Iggy and Kaj play with sticks and rocks.
It was fun to see Davide and get my butt kicked trying mountain biking for the first time. Alisson had fun meeting her internet mom friends IRL. Then we rallied to Blaine.
I met Micah in Squamish for a day of climbing. Our plan was to climb Northern Lights, but the route is closed due to falcon nesting. Instead we eventually decided on Angel's Crest to High Plains Drifter. Micah leads Angel Crack.
We bailed off Angel's Crest due to a queue of parties and rumors of a party ahead of us looking to session High Plains Drifter. Instead we drank beers, headed to Murrin and had a session on Betazoid.
Then it was time for preparations at Tyee Lake for a belated celebration of Susan's birthday. Iggy practices driving.
Being a reformed recidivist and tired of being scrutinized at the border, it was time to find a new vacation crag. Eric and I headed to Newhalem and found stellar gneiss sport climbiing. Here Eric climbs Kate Moss.
Family fun at Tyee Lake.
Eric and I took a second pass at Newhalem. This is the fun warm-up pitch "Cold Beer."
We encountered an exotic bug.
It was a great session. I sent the classic 12b that had stifled my initial attempt previously ("12c for a day", just left of the rope with the higher anchor above the dihedral), then on-sighted the 12- with the rope on it, "Shoe Phone."
Eric on the bridge over the Skagit River at the hydro power station.
The next morning an abrasion on my knee was hurting. After packing camp and driving to Blaine, we were going to Bellingham for other reasons and noticed a red line shooting from my knee to my groin with some mild discomfort. We took a trip to the urgent care where the doctor prescribed antibiotics. Three days later we learned it was a Group A Strep infection. Whew.
The infection started improving immediately with the antibiotics, so early the next morning Peter and I headed to the Coleman-Deming route on Mt Baker. This was one of my favorite all season skis when I lived in Seattle, but it had been more than 10 years. Things were very familiar and different too. It's still spectacular.
Peter reluctantly obliged my scenic detour.
Peter tucks off Grant's Peak to get speed to coast over Baker's summit ice cap.
Peter skis down the Roman Wall.
Peter skis on the Coleman Glacier with sunlight reflecting off the Puget Sound.
On the route home we stopped at a clinic in Ogden and learned that Alisson and Kaj had strep throat. Is it possible to have a family vacation without everybody getting sick? Somehow it missed Iggy. It's good to be home; back to work.
