"Put it into third..."
"No thats fourth"
"Oh, sorry"
"Maybe, I should drive instead"
"Yeah that's probably a good idea"
Not impressed with my ability to destroy a transmission, Phil and Adam watched me embarrass myself learning standard in the parking of lot of Mount Pakenham. After some debate about who was best suited to do the drive (not me) we were on our way to pick up the fourth member of the journey into Quebec to find climbable ice.
The drive seemed easy enough considering we had printed directions all the way to Tremblant, but Quebec has a funny way of making everything seem closer than it really is. The plan was to locate some university friends of Adams, sleep on their hotel floor and then wake up to meet our fifth and most experienced climber.
Although a miscommunication lead to Adam and I spending the better part of the night flirting in vain with all the hotel desk ladies in the village to try and get a discount on a room for two that would hopefully have room for four.
We soon realized that unless we planned on dishing out some serious cash we better start making new plans. Somehow our group picked the exact weekend when seven busloads of university students had arrived in Tremblant to board, ski and pack the bars.
Eventually we settled on the cheapest and best of options. The local hostel. Where we had a chance to finally shower, eat right and do a lot of well deserved nothing. In the midst of all the nothing, I managed to strike up a conversation with an Aussie who was in the middle of his going away party. He had been a resident of the hostel for the week and everyone there had taken a shine to him. His name was Mark, and he had left his job as a high paying IT consultant to travel and see the places in the world he had only dreamt of while spinning the globe on his desk.
Standing in the kitchen, making our way back to the hostel bar with snacks for the party, Mark and I talked for nearly an hour about making the decision between love and money. Making the choice between the security of the paycheck or the one that allows you to follow your passions. We stood on different ends of the topic, even though we were leading very similar lives. Mark enlightened me about a lot of things and I realized then that sometimes useful advice can come when you least expect it and from the most unsuspecting people.
In the morning, after packing up our gear and finding the fifth member at the crag we started the building of the anchors. We practiced anchor building, tie offs, placing ice screws and discussed the practicality of different acronyms in anchor building. Our guide taught us about SECURE and how it was logical because if you follow the letters it's progressional.
Strong
Equalized
Centered
Unbroken
Redundant
Edge
The group practiced using SECURE to put up our top ropes before we geared up and started climbing that beautiful ice. The weather was lingering around -4(Celsius) and it created the perfect conditions for us to grow our confidence and technique.
Exhausted and out of water we left the Ice many hours later. On the shuttle bus back we realized just how out of place we must have looked. Looking around we noticed that every other person we saw was carrying a snowboard, a pair of ski's or a purse to do some shopping. Then there was the four us. Outfitted in backpacks, ropes, climbing helmets and ice axes. Grinning from ear to ear we packed the car and started the long journey back.
"Formal education will make you a living; self-education will make you a fortune"- Jim Rohn
OS
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