Happy Lunar New Year and Happy Ash Wednesday folks. I had a brilliant day out on the Franz Josef glacier doing my first ice-climb. I started my day at 7am, geared up and had a strenuous hike up onto the glacier. The rigid climbing shoes aren't the best footwear for hiking over rocks and my feet were hating me.
Armed with clamp on spikes and two ice axes, me and three other people roamed around crevasses and did five climbs up about 18 meters. The weather was great and the ice was challenging enough to leave me completely exhausted by 4pm. I loved it. It was probably one of the top ten things I've done on my world trip.
If I had any more money, I'd probably really get into rock climbing as well but the equipment for this sort of activity is outrageously expensive. Check out the new photos in the picasa gallery or see some footage on YouTube:
Labels: New Zealand, Videos
Tony!
So I just spent the last three days at home and at work reading every post of your entire blog. It's inspiring. I was in LA in October and was disappointed to miss you, but clearly you had some better stuff going on. What you've done has been nothing short of inspiring and magnificient. I only wish I had read this blog earlier, but then again, there's something nice about reading it all at once. As you take on this final leg of your journey, I wish you nothing but good times and memories that will last a lifetime.
Next time you're on the east coast, let me know.
Mike Gleason