August 17, 2014
View of training on the glacier with Base Camp and the lake with fresh trout in the background (Roberto Gomez)
Luke just checked in from Base Camp. The team had a great morning for training on the glacier. When the team heads out to the glacier to train, they accomplish a lot. The tongue of the glacier is fairly steep. The base of the glacier is set up as a perfect staging point for the climb. Harness up and get the crampons on in the daylight. Ice axes out and rope up. This is a great refresher training ground for what the team has coming up tonight.
I always liked going out to train the day before because we get to see in daylight our objectives for the following night. Luke and his guide team did just that. The tongue, Luke reports has almost six inches of fresh snow on it! “Perfect cramponing.”
Luke and the team are in great spirits. They are all feeling strong and ready to take on their first challenge.
Early dinner and a short night of sleep! Have a great climb everyone.
Greg Vernovage