Taking a Breather at Leadville

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Tuesday, November 21, 2006

Leadville
We arrived in Leadville a couple days ago and it has been nice to have the luxuries of showers, heat, bunks, and meals that I don't have to carry or cook. I definitely felt the altitude when I arrived, but I am acclimating fast. This morning we went for a fast-paced hike in order to get the heart rate up and aid in acclimatization. I felt stronger than ever, which is a good sign because we will need to be in top form when we get to Ecuador on Thursday.

Last night, we watched the movie "Vertical Limit". It is a fictional tale about an attempt on Everest, an accident, and a rescue. Watching the movie with professional outdoor educators (and with the knowledge I have acquired) made a lot of the movie appear comically unrealistic, but it was definitely entertaining. It also made me focus in on what we are about to do, and do everything I can to get myself up for success.

Today we received a briefing on the Ecuador trip covering itineraries, logistics, and safety. We also issued gear, most notably cramp-ons (big metal spikes we attach to our boots for walking on ice) and an ice axe.

The itinerary for Ecuador is as follows.
Day 01 11/23 air travel to Quito.
Day 02 11/24 language classes and cultural tour.
Day 03 11/25 acclimatization hikes around the circumference of
Day 04 11/26 a volcanic crater lake called Cuicocha, elevation 15,000 feet. Day 2-4 the base camp will be at an organic farm at 9,500 feet. Travel to Cayambe, elevation 15,000 feet.
Day 05 11/27 Cayambe, 15,000 feet. Glacialology and acclimatization hikes.
Day 06 11/28 Glacier skills training and ice climbing.
Day 07 11/29 More of the same. Sleep 2:00 PM - 11:00 PM for peak climb.
Day 08 11/30 Peak climb: Volcan Cayumbe (17,000 feet)
Day 09 12/01 Travel to Quito.
Day 10 12/02 Quito food/supplies shoping.
Day 11 12/03 Travel to Antisanna (15,400 feet)
Day 12 12/04 Skills practice: glacial route finding (to summit).
Day 13 12/05 Peak climb to summit of Antisanna.
Day 14 12/06 Condor Trek: trekking through high
Day 15 12/07 central valley, basically walking to
Day 16 12/08 Cotopaxi, base camp elevation 15,000 feet to
Day 17 12/09 Tambopaxi elevation 12,000 feet.
Day 18 12/10 Tambopaxi - staying in huts with bathrooms and showers. Resting and recharging for an attempt at summiting Cotopaxi the next day.
Day 19 12/11 Prepare rope teams with gear. Climb Cotopaxi 19,400 feet starting from 15,000 feet.
Day 20 12/12 Course-end run and dinner. Contingency day to climb Cotopaxi if weather prevents first attempt.
Day 21 12/13 Travel back to organic farm base camp. De-issue gear, pack gear.
Day 22 12/14 Fly back to Phoenix.

So, as you can see, I have quite the adventure and challenge ahead of me and it is beginning to feel "real". Before today's briefing, I was still coming down off the canyons adventure and was not really focusing on the upcoming grande finale.

Speaking of the canyons, I should fill you in on our second week there.


Canyonlands, Utah
After re-supply (when I mailed you the update) , we headed into an area near the South Fork of Robbers Roost. Once we set up a base camp and unloaded our group gear, our instructors scouted the area for solo sites, then led us to them. I spent the next 3 days in solitude in a secluded cove alongside a dry arroyo and loved every minute of it.

During this time, I fasted for the first two days. I had never fasted before, so it was interesting to see what happens when we stop eating. I was surprised to find that thought the body may tire, the mind keeps ticking in what feels like an altered state of increased clarity. Because I was not physically active, I needed little sleep, and spent most of the nights looking up at an impossible amount of stars punctuated by countless shooting stars and satellites, dreaming whether awake or asleep.

I broke my fast at sunset of my last night with a small snack of peanuts and raisins and I tell you, I have never tasted anything so explosively vibrant. The peanuts were the gastronomical equivalent of gold and the "plain" raisins were so sweet I would have sworn that they were covered in frosted sugar had I not seen them with my own eyes.

