Denver Seminary

This pic is taken of the Arkansas Valley at almost tree line. The view at this juncture was superb. We are eye to eye with the clouds, the sky is colored deep, deep blue, and I am thinking creative design.

I know you are wondering “What in the world?!” This is a sweet patch of needle ice. Needle ice occurs in soil where water seeps into the surface. The water freezes when it comes into contact with the air, but the hydraulics of the water below keeps pushing upwards forming strands of frozen spaghetti. In this particular patch of needle ice there were thousands of three inch high, highly fragile, glistening little reminders of creative design.

This pic will give you a view of the couloirs on the east face of Princeton. The coulior on the right is called Line Glacier. Our goal was the wishbone coulior to the left. We pretty much walked a straight line from this point to the coulior.

This is a view down the coulior. The pitch is approximately 40 degrees, the surface icy, and the descent LONG!!! An ice axe is simply imperative at this point. If you were to slip without one, the decent would be fast, furious, and not pretty. Climbing this coulior was not terribly difficult; it just took some time. You essentially kick-step a foot hold in the ice/snow and walk up the side. The legs do burn and the lungs work overtime, but what fun can be had!