower after climbing First Road (300m T.D.), Haggai and I looked over at all the snow that was still on top of Jabel Rum from the storm a few days earlier</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD8XE3bcdsTYXGUuzPZacCNpJw1zZFZujX49vzkn4gF67atbMtrjc_ivms87laL2SgoUca9K-u0xn1fV5c3tZzFqAqCEA43XONaWPuE1frE4tq_3l9DIebH2YLhnKGEewOCqC7m6U4UAY/s1600/P1030952.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD8XE3bcdsTYXGUuzPZacCNpJw1zZFZujX49vzkn4gF67atbMtrjc_ivms87laL2SgoUca9K-u0xn1fV5c3tZzFqAqCEA43XONaWPuE1frE4tq_3l9DIebH2YLhnKGEewOCqC7m6U4UAY/s1600/P1030952.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Patric in the yellowish puffy was our official delegation from the UIAA that came to approve that the course is up to European standards.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5yNJTzM9vRZc7BtnQRQXQrBGFLHbIHsjJPqPW3Fs0X8G6PmVFcowWw6YMSr_K6ibhgarGfPQOMXZqIvvqb9V3ZkebzB-RrfHOYzaQSkI5ZI54O6sUssXCpoErcVhyphenhyphenRDjQ2SurRYZxka0/s1600/P1030996.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5yNJTzM9vRZc7BtnQRQXQrBGFLHbIHsjJPqPW3Fs0X8G6PmVFcowWw6YMSr_K6ibhgarGfPQOMXZqIvvqb9V3ZkebzB-RrfHOYzaQSkI5ZI54O6sUssXCpoErcVhyphenhyphenRDjQ2SurRYZxka0/s1600/P1030996.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wadi Rum will forever remain the place with great walls and amazing sand dunes where I first realized the true difference in skill sets between expert climber and expert guide.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDcvROP6VsUOkVVzszuv-PEXKySHl_ctdsjW_-nXTDgbJhgA5lBtomSOsI7CyvnVrLS6X9uNEVg-9uYemCltKM-lcK2Y58GddrfjS2RtxcTwCnSyBqWwdTyYLXZyU1gofweX-w1eKjgbA/s1600/P1040017.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDcvROP6VsUOkVVzszuv-PEXKySHl_ctdsjW_-nXTDgbJhgA5lBtomSOsI7CyvnVrLS6X9uNEVg-9uYemCltKM-lcK2Y58GddrfjS2RtxcTwCnSyBqWwdTyYLXZyU1gofweX-w1eKjgbA/s1600/P1040017.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">As climbers, we are used to being with partners of relatively similar comfort levels, walking on easy terrain with serious consequences is usually done unprotected with the confidence that each climber is responsible for himself.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPOziOsCm82Sh2HtiRCXiBWTKxO_ia_fCm0kDfaApayPKOjR6nP9o3cs8V0f0yTHMPU5P-PdelE-kP2s4XBwe37QKWYpDOaHlEOTctuuzEfdWZOesV6C1JDCQ81oxTLvCbCUoJdZBvdns/s1600/2013-12-20+08.32.30.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPOziOsCm82Sh2HtiRCXiBWTKxO_ia_fCm0kDfaApayPKOjR6nP9o3cs8V0f0yTHMPU5P-PdelE-kP2s4XBwe37QKWYpDOaHlEOTctuuzEfdWZOesV6C1JDCQ81oxTLvCbCUoJdZBvdns/s1600/2013-12-20+08.32.30.jpg" height="298" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">As a guide you need to be confident in yourself and at the same time able to protect your client so that if he takes that wrong step, you are there to correct it quickly and prevent a little stumble from turning into a catastrophic plunge. As you can see from the picture, Nadav is demonstrating what a client with a seriously underdeveloped survival instinct might behave like at the wrong moment while I'm working hard at keeping him alive.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Omer Shavit is playing client on our day of rock instructing training where we practiced the art of taking a long multi pitch climb and turning it into a running lesson in rope work and climbing technique.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7ihWDyKCtNhvk5ZuIGNcuk8EC6sfIFbJ_vA4l5ysukXPBt8frS0OUgKSXu5lBGrK96ngbIiVB-XeOSSkCvGNywjLvFO8jcchcdWmr4oo4SHMgjjyJ9qwhQO2nwcnv9icZ8ZmCURjz2dA/s1600/P1040089.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7ihWDyKCtNhvk5ZuIGNcuk8EC6sfIFbJ_vA4l5ysukXPBt8frS0OUgKSXu5lBGrK96ngbIiVB-XeOSSkCvGNywjLvFO8jcchcdWmr4oo4SHMgjjyJ9qwhQO2nwcnv9icZ8ZmCURjz2dA/s1600/P1040089.JPG" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is me leading the final pitch of The Pillar of Wisdom on our day of practicing Rock Guiding with Elad Omer.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBtn_kOfiuRYF2mcKVpc1YwRafj7KtPMdW589X6bKX-J1NziTXhNckjPViAv0EGDj8KLNHY6luRkhKAkFqwbqUNfCkCBeY71Da5prVDWQNxMucbEaxEQ1hIQEFxdRVpRRW81EtzO-l41U/s1600/P1040035.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBtn_kOfiuRYF2mcKVpc1YwRafj7KtPMdW589X6bKX-J1NziTXhNckjPViAv0EGDj8KLNHY6luRkhKAkFqwbqUNfCkCBeY71Da5prVDWQNxMucbEaxEQ1hIQEFxdRVpRRW81EtzO-l41U/s1600/P1040035.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nadav honing his shortroping skills as he practices taking in the rope hand over hand for his mock client Tal Niv, the first and only Israeli to have received full certification as an international mountain guide (IFMGA) to date.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAw_23ReAUoxgmoZeP6r48xMvzV7F1ib_hMC3-qA1hD5KoaBHqTg8gjlhSNno4LJxDFfSx9CvPELaFEusIuDmqHvtVirL-CdfavTQQ8jL0djsK8CpgoDJtj9OtsAlqWijMj-7RkxMDjnQ/s1600/P1040038.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAw_23ReAUoxgmoZeP6r48xMvzV7F1ib_hMC3-qA1hD5KoaBHqTg8gjlhSNno4LJxDFfSx9CvPELaFEusIuDmqHvtVirL-CdfavTQQ8jL0djsK8CpgoDJtj9OtsAlqWijMj-7RkxMDjnQ/s1600/P1040038.JPG" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I'm trying to hide from the desert sun while taking my.... um.... climbers out for a walk on a shortrope.</td></tr>
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Fifteen days of apprenticeship and one final exam to go, five years after first setting out to become a Rock Guide, I will hopefully be completing my goal. After that, it will be time to find a new goal to chase and the ideas are already starting to brew.<br />
