Taking Community to New Heights
| Das Boot |
8/22/2010 |
Hey,
It’s Sunday once again and the time has been a blur. My mom was admitted to hospital about a week ago in serious condition and I’ve spent much of the week sending my love, prayers, and good thoughts to Edmonton. It’s hard to be so far away and I’m very grateful to my brother who has been stepping up and managing things on the Western front. Please include my family in your thoughts and prayers over the next while.
With my mom being sick and another friend passing away suddenly the week before, it’s been an intense time of grieving and being reminded about the preciousness and tenuousness of our existence. I try to keep that awaked-ness and appreciate and make the most of each moment, meal, and day though it’s so easy to be lulled into forgetting that this life will end.
I received a new pair of motocross boots for my birthday and they arrived in the mail. The first time I went to ride with them on the bike they felt so awkward and weird and confining that I instantly balked and changed them out for my more familiar hiking boots. I tried again the next day. Same reaction. That sense of unmanageability and panic was familiar. I felt it last at Camp Two on Mount Everest when I put on my down suit on the night I was trying to decide whether or not to continue up on my summit bid. Sometimes when I’m struggling to make a decision, I go down one of the paths a ways to sense how it feels to make that choice.
That evening, in the midst of a terrible hormonal pre-menstrual storm of typhoon proportion coupled with physical exhaustion from fighting my third bladder infection, the down suit seemed impossible to wear. I was triggered. I couldn’t fight or put down the rising sense of panic I had being in the suit. I knew it had nothing to do with the actual suit itself; it had to do with being rebounded or triggered into the past. It happens so much less often now than earlier in my life, but on that night, at 6500 metres above sea level, I couldn’t muster the clarity of thought to work with the panic on any level other than reptilian fight or flight. After a long night of see-sawing back and forth, go up, don’t go up, work with the panic, run away from the panic, go up, don’t go up, it was finally 3:30 am and time to make the final decision. At the moment of decision, I felt I didn’t have the resource and resilience, both physical and emotional, to venture higher on the mountain that day and be present enough to keep myself safe.
Unfortunately, later that morning when I decided to descend to base camp, I didn’t know that there would be another opportunity for a summit attempt (in fairness-no one did at that point). So assuming I’d just given up my only shot at the mountain, I packed up all my gear and carried a monster load down the mountain by myself in the early morning light. Had I known another attempt would be possible, I might have waited at Camp Two for a few days to see if I could regain enough strength and composure to continue climbing. I’d only had a four-day turnaround between my acclimatization trip to Camp Three and returning back up to Camp Two so more rest may have been helpful. Or not. It will be one of the questions I live with.
What does this have to do with motorcycle boots? Let me make the connection. What the boots have given me is yet another invitation to work with triggers from the past in a high-risk situation. Driving a motorbike and climbing Everest are both dangerous pursuits. Fortunately for me, I get several chances to drive my bike unlike a summit bid on Everest (plan for 3 years, raise 45,000 dollars, train for 12 months, and it all comes down to a three or four day period in late May where you get one shot at the summit…in most cases).
Here and now, I could try to drive with the boots, get freaked out and triggered by the feel of them, ride with my other boots and then come back the next day and try again. Same result. Try again another day when the parking lot was clear enough to get enough practice to be willing to go out on the street with them. Hate the boots for the first few hours and eventually do enough gear shifting to find a way to make the feel/fit work. I made peace with the feeling and the trigger and then reflected back to what happened on that night in Camp Two.
Even though I practiced in the down suit here as much as I could, I will practice more next time. I will also practice working with all of my triggers whenever they present themselves. I don’t want them to have power in my life anymore, so I will as Pema Chodren suggests, “Run towards the biting dog,” instead of running away. Steer into the groundlessness instead of away. And in all things, be compassionate with myself…I did the best I could that evening and in all the times I couldn’t stand wearing the boots. It’s not failure in failing to keep them on, it’s failure if I fail to keep trying to put them on. One ride down in the new boots, many to go.
Thanks for coming along on this multi-faceted journey with me. I appreciate your support.
TA
|
| A Study of Blue and White |
8/9/2010 |
Howdy,
I was signing some paperwork this morning and realized that today is a fine odometer moment in that its 8-9-10. Its not everyday that has such fine numeric sequencing and we wont see another for about thirteen months or so. So heres to a special day and finding something special it in!
I awoke early this am in Twillingate, Newfoundland and Labrador. We had to be up before the sunrise to make it back to St. Johns in time to put in a decent workday. I havent been up early too often these days (the joys on not being in training for anything specific, except life perhaps) and so reveled in the light of the dawning day. As we drove from island to island (thank goodness for causeways), the orangey-yellow glow spread quickly like soft butter. It flowed easily from the horizon to fill the quirks of every tickle and the crannies of every cloud. The day was indeed off to a beautiful start.
Marian and I spent the weekend visiting with friends at their latest project, Above the Tickle (http://bit.ly/9by5Eg). The gorgeous blue house awakened a deeply hibernating creativity within me. I was so glad to have brought my big camera by chance, which enabled having a venue to kindle this less frequently visiting friend. I turned instantly to the vibrant blue house that appeared almost to be dancing in the magical light of early evening. Ive always been moved by shape and colour and texture when photographing and I indulged all in an album called Above the Tickle (http://bit.ly/92C4gi).
After a fine day of kayaking, I turned my attention to an old shed on my friends property, and began a series of photographs called A Study in Blue and White (http://bit.ly/ai2FuQ). Later my eye caught the local Masons building and my photographic study was complete.
Blue and white are colours I often see at altitudesome of the few. I often remark when returning from the heights, that I get my senses back. I notice scents on the wind, green plants, and a much more diverse colour palate. We often refer to seeing things in black and white, but this weekend I was seeing blue and white. As I drove this morning, I reflected about how colours can have so many meanings and moods: feeling blue and the stark clarity of white. About the infinite possibilities of a blue sky and the brilliant radiance of white snow. About the wisdom of white hair and the tradition of taking something blue to a wedding. About how the creeping of a deep dusky blue signals yet the end of another day and how the velvety white arms of a fog signify confusion. Blue and white. Indeed thats how I am these days. Blue and white.
Take care and have a good week,
TA
PS. Please vote for my video about a Sweet Treat in a Sweet Spot for the Mountain Equipment Co-Op Sweet Spots video contestanother recent burst of creative energy: (http://bit.ly/9kkyLo). Thanks in advance.
|
| Look to Where You Want to Go |
8/1/2010 |
Good Morning,
First, please accept my apologies for not posting last week. Id led an expedition for my class and the weekend just got away from me (as did the week). We backpacked from Portugal Cove to Bauline on the East Coast Trail and I was humbled by the courage and tenacity that some of students showed in raising to the challenges of a difficult trail made more difficult by frequent wind fallen trees.
The trip was a wonderful reminder of how our experiences fall on a continuum from cakewalk to Everest depending on how we perceive them, our fitness and experience levels, and where the stars align. What is a cakewalk for me can be an Everest for another and vice versa and what is a cakewalk for me today, may be an Everest tomorrow. Jumbo Bug, a student (we all took trail names for the course) in the course, coined a new name for me while we were on the hike, she handed me the moniker, Captain Steroids indicating her perception that this was an easy hike for me compared to her experience of it.
I got brave yesterday and posted a query to Ride the Rock website; it is a forum about riding in Newfoundland for adventure motorcycle riders. Im ready to start riding off-road and wanted recommendations on good rides to start withWhy was this a brave act you might ask? Well, because I am shy, and asking questions is often a steep challenge. And because they might actually answer and Ill know where to go ride and Ill have to face my fears of hurting myself or hurting my new bike. And because they might invite me to join their community of riders and it can be tough to be the new guy on the block and not know anything compared to them.
What was the alternative? Try to sort out things on my ownpoke my nose down a few trails and see what happens, use up lots of time sorting through options, crash my bike miles from nowhere. Instead, by being a bit brave and taking what was a social risk for me, I now know three good rides for a newbie off-roader and I do have invites to go for rides with more experienced folks who actually have a clue how to change a motorcycle tire or what to do if you fall over while crossing water. Ive read about these things in my bright, shiny new books but there is nothing like a good mentor and teacher to show the way. So, later today Ill go ride one of their suggestions and when Im ready, Ill accept the invitation to a group ride.
As a shy human, I usually choose to get lots of information about the world through observation. I watch whats on the go and can often figure out what I need to do this way. The Internet was a gods gift to meno more phones! Imagining asking someone for directions is like asking me to cross a ladder in the Khumbu backwards at night without a headlamp, with no side ropes. My buddy Karen on the other hand, is very skilled at asking such questions. We had a funny experience once, on a public bus, in a city that was unknown to both of us. We both figured out where to get off the bus but by very different means. Karen asked the driver, I watched street signs and the other passengers. Both worked. One method is often more efficient than the other but bottom line, both work much of the time.
When people come up to me and say, I could never do what you do, I could never climb Everest, I often reply that, You can do many things I cant do either. Some of us face physical challenges, others of us emotional, while others social ones. Most often, our challenges are a combination of all of the above but I believe it is truly difficult to separate mind from body from spirit.
In reality, the road to any dream is littering with obstacles that we must surmount either by going over them, around them, under them, or getting help to build a bridge that crosses them. In motorcycling school, they teach us to Always look where you want the motorcycle to go, never look at what you are trying to avoid. Ive been thinking about that lesson frequently of late and realizing that it holds true. If I look directly at an obstacle in my path, I tend to hit it square on. I get stuck by it. In it. Derailed by it. If on the other hand, I look to where I want to go, I see the obstacle as something to swerve around and miss. I look to the space where I can continue forward.
I suspect this is a two-wheeled version of the glass half-empty verses full gig. Looking around or ahead of the obstacle is positive thinking and keeps me moving. Looking at the obstacle, rather than how to solve the obstacle, often stalls me. As I look back at my climb on Everest, I can see how I looked squarely at the obstacles that arose for me on the mountain. I fell into many figurative crevasses that got in my way. Still digesting and hoping to be ready to share more on that soon.
Hoping for a big bike ride today after brunch with friendshave a good week.
TA
|
| Just Right |
7/18/2010 |
Good Evening,
Another rich and full week has come to a close and I’ve dropped into my chair to reflect on the many adventures, big and small, that the past seven days has delivered. As I’m “fist and eyes” into the summer semester at school, I’ve been ruminating about teaching and learning. One of the theories I teach is that we all seek to achieve “optimal arousal.” If something isn’t really engaging or involving us, then we get bored and lose interest. If something is pushing us too hard or over our comfort edge, then we get overwhelmed, anxious and want to stop. Ideally in learning and in life, we find that sweet spot where we are engaged to the max in the present situation without being over stimulated or falling over the edge.
I’m on a steep learning curve with the new motorcycle and I’ve been thoughtful about how much to ride, where to ride, what time of day to ride, what weather to ride in, and how fast to ride. Similarly with my students, many of whom are new to the outdoors, I wonder as their teacher, how far I can get them to hike? How high will they climb? Will they manage this amount of wind in their canoes? I watch their faces and body language for clues on how they and I are managing their learning. I’m hoping, that by offering the invitation to try new activities, they will find that same sweet spot of optimal arousal/learning that I seek while riding/climbing/training, etc.
It’s been interesting teaching the courses this summer because it’s the first time I’ve taught really resistant students who often declare, “I hate the outdoors.” I’ve had to be creative and thoughtful and sometimes clever in how I respond. I sometimes reply that I was sent specifically to torture them for the summer but I’ve appreciated how their resistance has me digging into the literature. I know I need to find some aspect of the experience that they can connect to so that can get beyond “surviving the experience.”
Many of the students hope to become recreation therapists so I often cite research that highlights the health benefits of being outside. When I read one of the student’s papers on Friday and they’d made a connection between their personal experience of being outside and the potential healing benefits for their future clients, I knew I had hit the educator slot machine jackpot of a student eureka!
Marian and I spent much of Saturday sea-kayaking in Cape Broyle with friends. The weather dished up a most delightful day of sun and light breezes. The ocean swell was the perfect level to make playing in shoreline rock gardens just exhilarating enough to get my heart pumping while managing to keep my boat upright and my head clear of rocks and such. A Minke whale graced us with its presence over lunch and after a luscious nap in the sun, I tried my hand at bagging some capelin has they swam close to shore. Capelin 10. TA 0.
It had been a hard week of hormone charged emotion mostly tilting to the disappointment and frustration end of the continuum and so I needed the day out. The salt air, playing like an sea otter amid the rocks in my boat, watching a bald eagle screeching above, and sticking myself under several waterfalls all combined to free my playful spirit and wash all of the hardness of the week away. Today, a great ride on the bike, finding some basil to round out our deck garden, and eating a partridge berry/apricot topped just picked salad rounded out the weekend just right. I am re-created, re-stored, and re-charged and ready to take on another big week.
Hope you are too,
TA
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| Fence Boards and Paneer |
7/11/2010 |
Congrats to Spain, Condolences to the Netherlands,
Another seven days has quickly passed and I find myself stealing a few moments in my chair once again. I�m a bit tired from my biggest day of riding yet and I�m going to attempt to weave together some thoughts about work projects, summer camp, paneer and mountain climbing. My apologies in advance if I don�t quite get it all looking like a fine tartan.
Through Facebook of late, I�ve been reconnecting with many folks who I worked with and for at Farm and Wilderness (F&W) during the mid to late eighties and early nineties. I spent one of the most pivotal years of my life as a crew member there in 1983 between high school and university. I volunteered my labour in exchange for learning gardening, farming, and carpentry skills. I went for a semester and stayed a year and then went back for the next seven summers after that. The place and the people there transformed me and nurtured my growth much like Marian and I tend the small container garden on our deck�with love, care, and attention.
I haven�t been back there in some time now but yesterday I was once again appreciating all of the skills and confidence I learned at Indian Brook, the specific F&W camp I worked for. Marian and I were transforming the remnants of friends� new fence construction project into a deck-like/pallet sort of covering for the desperately black and coal filled black soil beneath our kitchen deck. In a masterpiece of jigsaw fitting and spatial problem-solving, we slowly found pieces that would fit together. We could have sawed them all to a uniform length and goodness knows, I was eager to saw (I love power tools almost as much as my new motorcycle), but it was more fun to see how to get the job done with the least number of cuts possible.
My dad was the first to teach me to use a circular saw and other power tools. Farm and Wilderness polished those skills to a rich sharpness and I then passed those skills on to the girls I taught there. What came to me went round to others and so on. Just like the fence boards. And the whey from the paneer.
Missing Nepal, I wanted to make some paneer (a simple cheese that features in both Nepali and Indian cooking). I�d first learned to make it on crew at F&W but consulted Google for a quick reminder on technique. I heated the milk, dropped in the lemon juice, and voila�curds and whey. I won�t mention here that when my mom was angry with me as a child she often said, �Watch yourself, Little Miss Muffet.�
So there I was yesterday eating a few curds before pressing them into a hard block to become paneer, and wondering what I should do with the whey. I knew a few things you can do (make bread, make soup stock, water the plants) but I once again consulted the fountain of all current knowledge and learned you could make lemonade out of it as well. So I did�with fresh lemons and a few fresh sprigs of mint from the garden�mint lemonade that tastes a bit like drinking lemon meringue pie (just like we had at Mike�s Breakfast in Kathmandu). Again, nothing got wasted�and the whey got made into something else. Just like the fence boards.
How does it all fit together? Cheese, I first made in Vermont, enjoyed in Nepal, and made myself here in St. John�s, brings to my awareness that I am always grateful to those who have gone before me having both taught and inspired me. That I am most deeply connect to those whom I share experiences with�and those experiences can range from mucking out the cow stales to pulling tires to building a deck to paddling a kayak to presenting together at a conference.
I know I would never have attempted to climb Mount Everest or many other mountains, if I hadn�t been nurtured and mentored away from dancing on cliff edges without being tied in�not because I might fall but because it scared those around me�F&W allowed me to space and opportunity to develop as a person, an outdoor educator, and a risk manager. I wish for all children and young adults (heck all people) to have such a place/space in their lives where they are honoured for who they are, supported in growing beyond the boundaries of their gardens, and transformed like the fence boards.
Have a good week,
TA
PS: http://www.farmandwilderness.org/
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| Motorcycle Satori |
7/4/2010 |
Happy Fireworks Day,
It was a busy week fitting back into the routine of teaching and trying to get out on my bike as much as possible. Im teaching two courses this summer: one in park management and one in outdoor skills. The students are mostly the same in both so we can draw a number of parallels between the material and skills covered. Tuesday, we spent a wet day hiking from Shea Heights to Black Head. It was great to be out but the windy rainy conditions made it challenging to stop and have class along the way. The hike felt good; I think I have been missing movement.
I like to turn myself into a student at regular intervals. This gives me the opportunity to experience the vast emotions that learning invokes and helps me emphasize with my students. My new motorcycle is being a diligent teacher. On one occasion, I was trying to start it. I pulled out the choke as instructed by the owners manual and pushed the starter button. It cranked and cranked but would start. The same manual said not to crank too long. So I tried several short bursts to no avail. I pushed the choke in and out. I cranked. Then suddenly it hit me, I had not turned on the gas cock. Its hard to start an engine with no gas supply. Then, my next thought was, You didnt do your pre-ride inspection. The inspection includes a step of turning on the gas cock. Just like pilots, motorcycle riders employ a pre-ride check to insure the motorcycle is safe to go.
