Provisional Climb Leader

Thursday evening I learned that the Mazamas had promoted me to Provisional Climb Leader.  Getting to this point was one of my main goals in 2008 and it has been a fun ride.  Granted, I would have been doing many of these activities anyway, like helping out with the basic and intermediate climbing classes, and serving as an Assistant Climb Leader.  What was different was that Climb Leadership Development gave me focus.  It put me in the position to step out a little more and benefit from the experience.  Also important for me was to enjoy the process and not to fixate myself on its completion.  This was helpful when I experienced a couple of setbacks. 

I received notice of my promotion just before getting together for a beer with Paul Steger, who was the first of the Mazamas Climb Leaders to give me the chance to serve as their Assistant Climb Leader.  It just felt right to have Paul be the first to tell the good news.

The next step is that I have to lead three climbs in the capacity of a probationary leader.   That means I have to plan and lead the climbs, while a full fledged climb leader will serve as my assistant and then evaluate me.

Navigation

It was that time again, time for the navigation portion of the Mazamas Intermediate Climbing School.  On Thursday there was a lecture on Map and Compass use plus a talk about using a Global Positioning System.  Then on Saturday we assembled once again at the Mazamas Mountaineering Center for practice using the map and compass.  For me it was a little more, because my participation was the final requirement in this level of Climb Leader Development for me.  With the blessing of the powers that be, the next step for me would to be lead lead three climbs as Provisional Climb Leader.

Return to Horsethief

I spent Sunday in the sun at Horsethief Butte, just North of The Dalles.  I was helping out with the Mazamas Intermediate Climbing School (ICS) Anchors, Belaying, and Rappelling field session.  Not only was I there to help out, but I was being evaluated for Climb Leader Development.

It seemed fitting that Jay Chambers would write my final evaluation at this stage of progressing through Mazamas Climb Leader Development.  He was very honest with me last year when told me that he did not know me well enough to write a letter of recommendation for entrance into the program.  I had climbed with Jay on Sahale Peak and Middle Sister.  I could not think of another climb leader who I had climb with more.  For a moment I thought I had painted myself into a corner, since I had done most of my climb with another climb leader.  However, Jay said he would consider writing a letter after observing me lead a hike or assist for one of the climb class field sessions.  I was so impressed and grateful for his willingness to work with me.

One of the fun parts of the day was seeing familiar faces from my climbs this summer.  I saw that climbers from my Mt Adams and Middle Sisters climbers were enrolled in ICS.

Now, all I need to progress to the next stage is to attend the ICS Navigation Field Session in November.

Mount Adams

This weekend I joined climb leader Lori Freeman and nine other climbers to explore the South slopes of Mt. Adams.  When we left the trailhead at Cold Springs Campground Saturday morning, little did we know that about one mile south an unexpected surprise was simmering.

While the South Side of Mount Adams is not a technical climb, sudden whiteouts, altitude sickness, and a safe glissade down are major concerns.  Our group got some great practice ascending a steep snow slope by climbing in balance with an ice axe.  As we hiked upward we were treated to views of Mt. St. Helens and Mt. Hood.  I found it comforting to see Hood to the south, a familiar landmark looking after us.  We settled at a great camp just below the Lunchcounter, that offered plenty of tent sites, running water, and good access to the climb route.  After dinner and a pre-climb meeting, we were treated to a very nice sunset.

After a quick review of Ice Axe self arrest, we started our ascent about 5:20am.   The weather was favorable for our summit day.  Looking south we could see Mt. Hood, Mt. Jefferson, the Three Sisters, and Broken Top.  We could also see a column of smoke rising.  As we ascended the fire grew.  It was not long until we saw air tankers dropping fire retardant.

When we reached 11000 feet we were at the top of the false summit.  In the distance was the true summit, about another 1200 feet higher.  This was also new territory for me.  I'm sure I was not the only one wondering how they would fair at a higher elevation than Hood.  As we ascended the final distance I noticed a slight headache, which I shared with the group.  We arrived at the summit about 11:10am.  In the distance were the Goat Rocks, Mt. Rainier, the North Cascade, and Mt. Baker. 

We reviewed proper glissading technique and then I took over and led the descent.  We had avoided an earlier departure time to allow a descent when the sun had softened the snow for a safe glissade.  While the snow was soft, there were a couple of hard bumps, which I still feel and I type this report.