<br />ZacksNovakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16556062449567816108noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7383310536483772640.post-68247046401254851462013-12-13T18:15:00.000-05:002013-12-13T18:33:07.310-05:00Freshies in the Holy LandOne of the most frequent questions that I get asked as a tour guide and world traveller by random people that are curious about making a trip to Israel is, <i>What's the weather like and when's the best time to visit?</i><br />
So, normally I tell them that the weather is good most of the year and that even the winters really are not that bad, but it can be rainy.... If anyone of the people that I have said this to happens to be visiting this week then I deeply apologize!<br />
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For those of you that may not know this, I have been taking care of one of the most amazing canines on the face of the planet for the last few months, her name is Dizzy and she is my Brothers dog. He has moved to NYC for grad school at Colombia and I have been working on getting her back in shape before she moves to New York in January with Aaron.<br />
This Wednesday night, after three straight days of rain here in Jerusalem and really short walks just to let her get her business done, I recognized her need to let loose a bit. So when I got home from the climbing gym at close to midnight in the pouring rain, I put on the best rain gear I could find and took her out to Gan Sacher, the big park across from my apartment. The middle of the park had essentially become a nice long and shallow lake and the second I let Dizzy off the leash, she starting bolting up and down and every which way around the park, running in circles and rolling around in the freezing water.<br />
I had concluded at this point that, in my opinion, it wasn't cold enough for it to snow like the forecasters thought it would (something we hear about almost every year in Jerusalem and more times then not, ends up being a joke). I went to bed around two AM, knowing that my plans to go climbing in Jordan had been postponed and I could sleep in the next morning.<br />
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I wake up to a call from a friend about work and amongst other things, he asks me how the snow is? I replied in a mildly cynical response, <i>what snow? </i>I of course had still been in bed at 11am when I answered the phone, but after hanging up, I figured I should lift my head up and look out the little window.<br />
Well, not only did it snow, it snowed more that I can remember it snowing in Jerusalem since the famous snow week of the winter of 91'/92'!<br />
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Turns out Dizzy is a total snowdog!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW1lidXTYeWCz9uOW-qpjRiKPN9EEtgNMcEe6At88GJlIKPTgyKt54tmOnH1QGzVauy2U4eWVFID5eeOv_Vn6klBY2lrLIUcx5NT2rb5E5PoD01_BmfK9cIx4JZlkY3AegIqstRgjeuxE/s1600/P1030874.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW1lidXTYeWCz9uOW-qpjRiKPN9EEtgNMcEe6At88GJlIKPTgyKt54tmOnH1QGzVauy2U4eWVFID5eeOv_Vn6klBY2lrLIUcx5NT2rb5E5PoD01_BmfK9cIx4JZlkY3AegIqstRgjeuxE/s1600/P1030874.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dizzy was making fresh tracks well after noon! that is way better than any of the Vail resorts if you ask me, especially considering, Jerusalem only gets a powder day like this every ten years or so!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1ytD8Y_bkLDwtpGhPJrfdgKZZ9MSFbHWlq37opmv0sGHmKJgWRVAqvox4NXe6jN9swPL9kmU1AQ2gfTiiuIyl3CL3s25gqnJEnrwLSoR2WYv_zPQrODip80FNFoAavWcUYO6QWAi1RVI/s1600/P1030877.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1ytD8Y_bkLDwtpGhPJrfdgKZZ9MSFbHWlq37opmv0sGHmKJgWRVAqvox4NXe6jN9swPL9kmU1AQ2gfTiiuIyl3CL3s25gqnJEnrwLSoR2WYv_zPQrODip80FNFoAavWcUYO6QWAi1RVI/s1600/P1030877.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Snow covered Monastery of the Cross</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9YL4zyIcDKfzLDFDgBuFvqgI5pXeLdu_-lN51e11HKKMbQoWM2zUOYG67b5enildddFBtCrwEyDXXlbcRgK3t5kD9yf3l0yE_Sv_KljSuAVyzKEZHF52N0jxCij2SNDve45yGvbuBrYU/s1600/P1030881.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9YL4zyIcDKfzLDFDgBuFvqgI5pXeLdu_-lN51e11HKKMbQoWM2zUOYG67b5enildddFBtCrwEyDXXlbcRgK3t5kD9yf3l0yE_Sv_KljSuAVyzKEZHF52N0jxCij2SNDve45yGvbuBrYU/s1600/P1030881.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mahane Yehuda Market</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_XAaquihpaimedKu-YtI_Q24LaAIP6-3TVnxG9t-Ei_4VtYyll6hnsK5de_5FxzZ9GnsRyecJKWh-Bxrcnjmqr8sHnaPg7tg2T8KQ1bOwizN2TcnXrP7vO67hHuSld-6q1jKpWXD1AmQ/s1600/P1030883.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_XAaquihpaimedKu-YtI_Q24LaAIP6-3TVnxG9t-Ei_4VtYyll6hnsK5de_5FxzZ9GnsRyecJKWh-Bxrcnjmqr8sHnaPg7tg2T8KQ1bOwizN2TcnXrP7vO67hHuSld-6q1jKpWXD1AmQ/s1600/P1030883.JPG" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dizzy is taking a break from the snow on Orens carpet. The whole snow day thing was awesome, every time I got a little cold, another friend was hanging out at home and had a pot full of soup to share</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2IfO0jywq7cZDNdQHUWgX96qLUBTIzvJ2tconFXpCJSnbNUm-_7Ukkl542oP2eEswWe8NwXVlm453Gi0jbgSKVZk5pKISFfUHVfPtVnLFcJwQjNE8-SUgbU8_XbHhVedHN_UpXVrcVeg/s1600/P1030884.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2IfO0jywq7cZDNdQHUWgX96qLUBTIzvJ2tconFXpCJSnbNUm-_7Ukkl542oP2eEswWe8NwXVlm453Gi0jbgSKVZk5pKISFfUHVfPtVnLFcJwQjNE8-SUgbU8_XbHhVedHN_UpXVrcVeg/s1600/P1030884.JPG" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Oren's attempts at riding his bike in the snow were about as successful as my attempts of taking a picture of him.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiie31TO_qr4fn_h98E1zESgTmAOfhVl2uAzLUK42aOvtea2rYHB4Y9f7Mw4lXTTBEpnirpuFxjB3zrl4q1qTm3Mr335_n4a-Iv8gLPQ66fx9P-ykDiLL8VpvwcUc413TmEOBph0vvgRbs/s1600/P1030892.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiie31TO_qr4fn_h98E1zESgTmAOfhVl2uAzLUK42aOvtea2rYHB4Y9f7Mw4lXTTBEpnirpuFxjB3zrl4q1qTm3Mr335_n4a-Iv8gLPQ66fx9P-ykDiLL8VpvwcUc413TmEOBph0vvgRbs/s1600/P1030892.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dizzy on the other hand, discovered that she can fly! (at least between funny moments of postholing)</td></tr>