During the fast I should also mention that with the sense of taste gone dormant, the other senses (especially cold/warmth, hearing, and vision/color vibrancy) all were amplified.

After solo, we hiked 4 miles to a water hole and set up a base camp for a 13 mile day hike into the south fork of "the Roost" the next day, which turned out to be my favorite day of the entire course thus far.

We learned that some water holes can make you sick and to avoid them if no plant life lives nearby.

That day, we did not hike down the canyon, rather, we flowed through it like the water that created it. When the canyon narrowed, so did we. When we reached placed where water falls, we lowered waves of rope and rappelled. Rappelling was my favorite part of the trip, and we got to do this about 5 times. At one point, we rappelled off a 20 foot overhang where we are touching nothing but air and rope, and getting first-hand lessons in the powers of friction and trust.

Toward the end of the hike in the canyon, we caught glimpses of a small herd of deer pausing the the late afternoon sun as they caught a glimpse of us. Both parties stood for awhile in silence, watching one another. I don't know what was going through anyone else's head, but I was thinking of a line that I recently under-lined in the book "The Way Out" by Craig Childs, which I am currently reading. It occurs when the author and a friend are trekking through similar country in Arizona and they come upon a small flock of Juncos and one says to the other, "You can't help feeling allegiance with anything else alive out here."

We exited the canyon shortly after with a fixed line over class 5 sandstone, and it was nice to use some of the skills we learned in Joshua Tree.

Soon after, the sun set as we made our way 6 or 7 miles back to base camp. I am not sure how far we walked, because a few hours of it was spent searching for the trail home, trying to apply a headlamp-lit topographic map to a starlit land, as our instructors danced between darkness, memory and intuition. We did not get to camp until near 11:00 PM. but I was not complaining.

The next two days, we walked another 15 miles to the pickup point, much o fit by road. It was a great way to end the section, walking and talking, and saying goodbye to our amazing instructor Chip, who would not be accompanying us to Ecuador in person, but very much so in spirit.

So thats where I am right now, still glowing from the canyons while preparing for Ecuador. Not a bad place to be.

I hope ya'll have a happy Thanksgiving. I will be on a plane, a little sad not to be with family, but not too sad for I have many blessings to be grateful for. Say hello to everyone and I will talk to you soon. Love, Drew.

Here is a letter to you from Joshua Tree that I never mailed because I wanted to give a daily account of the entire trip but never had time.

Joshua Tree, California
Sorry it has taken me so long to write this; Rock camp has been pretty intense leaving me with a different kind of tired at the end of the day. It is a tired that makes you think of nothing but sleep when it comes to free time.

Joshua Tree is a gorgeous place with an almost extraterrestrial feel about it. The trees and rock outcroppings make for views that range from beautiful to surreal.

I have not taken as many pictures, mainly because I have been too tired, too engaged, or I am up on a rock, too scared.

We have been here climbing for 8 days counting today, and tomorrow we finally get a day off where we will go for a hike, do laundry, and either have free time in the town of 29 Palms or catch a movie. Speaking of 29 Palms, we are on the opposite side of 29 Palms from a Marine Base, and we can hear bombs going off quite often.

The stars here are great, and there are more satellites than you can imagine. I usually see a couple of shooting stars each night. We have not had a moon until three days ago, and even then it was a crescent that started 5° above the horizon and set, and it is starting 5° higher each day, so I figure that be the time it is full, it will also be in the sky much longer, and maybe we will be able to do a night hike by then, at which time I think we will be in Robbers Roost Canyons of Utah.

I am still loving this lifestyle; we are on a 4 acre base camp just outside of Joshua Tree park. We have tents, a kitchen, and a meeting area, and our dining room consists of three picnic tables outside. We do not have plumbing, running water, nor electricity, and I do not really miss any of it, except for electricity, which I would use for keeping in touch with friends and family.

Love, Drew

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Comments

[Lucia]

good luck
Drew, you are a sensational writer. I can't tell you how hungry and tired I am after reading your story. Good luck on your next climb and keep the stories and pictures coming. We are thinking about you!