We were concerned whether the Cold Springs fire had cut off our way home.  At this there was little we could but return to base camp, pack up, and head out.  We found out that the cars were fine and that we could leave with a the Forest Service escorting us past the dicey parts.  We were quite impressed with how well the Forest Service was organized.

This climb was a milestone in my development as a climb leader, as it was my third Assistant Climb Leader experience in Leadership Development.  However, by no means is it the end of my apprenticeship.  Not only do I have more assists scheduled this summer, education is a lifelong endeavor.

Middle Sister Climb - East Side Story

Last year I climbed Middle Sister from the west via the Renfrew Glacier, an ascent that did not require crampons or ropes.  This weekend I returned to the Sisters Wilderness for my third attempt via the Hayden Glacier route.  What I found on the east side of the Cascades was just the experience and challenge that I had sought.

A previous climb leader had suggested that since this climb would count towards a Climb Leadership Assist for me, that I request to play more of a lead role.  Climb Leader John Meckle was gracious enough to let me take on more responsibility than is typically given to Mazamas Climb Leader Assistants.  We started at the Pole Creek Trailhead.  It was not long after crossing Soap Creek that we started to loose the trail under the snow.  Climb Leaders from two previous climbs had provided us with GPS coordinates, so we used a combination of GPS, maps, and compass to get to our base camp.  Thankfully most of the hiking on this hot day was under tree cover.  

At base camp we had a grand view of Broken Top, South Sister, Middle Sister, and North Sister.  The boot tracks along the lateral moraine of the Hayden Glacier were visible to the naked eye. We filled up our water bottles, cooked dinner, and practiced roping up and passing protection on a fixed belay.  Since thunderstorms had been predicted for the afternoon of our climb day, we went to bed timely in order to rest for a very early alpine start.  It was not a quite night.  A thunderstorm moved in and there was frequent lightning with high winds.  Often I would peer out of my tent and see Middle Sister silhouetted by the sky glowing from lighting.

The amazing thing was that we we awoke for our 4am departure, the sky was full of stars, as if the storm had never happened.  We passed through a couple of gullies to the lateral moraine, which looked like a ramp leading towards the saddle between Middle Sister and Prouty Point.  There was a lot of snow up here for late June, hardly any crevasses had opened up on the Hayden Glacier.   While the chance of falling into a crevasse was minimal, the consequence of falling into a crevasse was unacceptable, so I made he call to rope up. 

From the saddle we clipped out of the ropes and scrambled up the scree and talus to a steep snowfield.  Here I ascended under belay, multiple pickets clanging like a cow bells, and placed my first Fixed Belay.  Much to my pleasure my fellow climber Jim told me the pickets that I had buried in the snow had not come out easily.  From here it was a easy scramble to the summit.  My watch read 0919.  I had been told the view from the summit of Middle Sister is the best of the Three Sisters.  To the south we could see Mt. Thielsen, Diamond Peak, South Sister, and Broken Top.  Looking North we could see North Sister, Mt. Washington, Three Finger Jack, Mt. Jefferson, Mt. Hood and Mt. Adams.  

Back at the steep snow slope, the climb leader and I set up a rappelling anchor.  As I waited while the rest the team rappelled, the wind picked up.  The snow was soft as we descended to our camp.  As we broke camp we saw the thunder clouds forming.  The threat of a thunderstorm added some drama to our hike out.  Thankfully we were spared a downpour, the few drops that did fall wetted the dusty trail down for us.

Unfortunately upon our return to the trailhead we found that one of our cars had a broken rear windshield.  All that had been stolen had been a cooler and a backpack with clean clothes.  I felt helpless and saddened by this waste.

Pedalpalooza and other adventures

I have been spending a lot of time on my bike this week.  Wednesday I biked to the Kennedy School in Northeast Portland.  If you could visit only one McMenamins joint, this would be the one.  Built in 1915 , this building was a elementary school until it closed its doors after the 1974-1975 school year.  22 years later it re-opended as part of the McMenamins universe.  Here I have watched second run movies in the Theater Pub, relaxed in the hot soaking pool, square danced in the gym, and dined with friends, family, and co-workers.  What I love about this place is walking down the halls and enjoying the artwork, savoring the nostalgia of my time as a elementary school student.  The occasion tonight was to meet with Dan and go over the Basic Climb class evaluation that he had written for my Climb Leader Development.  I certainly appreciated the insights and knowledge that he has given me.  I consider myself fortunate to have had great mentors in the Mazamas.

