10
Jan
inReach message from Robert Danger Byrd
Snow very deep, can’t find passable route.
Cold is killing iPhone which used for navigation and messaging. Probably won’t be able to send a summit message. Will try foot warmer in pocket with iPhone.
Very cold, the moisture in our breath formed ice on tent walls. Overcast & snowing again, mild wind below tree line, will be stronger on summit. Moving out!
Awoken by the silence I stepped out. The mountain is still and quiet now. Snow has stopped, sky is clear & moon is bright enough to see the snowbound forest.
Making camp was tough in loose powder, new tent strong but small. Dug pit in vestibule to make room for cooking & melting snow for H20.
Forest serene & resplendent in its winter raiment. I expect to see Jack Frost any minute. Biting get wind, snow & cold sufficient to snap me back to reality.
Ranger turned us back to get snowshoes. He said we would not need them, but it’s the law. So packs are 5lbs heavier. Thanks Ranger Jim. Just left Trailhead.
The Marcy adventure begins! Rick and I are leaving the trailhead now. It’s 5 degrees w 15mph winds. Good visibility snow nice and firm. Good day to be alive!
Climbing up Mt Marcy, NY in the morning to make camp & summit Sat. Gear feeling nice at 60lbs, vs 177 on Denali. -13 w chill at the lodge, hoping for colder.
It’s 3 AM and I hop on a plane at 7AM today. Just finished packing, which is always the way it is no matter how soon I start.
I’ve been working on a more scientific way to manage my gear and embarked on the process of weighing each and every piece of gear. I got everything for this trip weighed and packed and according the the spreadsheet it is a 67 lb load. Because of the extreme weather conditions, I will have to carry lots of heavy layers.
I will shed some weight as there are a few shared items such as stoves, cookware and tent, but not much.
This Thursday the 8th, my good friend Rick Crapshoot Overholt (I was going to say old friend, but he is sensitive about that) and I will board a plane headed for the Adirondack Mountains, home to Mount Marcy the highest point in New York State. With an elevation of 5,343 feet Mount Marcy is not a big mountain, but it is a long slog at approximately 15 miles.
Minus 58 Degree Low & 80 MPH Winds!
Climbers typically opt to climb Mt. Marcy in the summer, but I thought a winter climb might make it a bit more challenging and provide more experience in extreme winter conditions. This area is well known for its intensely fowl weather, and below is a Mount Marcy weather report from this week boasting 80MPH winds on Sunday and a low temp of -58 with windchill on Wednesday, so it looks like Marcy is willing and able to give us her worst.
We have been watching the weather via Mountain Forecast and when the wind started trending upwards Rick asked me what my bail out was for wind speed. I beat my chest and told him I would turn around when it became impossible to crawl. Of course I was joking as I have experienced 50 MPH winds during my Mt. Rainier Winter Adventure and it was terrifying. Below is some video of that experience.
As avid ballroom dancers, Susan and I will both be dancing in the 2014 Holiday Showcase. We won’t be dancing with each other as you might expect, but Susan will dance with her instructor, the indescribable Mathew Kelling, and I’ll dance with my own dance instructor Lynn Ferguson the 3 times undefeated United States 9 Dance Champion.
There will be around 30 couples dancing in the showcase and spectators are welcome. Lynn puts on the best dance events in Houston, so we invite you to join in the fun as she Presents Her Annual Holiday Showcase. You can show up and pay at the door, but if you want to reserve seats, just send me an email me.
2014 Holiday Showcase Details
Saturday December 13th at Lonestar Dancesport
11151 Westheimer Rd., Houston, TX 77042
Map Link: https://goo.gl/maps/aMlXA
Doors Open at 5:30PM Show Starts at 6:30PM
Spectator Tickets $40/head – If you don’t have a head, you get in for free!
Attire: After 5
Complimentary Food – Chicken Sattai, Meatballs, Cheese & Fruit.
Complimentary Desert – Italian Cream Cake, Cookies & Gluten Free Chocolate Cupcakes and Coffee.
BYOB – For those of you who are drunk now, that means bring your own booze.
Setups Available for Purchase – To put the booze that you brought in.
