The Word from Mount 7

Olivia and I were on our way to Yosemite, but we are now side tracked in Leavenworth, Washington. We did a day of climbing in Icicle Creek, then went out to Seattle to visit a friend. She is staying at the base of Tiger Mountain and is heavily in to paragliding. She managed to get the two of us up on tandem flights with two of her friends. I flew for about an hour and a half with Gord. We got up to about 5500′ and did some mild maneuvers on the way down. There is no feeling like coring up a thermal with a few thousand feet of air below and a bunch of little nylon strings between you and the wing above. Gord is an excellent pilot. He was constantly explaining what he was doing and explaining his strategies to keep us in the thermals. I’d like to try it again. Thanks Jodie. After that adventure we came back to Leavenworth and have been climbing here since. This is a great little place. The town is a half cheezy, half authentic Bavarian theme town. It is Kimberley, BC with a little more cash and maybe taste. Hard to say on that last one. There is some great yodeling to be hear in some of the local restaurants. The best thing about the area is the surroundings. We have been cragging in Icicle Creek and it is very mellow, no crowds, good camping, just laid back all around. The climbing is on bluffy granite formations. Overall it is broken up, but the pitches are good quality. Tomorrow we are headed to the Leavenworth classic, Outer Space. Everyone raves about it, it should be good.