Thursday evening I biked further from home, this time to the Hawthorne District in Southeast Portland.  Here was the graduation party for the Intermediate Climbing School that I had helped out with the last nine months.  I was quite pleased to see that so many people had biked to this event.  Not wanting to bike such a long way home, I put my bike on a Trimet bus that brought me within a mile of home.

The next evening I set out to do something that was not Mazamas related.  I pointed the front tire of my bike towards the Alberta Street area to take part in a Vegan Cyclist Pub Crawl.  This was part of Pedalpalooza, which is two weeks of bikey fun with events ranging from bike rides to bike jousting.  Tonight's plan was to visit a variety of vegan friendly pubs.  This is in conjunction with PDX Try Vegan Week.   While I am not vegan, nor am I a vegetarian, this looked like fun.  And it was. The toughest part was arriving at the Bye and Bye Pub and finding the Pedalpalooza crowd.  One I did I settled into conversation until it was boldly announced that the Vegan Pub Crawl would be moving on.  Next thing we had 30 + cyclists steaming down Alberta Street to our next destination, the Mash Tun Pub.  After some pool and a wonderful Porter, we headed south through the Irvington neighborhood to the Hungary Tiger Too.  There was one more pub on the agenda, but it was time for me to head home.  You can read a recap of the Vegan Cyclist Pub Crawl here.  Stay tuned for more Pedalpalooza reports, since there are a couple of other events that I plan on attending.

Mt. Hood in June

It was one year today that I climbed Mt. Hood for the first time.  It was a balmy night with very little wind.  As we ascended up the Palmer snow field the mountain glowed from the light of a full moon.  It was a magical experience with the added bonus of reaching the summit and safely returning to tell the tale.  Now, exactly one year later, I found myself on an another Mazamas climb up the South Side of Mt. Hood.  The question in my mind was how would it compare to my experience last year.

Mazamas Climb Leader Dan Schuster invited me to assist with this climb.  It was his basic climbing class group that I had worked with this spring.  I welcomed the opportunity to climb with those people, so I accepted.  While I have been the Assistant Climb Leader on a handful of climbs, I have yet to do one where we would rope up.  

The weather report was iffy, so we started at 2am to avoid the showers that were predicted for Saturday night.  When we departed the Timberline parking lot there was a slight wind with cloud patches.  As we ascended the Palmer snow field the sky opened up, studded with stars.  At one point we could see a sliver of the moon to the east.  As the light of day overtook the night, we could see that we were climbing above the clouds.  We could also see climbers lined up, waiting to ascend the final 1000 feet.   As we were approaching the Devil's Kitchen one member of our party started to complain of nausea and dizziness.  At first I thought she was suffering from Acute Mountain Sickness, but it turned out to be a case of Vertigo.  Since we could not spare anyone to descend with her, the call was made for the group to descend.  At that point I led the group down.  There was a chute for glissading, but I felt it was too icy and steep.  Once we reached the level of the Palmer Ski Lift the snow was softer, so we removed our crampons as enjoyed the glissade down part of the way.

Not only was it was a glorious day, but I got some insights into what climb leaders consider when facing tough calls.  Before this climb started I thought my education as a Assistant Climb Leader would take place as I led the group down from the summit ridge.  Instead the most valuable lesson of day took place 1000 feet lower in the Devil's Kitchen.

Thanks to Jared Townsley for the photos.

Hot Times in Central Oregon

When I took the Mazamas Intermediate Climb School (ICS) in 2004 / 2005, we had only one trip to Smith Rock State Park.  Since then they have vastly improved the class by making two trips trips to this rock climbing Mecca in Central Oregon.  This weekend I returned to Smith Rocks for the second time this year to help out.

Saturday started with an early morning departure from Portland and passing over the Cascades along the shoulder of Mt. Hood.  As I drove south on Highways 26 and 97 I saw a grand view of the snow covered volcanoes of the Oregon Cascades:  Broken Top, the Three Sisters, Mt. Washington, Three Finger Jack, Mt. Jefferson, and Mt. Hood.  Most of the peaks triggered memories of my past travels, along with plans for the future.

