#choosinguncertainty

(6/10 - #choosinguncertainty) words by @drewthayer : Exploration, invention, art..... the creative pursuits all share the same driving force, a spark of inspiration and a foray into the unknown. On our second visit to the Dog Tooth spire we were rewarded with sunny weather and new rock routes, one to a perplexing half-way point and one to the summit. The next day we returned to the Pitchfork glacier and our food supply. The glacier had been out our home for three weeks, surrounded by peaks we climbed and countless others that have never seen a boot or axe. Craig decided to test our handmade skis on the decent - if you’ve ever skied on handmade wooden skis without edges nor legitimate bindings and your ice climbing boots strapped down with cord........well let’s just say he experienced some face-plants. As we celebrated our success a shadow lurked in our minds..... in a few days we’d have to pack up our entire kit - ice and rock gear, tents and ropes and packrafts - and somehow trek 16 miles down the glacier to the rivers, towards the sea. 📷 @drewthayer @davidbfay @americanalpine #coppdashinspireaward #shiptontilman @rab.equipment @featheredfriends1972 @hyperlite_mountain_gear @bluewaterropes @alpacka_raft

(1/4- #choosinguncertainty ). Words by @drewthayer : Living here reminds us of how frail we are. On the sunniest days we can ‘harvest’ water by digging drip structures into the snow, but much of the time we rely on burning fuel to slake our thirst. After almost three weeks of incessant climbing, we decided to investigated rock features down another glacier where we encountered our first running water in almost three weeks if glacier life. Encountering this running water was a welcome sight and got us excited for the exploratory river journey that lay ahead....... The conditions weren’t right for us to climb these unclimbed spires, but they linger in my mind with possibility. 📷 @davidbfay

Practice like you play. A major problem-solving aspect of self-supported wilderness travel: how do you carry all your gear fromA to B? This problem becomes a lot more complicated when you combine multiple disciplines. During our upcoming #choosinguncertainty expedition, we will need to transport all the equipment necessary for alpine rock and ice climbing and glacier travel down unexplored rivers. Compromises must be made.. The packraft seat would be nice, but a sleeping pad will do. Here I am testing these tactics out in 'appropriate' conditions on the upper East Branch of the #pemigewasset River in the #whitemountains of #newhampshire . ______________________________ #coppdashinspireaward @americanalpine @goretexna @nrsweb @featheredfriends1972 @rab.equipment @bluewaterropes @satmodo @backpackerspantry @blackdiamond @lasportivana @Patagonia @mountainhardwear @arcteryx #muderlakart @alpacka_raft

"I never thought I would learn to make hand-made wooden skis, but then again I never thought that I'd try to bushwack and packraft my way out of an Alaskan mountain range. These skis are a strategic piece of our multi-mode travel; they will transport @davidbfay, @craigmuderlak and I over glaciers, then be turned to ashes before we plunge into brush-choked rivers that drain toward the sea. While the end -product of our efforts is ephemeral, like any uncertain endeavor it's the process that matters. Planing down cedar planks has been a peaceful way to spend the evenings and contemplate the things to come. " - @drewthayer #choosinguncertainty #coppdashinspireaward @americanalpine @featheredfriends1972 @nrsweb @hyperlite_mountain_gear @rab.equipment @bluewaterropes @alpacka_raft @satmodo @lasportivana @blackdiamond @patagonia @mountainhardwear @arcteryx