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It has been a few weeks since the previous installment of this largely pointless exercise. We’ve been doing about the same things, for the most part, aside from the last two weekends. More baking, much more. Caly and I each have healthy sourdough starters going and as a result there’s no shortage of bread around. Various offshoots such as pancakes, pita bread, zeppoles, have been made too.
The days and weeks all sort of meld together. Our routine is pretty similar day-to-day. The only variation is food and perhaps our workout routine. Work, switch midday for who gets the nicer desk, eat, graze, etc. Saturday morning, a lap on Grandeur Peak, a 3200′ hike 3 miles from our doorstep. Miscellaneous house things. It all blends together.
One thing I have considered lately is that these restrictions on normal life seem like a burden and that they are stifling. However, I think this perspective is born from having a healthy dose of privilege to this point. I can imagine that even this restrictive circumstance we find ourselves in is enviable for less fortunate people in the world, pandemic or no. So look on the bright side, things could be much worse, and are for many people out there.
No need in pointing out the obvious changes in March for the US and the rest of the world.
Carly started required work-from-home (WFH) around March 8, 2020. As of the end of 2019 I am no longer at Blue Ice and not at a new full-time job. I have some contract work right now, thus I am also WFH. We have been trying to act a bit more conservatively than the local requirements. For no reason other than to just minimize our potential impact to the community. Since we are relatively young and more importantly, fit, we feel our personal risk is low from the disease. Nevertheless, we’ve opted to forgo traveling outside our immediate area. The farthest we have gone is up Big Cottonwood for a ski day. While our skiing is typically on the conservative side, we’ve been more conscious of our choices to avoid injury and therefore increasing exposure to ourselves or first responders.
Carly, Nate, and I squeaked out one last day of Utah ice climbing on Saturday. Temps were predicted to be warm, but Backoff (WI4+) is not a free standing pillar like the last couple days I’ve been out (1, 2). With the temperatures as warm as they’ve been I thought we might be able to ride bikes up the road for most of the two miles to the climb. This was a good idea for about 200 yards then the road was mostly covered with snow and ice. Nate and Carly had slightly better luck than I did on their mountain bikes. I only have an old 10-speed road bike.
Saturday Matt and I squeaked out one more day of February ice climbing than normal. Both due to the fact that somehow Utah has had a good ice season this year despite not being a “good” year and that it was leap day. Word amongst the Utah ice climbers in the know is that an “Unformed Hanging Pillar” was touching and fat in the Strawberry Pinnacles zone. The route had already been ticked a week or so ago and given the name Second Amendment (WI5). Matt and I took a leisurely head start there yesterday to find out.