Recent research shows that checklists help prevent incidents and complications in surgery. Ive always used a four-step check with my belayer before I begin every rock climb. I touch and inspect my harness buckle (to make sure it is double-backed), I hold my knot out (to show that it is property tied and tied into the correct spot), I touch my head (knocking on my helmet so I dont forget to have it on), and I exchange commands (so my belayer is willing to take responsibility for my safety). One of the worlds best rockclimbers took a nasty fall when she didnt have her buckle double-backed after a bathroom break. When one is regularly exposed to risky situations, its easy to become accustomed to that risk and let ones guard down.
I jumped off the bike and did my inspection routine and then pushed the starter button again, the bike roared to life.
Lesson Number One:
Dont forget to perform your preflight/ride checklist (in all activities that require them).
My new ride sips gasoline as they say. It gets somewhere in the market of 68-75 miles per gallon. Thus being so, I havent had to fill up very often. Yesterday I filled up. Locking gas cap came off pretty easy, gas went in, tank filled. Then it was time to get the gas cap back on. It wouldnt go. I tried turning the key to release the little grabber thingies on the side. No luck. I tried turning it sideways. No go. I start again. Try again. Cars come and go beside me. I feel like an idiot-how hard can it be to get a gas cap on. I look around to see who might be watching. I take my helmet off as its getting quite warm standing there. I try again. Ah ha! Ive been trying to put it on with the front pointing back and the back pointing front. Turn it round and it slips right on. Bingo. Another lesson learned
Lesson Number Two:
Relax. There are many mechanical things to learn. Nothing to be embarrassed about-just work through them and ask for help if necessary.
One of the things I love most about riding a motorcycle is all the smells that come my way: sweet scents of blossoms bursting out, the pungent rot of a freshly manured field, the delicate hint of rain on the wind. I am in the environment I am travelling through most more so than when sheltered by steel and glass. I find it very meditative and revel in the present mindedness it requires. Though I notice a tendency to daydream in the same way I do when I paddle, hike, or cut grass. I regularly bring myself back to mirror checks, lane checks, speed checks, and keeping an eye on the road ahead. I find after an hour of riding I am exhausted mentally and its time to stop.
Without the cocoon of steel and glass and airbags, every moment on the bike is critical. Any mistake can be fatal. I am reminded of sea kayaking in Newfoundland with our very cold-water temps (only one-two degrees above freezing). I usually make paddling decisions based on the rubric of If you tip, you die. I recognize the thin edge on which I am playing. I think riding a motorcycle is the same way and I need to stay vigilant, well equipped, and present at all times.
Lesson Number Three:
Stay present. Very present.
All three of these lessons are as critical to mountaineering as they are to motorcycling. When I next set out on a mountain, I will take lessons from the moto with me!
Still waiting for the perfect name for the bike to come to meI named my new computer, Satori, which means sudden awakening/sudden enlightenment. Heres to Satori for all of us.
TA
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| A New Adventure |
6/27/2010 |
Howdy from Deer Lake,
I am typing my update in the Deer Lake Airport as I await the flight back home. I presented to the Newfoundland and Labrador Fire Service Association this morning and enjoyed sharing how climbing Everest and fighting fires are similar. As I am still digesting the climb I just came home from, I am slowly adding images and stories from the 2010 climb to the stories of 2007. The audience laughed this morning when I said, TA used to stand for Totally Awesome but now, thanks to Madame Edwards Grade Three class, it now translates to Trying Again. As I prepared for this mornings presentation, it was great to review the lessons I learned at Firefighting Camp Glow last summer and reflect on how that experience influenced my training and subsequent climb.
One of the results of spending two weeks in Kathmandu at the end of my Everest climb has been a renewed interest in riding a motorcycle. The chaotic streets were filled with hundreds of motorcycles transporting entire families, a wide variety of unruly loads, and an occasional chicken hanging upside down from the handlebars. I left Nepal with a renewed commitment to negotiate the barriers that had prevented me from riding at home for the past two years: lack of a bike, lack of a garage, and lack of funds. Perhaps the arrival this week of my 45th birthday signaled a harbinger of a new found awareness of my eventual (hopefully not too soon) mortality coupled with noticing the small yet incremental changes in my body (aging perhaps?) which led me to a new urgency in not wanting another riding season (very short here already) to go by without further development of my two-wheeled driving skills
Thus multiple visits to dealerships in town, surfing the net until the week hours, devouring the local classifieds, and eventually the decisionto go for the Yamaha XT 250Zactually twoso Marian and I can ride together because sharing a new learning experience and passion is much more fun than pursuing it on my own (and more likely). With an eventual goal of riding from the Alaska to Tierra del Fuego while climbing all the summits of the Americas as I head south, I thought it made sense to crawl before I walked. Even though in some pursuits I have started big (the first river I rowed was the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon), I generally like to build my skill set before a big adventure. I was indeed, startled this year on Everest to be sharing the mountain with teammates who were putting on harnesses and crampons for the first time.
So, the motorcycle was a birthday gift to myself, as well as a commitment to my dads legacy. He rode a motorcycle throughout his life and taught me to ride one as well along with other motor craft such as snowmobiles, boats, and ATVs. When I finally attended the motorcycle safety course in 2008, (Dad always maintained the course was a critical aspect of learning to ride), my dad offered me his motorcycle, a Yamaha Midnight Maxim 650, when he could no longer ride. His bike was big and a bit too tall for me (a Dachshund at 52) so it went to my brother instead (I love that it is still in the family) and I went looking for the bike of my dreams (a BMW F650 GS). Through the jigs and reels and shockingly low inventory (not to mention the nearest dealership is in Moncton), they are hard to come by and it took me a full year to actually get to sit on one.
Anyone who has seen my car and my mountain gear will know that I quite fond of the colour orange these days. This years BMW F650 GS come in orange. That was almost enough to have me jetting across country to Kelowna to shepherd one home (thus forgetting the intent of starting smallnothing like ones first ride being 6000 km long) but rationally prevailed and an appropriate first bike was procured locally with the long term goal of upgrading to the BWMer when skills, budget, and leg length allow.
In the end, the choice came down to the Honda 230 vs the Yamaha 250. Initially, when I was first back from the mountain (on my way to teach at BOW actually), we stopped in and I sat on the Yamaha and declared it too tall. A week later we sat on the Honda, Suzuki, and Kawasaki options before returning back to Yamaha. With a week of settling in and a bunch of motorcycle sitting later, I thought I could manage the Yamahas height. Until, of course, we went to pick it up yesterday. Suddenly, I wondered if I hadnt overextended myself once again.
Michelle, an experienced rider, was kind enough to come along and ride the new bike to her country (i.e. quiet roads and not much traffic) home (complete with garage). When we arrived, she expressed her worry that the bike might be too tall for me as well. Butterflies made frantic attempts at escaping from my belly rather than flying in formation and I knew it was important to jump on the bike and start riding soon before I lost my nerve. I kept telling myself that the bike was the same height as the one I trained on in 2008 and I would be fine. While Michelle and Kellie readied their bikes, I jumped on, turned off my worried mind, turned on my full focus and attention to the multiple tasks necessary for riding a motorcycle and pulled out of the driveway without stalling! Wahoo! A quick jaunt around the neighbourhood reminded me that indeed, Its just like riding a bike and knowledge and skills came flooding back.
The three of us headed out. Kellie was in the lead with me in the middle and Michelle was flanking the rear. My heart was a flutter as we pulled up to the stop sign guarding the entrance to the highway. It was atop a short hill and Id have to start on a hill! I managed that without stalling and soon, the grin on my face was so huge, it threatened to split open the face shield on my helmet. I was riding a motorcycle, on a stunningly beautiful road beside the ocean, wearing my dads leather jacket and suddenly all was right with the world. Three or so decades after first holding tight to my dad as we rode out to the cabin on his motorcycle, I was following in my dads tire tracks in the month where he first wasnt there to celebrate his birthday, Fathers day, and my birthday, with.
As the ride continued, I thought back to a Buddhist teaching that I had an embodied experience of, while climbing Denali. The teaching was that we are always alone and together. In a seeming paradox, we can be both on our own and in the company of others. On Denali, I first grasped this after 15 days on the glacier climbing as a rope team. Tied into a rope, 15 metres apart, we climbed in solitudenot able to converse or really know what was on the go for each other. But at the same time, we were truly tied together, moving in unison, responsible for each others safety net. We were paying close attention so we could fall on our ice axes and arrest of the fall of a teammate if necessary. We were both alone and together.
On my motorcycle yesterday, I felt the same way. I was alone on my bike. I was fully present and responsible for its operation and my safety on it. But at the same time, I was together on the ride with Kellie and Michelle, in tune with their movements and looking out for our collective safety. With their bikes, they enveloped me and filled my first ride with confidence and spaciousness (the cars had to go through them to get to me). Along with a delicious breakfast at The Sprout and new riding gloves, their presence was their tremendous birthday gift to me (not to mention a secure parking spot for my new ride while I sort out where to keep it in the city). Thanks gals!!!
The bike connects me to my dads memory and gives birth to a new range of adventurous possibilities. It provides a salve to the deep disappointment that fills me in quiet hours of early morn and pushes me to new heights of learning. Im loving the growing excitement of the steep learning curve ahead and all of the lessons the bike will teach me. Now I just need to find the right name for it
Have a good week,
TA
|
| Settling Back In |
6/20/2010 |
Happy Fathers Day,
Today will be a day I miss my dad more than most. Yesterday hundreds of motorcycles rode down Duckworth Street in the Ride for Dad, a prostate cancer fundraiser and tears rolled down my cheeks as the bikes rolled down the road. Ive spent much of the past two weeks trying to find a motorcycle to buy to make my dads legacy of riding a reality here for me. Ive had my eyes on a particular bike thats very hard to come by if you dont order if nine months out. With Everest, I didnt manage to pull that off. So Im wondering if I should go with another bike for now to not lose another season of riding.
You see, one of my major ways of coping with coming down from a major expedition is to surfalmost excessivelylooking for the next adventure. So since getting home almost two weeks ago, my attention has been evenly split between motorcycles and mountains and a wee bit of unpacking. Oh yeah, and lots of stories and presentations
A highlight of being home is beginning to tell the stories of the mountain: to family, to friends, and to large groups of folksby far, though, the biggest joy has been taking Flat Stanley back to his school, C.C. Loughlin on Thursday past. Thanks to a generous donation of an airline ticket, I was able to fly to Deer Lake and return Flat Stanley to Patricia Edwards Grade Three class. From the moment I walked into the school, I was greeted enthusiastically with wild cheers. At a school assembly, I presented pictures of Flat Stanleys adventures on Everest and then took questions from the floor. The Grade Threes had practiced hard so they could sing me two songs that just about had me in tears. The media dropped by and heres a link to one of the stories:
http://www.thewesternstar.com/index.cfm?sid=343978&sc=23
Patricia took me out for lunch and I was thrilled to hear of all the cross-curricular activities she was able to do with her class related to the climb: math, science, physical education, geography, social studies, and more. In her introduction of me to the school, she said she would never have another amazing teaching year like this one (I told her I would happily take Flat Stanley again so hopefully we can have another amazing year together). I was very touched and moved by what she said and in that moment, I could once again see that when I am climbing, Im reaching my goal of having an expedition be much More than a Mountain. It helps with the current disappointment and paves the way to set even bigger goals around youth and school outreach/engagement.
It also gives me a chance to see the ripples in the pond.
I believe with our lives (with our kindness, our compassion, our bravery, our adventures), we drop pebbles in the pond and we dont often get to see the ripples the pebbles create. On rare occasions, the ripples refract back to us and we get the privilege of seeing the impact of our lives on others. Since Denali, its been my intention to reach out to others with my climbs and this week, I got to see the small waves come back to me. I trust that those waves will cause other ripples that will lead to even bigger waves one day; those kids have some big dreams and goals to nurture.
Along with unpacking the four big duffels of gear, Ive been unpacking the stories of the expedition, both in my mind and as I tell them. What I realized this expedition, is that the same story can be told many ways. I saw this as my teammates descended and the picture we had in our mind at basecamp was different that the one they told. I can see that the stories/perceptions I had in my mind at high elevation look different at sea level. And of course, Im left to wonder if the outcome would have been different with different choiceshindsight always has the blessing of looking back, the wisdom of knowing at least one outcome. I havent been second guessing my decision so much as playing around with/reflecting on lessons that I will use next time.
For example, I wonder how things would have gone if I had descended to Pheriche with the first bladder infection instead of the second. Well never know but you can be sure I will descend next time at the very first sighting of bacteria. Ill also bring more treatment options. In 2007, I was felled first by a respiratory infection and then Giardiathis trip I was lucky to suffer neither a cough nor any GI distress (probably because I focused on preventing them). Ill attempt to prevent all three next time and hopefully ward off all the other maladies as well. The truth is its hard to stay healthy when living at 5300 metres and above; you can do everything right and still get sick.
So, a small glimpse into how my mind is working with things at the momentreflecting, planning, dissecting, wondering, wanderingall in a gentle kind of way. Not blaming or attackingmore with a curiosity for learningand a penchant for wondering where the story will land in the end.
OKthe veggies for the deck container garden are calling as is more web surfing for bikes and for the next mountainstay tuned for whats coming next. Many thanks to all of you for your support when I was on the mountain and now as I am settling back into regular life.
TA
|
| Goodbye Kathmandu |
6/6/2010 |
Hi this is TA calling in from the rooftop of the hotel Horizon here in Kathmandu; we are trying to get all our bags in one spot, so we can get them packed up and pray that they are not over weight for our flight tomorrow. So this is my last post from Kathmandu, and my last post from the field for this Everest expedition. Of course once I hit home I will try to filter through the last couple of months and post some pictures and all that kind of stuff. Over the last few days I have been enjoying conversations and spending time with my teammates, the last of whom have gone home today. Marian and I where in the last third of the team to arrive and we are the last two women standing as we will be the last out as well. So it has been a good time here in Kathmandu we hung out with Nadia, Leslie, and Dan when they got back in here to Kathmandu, we have been enjoying the sights, sounds, smells, and just in general the overwhelm of Kathmandu. I cant believe that it has been almost 2 months since I arrived here on the 28th of March, but now I cant wait to get home. I want to go through all the pictures and relive the moments of the expedition and gleam the various moments of learning that I have gotten from this trip. So again big thank you to all of you who have followed along, to Earl for doing all of that transcription, Earl Walker my communications king for this expedition and managing the home front as well, you wouldnt be able to follow me without him, so thanks again Earl. Thanks to all of my sponsors who helped me get to the mountain; to Applecore Interactive, RJG Construction, the Newfoundland and Labrador Credit Union, the School Sports Association, the egg Producers of Newfoundland and Labrador. Thanks to all the practitioners and Amy Butt at Allied Health Services for their sponsorship and their assistance and help during all of the training. And to all of my colleges at the School of Human Kinetics and Recreation at Memorial University of Newfoundland, for picking up the slack that I leave behind while I am on this mountain and other mountains. To all of my friends and family who gather around me and help me live these big dreams and big goals. Sometimes we get to the summit and sometimes we dont, I read a quote in this Buddhist temple today that had 1000 images of Buddha in it, about how you need to suck every minute out of this existence, Im paraphrasing of course. But it has been a great privilege to be here, its been incredibility humbling to be here in Nepal, but I am still glad to be going home safe and sound with all my fingers and toes intact. I now am going to concentrate on rebuilding my strength and figuring out which mountain or adventure will come next. So thanks for coming along with me and I will catch you from the other side of the pond back in North America, thanks so much take care.
TA
Dont forget you can help support TA by donating to the Everest 2010 Mountain of Learning Award at Memorial University. To donate go to: https://www5.mun.ca/dir/viking.gv020.p001
and be sure type Everest 2010 Mountain of Learning Award in the box
Thanks so much for your support! |
| Sightseeing in Kathmandu |
5/30/2010 |
Hi this is TA calling in from Kathmnadu, we just had a wonderful dinner at the Road House Caf, which is a famous little pizza joint here, with the whole team. Everyone ended up getting down today so Khalid, Yilmaz, Nasuh, Ade and Angel all got down the hill. So it was nice to see everyone again, its been a couple of weeks for some of us. My team, team 2, which are the guys that ended up above camp 2 for about 2 weeks looked very skinny and hungry today. So it was great to congratulate them and welcome them back, and just have an nice evening together. As for the crew here, we have had a couple of little field trips. We went to Mikes Breakfast another famous Kathmandu site, and to Bhat Bhateni which is a supermarket department store, it is also where all of our food for base camp came from. So we had a wonderful day there, wandering through the house wares and all that kind of stuff. Yesterday I spent the day with my friend Maggie who is an American ex pat who has a wonderful home just south of Kathmandu in the rim surrounding the Kathmandu valley. We went out there to enjoy the fresh air and see her peacock chicks, and her chick chicks, and her pheasants, and her garden and just to get away for the smog and chaos of Kathmandu. We are welcoming the monsoon, we had a big rain here this evening which is great for cooling it down for the night. I know for me I am a cold weather bear, I much prefer to sleep in the cold then in the heat, I sleep with no heat all winter, so sleeping here in 36 degrees with mosquitoes is a bit of a challenge. We just continue to make it up day by day, we are currently scheduled to leave here on June 6th and arrive back in Canada on June 7th. Hope you are having a great day, and hello from Kathmandu.