Most of the students were paired with graduates of the Mazamas Advanced Rock class to try out multi-pitch climbs.  Since I have not taken that class, I spent both Saturday and Sunday working with students in a top-roping situation.  At the top of the climbing route we would work with the students as they practiced building an anchor for each climbing route.  Then we would scramble down to the bottom of the route.  From there we spent the day taking turns climbing and belaying from the bottom of the route.  Both days I was stationed at North Point climbing area, which thankfully was in the shade most of the day.  Even with the shade it was hot, so Saturday evening I went for a cool dip in the Deschutes River near Steelhead Falls.

Initially it did not seem like there would be any climb leaders available to give me my final Field Session Evaluation that I needed for Climb Leader Development.  However, the coordinator may be able to provide one for me based upon my work this weekend.  Whether or not that happens, I left Smith Rock satisfied that I had helped provide valuable instruction and improved my climbing skills.

Oh Brother Where Art Thou?

This past weekend I joined climb leader Paul Steger with an attempt to climb the South Peak of the Brothers, located between the Hamma Hamma and Duckabush Rivers in the Olympic Mountains.  It was a difficult undertaking for the first climb of the year because it was a multi-day backpack, it has been a heavy snow year, and it was unexplored area for our climb team.

We started on familiar ground by hiking up to Lower Lena Lake.  From there we followed the trail through the Valley of the Silent Men.  It was not long until we ran into serious snow and donned our snowshoes.  Things got really interesting we crossed a bridge with a tree that had fallen down over one end.  Here we had to hold onto a (thankfully) strong limb and swing around with full backpacks and snowshoes.  We shared camp at Lena Forks with another group of 12 climbers from Seattle.

While it had been overcast when we went to bed, the sky was clear when we got up for our alpine start.  The other group had told us they had climbed this route before and we were welcome to tag along.  However, after snowshoeing up to a covered meadow at 4400 feet, we discovered that there was disagreement within the other group on the route.  This should have been a clue to us that they were not dialed into the correct route.

The two groups started to proceed up towards a headwall.  As the slope got steeper we shed our snowshoes and took turns kicking steps.  At the headwall the Mazamas stopped while the other group continued up the steep snowfield.  After we put on our helmets and pulled out our ice axes we started up the steep slope to 6000 feet, only to find that the other group had run into a dead end.  At this point I was asked to lead the group safely back to the headwall, where we rested and looked at our options.  We prudently decided that we needed to head back to our camp and our cars.

While this may had been disappointing. it was not.  It was a beautiful day to be out on the mountain.  Looking east we could see that the Puget Sound basin was clouded over.  Furthermore, as the Assistant Climb Leader I got practice leading the group down a sleep snow slope and navigating from the camp back to Lower Lena Lake.  Not only did I learn several little nuggets of climbing wisdom along the way, I have one of the three climbs as a Assistant Climb Leader done for Climb Leadership Development.

All Tied Up

Last night was out Basic Team's Knot Night.  On the agenda were old friends such as the Clove Hitch, Bowline, and Double Fisherman.  We also practiced techniques such as belaying and repelling in preparation for our upcoming rock field sessions.  I could tell that the students found the instruction helpful and useful.  I have been tying knots since a Tenderfoot, but I walked away with a couple of new tricks up my sleeve as well.  However, the most important thing I learned was confidence.  I always feel better and better at what I have learned over the years, which is much more than I realize.

Dog Mountain Conditioning Hike

Early this morning Team 15 of the Mazamas Basic Climbing Education Program (BCEP) assembled for our first conditioning hike.  We drove east down the Columbia River Gorge to the trailhead of Dog Mountain.  The students got off easy this time, it was a beautiful sunny day.  There were at least four other BCEP groups on this trail trail, I saw so many familiar faces.  There was still some snow up on the meadows of the summit, with Rime Ice on the windward side of the trees.  The highlight of the day for me was making one member of our team laugh as muscle spasms were making her descent down the trail a difficult one.

Super Smith Rock Weekend

When I went to Smith Rock State Park for the first time, I could not climb due to a fractured wrist.  So I watched my Mazamas Intermediate Climb School (ICS) colleagues climb while I made the best of the situation and practiced building rock anchors.  This weekend I returned to this amazing place and had the Smith Rock experience that I had missed.

