Unfortunately the only day we could find to do it was a Thursday after I was to work three 12 hour shifts in a row. This turned out to be a bad idea. We were to leave for Loncoln falls at 6AM but I overslept, and we were about 30-40 minutes late. This was also the first time we had climbed at Lincoln Falls and the hike to get to the base of it was intense and took over an hour. Then at the at the base of the falls we realized we were one set of crampons short. So poor Tomme hiked all the way back down and back up to get another set of crampons from the car. On my first climb while Tomme was already down the mountain my crampons broke. So then I switched them out with one of the guide's. By the time we took care of all these issues our multi-pitch ice climbing trip was reduced to a one pitch. Which truly sucked.
So the moral of the story is, don't decide to go on an ice climbing trip after working three 12 hour shifts in a row, and if you have to hike a long way to get to the ice, leave early and make sure you do an equipment check in the parking lot before you head up the mountain. Despite all the issues and difficulties we were still grateful we got at least on day on the ice this season and we certainly got a workout from the hike.
For those of you that are in CO and ice climb, we enjoyed Lincoln Falls, but it is a busy spot even during the week so I'm not sure it would even be worth it on the weekend, in addition, the hike is in avalanche territory so check conditions before you go and bring the necessary safety equipment, and finally be prepared for the hike up there (pack light and snow shoes are not a bad idea).
Me at the top of our only pitch at Lincoln Falls.
On our way back down.
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