1. Alaska
  2. Matanuska Valley

Troublemint Peak - Linear Accelerator 11/01/09

Lately I feel like climbing is event, a great organizing of mind and strength just to get to the
crag. Its that time of year when its just a little to cold to rock climb but and a bit to warm
to ski. Although that depends entirely on where you are, which is why Amos Swanson and I decided
to head into the Mint Peaks, Talkeetna Mountains. Our goal, Troublemint Peak via Linear
Accelerator. I had heard of this climb before and was anxious to give it a go. I had hurt my
ankle earlier in the year even before my trip to the Arrigetch and it still hadn't healed. In
fact I felt it was getting worse lately possibly developing some sort of tendonitis, so I hiked
and substantial distance in quite some time.I should have known what I was getting myself into!
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Talkeetna RangeHatcher PassMint GlacierTroublemint PeakPanorama

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  • We brough bikes and for the first 4 and a half miles we biked uphill into the valley. I have <br />
used my bike all summer as a mode of transportation but somehow I was still plenty exhausted by the end of those miles.
  • Our objective, Troublemint Peak
  • The trail was a nice brisk walk at very little incline for the first 3 or 4 miles. I decided <br />
that it would be nice to wear my mountaineering boots since ice climbing was going to be <br />
involved. Being the nicely prepared fellow that I am I could not find them, seriously. So I <br />
threw on the pair that I bought recently at a NOLS sale. What could go wrong with an overused pair of plastic Scarpas? I was finding out quickly what could go wrong. At first my calvs started to burn where the plastic was rubbing gingerly against my muscle. Then I soon began to feel like a drunk walking on stilts. Every uneven surface I would stumble and fall over. It was an akward final portion of the hike to the hut where the uphill battle began. Normally I would jump quickly along the cliffs edge not thinking twice about my balance, but now I was gripped to the rock slipping on anything not pasted with sandpaper. Quite possibly the most akward painful hike I have ever done. On reaching the hut, in the middle of the night, we found that it was also the coldest night of the winter so far. Everything froze. Amos tried to dig out water but found that he couldn't get any in the bottle before it froze in the small creek. He covered his jacket and my axe with ice before coming back empty handed, we melted snow instead. I covered myself with my slepeing bag, then another from the hut, then all of the extra bags floating around the hut. All told my night was a warm sleepful wonder.<br />
<br />
We knew we had to get an early start to get the climb done so we made sure not to bring a clock, or any device that could be used to tell the time. When we woke up it was guesswork as to the <br />
time. It went along the lines of "Well the moon is here now when it was there before." We left at the first sign of any sense of light, later then we should have.
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