On Saturday our group started at the Red Wall's Super Slab route.  I really liked going up the crack on the first pitch of this route.  Being the last climber of the group and cleaning out the protection that our lead climber had placed was great practice for me.  The weather on that day was on and off.  At point it would be sunny and then the hale would start falling.  After the first pitch we rappelled down and moved to the Dihedrals area.  There we practiced climbing up to an anchor, belaying the climber that followed us, and then lowering a climber.

In the evening most of the students and instructors went to Skull Hallow Campground for a potluck dinner, a birthday cake, and Hula Hoop Dancing.

Sunday was a day of top-roping at the Student Wall.  I enjoyed the hike along the Crooked River to this climbing crag.  The smell of the sage brush along the way was an added bonus.  I was supposed to be evaluated for my final Leadership Development field session.  However, the climb leader who was going to did not show up.  Since there were not any other available Climb Leaders, I did not get evaluated.  While this was a disappointment, I thought it would serve as an insentive to return to second ICS Smith Rock field Session in May.

 

First Aid Blitz

This week I re certified my first aid training.  Monday evening I attended the first of two four hour Mountain First Aid classes.  That evening we reviewed the fine points of patient examination and spinal precautions.  Thursday evening we had a variety of role playing situations plus a written test.  While it is not the most exciting material, it was good to revisit this important skill that I hope I'll never have to use.

Accident Management Weekend

My progress in Climb Leader Development continued this weekend by participating in an Accident Management weekend.  This is part of the Mazamas Intermediate Climbing School.  Yours truly was the first speaker - I gave a presentation on the Mazamas Critical Incident Debriefing Team.  Following me climb leader Monty Smith talked about his involvement in a rescue in the Swiss Alps.  Then Portland Mountain Rescue took the stage and outlined the elements of a successful mountain rescue.

Sunday the students assembled near Timberline Lodge for two rescue scenarios.  Here I found myself as the survivor of an avalanche and transported about in a rope litter.  I also watched as the students set up a rescue pulley and pulled up a patient in a rope litter.

It was a fine day to be up on the mountain.  I had been expecting rain, but the sun was out and I had to apply suntan lotion.

On the home front my daffodils are blooming.  Unfortunately the bulbs that my neighbor gave me last year do not feature any flowers.  Let's hope they are late bloomers.

An Avalanche of Information

I just returned from two days at an Avalanche Safety Course.  After last weekend's spin on Highway 26 I was quite careful with the driving.  The first day took place in Parkdale, Oregon on the east side of Mount Hood.  It was difficult to be inside on this amazing clear day with a great view of Mt. Hood.

Glen Klesser of MountainSavvy and his able assistants led the class.  He used a variety of videos to instill a healthy respect of the power of avalanches.  He also had some low tech tricks up his sleeve.  At one point he was standing on a block of styrafoam, held up on a table by a layer of strafoam cups.  When he jumped up on the block of styrafoam, the styrafoam cups underneath collasped.  This effectivily illustrated how an avalanches is caused when a trigger causes a weak layer of snow to lose its bond with the layer above.  We spent Saturday learning about how terrain, snow stability, mountain snowpack, and weather contribute to avalanche conditions.  As a prospective climb leader I was quite interested in the material on assessing avalanche danger.  As the weekend progressed, I learned there is not a silver bullet in sniffing out an avalanche.  It is more of process of collecting information from a variety of sources.  It was also valuable discussing the decision making and human factors to consider.  I also found the discussions on choosing the best routes useful.

After Saturday's session we carefully drove up to Mazama Lodge.  After chaining up the car for the next day, we retired for the day.  For the first time I set my sleeping bag outside on the porch for a quite night's sleep.

On Sunday we drove up to Timberline Lodge and the class reassembled.  We spent the morning practicing with Avalanche Beacons.  The weather was windy and wet, so we ate lunch in the day lodge.  Then we went back outside to more on stability

 evaluation.  This was done by digging a snowpit and performing a variety of test.  The final one involved getting on a column of snow and seeing if it would collapse from the weight.

