(Lundin Pk, West Ridge, May 5, 1995) My First Mountaineer Rope Lead I'm sitting on the west ridge of Lundin wishing that Andrew and I had climbed the route last week. We got here, did one pitch, then bailed off because of deteriorating weather. At the time, I was feeling quite exposed and was happy to leave. But, if we had gone on to climb the route then I may not have returned today to climb Lundin in even worse weather. All the way in, we have been in low clouds and a very light drizzle. Here on the ridge we are in a white out - I'm not even sure that I can see the snow just 30 feet below. There is a cold wind coming from the north. And the rock is wet. I'm specially unhappy about the wet rock. It's mostly covered with lichen and can be quite slippery. You never know how slippery until your foot slides off. Very bad. I'm the leader of the second rope. I want to climb right behind the second on the first rope. "Kissing his ass" as the climb leader, Hugh Campbell says. But he is too fast and is out of sight, leaving me feeling alone on the ridge. It is really very easy climbing and easy to protect though so ledgie that any fall will hurt. The only scary part comes when I step down into the ledge from which Andrew and I rappeled off last week. It is outward sloping, above a vertical gully. Stepping onto it, I discover it is covered with an algae which provides no friction when wet. The handholds are none too good either. Fortunately, there is a small crack, which provides a slim foothold. I move forward, loop a runner over a loose flake and climb back up onto the ridge. There I see that the proper route runs along the top of the ridge and that this is a far better route for my second to take. I try to flip the rope up to the ridge top to guide him, but when I try to pull the runner off the flake I find it has wedged behind, and I must climb back down there to free it. The second pitch is the most unique "rock" pitch I've done in my short career. I move onto the N face of the ridge then step onto 55deg snow. I make an ascending traverse across the snow for about 50 ft., placing pieces in exposed rock, then climb up heather ledges to the second belay station. Here I find that I'm really enjoying this climb. All of my previous rock climbing was done in good conditions. This climb is uniquely different. The mist has reduced the world to a short section of the ridge. Up the ridge I can see Hugh leading over a large block. Beyond him: white. Looking back, I see my second working his way across the snow slope. Beyond him: white. The mist is a very aesthetic effect. My turn to lead over the large block. Hugh has built this up as the crux of the climb. When I get there I find the climbing to be easy. Normally, this ridge is a very airy place. Large valleys drop away to both sides giving a feeling of exposure. Today, the mist hides the distracting exposure - I am walking in the sky. I feel confident, climb quickly over the block, 20ft along the ridge, and find myself at the final belay station. We scramble along the ridge to the summit, then down the east ridge to a rappel station. A short rappel takes us down to a steep slope with a clear descent trail. The final complication comes when, 100 ft. down the trail, we find the going is getting steeper and suspect that just off in the mist lies a cliff. Peering around the whiteness we realize that the true descent path, and our glissade gully, is only 50 ft. away. The final pleasure is glissading in the mist. Simultaneously, I feel the speed of glissading and the sensation of standing still.