TA |
| Happy Birthday Buddha |
5/27/2010 |
Hi this is TA calling in from my hotel here in Kathmandu. I just wanted to say happy Buddhas birthday, they are celebrating the birth here in Kathmandu today. Nadia, Marian, and Myself had a great walk this morning, going from Thamel out to Boudhanath to the Stupa there. I didnt get a chance to visit it earlier, it is a world heritage site, one of seven I the Kathmandu valley, and a place I often like to visit before climbs. Since I didnt get there before I was happy to visit today especially being such an auspicious day. It was amazing to watch the Stupa being prepared for today with strings, and strings, and strings of prayer flags that where being purchased and sponsored for folks to hang up. They also coated the top dome with new white wash, and then saffron gets soaked in water and thrown on the Stupa in the pattern of a double lotus, we purchased some of the saffron. And throngs of humanity, just waves and waves of humanity pulsating around the Stupa in clockwise direction. We actually circumnavigated the Stupa at every level we were allowed to today, so that was wonderful. When we would get too overflowed with all the people we would pop over to one of the rooftop teahouses and have a cup of tea or a lassie or a meal to become western again in our ability to deal with humans. Then we would head out again for some more rounds around the Stupa. It was a wonderful day celebrating Buddhas birth and also welcoming Greg and Fergus back to Kathmandu. They are two of the summiteers from our team and the rest of the team shouldnt be too far behind them, we send Bob back to Australia tomorrow. So comings and goings here in Kathmandu, good day here, relaxing into life in Nepal. Wishing you all the best wherever you might be, thanks for following along. Take care
TA |
| A New View |
5/26/2010 |
Hi this is TA calling in from our new rooftop room atop the hotel Horizon, which is just behind the Nirvana Garden where we just where. Its kind of fun to have a new view, Im hoping to get a new view on the events of the last couple months in the next little while. I can look down on JP school and the courtyard of the new building that is going up. I want to say a special hello to the three schools that I know for sure have been following me, I just learned that about them today, its cool because we have one English, one German, and one French emersion. So special hellos out to frau Hect and frau Browns grade 3 class at Forest Heights bilingual school in Edmonton. To madam Edwards grade 3 French emersion class at CC Loughlin in Cornerbrook Newfoundland, and to Leanna Pennys grade 9 and 10 English classes at Queen Elizabeths vocational institute in Kingston. They sent me a wonderful package of letters that I got yesterday and it was absolutely wonderful to get to read those, and field some of the questions that they had. We have just been spending a few mellow days here in Kathmandu trying to figure out if we are going to do something like rafting, or another trek, or perhaps visit Buddhas birthplace. We are waiting to see if our tickets can get changed so that we can get home a little earlier, so we are sorting through all of that. In the mean time we are eating well here, had Israeli, middle eastern for lunch and maybe Japanese for dinner, trying to get lots of good sleep, lots of rest, and recharge the batteries after a couple of months at high altitude. I also want to say a special big thank you to Earl Walker who has been my communications manager, managing all of the transcriptions, and getting these posts onto the website where you all can follow along, so big thanks out to Earl. As usual a big thanks out to my sponsors. Im not really sure when I will stop calling in, but for now when the spirit moves me I will call in to let you all know how it is going. The stimulation of Kathmandu is definitely a big contrast to the simplicity of Everest base camp, we are still waiting for the rest of our teammates to make it down and welcome them home as Everest summiteers. Thats the scoop from here, thanks again to those three classes that have been following along, its great to know you are out there, and I appreciate your support. Take good care, bye.
TA
As always these updates are being brought to you by Applecore Interactive, RJG Construction, the Newfoundland and Labrador Credit union, School Sport Newfoundland and Labrador, and the Egg Producers of Newfoundland and Labrador all proud sponsors of TAs Everest 2010 expedition. |
| Adjusting |
5/24/2010 |
Hi this is TA calling in from atop the Nirvana Garden Hotel in Kathmandu. We all made it out of Lukla this morning on two different flights and got spirited into the city buy Keren and Raj. Im kind of speechless as I adjust to life here in Kathmandu which is a whole lot of stimulation compared to life at Everest base camp for nearly 60 days. At the moment we can here a dog barking and cars rumbling down the street even though it is almost time for the city to drift off to sleep. We had a good evening, wishing Carina well, she is heading back to Finland tomorrow, and it turns out Peter will also be leaving us tomorrow. So people are starting to head off, team 2 will be back in town in the next few days depending on their luck getting out of Lukla. In the meantime Marian, Nadia, and I will be sorting out what kinds of activities we will do over the next little while, maybe some rafting, or safari, or who knows what. Its a big transitionary period from the simplicity of mountain life to the complexity and chaos of Kathmandu. Its exciting to have lots of places to eat, and things to do, and to choose from, but for me it is some serious over stimulation. Also, perhaps the beginning of some postpartum as I recognize that this period of the last 3 years of preparing for this experience is coming to a close. I had a good chat with Hugo tonight about being on my own for so much of this expedition and how its hard to keep your spirits up and you motivation going. The reflection continues, I hope to put some of this into a deeper reflective piece in the next little while. So we have all arrived, back safely down, our thoughts are with the rest of our team as they make their way down. Thanks so much for following along, have a great day, bye.
TA |
| Dhal Bhat |
5/22/2010 |
Hi this is TA and Marian calling in from the village of Phakding, which is just so darn fun to say, at about 2600m above sea level. We did decide to split the trip from Namche to Lukla into two parts, which is helpful for sore bodies and sore minds. We spent the morning in Namche looking around at all the pirated outdoor gear, trying on a few things, doing a little email, and then had one last yummy feed at the Jamling Tea House and then headed downhill for 800m. We got in here around mid afternoon rehydrated and then had a yummy feed of dhal bhat, some of the best dhal bhat I think I have had on the trip so far, one of my favorite meals to have while trekking is dhal bhat. My monthly visitor showed up today, 12 or 13 days late. I had had a question about whether or not I would intentionally stop my period on a trip like this. I have checked with my physicians about such things, but one of the side effects of doing that is a much increased risk of blood clots and when you are going to super high elevations, like you would on Everest, you are already at increased risks for blood clots because of the extra hemoglobin your body is making. So you will already have pretty thick blood and if you add birth control on top of that, you are at double risk. None of the women on my expedition decided to go that path, they just decided to deal with the inconvenience that comes along with it. But that is something that women explorers have done on polar expeditions and probably some choose to do so on the mountain too. So thats the scoop from here, heading to Lukla in the morning and get in line for a flight out. Hope you are having a great day, talk to you soon, bye.
TA |
| Empty Legs |
5/21/2010 |
Hi this is Marian and TA calling in from Namche Bazaar at about 3400m. I am sitting in my little audio blog spot above the Zamling Lodge overlooking Namche. We had a big walk today coming down from Pherische through Pangbouche and Debouche where we stopped in at the nunnery to light some butter lamps for our teammates who are still up hill. The nuns were chanting, so we had an opportunity to join them in the meditation room and listen, I found that to be very soothing. During the ceremony they lit butter lamps, which I knew in my mind where for my teammates, some of whom are at camp 3 tonight and some at camp 4. After Debouche we climbed the hill to Tengboche where we were lucky enough to have sour dough bread which was very exciting, because she who has an empty leg is always hungry, so it was lovely to have something new and exciting. After Tenboche we dropped down to Fuketanga to the Dudh Kosi, which we will drop down to again when we leave Namche, the milk river. Its milky because of all the glacial silt that flows along in the river. From there we walked back up here to Namche, I thought the piece just outside of Fuketanga was going to get the best of me, thats when I knew that I was still working with a very tired body. It was humbling, but I found a rhythm and got back up here to Namche. I delved a little bit into the internet, thanks for all your well wishes, I didnt get a chance to take in a lot of them at 10 rupees a minute but I did grab a few of them. I will slowly make my way back into the cyber world once I hit Kathmandu, and begin to immerse myself back into my regular life after 60 days of pretty simple living at base camp. So it was a good day, a long day, had a delicious dinner here at the Zamling Lodge. We are not sure if we will have a rest day here or split our trek to Lukla into two parts, but we are still hoping to fly out of Lukla on the 24th. I am still wondering how my teammates are doing you along, Martin, Peter and Bob are also here and we are all wondering about the cyclone that is hitting India, what will its path be, and what destruction it might cause both on its path and here on the mountain. Its wonderfully warm here and the air is wonderfully thick, but it is still amazing how going up hill in the Himalayas can be pretty humbling. So take good care, I also wanted to warn those of you who have been used to checking out the audio blog everyday, that once I hit Kathmandu I will probably go back to a weekly format. So I just wanted to give you a little warning that your daily routine might change. Thanks for being there, happy Friday, TGIF to all you out there in North America, catch you from tomorrow, bye.
TA |
| Trekking Out |
5/20/2010 |
Hi this is TA calling in from Pheriche at about 4200m. It was a good day of walking down here; I walked down with Marian and Nadia, and we were followed down by the other five. We have or 3 summiteers here in Pheriche, two are flying out by helicopter in the morning, lucky them, the rest of us are heading on down to Namche. I am really noticing how tired I am after 55 day here at altitude. I am enjoying how much warmer it is here then the last time I was down. I am looking across at the big steep hill I climbed last time, to check out how my body was doing and realizing that maybe I shouldnt have trekked down to Lobouche for that little two day jaunt before going on a summit push. Im wishing I had had a chance to come and recover at even lower altitudes before going back up for that push, but you know hindsight is 20/20, and this expedition is called Mountain of Learning for a reason, to take all those learnings, both internal and external and take them forward from here. I heard 3 members from my team have moved up to camp 3 today, maybe the others are following. But I am now going to be tracking them like you are on the internet, since I wont be there to hear the radio calls, but I continue to send good, positive energy their way. We will be having another good feed tonight to hopefully power the legs all the way to Namche tomorrow. Thanks for following along, and special thanks to all of my sponsors who made it possible for me to be here on day 55 of this expedition, thanks and have a great day.
TA
These updates are being brought to you by Applecore Interactive, RJG Construction, the Newfoundland and Labrador Credit union, School Sport Newfoundland and Labrador, and the Egg Producers of Newfoundland and Labrador all proud sponsors of TAs Everest 2010 expedition |
| Goodbye EBC...For Now |
5/19/2010 |
Hi this is TA calling in from Everest base camp for the last time on this expedition. We welcomed home our summiteers from all points higher than this, and hearing their stories, and seeing their pictures, and we are feeding them all kinds of new and interesting foods. Not necessarily new to the expedition but new to them as they have not seen some of these foods in awhile, we are trying to get them all plumped up. A bunch of us are going to head down valley tomorrow, we are concerned about the crush in Lukla with the on coming of the monsoon and the down coming of all these expeditions over the next while. So a bunch of folks, just like us, have been packing bags and trying to figure out what we need for our trek out to Kathmandu, and what will be packed in our bags and go down on Zopkios. So it has been an exciting day here, congratulations again to our summiteers that we have welcomed back Hugo, Carina, Peter, Ming-mar, and Phur-ba is believe is the name of the other Sherpa. And lots of good wishes and good luck, and wishes to return safely to our team 2 who will be beginning their second summit push tomorrow as they head up to camp 3. Thats the scoop here, hope you are all having a great day. Thanks again to all of you for staying with me for these two months, I will continue to blog as we head back down and I will keep you posted on how things are going. Take good care, catch you tomorrow.
TA |
| Final Call |
5/18/2010 |
Hi this is TA calling in from Everest base camp; it was a trickery, harder kind of day for me as I had to make the decision if I would try to go up the mountain again or not as team 2 is going to try for the summit aiming for the 23rd. What I am learning a lot about is my risk analysis, my decision making ability, and all that kind of stuff. Given the fact that I would have to go straight to camp 2 tomorrow, then straight up to 3, then straight up to 4 with a rest at the Col before trying for the summit, with having to carry up all of the gear that I brought down because I didnt know there would be another window. And looking still at where my body is at, I recognized that I am not at enough strength to go up to that level of elevation. So another tough call, but that is how it sometimes plays out here on Everest. So I am going to wish all my teammates on team 2 the best as they are resting at camp 2, before making another go at the summit. We are getting ready to welcome our summiteers back down here tomorrow, and Marian and I will begin trekking towards Lukla on the 20th, in hopes of avoiding the mad crush that is likely to happen as all these teams aiming for this last window look to head out. So we will start trekking down and see what we come up with for a plan after that. Im hoping that lower elevation will bring back more strength and energy, and I am looking forward to all the yummy food I havent had in a while that I will be able to get in Kathmandu, to nurture both my body and my spirit. Thats the scoop from here, thanks for all the well wishes and I will talk to you tomorrow.
TA
As always these updates are being brought to you by Applecore Interactive, RJG Construction, the Newfoundland and Labrador Credit union, School Sport Newfoundland and Labrador, and the Egg Producers of Newfoundland and Labrador all proud sponsors of TAs Everest 2010 expedition. |
| Waiting, Watching, Wondering |
5/17/2010 |
Hi this is TA calling in from Everest base camp, from my little Everest Hilton house. It has been a big day for us here at Peak Freaks base camp, congratulations to Hugo, Pete, and Carina the first Finish women to summit Mount Everest. They summated this morning at around 7:54 or so, and they are now resting and rehydrating at the South Col. My team, team 2 made their trip to the South Col yesterday but elected not to try to summit so they are heading back down to camp 2. Its been a day where a teammate and I have been considering if we would avail of another wave of summit rotations if there is another wave. The members who didnt attempt last night will be polled, once they have had time to catch their breath, if they would like to have another go. Thats when we will know if another wave is happening some time in the vicinity of may 22nd to 24th. It would also be the wave when all of the big companies the IMGs, and the AEIs will be aiming for that window. According to our weather reports the weather during that window looks highly variable, and also it appears a monsoon is starting to form over the bay of Bengal so it may be that time is running out for this season on Everest. But we are all contemplating, checking our hearts and bodies and minds. We were talking the other day about the triad of health, fitness, and weather that you need to summit this mountain, and we are trying our best to weigh out all those things. In the meantime, those of us here in base camp have been monitoring the radio, playing some cards, watching some movies, and watching lots of rocks fall off their little ice pillows because things are melting here at base camp. So thats how it is here at base camp, thanks for following along and we will keep you posted. Thanks have a great day and again congratulations to my three teammates and to Tim and all of his staffing in helping them get up there, bye.
TA |
| Reflection |
5/16/2010 |
Hi this is TA calling in from Everest base camp; it has been a day of anticipation here. All of our teammates that are still on the climb are now on the South Col, team 2 joined team 1 there, and now they are resting and hydrating and hoping that the wind allows them to make a summit attempt tonight. So our thoughts, prayers, and good wishes are going with them tonight, and we are all looking skyward at most opportunities to send them good luck and energy because they have a big night ahead of them. Today I took an expedition into the ice fall with Marian and Nadia so it was fun to watch them negotiate the waves of ice and get some perspective on just how challenging it is to actually go through the ice fall. For me, reflections, wonderings, moments of sadness, and moments of recognition that I have made a good decision for me at this moment. Im wondering how it might go tonight and if there might be another summit attempt window in a week or so. Its all kind of up in the air at the moment here, we will be monitoring the radio much of the evening and hoping to here news of summits in the morning and then of course news of safe descents after that. The other thing we did while in the ice fall was place the RJG Construction marker into the ice; they are the earth movers and around here the Khumbu glacier and ice fall definitely move earth, so I thought it was an appropriate location. Ive captured that all in photographs and I look forward to passing it on the Robert Giovanni and all the folks at RJG Construction, thanks so much to them for their sponsorship. I also talked to Deb to thank her for her sponsorship with Applecore Interactive. Thats the scoop from Everest base camp, hope all is well with you, and please send your energy, good thoughts, and best wishes to my teammates up the hill, thanks a lot have a good day.
TA |
| Hard Decision |
5/15/2010 |
Hi this is TA calling in from Everest base camp; yup you heard right Everest base camp. I had to abandon my summit bid due to a complex bunch of factors, some relating to a sense of a lack of resiliency and not being sure it made sense to go up to 8000m without a deep well of reserve. Recognizing how tied my body was from fighting all these infections, living at altitude for seven weeks and Im not sure I exactly remembered why I wanted to climb the mountain, and I couldnt reconcile taking that kind of risk without a clear picture of why I was doing so. So I elected to head back down through the ice fall for the last time so I am through safely, and had a wonderful reunion with Marian, Tim, and Nadia. Its an exciting day in base camp as we have 3 team members on the South Col, resting and hydrating in hopes of a summit bid tonight. My teammates are up at camp 3 now, doing the same resting and hydrating. So thats the scoop, Im sure over the next few days I will be sharing much more reflection on all of this, but I just wanted you to know that Im safe and sound and I will be in more close contact very soon. Thanks, bye
TA |
| Angel on Everest |
5/13/2010 |
Hi this is TA and Angel calling in from camp 1, Angel is just having a lovely little siesta before he heads off to camp 2. Im a little bummed at the moment because I realize that I forgot my ipod so it is going to be a long night, but then again it was a big day so I might just pound the ZZZZs. I was able to get here to camp 1 because of my guardian angel Angel, he showed up at the exact right moment to give me a hand and get through a hard spot. After a little while with his wonderful pacing my body remembered how to go up hill and low and behold 7 hours after leaving base camp I arrived here at camp 1. Ive been hydrating, having a little lunch of some soup and that will be my continued plan for the rest of the day, hydrate, hydrate, hydrate. Its a little tempting to walk to camp 2 but I think I am going to split the journey into two days. I will get up early and finish my 3 or 4 hour slog up the Cwm in the early morning hours. Its great to be here, its also hard to believe that I made it here, the first two hours today where some of the most miserable in my mountaineering experience, but once I found a little bit of leg strength (Angel said he would lend me some if I lent him some brain), got some rhythm on board it did get a little easier. So I will sign off, Im safely through the ice fall, thanks for all your thoughts and prayers today, catch you from tomorrow, bye.
