Adventures in the Midwest/Pictorial

[carolyn]

(cant seem to load a preview, so there may need to be some editing done)

 

The past 10 days or so have been crazy busy, driving around parts of the midwest. I wish I could say I got a lot of wicked climbing in. I did get SOME climbing. Nothing that pushed the limits by any means. However, fun was had by all - no question about that!

 

I spent a couple days in Orient Bay, Ontario to help a friend of mine teach 17 college students to ice climb. After a delayed departure due to giving my cat too much metamucil (you can only imagine the mess! ), and making a plan to hide me under all the gear on the way back to the states (I didnt have a passport) - we finally got going. We checked for ice along the North Shore, on the way up to Canada. There are typically a 2-4 spots that have decent ice and/or mixed. Pretty much the only thing we found was...

Any guesses as to who this might belong to?

 

 

It was disappointing to see so many climbs either not in or very thin. It was a dry year up there, combined with warm temperatures. There are definately some good routes in, just not a 'fat' or 'abundant' year compared to the last 5 or so.

 

We woke the next day to a bitterly cold, windy, wet day. Classic way to give people their first experience on ice! Fortunately it did warm up a bit and the sun eventually poked through the clouds. Despite the cold (probly around 0), the ice was actually somewhat like plastic. It was Top Rope City - all day long!

We had a great time, though. I even got a few laps in, which was great since all I have seen and heard this year are my tools scraping on rock!

Ya! For Ice!!!!

 

Orient Bay was sadly very thin and sparse compared to past years. Though it looked like some climbs were in great shape, the dry year and warm temps seems to have limited the number of fat climbs available.

 

A couple days at home to unpack and repack....

 

Then Im off to Munising, Michigan (U.P.). I have never been up there before, so I was excited to see what there was to climb. My main objective was to teach the women's clinics at the Michigan Ice Festival. It's a long-ass drive up there, due to so many small towns/speed limits along the way. A big storm was expected, so the drive along lake superior can make it kind of sketchy as well. I gave up driving after about 5hrs (3hrs shy of my destination). I slept in a sleezy hotel with one ice tool in my hand. I managed to miss most of the 8 inches of snow that fell the next morning during my drive. I wish I could say my drive and stay in Munising was as beautiful as some of the photos I have seen. Unfortunately, this is about all I saw the entire weekend (other than my hotel room and the restaurant)

 

I was pretty nervous about this trip, as I was replacing Zoe Hart for the clinic. All other clinicians were sponsored athletes. Wasnt quite sure how I got the gig, or fit in. I knew some folks and reps from my area, yet I still felt a bit out of place. Friday night there was a great slide show by Pablo (Paul Stein). Great photos of mixed climbing and superb positive energy!!!! I especially enjoyed how he talked at a level that was geared toward both advanced and beginners. Great guy!!!!! Mike Labeki also did one of the funniest slide shows I have seen about his trip to Antartica. Highly reccomend it!

 

Saturday morning, we awoke bright and early to -15F (without windchill) to get everyone in the clinics set up with gear. Temps werent suppose to rise out of the negative, and windchills were expected to be up to 20 below. I was especially worried about 2 girls I had (yes, girls) as they were only 9yrs old! I had prepped everyone pretty well for the cold the night before, as well as brought every stitch of extra clothing I had.

 

The 9yr old girls had won scholarships in rememberance of Sue Nott, who had been out there over the years teaching clinics. They also received some fun gear (including pink coats!). The organizers had some baby monster tools for the kids to use. Way cute!

 

The girls/women were burly, yet graceful on both days (even when we had 30 below windchills on Sunday)

In fact, I understand we stayed out the longest on both days!

 

In honor of Karen McNeill, I have started incorporating glitter into my teaching. Somehow the ice turned pink as well. It was a geat couple days of glitter, laughter, and new experiences.

 

Ice Goddesses!!!!!!

 

Saturday night, Mark Wilford did a slide show on his latest trip to Tibet. to this guy, as he is one of my favorite folks. Gentle, funny, yet tough. Kelly Cordes also made an appearance, highlighting a climb with one of your own - Colin Haley - in Patagonia.

 

I had one more stop on my way home...

 

My birth father died when I was a year old in the U.P. He was on a fishing trip with a group of friends. They tried to fly back in bad weather and the plane crashed. After re-reading the accident report, I realized the crash site was on my way home. Keep in mind, this was 35yrs ago. I did quite a bit of research and hooked up with someone who took me out to the airport and hiked around with me and a gps. Another balmy day of 10below! ha! We eventually picked up some 80yr old man who remembered seeing pieces of the plane still there about 25yrs ago and insisted the area was roped off by the DNR. We drove around in the backcountry with no success.

 

I did get some names of people to call. Its a small town, so I stopped into the place where my dad ate last. Had some pizza, a beer, asked questions of the locals, and made a few phone calls. Within an hour I was in touch with a man who knew EXACTLY where the site was. In fact, HE was the one who marked it off recently because of some logging being done in the area. He has been going out there for 35 years, placing flowers, saying prayers, and making sure what was left of the plane was untouched by others. HOLY SHIT! Was I really ready for this?

 

I met the man and his wife for breakfast the next day. A few other people tagged along (word spreads fast -its a VERY small town). When we got out there, I must say, it was by far one of the most intense moments of my life. Im glad I did this, though I think it is going to take some time to process. It was obviously a major deal for the man who has been taking care of the area, as he didnt know anything about the 4 men who died in the crash. Now he could put together the story. He is planning on putting a permanent memorial around the area this summer.

 

Here are some photos...