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It's supposed to keep snowing through the night with totals for the three days coming in at about a meter (3ft). My main conclusion is that Dizzy is not meant for middle eastern climates, she has run more in the last two and a half days than I have seen her run in the last two years combined and every time we head back outside, she just keeps going. So, as sad as it's going to be to see her go, I think the climate in NY might be better suited for her anyways (at least in the winter).<br />
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<span id="goog_2044953670"></span><span id="goog_2044953671"></span><br />ZacksNovakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16556062449567816108noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7383310536483772640.post-28965558792213790582013-11-28T05:18:00.004-05:002013-11-28T05:18:55.790-05:00Wild Wild TurkeysThe world of bloggers and blog readers has spoken and informed me that short posts are good posts!<br />
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While looking for partners to climb with on the east coast a few weeks ago, I got a phone call from my friend Alison that said she desperately needed a partner in Red Rocks (think Vegas) and would be happy to pick me up from the airport if I could make it out there. Twelve hours after the call, I canceled my partners that I had just found for climbing in North Carolina and hopped on a van to the airport in the middle of the night for a flight to Vegas.<br />
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By that evening I was on the rock in the desert already and enjoying perfect weather, without having to wait around for it for a week or two like you do out east.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0K4H90bVYA63Qqiazg9M0e8DMRkhVK32IooXzE6fzHTHfvqOs7rL40OT4yYcTmMGwtKs2DCYq8DTkGMv3gLJyp6diZ2K7qgSUmKZfF_PJV8y2BERmWr1BnteM_LiF9Gc6GCE9bn6kU48/s1600/P1030711.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0K4H90bVYA63Qqiazg9M0e8DMRkhVK32IooXzE6fzHTHfvqOs7rL40OT4yYcTmMGwtKs2DCYq8DTkGMv3gLJyp6diZ2K7qgSUmKZfF_PJV8y2BERmWr1BnteM_LiF9Gc6GCE9bn6kU48/s400/P1030711.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Alison, coming up the first pitch of Saddle Up, a really fun route that I found on Mountain Project after showing up at the base of Myster Z to find a bunch of parties already on it. We got to that base of this thing and saw someone on it and it turns out that it was the guy that had done the first ascent of it back in the spring. He promised that he would be fast and really wanted us to get on it too because it had probably only seen one other ascent before that day.<br />So if you're looking for a cool 5.9ish alternative to take you up to Brownstone wall, this is a pretty cool option.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizd_I4ZufMq3BCT84L2Kl2UDv42fX8YIoA4gySzeaj0RD7re_7OArFN81yPRt_DhoqDntTTKKYHA5l4geUEpOijm3jx8oobaL2kgfzUGjoETUnOw07BV9DiuAThJ1QLzsSGpVe4bFxdBE/s1600/P1030733.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizd_I4ZufMq3BCT84L2Kl2UDv42fX8YIoA4gySzeaj0RD7re_7OArFN81yPRt_DhoqDntTTKKYHA5l4geUEpOijm3jx8oobaL2kgfzUGjoETUnOw07BV9DiuAThJ1QLzsSGpVe4bFxdBE/s400/P1030733.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Viviane following me up the wide 5.10a pitch on Dream of Wild Turkeys, I guess I had to put up a picture of the route on ThanksGivvukkah </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJcUenmNR19OGGx56zLRsh39cGtIeLJ6wPZ5mxXgiLDrZZOfvyhqSGY9VtxTJhLEZjez7NPKxFEqH6X_m8hYPEGO8W24zAOR-ID-PthIz4Uk1QKhmNDwQQA7aebH17yyU2URuIPtxAF28/s1600/P1030743.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJcUenmNR19OGGx56zLRsh39cGtIeLJ6wPZ5mxXgiLDrZZOfvyhqSGY9VtxTJhLEZjez7NPKxFEqH6X_m8hYPEGO8W24zAOR-ID-PthIz4Uk1QKhmNDwQQA7aebH17yyU2URuIPtxAF28/s400/P1030743.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Matching Shoe Product Placement Shot (even though I'm not getting a thing from Sprotiva for this, Howsabout a discount on my next pair?)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFg296joN9aquZ19Lefk5UsagWcEW4t17ezOIzBQP4pssmgfcmwCz-O3EV5Z7-rYnLJK1iQpaOdVjuHI98oyWI5UzsPVYAHJiKRqKmOCRdRPDWWQ0NJu_j4sHATfXobLCoFrkifoVrN48/s1600/P1030750.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFg296joN9aquZ19Lefk5UsagWcEW4t17ezOIzBQP4pssmgfcmwCz-O3EV5Z7-rYnLJK1iQpaOdVjuHI98oyWI5UzsPVYAHJiKRqKmOCRdRPDWWQ0NJu_j4sHATfXobLCoFrkifoVrN48/s400/P1030750.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My efforts to hang my PB and fake Nutella sandwich out of reach turned out to be nothing more that a joke to Red Rock Squirrels</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4PPsr55UbdS7OyoDlCCKJkfkgZNYRHsRbZwTTJcgjKqQaFS7Z5S1z00u5tYkz8bwa8skLzfd_piXJL2QlUhFK3tgYL05Aqi-fgkSPdc-FItsqdYW3k8pCStnSB5zdX7nG9n-yv4aoAT8/s1600/P1030772.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4PPsr55UbdS7OyoDlCCKJkfkgZNYRHsRbZwTTJcgjKqQaFS7Z5S1z00u5tYkz8bwa8skLzfd_piXJL2QlUhFK3tgYL05Aqi-fgkSPdc-FItsqdYW3k8pCStnSB5zdX7nG9n-yv4aoAT8/s400/P1030772.