The Not-So-Shameless Plug

You’re probably aware that some big changes have been avalanching down the couloir at both the Museum and the Base Camp Museum Store. Nothing like change to freshen things up. And if you’re not aware of the huge leaps made these past few months then time to jump on the yak cart and come in from Outer Mongolia.

Base Camp Museum Store has been carefully chronicling feedback from guests and customers. It’s clear we’ve been offering some great merchandise, but our little space is just that – a little space – and it’s been challenging to display it all effectively. Kinda reminds us of having 85 liters of stuff and only a 40 liter pack. We’ve all been there….

As much as we’d like to hang on to some of this great merchandise, it’s essential to offer what the space can hold and display it attractively. So we’re trimming down the inventory and having a huge sale. A “we’re on FIRE!” sale as it’s been quipped. Books, CMC and AMM logo clothing, great gift items for birthdays and Mother’s Days, global crafts and local crafts to boot, lots of items up to 60% off.

Even better than just offering a sale, it starts this Thursday, March 18th, at 4 PM right before Thirsty 3rd Thursday so you can shop, see the museum, and join in the happy hour beginning at 5:30. Nothing like a ‘brew-and-do’ to make the shopping more fun and we’ll keep it going ‘til the Yeti come home. Not to be outdone, the sale continues Saturday, March 20th, beginning at 10 AM and through the entire Mountainfest celebration at the Mountaineering Center. Shoot, if you happen to wander in on Friday, we’re not going to say “no” to a sale.

And since we’re all conservationists we’ve made it easy on everyone by combining events to save time, cut down on mileage and carbon footprints and save everyone a good chunk of change. We won’t quote the “Shop! Shop! Till you Drop!” parody of the Def Leppard song but hold that thought.

The Goose Poop Two-Step

We’re conservationists at the American Mountaineering Center – All Creatures Great and Small types. If we don’t own pets, we support animal rescue leagues and endangered species protection. We’re also very fond of the flock of Canadian geese that call Parfet Park across the way their home.

Now Canada may have us in Men’s Ice Hockey, but I’ll dare say the little hamlet of Golden, British Columbia has nothing on Golden, Colorado regarding number of Canadian Geese per square foot. They can take away our Gold, but not our geese.

These Branta canadensis waddle and squawk and eat. A lot. They’re docile and occasionally need a crossing guard as they travel from the Park across 10th Street to the front lawn of the AMC. Then they waddle and squawk and eat (a lot) on our grassy slopes. And we know the end result of gooses and ganders that eat. A lot.

Then we, being All Creatures Great and Small types, take the humane road to, uh, cleaning up after them. Our facilities staff dutifully hoses down the entryway then sprays it with a non-toxic liquid that, between rain and snow storms, works to keep these fine feathered friends off the cement and their organic by-product from underfoot.

So now that it’s almost Spring and the goslings will be appearing in the next few weeks, we invite you to stop by and Zen out with our Own Private Gaggle. Come by before Thirsty 3rd Thursday on the 18th or during Mountainfest on Saturday the 20th. Or anytime you’d like to pop in and see the Museum or even renew your CMC membership. But, as the blog title suggests, you might have to dodge a poo or two. It’s worth every two-step.

It's All in Your Head

I’ll bet you didn’t know this, but March 15 – 21 is Brain Awareness Week. It’s a global campaign to increase public awareness about the progress and benefits of brain research. This is the 15th anniversary of the campaign that involves universities, hospitals, schools, research centers, and museum exhibits. That’s where we come in.

I’m reminded of Defending Your Life, the 1991 Albert Brooks film, in which Rip Torn portrays Bob Diamond, the Purgatorial Prosecutor. Touting he’s able to use 48% of his brain, he reminds Brooks that the “little brains” (as we humans are called behind our backs) use only 3%. While that’s a little low by current standards of research, it’s now suggested that humans use 10% of their cranial potential.

There’s obviously a lot we don’t know about the brain and its complexities, particularly when it comes to hypoxia and its long-term effects on the old gray matter. Dr. Robert Roach, Senior Scientist at the Altitude Research Center in Denver, has made this study his life. His list of publications includes an impressive array of subject matter. And that’s why the American Mountaineering Museum is hosting the next sPEAKer series event on this very subject and led by Dr. Roach. Beginning at 7 PM in the Foss Auditorium, Roach will share his studies combining slide presentations, lecture, and discussion.

