Go ice climbing

“As a result, I kept incorrectly staggering my feet, swinging my picks out wide, and piking my butt, which prevented me from truly standing up at the wall (and yes, looked extremely awkward). Thanks to this trifecta of errors, I was only able to inchworm my way up about 7 feet in about 2 minutes before asking to be lowered down. [...] As I was lowered back to the ground, I felt simultaneously proud, exhilarated, and exhausted. I don't think I'd ever exerted so much energy (mental and physical) to travel such a short distance.”

“One of the reasons why it took me so long to warm up to ice climbing is that I have Raynaud’s, which restricts blood flow to my extremities. Even as I type this by my wood-burning stove, my fingertips are white and frigid. After many encounters with screaming barfies and burning through hand warmers with mixed results, I finally tried ice climbing with a pair of Hestra heated gloves that my mother-in-law gave me. I will never go back! What I lose in dexterity—the gloves are quite bulky—I gain in comfort and the ability to actually feel my fingers and the tools they’re gripping.”