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Viviane on the top pitch of Y2K</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHfLPL4m_iTIExe5brJdeFptvwBMT1sJ72e6iGrRaD1-_PhKrFPuHJNkAgjlZmd8YI9lBrGUZ_DByb1YyNhaMqRmYmgD5lVyg09QVnt0_qVKsfWuucfPWlpPdecJrHqx3QyqJlgcxOZf4/s1600/DSC01998.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHfLPL4m_iTIExe5brJdeFptvwBMT1sJ72e6iGrRaD1-_PhKrFPuHJNkAgjlZmd8YI9lBrGUZ_DByb1YyNhaMqRmYmgD5lVyg09QVnt0_qVKsfWuucfPWlpPdecJrHqx3QyqJlgcxOZf4/s400/DSC01998.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Great shot that I'm taking the liberty to post even though it came off of Viviane's camera</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjotGEVf9pYwiFBeVe76yY5WFb2zb27k6axk6vSly8Io2fehptH8aJsUqwKEYahuzURjQaQk-IwKMQPorSNvoTFtkYnHllpnJArgdLpFW5kpP-MbOEU_oPFyaF82i20ADrihyab7Krwpro/s1600/DSC02018.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjotGEVf9pYwiFBeVe76yY5WFb2zb27k6axk6vSly8Io2fehptH8aJsUqwKEYahuzURjQaQk-IwKMQPorSNvoTFtkYnHllpnJArgdLpFW5kpP-MbOEU_oPFyaF82i20ADrihyab7Krwpro/s400/DSC02018.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Water break?</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK86xQO2dYE5rGeGQOWQ6VjB2n5ChjRi6gU748o-pvHMXTOA31RQPrx7DPkyyy1n-5QFjOdrZXdafdVXtekExAKrrQxHA48Z2V219XsxsyV1gO2JH19z7Y_WpINkiCFQt0A_MhA2uEut4/s1600/P1030782.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK86xQO2dYE5rGeGQOWQ6VjB2n5ChjRi6gU748o-pvHMXTOA31RQPrx7DPkyyy1n-5QFjOdrZXdafdVXtekExAKrrQxHA48Z2V219XsxsyV1gO2JH19z7Y_WpINkiCFQt0A_MhA2uEut4/s400/P1030782.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jubilant Song</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieLlSCjgWxeEJ34Q-v_irZwKtEVD2Mo4LRERAOz5WxfUcrnsjdRGiUgBHkNPnrpibvdB5S9aKk3tTw5V4AgDbZlqNRlCF7bmkLEzPj4_BG2vWU8oLwT4rHhWFpEJVYeYICcRCZwFPmFD0/s1600/DSC02052.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieLlSCjgWxeEJ34Q-v_irZwKtEVD2Mo4LRERAOz5WxfUcrnsjdRGiUgBHkNPnrpibvdB5S9aKk3tTw5V4AgDbZlqNRlCF7bmkLEzPj4_BG2vWU8oLwT4rHhWFpEJVYeYICcRCZwFPmFD0/s400/DSC02052.JPG" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">That's me following Mike up or rather through the first pitch of Community pillar, This was only the first of many funky squeeze through moves that we did that day.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcnoueD-UM36wSjfDA5nJnHpDLousalRth5RMejQipJI3KYXKg_Le1alEoWO3-3PNZ8r8eLhk0ONcKZFkZX3Rd8YhIny6mL40AmwD9rV47HJqgvMjWTJgLOpOITGjomFRZk5O9p1FQLDw/s1600/P1030802.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcnoueD-UM36wSjfDA5nJnHpDLousalRth5RMejQipJI3KYXKg_Le1alEoWO3-3PNZ8r8eLhk0ONcKZFkZX3Rd8YhIny6mL40AmwD9rV47HJqgvMjWTJgLOpOITGjomFRZk5O9p1FQLDw/s400/P1030802.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Viviane worming her way out of the first pitch, I really should have caught this on video because the pictures just don't do it justice.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEJDHqdmi2I7xEDGocnL3pAgGutR1JT02BKaQ11agOHPEHgjxr_r4nxKJzmE1lR-w7Rp0x_SgQ6pNeOrdFFjEcG_vdkrXm3rzKWmlnJ_2u9c2Wc0a4oZ5XG7fBvOGrJ9zGJ3p27rAQUsk/s1600/DSC02061.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEJDHqdmi2I7xEDGocnL3pAgGutR1JT02BKaQ11agOHPEHgjxr_r4nxKJzmE1lR-w7Rp0x_SgQ6pNeOrdFFjEcG_vdkrXm3rzKWmlnJ_2u9c2Wc0a4oZ5XG7fBvOGrJ9zGJ3p27rAQUsk/s400/DSC02061.JPG" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Linking pitches led me to belay in a very awkward slot, you can see my legs coming out of the darkness of the chimney, Had I enough rope, I could have continued another 5 meters to a super comfy ledge but this allowed for some funny pictures so I guess that's cool too.</td></tr>
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All in all, an awesome week and a half of climbing in the desert with great friends, old and new!<br />
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Now that I am back in Israel I've been doing a lot of thinking and I'm pretty sure that one of my goals for the next few years is going to be simple. Spend as much time in the mountains and on the rocks as I can because everything else just feels a little too small to be worth the time.<br />
Still not sure what this is going to manifest into but whatever it is, I'm sure it's going to be fun!<br />
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I wish you all a very happy HanukaGiving and may you be like the Maccabee and not like the Turkey!<br />
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<br />ZacksNovakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16556062449567816108noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7383310536483772640.post-71563148612755804622013-11-05T09:54:00.001-05:002013-11-06T15:46:15.430-05:00Eastern EndeavorsRandomly surfing the net the other day, I stumbled upon a <a href="http://www.thecleanestline.com/2012/07/indian-creek-reflection-before-it-all-slips-away.html">blog about the perfection of Indian Creek</a> that was amazingly written and talked about a lot of ideas that I'm often thinking about in life. Ideas about how some places are so perfect that they feel like home when you get there and in this case, referring to the Creek, how after only a few days you can find yourself so destroyed physically that you have to go take a break from your paradise to recharge. This tapped into the feeling I have a lot of the time where on one shoulder I have a little devil telling me to keep climbing and doing what I love and on the other shoulder, a much bigger devil telling me to go live a "normal and productive life" where I only get to do the things I love some of the time and not most of it.<br />
