First of all motherhood isn't
that bad! Now I have got Hannah I have got more time to climb!
At the end of May 2014 Paul and I had a cheeky trip to Chamonix, France. Cham
is one of my favourite places to climb despite a massive fall in to a crevasse
a few years back in the area.
To save money we choose to camp out just bellow Cosmique hut down the vallee
blanche. For a long time I wanted to test out my new The North Face Mountain 25
tent.
We set off early morning. From the top of the Aiguille du Midi we started to
gear up. At that point we realised that my ''baby brain'' is still present, ha ha.
I had forgotten to pack some essential safety gear. This had never happened to me before!!!
Thankfully Paul had some spare kit so we could make do. As we were intending to camp (for the first
time on snow with our own tent) and climb, we had way too much kg in our packs. Before even 30 min into our walk down the ridge I was already calculating how much money I
will get from eBay if I sell all of my gear! To be fair I think as its been
only 3 months after giving birth, my body wasn't ready for that kind of
challenge.
We have pitched our tent. The weather wasn't to bad, but it felt like it might
turn nasty any second. Night was windy and cold. The Tent did a very good job in
those conditions, I just need to figure out something about the
condensation...open the flaps a bit more most likely would do the job.
Not only was I trying out my tent for the first time I also tried my new Exped
Down 7 sleeping mat. Oh my lord that was the best mat I have ever used so far!
It was warm, comfy and unbelievably light.
In the morning it was obvious that we should of stayed at the hut. As carrying
to much isn't the best policy to enjoy your Alpine climbing trip. We packed our
stuff and went to the hut. So the second night we will be spending in ''luxury''
:-D. Cosmique hut was full because the 'Millet Expert' Shop had clothing
training with the Alpine guides.
With some luck the hut manager managed to squeeze us in for one night. Happy
days. We geared up and went to climb the Arête des Cosmiques. It
was a great mixed climbing climb. A bit to busy for my liking but I enjoyed
most of it, apart from two abseils. I HATE ABSEILING!!!!!
:-).
After the climb we had a lovely dinner. At the table we have met some
great climbers, one of them was Erik Weihenmayer, he is a big inspiration to
me and to many people around the world! In the mean time, the weather was getting
worse :-( we kept looking out of the window with a hope for a bit of
sunshine, but it was not to be.
In the morning we made a choice to go back down as it looked like if we
didn't go now, we could get stuck up high in the hut for a week or so. With poor
visibility we started to walk back to the cable car. And again I have
started auctioning my climbing gear! Plus in-between selling my gear I was
thinking of a new hobby: knitting...painting...swimming...sewing...LOL
Over all it was a good trip, I have tested myself and found out that I am out
of shape and that I need to work on my fitness a bit before I can do
any climbing or even walking.
