Art Lang

I don't think there was yet much trail put in across the steep portion. Because really to do that, you'd have to be a, I'm not sure what, a mountaineer with an ice axe.

I don't think there was yet much trail put in across the steep portion. Because really to do that, you'd have to be a, I'm not sure what, a mountaineer with an ice axe.

We considered briefly just going down the steep talus slope to Mountaineers. A steep talus slope can be enjoyable if it's the right size particles, in this case stones or pebbles. If it's small, it's fun. You glissade down or you can plunge step down and go down quickly and it's actually fun.

We considered briefly just going down the steep talus slope to Mountaineers. A steep talus slope can be enjoyable if it's the right size particles, in this case stones or pebbles. If it's small, it's fun. You glissade down or you can plunge step down and go down quickly and it's actually fun.

Keep in mind, Dan and I are both mountaineers and skilled in high-angle travel, so we're used to steep snow and steep, tailless rock cliffs, actually.

Keep in mind, Dan and I are both mountaineers and skilled in high-angle travel, so we're used to steep snow and steep, tailless rock cliffs, actually.

That part wasn't too bad, and we just angled towards the top of one of these fingers, and it was up against a cliff. And where it's up against a cliff, there was a moat. A moat is a term in which deep snow that's up against a cliff starts melting out against the cliff because of the temperature differential. And it melts out a gap, a hole, a chasm between the two.

That part wasn't too bad, and we just angled towards the top of one of these fingers, and it was up against a cliff. And where it's up against a cliff, there was a moat. A moat is a term in which deep snow that's up against a cliff starts melting out against the cliff because of the temperature differential. And it melts out a gap, a hole, a chasm between the two.

And in the real mountains, that can be very dangerous, as bad as a crevasse. It can be several hundred feet deep. But in this case, you really can't tell how deep it is. It just looks like a black hole, and it's a little bit intimidating.

And in the real mountains, that can be very dangerous, as bad as a crevasse. It can be several hundred feet deep. But in this case, you really can't tell how deep it is. It just looks like a black hole, and it's a little bit intimidating.

But in this case, we were able to walk across the top of that snow on a knife edge of that snow. And I think it was a small enough moat we could even have a hand on the rock. Not terribly intimidating, but a bit sobering. So we did it one at a time, watching the other guy in case something happened and successfully crossed it.

But in this case, we were able to walk across the top of that snow on a knife edge of that snow. And I think it was a small enough moat we could even have a hand on the rock. Not terribly intimidating, but a bit sobering. So we did it one at a time, watching the other guy in case something happened and successfully crossed it.

We wanted to go out to point X in the distance, the horizontal direction. We didn't want to mess around and go down the talus.

We wanted to go out to point X in the distance, the horizontal direction. We didn't want to mess around and go down the talus.

If you were scared of that steep snow slope and didn't figure out, you'd get across on the moat.

If you were scared of that steep snow slope and didn't figure out, you'd get across on the moat.

I just knew that we'd be thinking about that and dealing with it the rest of the trip.

I just knew that we'd be thinking about that and dealing with it the rest of the trip.