The Rocky Mountain Chapter of the American College of Sports Medicine met at the Mountaineering Center last weekend. It led to some interesting conversations, one with a physician who, through personal experience, doesn’t doubt the correlation between sustained high altitude hypoxia and reduced brain function. His instruction? “Take good care of your brain.” Wherever you are, whatever you do, that’s sound advice.

Stop by, then, tomorrow night after work to hear Roach’s timely take on the subject. Remember, the Museum will be open and free to attendees after 5:30 PM. It’ll be a great chance to see the current “Thin Air – an exhibit on altitude and oxygen” before it closes in a few weeks.

Now, what was it I was supposed to remember? ;->

Leading with Your Heart

Now, don’t grip. I’m not going to quote lyrics from Barbara Streisand’s song.

There’s something about the quality of leadership that, when the leader moves the journey from head to heart, we respond in a deeper, more soulful way. The legacy of a culture is remembered with more significance when compassion and altruism are motivating forces rather than sheer accomplishment. The way the world behaves sometimes you’d think it a hard thing to do when, in fact, we live with examples in and around our lives that prove its existence.

No surprise, then, that the first and upcoming Hall of Mountaineering Excellence Awards inductees took everything they did to heart. It may seem a little odd to be bringing matters of the ole pumper into the well-organized and sometimes ego-driven world of mountaineering but those unfamiliar with the philosophies, accomplishments, and sacrifices of these honorees will do well to sit up and take notice.

Charles Houston, Bob Bates, and Bob Craig came to terms with the Brotherhood of the Rope back in 1953 when, during an unsuccessful summit attempt on K2, they found themselves with a critically ill expedition member in need of a rescue descent. They might well simply have left him behind but the challenges of the ascent to that point heightened the team’s cohesiveness. During the down climb a misstep caused an almost catastrophic series of falls and entanglements – and on instinct led most certainly by the need to protect the lives of his friends, Pete Schoening jammed his ice axe behind a boulder and hung on for the dear life. All but one survived and the attention each paid to the others during the remaining descent confirms the depth of their friendship.

Houston went on to become the leading authority in altitude sickness, hypoxia, and acclimatization, and Craig founded both the Aspen Institute, a non-profit dedicated to fostering values-based leadership and open-minded dialogue, and the Keystone Group, another non-profit aimed at settling environmental issues among quarreling groups before landing in court.

Bob Bates, member of the Harvard 5 mountaineering group along with Houston and Bradford Washburn, found himself alongside Washburn after they’d been forcibly abandoned in the Yukon. A successful first ascent of Mount Lucania notched on their ice axes but thereafter they survived 32 days and 156 miles in an epic struggle for survival. I doubt there was ever any question that they’d work together to complete their journey to safety.

Bates followed up that expedition by working with the Army to develop improved clothing and equipment for US mountain divisions, and in turn benefitted our daily backcountry lives and well-being. His autobiography, The Love of Mountains is Best, says it all.

And then there’s Yosemite. What’s the first name that comes to mind? Well, besides John Muir.

I’ll give you a hint. It begins with Yvon and ends with Chouinard. In addition to reinventing climbing gear from aid to ice, he rattled the cage of the piton-hammerers, ostensibly destroying the very product that started his business, and advocated a new style – what he called clean climbing – to avoid scarring the rock. From that philosophy was born not only passive pro but a business model in both Patagonia and Black Diamond Equipment, Ltd. that fosters ethics, environmentalism, and the opportunity to care for each other as well as the earth. Not a bad legacy to leave, eh?

Come walk with these giants, then, when they are honored April 10th at the American Mountaineering Museum. It’s a heartfelt chance to thank them with the same graciousness and altruism they so freely shared with us.

The Checklist Manifesto

In addition to being an exquisite book by Atul Gawande, it’s the to-do list for the next few events with the Museum and Library:

Thursday, February 18: Jake Norton: On Three Great Expeditions
Held at Vital Outdoors, 1224 Washington, Golden
5:30PM – 7:30PM.
Beer.
Giveaways.
Beer.

Check.