TA
Remember as TA heads up Mount Everest you too can be involved by taking part in Recreation Newfoundland & Labradors Step Up to the Summit Challenge. The challenge begins March 18th and continues through May 31st. RNLs Small Steps, Big Results website allows individuals and teams to track a wide variety of physical activity by converting all to a number of steps. Sign up your team for the challenge today at http://www.recreationnl.com/smallstepsbigresults.
Dont forget you can help support TA by donating to the Everest 2010 Mountain of Learning Award at Memorial University. To donate go to: https://www5.mun.ca/dir/viking.gv020.p001
and be sure type Everest 2010 Mountain of Learning Award in the box
Thanks so much for your support! |
| As Everest Turns |
5/12/2010 |
Hi this is TA calling in from Everest base camp where our motto is life is short, things change. Looks like the bad weather that was expected has passed through, so the folks on team 2 are heading up in the morning. Im having one of those Everest mental days as Im trying to figure out if I will go up with them, Im still a hormonal mess, and not feeling terribly well from this 3rd bladder infection, but I may try to make a go of it anyway, we will see what happens. Ive been vacillating all day even though my slogan for the day is dont vacillate. I have been talking to friends and trying to get a little clarity and of course clarity isnt something that comes easily at 5300m above sea level. So that is where Im at, I am going to keep you all in suspense, you will have to tune in tomorrow morning to see As Everest Turns For Me. As always your thoughts and prayers are appreciated if I do decided to venture into the ice fall, but I will let you guys know either way, go or no go. But I am all packed and have been trying to eat well today even though my appetite has gone to the dogs. However, this is a quintessential Everest moment, this is what it all comes down to on Everest, and right now I am trying to figure out why I wanted to climb this thing, and whether it is worth the risks to go stand on that piece of topography, dreams change and I am sorting through all that. Thats me for now, have a happy Wednesday and I will talk to you tomorrow, thanks, bye.
TA |
| Sucky-Do-Day |
5/11/2010 |
Morning
Hi this is TA calling in from Everest base camp; I got back here just a little after noon, just in time for lunch. Saying goodbye to Marian and Nadia was super hard as you can imagine, but they will be coming up to base camp in a few days with Leslie and Dan. I took it easy, came up slow because I knew that most likely I would be heading up through the ice fall with my team tomorrow, to be in place incase there is a summit window. So that is what is going to happen, I spent the afternoon resting, packing, and carb loading, and trying to get a little more protein in. I have lost my appetite for base camp food, and I think my period is starting, and I might be getting a cold or something, so Im not feeling the best. Hopefully I can find the energy to get through the ice fall tomorrow. I was saddened that one of my best buddies on the expedition, due to health reasons is calling off his climb, so thats a hard bit of news for the day. So all in all kind of a sucky-do-day here in base camp, but some days are diamonds some days are stone. Hopefully tomorrow will be a diamond day, because I need it to be, its still pretty darn windy up here, but we are hoping for a window in the next several days. I did another 3 more Signal Hills today, so I hope you all are Stepping up to the Summit Challenge, getting out there and getting some physical activity and recording it on the Recreation NL website. Please send your thoughts, your prayers, your support, and lots of energy my way, I would love it. Thanks and have a great day.
TA
Afternoon
Hi this is TA calling in from Everest base camp; I just wanted to give you all an update. We are not moving up tomorrow morning, I think in my career as an outdoor educator the go, no go decisions are some of the hardest to make, and I dont envy Tim in has role as expedition leader. He has to amalgamate data from several different weather forecasts from around the world, talk to different teams, and try to get a sense of how long a summit window might last. The window we were aiming for on the 16th was pretty darn small with high winds and low temperatures, -27 or -29 on either side of that window. Even the winds during the window come with an extreme risk of frostbite, so for us in team 2 it would have meant 5 days of very intense moving. So we are on a watch and wait, waiting on the next window, looks like that might be around the 22nd. As of yesterday morning we had been aiming for the 20th. Its a bit of a yo-yo with emotions going up and down, thinking yes we are going, no were not, yes we are. I know for me, in a premenstrual state today I had an intuitive sense that it didnt make sense to go. I was wrestling with what I would do if the team was a go and I was not a go. But as it turns out its a no go for all of us on team 2, and it sounds likely that team 1 will be coming back down from camp 2 tomorrow or in the near future. So I didnt want you all thinking I was in the ice fall when I wasnt, just more watchful waiting here. Watching for that window, which historically usually comes sometime between the 14th and the 25th. So patience, patience, patience, as one of my Buddhist slogans goes which ever of the two occurs be patient. So we are all practicing patience and trying to keep ourselves gamefully occupied, with packing and greeting trekkers and things like that. Thanks so much for your support and for thinking of me, talk to you tomorrow.
TA
Remember as TA heads up Mount Everest you too can be involved by taking part in Recreation Newfoundland & Labradors Step Up to the Summit Challenge. The challenge begins March 18th and continues through May 31st. RNLs Small Steps, Big Results website allows individuals and teams to track a wide variety of physical activity by converting all to a number of steps. Sign up your team for the challenge today at http://www.recreationnl.com/smallstepsbigresults. |
| Reunion |
5/10/2010 |
This update is being brought to you by RJG Construction.
Hi this is TA and Marian calling in from Lobouche after a wonderful reunion, getting to share some pictures and experiences after a couple weeks apart. She and Nadia are here one day in advance of Leslie and Dan, and I popped down for a night to breathe slightly thicker air and see these guys. They will now wait for Leslie and Dan tomorrow and then head on up to base camp. It was a lovely little walk today coming down, it is always so much easier going down then up, funny how that goes. Found the movement good for my brain, tension, excitement, nervousness, and butterflies are all about base camp in advance of our summit bids, so it is nice just to get out and move. I was searching for mantras in my mind that I might use over the next little while and at one point I even took to singing them, so it was a great walk down and I will walk back to base camp tomorrow. I will probably have to use some of those mantras tomorrow as I will be gaining back those 400m or so that I gave back today, I will get them tomorrow and in practice I will get back all those metres I gave up when I came back from camp 3. So all is well, it is great to spend time today with Marian and Nadia and I will catch you from base camp tomorrow. Thanks, have a great day, and again Happy Mothers Day, and thanks to Applecore Interactive for their help with the web site and for helping me be here. Special Hi to Deb and Vilma at Applecore from all of us here in Lobouche. Thanks, bye.
TA |
| Happy Mother s Day |
5/9/2010 |
This update is being brought to you by Applecore Interactive.
Hi this is TA calling in from Everest base camp. Happy Mother s Day to all you mothers out there, and to my mother in particular, hopefully I will catch you on the SAT phone a little later today. After one of the longest, most horrible nights of my life, where it felt like my head had been placed in a vice, I had just a massive, massive headache last night, but I have had a pretty nice day. At about 8 the pain eased off, I was able to pick up my head and through the day it eased more, so I spent the day resting and fussing. One of the things I like to do is fuss with my gear, so I made a new safety line for my harness, and packed my food for when I finally go up the mountain, and just this and that, a few little things that needed attending like reorganizing the tent. So it has been a good day to just catch up with myself and get some rest. I did manage to hold down my massive dose of antibiotics maybe that gave me the headache, maybe it was dehydration, who knows, but Im really glad that it is gone. John Furno came over for a visit this afternoon, he is the second Newfoundlander to climb Mount Everest, I forgot to mention the other day that I passed Al Hancock, he was up at camp 2 just coming down from his rotation, he was the first Newfoundlander to summit Everest. Also, yesterday in the ice fall I passed Megan McGrath, out of Ontario, she is having an amazing year, she become the first Canadian to ski unsupported to the South Pole and now she is climbing Lhotse and then heading off to K2. She is a real inspiration to me, I had seen her and met her in 2007, but it was good to see her again in the ice fall. Around here we are attending to tent platforms, watching the weather, the winds are up for at least the next couple of days so most teams are down here in base camp waiting for the next chance to go up. Also we are all trying to eat, at this point food seems to be losing its appeal, one of my teammates that had to head home, reported back that he lost 33 pounds up here, so it is very important that we keep eating. Im eating a little packet of tuna everyday for my protein, and just trying to stomach/force it down because I can already tell that my legs have gotten smaller in diameter and my waist is smaller, and body weight is a friend up high. So I am doing my best to wait and eat, wait and eat, listening to the ipod and looking forward to the new group of trekkers arriving. Leslie, Dan, Nadia, and Marian are all heading this way and I hope to maybe meet them down in Lobouche in a couple of days and walk them up here. Thats the news form Everest base camp on this Mothers Day, hope you are celebrating with the mothers in your life, take care, bye.
TA |
| Safely Down |
5/8/2010 |
Morning
Hi this is TA calling in to let everyone know that I am safely through the ice fall for today. I left camp 2 at about 5am and arrived in base camp around 9. Its amazing to see how much more melting has occurred, and how little head room I have in my tent. I got in here started hydrating, getting something to eat, its a beautiful sunny day here at Everest base camp, but I will probably be mostly hiding from it as I took a pretty good sun hit up along. Ill post again later, just wanted everyone to know that I am safe. Take care, bye.
Afternoon:
Hi this is TA calling in from her base camp inn which was newly improved today by our amazing Sherpa crew. I was joking with them that they are RJG Construction, I had lost about 8 inches of head room and could barley get in my tent, with all the melting and the tent poles dropping off the sides. So the Sherpas rebuilt it and even gave me a veranda in front of my vestibule, so its lovely to be tucked away in my base camp home, its day 42 of this expedition and it is still nice to have a spot to call your own. Currently I am trying to keep some antibiotics down. My bladder started acting up again yesterday and Im not exactly sure if its another infection, but given the time frame for summit bids its not worth waiting to find out so we are hitting it hard and big. Fortunately Lucile had some good anti-nausea drugs so hopefully I will be able to keep the dose down. Hopefully if there is something there we will blast it out of the way, get rid of it, so I can stay healthy and strong. In other news I am currently scheduled to leave base camp on the 14th or 15th depending on what I decide about going to camp 1 or camp 2 my sleeping bag and pad are at camp 1 if I wanted to break up the trip. My part of the team is leaving the 15th, with 2 nights at camp 2, 2 nights at camp 3, reaching the Col on the 19th, so the evening of the 19th to the 20th would be our summit bid at the moment, of course all of this is weather dependent. As I was coming down from camp 2 today I wished the route on the mountain was a circle rather then an out and back because as I was losing elevation today I was aware that in 5 or 6 days I would be gaining that very same elevation back. But thats what it is all about, go down, go up, go down, go up. We welcomed Lucille back to base camp today with lots of congratulations all round. That the scoop from here, it took me about 4 hours to get here, so I was pleased with that, I was also pleased with the technical skills I saw in myself as I came down through the ice fall, I was nicely efficient with fix line changes and the same was true at camp 1. Im appreciating that because its important to go up but even more important to come down safely. Hope you are all doing well, Im thinking of trekking down to meet Marian, Nadia, Leslie, and Dan as they trek up, but I will keep you posted. Hope your having a great day getting out and getting active, enjoying your weekend. Thanks so much and please send healing thoughts, bye for now.
TA |
| Big, Big, Big Day |
5/7/2010 |
Hi this is TA calling in from camp 2 again. Let me start with deep and heartfelt congratulations to my teammate Lucille who summated this morning. She and her climbing partner took a risk on trying to grab an early summit window and it paid off, we are just awaiting her arrival back here to camp 2 after her epic day. If you asked me today if there was any chance I would see camp 3 today last night at bedtime when I couldnt control my breathing or my mind, I would have said the chances were close to nil. But even today with a pounding dehydration headache Im pleased to announce that the series is now tied 3 3 Ive clawed my way back to tie the series. What I havent told you is that game 7 is going to be a 5 day cricket test match, that putting it mildly will require every part of me, mind, body, sprit to give all that I have and then some. I couldnt sleep in the early part of the evening, either due to altitude or anxiety I found myself breathing hard at rest and the symptoms of pulmonary edema came to mind and this acclimatization rotation has been pretty aggressive so it wouldnt be totally out of the question. I quelled my concerns with a pulse check and turned to a click and clack brothers podcast to settle my mind. Lhak-pa shook the tent at 5:30 and I knew I had gotten some sleep because I had a collection of some pretty strange dreams. I dressed and packed and choked down some breakfast and prayed that my gag reflex would hold it all in. I dropped into a supportive rhythm and even did 220 steps early on, the terrain steepened as we reached the Lhotse Face and the temperature dropped significantly leaving me with chilled fingers and toes. Here the fixed lines and the very vertical part of the face began and it was tough, very tough. This section is scuffed of snow leaving hard blue ice requiring front pointing. I cant do this for hours I though as I heaved over for breathe every few steps. The beauty of steep terrain is that steps are tangible and visible so I just kept bargaining with myself for a few more steps. I played with tossing in the game at points because it was so tough but the thought of having to tell Lhak-pa I was turning around was enough to push me through the intense pain. At one point the universe presented a god send when a man in a yellow down suit on the other fixed line saw me struggling and called out you have to find a rhythm with your jumar. What a gift suddenly my mind had a purpose and at first I aimed for 5 jumar pulls, then 10, it turns out my favorite was 13. I reached 20 once before my insatiable appetite for oxygen called a stop to the exertion to catch my breath. Thank goodness that Paul Adler had thought to share when I was in Pheriche that the Lhotse Face wasnt as intimidating as it appears from below, because I knew there was hope if I just kept taking steps in whatever quantity I could produce them. Dave Hawn the westerner with the most number of Everest summits who I met in 2007 came up from behind me, he and I had a great chat and we celebrated a new altitude record for me and for Flat Stanley on Everest and in total. I surpassed Aconcagua today when is reached approximately 7300m about 300m higher then South Americas highest peak Flat Stanley and I reached Peak freaks camp 3 which is at the low end of the camp 3 range in about 5 1/4 hours, a fine time. We stayed atop for about 45 minutes and it took us just 30 minutes to descend to the brukshund where it was 3.5 to ascend. It was in total about 6 hours of travel today and about 800m in elevation gain, which brings my signal hill total to 88 since I left home. So Im thrilled, Im tired, I cant imagine at this moment doing it again but it should be a little easier next time with more hemoglobin on board. I can never actually imagine doing a carry again after I have done it the first time but usually the second time is easier. Thanks again to Lhak-pa for his excellent care and patience today, and for all of our super Sherpas who are making this all possible. Thanks to Karen for all of her text messages which cheer me up and cheer me on, and for the pep talk from Marian last night at dinner. Im also sending some encouragement out to my good friend Leslie as she walks her Everest of walking to Everest base camp. So a big, big, big day and thanks for all of your care, concern, and support. Im heading down valley tomorrow so think of me as I pass through the icefall one more time on my way to rest. Thanks and have a great day, and dont forget to step up to the summit in whatever that is. Bye
TA |
| Samsara |
5/6/2010 |
Hi this is TA calling in from camp 2, as John Denver sang and my buddy Karen often says some days are diamonds some days are stone. Or in other words some rest days are restful and others break you down. I should have known that the day might be a trickery one when a late night pee bottle accident almost cost me a cold sleepless night, but thanks to some ingenious creativity I was able to figure out how to stay warm. Today I was feeling the challenges of being on my own on this rotation, the same thing happened in 2007, some times it gets very lonely being the only climber in camp. I had a headache much of the day which is to be expected moving from 61 to 64 from 5300m in 48 hours, so I have been drinking lots and elected to take a little time off to see if I could help my body out. The heat was also very brutal today, I spent the first part of the day watching Lhotse face tv, watching little ants move up and down with every piece of skin covered since my sunscreen took a leap out of my pack sometime yesterday during my travels. Then I basically retired to lying on the stone floor of the group tent trying to stay as low as possible, reading South by Shackleton which of course if any of you have read any of Shackletons books will now, the endurance and things that he and his men went through it is pretty hard to feel sorry for yourself. My Buddhist slogan for the day was abandon all hope of fruition which seems fitting because on this sort of a rest day where it seems like everything sucks you forget that life can be different and everything is impermanent. So its a good one to work with, the point of the slogan is to be reminded that its not necessarily about the goal but about living every moment on the way. I was thinking today that life at camp 2 is a good definition of Samsara which is another Buddhist word which means all life is suffering, this morning when I first got up it was so cold that I wished it was warm and not long after the sun came out and it was warm, I wished it was cold, and for the most part of the day I couldnt wait till it got cold again and Im sure I will soon be wishing for that warmth. Much like the definition of Samsara which is always wishing for something that you cant have. So thats the scoop of my own misery from here at the moment hopefully tomorrow goes better. I hope to be following one of our super Sherpas, an amazing man, he actually carried 6 bottles of oxygen up the Col yesterday and the day before. This is also his rest day, he is suiting up with 6 more bottles tomorrow and going all the way to the Col, Im hoping to get to camp 3. It is truly humbling what these men do for us in making this climb possible, so my thanks go out to them, and thanks goes out to you all for sending me encouragement, even though I cant read them at the moment I know it is there and I look forward to seeing it at the next opportunity. Thanks also to the Newfoundland and Labrador Credit Union and the Newfoundland and Labrador School Sports Association for their sponsorship of my climb. Have a great day, talk to you tomorrow, bye.
