Breaking Him In...

Steve Steffy

Well-known member
Okay, so maybe I was in reality trying to break him. The "him" in question is my oldest daughter's boyfriend Jimmy now turned Fiance officially on Christmas Eve.

They both drove up from Florida for the holidays to visit, though Jimmy had other intentions in mind. It's a long (funny) story but he asked me for my blessing in panic mode early afternoon on Christmas Eve and had proposed to her by the end of the night. Of course I've had him out to the rifle range, the beaver swamps, woods, etc. to get a better idea of what this young lad is made of. He passed all of those tests so the next logical step was to drag him and his soon to be bride up a mountain. Off to the Adirondacks we went!

I was also meeting one of the team members (Dan) for the Rainier climb next year, so we ascended Wright Peak in a party of four. Keep in mind, being Florida born and raised, Jimmy has never seen snow . He had some serious issues with staying upright on the snowshoes, but other than that he did really well on the mountain.

Here are some pictures from his "initiation"...

Jimmy, Deanna and Dan closing in on the summit of Wright Peak with 40 MPH winds, clouds and snow.
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I've been Deanna's father long enough to know this is a fake smile. She wasn't real happy with the last summit push. She needed some coaxing for the last few feet.
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But she persevered and made it!! Dan, Deanna and Jimmy on the summit. The first mountain for both Deanna and Jimmy...way to go!

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Me, Deanna, and Jimmy...
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Dan assisted Deanna and Jimmy on some sections of the descent with with ropes for safety.
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It was cold up there...below the summit was hovering around 16. When we reached the summit my altimeter wouldn't even tell me the temp. It just said "Low". The wind chills were certainly at 0 or below. Good times!
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I think my daughter found herself a keeper. She's not too happy about the training he's been getting under my wing, but that sure beats the alternative. He wants to move up this way so we can go play more. Welcome to the family Jimmy, and my ever vigilant scrutiny. I think Deanna would rather stay home next time we climb. She doesn't possess the same adventurous genes as her sister, we'll see though.

Steve
 
He must have passed as you didn't leave him on top of the mountain. You didn't right?

Looks fun.

Mark W
 
Thanks Eric, Mark and Dave...

Nope, I didn't leave him on the mountain Mark. Though, there was some talk of getting him to the top and making him find his own way back. He did great on the ascent and descent...minus the clumsiness on the snowshoes. He passed this test as well.

Dave...if crazy is translated into fun then yep, we're all crazy! It's tough work, but it sure is fun being up there.
 
Very Nice Steve and company. I really enjoyed this read!

Congratulations to you, your daughter and her brand, new fiancé. And I agree. I believe she found a keeper too!

Thanks for sharing!

Jon
 
No Chincoteague for us this year.

Our Son graduated from the Police Academy in Pierre South Dakota about a month ago. We went out to visit him then. We thought that was pretty much a once in a lifetime, so we decided to put The Island on hold for a year. Ran out of vacation time and funds.

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Things sure are different out there. Every single person who gave a speech, made a comment about getting this over with so they could get out and go hunting! Pierre sits right on the banks of Oahe Reservoir, one of the major duck hunting meccas of the country. We ate breakfast early at a Perkins on the south bank of the reservoir. With a classic winter storm moving thru, and having a window booth, neither myself or my son ever looked out the window the entire time without seeing ducks in the air. And no hunting gear!

Sure miss being on The Island though. My buddy Kevin is there and having some pretty good hunts. Plus we miss the beach and restaurants too.

What's the very common saying in NE Ohio, (usually regarding pro sports teams).- there's always next year!

Jon
 
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