I (Ania) had been working too much and barely set foot in the big beautiful outdoors this year. I hadn't been on a picnic in ages. It was high time. So I invited a few of my good friends to come along: Amanda, Russ, and Gary. We wanted to picnic in style. We dressed right, brought good food, and went where the views would be splendid: the top of the Tooth.

We left the trailhead at 5am. The Tooth is known to be a serious alpine expedition. Why else would it bear such an ominous name? Russ and Gary climbed first on a 60m rope. Amanda and Ania followed with a 25m rope. The ladies swapped leads and both wondered how more experienced climbers deal with the picnic basket inhibiting some rock climbing moves.

The day was gorgeous with a brilliant blue sky and amazingly clear views. It was a fine backdrop for a fine meal: homemade strawberry-rhubarb pie, Champagne, crackers with brie, capers, and roasted bell peppers, hand-made Chinese dumplings, and watermelon. 98.1 FM provided the classical music and a vase of flowers more ambiance.

Did I mention: We dressed for the occassion?

It's a darned shame not all mountaineers look this good.

Every picnic needs a checkered table cloth and ants.

And as at every good party, at some point the state of our attire and behaviour deteriorated. While we'd brought an ice pack to cool the Champagne, we'd failed to think about the chocolate bar which became drinkable in the warm sun.

We were so full that we almost opted not to bother with the watermelon. Thankfully, Gary convinced us to go for it and we all enjoyed the wet sweet slices. We ate half of it and wrapped the rest in a plastic bag to carry out.

We had hoped that other climbers might share in our festivities, but alas the Mounties trip for that day never showed up. On the way down, we shared an anchor with the only other people whom we saw climbing that day. We offered our watermelon to two recent MIT grads because they looked so cute in their matching helmets and matching t-shirts.

Overall, a beautiful day in the mountains.