Well “10-day” has come and gone, and as usual 7 days in the mountains has too many stories to count. Notable events include more snow than expected from the winter (which will make route finding interesting this year). You would think at the end of June that the weather would be mild and warm, but no. Five out of the seven days we had sub-freezing temperatures and a total snow fall of about a foot and a half (all very unique occurrences). Despite the abnormal snow levels we still found a crevasse to jump into and play with. For those of you, who are curious what one looks like, don’t worry. I got it all on video. What can I say…I am my father’s son. Surprisingly my back gave me barely any grief. (I tweaked it moving rocks in the water fall) and the biggest struggle this time around was simply cold feet (also a common direction this week among the guides.)

I have a feeling that this summer will be a challenge of endurance. I had mentally closed last summer as being all done with the trips, and now realizing that week 1 has yet to start. I can only see a long road ahead. And this really bugs me. Logically I know the summer will be over before I realize it and as such I should live each day with almost a sacred reverence. For whether in base camp or the mountains, I am doing something that many people only wish they could do. Regardless, my desire for temporary comfort and free time has a strong hold on my life. So once again, I find myself having to stop and realize that these trips and this summer is God’s. I say this for a specific reason. I sat at 5000 feet and watched one of the grandest displays of the dance between sun and clouds that you could imagine. But this scene was a familiar one and as such, the awe that I desired was, in a way, absent. I hoped that by going to the heights I would be able to see God. But no dice. I felt nothing. The thing that can draw you closest to God can easily become a substitute for God and then lose all meaning. This summer will be a fight against going through motions, for if this summer is just about me climbing mountains and seeing amazing sight, then it will be a lost summer.