Friday, February 19: American Mountaineering Museum 2nd Anniversary
Held at the Museum, 710 10th, Golden
5:30ish till 8:00ish
Beer and a little nosh.
Unveiling of the Donors Plaque.
Mingle with the Stars: George Mallory, Albert Ellingwood, Arlene Blum, and a Son of a Gun.

Check.

Saturday, February 20: AAC Library Book Sale
Held at the Inverness Hotel, 200 Inverness Drive West, Englewood (Tech Center)
Open to the public 2PM – 4PM
No beer.
Attendee events for the AAC's 3rd Annual Benefit and Awards dinner: (hint: Royal Robbins will be signing his book, To Be Brave, after 4PM)

Check.

Wednesday, March 3: sPEAKer series, Dr. Robert Roach, Senior Scientist at the Altitude Research Center in Denver
Held at the Museum, 710 10th, Golden
5:30ish refreshments, 7ish Program
No beer.

Check.

Thursday, March 4th, and Friday, March 5th: Banff Mountain Film Festival World Tour
Held at the Paramount Theater, 1621 Glenarm, Denver
Screenings begin at 7ish PM
Beer if you mortgage your soul to pay for it.

Check.

Saturday, April 10: Hall of Mountaineering Excellence Gala
Held at the Museum, 710 10th, Golden
Time TBA
Fine dining (yes, and beer), entertainment, program honoring four outstanding mountaineers
Tickets on sale now.

Check, Mate!

A Woman's Place is on Top...

...or so quipped Arlene Blum in preparation for her all-women’s Annapurna expedition in 1978. And so they proved it true in spite of adversity and loss. That’s not all Arlene is known for, though, and a life as rich and fulfilling as that needs to be shared. So be it, at the 2nd Anniversary celebration of the American Mountaineering Museum. Would the real Arlene please stand up? Wellllll, how about a proxy, along with three other mountaineering history buffs portraying George Mallory, Albert Ellingwood, and one of our 10th Mountain Division soldiers. These are folks who continue to bring our museum alive through their dreams and dedication as do our myriad volunteers.

The celebration begins at 5:30 PM on Friday, February 19th. We’ll also celebrate the behind-the-scenes benefactors who helped bring the museum to life two years ago. The grand unveiling of a donor plaque will cap the evening of food, $2 fer brewski, music, and all-around ribaldry. Where else can you get this kind of entertainment nearly free?

Since the usual Thirsty 3rd Thursday date is open on February 18th, instead stop by Vital Outdoors in downtown Golden to hear our favorite mountaineer, Jake Norton, present photos and stories about his three favorite expeditions. Tickets are $3, all proceeds go to the Museum, and you’ll just have to be there to hear which of Jake’s myriad adventures he can whittle down to his favorites.

While we’re on the subject of expeditions, if you haven’t checked out the Wenger Patagonia Expedition Race, tighten up your kayak skirts before you do. Fourteen four-person teams from around the world, including team Eddie Bauer (that’s my team!) have 8 days to complete a 600 km South American race that includes ocean kayaking, mountain biking, trekking, climbing, and backcountry navigation. They started the ocean kayaking off Tierra del Fuego in seas so rough supply ship drops were cancelled...I think in Spanish that’s referred to as cojones.

You Forgot to do What?

A little gentle elbow in the ribs, here…to those who missed a great presentation at last night’s sPEAKer series. Jeff Blumenfeld gave an enthusiastic and well-organized talk on how to get the trip you want sponsored and funded.

Not so fast, there, cowpoke. There are a few questions to ask and thoughts to ponder once the supreme question “You Want To Go Where?” has an answer.

So what? Seriously. What’s so great about That Dream Trip? Has it been done before? Are you adding a unique twist to it? Will anyone sit up and take notice? Who is it going to benefit?

The dream part is easy. Choose the destination. Make the process unique, a record-setter, a first-time crack at it. Be certain someone/something larger than you benefits, be it education opportunities in China, health and human rights for a native culture, or an environmental cause.

And then….well, you need to read the book for the rest of it. A few copies remain at the Base Camp Gift Shop. Give us a shout at 303-996-2755 and we'll get a copy in the mail. C’mon, you didn’t think we’d give away ALL the secrets?

March 3rd’s sPEAKer will be Dr. Robert Roach, senior scientist at the Altitude Research Center in Denver. We’d say “hold your breath in anticipation of a knock-out presentation,” but that’d just make you hypoxic. :-)