Three new routes

I didn’t make it to the Deception Pass Dash yesterday. It was a combination of different forces that kept me in Tacoma rather than drive up to the race: sick kid, broken vehicle, family obligations and my own cough and runny nose, for starters. Then again, it may be that I’m just not much of a racer… it was never a priority. I would still like to attend, but perhaps just not as much as I’d like to do other things. I haven’t heard any reports about it yet, but I’m sure the event was a success; the weather was perfect and the turnout was good.

Gary McCall and I got out on the water in the afternoon for a rare daylight paddle (for me), Owen Beach to Gig Harbor. The cold wasn’t even noticeable once we got underway and it was a quick trip across the Narrows to the Tides Tavern for a brew and some onion rings before heading back. There were some large icicles hanging on the dirt cliffs below Point Defiance, a rare sight here on the west side. As we approached Owen Beach just before dark, we came across a pair of climbers all decked out in their ice climbing gear, having some fun on the ribbons of frozen water.

“That’s a first ascent,” I called out to them from about 20 feet out.

“It’s our third one this afternoon,” one of the climbers replied. She was beaming, clearly enjoying the moment, and the foolishness of it all. I’m not an ice climber, but I can definitely appreciate the obvious pull that hanging ice has on some people, even little frozen trickles like these. They were clearly doing it as a joke, but it was a good joke.

There is a part of me that wishes I would have made it to Deception Pass, but the rest of me is happy that I spent the day the way I did. You just can’t do everything.