rhihn
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TCD said:
We hiked the Haute Route, from Chamonix, Fr. to Zermatt, SW. Mostly tame trails, but steep, and altitude was an issue for us. Drop-dead gorgeous scenery everywhere you looked!
Vertigo moments
- Thread starter king tut
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We hiked the Haute Route, from Chamonix, Fr. to Zermatt, SW. Mostly tame trails, but steep, and altitude was an issue for us. Drop-dead gorgeous scenery everywhere you looked!
rhihn
New member
TCD said:
We had a guide, as we had never been there before and didn't know what we might be getting ourselves into. We soon realized we could easily have done it on our own, though it was nice to have someone who spoke French!
We've talked about going back again next summer, but nothing definite. When I get a chance, I'll post (or link) a couple of the 700+ pictures we took. I've never been in the Dolomites, but the scenery seems to rival what I saw in Darren's pictures (though he's a far better photographer!).
RGF1
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While not compleatly a vertigo moment. The last time I was on the Grand Teton. I had a unnerving experince while waiting for ascending gruops at this point http://www.summitpost.org/mountains...0__route_id____user_id____order_by____limit__
It is a 150 ft low 5th clas climb and is usually rappeled down though you can down climb it in the narrow Gully to the climbers right and also climb up the same gully . some do this if their is a "traffic jam ' and they can get to it
. I was on my way down and could not get ot the gully i found my self on a very narrow ledge over looking Idaho with a huge amount of exposure while waiting for a very scared climber to make thier way down as others were in that person s party were occuping the ledge and Icould not get aroubnd them . It was piontless to ask as they had now where to go . It was fairly windy standing on a 2 ft or less ledge with a over 4,000 ft drop was starting to get to me . I eventaully asked the party to ask a differnt ascending party to wait till I could get to a place to down climb before they started up . I was very glad ot be off the narrow ledge and on the down climb never mind the saddle . I was not roped as i was solo . I thanked the second party and told them that there was a very scared climber with the party a head of them . I was uin sure of what else ot od. I wanted to suggest they turn around as it only gets more exposed and the climbing more difficult. But I kept to my self and hoped the climber was ok . I did talk to a NPS climbing ranger who asked if I would not mind staying at the lower saddle for the night instead of going down in case a SAR was needed. She was Familair with me from Aspen . I agreed We did not have ot help that person but they did get caught in a very severe thunderstorm.
that was scary at the 11,600 ft saddle never mind on the techinacal terrian above 13,000 . A few years later the guiding services fix ropes each season so as to avoid such potentaily dangerous traiffic jams .
To say the least standing on a very naroow ledge with huge if you fall you die exposure is unerving .
A differnt view of the section of the climb
http://www.summitpost.org/mountains...40&type=mountain&mountain_id=140&route_id=600
It was taken not far from where I was standing though clearly not when I climbed
It is a 150 ft low 5th clas climb and is usually rappeled down though you can down climb it in the narrow Gully to the climbers right and also climb up the same gully . some do this if their is a "traffic jam ' and they can get to it
. I was on my way down and could not get ot the gully i found my self on a very narrow ledge over looking Idaho with a huge amount of exposure while waiting for a very scared climber to make thier way down as others were in that person s party were occuping the ledge and Icould not get aroubnd them . It was piontless to ask as they had now where to go . It was fairly windy standing on a 2 ft or less ledge with a over 4,000 ft drop was starting to get to me . I eventaully asked the party to ask a differnt ascending party to wait till I could get to a place to down climb before they started up . I was very glad ot be off the narrow ledge and on the down climb never mind the saddle . I was not roped as i was solo . I thanked the second party and told them that there was a very scared climber with the party a head of them . I was uin sure of what else ot od. I wanted to suggest they turn around as it only gets more exposed and the climbing more difficult. But I kept to my self and hoped the climber was ok . I did talk to a NPS climbing ranger who asked if I would not mind staying at the lower saddle for the night instead of going down in case a SAR was needed. She was Familair with me from Aspen . I agreed We did not have ot help that person but they did get caught in a very severe thunderstorm.
that was scary at the 11,600 ft saddle never mind on the techinacal terrian above 13,000 . A few years later the guiding services fix ropes each season so as to avoid such potentaily dangerous traiffic jams .
To say the least standing on a very naroow ledge with huge if you fall you die exposure is unerving .
A differnt view of the section of the climb
http://www.summitpost.org/mountains...40&type=mountain&mountain_id=140&route_id=600
It was taken not far from where I was standing though clearly not when I climbed
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forestgnome
New member
I've been in lightning above treeline twice. That is scary because it kills people and I don't know if a bolt is going to hit me, so until I can get myself down, it's out of my hands.
As trails go, Six Husbands has made me the most nervous. Ever since I witnessed an avalanche I get a bit nervous whenever I'm underneath rocks that look ready to tumble. I was at Harvard Rock, along the Boot Spur, when I saw an avalanche in Tuckerman Ravine. It was at night under a March full moon. It sounded like a freight train. There was enough moonlight to see it, but it was the sound of boulders smashing each other that made my skin tingle. Absolutely terrifying. Ever since, I get nervous looking up at boulders.
Like the lightning, I don't know if it's about to happen.
As trails go, Six Husbands has made me the most nervous. Ever since I witnessed an avalanche I get a bit nervous whenever I'm underneath rocks that look ready to tumble. I was at Harvard Rock, along the Boot Spur, when I saw an avalanche in Tuckerman Ravine. It was at night under a March full moon. It sounded like a freight train. There was enough moonlight to see it, but it was the sound of boulders smashing each other that made my skin tingle. Absolutely terrifying. Ever since, I get nervous looking up at boulders.
Like the lightning, I don't know if it's about to happen.
catskillclimber
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This may sound funny since it's not that big of a peak, but Mount Tuscarora (a sub-peak of Wolverine) in the Wasatch out in Utah freaked me out a bit. It was the first time I hiked anything over 6000. At 10,000 something it was surprising how intimidating the wind was and the dark clouds rolling in. It was obvious that a storm was a long way away but I still scuttled down fast enough to lose my water bottle which I then had to spend 20 minutes looking for. It must have looked amusing to the hikers still on their way up .
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king tut
New member
One obvious climb i forgot. Half Dome in Yosemite. The trail is 8.5 miles to the top and 4800 vertical. The last 1,000 feet or so are straight up, and the sides drop off about 2,000 feet on one side and 4,000 feet on the other side. By the time i got up there my legs were dead, and the climb down from the top was scary. The last 1,000 feet are very steep. I would say that it was scarier than the knife edge on katahdin.
I'm gonna echo some of the previous posts, my first time on the Knifes Edge there was a couple of spots where I didn't move for a couple minutes, that had me a little sketched out. Hunting Ravine and Half Dome also had me a little scared.
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MrAmeche
New member
forestnome said:
I feel the exact same way. Nothing scares me in the outdoors more than a thunder and lightning storm. I know what the statistics are; that doesn't mean I want to become one. I was on the Gulfside this past June in a lightning storm and I don't ever want to go through that again.
king_tut said:
I'm glad that I'm not the only one who thinks that trail is no joke! I've never been to Katahdin (one of these days), but that was quite possibly the most unnerving downhill hike I've ever been through.
