March 30, 2012
In classic George Dunn fashion we got an “all is s well” message after Day 1 of George’s current climb on Whitney, and not another word.
However, I’ll give George a ton of credit for snapping this photo in the morning and attaching it to his, albeit brief, text message last night.
Team Photo At The Whitney Portal. (Photo by George Dunn)
Tye Chapman
March 29, 2012
Our Mt Whitney trip got off to a great start as all nine folks were super strong heading up to Upper Boy Scout Lake (Camp 1). Unfortunately, the weather turned for the worse as winds picked up throughout the night and a low pressure system settled in. With that in mind, we got everyone together for a team meeting to discuss our options. In the end, we decided that descending was our best bet.
Once back in town and settled-in, we met back up for a pitch-in BBQ, told some stories that were way too good to be true, and made a plan for our next few days in the Sierra. Just because Whitney was out of the question didn’t we were packing up and heading home – we had options. There is great rock climbing, ice climbing and backcountry skiing in the area. We discussed all these options and some folks decided on going ice climbing, while others did a day of rock climbing. The snow stability ruled out the backcountry skiing.
Lee Vining, the local ice climbing area, is massive this year! We spent day honing our skills and getting comfortable on WI3-4 type terrain. We were all psyched on the climbs. The next morning we woke up early and headed into Owen’s River Gorge for a great morning of rock climbing.
We didn’t climb Mt. Whitney, but we had one heck of a trip!
Karsten Delap
March 28, 2012
Which way to EBC?
The weather in Kathmandu was beautiful today and the team’s two early morning Twin Otter flights went off without a hitch, with members and their duffels arriving on schedule to Lukla (9100ft/2800m). After some tea and snacks at the Lukla bakery, they hit the trail. Today the hike was pretty easy, basically downhill the whole way, with a lunch break along the way!
Now they are in Phakding (8500ft/2600m), one of my favorite spots. After traveling halfway around the world, it is great to spend the night down by the river and know that now all you have to do is walk.
Eric Simonson
Check out the Everest Expedition page for full Everest coverage.
March 24, 2012
George called in this afternoon with some good news! Despite the wind and unseasonably cold temps, most of the team made the summit.
“An absolutely incredible effort by everybody today!.” said George after all had returned to High Camp.
It’s all downhill tomorrow. If all goes as planned they’ll have a hot pizza and a cold beer in hand by 3pm.
Tye Chapman
March 23, 2012
One of the many views along the way.
George called in from a chilly and breezy High Camp on Mt. Whitney just after 2pm today. The team made good time up to camp as it took only three hours of walking. George said that the team is strong and everyone is doing well. They will do some training for the next couple of hours, get some dinner and then get to bed early. The plan is to get up around 2 am for the summit push.
Good luck team!
Clarissa Morford
March 22, 2012
Almost to Lower Boy Scout Lake.
George called from Lower Boy Scout Lake on Mt. Whitney today at 3:14pm. The weather was great with mostly clear skies and a nice warm & easy breeze which made for good climbing. They went without snowshoes on this climb, making things a little easier for everybody.
The team made awesome time to camp and is getting ready to set up tents and cook some Thai food for dinner tonight. A good first day in the Sierras!
Clarissa Morford
March 21, 2012
As if anybody needed another reason to pull for the Everest climbers this year...
If you’ve been around the mountains long enough you’ve likely run into a Swedish Fish or two. If not, you should know that they’re considered a super food around here. It’s no wonder Greg Vernovage has bags and bags of them hidden in several countries around the world.
In this photo here, you’ll notice that he has both endeared himself the folks in the office, while at the same time angered them, not an easy task. Two months is a long time; we’ll revisit this as the clock ticks…
Challenge accepted.
Tye Chapman
March 20, 2012
By Jenni Fogle
Mountains have a way of reminding us of how unpredictable and even temporary life can be. That’s one of the things I love about climbing. Spending time in the mountains encourages me to seize opportunities as they arise, and not put my dreams off for “someday.†I witnessed one of nature’s tremendous demonstrations recently on Mt. Etna, Europe’s tallest (and active) volcano.
Mt. Etna Before... (Photo by Jenni Fogle)
I had debated on whether or not to bring my touring skis to Sicily when I headed there in early March. I wasn’t sure how good the ski conditions would be, and wasn’t even sure I’d have the chance to go to the mountain while I was there. I ended up deciding it was probably not worth the hassle, so I left them behind.
On Friday, March 16th I had a free day and headed to the north side of Etna. I wore approach shoes and brought snowshoes along in case I needed them. There are ski lifts on Mt. Etna, although several on the south side were destroyed in the 2001 eruptions, and on the north side they only go up to about 2400 meters. The day I was there the highest lift wasn’t operating – workers were trying to dig it out of the snow. So I took a lift to 2000 meters, and walked from there. I saw one other hiker, and a handful of skiers on the upper mountain. I have very few actual regrets in my life, but I definitely regretted not having my skis with me.
I usually listen to music when I hike alone, but my Ipod battery was dead, so I had a lot of time with my thoughts, and specifically my recurring thought, “I wish I had my skis.†I tried to find ways to console myself. There had been significant winds the previous week, so there was a breakable wind crust that wouldn’t have been the best for skiing, but there were also areas with nice, soft powder. It’s hard to console yourself when you’re missing out on a few thousand feet of uninterrupted downhill terrain. I finally told myself, “Mt. Etna has been here for a very long time. It’s not going anywhere. I’ll bring my skis next time.â€
Which brings us to Sunday, my last day in Sicily. My only plan was to go for a good run in the morning before heading to an agriturismo for a no-kidding four-hour lunch with endless courses of delicious food. I headed out the door for my run, saw Mt. Etna in the distance and immediately ran back to get my camera. On Friday, as on many days, I had seen steam venting steadily from the north summit. But Sunday morning there was a huge column of black ash spewing thousands of feet straight up in the air, and forming an ash cloud that trailed for miles on the downwind side of the mountain. It was fascinating to say the least.
Mt. Etna After... (Photo by Jenni Fogle)
I wondered what it would have been like to be right up close when that happened. I am sure I REALLY would have wanted my skis to get down as fast as possible. Next time, I’ll bring my skis, because I really don’t know how much longer Mt. Etna will be there – at least not all of it. Whatever you’ve been putting off doing, or want to do but think it might be too big of a hassle – go do it. Take your family on that vacation, climb Mt. Rainier, go to Bhutan, but don’t let your dreams go up in smoke.
March 16, 2012
Yesterday, the Denali Seminar pulled out of Mt. Rainier National Park a day early thanks to a snow plow escort provided by the park. With more snow in the forecast, taking advantage of an escape route when it was presented just made sense.
The team stopped digging long enough to pose for this photo. (Photo by John Race)
After drying out, they enjoyed a nice burger at The Copper Creek and an Intro To Crevasse Rescue lesson last night. Today they’re hands on with the crevasse rescue as they wrap-up the seminar.
Tye Chapman
March 14,
Our Denali Prep Seminar continues to take advantage of the harsh conditions Mt. Rainier is throwing at them. Given the recent storm activity, just getting into the park makes this seminar a success.
Setting up camp and training in these conditions makes all the difference and will give these guys just that much more experience to fall back on when they’re loading up their sleds on Day 1 on Denali.
Jackson Visitor CenterWebcam (NPS)
Tomorrow brings more snow, and with it, more learning opportunities.
Tye Chapman
