We live in a very immature, impatient society -- everybody wants everything, immediately. Where folks once planted seeds and nurtured them to fruition, now they buy ready grown plants, stick them in the ground, and pick the tomatoes three weeks later....It is the same with skiing, hiking -- fill in the blank: today: the idea, tomorrow: buy the equipment, next weekend: climb the glacier....and the obit is printed the following Tuesday. I took up hiking less than a year ago, and it is amazing the number of people who are "shocked" that I have not done Whitney, yet. It's a darn good thing, too, because I have made some profoundly bad decisions in the past 8 months -- decisions that could have been fatal in a less forgiving environment. For the moment, time is on my side, and when the conditions and company are aligned, I will make my summit bid.
Bee, you're so right it's almost painful. Instant gratification is the name of the game nowdays, and it's unlikely to get better. Your timeline summary above is just so perfectly succinct.
Anything beyond some simple Class 4 stuff is beyond me, as is anything involving ice - and they'll pretty much stay that way. Hope you get to take your shot at Whitney this summer - and if you choose not to, that's good too. "Hike your own hike" is about the best advice out there. The point of what we do outdoors - as Mr. + @ti2d is always reminding us - is to "have fun!"
Also, how's the frostbite treating you? Weren't you looking for some hand-warming solutions earlier this winter? Find anything that worked?
