Month: January 2011

Denali Solo in January Not to Be

/ Andrew Szalay / Leave a comment

Polar explorer and new mountaineer Lonnie Dupre was attempting to pull off a first for the darkest and possibly hardest month of the year on Denali (20,320 ft./6,194 m.).  Only two alpinists have ever stood on Denali’s summit in the month of January (if my memory serves correctly).  Still, no one has done it alone during that month and Dupre could not change that. 

At least not this time.

Based on his previous accomplishments and what he endured to attain 17,200 ft. (5,243 m.), including several days in snow caves, high winds and even an earthquake, Dupre probably has it in him to try again. 

Even if he does not return, he tried and so far he is nearly back down (if he is not down already) to his base camp alive and in one piece. 

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Who’s Your Mountain Guide?

/ Andrew Szalay / Leave a comment

I used to treat mountain guides like many people treat ski instructors; once they showed you the rudimentary basics, you were on your own to figure out the slopes all the way to double diamond.

Part of that approach is appealing to me (in mountaineering).  Many great climbers from the past learned to climb virtually on their own and then improved through their own tenacity for climbing.  The idea of approaching a mountain on your own, just you and it, was part of the romantic wilderness experience.  It also has the potential for greatness or a great fall, separating the bold as either brilliant or foolish.

Among non-climbers, mountain guides are often thought of in terms of the client-guide relationship described in Krakauer’s book of the 1996 Everest disaster, Into Thin Air.  In that relationship, the guide was similar to a shepherd, herding the wealthy (or semi-wealthy) clients to get to the summit.  I’d like to debunk that stereotype.

Now that I climb much, much less than I dreamed I would at this point in my life, I value guides differently than when Rock and River Guides in the Adirondacks taught me years ago.  For me today, mountain guides are still teaching me, reminding me of things I have forgotten or pointing out how to do things better.  This is especially true as gear continues to change and improve.  For instance, there are some better belay devices out there today than the ATC I initially learned to use.

Guides are also the guardians of the future of the sport.  Depsite that the Outdoor Foundation reports that climbing has declined with new entrants in the past four years (I suspect because of the economic downturn, which began in late 2006 with the delinquency and foreclosure crisis), the refinement of climbing depends on the knowledge of mountain skills and the quality of the instructors.  Even people (especially young people) are not flocking to the sport as they did several years ago, those that are sending ought to continue and develop their skills until other priorities (God forbid!) take over.  For me, I rely on guides to give me the pointers before I venture out again.

They’re value is appreciated even more so when things go wrong for hikers and climbers alike.  It is often a mountain guide that comes to the rescue.  In these events, the mountain guides expertise is appreciated even more and respected more than simply a recreational skiing instructor.

As an old issue of Climbing said, they have all the responsibility of a surgeon, despite a plumbers wage.   In that, they are part of the working class, at least in teh United States and Canada.  After a rescue (or hopefully you think so without one) they should be recognized as professionals.

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Walk and Relieve the Stress

/ Andrew Szalay / Leave a comment

If you’re living in Colorado or Washington you might disagree, but from my position here in Peaklessburg, I think the Mountaineering Council of Scotland in Big Issues Scotland has it right: “[T]he hills are alive with the sound of over-stressed, under-funded, debt-burdened solace-seekers, tramping towards tranquility amid the peaks and valleys.” 

The council believes that more people in Scotland and the U.K. need to get out more and walk to relieve the pressures of daily life.  The organization is also promoting an election agenda for the candidates to support more maintained trails in the north country. 

While I am uncertain whether more trails are a solution to stress (and the limited wilderness there) I wholeheartedly agree that walking and hiking does a world of good in for workers and professionals today.  We are inundated with information and asked to make decisions quickly and frequently.  These things build tension even when you don’t notice. 

Simplifying things on the trail so that your priorities are realigned is refreshing.  Thinking more about packing enough food and water and bringing a good rain jacket or wind breaker will be like a change of scenery on a much longer vacation.  Then add the walk itself and you’re set! 

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Quicker Backcountry Routes

/ Andrew Szalay / Leave a comment

I recently decided to put the theory to the test.  On paper, the shortest distance between two points is a straight line, right? Except when that paper is a map and you’re navigating that terrain in the real world. 

Here was my self-challenge: I visited an area that I was unfamiliar with and brought a map.  It was a mildly hilly area with a wide stream, woodland, a snowed over farm field and uneven ground.  I tried to cross from one corner to the other quickly in two different ways. 

The first time, I hiked across in a straight line.  It took me up and down hill and I ran into woodland obstacles, such as downed trees, along the way.  The second route, I took the path of least resistance, involving the stream’s shoreline and the forest’s edge by the field.  The second method actually took about the same time but required less physical effort on my part

Here are some ways to navigate to cover more ground quickly:

  • Use established trails where and when available;
  • Follow animal game trails (made by big animals, of course, as rabbits have a significantly lower clearance than 90-some odd percent of hikers, I think);
  • Walk along waterways and shoreline, when available,  to avoid dense vegetation;
  • Cross feilds and meadows (except in winter, when it looks like a snowed over meadow but is really a half-frozen lake); and
  • Take the high ground, as many ridges and elevated features may provide clearance and ease of navigational references.