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What really got me about that blog though was the mention of feeling the need to blog about what you are up to in life. Calling it a debrief and recognizing something that I had never put into words before, the fact that writing or blogging is a form of secondary processing for our amazing things that we get to do outdoors and it helps us to appreciate them that much more than if we just run from one goal to the next without stopping. </div>
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I guess all of this was a pretty long winded way of my saying that I suddenly realized that it has been a long time since I last wrote anything here and it is time for me to get back into things.<br />
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The combination of me being back in a Climbing guides certification program in Israel (UIAA) and my recently coming out of a relationship made the ideas of travelling to the US to spend time with my Dad on his 60th Bday a no brainer and turned into a month and a half trip made up of some family time and lots and lots of climbing.<br />
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Before I left for the states though I managed to sneak in a 5 day quicky to Wadi Rum, Jordan </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg98YQO1_YaUV4iY7vfaS1MN1jWybiSjYUFupxlxeoibzbXhSRAyC0pr90D87tEoHzjnDuhOY28FwfCGaFaC_siT8Gk9AhYTKqENRXzSYvw7ij-xQDByTaZbk-Hn4y4Py0kUhsf16tvvtg/s1600/P1030342.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg98YQO1_YaUV4iY7vfaS1MN1jWybiSjYUFupxlxeoibzbXhSRAyC0pr90D87tEoHzjnDuhOY28FwfCGaFaC_siT8Gk9AhYTKqENRXzSYvw7ij-xQDByTaZbk-Hn4y4Py0kUhsf16tvvtg/s400/P1030342.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Looking over from Mira Kouhry towards the village of Rum, I spotted this awesome Gargoyle like formation that I just had to snap a shot of.</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ4hzVYzb5NXf8a3eJ9xFKv_g20nZJuavb4cDipvT3JnR1rqzF-J_SIEO12mVlMFBnIbUJIsG1Q4KoUPKB-WcZZZdsFfvcxwTdA-h0v7nPGv8a6mtZu5FVmnZFt71OV0_XOijJNtHLaqQ/s1600/P1030355.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ4hzVYzb5NXf8a3eJ9xFKv_g20nZJuavb4cDipvT3JnR1rqzF-J_SIEO12mVlMFBnIbUJIsG1Q4KoUPKB-WcZZZdsFfvcxwTdA-h0v7nPGv8a6mtZu5FVmnZFt71OV0_XOijJNtHLaqQ/s400/P1030355.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKD4HSvtp-b80DkDr8b3ZxhJRNrZOBN6OHMBlPSgXVPQyNjdw3mCHfdRFwWBRSxGMOWJ7Y56sUff5ybP8eiO1QSgMYHQF1_pwFRIfADZX8mPKJEwdbWcBmoqjWzWWNvzCK0jPawsaHvWc/s1600/P1030384.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKD4HSvtp-b80DkDr8b3ZxhJRNrZOBN6OHMBlPSgXVPQyNjdw3mCHfdRFwWBRSxGMOWJ7Y56sUff5ybP8eiO1QSgMYHQF1_pwFRIfADZX8mPKJEwdbWcBmoqjWzWWNvzCK0jPawsaHvWc/s400/P1030384.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Looking up at Merlin's Wand in Barrah Canyon, you can't even see Matan, Eliah and Avichai up on the last pitch unless you zoom in!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJN_jE7PTnT09x1iTmqc_w0-HXmPE-225BDo8qELUwdg9hUyV-EsHm8E3UkXaGJg8zvAToplo7kyDEa3WmTIX-ExdRil-LN7prj_Pzoy3KyPoLUM0PPSHhwOfxYd_8E84Y_rLL9Fz3Owo/s1600/P1030388.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJN_jE7PTnT09x1iTmqc_w0-HXmPE-225BDo8qELUwdg9hUyV-EsHm8E3UkXaGJg8zvAToplo7kyDEa3WmTIX-ExdRil-LN7prj_Pzoy3KyPoLUM0PPSHhwOfxYd_8E84Y_rLL9Fz3Owo/s400/P1030388.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Views of Barrah Canyon where we spent two days hanging out and climbing</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirRb5r5OC0oACPkIl4_dagGxDTRpY_o9Vn5vCN3cCiCIOpCHYYEZKHgeauRgdOPchQRRFcKlUutza152VC4Q2WQdpNdbIbdYolhgLJInq2ZsDytEXNb0-vpung9q-Y8xZ1I4RzMg-QsL8/s1600/P1030390.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirRb5r5OC0oACPkIl4_dagGxDTRpY_o9Vn5vCN3cCiCIOpCHYYEZKHgeauRgdOPchQRRFcKlUutza152VC4Q2WQdpNdbIbdYolhgLJInq2ZsDytEXNb0-vpung9q-Y8xZ1I4RzMg-QsL8/s400/P1030390.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me, Following Dov up the first pitch of Merlin's wand with my tape glove made out of 5 year old tape that subsequently fell to pieces the second I started sweating.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-YZAD77F80B_AcPYSe7A7AKA-GrX-1QrDf2dAR_c7SA8bbLD7gCKvidO1mNGmRPV4g5SBoJVBB3dQIVbqO3RnOktNWRaNPOVvrJsHPHSACTgHUoModbrelnM6d_ZqdhPL7IIj5qe27xg/s1600/P1030409.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-YZAD77F80B_AcPYSe7A7AKA-GrX-1QrDf2dAR_c7SA8bbLD7gCKvidO1mNGmRPV4g5SBoJVBB3dQIVbqO3RnOktNWRaNPOVvrJsHPHSACTgHUoModbrelnM6d_ZqdhPL7IIj5qe27xg/s400/P1030409.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dov Crushing it!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXs6X6y-_b_dwLRXgzL0Oa-F2-GGtM1upIAgCD7zWydjZuPPZjv29RqkenAUpUooVEdMpzzEYJZJSMtSbqhUFnBU1WbiFBR7Rvwky3DXEpgnjyDUXc4Nf6cwPt9IMhWfVifjL253c_WLw/s1600/P1030414.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXs6X6y-_b_dwLRXgzL0Oa-F2-GGtM1upIAgCD7zWydjZuPPZjv29RqkenAUpUooVEdMpzzEYJZJSMtSbqhUFnBU1WbiFBR7Rvwky3DXEpgnjyDUXc4Nf6cwPt9IMhWfVifjL253c_WLw/s400/P1030414.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">When we got a flat right outside of the village on our way back to the guest house, Our Beduin driver realized he had given his tools to his brother the week before and never gotten them back.... This is after the "backup" drove in to give a hand with the swap/</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ7GLZq8-SoGnr7tYUqOB6BcSKLwZVnLLnWotBKjGwFOt6oow30lL6wrivIOtloILYmx3JvBqbl6jUHoo1xKC_KRJVbNMj47QuNN5J3zECnp2VLst_P25WmeedKQIjnlOOT1k9lQSCOE0/s1600/P1030420.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ7GLZq8-SoGnr7tYUqOB6BcSKLwZVnLLnWotBKjGwFOt6oow30lL6wrivIOtloILYmx3JvBqbl6jUHoo1xKC_KRJVbNMj47QuNN5J3zECnp2VLst_P25WmeedKQIjnlOOT1k9lQSCOE0/s400/P1030420.