Sunny Sunday on Sarrail

What a difference a day makes when it comes to the weather! The wicked winds of yesterday blew out the bad and brought in the good. This was another early start to a fabulous day!Today's plan was for me to lead my friend to a place he had never been. I was thankful to see one handful of other vehicles in the lot already which meant the path should be cleared. I had my air horn and bear spray anyway, I always do! In just over an hour we arrived at Rawson Lake which looked prettier then ever. It was at the far end of the lake, where the sun was, that we stopped to remove layers and extended our poles for the long slog up to the ridge.

To get to the Ridge took just over an hour and it was less than one kilometer in distance. We admired the view then settled down in a sunny spot to dine which took just over an hour. It was so sunny and warm, another layer came off.

Then it was time to play! We took turns playing on the mountain and playing with my camera. After G-Force had his turn, off I went! By myself! YES! By myself! As you can see! I just finished reading Adventure Designer's book called "A Hiker's Guide to Scrambling Safely" and I wanted to put to use some of what I learned. Without G-Force by my side, or the calm guidance from Adventure Designer and without Dr. No Poles behind me just in case, I slowly and methodically worked my way up. I didn't get as high as G-Force but I was pretty proud of where I got to. So proud of the accomplishment that I just had to jump for joy and I still had the energy to do so!

You can tell I didn't get as high as my friend. He got to where he got in no time. That comes with experience. Click on the photo to get a close up view.

After just over an hour of playing, we explored the other side of the ridge before retreating back to Rawson Lake. It seems everything today took just over an hour. But the trip back down to Rawson didn't, we were down in no time using the heel first, proper pole placement, long extending leg, no toe touching the rocks, sliding a tiny bit technique. I got cocky with this newly learned technique and did take a tumble. I should know better!

Today was a learning experience! I went beyond a boundary mentally! That alone made me feel like I was "on top of the world!"