Day 2 is a training day. It happens about half a mile up from the parking lot in Paradise.

We learned how to walk up and down on mountaineering boots and boots with crampons, self-arrest using an ice ax, rope-travel with other people, and team arrest. The class was about 3-4 hours. We also learned how to take a break – always sit on the backpack with the strap facing your butt and “manage yourself” quickly (eat, drink, pee, take care of hot spots).

Learning these techniques formerly was good for me. Even though I had used crampons and the ice ax before, I really didn’t know how to do it correctly until this class. Self-arrest while sliding down the hill was also exciting. Here’s me getting ready to practice self-arrest after falling head first:

Two people held my legs down as I got ready to slide down head first. Photo by Jennifer Marie.

Doing self-arrest correctly while falling down is hard. I’d need to practice many many times to be comfortable. Many teams actually had to do team-arrest during the descent, so this is an important skill to learn.

Our guides, Bryan and Hannah S, were both great teachers. We got back to Ashford by 4PM or so, had dinner/ordered lunch at Highlander, took a dip in the hot tub, packed, and went to sleep around 11PM.