In all cases, using good orientation skills are a must!  Take a good map and a compass you trust, even if you go with a GPS.  Also, bring an altimeter when you’re in travelling up and down the higher elevations.  Well, thanks again for visiting. 

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What $$$ Should We Pay for Recreation?

/ Andrew Szalay / 2 Comments

Remember the old National Parks Pass?  For $50US it allowed users access to America’s National Parks where fees were charged for free for up to one year.  But it had a shortcoming among the complicated land management system in the United States; if your trip took you to a differently designated public land, such as a National Forest or Bureau of Land Management area, the National Park Pass did not work.

At the same time, the government of the United States offered the Eagle Pass.  For a much greater fee, it gave the user and his or her immediate family access to all of the federally managed parkland.  But it was a difficult pass for the various park agencies to coordinate (accepting fees, issuing cards and maintaining records).

Around 2005 the National Park Service lead the way for the other land mangement agencies to issue a new pass, the America the Beautiful Pass, to replace the National Pass, Eagle Pass and the other annual park passes.  The pass costs $80US and gives access to all of the publically accessible land under the control of the United States government (but not the state governments, such as state parks).

I worked on Capitol Hill when this transition was being finalized and at the last minute I worked with the Congressman I served to make this pass available at a significant discount to Veterans that have been discharged under any category other than dishonorable (honorable, medical, and so forth) . We thought it made sense: Give veterans free access to the very land that they served and fought to defend.

We faced resistence from the National Park Service, but we succeeded in starting a chain reaction among the federally controlled public land managers: One by one they announced that on Veterans Day (November 11) each year, US servicemen and women and veterans would be permitted in the park for free.  It was a small consolation, but we took it.  The Veterans Eagle Parks Pass Act continues to be introduced in Congress and seeks support for enactment.

Through this effort, I learned that the land managers missed some opportunities to decide what the right prices ought to be and who could or should be given special access.  Of course, politics hampered some of that discussion.  Admitedly, my boss and I probably did not help with out last minute efforts.  Currently, the pass gives a lifetime benefit to permanently disabled Americans for free and sells the pass to Senior Citizens (Americans over the age of 62) for $10US and is good for the rest of their lives.  This is great, but my boss and I felt that veterans were also deserving.

So why not veterans?  And why was it priced at $80 for the year?  The park service deemed that properly identifying veterans was too difficult and that the $80 price tag made sense to raise revenue while covering expenses.

Land management agencies are all feeling the pinch of the down economy.  Inflation has been creeping upward and governments are all seeking more revenue to pay their employees (wage earners just like you and I) pay for their overhead.  This even applies to the park rangers and other workers in public land management.

What is really dismal, is that it is possible that the land management agencies could increase user fees and access fees to prohibit we hikers and climbers from accessing these great lands regularly.  Most notably, we have heard a lot of discussion about this at Mount Rainier and for climbing Denali.  Theoretically it could become cost prohibitive.

The American Alpine Club (AAC) points out in its policies that revenue to access fees are often arbitrary.  Arguably, fees are sometimes assessed just for the sake of revenue even though there is no cost of maintenance.

We ought to scrutinize the fees charged at the parks we visit.  They are a tax on our ability to enjoy the land.  We ought to weigh in on and speak up.

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Being First is One Thing, Getting There Another

/ Andrew Szalay / Leave a comment

As of today, Lonnie Dupre has 25 days remaining to attain his goal.  If he succeeds, he would be the first solo climber to reach Denali’s summit in January.  So far, only Russians Artur Testov and Vladimir Ananich have been there then, having topped out on January 16, 1998.

Last I heard, Lonnie Dupre just got the approval from his pilot in Talkeetna to fly to and land on the Kahiltna Glacier, where he will start his ascent up the West Buttress.

I think missions like this are always ripe for disaster.  When a climber sets a goal with a schedule like his there are various ways to be disappointed: the date might be missed, the summit might not be reached, and injury or fatality may occur.

A goal like this can motivate the climber to push him or herself too far or too hard to be successful.  Goals and objectives are good.  They are key to motivating and often drive us toward accomplishment and self-improvement.  But setting the right goals and expectations might moderate some of the self-imposed challenges climbers face.

A good alternative might be to set the simpler goal of reaching Denali’s summit in winter and see how the weather and circumstances come.  If the climber becomes the first to reach the top in January, great, but if not at least the climb was epic!

I don’t mean to disparage Dupre’s objectives.  They are fantastic and I am partially envious!  Like any mountaineer with a goal he or she has declared publicly, he is in a precarious position. Pressure from ego, satisfying sponsors, and the risk of failure can factor negatively climbing wisely sometimes.  Anyone that has set out for a bona fide first ascent — like Edmund Hillary on Everest or Hudson Stuck on Mount McKinley — probably realizes that the glory of success is great but that accomplishing the goal to get it was daunting and might not have happened.

Let’s hope Dupre can compartmentalized and separate the pressures of his mission from his logical analysis.  A key to being a great alpinist, it seems to me, is luck, nerve, perseverance and analytical skill.  Such a balancing act of such factors could result in a Zen-like moment.  Let’s also hope the weather cooperates!

Well, thanks again for visiting.  If you enjoyed this post, please consider becoming a fan on Facebook or following me through Twitter (@SuburbanMtnr).