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dinner of Champions!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9V3b7VLjg0jz7xjkX53lJ0hPaEeO6nyEzD-z1iHqle_mGpOZHxZahxhqqA8SLyUPceHhNklR-Ip6rC1Hb9pL5kGOciq8kMaVBKDjJLGt6T3HIk1_w4YbLUvmUxvOEpT3zbohtnvipObM/s1600/P1030436.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9V3b7VLjg0jz7xjkX53lJ0hPaEeO6nyEzD-z1iHqle_mGpOZHxZahxhqqA8SLyUPceHhNklR-Ip6rC1Hb9pL5kGOciq8kMaVBKDjJLGt6T3HIk1_w4YbLUvmUxvOEpT3zbohtnvipObM/s400/P1030436.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Big jump to a week and a half later at Seneca Rocks, West Virginia. Simone follows me up to the south summit on the easy but exposed Gunsight direct. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9IHY0-V1iJTpES_LHyIOwygNTE2aOn_7o-wyJjULlYS5KdUyuwNHNJiXvYikBQ6DYCsL8IQIOEO4LWcp1gdjwZoOhJ-s8R0Amxc2Cu3P9gwWG_vioCTtC7qiBSnGjzhaYn7SJbP0PqRQ/s1600/P1030453.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9IHY0-V1iJTpES_LHyIOwygNTE2aOn_7o-wyJjULlYS5KdUyuwNHNJiXvYikBQ6DYCsL8IQIOEO4LWcp1gdjwZoOhJ-s8R0Amxc2Cu3P9gwWG_vioCTtC7qiBSnGjzhaYn7SJbP0PqRQ/s400/P1030453.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rainy day bolt clipping at the New River Gorge</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMAqPR6WF5REGd2knhmJrxSKisgdcoH3ytofOcB76yZ7tAbD-afLFh9TEV9s9a1PC8H73BrLgtgT2HL0dvxkYG2BN-ouWI3rlogXFMFG6Ppd6grdodyzMyL-MsuP8l7MjwupD_0XvvoXU/s1600/P1030475.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMAqPR6WF5REGd2knhmJrxSKisgdcoH3ytofOcB76yZ7tAbD-afLFh9TEV9s9a1PC8H73BrLgtgT2HL0dvxkYG2BN-ouWI3rlogXFMFG6Ppd6grdodyzMyL-MsuP8l7MjwupD_0XvvoXU/s400/P1030475.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This perrrty thing is called Premarital Bliss... Turns out it's Bliss even if you're totally single!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdtRZv3MP-3-kYbKBG6NNJrf9UorqSoMTQLzKf7rw-PgVBIj72fjzgaLDlyq_tkeVnqteOUm062kQgn1X8pYgFadBkhlA27gevkzwnoZTrtpNKjOos-aNOYcXetQiPplEQGjEQb2bx11o/s1600/P1030485.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdtRZv3MP-3-kYbKBG6NNJrf9UorqSoMTQLzKf7rw-PgVBIj72fjzgaLDlyq_tkeVnqteOUm062kQgn1X8pYgFadBkhlA27gevkzwnoZTrtpNKjOos-aNOYcXetQiPplEQGjEQb2bx11o/s400/P1030485.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ange Tysdale who has become one of my heroes since I met her last year in Utah, Having a blast as she waltzes up the route!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJECWLmUmMGMQgJDwYghckf1R3gHQRGjU53moNTcvUy8LFVOK9KOtIk79_Iy2_pnsP28bns7sS6a0KB4f0EfAgyVoQTH98QsXLmFMemAU2EmeGQEDQ-VLZ6cBY7ePS-xB3eXQSmCcGLW8/s1600/P1030567.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJECWLmUmMGMQgJDwYghckf1R3gHQRGjU53moNTcvUy8LFVOK9KOtIk79_Iy2_pnsP28bns7sS6a0KB4f0EfAgyVoQTH98QsXLmFMemAU2EmeGQEDQ-VLZ6cBY7ePS-xB3eXQSmCcGLW8/s400/P1030567.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mike is sporting his Dyno Tail at Beauty Mountain in the New</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix8TYhzwX8nKNLJuo58UuWIxNTg8v4i6WuVdmEvoOv9TDpN0kGaKdTcktgb_0995-C1nIFx0MPrzMHaVh5kHIMW2ffvocz1RtdtgzCoEh-3OLEpG7gL1wOxKH-etWBcFYTLtoC1C_nD6I/s1600/P1030577.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix8TYhzwX8nKNLJuo58UuWIxNTg8v4i6WuVdmEvoOv9TDpN0kGaKdTcktgb_0995-C1nIFx0MPrzMHaVh5kHIMW2ffvocz1RtdtgzCoEh-3OLEpG7gL1wOxKH-etWBcFYTLtoC1C_nD6I/s400/P1030577.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And since we bailed from the New because of the weather and fled to Moore's Wall, NC.... Here is Mike trying to survive the day in his new alpine layering system, a cotton hoody and the tarp portion of a rope bag!</td></tr>
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After climbing in WV and NC I took a quick family break to go visit basically almost all of my east coast family with stops in Greensboro and Hickory NC, Washington DC and Ottsville PA before moving in to get some time in the Gunks in NY. This is the first time I've been back to the Gunks since breaking my ankle there in 2009, the life changing event that temporarily took climbing out of my life and helped me find my way onto the Bike tour that was the trigger for starting this blog in the first place.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1rMd0T0vBJNSw_r66wp3Pwe6SBTn6cNK9tzfiYNbHrAG78o4sgCNsE_FxJuylDqI-U1xmTXfY_2mYclx4K5llD4Pre0SfdWxs6_kC5fYarElzA-fphRIpLWQs_1qrY4YmT2ff1ztXhFw/s1600/P1030658.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1rMd0T0vBJNSw_r66wp3Pwe6SBTn6cNK9tzfiYNbHrAG78o4sgCNsE_FxJuylDqI-U1xmTXfY_2mYclx4K5llD4Pre0SfdWxs6_kC5fYarElzA-fphRIpLWQs_1qrY4YmT2ff1ztXhFw/s400/P1030658.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Assaf on his first climb ever in the Gunks, Modern times 5.8+, this is his face of astonishment about the grade after pulling the big roof and coming into view.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhs-HfZk_XIhTkjl0lyOSVWuDrmylHrPXAToLsuZkLaAQsKXW7LlUv8K5xCgMA1pREp8DsaIJH3WREvCIHHtlowHBV_A6trY2STWhiVYKU6meY16hoqDW-dM26Mx-yAlsJVjmnB1xAV0M/s1600/P1030666.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhs-HfZk_XIhTkjl0lyOSVWuDrmylHrPXAToLsuZkLaAQsKXW7LlUv8K5xCgMA1pREp8DsaIJH3WREvCIHHtlowHBV_A6trY2STWhiVYKU6meY16hoqDW-dM26Mx-yAlsJVjmnB1xAV0M/s400/P1030666.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In spite of the busy weekend, we managed to climb lots of classics. these are the last few moves of High Exposure that we snuck onto halfway to do the final pitch without waiting in line at the Base.