Susan is doing a Waltz routine and I’m doing a Tango. Susan has lots of Waltz experience, but I knew only the basic Tango at the outset of this, so I’ve been drinking from the fire hose the last few weeks and the dork factor has dropped considerably. We are dancing to a version of Tango de Roxanne from Moulin Rouge, which is a very dramatic Tango song that I remixed on my iPad during the plane ride to Cuba to make it more danceable.
Hope to see you there.
Our 2014 Southeast Highpoint Trip was a complete success making all 5 summits on schedule and Susan are now on a plane headed back to Houston. There were some unexpected challenges and pleasant surprises and we forged some great memories this week. All 5 trip reports and photo galleries have been posted, and you will find links to them below in reverse order.
#5 Sassafras Mountain, South Carolina
Sassafras was so ugly I’m a little embarrassed about standing on top of it. Reminds me of the time I took a homely girl to prom. The surprise was finding that I actually liked her, and so it was with Sassafras. This was the final highpoint of the trip and we completed this one on Monday November 17th. You will find the Sassafras Mountain Trip Report here.
#4 Clingmans Dome, Tennessee
Clingmans Dome was a very cool highpoint with a great drive up through the Smokey Mountains. The wind at the tower was strong enough to knock you off your feet if you didn’t keep a wide stance. We completed Clingmans on Sunday November 16th and you will find the Clingmans Dome Trip Report here.
#3 Mt. Mitchell, North Carolina
Mitchell lies just off of the scenic Blue Ridge Parkway which winds over and around the mountaintops and even passes through them via tunnels carved from stone. We almost could not get there due to some freezing in the mountain passes, but managed to find our way via a network of rural back roads. The only thing unusual about the highpoint itself was the dead body at the top. We completed this one on Saturday November 15th and you will find the Mt Mitchell Trip Report here.
#2 Mt. Rogers, Virginia
This 9 hour adventure and had everything from wild ponies to snowstorms. This was Susan’s most challenging climb to date, and she grumbled a little, well actually a lot, but she dug deep and we made the summit on Thursday November 13th. You will find the complete Mt Rogers Trip Report here.
#1 Black Mountain, Kentucky
We nailed this easy drive up straight from the airport on Wednesday November 12th. We had a navigational glitch that sent us to the wrong Black Mountain and cost us 2 hours, but we got there and I, (Susan stayed in the car as it was cold and raining) completed Black Mountain the state highpoint of Kentucky and you will find the complete Black Mountain Trip Report here
On Wednesday November 12th Susan and I completed Black Mountain the state highpoint of Kentucky. This is highpoint #22 of 50 for me and the 1st of the 5 state highpoints of our 2014 SouthEast Trip.
Black Mountain Links:
Trip Report
Photo Gallery
Blog Posts
Google Map
You will find, status, photo galleries and trip reports for all of my adventures on the Highpoints Page.
On Thursday November 13th, 2014, Susan and I completed Mt. Rogers the highest mountain in Virginia. This climb was made during our 2014 SouthEastern Trip and It was the most challenging climb Susan had done with me, and the weather conditions were less than ideal. Nonetheless it was a great climb and you will find the trip report and other resources below.
Mt. Rogers Trip Report
Mt. Rogers Photo Gallery
Mt. Rogers Blog Posts
You will find, status, photo galleries and trip reports for all of my adventures on the Highpoints Page.
Back at the trailhead w no permanent disfigurement. In the car w heater blasting, feasting on lunch meats &cheeses.
I’m very proud of my wife. What a great day!
It’s foggy, windy, still snowing and the mercury has fallen into the teens. We are low on food/water & downclimbing rocky terrain in the dark. And we have 1 headlamp. Everything is awesome!
Temperature still falling, now 22 and now it’s snowing. I love the mountains!
Susan is soldiering on, but I can tell she is really tired because she stopped complaining.
Susan dug deep and we made summit! Windy, cold and dropping, also misting which is creating ice layer on our gear. Headed down now, not much daylight left
Susan wanted to turn back earlier, but she is feeling better after I deployed my secret weapon; caffeine infused honey.
We are climbing through some very cool rock formations now.
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