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*A little acorn grows
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Same as col. The low point between two mountains.
(say SASS-kwatch)
Another name for bigfoot.
The level of the world's oceans. Anyone who lives near the beach lives at sea level and most people in the world live on land that is not much higher than this. When people who are used to being at sea level go into high mountains, though, where the air is thin, they feel the difference!
Group of people trained to find other people who are lost in the wilderness or hurt and have to be taken out. Search and rescue teams have to have training in order to save people in trouble and many of them do not get paid for doing it. Pretty nice for people who save lives!
Way to stop yourself when you have fallen down a steep hill covered with snow. You need to be facing the hill and the snow, and then you dig your toes and hands into it. If you have an ice axe, you dig that into the snow instead of your hands. Self-arrest is very important and you should learn how to do it from somebody who knows what they are doing--or you could get hurt just practicing!
(say SER-ack)
Giant block of ice left when a glacier melts. Glaciers on mountains grow in the winter and shrink in summer. Sometimes when the snow melts in the summer harder pieces of ice don't melt as easily as the snow and ice around them and are left behind for a long time afterwards. Those are seracs. Seracs can be as small as a piece of furniture or as large as a house. It is important never to camp close to a serac because they can fall at any time.
serac
Piece of flat metal that is put into the sole of a boot. The shank makes the boot nice and stiff.
Tribe of people living high in the Himalayas who carry a lot of equipment for other people during climbing trips. Sherpas are born and live at very high heights and are very comfortable in high mountains with thin air, much more comfortable than most people around the world.
Place where the snow is permanent all year round.
This can happen when you are outdoors in the snow when it is sunny and you do not wear sunglasses. People don't really go blind, but it is very hard for them to see for a few days and they have to get out of the sun as quickly as possible. The sun shining on snow is VERY bright!
Piece of equipment you put on your feet that lets you walk on top of snow without falling in.
snowshoes
Same as peak. The highest point on a mountain.
Hole dug into the ground to put small bits of garbage into. You never put large amounts of garbage into the ground--you always take it back home with you and throw it away there. But when you wash off dishes and pots, the dirty water should go into a sump hole, so you don't leave the place you camped in dirty. Sump holes are mostly important to use on high mountains over 10,000 feet/3000 meters because things change very slowly there. Orange peels take 20 years to break down when you are that high!
sump home
(being invaded by a marmot)
Long pieces of metal or plastic that are stuck into the ground, usually to tie a tent to. Tying a tent to stakes pushed into the ground helps keep the tent from blowing away if a big wind comes!
stake
Place on a trail where trail bends back immediately towards the direction you just came in. A trail with switchbacks is easier to go up than a trail that goes straight up the side of a mountain because you don't have to climb parts that are really steep.
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