I have always thought Winona was beautiful place, but after looking at the city at 1,200 feet, blanketed by a fresh layer of snow, it gives it a brand-new sense beauty. I only wish I had a picture to prove it.
Winter this year seemed too unnecessarily snowy, and cold. For the first few weeks of 2019, it felt like mother nature was dumping snow on us every other day and canceling classes at least once a week. According to CBS, in 2018 and 2019 there have been record setting snowfalls in Minnesota. With these extreme amounts of snow and the long periods of bitter cold air, people are more often found indoors. Dr. Darcia F. Narvaez tells us in her article, What’s Better: Indoor or Outdoor play?, being outdoors and doing physical activity, no matter the season, helps fight off mental illness, such as seasonal depression disorder (SDD). SDD is common for young adults, such as college students, who are stuck indoors for long periods of time. Dr. Kelly McGonigal backs this up in Stepping Outdoors Boosts Mood, Self-Esteem, she states, ”…five minutes of exercise a day packs the biggest punch when it comes to boosting mood and self-image.” So, with all this in mind, how could I stay inside?
At the beginning of February my friend, Grant, discovered a post on Facebook by WSU’s Outdoor Education & Recreation Center (OERC). They were offering free ice climbing at the Ice Park, which is located on a bluff near Sugar Loaf. Grant thought this would be fun and reposted it, asking if anyone would want to do this with him. Even though I had only met Grant a few months before and had not really hung out with him that much, I responded saying that I would join him. Both of us were extremely excited about going out and trying this for the first time and planned on going the next Wednesday after classes.
When Wednesday came around, Grant and I became worried that the OERC would cancel climbing due to the heavy snowfall outside. So, I sent a text to friend who worked for the Recreational Center and got ready to go. Looking back now on what I chose to wear, I realize that two of my biggest faults had clouded my thought process, which were: not planning ahead of time and using common sense. Since it was about thirty degrees, I dressed lightly, I put on: athletic tights, a long sleeve, two pairs of socks, a sweatshirt, a windbreaker, an old beaten up pair of tennis shoes (which I would come to regret multiple times) and a pair of light grey cotton joggers (which made sure everyone knew that snow is, in fact, wet). In my defense though, Grant probably possesses the same faults as I do, because he wore jeans and a flannel. By the time we were ready to go, I got a text back saying that ice climbing was open.
As soon as we got to the long windy path at the foot of the bluffs, which would bring us to the Ice Park, I regretted my choice of shoes. On our way up the almost thirty-minute hike, I slipped more times than I care to admit. The hike up was much longer than Grant or I had expected, both of us made comments on how we more tired (and wet) from just trying to get to the climbing area than actually doing the ice climbing.
Once we got to the top, we were immediately greeted by my friend I had texted. After we quickly said hi, he helped us get our gear for the climb. The hardware the OERC gave us to use for climbing the ice was pretty standard according to the research I did. For our feet, we were given a pair of special climbing boots. The boots were a mix between hiking boots and ski boots. On each boot was a detachable foot spike called a crampon. The crampons are like a metal slipper, with spikes sticking out in all directions. This allowed for us to get a foot grip at just about any spot on the wall. Next, we were given a harness that went around our waist and thighs. I was a little uneasy about my harness, because I could not tighten the loop that went around my thick thighs (#I’mHuge). The harness was connected to a nylon climbing rope, which was secured to a few trees on the top of the wall. According to my belayer, the person who manages the rope and catches the climber if they fall via the rope, the knot that was tied to me could have held up a car, she called it a figure eight knot. For our hands, we had two ice picks. These ice picks allowed for us to secure our hands to virtually any part of the ice. I think some of the ice picks had leashes on them, but sadly mine did not. Lastly, we had helmets on to protect our head from falling objects or if we slipped and slammed into the wall.
Since I beat Grant at getting ready and checked, I got to climb first. After the OERC employee double checked everything, I was cleared to make my way up. When I was about half way up the wall, my left foot slipped, and I crashed into the wall. Confused, I looked down and noticed my crampon fell off! So, I got lowered back down to the ground, got the crampon out of the snow, reattached it, and then started to climb all over again. Feeling a little less confident and slightly annoyed, I started to climb. Again, once I got half way up, I crashed into the wall. The same crampon fell off. A bit more frustrated, but also kind of laughing, I got lowered back down to the ground. This time we called over the head honcho to help reattach my crampon and Grant went ahead and climbed while I waited. After the boss examined the crampon on my right foot, he realized both had been attached incorrectly. He was a really good guy, and didn’t say much when correctly securing the crampons, except to make fun of my friend who helped me get ready in the first place.
During this whole ordeal, scrawny Grant was slowly making his way up the wall. I was anxious to get going, but I happily snapped a few photos for him. Once he got as high as he could, he stopped, took in the view and took a few of his own photos. After what had felt like forever, Grant made his way down. I was excited to finally climb and I was praying that I would be able to get up the entire wall without having to restart again. On my way up, I was surprised to discover I was using more of my legs than my arms, which is the opposite of what you do when you go rock climbing. Climbing the ice became easier the further I climbed because I had found myself sticking to a rhythm. Sink the right pick. Then the left foot. Sink the left pick. Then the right foot. After I got past the first fifteen feet, I felt like a professional. About three-quarters of the way up the wall, I had to take a break, not because my body was tired, but because my hands were cramping from gripping the picks.
As if on cue, once I reached the top the snow stopped, most of the fog lifted, and small rays of sun light peaked through¾ allowing the two lakes and most of the city of Winona to be seen. The view was absolutely beautiful. You could see the mounds of snow dumped on street corners, tiny cars, trees with frosted tips, and the hazy outlines of the bluffs across the river, it was peaceful. I really wish that I could have snapped a photo, but sadly my phone died due to the cold. But that’s alright, I made sure to really take it in so that I would never forget it. So, I just sat there for a while, exchanged some jokes with Grant below, and eventually made my way down, but not before taking it all in one more time.
When you come down the wall, whether it is rock climbing or ice climbing, you are told to lean back, as if you are sitting in a chair and to walk down the wall. As I was doing this, I could see the rope was leading me to a big section of the wall that was bare rock. I attempted to avoid the section so that I would not ruin the crampons. But, as I was going around the patch, my foot did not grab the ice and I swung into the rocky section and slammed my shoulder into the rock. The people below immediately laughed, and followed up with an, “are you ok?” Once I arrived at the ground, my adrenaline kicked in and I felt like I could climb a million more walls, but it had gotten late and the OERC was already packing up.
I was disappointed that we had to be done, but I could not complain, this had been a pretty fun afternoon. As we made our way down the bluff, slipping more than I did walking up, I replayed the whole climb in my head. I had found a new reason to love Winona.
