Thin Air

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So climbing in the Rockies last month I went blind- well, snow blind, which is pretty painful. Apparently what us newbies who grew up in a place that didn't have snowpeaks dont' know (although I lived in colorado as a todder, apparently it didn't help) is that on the summit, removing one's sunglasses is a bad idea. The atmosphere is thin, and so there are tremendously higher UV levels, which is amplified when said UV rays bounce off the snow, and head right for your eyes. It's the same thing that happens to your eyes if you watch a welder's arch for to long, or do something stupid like blow up a camp stove (what the emt's originally thought I had done).

As a sidenote, this "thin air" experience provides the unusual sensation of being cold and hot at the same time.

On the positive side, you really feel like you're looking on God's glory up there. The sky gets darker, the snowpeaks glow, the wind feels like it could actually push you off the summit ridge, and everything actually "feels" silent. Climbing mountains is everything you expect it to be, and the heartfelt drive to make it up those summits does not disappoint. It really is very well worth the time and effort. I plan on doing this much more often.

Having said that, next time I will wear sunglasses. Thank goodness the snowblindness takes some time to set in- had it been on the mountainside instead of back at camp, I would've been in real trouble.