17
Feb
inReach message from Robert Danger Byrd
120 miles from Roatan. We’ll be docked there when we wake up. Digging the new beacon. 72 hours of tracking and still at 19% battery.
120 miles from Roatan. We’ll be docked there when we wake up. Digging the new beacon. 72 hours of tracking and still at 19% battery.
I have activated tracking, for the purpose of testing a new satellite beacon
Danger is sharing their location at the MapShare web site: https://share.delorme.com/danger
Do not reply directly to this message.
To learn more about MapShare and the DeLorme inReach two-way satellite communicator, visit http://delorme.com/inReach or http://inReachCanada.com
On January 10th 2015, I stood atop the summit of Mount Marcy the highest mountain in the state of New York. My long time friend and climbing partner Rick Overholt joined me on this climb, but opted not to join me on the summit. You will find the complete Trip Report here.
Statistics
Completed: January 10th, 2015
State: New York
Elevation: 5,343′
Distance: 15 Miles
Time: 2 Days
Mount Marcy Links
Trip Report
Blog Posts
Photo Gallery
GPS Track
You will find, status, photo galleries and trip reports for all of my adventures on the Highpoints Page.
iPhone & fingers froze, hence the absent updates. At Loj now putting hot things in & on our bodies. There’s a tiny room that shoots hot water out the wall!
Just finished breaking camp, everything is an ordeal in these conditions. Bars are frozen solid so I sucked some half frozen honey from a packet. Headed down
Rick turned back. Some Canadian climbers came along and I linked up with them. Found trail, we were 10 feet from it. Almost there now.
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.
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