Fall...Forward

Another peak experience by Martha Perantoni

By now you’re aware there’s a crispness in the evening air, the sun sets earlier and earlier, and the aspen are beginning to change color in the high country. The elk are bugling wildly and bear fattening up for a long winter sleep. This is one of my favorite times of year because it’s a chance to introspect, hibernate, and dream...forward.

As a kid growing up in Vermont, the autumn season was glorious. We viewed every hue of maple from yellow to bittersweet to Mars red and when the leaves began to fall, we diligently raked them into huge piles on the front lawn just so we could jump in them.

It may seem the impending winter is a time to shut down when, in fact, it’s always been a superb opportunity for learning. There’s little better than snuggling down in the rocking chair with a good book, a fuzzy lap throw and cat, and glass of chewy Shiraz, or listening to the crisp creak of snow underfoot heading for an inspiring presentation.

In preparation for this seasonal glory, the American Mountaineering Museum and AAC Library are setting a wonderful tone. September 21st, Jean Mollicone, first woman to summit Mt. Vinson, Antarctica, will recount her historic summit with Mugs Stump, one of the most beloved of American mountaineers. September 30th, get ready for ski season with Bent Gate’s Ski Season Kick-Off Party through a silent auction, fashion show, raffle, The Freeheel Life film in the Foss, avy and beacon clinics and camaraderie all to benefit CAIC, Friends of Berthoud Pass, and the AMM. October 6th Gyatso will help us understand Tibetan lifestyle, culture and environment and the Westernization changes it faces. And on October 28th, continue to challenge the theory that the Yeti don’t exist with Yeti night at the Museum – prizes for best costume and Yeti crafts for the kids.

Not your style? Consider a good book. The American Alpine Club Library is full of them. Historic, factual, inspirational, or just durned good reading. Check ‘em out, grab the cat, pour the wine, and revel in the possibility next summer will offer you.

PS Like this photo? Fred Hanselmann has the best eye for Colorado color and composition of anyone I’ve ever known. His photos are available for purchase in Base Camp Adventure Store. What better way to preserve the memories!

Kechu

When Thomas Montgomerie triangulated two new peaks in the Karakoram, he had no idea he’d discovered not only the second highest peak on earth, but also the second most dangerous. And while Karakorum 1 was known locally as Masherbrum, no one seemed to know of a local name for K2. As Fosco Maraini quipped “...just the bare bones of a name, all rock and ice and storm and abyss…it makes no attempt to sound human… it is atoms and stars…has the nakedness of the world before the first man - or of the cindered planet after the last…” so calling the mountain K2 seemed more than appropriate and it stuck.

Superseded only by Annapurna as the most dangerous 8000m peak to climb, 25% of those who attempt the savage mountain perish. Not only is it technically one of the most challenging and committing, its extreme weather patterns can cause deadly delays. Only 302 have successfully summited and at least 77 others have died trying.

The challenges of the mountain make for great story-telling as well. Fatal attempts in 1939 and 1953, a troublesome first summit by the Italians in 1954, and finally the 13 deaths in 1986 and 11 more within hours of each other in 2008 give real-time chronicles of the epics these mountaineers face.

Enter Freddie Wilkinson whose alpinist wisdom and media savvy combined with knowledge of Sherpa culture brings to light what happened during the most recent multiple-fatality day. None of the surviving Western climbers could explain what happened, their memories fogged by hypoxia, exhaustion, and hallucinations. The truth of what transpired lies with four Sherpa guides who were largely ignored by the mainstream media in the aftermath of the tragedy and whose heroic efforts saved the lives of at least four climbers.

Wilkinson’s narrative voice is biting and witty and, while trying not to be too critical of the media’s push for speed over accuracy, he manages to pull the truth of what really occured when a collapsing serac over the Bottleneck severed fixed lines and dragged more than a dozen alpinists down the mountainside.

We’re excited to have the author present these findings in person on Monday, September 13th, beginning at 6 PM in the Foss Auditorium at the AMC in Golden. Reviews are non-stop positive and there’s much buzz not just about Freddie, but about his ability to weave a compelling tale. As one reviewer stated, a lot of climbers write (and not very well) but not a lot of writers climb.

Leave No Trace has Entered the Building

The Exit Strategies has come and gone but the message is beginning to rebound and the subsequent concentric ripples are rolling through a larger and larger realm.

This blogger won’t go through the details and reports from the conference. There are plenty of those on the AAC website.

This blogger also acknowledges that the problem isn’t restricted to alpine environments. And it’s not limited to simply hikers. It is a much bigger global problem than one conference of 140 conservationists and scientists can address.

