mountainhesh

Thx all for replies so far @shaoleung - I appreciate the offer and will take you up on it as we get it all figured out ponderosa - know of any jeep trail summits here in WA? Love to get down to Elbert someday... Frikadeller - I've been out on sleds post injury and they're fun for what they are. Heh, as a climber though, I tend to loathe them in the mountains but point taken DanO - now you're talking! although one catastrophic injury has been quite enough I have to say... ken4ord - Mark is an amazing guy and I was lucky to chance upon his book right out of the hospital. I've had the opportunity to befriend some of his comrades via another forum I moderate, both mountaineers paralyzed in outdoor accidents and can't help but be inspired by them. It's like - sooner or later your bound to get f'd up...what you do from there is up to you. sobo - I'd love to meet the guy, actually was trying to get one of those snowbeasts for a while. He's an underground legend in the SCI ranks, very cool that you were on that trip. Jake - You nailed it regarding just getting out there on the trails. After some warm-up we took it straight to Pilchuck to see what we're looking at. I was pretty surprised how far we made it up that destroyed trail. Finally turned around due to, ironically enough, a blister on my thumb. Still searching for a better peak to train on, something less crowded with a better path. I'm thinking there has to be some good stuff east of the range. It was the first time I'd really been out in 3 years and despite the hoards of flies (forgot about those), was satisfying just being back. I think I was a little over-optimistic about just running out and bagging peaks again, there's a lot of learning and conditioning to be done. I'm going out to Goat Lake next week, should be a perfect sort of trail. Anyways, thx again and if its sparked any trail ideas please do share!

With a SCI, you either sit around and reminisce or work three times as hard to get out there again. I pick the latter. Pretty stoked to finally get this hand powered cycle. Geared with a push-button activated micro drive, it inches up the steepest of terrain. Three years later, I'm looking to be on the mountain tops again..... my climbing blog.....

Hey fellow climbers, long time since I checked in ~ Long story short - 3 years ago went out to Maine for a wedding and week of climbing, dove in the pool, broke my neck and paralyzed myself. I've been training and working hard to get my function back ever since. I started with just my biceps, shoulders and a breathing machine and today I can take a few steps with the walker and have use of the majority of my muscles. But oh well life goes on and honestly I'm doing pretty good. The one thing I have never stopped thinking about and being inspired by is the mountains. I've never given up hope that I'd one day be strong enough to reach the tops again. Until the day comes when I'm functionally walking again, I happened across the next best thing and hugely inspired by this man Longer version. Dream is becoming reality and I have one on order and hosting a fundraiser to pay the $6000+ price tag. Part of the fund raiser will be the culmination of a summit that everyone involved, friends and family can share the success in. I'm hoping to get some ideas from any of you on a good contender for a peak. The bike is pretty rugged and can handle terrain, but the smoother and wider the path, the better to ensure success. I currently have no idea what I'll even be capable of so but hopefully something moderately strenuous. I'm dying to gaze out at the Pickets/North Cascades again and would like to base the climb out of Winthrop/Eastern WA to error on the chance of dry good weather. I'll be doing my own homework, but but I'd appreciate any ideas, ideally a summit where people could hang out and camp on. Huge thank you in advance for your time and thoughts...

Thanks both for the links. The wall climber looks pretty fun even if can walk! I continue to improve, have come far and the journey continues. cbs - Just have to pop a cheap flight to vegas and rent some wheels. There is tons of open camping if you go preseason. You remember correctly, the mormons aptly named it!