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Assaf is getting ready to pull through the final roof of Bonnie's Roof Direct 5.9</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih8VOkDQs34hQTD900IgzygtKRPV3fuUMVvTE-BMwOE6vZuG4iSJMKg3xxU5YoNPKG9FdIhvVpzND7k5zSYwJ8DQWHyj0FiMQLcFyzzjsbEHLqQpr9fv2p44KpqRQG7an7q5Q-tRACjVI/s1600/P1030683.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih8VOkDQs34hQTD900IgzygtKRPV3fuUMVvTE-BMwOE6vZuG4iSJMKg3xxU5YoNPKG9FdIhvVpzND7k5zSYwJ8DQWHyj0FiMQLcFyzzjsbEHLqQpr9fv2p44KpqRQG7an7q5Q-tRACjVI/s400/P1030683.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fall colors coming to an end overlooking the Mid Hudson Valley</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBiMiMGVwoZ1CRgb57rUzbRUQljUc4XnyT-vuwWFakmmzVUhBEsp7Ox3eDBwKCc8X66sEHPKwcXjs3yfwxdJZd2TxGTtPNYIChy-AOFtBziS9gHxzaqMZ0p_mPtzsBsbd2lKPUftMTw1c/s1600/P1030698.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBiMiMGVwoZ1CRgb57rUzbRUQljUc4XnyT-vuwWFakmmzVUhBEsp7Ox3eDBwKCc8X66sEHPKwcXjs3yfwxdJZd2TxGTtPNYIChy-AOFtBziS9gHxzaqMZ0p_mPtzsBsbd2lKPUftMTw1c/s400/P1030698.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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And now for something totally different, it is the morning of November the 5th and the Rabbi (Dad) just woke up for his 60th Birthday so it's time to get off the computer and back to real life!<br />
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Happy Birthday Rabbi, and for the rest of you, Have a Great day!!!<br />
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ZacksNovakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16556062449567816108noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7383310536483772640.post-55996115133986726852013-06-03T18:23:00.000-04:002013-11-06T15:48:17.314-05:00Beatin' The Heat.... ish<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Roaming around the four corners and the SouthWestern United States, Maayan and I have had a month of truly variable temps. Seeing that it's been a while since my last blog post, I think I'll go abouts this one with the good ol' fashioned FollowZack photo edition theme (swimsuits may or may not be included).<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb8XRCVdBoBrQ_Qul2QkWhyUfekbV9EKFBcJyj9KzSjyw6gsmr3D5oQ608YrXnR6g6Uu9lEItVSDm9hgYTVb7pfj2kwb6mevQmxcevllYj88Efj-csufD1xSq9uHw3BPIU_BSmivP95ug/s1600/2013-05-04+18.15.34.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb8XRCVdBoBrQ_Qul2QkWhyUfekbV9EKFBcJyj9KzSjyw6gsmr3D5oQ608YrXnR6g6Uu9lEItVSDm9hgYTVb7pfj2kwb6mevQmxcevllYj88Efj-csufD1xSq9uHw3BPIU_BSmivP95ug/s400/2013-05-04+18.15.34.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Doing a little bit of wood work in Denver, the day before Maayan landed, this has made our life a whole lot nicer and left us with just enough head room that with the futon in, we can still sit up on the bed but no longer have to reorgenize the entire car every time we want to go to bed.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7Xf9H5JtJnk_O2c5xxHm8twTbH6zmn3t0evte4uipBSjuWxd_r9R3y_1mKtcZuO0rA4NSWhGzevIyACzgvEWu3yyUlbmv38p8y_xauvykh28xoicHQJud_EIxIu8OxnWC4ygolvWo72c/s1600/2013-05-05+19.01.33.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7Xf9H5JtJnk_O2c5xxHm8twTbH6zmn3t0evte4uipBSjuWxd_r9R3y_1mKtcZuO0rA4NSWhGzevIyACzgvEWu3yyUlbmv38p8y_xauvykh28xoicHQJud_EIxIu8OxnWC4ygolvWo72c/s400/2013-05-05+19.01.33.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">for those of you that don't know, REI will take back any item that you bought there and want to get rid of for whatever reason, they later resell these rejects with a little slip that explains what was wrong with it. I picked this little guy up for Maayan knowing that there are few things she loves more than taking care of wounded wildlife.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Back up in Chalk for some late season ice climbing</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">As long as we found some ice in chalk, we decided to go look for good mixed in Vail too!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYo40oDZo8WVOcDmUt1uH3l80TJ9DP85CiEo2O3iA9ivnt884zaoDoqITk8Ey499H2J_cQeApisEFaTItoCUO1ZdS5o4_CnhGAhP52vH8_AvYQ3oDthD51cww4O_rVR03cnUNVoL-pKkw/s1600/P1010811.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYo40oDZo8WVOcDmUt1uH3l80TJ9DP85CiEo2O3iA9ivnt884zaoDoqITk8Ey499H2J_cQeApisEFaTItoCUO1ZdS5o4_CnhGAhP52vH8_AvYQ3oDthD51cww4O_rVR03cnUNVoL-pKkw/s400/P1010811.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">New world order coming into play</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3Fw7SURonK3lKJZdS5rGDu5INkR6pjY94wEPQP8t_CP3KdeKRAsWrNlGWc83Vo8xGxpEAMQdZAJQHxaVlLjbCO6vVScQ73-19b9eX7_YAtzMWnD7-RCykcl2aLt5R8u3GjMxltXl_OVk/s1600/P1010892.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3Fw7SURonK3lKJZdS5rGDu5INkR6pjY94wEPQP8t_CP3KdeKRAsWrNlGWc83Vo8xGxpEAMQdZAJQHxaVlLjbCO6vVScQ73-19b9eX7_YAtzMWnD7-RCykcl2aLt5R8u3GjMxltXl_OVk/s400/P1010892.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We stopped off in Fruita at Terrys place and after years of trying, he finally got me to try the highline, after about an hour of going back and forth on the first few feet with a leash overhead, I decided to give it a real go.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOAs-OHSkEG9L3Uh9PSVrMEyDcsCGzZDMd1GQ_6FSOJK5xWpWU6yRaDhkNGFUakPT4gU7mJcPQvI0UbpLwbLukUnasrhBAZH-J_z4svC58zPB2WWEP2J0yvYzUcLiojZy3Kb7aXhbjzkQ/s1600/P1010895.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOAs-OHSkEG9L3Uh9PSVrMEyDcsCGzZDMd1GQ_6FSOJK5xWpWU6yRaDhkNGFUakPT4gU7mJcPQvI0UbpLwbLukUnasrhBAZH-J_z4svC58zPB2WWEP2J0yvYzUcLiojZy3Kb7aXhbjzkQ/s400/P1010895.