I hiked out to Chicago Lakes from Echo Lake a few days ago. While I’ve snowshoed in during winter months, I’d not had the simple luxury of a summer hike and made it my choice for a perfect Rocky Mountain day. To those unfamiliar with the hike, the first mile drops from Echo Lake into Chicago Creek canyon. Four more miles up past the Idaho Springs Reservoir and you’re atop the moraine enjoying a spectacular Mt Evans cirque view.

On a summer Sunday, Echo Lake becomes a water park for Front Range folk escaping the heat and the trail to the Chicago Creek crossing busy as a fish peddler during Lent. It’s a favorite spot for families with small children and pets and, as we know, neither can control their personal functions very well.

As I hiked back across the Creek, a family with four small children was preparing to leave the area. I heard the father ask if anyone needed to go to the bathroom. On reflex I shouted to them “not in the creek you don’t!” I stepped back and quickly explained to my startled company the ramifications of urinating in a stream that flowed into a city water supply and the 100-foot rule of backcountry waterways.

Hiking back around the north side of the Lake, I sidled up to a woman whose dog had “assumed the position” and was leaving its trace in the lake. She was as stunned as the previous party when I pointed out the children dangling their feet in the water alongside the parties fishing for trout to toss in the fry pan.

These were seven people out of the hundreds at Echo Lake Park on one Sunday. It’s a miniscule start but I’ve added to my wish list that concentric ripples of wisdom, ownership and Leave No Trace turn tsunami.

All it takes is a little nudge from each of us.

Exit, Stage One

There’s a fair bit of buzz about what this blogger refers to as The Poop Group. Not to be irreverent, but it’s a little more to the point than calling this weekend’s international conference at the American Alpine Club Exit Strategies.

I’ve lifted the following description from the AAC website: included are top land managers, scientists, entrepreneurs, and wilderness participants from around the globe to discuss and formulate strategies for managing human waste in remote areas. The Exit Strategies conference will include general/plenary sessions, poster presentations, field-proven techniques and opportunities for focused problem solving.

There’s nothing new in this conversation. Those of us who regularly hike global trails continue to see the effects of poop, wandering off-trail, erosion, selfishness, you name it. It’s disconcerting at best, given how finite this natural resource is in the face of an exploding population and interest level.

Let me be direct and maybe a little preachy. How do YOU manage your waste? Do you urinate on wildflowers thinking it’ll hydrate them? Do you leave toilet paper on the ground convinced it will biodegrade? And what about the dog? Just this weekend I was hiking on South Boulder Creek trail to find that someone had dutifully scooped the pooch’s poop in a red plastic bag – then left it tied to a tree branch overhanging the trail. BLECH!

It’s not so tough to clean up after ourselves. Pee on a rock instead of wildflowers and the mountain goats will lick the urine off the rock instead of destroying the plant. Bring a plastic container with a tablespoon of baking soda, a shovel and scoop your poop and TP into it for the trip out. Notice I didn’t say Ziploc bag – they’re not biodegradable and the chance you’ll empty the bag and clean it is a big goose egg. A container works just as well and d’oh! it’s reusable, just like a pee bottle! No need to buy those fancy expensive kits – K.I.S.S.! Leave no trace is not a big deal, either – pack it in, pack it out, done deal. It ain’t feces science and it’ll still be lighter out than on the inbound trip.

Before climbing down off my soap box, I admonish you to take a stand or, rather, a squat with Your Mother in mind. Do some research and some reading and do your part. And keep an ear to the ground for the results of the Poop Group convention. Just think how icky it would be if the ground was covered in something…oh, never mind.

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!

You Want to Go WHERE?

Ever wonder how some folks just seem to have all the luck? They get to go anywhere in the world, do incredibly inspiring and daredevil things, don’t pay a cent for it, then get speaking engagements around the world?

Repeat after me. Adventure Marketing. And the guru of said PR style, Jeff Blumenfeld, will reveal the simple secrets of success. YOUR success. Right here at the American Mountaineering Museum.

Considering extreme ironing while strapped to the wing of a 747 at 35,000 feet? Maybe not so much. But is there a first-of-something out there that you’ve been trying to make work? A feat that, if successful, sets an example to other dreamers, armchair and active alike? Tests your skills, stretches your limits and proves that It Can Be Done?

Then Jeff B. is your man. Based on his book of the above title, you’ll get a line-item description of how to plan, fund, and execute your own trip and do it with grants and scholarships.

Sound sweet? Remember, 2010 is the Year to Do It All. Get the scoop with Jeff and followers at the American Mountaineering Museum Wednesday, February 3rd. Noms at 5:30 in the lobby of the AMM, presentation begins at 7 PM in the Foss Auditorium. It’s $5 for non-members, $3 for members, and free to friends of both the Museum and the AAC Library. And if you haven’t seen the Museum yet, admission is included with the ticket price from 5:30 PM on.

Come on. What’s holding you back?

