Michelle sprains her ankle

Dispatch from Morgan Beasley — June 30, 1997

The departure date for NOLS Northwest in Conway, Washington, is fast approaching.

We are going to leave the morning of July 5 and head up to Conway. There, we will issue food and gear and go for a three-day training trip to the North Cascades to build some basic ice and snow skills.

Recently Michelle sprained her ankle — the doctor says it will be okay for the trip, but she can't work it very hard; she has to swim twice as much as the other members of the team. Luckily she can still kayak with her ankle.

When I first heard about her ankle I was very concerned because I knew that if this kept her from going on the trip, it would be hard to find a suitable replacement on such short notice, not to mention the let-down to Michelle in not being able to go.

We have been getting a lot of great gear in the mail; just recently we got these great Princeton Tec headlamps and flashlights that are really bright and go down to 2,000 feet. Needless to say, the entire team was impressed with them. We also got some great MSR Stoves and water filters and have started getting our Patagonia outerwear.

I am really pumped about the whole thing now that it seems so close. I am most excited about the mountaineering portion of the trip, while Bill, Michelle, and Dan are most excited about the kayaking. Well, maybe I can get them to swing 'round once we get up into the North Cascades.