TA |
| Camp 2 |
5/5/2010 |
Hi this is TA calling in from camp 2 at about 6400 or 6500m above sea level. The series is now 3 2, it was a tough game today. The mountain had a strong first period, but I fought back in the second, even able to put together a string of 840 steps without stopping, I had to occupy my mind somehow. I started the third period strong, but faded in the last half, having to dig deep to salvage the game. It was about 3 hours of walking; I got in here at about 10:15. The first hour we had some ice fog, and light snow, I had a really hard time finding a rhythm, my glasses kept fogging up, and its just a more hilly part of the day, just a really tough first hour. Then made a radio call in and started to get into the more gentle part of the Cwm and the second hour was mountaineering at its finest. I dropped into the I can go all day at this pace pace, so I enjoyed the second hour. The third hour of course was chasing the mirage of camp 2, you see it long before you should, you think you are going to get there soon, but then you dont. As you come in there are camps at all different heights and we have one of the highest camps which is great for making the move to camp 3, but I envisioned there should be signs that read if you where climbing with outfitter X you would be home by now as I continued to pull steps out of the deepest part of my being to get here in the heat. I continue to be amazed at Lhak-pas strength and patience so it is hard not to put him in the superhero category, because he sure appears to be one to me. We spent 14 hours in the tent yesterday, hiding from the snow that was blanketing camp 1. Its snowing again now, thank goodness, because it helps survive the heat here at camp 2, at one point it was about 46 or 50 degrees in my tent before the cloud rolled in, now its only about 35. The intense oven effect of the Western Cwm definitely contributed to the toughness of the last hour. I was dropping snow on my neck and trying to hide as much skin form the intense rays that where coming from both above and reflecting off the snow below, definitely a Corning Wear day. Sometimes it is just so hot I have to lay on the cold stones in the vestibule of my tent to bring my body temperature down, so we go from the freezer, into the oven and back to the freezer, could someone send me a hot fudge sundae. Thanks to the folks at RJG Construction for assisting me in being here and bringing you these dispatches, a special hello to my tire pulling training mates, I was definitely pulling tires today. Another special hello to Rayne and Zander my niece and nephew out there in Edmonton from camp 2, and Flat Stanley sends his regards to Madam Edwardss grade 3 class he broke his personal altitude record today getting here to camp 2. A reminder my efforts are dedicated to my grandmother and to raising scholarship funds at Memorial University. One of the things I thought about today is the fact that the highest point in North America is Mount Mckinley also known as Denali the high one, its 6130m and I celebrated passing that height getting here today. Have a great day and I will talk to you tomorrow
TA
Dont forget you can help support TA by donating to the Everest 2010 Mountain of Learning Award at Memorial University. To donate go to: https://www5.mun.ca/dir/viking.gv020.p001
and be sure type Everest 2010 Mountain of Learning Award in the box
Thanks so much for your support! |
| Back in the Game |
5/4/2010 |
Back in the Game
Morning:
Hi this is TA calling in from camp 1, I just wanted people to know that I am safe. Myself and my wonderful Sherpa are both here and all is well. I am very tired but glad to be through the icefall safely. I will check in again in a few hours, bye.
Afternoon:
Hi this is TA calling in from camp 1 at around 6100m, just had some dinner, beef enchiladas with chicken noodle soup. Lhak-pa is working on his supper which I think is going to be some Sampa and chicken noodle soup. We are eating a little early because we are figuring it is going to get pretty darn cold up here soon. Soon after we arrived the sun was out so we where getting baked, we where thinking we were shake and bake chicken, we lay on the bottom of the tent floors just to control our temperatures, then about 1 oclock it started to snow and it has been snowing ever since, it shows absolutely no sign of letting up. We are happily ensconced in our little tent, cooking in our vestibule, trying to stay hydrated, Im nursing a bit of a headache, that started this afternoon, but I can usually breathe it away, so I think it is alright. We are going to stay warm and hydrated and see what tomorrow brings. It is amazing to have gotten through the ice fall, pretty exciting. I think the top part of the ice fall was harder then in 2007 but again we know how memory works; maybe I dont remember how hard it was in 2007. Its great to be here, thanks so much to Lhak-pa for coming along with me, to Angel who gave some good tips yesterday on how to get here in good style, and of course to Tim and Peaks freaks for supporting me and getting me up here. Have a great day, talk to you tomorrow.
TA
Dont forget you can help support TA by donating to the Everest 2010 Mountain of Learning Award at Memorial University. To donate go to: https://www5.mun.ca/dir/viking.gv020.p001
and be sure type Everest 2010 Mountain of Learning Award in the box
Thanks so much for your support! |
| Snow, Sun, Snow, Sun |
5/3/2010 |
Hi this is TA calling in from Everest base camp, its been a funny weather day with some snow, and some sun, and some snow, and some sun. The people up high are still waiting for the snow to consolidate on the Lhotse face before action happens between camps 2 and 4. Ive spent the day packing once again; my forth time, so game four is tomorrow. Special thanks to my buddy Karen for looking up all the professional sports teams that have come back for 3 0 deficits, so I will be thinking about some of those teams as I set out to achieve my goal of making it to camp 1 tomorrow. I will be climbing with a Sherpa and maybe Mango if he gets back up here from his trip down valley. Im hoping that the quads have some strength and that I have the mental will to get there tomorrow. Im facing elimination, or at least thats how it feels in my mind, so Im looking forward to taking that on tomorrow. Im well rested, Ive been trying to drink and eat a bunch today to make sure Im well fueled for the big challenge tomorrow. Hope you are having a great Monday, thanks to the folks at Applecore Interactive for their sponsorship and help with my website, and for making it possible for all of you to follow along. I hope you all are getting out there and getting active, stepping up to the summit challenge. Thanks and take care.
TA
Remember as TA heads up Mount Everest you too can be involved by taking part in Recreation Newfoundland & Labradors Step Up to the Summit Challenge. The challenge begins March 18th and continues through May 31st. RNLs Small Steps, Big Results website allows individuals and teams to track a wide variety of physical activity by converting all to a number of steps. Sign up your team for the challenge today at http://www.recreationnl.com/smallstepsbigresults |
| Snow Day |
5/2/2010 |
Hi this is TA calling in from the poker room also know as the dinning tent, there are five of us here that have been involved in marathon climb of epic card proportions, we are on our 6 or 7th hour of playing cards. It was a fabulous day; we even got to turn on the heaters at 3 oclock this afternoon. Why where we playing cards for 6 or seven hours today? Well that because it snow about 6 inches here at base camp last night, perhaps even as much as a foot up at camp 2. Thus we declared it a Snow Day, those of us who grew up in Canada, know that a snow day is a great excuse to sit around, play cards, drink lots of hot drinks, rest up, and say wow what a wonderful day to laugh out load. So thats whats on the go here, depending on the weather things may start moving up and down the mountain again tomorrow. Im looking to maybe head up on the 4th for my little rotation. Im out of the current card game at the moment, thats why I could call in this update. So all is well here at base camp, spirits are good, food is delicious as we are a smaller group with about half down resting in Pheriche. Hope you are having a great day, hope you are stepping up to the summit challenge. Talk to you tomorrow.
TA |
| Game 4 |
5/1/2010 |
Hi this is TA calling in from Everest base camp, I got here just before noon after about 3 hours and 45 minutes of walking. It was good timing because I saw the rest of the team that is heading down to Pheriche to rest, so I got to say goodbye to them, the other half of the team is staying here. I did ok on the walk, I was about hour faster then when I came in here the first time, but we will see if my body has really recovered when I start doing something steep. Speaking of which Tim does have a plan for me, so that was great to hear. I will probably try to head up through the ice fall the day after next, but I will learn more about that tomorrow, he enlighten me a bit today but in my post walk haze I didnt quite catch it all. As I was walking today I was thinking back in Canada its probably playoff hockey time and I was thinking that I am in some ways in a best of 7 series. I dont usually like to set myself up in competition with the mountain but that was the analogy or metaphor, sorry to all my English teachers at the moment, I cant remember which it is. But here we are in the playoffs, best of 7 series, and I feel like Im down 3 games to none and Im in the other teams home building for the forth game. But what can I say there is always hope, I think there has been some teams that has come back from being 3 down, Im looking for some coaches speeches, what would you say to your team if you were down 3 0, one game away from elimination and needing 4 really good games in a row to make it happen. So thats my analogy, Im not sure if its helpful or not, but it gave me a good chuckle as I walked along today. Its great to be back here where water doesnt cost anything to drink and the popcorn is free. Im listening to all the stories from up along, its great to have folks to share tea and meals with. Thats the scoop from today, Im back at base camp, and Im trying to gear up for game 4 of a seven game series, take care, and again thanks to all my sponsor for helping me be here.
TA
As always these updates are being brought to you by Applecore Interactive, RJG Construction, the Newfoundland and Labrador Credit union, School Sport Newfoundland and Labrador, and the Egg Producers of Newfoundland and Labrador all proud sponsors of TAs Everest 2010 expedition. |
| 1,2,3,4 |
4/30/2010 |
Hi this is TA calling in from Lobouche at 4910m. I had forgotten to mention last week that I had reached a milestone, as you probably know Signal Hill is the centre of my training activities and that 60 Signal Hills equals Everest elevation 8848m. So last week given the disappointment of 2 bladder infections I failed to celebrate with you that I have gained the equivalent of 60 Signal Hills since beginning the trekking on March 27th. Thanks to the past few days the total is now 71 Signal Hills, Im hoping all of you Step up to the Summit Challenge folks are making good progress towards your own physical activity summits. Remember day by day, step by step gets you there, couple hours here, a half hour there, get out there get those steps in, get them recorded and climb the mountain with me.
My watch alarm went off today at 1,2,3,4 or 12:34 as it does everyday, I said Hi dad as I always do and promptly burst into tears. As I grieved the loss of my physical strength these last weeks due to infections, my grief for my dad has risen sharply like the jagged peaks that surround me. In their sharp brilliance the intense pain thunders onto my shoulders like seracs falling from Nuptese. I wonder if I will be buried alive, but then the spin drift passes over and I can breath again, acknowledge my lose and go on. The other day I admitted to myself the extra weight of grief that Im carrying in my backpack. I miss my dad. I worry about how my family is dealing with their grief. I feel close to him sometimes and other times I wish he could say just exactly what I needed to hear, leave her to it, she can do it. So Flat Stanley and I are in Lobouche for the night, I decided to break the walk back to base camp into two smaller chunks to allow for some rest and arrive at base camp in good form. Im moving decently well, and am looking forward to seeing the team tomorrow. Ive been racking my brain about how to get a rotation in while the team is resting from their last rotation, but havent sorted out all the logistics. Perhaps a few nights at Pumori camp 2 might work. I will chat with Tim as soon as I get back to base camp about the possibilities. Thanks again for all of your support, get out there get active, Ill check in again tomorrow, thanks so much, bye.
TA |
| Intermediary Goals |
4/29/2010 |
Hi this is TA calling in from the village of Pheriche. Pretty good day here, I decided to spend some of the day going on a walk about, I hiked down to the temporary bridge, which has been temporary for about a year and a half since the other one washed away. I then climbed up the very steep hill on the far side of the river to over look Pheriche and Island Peak, and eventually got a look up over memorial Hill into Louboche and all the way to Kala Patter. So I figure I gained some where in the vicinity of 800 or 900m, very, very nice and slowly, not pushing myself too hard and I defiantly felt a little more life in my quads then the last time I tried to go uphill a couple of days ago. So I think Im on the mend, we will see what the energy is like tomorrow to decided if I will start heading back to base camp tomorrow or the next day, but I will play it by ear. I finished my antibiotics today and Im hoping that the strength continues to come. As I climbed the big hill I was reminded of the importance of intermediary goals. I often say if you look at the whole mountain its overwhelming, or if you try to eat the whole elephant in one bit you cant do it, but you can if you take it step by step. There where times today when I would see a rock cairn on the horizon and would make the commitment to walking there. Some times it was about walking 50 steps at a time and then resting, and then 50 more steps and then resting, but eventually after about 2 hours I was able to get all that elevation gain in. Intermediary goals, Im not looking at the whole mountain at this point, Im just thinking about getting well enough to head back up to base camp. Once Im at base camp I will just be looking for the circumstances and conditions to allow me to get through the ice fall as the next step, and I will take it from there. Im keeping and eye on the intermediary goals, and the big goal at the end, but step by step is where it is at for me today. Thanks again for all of your support, I love reading all the emails since I have been here in Pheriche. Very good luck to my friends Leslie and Dan who are leaving in 2 days to fly to Nepal to try to get up to Everest base camp, so Im very eager to see them. I hope it all works out so that I do get to see them, either Im up to the mountain or down from the mountain, or wherever I might end up being. Thanks again to RJG Construction, and Applecore Interactive for their sponsorship of these updates, they let you follow along we me, and I appreciate having you all along. Take care; catch you from tomorrow, bye
TA |
| Seeds of Possibility |
4/28/2010 |
Hi this is TA calling in from the village of Pheriche again. A wonderfully deluxe, rest, and relaxation day, a little stroll through town, did some email. Its so wonderful to read all of the encouragement posted on the various places my blog gets published, so thank you so much for your kind words and encouragement. I had a delicious amazing shower, good food, and a big nap this afternoon. So it feels as if the universe is sowing the seeds of possibility in me once again. I spent some time watching yaks, finished a book about a women who is a Buddhist, who recovered from a bus accident, so that provided some inspiration. I was just sitting with two women climbers from the IMG team, so that is interesting to get to share experiences, and trials, and tribulations. So a very good day here in Pheriche, feeling a little strength coming back into my bones and muscles. Thanks again for following along, for being there for me, sending encouragement, it has been great to get an outside perspective, outside of base camp, outside of me, so Im having a good day. Thanks so much, talk to you tomorrow, bye
TA
Dont forget you can help support TA by donating to the Everest 2010 Mountain of Learning Award at Memorial University. To donate go to: https://www5.mun.ca/dir/viking.gv020.p001
and be sure type Everest 2010 Mountain of Learning Award in the box
Thanks so much for your support! |
| Heading for Thicker Air |
4/27/2010 |
Hi this is TA calling in from base camp again. Mango and I set out with Carina and Ming-Mar this morning, but we found that two days worth of antibiotics isnt enough to get us in the kind of strength we need to tackle the ice fall. We got to the bottom of the fixed lines and realized that we were moving pretty darn slow and willing every step out of the depth of our beings. So we have come back to base camp, I am going to head down to Pheriche tonight, breathe lots of good air, and get some exercise down there. Hopefully we can get our bodies back to the condition they need to be in to get through the ice fall. We had the sense that if we had only had to go a couple of hours we might have been able to drag it out of ourselves, but nine or ten hours of going in that weakened state just didnt cut it, it wasnt safe, didnt make sense. Its hard, it looks a little bit like it might cost us the summit, but maybe not you never know how the timing is going to work. So at the moment we will keep the faith, keep the hope, and go get some thick are, some good food and say hello to my buddy at the Himalayan Hotel. Catch you later today from Pheriche, bye.
TA |
| Resting |
4/27/2010 |
Hi this is TA calling in from the village of Pheriche at 4220m, and look I can talk in full sentences down here in the thick air. Mango and I walked down in about 5 hours today and are now happily ensconced in the Himalayan Hotel which is where I spent most of my time in Pheriche, the lodge owner remembered me. I am going to move into the tea house proper tomorrow, right now we are staying next door but eating here tonight. It was good to actually move a bit, I have a built in inclinometer I slowed down as soon as we started to climb uphill, but going downhill wasnt too bad. It was good to move, to get out of base camp because I had been there for quite a while. I met Tim Warren today, who was on my 2007 expedition and got sick like I did, then he summated in 2008, so he gave me a great pep talk on the way into Lobouche. Probably some rest tomorrow, and then we will see about getting some movement and some strength back, and then we will go from there. I wanted to say a big hello to Madam Edwards grade 3 class in Corner Brook Newfoundland, at CC Loughlin school, Flat Stanley is here with me in Pheriche and he is excited to see a new village. Thanks to all my sponsors for their support. Between the ice fall excursion and walking down here I did about 7 hours of walking so that is a whole lot of steps, so I hope you are all out stepping up to the summit challenge and climbing this peak with me. Thanks a lot take care.
TA |
| Team Bactrim |
4/26/2010 |
Hi this is TA calling in from Everest base camp. Another tough day emotionally, wondering how tomorrow is going to go. There are three of us who are going to attempt the ice fall tomorrow. We are calling ourselves Team Bactrim because we are all on the same antibiotics. I packed my pack so that it is significantly lighter then two days ago so hopefully that will help. Im drinking lots, and forcing myself to eat; I seem to be on that cusp of where nothing tastes good. Im thinking some movement might help; I actually havent had much exercise since arriving at base camp. So Im hoping I will get some activity tomorrow and get a new view, because the view from here is getting a little tough to get my head around. Im hoping there is more strength in me then I know at the moment, but we will see tomorrow morning. I think we are gong to head out around 4 and again I will give a shout when we get through the ice fall so people can stop worrying. Another of my teammates decided to call it quits today and head down, and a couple more made it down from the mountain they have already had one night sleeping at camp 3, so they are down enjoying the thick air here at base camp. Our other teammates are all up at camp 2 probably making a foray to camp 3 tomorrow. Thats the scoop from here, thanks for all the good thoughts you are sending my way they are very much appreciated. Catch you from tomorrow, bye.
