THURSDAY, MAY 24, 2007
MAY 24, 2007 - UPDATE
Hi to all and thanks for following along. I had no idea that the blog was going to have such a gathering. As most of you know we didn't make it to the summit, but the trip overall was a success. Like most things in life you can expect the unexpected. We encountered cold temperatures that we never experienced before, the initial stress of meeting new people, and the day to day workouts that seemed to never end. It's always interesting being placed in a group of strangers. Sometimes it was like watching the reality show "The Surreal Life." One thing the group definitely agreed on was that there wasn't enough food. A few days the meals were OK, but for the most part we always went back to our tents hungry having to eat candy bars and trail mix to augment the main meals. It was interesting being in an environment that didn't get dark until 11:30 P.M. When we went to bed we would just push our knitted caps over our eyes and zip the sleeping bag all the way up. At altitude your body is trying to compensate for the lack of oxygen making you pee a lot. At night we had designated pee bottles, and you didn't want to mix it up with your drinking bottle. For the other thing, we had what is called a clean mountain can. It's a green can with a biodegradable trash liner inside. During the 20 days on the mountain we learned so many things such as what your body can and can't do, glacier travel, traveling up fixed lines, and remembering to treat others how you would want to be treated. Some people forgot the latter. Again I want to thank everyone for their interest, and if you have any questions don't hesitate to ask. I'll try to update with photos. Thanks, Wes
Lei you had a question about Sat. Phones. I pasted a link below and remember to keep the phone batteries warm. At minus 20 the phone will stop working in a matter of minutes. The rates were reasonable and they will even drop the phone off at your hotel. The main office is on the way to the airport when returning. Good luck.
Alaska Satellite Communications
Ph: (907) 868-1782 Fx: (907) 243-1195
www.alaskasatellitecommunications.com
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