Study break, extreme edition

A couple of us felt like we had been studying for too long on Friday, so we decided to take a little study break. No, this wasn't cupcakes on the Lerner ramp or an a capella concert; we had something a little more exciting in store for our weekend.

Saturday, 7:45am: Load skis in car, depart Lyme, NH



8:50am: Stop for Andrew to pee.

10:55am: Arrive Pekham's notch, Mt. Washington, NH 103 miles later.

11:15am: Gear up for the trail.



1:20pm: Arrive at base of Tuckerman's ravine, 2 miles and 1700 feet later.



1:34pm: While booting up at rocks at base run, watch a bloodied man with a broken nose tumble 800 feet to our location.

1:35pm: Scream for medic.

1:36pm: Have doubts about whether this is a good idea.

1:45pm: Begin ascent

1:49pm: Andrew: "Is this going to be one those times I regret following you, MC?"



2:35pm: Arrive at top of ravine, 1200 feet later, witness house-sized chuck of ice crack off on opposite wall and crash down to the Lunch Rocks.



2:39pm: Look down near-vertical cornice at top of headwall. Feel like vomiting and defecating simultaneously.

2:41pm: Telemarker suiting up at the top: "You climb up here over those icy rocks, you see avalanches and ice crash down over out there, you look down at this huge expanse of mountain and get the sensation of it all being really epic. Don't let the mountain get to you, at the end of the day-- it's just fucking skiing."

2:44pm: Jump off first. Enter couloir.

2:45:36pm: Exit couloir.

2:46pm: Reaffirm value of living. Relegate stresses of life within larger perspective of the everlasting universe of the sublimity of infinite nature.

2:47pm: Decide to do it again.

2:48pm: Watch Andrew charge down.



2:52pm: Watch George lose an edge entering the hourglass. Watch George slide towards rocky precipice. Watch George get caught by mercy of the bushes on the outcropping.

2:53pm: Hike up to retrieve his equipment.

3:01pm: Make George film me skiing out partway out of couloir into bowl.

3:02pm: See sky. See snow. See sky. See snow. See sky. See snow. See snow. Evaluate body diagnostics.



3:04pm: Recover only to see George lose balance and fall right at me. Jump out of way at last second.

[3:04pm at ravine floor as related by Andrew: Become the laughing stock of the lunch crowd at our Marx brothers routine.]

3:10pm: Hike up and make George film attempt two.



4:15pm: Hike out to car with everybody relatively intact.

5:15pm: Arrive at parking lot right as torrential downpour begins.

5:25pm: Pull off road to permit rain to pass.

7:42pm: Stop at Wal-Mart to let George get flowers for mother's day.

8:15pm: Arrive at driveway, nearly drive over downed live power lines across driveway. Save everybody's life by shouting.

8:17pm Pick way around downed power lines, encounter 5 blown-down trees on driveway and destruction at the house. George becomes severely frustrated.



9:10pm: Begin chainsawing trees.

10:45pm: Finish chainsawing and hauling. Get beer and enter hot tub. Sweet, merciful hot tub.

Needless to say, we didn't get back until Sunday. 1200 miles of driving, 6 miles of hiking and 7000 feet elevation change, all for 1 minute and 30 seconds of bliss. Can we consider it a "ski day"?