TA |
| KD at BC |
4/25/2010 |
Hi this is TA calling in again from Everest base camp with my usual daily update. If you heard/read the earlier update you know the morning was a little tough. Moral was a little low around here, so I knew it was time to reach into the tickle trunk of treats and pull out the KD, the Kraft Dinner. The meal that I packed that I knew I could eat at any point, so the cook done a wonderful job of cooking up two boxes of macaroni and cheese, and we are looking forward to having the leftovers for dinner. Treated myself to Finding Nemo for part of the afternoon, and was looking over the Buddhist slogans that my mentor sent and the one for today has to do with a practice that is prefect for today so I will continue to do that practice. I continue to hope that the antibiotics do their work again and Im looking at all the ways I could have been re-infected and trying to eliminate those. I got a teammate who is coming up from the thicker air today; he is going to rest tomorrow and then try to head up on the 27th. So right now my plan is to make another attempt on the ice fall on the 27th, so we will see how that goes. Reminding myself that often the true measure is not when things are going well but when things are going tough. Things had just gone so well for the first 2 weeks I guess things where bound to catch up with me, but Im doing my best to stay with the pathful and continue to look for options. Hope all is well with your Sunday, hope your weekend was great, and thanks for thinking of me. Catch you from tomorrow, bye.
TA |
| Finding Footsteps |
4/25/2010 |
Hi this is TA calling in from Everest base camp. I gave the ice fall a good go this morning, I found I had no energy leaving camp, but decided to see if I could find some. So I kept pushing upward, finding footsteps from deep within, after about 2 hours Angel came by, he was the tail, and it was time to make a decision. I realized that at the pace I was able to move it would be an 8 or 9 hour ice fall experience, which given the dangers and realities of this years ice fall just doesnt make sense. So I turned myself around and headed back to base camp. I knew I didnt have much energy when Ming-mar came out and I let him carry my pack back. So it was a tough morning, I paid a visit to the clinic, and it turns out when they tested my urine there is puss back in there again. Luanne doesnt think it is the same infection but rather just a recurrent infection so we are trying Bactrim this time and hopefully we can get this little bug taken care of. I have a team member coming back up from below today and then taking a rest day so we may try again on the 27th and see if we cant get a little higher. I just wanted to let you all know that Im safely through the ice fall just not in the direction I had intended, but life goes on and it is good to be safe. Going to start taking the antibiotics, drinking a ton and hopefully flushing this thing through, I will do an update a little later in the day.
Take care, bye.
TA |
| Sense of Quiet |
4/24/2010 |
Hi this is TA calling in from Everest base camp, its the 24th of April which is my monthly birthday, as many of you know I like celebrating my birthday every month. Its been another day of quiet preparation and reading, theres a definite sense of quiet about the group, and about me in preparation for tomorrows trip through the ice fall. We are going to leave somewhere between 2:30 and 4 in the morning to make our way. I will do an update once Im through the ice fall, so prayers and thoughts are very much appreciated. We got our top out masks today, so that was very cool, we will take them up on the next round. It will be good to get moving, work out some of the nerves, and get up into the Western Cwm, so Im looking forward to that. Thanks to everyone for following along and remember to step up to the summit challenge and get out there and get active.
Thanks so much, bye
TA |
| Books, Essential Climbing Gear |
4/23/2010 |
Hi this is TA calling in from Everest base camp, wrapped snuggly in my sleeping bag for that part of the afternoon when the temperature drops and its time to read books. Im halfway through my 7th book of the expedition, lots of down time while we are waiting to go up high again. I finished my antibiotics today and just took it a little easy, I was feeling a little low on energy so I thought I would just read and enjoy the company of my teammates. The day began with a little sadness as one of our teammates had to call an end to his expedition because of a health concern, so that was a hard way to begin our day. Folks have been reading, writing, carving, watching movies every evening, and waiting until we can go up through the ice fall again on Saturday. Quite day, not much to report, hope all is going well with you. Thanks to the folks at the Newfoundland and Labrador Credit Union, and School Sport Newfoundland and Labrador, for their support of me here. Hope you all are having a great day, talk to you from tomorrow.
TA
Dont forget you can help support TA by donating to the Everest 2010 Mountain of Learning Award at Memorial University. To donate go to: https://www5.mun.ca/dir/viking.gv020.p001
and be sure type Everest 2010 Mountain of Learning Award in the box
Thanks so much for your support! |
| Mushrooming |
4/22/2010 |
Hi this is TA calling in from atop a rock in the middle of base camp, I am perched where I can see most of everything in base camp, and Hugo is just walking by. What Im noticing is colorful dollops of tents, and on all of the tents you can start to see what we call mushrooming. This is when the water begins to run around the elevated platforms of our tents, while the main part is protected, so our tents appear to be growing when in reality is the little gullies around them are dropping. Just did a little maintenance in my vestibule, covered up some ice along the sides, to try to fully protect my tent flatness, and solve the issue I was having with my mattress and some wetness. So it was another rest day here at base camp, I will probably try to go out and gain some elevation tomorrow. It looks like we will be heading up for a 5 or 6 or 7 day acclimatization round on the 25th, and that could be the last acclimatization round before summit pushes. We will just have to see how the route, and weather, health, and acclimatization all develop. But right now thats the plan, to go up and spend a few nights at camp 1, a few nights at camp 2, and hopefully even a night at camp 3 on that next push. Feeling pretty good today, I wandered into camp fairly slowly after yesterday, thats why I decided to take another rest day today, and I will go out walking again tomorrow. Some of my teammates have gone to Gorak Shep for some email, some folks are having a little R&R, I had a wonderful little base camp shower again today. So its just pretty mellow times here in base camp. Again I wanted to say thanks to the folks at Applecore Interactive, for all of their support, for teaching me about all this stuff, and for maintaining my website, thanks to you for following along, and remember to step up to the summit challenge.
Catch you from tomorrow, have a great day.
TA
Remember as TA heads up Mount Everest you too can be involved by taking part in Recreation Newfoundland & Labradors Step Up to the Summit Challenge. The challenge begins March 18th and continues through May 31st. RNLs Small Steps, Big Results website allows individuals and teams to track a wide variety of physical activity by converting all to a number of steps. Sign up your team for the challenge today at http://www.recreationnl.com/smallstepsbigresults. |
| On the Mend |
4/21/2010 |
Hi this is TA calling in from about 5700m on the flanks of Pumori, what a difference 48 hours makes. I got up here decently well, took it nice slow and easy, so I could just wander up. Got to Pumori camp one and actually a little higher, from where I am right now the view is amazing, Im looking across to the triad of Everest and Lhotse and Nuptse. I can see the ice fall in its entirety; I can see up the western cwm a bit, and the Lhotse face in its entirety. And wow! Thats all I can say is wow, its amazingly intimidating when you look at it and how really big it is. I can also look down valley and see Gorakshep, Kala Patter, I can see where Lobouche is, and can actually see all the way down to the memorial hill, lovely view of Ama Dablam. The clouds are beginning to roll in, Im going to hang out here for an hour or so for some extra acclimatization and then head back to camp. Im very excited that my body let me come up here today, and we will see what happens from there. Some clouds over the summit of Everest but actually looking pretty calm up there, a half moon. I met some climbers and a Sherpa from IMG, talked about all the folks we know in common and the Sherpa was very kind and shared his Mars bar with me, so thanks to him. Hope your Wednesday is going well, Im feeling pretty good today and Im excited to be up above looking down at base camp and all the amazing Himalayan peaks that are in my view. Thanks to RJG Construction for their support of the expedition, I seen a lot of the Sherpas wearing the t-shirts as they make their rounds carrying stuff through the ice fall. Remember to get out and get active, step up to the summit challenge, get those steps in and climb this mountain with me.
Take care, catch you later
TA |
| Full House |
4/20/2010 |
Hi this is TA calling in from Everest base camp, tucked into my tent, during our little afternoon snowstorm. We have been having a weather pattern of sunny mornings and then snow showers in the afternoons as the temperature drops. Im feeling pretty good today, I decided to just take another rest day, but I didnt want to leave camp anyway because I wanted to be on the welcoming committee for our team members as they came down from camp one. It was great to see them come down and welcome them home, and listen to the stories of the last few days. So it was an enjoyable morning, I cant believe its afternoon here again, days at base camp seem to be going quicker now that the expedition is moving along. We have been talking a lot about how unseasonably warm it is here this year, Tim say we should actually be freezing every night in our sleeping bags needing hot water bottles etc, but it is almost a month warmer then it usually is. The ice fall is making everyone very nervous because it is already so much warmer then it usually is, there have actually been climbers who took one look and went home, and some close calls for other climbers. There is some talk about the possibility of reaching the summit earlier this year because of the unseasonable warmth, and because there seems to be relatively little wind up high at the moment, which is again unusual. So who knows what the 2010 season will bring in terms of all of that. Its great to be a full house here again today, hopefully the healing continues and I continue to get stronger, thats sort of what its feeling like at the moment, and its great to be surrounded by teammates once again. Have a great Tuesday, and again a special hello to all the folks at the Newfoundland and Labrador Credit Union, and thanks to them for their sponsorship and helping me be here doing this.
Talk to you tomorrow, bye
TA
Remember as TA heads up Mount Everest you too can be involved by taking part in Recreation Newfoundland & Labradors Step Up to the Summit Challenge. The challenge begins March 18th and continues through May 31st. RNLs Small Steps, Big Results website allows individuals and teams to track a wide variety of physical activity by converting all to a number of steps. Sign up your team for the challenge today at http://www.recreationnl.com/smallstepsbigresults. |
| Time, Patience, Antibiotics, and Rest |
4/19/2010 |
Hi this is TA calling in from Everest base camp. I awoke feeling pretty good after a decent night sleep; our camp was dusted at about 6am by spin drift from a massive serac fall off Nuptse. I had hoped I healed enough to get up out of base camp and gain some elevation on the flanks of Pumori. I packed by backpack with supplies and headed out with the goal of gentle walking, and elevation goal, and a caution to myself to take it very easy. As I pasted by the various camps on the way out of Everest base camp it instantly became clear that I was still fighting the infection and was profoundly weakened. I tried to walk slow enough to keep both my pulse and breathing down, after an hour of painfully slow walking, painful only in comparison to how strongly I walked just days ago, I reached the junction of the EBC Everest base camp trail and the Pumori cairns. I headed up but as the slope steepened I was forced to stop every few steps to catch my breath. I slowed further and I realized after about 20 minutes that it was unwise to continue and I found a rock in the sun to curl up onto. Here I was awash in emotion, fear, disappointment, grief, anger, disbelief, how could I have gone from such strength and confidence just five days ago in the ice fall to humbled by a slight incline. Bacteria, I reminded myself, that I have only been on the antibiotics for 1.5 days and perhaps I was asking to much of myself. I thought of my dad and how hard it must have been for him to lose strength and ability over the course of his illness. I allowed the emotion to spill over into tears and reminded myself that altitude magnifies everything, everything and every emotion is bigger up here. Spent, I turned for home and wondered down a slightly different path and when I reached the ridge I looked left and spotted Michaels Inukshuk, a few rocks had tumbled but the base remained. In January 2007 a student of mine, Michael Beacher Smith passed away, while I was on Everest on the time near his birthday, his family asked if there was something I could do to memorialize Michael on the mountain. Then as now, I made the same walk as this morning and was moved to build Michael and Inukshuk to help him find his way in whatever comes next. The Inuksuk looks across the Khumbu glacier to the summit pyramid of Everest, I had no idea in that moment that the Inuksuk would also become a symbol and a guide for Michaels family in their journey of grief. Today I rebuilt Michaels Inuksuk and sat down by it once again as I had in 2007, as I sat I was filled with a sense of relaxation, trust, and letting go. It can be a challenge in the intensity of the Everest experience to remember, that things do, and will change. The profound weakness that I feel today can be transformed back in profound strength through the alchemy of time, patience, antibiotics, and rest. That illness, like grief and everything else are impermanent and as always the real learning is to accept each moment for what it is. I reflected on yesterdays quote, I am aware that I am beginning again just as my grandmother, my Oma , has had to start over in her life many times. Choosing to attempt Everest again I recognized my Omas courage in beginning again. So today I especially take inspiration from her and respectfully remind everyone that I am raising scholarship funds with this climb in her honor. The Everest 2010: Mountain of Learning Award will support and recognize experiential education at memorial University of Newfoundland. Contributions can be made to www.mun.ca.
The rest of the team is still up high, they made an acclimatization foray to camp 2 this morning, and will return to base camp tomorrow morning with lots of stories I am sure. Thanks so much for all of your support and good thoughts I will catch you from tomorrow.
Bye
TA |
| Patience and Poetry |
4/18/2010 |
Hi this is TA calling in from Everest base camp; yes you heard right Everest base camp rather than camp one. After calling in my update yesterday, when I thought I was brewing something, I did indeed spike a good fever. Through the help of the urologist on our team and the Everest ER today we were able to conclude that I have developed a urinary tract infection. So they have started me on a new marvelous drug that turns my urine a bright fluorescent orange. I made the hard decision to stay back, to rest and get better, rather then overly taxing my body trying to get up to camp one. Sort of a sense of dj view of course, and it was more difficult around the dinner table last night when I was feeling so poorly. However, my fever did actually break last night and I put my inner boots into my bag and said maybe Ill feel better enough, but cooler heads prevailed through the night when I realized that Im not at 100% and it didnt make sense to go up and tax my body as it is fighting this infection. So I spent the day resting reading a book called walking on Thin Ice: In Pursuit of the North Pole, and visiting some of the team members here that had gone on early acclimatization forays. The consensus is there is plenty of time, I can get better and head up the mountain on subsequent forays. So Im looking forward to getting my strength back, because I had been doing so well and being so strong and I actually reached day 23 before visiting the Everest clinic. Thanks to Dr. Luanne Freer at the Everest ER today for her help in getting me all sorted out. Im drinking lots, trying to stay warm, I had a little spike in fever this afternoon, but Im hoping I can work through this quickly and without descending so that I can continue to make my way up the mountain. Thats the scoop from here, 14 members of the team are up at camp one having, their first night there, a big day from them. Weather started out wonderfully today for that ascent and then we had our usual afternoon snow fall. Thats it from here at Everest base camp, take care and please send healing thoughts. The quote for today is what we call the beginning is often the end, and to make an end is to make a beginning, the end is where we start from, we shall not cease from exploration and the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started, and know the place for the first time TS Elliot Little Gidding from the four quartets.
Have a good day, bye
TA
Dont forget you can help support TA by donating to the Everest 2010 Mountain of Learning Award at Memorial University. To donate go to: https://www5.mun.ca/dir/viking.gv020.p001
and be sure type Everest 2010 Mountain of Learning Award in the box
Thanks so much for your support! |
| Shake and Bake |
4/17/2010 |
Hi this is TA calling in from Everest base camp, it has been a shake and bake day here. Baking this morning in the big sun, as we were packing and getting ready for our big trip up into the ice fall tomorrow. Then this afternoon the shake, as it is only 3:30 and it is already down to freezing. Im huddled in my warm sleeping bag, feeling the cold a little more then usual, maybe because Im brewing something, who knows, so thats a shake and bake kind of day. Ive been reading a book about stories and customs of the Sherpas and I found a wonderful passage about the three vehicles of Buddhism I wanted to read to you: The three schools of Buddhism are often explained as paths up a mountain. Hinayana leads to the base of the mountain, here one sees one road and one method. Mahayana is the long gentle road that winds around the mountain to its summit, in this school one sees many roads and decides to take the gradual path. In Vajrayana the practitioner looks beyond the roads and takes the most direct and risky route straight up through the cliffs to enlightenment and liberation at the summit of the mountain. Defiantly the condition of this years ice fall makes me think that we are on a Vajrayana path of mountaineering on Mount Everest this year, lots of activity there as it has actually been pretty warm for this time of year. So we will go around our alter in the morning, throw some rice, hold up our Lama Geshi cards, and ask for safe passage through the ice fall up to camp one. Thats the scope from here your thoughts and prayers are appreciated. Catch you from camp one.