Some of the peices left laying around. The FAA took anything valuable for testing, but not much was recovered. The majority of the plane burned in an intense fire.

Am I suppose to smile? Wierd photo opp. When you zoom in you can see the tears. You can also see markings on the metal, identifying the plane.

This is what the area looked like when they crashed. The trees around the site are now long gone, with new ones growing. It was obviously a heavily wooded area. A logger found the plane a day after the crash - by chance.

 

On the way out we found a bear den...John, the one who took me out there showed no fear, shining the flashlight in the den. I took a few photos, but ran as soon as I saw its eyes move

 

Back to reality and life of the unemployed!

[Weekend_Climberz]

Great TR!! :cry:

[G-spotter]

You rock C

[AlpineK]

It sounds like you had a good trip. Thanks for posting it.

[kevbone]

Thanks for sharing.

[crazy_t]

Wow, that's pretty amazing. What a journey. Must have been pretty heavy, both for you and that nice guy, and also very relieving. Kind of a destiny thing.

Peace to you.., and thanks for sharing too.

[fern]

awesome

[layton]

badass yo!

[To_The_Top]

Quite a journey, very moving.

[sobo]

Best TR I've read on this board in an eternity - extremely moving.

I cannot really appreciate the feelings you must be processing right about now.

I wish peace for you for your time at the crash site.

[bluffview]

Great TR, touching. I've been a lurker here and had to register because of this thread. I live approximately 3 hours from Munising, where did you stay that you felt you had to sleep with an ice tool? Coming from Minnesota I'm sure you passed through my hometown.

[carolyn]

Thanks

The entire few weeks from beginning to end had some pretty big wave of intensity - from the weather, to teaching clinics, gettin my ass back into the states, leaving my cat, and my final destination at the crash site. It will be a memorable time in my life, for sure!

 

Bluffview-

honestly i cant remember where I stayed. It was dark and the weather was getting bad. The town had a bar, gas station, diner, and the motel. It was maybe 45 min from Iron ...something or other (WI/MI border). I was told the next hotel was some 80 miles away. This room had barely any heat, ground level, no locks on the windows,curtains that were falling off, an easy to pick lock on the door, no phone, no cell reception, internet, etc. I took the towel off the rack to take a shower and the rack fell off. After looking in the tub itself, I opted to stay dirty (can you say bugs, rust, and mold). I got a bar on my phone for a few minutes. I called my roommate and said the name of the motel, call police if you dont hear from me by 2pm next day....then static...lost reception. hahahha! I spent a good portion of the night listening to a bunch of guys in the parking lot blasting tune from thier truck *thump, thump, thum*

 

Did you go to the ice fest?

Edited February 7, 2007 by carolyn

[Ducknut]

Its likely a moose skull to answer your question. Great TR. I thought you were going to be posting about your latest belaying adventure.

[Ducknut]

wow, thats freaky type out the word skul l and you gat a skull

[ZimZam]

You go girl!!!

[bluffview]

Whew! It wasn't Bessemer. From your description it sounds like Ewen. My wife, 3 kids, 1 groomsman, and myself stayed in a motel there for my wife's counsin's wedding last June. Our room had a very musty, moldy smell also.

 

I did not go to Ice Fest, I've got a pretty full plate with family obligations these days. I got bit by the ice climbing bug visiting my niece in Anchorage (Matanuska Glacier) back in '02 right after marriage and right before family and a career change.

 

I am curious about the crash site. I would like to visit it if I knew where it was. I asked my father earlier this evening and he didn't remember. He said possibly the Marenisco area. I don't intend to disturb or remove anything and could even leave flowers in your belhalf if you like.

Edited February 8, 2007 by bluffview

[wfinley]

Wow... that's intense. Meeting the man who had been taking care of the place your father died... I can only imagine. I hope your visit brought peace to both you and the man who had been going there.

[carolyn]

I thought you were going to be posting about your latest belaying adventure.

 

 

I did A LOT of that, too!!!! Too bad I dont have copies of the photos showing me flying up in the air! Maybe another time...

 

 

 

 

[olyclimber]

Nice carolyn! Great TR.

 

I'll go belaying with you anytime.

[Paul_detrick]

Great TR. lifes a funny old thing.

[ken4ord]

Wow sounds like very fun, but intense trip. Really cool to see some young girls tearing up the ice, that is awesome.

[mccallboater]

About 10 years ago a pair of German national guardsmen, who search for the wreakage of WW2 aircraft on weekends to provide proper burials for the dead, came across my Dad's plane, a P47. Even though it augured in at over 500 MPH, with 8 missiles on the wings exploding on impact, they managed to identify what plane it was and who was flying it that Dec 16, 1944. The biggest part they found was about 6 inches long. What really blew them away was that Dad was still living. They communicated (the Internet is pretty amazing!) and a year later Dad got to visit his own crash site. The visit was an amazing, cathartic experience. His fate in the war was that after bailing out with serious burns all over his face, arms and chest, he wandered around during the Battle of the Bulge behind enemy lines in 2 ft of new snow for 2 days before getting captured by the Lufewaffe, from the same squadron that shot him down. He stayed in Lufewaffe hospitals, not prison camps, for the rest of the war. He received the best burn surgury and treatment available in the world at the time, even though conditions were terrible.

 

That story of compassion was repeated 50 years later by those other German guardsmen, whose only objective was to bring closure to the familys of fliers missing in action. It sounds like your new friend at your father's crash site came from the same mold. God bless'em.

 

Another note: Dad was wearing White loggers at the time of his crash, instead of GI issue boots. That's why he still had all his toes. Other pilots liked their cowboy boots, but those tended to fly off when one exits a plane at about 400 mph.