An experiment! This is the first blog post that I wrote by dictation to a service called SpeakWrite. I then went in an edited it. The next five posts were all created this way, I'm curious if my readers notice a difference in tone, content or readability as the articles are delivered in a different fashion. Please let me know what you think! Using SpeakWrite will enable me to post more frequently when its busy, as I can dictate while I'm driving, hiking, or on the chair.
Enjoy!


Kurt ended up taking everything out of my pack so I was carrying just the empty pack, which probably weighed about 8 pounds just by itself. My list of gear that needs to be replaced is growing, but I'm proud of myself for using what's around until it doesn't work anymore. I'd rather go with a heavy pack than not go at all.

But its time. A light weight overnight bag, , a super lightweight 40 degree sleeping bag, some down booties with tread for the hut, lighter ski boots and skis, and a pair of spring touring pants. That's all. Oh and some ski crampons. Oh and some crampons for my ski boots for booting up something steep. Oh and a whippit. An Avalung that's not in a bag. Okay, now we are getting silly.


I've learned to comb the Replay Sports and Craig's list, this is a GREAT way to update your gear over time. Kurt is really good at knowing when stuff is on sale where, he reads everything, so waiting for the opportune moment and spending wisely has helped.
The hut is at about 11,130 feet or so, and it looked beautiful, but I was just wrecked. I went in and went immediately upstairs. I felt really guilty because it was time to make dinner, but I was just in no shape to do anything other than lay down. So, I went upstairs and lay down insisting that I was fine, and Andy came up with a little cheese tray that he made and some Tylenol and some water and kept checking in on me, which was really nice. I felt sheepish, but grateful, and I realized that I was feeling the altitude along with the injury.

Lissa had contributed some money to get the hut rebuilt after a fire had burned it down, and it was just exquisite. It totally reminded me of this book that I loved to read to my kids called The Seven Silly Eaters, which was illustrated by Marla Frazey. The illustration shows this beautiful wooden house with a wood-burning cooking stove in the center of it just the Fowler Hilliard Hut had and it's just a very simple way of living.


The ski out is always worth it. It's so fun and it's like this insane icy bobsled run on the hiking trail up. You're just sort of wedging and throwing your skis sideways and scooting out of there. It took
about 4 hours to get in and it only took about 45 minutes or an hour to ski out. Just shot right down to the bottom.
While we were sliding a long, Lissa and I had a chance to visit, which is great because I don't get a
lot of time to spend time with her, but she's a really beautiful person. I really love her energy and her spirit and she's an amazing friend. I watch the way that she is with the people in her life and she's able to really see them. I think this is one of her big gifts and it's something that I really admire.
She looks carefully for the person and then experiences them fully and you can't kind of help but fall in love with this insanely fit, border collie type girl. She doesn't wear her fitness and her accomplishments like a badge. It's just what she needs to do to be who she is, to experience herself fully. The fullest
expression of Lissa is Lissa moving through the mountains.
It's where her sanity lies, and I love this about her. I love that she's strong enough to carry other people's stuff literally, but she's also emotionally strong enough to hold space for them while she's looking at the whole person. So, I'm excited for his friendship to develop and I'm grateful to have been invited on this hut trip. It was a beautiful experience and I can't wait to do it again!
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