TA |
| Days Like Today |
4/16/2010 |
Hi this is TA calling in from the Everest base camp Hilton, I am all snuggly tucked in after a big day. It was actually a tough day for me, probably the first tough day of many for me on this expedition, it finally caught up to me after 20 days. It was a big day we headed from here to Gorak Shep and then climbed Kala Patter, and then hiked back so it was about 5 hours of walking 21872 steps on the pedometer. It was just a tough walk for me, hard to find a rhythm, hard to keep breathing through my nose, just hard all round. I spent much of the day trying to figure out way it was so hard and at some point just gave up and went with the mantra it just is hard, and just kept repeating it just is, it just is. Some days at altitude are like that, like my buddy Karen says some days are diamonds some days are stone, Ive been lucky enough to have about 20 days of diamonds, where a lot of my team mates have had a stone day this is my turn. So Im pooped, got a bit of a headache after heading up to about 5600m. So Im hydrating, Im tucked into my lovely little abode with damp clothing hanging along. We had some snow, it dipped to -16.8 last night and at the moment it is only -1.8, so we are wondering if we are going to get a bunch of snow over the next couple of days. Flat Stanley came with me, so he summated Kala Patter today, a big hello to Patricia Edwardss grade 3 class at CC Loughlin in Cornerbrook Newfoundland. Flat Stanley broke his altitude record today and went to 5600m. He sends his regards, and we got some great pictures of him up on Kala Patter. Hopefully you guys can find some pictures of Kala Patter and the view. We had the most amazing view of the summit pyramid of Everest. It doesnt appear to have too much snow on it these days and of course the distance from the south col to the summit looks absolutely, positively intimidating on a day like today. We all just looked over and wondered if we would be sitting in the south col a month to 5 weeks from now. In the mean time we will keep hydrating, keep resting, and we will be starting our rotations in the next day or two. The Sherpas are out side my tent at the moment picking up loads for them to carry up tomorrow, probably to camp 1 or camp 2. The other big news, the giant big rock beside my tent decided to fall down today, its on the downhill side so no worries, just as I was walking into camp, so Im not sure but I may at some point have to move my tent depending on how fast the ice melts on that side. As you can tell Im tired, my vice isnt working too well so Im going to rest a bit, happy TGIF, hope you all have a great weekend.
TA |
| Housekeeping |
4/15/2010 |
Hi this is TA calling in from Everest base camp, the sun has just set behind the ridge so the temperature is about to plummet. Im sitting in my nicely reorganized tent, today was a rest and reorganization day after yesterdays big day. I actually had to pull everything out of my tent because I had some water leakage. We are camping on a glacier and when the sun hits it, it makes little rivers or you can get some little melt spots and so my mattress had soaked through. So everything came out, up onto the roof to dry and I took the opportunity when I put everything back in to get it all organized and get mountains of fluff back into large sacks so now I should be set for a while as long as I keep the organization system up. I also tied a new tether for my harness as my jumar tether is a little too short for coming down. The Sherpa teams also had a rest day, except their idea of a rest day involved camp maintenance, moving rocks because again because of the intense sun some rocks get teetery so they have to push them down and move them around, prop up some tents, cover up the ice so it can melt less quickly. So they were hard at work, then this afternoon got some rest. I got a shower in, packed my high altitude meds for when I next head up the mountain. It was a kind of funny day, got down to -14.6C last night, looks like a big storm might be coming in with some snow, waiting to see if that is happening. Sunny and cloudy, sunny and cloudy all day, so when the sun is out we bake and when its cloudy we freeze. We also headed over to the Everest base camp photo exhibited called Rivers of Ice, Vanishing Glaciers of the Greater Himalaya put on by Dave Breashears and the Richard D Bass foundation. It involved photos taken in 2007 and 2008 from the exact spots as archival photographs and you can see the changes in the glaciers due to climate change. Everyone who is anyone at the Everest base camp was there so we made an appearance. It has been a very interesting day, I enjoyed chatting with Ming-mar and Lhak-pa both of whom I worked with at IMG in 2007 and they are over here with Peak Freaks now. Hydrating, hydrating, hydrating, and of course when you do that you then have to dehydrate, dehydrate, dehydrate. So all is well here, tomorrow we will do some hiking
Thanks to School Sports Newfoundland and Labrador for their sponsorship and helping me be here, hope you are all out getting active
Take care, bye
TA
Dont forget you can help support TA by donating to the Everest 2010 Mountain of Learning Award at Memorial University. To donate go to: https://www5.mun.ca/dir/viking.gv020.p001
and be sure type Everest 2010 Mountain of Learning Award in the box
Thanks so much for your support! |
| Great Big DAy |
4/14/2010 |
Hi this is TA calling in from Everest base camp, at 5360m above sea level. We made our first venture into the ice fall today, the day started off pretty cold, with a little bit of snow, but then when the sun got high in the sky it nicely warmed up, by about 11 oclock we just started to bake, it was incredibility hot. The ice fall as I said in my book is a horrible beautiful place. It is one of the most beautiful things I have ever had the privilege of being in, and it is horrible because it is so dangerous. We did see some ice come down around noon in one section of the ice fall and we are just thankful no one was there when it came down. So a big physical day for me we climbed up about 3 hours and 45 minutes worth, had a lunch, and then made my way back down in about an hour and 3 quarters. The pedometer said about 7000 steps, which I think is just a little bit out to lunch so we will go with the estimates that Recreation Newfoundland and Labrador got for the days I was giving, so this was a 5 hour day of intensely up hill walking. I was feeling quite good about it all, I was able to find a pace that worked wonderfully and kept me mostly breathing through my nose and able to enjoy the view. Got a lot of great pictures today, and handed of my camera at some point to Carinas personal Sherpa who was kind enough to take some pictures of me, so that was a real thrill.
Came back and have been hydrating like crazy since, I chose to take about 1 liter up, and of course that is not nearly enough for that kind of activity but we can only carry so much. Been going very cautiously with my quads, as they have been wanting to fire into some pretty bad muscle spasms since I got home. So Ive had some Miso soup and crackers and am trying to ease them off, and Holly if you are out there and have any suggestions on how I might prevent that from happening that would be great, someone can send me a text message to the phone. Tomorrow is a rest day, then the next day we are supposed to go climb Kala Patter, Im thinking that if Im feeling good I might actually do that tomorrow and take a rest day the day after. After that we will probably make our way up to stay at camp one.
I have started to make my way through some of the wonderful notes folks have sent along, I just picked one randomly out of the bag, its from Susan. It says greetings, greatness girl, has it been an amazing day in many ways? Is it very much what you expected? Im sending you physical comfort tonight, may your joints, muscles, tendons, bones, skin, and organs receive this blessing for the healing comfort and peak performance, sorry for the punishment Susan. So thanks for the note, absolute stellar timing, my body has been trough alot today and Im doing well to support it in replenishing both energy and fluids, and im feeling very proud about today, its been a great big day. Saying great big day makes me think of Great Big Sea, which makes me think of all the folks at Applecore Interactive, my good buds Deb and Ville, hey to you guys, and thanks for all of your support over the years and helping me get here, and keeping the communications on the go. And I also want to say a special hello to Michelle Young my tire pulling/training buddy, thanks so much for helping with all of that, I have only had one tire pulling day so far but I expect those will come a little higher up. I love the puffy, its keeping me warm every evening and I much appreciate your generosity it that regard
So thanks to everyone following along, step up to the summit challenge get out there get active with me, climb this mountain
Talk to you tomorrow, bye
TA |
| Many Kinds of Support |
4/13/2010 |
Hi this is just TA calling in from base camp, Marian and Bridget headed out today. I just talked to here on the SAT phone and she is in Loboche making their way out towards Namche. They were lucky enough to get a room in Loboche tonight and I believe they are aiming for Pangboche tomorrow and Namche the day after, Nadia is hanging there in Namche, or at least thats the scoop. Good day here, sad to watch Marian hike out but it was time for her to go and continue with her Nepal adventure and for me to continue with mine. It has been great having her and the trekking teams here, it gave me such a wonderful start to this expedition. From 2007 and 2010 its like night and day, both in my health and in my spirits, and in my connections to my team. Marians position in the tent has been overtaken by Fluff , as I have finally let my down suit out of the compression sack as well as my down parka, I tried to contain one of the big sleeping bags but not too much room here at the Hilton today because of the down.
I am organizing my snacks and my lunch for tomorrow because we are heading up for our first big jaunt into the ice fall. Today we did another big training session, learning more about ascension and repelling and putting all the skills we learned yesterday into use on bigger terrain, using crampons, ice axe, and all that kinda stuff. I am feeling very good and my skills, feeling very efficient with all the devices, carabineers, ascenders, and things like that. So I think all of the practice that I did this winter is going to pay off. I forgot to mention yesterday that the Puja, the blessing ceremony, was very emotional for me. I had a strong sense of my dad being there and I was having the prayer flags that flew over his bed in hospital blessed so that I could fly them here from the tent. So I enjoyed having him surround me with his strength and spirit, and missing him, and appreciating him. Also missing my family, sending my love out to mom and my brother and his kids Rayne and Zander, his wife Shawn, and to all of you who are doing such a good job of loving me and supporting me from afar, I feel it and it is great to have you on board.
I want to say a special thanks to one of my sponsors Allied Heath Services, recognizing that I am here healthy, and well trained, not over trained. I really appreciate their support in getting me ready and all set up in terms of nutrition, body care, and therapeutic stuff that they helped me out with. So feeling in very good stead, tomorrow the climbing begins, so I will close out for now. I did about 5000 steps today in and around base camp and the icefall, we where out for about 5 hours, hope you are out there stepping up to the summit challenge with Recreation Newfoundland and Labrador
Take care, bye
TA
Remember as TA heads up Mount Everest you too can be involved by taking part in Recreation Newfoundland & Labradors Step Up to the Summit Challenge. The challenge begins March 18th and continues through May 31st. RNLs Small Steps, Big Results website allows individuals and teams to track a wide variety of physical activity by converting all to a number of steps. Sign up your team for the challenge today at http://www.recreationnl.com/smallstepsbigresults |
| Puja |
4/12/2010 |
Hi this is TA and Marian calling in from the Everest Hilton once again. Marian is packing and I dont like that one iota. She is heading out with Bridget in the morning to start heading back to Namche and Lukla, etc. We have had quite the full and interesting day here today at Everest base camp. We had our Puja right after breakfast, definitely the most exciting Puja I have ever been through, having had a smidge to much Chang, which is the rice wine they give you at the Puja. The Lama who did the blessing was the same one that has done all of my other Himalayan blessings, so it was good to see him again. We ate Sampa cake which is made from the buckwheat flour, we smeared flour on each others faces and wished each other good luck, long life, may we all reach the summit. We raised the Puja pole where the five strand prayer flags fly out over our tents, and now that they are flying it means that both our Sherpa team and us as climbers can start to venture into the ice fall which we will do somewhat tomorrow. We got to spend part of the afternoon once we had recovered from the Puja practicing with our ascending rigs, practicing ascending as well as repelling, and getting everyone on the same page in terms of the safety systems we will use. We continue to hear rock falls and avalanches as they come down around us, fortunately our tents is in such a situation that we can just watch them with wonder and be amazed at the sound that they make. It is almost time for the resting at base camp to come to an end and move on. One of the highlights of the day was giving out the RJG t-shirts that my sponsor sent up to all of the Sherpa staff and turns out yellow was the most favorite color. Tim gave out the Peak Freaks t-shirts at the same time so it was very celebratory at the end of the Puja to see the staff running around in either the brown Peak Freaks t-shirts or the yellow, blue or white RJG Construction t-shirts. So thanks again to Robert Giovanni at RJG Construction for both his support of me and the gifts he gave to the staff up here. I have to go and hydrate and dehydrate again because Im still recovering from the Puja
So catch you from tomorrow.
For those of you who have the SAT phone number just so you know we are switching phone numbers so Marian will have the phone I had and she will have mine.
Thanks, bye
TA |
| Training |
4/11/2010 |
Hi this is TA and Marian calling in from the Everest base camp Hilton. It is our usual lets go get in the sleeping bags before dinner kinda of day, and call in an update time. We had a very productive day here at Peak Freaks base camp, we spent the morning getting all our mountain food organized, getting it all arranged. We have a variety of chesses, crackers, salami, roman noodles, boil in a bag entrees for dinners, chocolate bars, and other assorted things, and of course I brought in a bunch of my own food supplies so I am feeling very rich in the food department at the moment. Then this afternoon we worked on our rigs for ascending the fixed lines and keeping ourselves safe on the mountain as well as reviewing the routes and we had our first lesson with the oxygen system. So Im sure heads all over camp are swimming with information, possibilities, and probably lots of feeling of fear and trepidation as well. Tim has been very serious with us about the seriousness of the undertaking we are about to embark on, at camp two at the moment there are some body parts of climbers who did not make it. Showing differently this year then in the past because of low snow and he is encouraging us to go visit one particular body on the South Col to remind us how serious this is because we all have loved ones to come home to. So we are training hard, practicing hard, so that when we get up there we will keep ourselves safe. Flat Stanley is in his sleeping bag with us as well so he is pretty comfy, and he is learning a lot of things here at Everest base camp. The trekkers should be hitting Namche today, and the Island Peak climbers should be at their base camp, and Marian and Bridget will probably be heading out on Tuesday so its all sort of people going upwards, and downwards. Its starting to look like maybe on Tuesday we will venture into the ice fall, as see if we cant make it through to camp one by the end of next week. Thats the update from here, hope you are all keeping warm, we went down to -11C in our tent here last night so we are looking forward to the days getting longer and warmer.
Thanks and have a great day
TA |
| Another Base Camp Day |
4/10/2010 |
This update is being brought to you by RJG Construction proud sponsor of TAs Everest 2010 expedition.
Hi this is TA and Marian calling in from Everest base camp at about 5300m above sea level. We are in the tent at the moment trying to do some technical trouble shooting with my new phone. On one of my rest days I will try to get all the systems working, but Im glad I have audio blog.com with Earl as backup making things pretty easy and simple for me. Another rest day here at Everest base camp, Marian and I took a walk about this morning, walked around base camp and figured out where all the various outfitters are located. Visited Everest ER where I got to see Luanne Freer, who started the Everest base camp medical clinic. I met her in 2002 and again in 2007, congratulations to her as she got married here yesterday at base camp. Great to see her again and see her actually completely healthy so that was a wonderful little stop in. Then we came back here and had a wonderful lunch, we are sort of just settling into the hurry up and wait life of base camp. We may do a little training tomorrow, I will actually have to find all my climbing gear amongst all the duffels that have been living in pack-vile. Flat Stanly has been very snug in his sleeping bag here in the wonderful Mountain Hardware tent, and things are going pretty well. We are still being humble by the altitude all of us, as we forget and get weak knees or get dizzy, when we bend over or stand up and almost fall down, but pretty quickly you get the feedback that if you try to move faster then a snails pace that you are living on half as much oxygen here at base camp as you are at sea level. The island peak crew headed out today towards Pareshaya to start their climb, and I imagine our Newfoundland trekkers are hitting Namche Bazaar today and enjoying all of the perks of city life. Here we are enjoying the wonderful camaraderie, looking forward to going to the ice fall through we hear it is not in the best of shape just yet. So we are not in a big hurry to get into the area that the ice fall doctors are trying to work their way around. No steps again today other then the 45 minutes of walking, which I have to admit I forgot to put the pedometer on so my apologies for that. But still get out and start stepping and we will talk to you tomorrow.
Thanks
TA |
| Everest Hilton |
4/9/2010 |
Hi this is TA and Marian calling in our update again from Everest base camp. We are hanging here in our Everest Hilton thanks to the Prith family, my brothers good friends we have a wonderful Everest abode. We are just at that transition point when we are about to loose the sun and the temperature is about to plummet. Here at Everest base camp we are Corning Wear we go from the freezer into the oven, and then back into the freezer again. Temperatures in the tent last night dipped to -5.6C, not too bad, and then at some point today during the peak of the day it was up to 56C in the top of the tent, and now its beginning to do its plummet towards freezing again. The pedometer registered no steps today because this was a rest day, the first in 13 days. Did a little engineering with the rocks around the tent, creating a little platform and vestibule where we get in and out. Redirecting some water because already the glacier is in the heat of the day giving off little rivers, so we need to direct them around our tents. We are camped right on the glacier so you can hear the ice especially in the middle of the night grinding and crunching as we move anywhere from a millimeter to a centimeter downhill each day. We also hear snow avalanches, rock avalanches so it is quite the cacophony. The other thing that we heard today was much drumming as we are centered kind of near the icefall, surrounded by other expeditions having their Puja Ceremonies. So we heard chanting and cheers and much much drumming, we look forward to our Puja on Monday. So today is a day of rest, a wonderful shower and some reading and even a little nap so we are all continuing to settle in trying not to burn ourselves to a crisp in the high altitude sun. Just thinking of all of you, the Newfoundland trekkers will be heading out, they will be spending the night in Periche tonight. Got the big Newfoundland flag on the side of the tent, I hear that John Truno the second Newfoundlander to summit Everest is here again as is Al Hancock the first Newfoundlander to summit Everest. So three Newfoundlanders here at base camp, it should be an exciting time.
Take care, talk to you tomorrow
TA |
| Everest Base Camp AKA Gong Show |
4/8/2010 |
Hi this is TA and Marian calling in from my very own base camp tent, here at Everest base camp located very close to the Khumbu Ice fall in the Peak Freaks base camp at about 5340m. It has been a heck of a day, a big arduous walk for many, got in about midday, got tents set up, got some lunch from our amazing kitchen crew. You should see our amazing Sherpa staff, they are absolutely amazing in all the work they have done to transform the glacier into our home for the next two months. Some of the stone work, they have leveled platforms, the kitchen tent is absolutely amazing, we are marveling at their work, and humbled by their strength. Pretty excited to be here, big smiles all round as people realized their goal of getting to base camp as trekkers or getting to base camp to begin the climb as climbers, so big day, exciting day. 20 187 steps for me on the pedometer, about 3 hours of walking for the front end of the line about 5 hours of walking for the end of the line. Arduous day, gained some elevation coming in after a bunch of big trekking day in a row, I think it is about 13 for Marian and I, so well deserved rest here. At the monument Im calling our tent the Gong Show in honor of my brother as we have all of us, plus all our gear in a 2 person tent, so it has been a fun time trying to get it all sorted. Thrilled to be here, feeling strong, managed to achieve goal number 1, which was to get to base camp healthy and strong, excited for a couple days rest and then the adventure continues. Love to everyone in Newfoundland from he Newfoundland crew, I took a bunch of pictures to celebrate our achievement of getting here. We will get you more info on how it is all going to unfold in the next few days. Thanks and have a great day, and dont forget to Step Up to the Summit Challenge with the Recreation Newfoundland and Labrador website. Sign up your team for the challenge today at http://www.recreationnl.com/smallstepsbigresults. Get out there, get active, take some steps, and get out there and climb the mountain with me and the Peak Freaks crew.
