2/7/21—Ice Climbers

Well, I can confidently say that I never expected to see this.

I thought I was going out on just a normal Sunday afternoon hike. That plan was quickly thrown out the door on my drive to the trail. As I’m driving and trying to conceptualize photo ideas, I notice a person in a bright red jacket standing at the base of a cliff that often has small waterfalls trickling off of it. Due to the bitter cold temperatures lately, the flowing water turns to ice on the face of the cliff. So I see this person in the red jacket, and as I approach them, I notice they’re looking up and holding ropes as well as other climbing gear. By the time I recognized what was going on, it was too late for me to stop and park to get a better look. I hustle to the closest place I can turn around and drive back to the action. With a better view this time, I am able to see that they are indeed ice climbing. And sure enough, there is someone 25 feet off the ground, clinging to the frozen waterfall. Insane.

As much as I wanted to approach them and get a solid set of photos, I didn’t want to run the risk. The climbers were doing their own thing. It seemed pretty sketchy, so I wasn’t inclined to add any more pressure to the situation. I kept my distance and shot what I could. The climber made their way all the way to the top of the waterfall and was lowered down.

I am still in disbelief.