Because It Was There

The bus ride up into the foothills of the Rockies would have been enough. But two amazing experiences awaited those of us who went to Tuesday's evening event at the Bradford Washburn American Mountaineering Museum.

The first thing we saw when we entered--well, not the first thing; the museum store is always the first thing--was a gray climbing wall, 50 feet high. A fake vertical cliff, basically, with handholds and footholds conveniently placed. Lines quickly formed. Now, I have a fear of heights, but I went over to the bunny-slope line anyway. And do you know I went up that faux mountain like Spider-Man? Cheers rang out from below, as they had anytime anyone made it.

The other treat: Jake Norton--who has successfully climbed Mt. Everest not once but twice--gave a riveting talk, complete with videos, about the trip up Everest in which he and his team found the body of a legendary English climber who vanished in a landslide near the top in 1924 (we'll never know if he made it). The evening showed me all over again how museums can introduce you to new worlds and excite you about ones you'll probably never see.