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And, that ended with a nice big line fall that left me aching for the next three days after walking about 15 steps on the thing.... all together, I would call it a good shot!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqJJjV48gRih9MPAYNofko6dztXEyUZmf7efUFLV1oD-kLQ1PVtwB29ADTE9jGvHuB7nEF37c4ocXb_aBWEy2Ogj3KQMY6C8385Tb2wUe-NItZNPqZXGkef-ZXkTVimJhLDxsD3QSGQ7o/s1600/P1010897.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqJJjV48gRih9MPAYNofko6dztXEyUZmf7efUFLV1oD-kLQ1PVtwB29ADTE9jGvHuB7nEF37c4ocXb_aBWEy2Ogj3KQMY6C8385Tb2wUe-NItZNPqZXGkef-ZXkTVimJhLDxsD3QSGQ7o/s400/P1010897.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Camping in Indian Creek</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOpRy1dSD201TkG7t6YXjqB-ag3n4nAHqiCc2cJwB6Z95D1AuDjYLFaZnAexyjX6sr4ULlDshMHedOoXur_t9B7Mu3zfnCA-XZnRNOUC9-nvlfOBsBOsmu9YPBukzfYtytpm-wGceVWSo/s1600/P1010896.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOpRy1dSD201TkG7t6YXjqB-ag3n4nAHqiCc2cJwB6Z95D1AuDjYLFaZnAexyjX6sr4ULlDshMHedOoXur_t9B7Mu3zfnCA-XZnRNOUC9-nvlfOBsBOsmu9YPBukzfYtytpm-wGceVWSo/s400/P1010896.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Uke Lining, it might be easier when I get better at one of the two.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgweY52_amN0zREYw1MIXSMN9LFnOt7FMJtmGIe_LcE3wyr06oDCPlA566dQVfcYwoBWPUM0KANCbrMdkKJfT6tfoilfkg7XY0WdElQ1HeLG8LeByxI1PK-js4QTLTulOzxlp7aA4R6Nlc/s1600/P1030080.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgweY52_amN0zREYw1MIXSMN9LFnOt7FMJtmGIe_LcE3wyr06oDCPlA566dQVfcYwoBWPUM0KANCbrMdkKJfT6tfoilfkg7XY0WdElQ1HeLG8LeByxI1PK-js4QTLTulOzxlp7aA4R6Nlc/s400/P1030080.JPG" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Maayan charging up the thin hands section on 3am Crack</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhde5YwgyqlhrBCjpbWvwlIWdE0xlgQziXX7sYesJgW8SnSMrYoMrg3h6PTol8nm6vAotvLG4OjuFLlInxZliWn1XzBLUggjjkQ_RTvgxMEvDGnrtUDavC6JWw0S890utYhyT7eMzFakFs/s1600/P1010902.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhde5YwgyqlhrBCjpbWvwlIWdE0xlgQziXX7sYesJgW8SnSMrYoMrg3h6PTol8nm6vAotvLG4OjuFLlInxZliWn1XzBLUggjjkQ_RTvgxMEvDGnrtUDavC6JWw0S890utYhyT7eMzFakFs/s400/P1010902.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Warming up on some batteries not included at the Power Wall</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikI5tx_j020B6APqKXuYcYfP4559xLVy2gpwvw1fqGc3t0UEI7S2rK7GhrfGXVykW8Fi5wjST9y7kIn4fBW2vrQwwJhtcfsGwSMYzuWIMAsmRIK3o5DtQ9y6egFu-k2ll9zo-EN25K2ZA/s1600/P1010911.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikI5tx_j020B6APqKXuYcYfP4559xLVy2gpwvw1fqGc3t0UEI7S2rK7GhrfGXVykW8Fi5wjST9y7kIn4fBW2vrQwwJhtcfsGwSMYzuWIMAsmRIK3o5DtQ9y6egFu-k2ll9zo-EN25K2ZA/s400/P1010911.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We decided to take a few days off from climbing and go check out Arizona's most famous and also inverted mountain range, often referred to as the Grand Canyon.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxbLQybcFSzzkMeCmtljQGOqu5ldEZmP6bqqQnAC7rSjcOplc7OhyphenhyphenoPmfeuC94BLoRE-b9u8CL30QtvVnWTueqwyRTICpV9WB5nV-j8kPrawalvz4yRLBUOqYYEwfpSsH8XsKhwnmDjok/s1600/P1010923.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxbLQybcFSzzkMeCmtljQGOqu5ldEZmP6bqqQnAC7rSjcOplc7OhyphenhyphenoPmfeuC94BLoRE-b9u8CL30QtvVnWTueqwyRTICpV9WB5nV-j8kPrawalvz4yRLBUOqYYEwfpSsH8XsKhwnmDjok/s400/P1010923.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Miso soup with ramen noodles while watching the sunset from plateau point on our first night in Grand Canyon</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf5df6CU35AxvoKKegqC4kyVegWYI6svtdoiXEP-zyPj7ZX50WgBClw8tW-mNomIYfD68VYSIOUWxezTfISX4iz6LPv9GtU0cr6Kczv5xrPMaTXcj41P_vo7yjUPuU3DUFtHTFKmg6Q28/s1600/P1030131.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf5df6CU35AxvoKKegqC4kyVegWYI6svtdoiXEP-zyPj7ZX50WgBClw8tW-mNomIYfD68VYSIOUWxezTfISX4iz6LPv9GtU0cr6Kczv5xrPMaTXcj41P_vo7yjUPuU3DUFtHTFKmg6Q28/s400/P1030131.JPG" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We crossed the Colorado river the next day and spent the hot hours lounging about at some hidden falls up phantom canyon that a very nice ranger had told us about, since they are off the trail and not on the map, we only saw one other person there in the 4 hours or so that we were hanging out.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgEVjwatNCMZRW3OZhsN-ihfDfAHZ8j2K4dWh2MLKlfxFdr7IEVvm6jHhHlXhhScr9-EGHKiI2_sFmI-ypkOkMzl-quUvCR4oXDUN1IzjdglVEcqE7hzb3BhZHy7biFh1KhEGL4duQQKY/s1600/P1030148.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgEVjwatNCMZRW3OZhsN-ihfDfAHZ8j2K4dWh2MLKlfxFdr7IEVvm6jHhHlXhhScr9-EGHKiI2_sFmI-ypkOkMzl-quUvCR4oXDUN1IzjdglVEcqE7hzb3BhZHy7biFh1KhEGL4duQQKY/s400/P1030148.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Eat.Swim.Nap=Good Life!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK0pVGiWDch8VPSnnhz7pZczgd6y6-sluLWdqmk0Z1yEP-R4DeO16OD7w3_Nr8W-6r6iLVZrxaoG3TqbLgjKn5gVupW965masiHolqBtYHVp26Dq72Namutzq8zBG56s0cDmF8NVVvCJY/s1600/P1030179.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK0pVGiWDch8VPSnnhz7pZczgd6y6-sluLWdqmk0Z1yEP-R4DeO16OD7w3_Nr8W-6r6iLVZrxaoG3TqbLgjKn5gVupW965masiHolqBtYHVp26Dq72Namutzq8zBG56s0cDmF8NVVvCJY/s400/P1030179.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Making our way back up and out on the South Kaibab Trail on our last day.</td></tr>
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More to come soon when we get a chance to spend more computer time in LA in two weeks!!!<br />
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ZacksNovakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16556062449567816108noreply@blogger.com0