360 Degrees of Crevasse Rescue

The day of my second Climb Leader Development teaching evaluation started out with a very early meeting at the Gateway Transit Center.  From here I carpooled up to Mt. Hood's White River West SnoPark with two other Mazamas.  After passing through Sandy, Oregon we were traveling on snow when the car hit an ice patch.  The Subaru Outback crossed into the other lane of traffic and started to rotate counter-clockwise.  Our driver managed to position the car so that only the right end of the front bumper bounced off the guardrail.  After completing a 360 degree turn we returned to our lane of traffic.  We were fortunate that there was not any traffic in the other lane at this early hour.  At this point our decision to leave a little earlier seemed like the right call, as we slowly made our way to the meeting place.  After surviving this I have a greater respect for the dynamics of driving on snow.

Today the focus was on Crevasse Rescue.  The sky was overcast, in the 20s, and snow was falling.  I found out that the Climb Leader that was supposed to evaluate me had called in sick.  All of the other Climb Leaders were evaluating other Leadership Development canidates, so I was put on standby.  I was eventually paired with some of the students that were running late.  One of the coordinators for the class  would complete an evaluation of me.

The morning went by quickly as our group practiced the basics of various hauling systems.  I was working on my own with two students.  In the afternoon we practiced a couple of more elaborate systems.  Generally students were in three person rope teams.  One would simulate falling by putting weight on the rope, giving the other two students a feel for working with a loaded rope.  As this took place an instructor would watch as the other two climbers set up their pulley hauling systems.  Since I was the lone instructor in our group and there were only two students, I had a bit of logistical challenge.  However, we did fine with the cards that we were dealt.  A couple of times we collaborated with another group, which was helpful.

The drive back to the Gateway Transit Center was uneventful.  When I returned home I found snow on my front lawn.

Saving Little Annie

One of the requirements for the Mazamas Climb Leader Development is that I am trained in Mountain First Aid.  My First Aid training expires this year, so in March I will take a re-certification course.  To complete this course I have to renew my Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) training.  So today I arranged a date with Annie the Mannequin at Portland Community College.  Every CPR course that I take stirs up memories of learning and relearning CPR with my Boy Scout Troop 550 and the Camp Parsons staff.  There have been changes since those days.  No longer do they teach taking the patients pulse or performing CPR as a pair.  Also, they have simplified the process for locating the place for compressions.  Included now in the curriculum is use of Automated External Defibrillators.  When we were tested the instructor had his stopwatch out, making sure that we listened long enough for a breathing and that our compressions were not too fast or slow.  I survived all of that, in addition to the awkwardness of being the patient for the Heimlick Maneuver.   

Return to Mazama Lodge

I returned to Mazama Lodge on Saturday to assist with the Intermediate Climbing School (ICS) Snow Anchors field session.  I have assisted with ICS before, but this would be the first time that one of the club's Climb Leaders would be looking over my shoulder and evaluating me.  This is part of the Climb Leadership Development Program.  I knew in advance that I would be instructing on the fine points of building snow anchors such as Pickets, Deadmen, Flukes, and Bollards (oh my!),  so I had bushed up the week before.  Normally this field session is held near the Timberline Lodge, which is at 6000 feet elevation.  However, weather conditions were not favorable, so we spent Saturday two thousand feet lower at the Mazama Lodge.  This was a good call, because the morning was rainy and cold.  Groups of students would rotate through various stations.  Wearing my trusty red Marmot rain jacket, I gave introductory overviews to a couple of groups and then gave individual hands-on instruction to a number of students during each rotation.  The first time I gave an overview it felt disjointed, but with each group I felt more comfortable with my presentation.  

After eating lunch in the lodge basement, I returned outside to falling snow.  I will take snow over rain any day.  I was working with Tim Scott, who was also evaluating me.  I got some good feedback on my presentation style and encouragement to continue applying these skills on climbs.

With the conclusion of the class for the day we all retired to the lodge to relax and eat dinner.  

My birthday fell on this weekend, so I baked a German Chocolate cake for the occasion.  The cook was happy that I had brought up the cake, because she had not prepared dessert for the evening.  This was the second birthday in a row that I had celebrated at Mazama Lodge.  It certainly was a fine place to celebrate my birthday.

Day two of this snow climbing field session took place near Timberline Lodge.  The weather

 was glorious, with a clear blue sky.  The crisp white snow fields of Mt. Hood watched over us.  In the distance one could see Mt. Jefferson and (as a bonus) the Three Sisters!  Today I helped at a station where student would apply the snow anchor skills learned the day before to a multi

 pitch rappel.  To see the smiles on some of the students when they discovered that the anchors that they had built had held them was the highlight of the weekend.