What's on your list today?

Shopping is not training.

You know that, I know that, we all know that.

However, shopping is sometimes essential to preparation; think of the shopping that is done in advent of a large dinner party or the birth of a new child, or for an impending move... Shopping requires taking stock of what one needs and compares that to what is already owned and/or can be borrowed. Preparing for our first climb on Mt. Washington, my very cautious husband began laying out our gear two-weeks ago. He found flaws, he found holes, he couldn't find certain missing items. We began to develop a list. We decided to go shopping!

An avowed shop-a-holic, I felt it was perfectly good karma for starting this series of climbs. No, not eating right, disaster planning or endurance training - but shopping!

In order to keep the financial out flow to a minimum, we wanted to limit our purchases to things that would be useful throughout four seasons of climbing or to items necessary for survival on the "Home of the World's Worst Weather" in the dead of winter.

Between us we owned one gore-tex wind shell, one pair of ski goggles (Jr. sized, belonging to our son) and a variety of ten-plus year old base layers and men's heavy ragg wool socks. We both needed new hiking boots. Clearly we were going to be laying out some cash for this expedition.

Unfortunately, in the midst of preparations for our epic gear shopping trip, my husband was called away on an emergency business trip to Seattle - BUT - we all know that there are mountains (and mountains of climbing gear!) in Seattle. Ron went to a second hand gear store and scored tremendous bargains on two fantastic items: a second gore-tex shell and a down vest. My darling, wonderful husband bought these two items to keep me warm on the mountain, during our premier alpine ascent on the "Home of the World's Worst Weather." He purchased these items with me in mind and he purchased them ONE SIZE TOO SMALL! (This is where my middle-aged woman's heart swoons with passion - because he thinks I am smaller than I am!)

Oh sure, we laughed about it. We even decided to keep these items anyway, under the presumption that these items will fit 12-yr old son wonderfully in a year or so and that he will want to do some winter, alpine climbing. Yes. Yes indeed.

We decided that Ron could wear the slightly small for him gore-tex shell and I can wear the shapely and snug down vest as a warmth layer under the older, x-large purple gore-tex shell. No problem. (Remind of this later.)

We completed our shopping back in New England. Two new pairs of waterproof, cramp-on ready, sub sub-zero rated, hard soled hiking boots. Two sets of ultra performance capilene base layers (wicking and quick-drying and wind resistant - oh my!) smart wool socks, a new pair of crampons, wind blocking fleece jackets/sweaters, extra hats, gloves and balaclava face masks and a shiny, new, sharp, pointy ice axe (in a pear treeeeee...)

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My dear husband inventoried all the gear and made two piles: one for each of us. He made a third pile of "extra, emergency gear" to go in the pack that he'll carry. He has plans for us to wear our new boots to walk around the state park by our house and to practice walking up and down snowy hills in the crampons.

We shop therefore we prepare!