(Not So) Terrible Twos

We’ve started the year with a bang, that’s for certain. And it’s exciting to note that the museum’s second anniversary is coming up in less than a month! Like a child all of a sudden growing up, we’re wondering where the time went but doubly excited at the growth we’re going to see in 2010.

And there’s no time like the present to celebrate. Thirsty 3rd Thursday will become Thirsty 3rd FRIDAY on February 19th and we’re pulling out all the stops. Beginning at 5:30 PM we’ll offer the usual Thursday fare: $2 brews, snacks, acoustic music and lots of giveaways. Museum admission, as always, is free and at this event come and meet some of the distinguished mountaineers highlighted in our exhibits. We’ve a group of dedicated volunteers busily studying folks like Albert Ellingwood, George Mallory, Jim Whitaker, and Pete Schoening in order to become knowledgeable interactive performers, and I know who’s playing Arlene Blum….

We’ll also be honoring all those very generous supporters who helped make the museum possible from it’s conception. Join us for this very special evening of celebrating the (Not So) Terrible Twos at the American Mountaineering Museum.

While we’re mentioning Thirsty 3rd Thursday if you haven’t already made plans tonight join us for the usual Thursday fare starting at 5:30 PM. NOAA says the weather is holding off until tomorrow so it’s a good night to be out and about!

Next week is another big one for the Museum. The Avalanche Awareness clinic cancelled January 6th due to inclement conditions is rescheduled for Wednesday, January 27th, at 7 PM. The Museum will open after 5:30 PM and admission is included with the event price.

Hang on to your gris-gris for the free screening of North face: the Movie Friday, January 29th at 6 PM. It’s opening night across the US and there’s already Eigerwand-sized excitement about it. Recommend arriving early to claim a seat in the Foss as we think this is going to be a big one.

Wait, there’s more. Wednesday, February 3rd, Jeff Blumenfeld will be here as part of the sPEAKer series presenting his favorite topic You Want to go WHERE? If you have a dream project with a purpose and need to heed the calling, Jeff will help explain how to garner funding and support. Remember, in 2010 anything’s possible! Slide show and discussion begins at 7 PM preceded by a Museum reception at 5:30 PM.

We hope you’re as breathless about the next few weeks at the AMM as we are with planning and preparations. The little Mountaineering Museum in Golden is growing up and fast.

North Face Comes to Golden!

Film Trailers by Filmtrailer.com

The buzz is out about a film that’s premiered in Europe and is finally landing in the US. North Face: the Movie is receiving rave reviews for its realism in story-telling and action. For a mountaineering film to get those accolades from real mountaineers, not actors playing it up, is something to sit up and take notice.

The Eiger is no stranger to either filmmakers or alpinists. In July of 1936 Nazi Germany, as propaganda for the Summer Olympics, organized a European competition for any mountaineer to be the first to climb the Eiger North Face. Known as the Murder Wall, top German climbers Toni Kurz and Andi Hinterstoisser set out with the Austrian team of Willy Angerer and Edi Rainier hot on their heels.

Based on a true story, director Philipp Stölzl propels the viewer out of the Hollywood comfort zone and onto the cliff face. From setting the first piton to the now named Hinterstoisser Traverse to the encroaching weather and its dangers, the story is told with an unflinching eye tuned to the realities of the vertical world and its challenges.

Not to be missed. Premiering across the US on January 29th, the American Mountaineering Museum cohosts with the American Alpine Club to offer a FREE screening of the film at the American Mountaineering Center Friday, January 29th. The film begins at 6 PM in the Foss Auditorium with a Museum reception at 5 PM.

Again, not to be missed! While it’s in German with English subtitles once the climbing begins you won’t be too concerned with reading.

More information on the film is found at North Face: the Movie

If you don't like the weather in Colorado...

…just wait half an hour! Unfortunately because it took a little longer to clear things out last night the sPEAKer series event on avalanche awareness was cancelled. We sure do appreciate everyone’s enthusiasm for the event and, as the weather and conditions last night and today prove, it’s still a very necessary topic. The event WILL be rescheduled so stay tuned and the date and time will be posted.

Be that as it may, next Tuesday, January 12th, the ongoing American Alpine Club Book Club Fight Club will meet for its monthly salon. This month’s book is Halfway to Heaven, by Denver resident and author Mark Obmascik. Subtitled My White-knuckled – and Knuckle-headed – Quest for the Rocky Mountain High, well, that should tell you it’s going to be a lively read with more than a few chuckles. The Book Club meets starting at 6 PM – check in with the library for this month’s location.

If you need a copy and can’t find one, there are copies available for purchase in the Base Camp Museum Store. Give us a shout at 303-996-2755 or come by the store and we’ll take care of you.