To recap, up untill last July, mountain climbing was my consuming passion. I fractured my neck last July, paralyzing my body and am fighting like a champ to try walking again. For the last months, I've pretty much put thoughts of climbing on the backburner in my mind. While it should inspire, it detracts and depresses me. There are some local trails through the woods I get out and push on, but it's not the same. I've barely sat around a day in my life, so this is quite the adjustment. Seattle winter will drive you mad, so we got out and headed down to Zion NP. My best friend Ryan lives in Vegas and I head down a few times a year to climb with him and his friends. When he heard I was coming, he threw out the idea to get up Angels Landing, a 2.5 mile, 2000' gain hike in the canyon. We spent a day in Vegas, saw Cirque de Soleil "O", the most mindblowing show ever and got to tour backstage and meet the performers at the Collosium where Celine plays and Ryan calls the show. My family flew/drove in and we drove to the canyon. It is mindblowing, a 200m-year-old rusted-red sandstone canyon carved by ancient rivers. Why it is not packed with climbers is beyond me, there are lines everywhere. We spent the first few days exploring the flat trails and realized the hardships of going downhill, I'd about fall out of the chair and Angels Landing was to be much steeper than that. I called Ryan and let him know it might be a bust, but he admonished me and said don't worry. The summer prior, we knocked off a 90 mile stretch of alpine trail in 3 days, I know what he's made of and trust him. He showed up with Mario and his brother Jean Francois from Montreal. Jean had never even been to Vegas/Zion and, an avid climber himself, should have crammed in as much vertical as he could. Instead he selflessly signed on to the task of getting me to the top. I threw together a video documenting it... ...enjoy. [My dad is a midwest worrywart, the guy in the full brimmed hat trudging his way up. It was as much an accomplishment for him to get up there as anyone, man he was scared.] Let me say, sitting 2 ft' from a 1500' drop was a dream come true. For something I had put out of mind, I never dreamed I'd be back up so soon. 7 months ago I was on a ventilator, I actually wore through the palms of my gloves from pushing miles and miles of trail on this trip. Was it like old times? Of course not, but so many of the variables I loved were there...thrill of danger, scenery, amazing friends and family, height, fresh air. There is still a world out there to explore and enjoy.

[sorry perhaps this should've been spray...] Hey all, been since summer that I posted. Avid PNW climber here with this message to y'all good folks. Took a dive in the pool this summer and heard a terrible sound. Floated to the top paralyzed and drown. Long story short, fractured c/5 incomplete and day after week after month of rehab. Never bagged extreme routes, but knocked off at least 50 classics and mountains were my life, it's been hard re-adjusting. Some nerves have reconnected and I have slight leg movement but a long road ahead. My dream is now to be able to walk down a path in the woods and am working hard to get there. If you are reading this and are putting off that route, using work as an excuse to hide out, have a dream of spending a week to yourself in the N.Cascades....do it today my friend. I have 100's of GB's of photo's and memories to pour over, but there are sooo many trips I lamed out on. Also, as a climber, you are way better equipped to handle a tragic accident than you know. My mountain lungs got me off the ventilator, being in rock solid shape allowed me to surpass everyone in rehab and break records, and countless hours of slogging, being beat and broke in the mnts. gave me a frame of reference of what it is to endure. Oh yeah, get insurance, glad I did, it gets to be $1m real quick... LIVE YOUR DREAMS!!! SITTING AROUND IS FOR OLD FOLKS!!!! (unless you're Fred!) Bag a peak for me peace and love...

To the rest of CC readers, I humbly apologize for the pissing match, not typically my style. Superdouche wins.

The... the comment you made on the internet? So true.. maybe I should have just grabbed some perlon and strangled the little fucker. Hey LDB, here's another board to check out while you're at it...ldb , oh, got any tight little red underpants to go with that fabulous cape?

according to the UD, it's a shade better than being a LDB.

...be the first to own one!

I'll confess, the only thing more utterly pathetic is 4th hand limp dicked qb'ing... ...believe me LD, I get the irony... now why don't we all down 17 pints and take REI hooligan style, be sure to wear your 'life is good' shirts...

I'll confess, the only thing more utterly pathetic than running home to post and cry about a min. wage rei clerk is responding to the poster. Uh....be a man? Assert yourself? Say it with me with confidence, "Hello, I'd like to check out. Excuse me ma'am, I was actually waiting in line...etc.." Oh yeah, that's not the Seattle way, better to stand around looking nice and polite, then go cry on the internet...

WTF!!!!?....some people make me sad...

I actually did see a (the)chopper while up at Lake Serene. I hate seeing them because it never means anything good. Not only am I glad to hear the person was okay, I can only imagine the awful feelings that go through your head seeing your party member take a 300' fall!