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iWalk Crutch Review — you need it

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I recently took a large fall rock climbing and broke my foot in two places. Doctor’s orders: no weight for six weeks. I ended up trying four mobility devices, all of which had some utility, but my favorite by far was the iWalk 3.0, a.k.a. the “peg-leg.”

I was recommended and loaned this device by a friend of my sister who had rehabbed a similar injury, so I’m going to pass along the favor by writing a short and to-the-point review for other people who may have a broken foot, broken ankle, ACL injury, etc. Short version is: this thing lets you walk around at a fairly normal pace, and carry things while you do so. It is far more maneuverable than a knee scooter, and handles stairs with ease (although you may have to go down backwards!).

I think in 20 years, everyone will be using these.

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First They Came For the Illegals

Daniel 1 Comment
A stencil depicting an upside-down American flag

Today, as an American, I’d like to share with you this powerful poem written by German Pastor Martin Niemöller.

First they came for the Communists
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a Communist
Then they came for the Socialists
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a Socialist
Then they came for the trade unionists
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a trade unionist
Then they came for the Jews
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a Jew
Then they came for me
And there was no one left
To speak out for me

You can read a short but concise biography of Pastor Niemöller at the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust.

P.S. – some good news: today I am allowed to start walking in my boot!

New Routes in the Cordillera Blanca Since 2003

Daniel 1 Comment

Hey friends, back from Peru. A rather unproductive season, for a variety of reasons. You might get more on that later. But for now, I just wanted to share a resource I have been working on: a summary of all new Blanca climbs reported in the American Alpine Journal since 2003, when the last round of guidebooks for the Cordillera Blanca were published.

This is a rough sketch, mostly made for my own reference. It will mean nothing if you don’t speak climber. But since up-to-date information on this region seems so hard to get, I thought I would share. This covers ONLY the Cordillera Blanca, not the Cordillera Huayhuash or the southern Peruvian ranges.

This document is intended to give an idea of reported new routes since the last publication of new guidebooks, circa 2003. To discover more info on a climb, use the AAJ online portal: https://publications.americanalpineclub.org/ The online reports may often include photos and details not noted in my list.

You can find my summary of recent first ascents in the Cordillera Blanca, here.

Thanks to the American Alpine Club Library in Golden, which made compiling this info easy and convenient.