Yes Folks........ Plan-D. "What's Plan-D" you say? Well it's a long and complex story starting out with me (Paul) doing the usual spring-time whining to the other members that we HAVE to get cracking and climb/ski a 14er! Well after the first plan of 5 members climbing Mt. Sneffels in Colorado fell through because Brian is getting married soon, Eric is getting married soon, Dan having to travel for 5 weeks in a row, etc, etc.. that plan fell through.
So on to Plan-B, 4 members would still do Mt. Sneffels a few weeks later because the snow was sooooo good. Then more "I don't think I can make it, I have to work" and similar lame excuses, Plan-B was canceled.
A few weeks later after I send even more increasingly annoying emails hounding the remaining contestants, Dan, Kirk and I settle on the closer trip and decide to bag the north Face of Lake Fork Peak in Taos! (I've had my eye on it for 2 years since Eric and I saw it from the Gold Hill climb)
Great! 3 AAS members and were all set......... except the week before (after I had a cold ALL WEEK thanks to my kids) Kirk emails Dan and I to tell us some genus at his company pushed out a bad patch to his systems and he's "Knee deep in a Sh*t Storm" and has to rebuild 20, 64 bit servers! So, now he's out... that's it for Plan-C
Time for yes, Plan-D. Dan is still so swamped at work he and I can't even leave Friday AM like I wanted to so we opt for a late Friday night arrival in Taos and spend it drinking in Dan's condo gearing up for the ascent!
The climb in went great and it was good to be back in the woods on skis again. We both needed it but missed our AAS bretheren... After arriving at AABC (AAS Advanced Base Camp) We took an hour to eat and gear up for the ascent and as the barometer dropped we found ourselves in a nice little storm! (who says ski season is over in May!) I was taking bearings back to camp in case it didn't let up, but in typical AAS style, we pushed onward and upward...
The climbing was difficult with my weakness form my cold and rotten patches of slippery dangerous snow we encountered along the way. We plowed on up and finally made the summit!
I was stumbling like a drunk on the last bit so Danny-Boy took the lead and stormed to the summit! Ahhhhhhh now for the reward...
The ski down was AWSOME! Except for me over-cooking it a bit and crashing in the crud-snow and injuring my shoulders, again... Here it is for your sadistic viewing pleasure.
The snow-gods smiled on us as the AAS completed one last ski mountaineering trip for this season! The angry ski demons in my head are quieted for now and the AAS turns it's attention to Mountain Biking! Anyone up for a little trip ? ;-)
Fin'