There’s nothing quite like bluebird skies and sun glinting off fresh-fallen snow. Take a picture, make a snow-angel, enjoy the crunch of snow underfoot. It’s a great day to be in Colorado.

Are You Allergic to Vanilla?

No doubt if you’re reading this, you are. Plain vanilla is good for ice cream. But adventure?

Maybe not so much.

That’s why the next sPEAKer series event scheduled for Wednesday, January 6th (that’s tomorrow) at 7 PM is focused on avalanche awareness and aimed at the adventurer in all of you. No doubt you’ve heard about today’s avalanche fatalities in Canada and Switzerland after these latest storms. You may be traveling there, you may be staying home, but a little knowledge is a powerful thing for these unstable conditions.

The CMC members leading this information session are all American Institute for Avalanche Research and Education (AIARE) approved and trained. They know their stuff from their 300+ days in the field. Your time will be well spent learning about types of avalanches, terrain, snowpack and weather on top of trip planning and travel techniques. It’s not a Level I certification class and there’ll be no training in beacon use or search and rescue/recovery. But it’ll open your eyes to the risks and, more importantly, the basic safety measures that enable good backcountry decision-making.

So the snow may look plain vanilla while it’s anything but. Save the ice cream for your bowl at home and your wits and wisdom for the bowls above treeline.

$3 CMC/AAC Members, $5 Non-Members - FREE to Friends of the Museum and Friends of the AAC Library. Museum admission is included in the ticket price and will be open from 5:30 – 6:30; light noms provided. Base Camp Adventure store will also be open for purchases.

Once in a Blue Moon

This New Year’s Eve is filled with more stuff than dreams can possibly be made of.

It’s a Blue Moon and it happens to fall smack-dab on New Year’s Eve. The lunar phenomenon occurs once every 19 years: that’s pretty powerful however you look at it.

2009 was an auspicious and sad year. We lost some of the greats of climbing – John Bachar, Craig Luebben, Bruce Bindner, and the mountaineering world said good-bye to Dr. Charles Houston, Lino Lacedelli and Achille Compagnoni, Guy Lacelle, Tomas Humar, Johnny Copp, Micah Dash, and Wade Bruce Johnson.

What this blogger remembers these, and so many more here unnamed, climbers/hikers/mountaineers for is their “get ‘er done” attitude. Perspicacity. Their willingness to fully commit, mind, body, and soul to their goals without hesitation. And if they didn’t make it the first time, like Walter Bonatti they accepted their fear and got to it until they did. It’s a legacy that’s simultaneously humbling and inspiring and a fantastic reminder that the Museum offers me on a daily basis.

2010: a Space Odyssey, thanks to Arthur C. Clarke. All of a sudden it’s 2010 and we’re still wondering how the decade disappeared so quickly. Weren’t there some important things we meant to do before another grey hair appeared, before another year disappeared, before another friend was lost?

2010: a Personal Odyssey, thanks to that person staring back at us from the mirror. Perhaps, because we’re getting a rare glimpse at a rare astrological event, we can take an extra step back to ponder that Blue Moon. It’s that extra stride that’ll give us the added momentum to jump straight into our dreams and get ‘em done.

Whatever your odyssey may be, however you fulfill it, we at the American Mountaineering Museum and Mountaineering Center wish for you and dream with you. May the best of all opportunities present themselves and inspire you throughout 2010.

We’ve made it through the holidays, almost, and the weather is finally offering some cold and snow for all the powderhounds out there. It’s been a long wait but well worth it!

Well, almost. According to the Colorado Avalanche Information Center, this past week alone observers reported 19 human-triggered avalanches occurring from Cameron Pass all the way down to Loveland Pass. The Front Range is in particularly rough shape right now because of the early snow/early warm-up/more snow cycle. Yesterday’s 50+ mph winds above treeline loaded that slab on top of very unstable layers creating conditions prime for avalanche.

Of course you’re not at any risk, right? It couldn’t possibly happen….not so fast there, powderhound. It’s a real danger to everyone, even the most experienced among us.

The next sPEAKer series event at the Museum is incredibly timely. On Wednesday, January 6th, at 7 PM the Colorado Mountain Club will speak on the topic of Avalanche Awareness. It’s not an AIARE (American Institute for Avalanche Research and Education) avalanche class but an overview of the training, equipment, and cranial activation you’ll need to make good choices in the backcountry. Join us at 5:30 for some refreshment prior to the event and a chance for participants to see the museum inclusive in the price of admission. All sPEAKers series events are $3 for AAC/CMC members & students, $5 for non-members, free to Friends of the Museum and AAC library and open to the public.

Remember, it’s not what you know; it’s what you don’t know that can injure, even kill you. Have an adventurous and SAFE New Year and we’ll see you on the 6th at the American Mountaineering Center!