Arrrrgh

Enough with the rain already.

If you didn't know, it's been raining in Salt Lake for at least the last 3 weeks. According to the weather forecast, there was a 60% chance of rain in the Wasatch today, so I figured I wouldn't get to do any climbing and I slept in instead. When I got up, the sky was blue and nearly cloudless, so I decided I'd have a go at Reynolds Peak (9,422 ft above sea level) since it looked like a short, relatively easy local climb. When I got to the trailhead, the sky was still blue. About twenty minutes into the hike, I felt a few drops of rain and the air had that feel to it that said "It's gonna pour, fool!" (In my imagination, the air talks like Mr. T.) I reached in my pack to get my rain coat, only to realize I'd left it at the house. I turned around. On my way back to the truck, it started pouring. I started jogging, only to arrive at the truck under bluebird skies. I guess in the end I made the right choice by turning around since the lightning started soon afterward. Still, this unending weather situation is unbearable.

Rafting

Not climbing, but it was an adventure. Ryan (who works in Montana) had a 3-day weekend and I was getting antsy sitting around Salt Lake, so we decided to float the Snake River in Wyoming this weekend. So I rented a raft from the U and headed up on Friday afternoon. We camped out a few miles south of the town of Jackson. It rained all night.

Saturday morning, we got up and headed to the river. We looked like this at the put-in spot:The high temperature was 53 degrees Fahrenheit, and the sun never came out. The water of course came from melting snow. The river was flooded and fast. We had an average speed 6.5 mph, and a max speed of 12.4 mph in some rapids. It rained all day.

After dinner, we went to bed around 9 because it was still raining and we didn't want to sit around outside. It rained all night.

If you ever find yourself in Jackson, Wyoming, leave. It is an unholy tourist trap with more T-shirt shops per capita than any other town in the USA. Seriously, I saw a T-shirt shop next to a T-shirt shop. If you want to buy a T-shirt proclaiming "I got drunk in Jackson, Wyoming", Jackson is the place to be. If you want to gorge yourself on all-you-can-eat buffets, guzzle clear alcohol diluted with high fructose corn syrup and take pictures in front of a place called "Cowboy Bar," (2 shows nightly!) go to Jackson. If you want to wiggle your way through a suffocatingly dense horde of obese retirees waddling around the town square, go to Jackson.

If you want to have fun, explore the surrounding countryside. Just south of Grand Teton National Park, it's in a great location. At least I assume it is, but the weather kept me from getting a good view.

Spring Training

Shaping up...ish. Maybe I'll be in decent shape by the time the snow melts.

Plans for this summer

Living in Salt Lake, I have great mountains right next to town. It's great. I mean really really great. There are 3 different foothills with 1,000 to 2,000 feet of elevation gain that I can climb on weeknights as a nice workout. All the trailheads are within about 2 miles of my house.

On weekends, I've been doing a little snowshoeing but I've been keeping away from the big peaks because I don't know anything about avalanche safety. But the snow's starting to melt (or was, until we got two epic storms this week) and I'm getting antsy to get out. And so, I present my goal for this summer:

The Wasatch 11,000 ft peaks

Zacatecas

I am in Zacatecas, a wonderful old mining town in Zacatecas state dating back to the 1500s. I took a guided tour this morning of one of the old silver mines and I think I annoyed the tour guide with my myriad technical questions. Then I found a bunch of other mine adits and shafts where the locals seem to have been dumping garbage for years.

I'm on a computer right now that has a card reader, so here are some pictures from my camera:

I take a hydrometer reading at a tequila distillery in the town of Tequila

Crocodiles in Chiapas state.

Hanging out in the oh so touristy but still fascinating Mina el Eden in Zacatecas

I just realized I haven't been taking many pictures of myself.

Back in Mexico City

I'm back in Mexico City for a quick stop after the 14 hour overnight bus ride from San Cristóbal. I was seated near the back, where I caught a good whiff every time somebody opened the door to the lavatory. On top of this, there was an obnoxious group of loud people next to me who wouldn't shut up. I didn't really want to come back through Mexico City, but it's a pretty major transportation hub so another visit was practically unavoidable.

I ought to be back in New Mexico in about 5 days or 6 days, barring any unforeseen obstacles such as a bus driver strike, guerilla attack, etc. On my way back I'm going to wind through some of the old mining towns in the northern mountains.