Take care
TA
Dont forget you can help support TA by donating to the Everest 2010 Mountain of Learning Award at Memorial University. To donate go to: https://www5.mun.ca/dir/viking.gv020.p001
and be sure type Everest 2010 Mountain of Learning Award in the box
Thanks so much for your support! |
| Loboche |
4/7/2010 |
Hi this is TA and Marian sitting on a rock above the village of Loboche at about 4910m. We just came down form a wonderful little acclimatization jaunt up the ridge behind Loboche, just to gain a little extra elevation for the day. We were rewarded with our own personal views of Pumori, the ridge that I climb back in 2008, and wonderful views looking across to Nuptse and the western shoulder of Everest. We wont be able to see the summit pyramid of Everest until we are almost on Kala Patthar or almost up to Pumori. But we could pick out where base camp is and we are pretty excited because we will be heading there tomorrow. It was a 3 hour walk up here today from Dingboche. People are feeling the latitude a little bit, others are doing fine, we are all trying to remember to breath deep and drink lots. We are doing our best to stay healthy but there seems to be a little bit of a bug going through the group, causing some expulsion, and then of course and day of not wanting to eat very much. People working hard to get here and we will all be glad to arrive at EBC, Everest base camp.
Thanks again for tuning in. Thanks to the folks at the Newfoundland and Labrador Credit Union for coming on board as a sponsor
I did 17 859 steps today about 3 hours of walking and about 300m in elevation gain.
Thanks and have a great day
TA
Remember as TA heads up Mount Everest you too can be involved by taking part in Recreation Newfoundland & Labradors Step Up to the Summit Challenge. The challenge begins March 18th and continues through May 31st. RNLs Small Steps, Big Results website allows individuals and teams to track a wide variety of physical activity by converting all to a number of steps. Sign up your team for the challenge today at http://www.recreationnl.com/smallstepsbigresults. |
| Blogs and Blogs |
4/6/2010 |
Hi this is TA calling in from Dingboche again from the family lodge. We are back down from our acclimatization climb to Nangkar Tshang Peak at about 5100 metres. Great day, it has really showed me how far I have come since I was here in 2007. When already I was lagging a bit and dealing with some GI issues while I was here. Today felt like my easiest ascent of my three of Nangkar Tshang Peak ascents, I climbed it in 2008 with Tim on our way to Pumori, and I used it in 2007 as my test to see if I would be able to remain on my expedition. At that point (in 2007) I crawled, climbed, and willed my way up and looking at myself on the summit that day I realized that my resiliency was gone and it was time to call it. So its wonderful to be up there today, strong, centred, and I really feel like getting up there today was a piece of cake, so knock on wood it all continues.
Jacintia had a great climb up there today, Natelle had a gutsy climb as she was battling a bit of an altitude headache but she is now on the mend. Nadia, didnt climb today, until late in the afternoon she went up the ridge as her headache cleared so that is good news, and Marian was a trooper and cruised right up as well. So the Newfoundland team is making there way. It was about a 700m climb, it was great to have the whole team up there it was a sunny morning and we enjoyed the wonderful views. I realized from yesterday with Lama Geshi that I had wanted to share the mantra that he had given us which was: Give up all intention to harm others from your heart, do your best to benefit them all, if each and everyone feels the universal responsibility to do so, we will all enjoy the peace of peace. Speaking of hearts, there was a heart rock that I actually took a picture of in 2007 it was still there beside the trail today and I held it up and hadMarian took a picture to remind me of Junko Tabeis quote which I cant pull off by memory right now. But basically she says that the will to climb everest comes from your heart, so I took the picture today to remind me of that.
I wanted to say that Tim has been getting photos out to Becky so if you wanted to see some photos of what we have been up to, you can visit the peak freaks website. Also the other women on my team, its wonderful to have two other women, are also blogging from the mountain. One is Lucilles blog which is www.myfriendlucille.blogspot.com and the other is Carinas blog, she is hoping to be the first Finish women to summit Everest, hers is www.carinaraiha.com. So if you want some different perspectives I know Lucilles blog has the report from the SPOT tracking everyday, and I know Carina has been working hard to get off some photos. For this attempt I decided to go simple with the audio blogs, that Earl has been good enough to transcribe for those of you who like to see them typed. So I could leave the big complicated paraphernalia at home and truly focus on being here in each moment. So you are stuck with my audio voice, which of course is different from my speaking voice, which is different from my handwritten or typed voice. So I guess I might have to turn this all into a book again when Im done
So that is the report here today form Dingboche as we head further up valley
Talk to you tomorrow
Thanks bye
TA
The pedometer read 10 187 steps today, which was 3 hours of walking on both the ascent and descent, seems a little lite to me but thats ok. I also wanted to say that I took the Applecore flag to the summit of Nangkar Tshang. Its a new flag for us so its the highest that that particular flag has ever flown. So special thanks out to Applecore Interactive for their work with my website and for administering the communications aspects of my expeditions and also helping me find sponsors so that I could be here doing my lifes dream so thanks to Deb and Vill. |
| Happy Easter Boxing Day |
4/5/2010 |
Hi this is TA calling in from Dingboche at 4310 metres, its great to be here. We began our day at Pangboche with a blessing from Lama Geshi, and as was my experience with him 18 months ago, it was very profound. He gave us a card that can part avalanches and to show our respect for the mountain, and protection cords and a blessing and Katas. It was an absolute time, Marian said that by having had the opportunity to meet Lama Geshi her trip is made and everything else is bonus. Natelle says hi to her mom and dad and Bethany, and everyone else who is following her trip. Jacintia is doing well making it up the hills. Nadia is doing her part taking all the AMS for the group. She is not feeling so well today which is common when we move to a new elevation, we all feel it. Howver, today is Nadias day, so we are all taking good care of her, getting her to drink and hopefully her little AMS headache will pass soon, but she is in very good hands. Our walk today was about 3 hours or so, I did 15 597 steps according to my pedometer, and we gained approximately 600 metres. Its great to be here, we will be here for 2 nights acclimatizing. We have left the tress behind; we traded the taller pines of Pangboche for little shrubs and bushes. We came across fields being planted with potatoes, folks spreading manure on the fields as fertilizer and throwing, pitching the potatoes in and using an axe to plow them in. The stone work here creating these fields is an absolute wonder. Thats it from here today, hope you are all doing well. Thanks again to RJG Construction for making it possible to get these update out to you all. And happy Easter boxing day
TA |
| Peeps with my Peeps |
4/4/2010 |
This update is brought to you by RJG Construction
Hi this is TA calling in from Pangboche 3930 metres above sea level. Another amazing day here in Nepal, but first I would like to say happy Easter to all and special thanks to my buddy Karen for sending in Easter treats; we loved the Peeps, and sharing the chocolate Easter egg. At our guest house tonight our pillow cases even have Easter bunnies on them so it is Easter all around. Also I would like to say a big happy birthday to Jacintias niece Katy, so happy birthday from the Newfoundland trekking team. We began our day in Namche Bazaar, with a wonderful blessing by a Lama that was sponsored and arranged by our inn keeper there at the Jamling Inn. The trekkers got to watch which was great because they wont see our blessing ceremony tomorrow. We all received protection cords, it happened in our Gompa. Which is our bedroom, and is also the prayer hall in the tea house and it was an absolutely marvelous time, with the energy in there as I said yesterday. So we where blessed there and we will be blessed again tomorrow by Lama Geshi
Then the big contour around from Namche, then the big descent down to Phunki Thanga where we had our lunch and then the big walk up the Tengboche hill. Again I had my best ascent of that hill, went from bottom to top in about and hour and a half, about 600 metres up in about the same time it would take me to hike 4 Sinal Hills, so very pleased with that. Some stomach stuff going through the group, knock on wood so far I am doing all right. The trekking team is in Tengboche, or actually just down the hill form Tengboche in Dingboche for the night. We will meet up again tomorrow at lunch and reunite for walking into Dingboche.
So far all systems go, feeling good, acclimatizing well thus far. We will have a big jump tomorrow, tonight was a jump in sleeping altitude so hopefully everyone gets a good nights rest, and those that are battling stomach bugs can get rid of them. Hope your having a great day, a great Easter, hope the Easter bunny was kind in leaving lots of chocolate all around I know he reached me here.
Thanks so much
Bye TA
I did 28 868 steps today, we gained 840 metres in elevation and then lost and 350 over the course of about 10km. So hope you are getting out and getting active this Easter Sunday.
Remember as TA heads up Mount Everest you too can be involved by taking part in Recreation Newfoundland & Labradors Step Up to the Summit Challenge. The challenge begins March 18th and continues through May 31st. RNLs Small Steps, Big Results website allows individuals and teams to track a wide variety of physical activity by converting all to a number of steps. Sign up your team for the challenge today at http://www.recreationnl.com/smallstepsbigresults. |
| Zopkios Keep Right |
4/3/2010 |
This update is brought to you by RJG Construction
Hi this is TA calling in from my favorite high perch atop Namche Bazaar looking across at some alpenglow is beginning to form on the snowcapped peaks across the horizon. The sun is getting ready to set on another wonderful day here in Nepal, today was an acclimatization hike day, up to Kunde and Khumjung. Kunde is the location of the local hospital here, it was funded by the Hillary trust and some Canadian NGOs as was the school in Khumjung. We paid a visit to both and of course had to stop in at the bakery. Ang Nima, who is one of the top staff members here welcomed us into his home and his wife cooked us a wonderful lunch and they presented us with cords blessed in India by some high lamas for protection as well as sending us off with Katas around our necks. Flat Stanley got his own Kata around his neck and also spun his first prayer wheel. Whenever you come up to a monastery there will be a bank of prayer wheels, you keep to the left and spin each wheel with your right hand. So we did a circuit around both the monastery here in Namche, and in Khumjung, and Kunde. So lots of rotating prayers where said by all
Earl reminded me that I havent been as good at calling off my steps of late. Today the pedometer read 19776, yesterday 17897, and the day before 24807, for 4.5 hours, 4 hours and 4 hours of walking respectively. So still a little but suspect, I tried putting it on my hip this morning as I walked over to the Saturday market here in Namche. Which is actually called Namche Bazaar, it is the commercial centre for this valley. Traders come from all over to bring their produce and goods here, and people come down from all over, so we wandered down there early this morning before our hike. A just the little hike from the guest house over to there yielded 2000 steps, that was with the pedometer on my hip I usually wear it on my pant leg. Today I tried it on a pocket and almost lost the pedometer when two Zopkios decided to lock horns right in front of us. That was kind of terrifying as some of our members almost got in the fray but fortunately they were able to climb up on a Mani stone and get out of the way, so excitement not on the mountain but just on the trails in Namche. For those of you who dont know a Zopkios is a yak crossed with a cow. Why would you do such a thing? Well yaks dont do well below Namche Bazaar but if you cross them with a cow they are able to go down valley further and be a beast of burden. So stay away from Zopkios and always keep to the inside of the trail when passing Zopkios or yaks because even though they look cuddly they are not.
TA signing out from Namche Bazaar, have a great evening, get out there and do those steps
Thanks for following along
TA.
Dont forget you can help support TA by donating to the Everest 2010 Mountain of Learning Award at Memorial University. To donate go to: https://www5.mun.ca/dir/viking.gv020.p001
and be sure type Everest 2010 Mountain of Learning Award in the box
Thanks so much for your support! |
| With Altitude Comes Clarity |
4/2/2010 |
Hi this is TA calling in from my favorite perch on top of the Jamling guest house here in Namche Bazaar at 3440 metres. We have had the most wonderful walk up here today, probably my best ever, we just took it super easy, and everybody got here in very very fine form. All the Newfoundland crew is doing fabulous and sending their love to all of you who are following along. We are all housed together tonight all five of us in the Gompa room, which is the prayer room. Its rather like the prayer hall of the monastery next door to the Jamling inn, a very special place to stay, we can tell there is an amazing energy in the room from folks meditating and praying.
So a really marvelous welcoming for me back here to Namche and for my overall sense of the expedition. My Buddhist mentor Susan once said that she wanted me to do a month long meditation retreat before I come back to Everest; she thought that would be very helpful. Of all the training I did, all the things that everyone could come up with, it was the one I wasnt able to fit in schedule wise. So I have made the commitment to her and to myself, and it was reaffirmed today as I walked up the Namche hill, that I will look at this whole expedition as a meditation retreat. Knowing that in some ways the bulk of the expedition will be learning to work with my mind in the environment of intensity that is and Everest expedition.
We spun many prayer wheels today as we came in to Namche, and as I took each step and spun each prayer wheel my thoughts were of power, strength, and clarity. That clarity was the commitment to look at this expedition as a meditation retreat, and in some ways the real reason I wanted to come back to Everest was to have a better state of mind. I think, I got to a ruff start last time with both illness and different things so I wanted to just come in and have a sense that Im at least on track so far with a great sense of relaxation. An aboriginal man that I meet several times on Signal Hill, sent me off with the thought of: enjoy your time, relax the mind, feel the power, and work with yourself. So as Ive come back into the wonderful centre of Sherpa life which is the doorstep of every Everest expedition, thats what Im thinking about, working with myself, and relaxing my mind?
Greetings to all, it is all going well. Thanks again for following along
TA
This Update has been brought to you by AppleCore Interactive, proud sponsor of TAs Everest 2010 expedition. |
| Old Home Day |
4/1/2010 |
Hi this is TA and Marian calling in from the village of Monju at 2800 metres. It has been the most exciting day, starting with the team flying into Lukla from Kathmandu. Seeing Jacintia, Natelle, and Nadia step off the plan and waving at them across the fence at Hillary Tenzing airport in Lukla. Also seeing Al Hancock come out of an airplane, he was the first Newfoundlander to summit Mount Everest he is climbing again with IMG. Also Phil Erscheler who I did an Elbrus attempt with in 2006, he is trekking in to celebrate the 25th anniversary of his summit. So it was old home day at Lukla today at our guest house, it was fun to see everyone.
Got everything all organized got some breakfast and headed out, we trekked for about 4 hours today coming from Lukla to Monju, havinf lunch at Phakding. So getting everybody settled in, we are a big group with a bunch of Everest climbers, a bunch of trekkers, and a bunch of island peak climbers. So it is an exciting day to get everyone here and get everyone moving uphill. We are in good shape for our trip up to Namche tomorrow.
Pedometer says 24 162 steps today and 22 000 yesterday. Jacintia and I are both wondering if those numbers are a little low for 4 hours of walking, but none the less Im hoping you are getting out and doing some walking, gardening, snow shoveling, or whatever activity it is that makes you happy and gets you physically active.
Thinking about all of you, wherever it is you are tuning in.
Talk to you again tomorrow, thanks
TA
Dont forget you can help support TA by donating to the Everest 2010 Mountain of Learning Award at Memorial University. To donate go to: https://www5.mun.ca/dir/viking.gv020.p001
and be sure type Everest 2010 Mountain of Learning Award in the box
Thanks so much for your support! |
| Lukla |
3/31/2010 |
This update is brought to you by RJG Construction
Hi this is TA and Marian calling in from the village of Lukla. We are just sitting here watching the thunderheads gather in the valley below. Looks like we will have another big thunderstorm night, which will hopefully clear the air so that the rest of our expedition and trekking teams can get in from Kathmandu tomorrow. We are sitting across from the departures gates at the Sherpas coffee house inn, hoping that we will have folks to walk uphill with tomorrow.
We journeyed over from Puyian where we spent the night which is actually at 3900 metres, with Pemba Sherpa. We continued to have the most wonderful time with her, sharing pictures, she showed us pictures of her kids, learning about her life in the winter time, talking about snowshoes and actually finding a picture of snowshoes for her to see what we where talking about, so we had an absolutely magical day there.
A fine walk in here this morning dropping about 800 metres to Surkhe, and then climbing the 600 or 700 metres up here to Lukla, only two more big descents to go before we only walk uphill. Got in here about midday, enjoying the sights in Lukla and looking forward to the team being here and heading up to higher ground, and the adventures that will bring.
Lots of kids portering today which had me thinking about Rayne and Zander and wondering about how there lives would be different if they were here in Napal. defiantly a much more physical lifestyle for children here. Also saw women who appear to be grandmothers carrying large loads of greenery for the livestock and my thoughts went to Oma, and knowing the she actually had a very physical life in all its iterations, and Im thinking about how Im dedicating my efforts to her.
So sending our regards out to all of you thanks for following along and thanks to Earl for making that possible
We will catch you up along
Take care, bye
TA |
| Raindrops and Footsteps |
3/30/2010 |
Hi this is TA and Marian calling in from the village of Puyian at 2900 metres above sea level. We didnt think that we would be here for the night but this wonderful inn keeper called us in out of the rain and sat us beside her fire and we just couldnt leave after that. We have had a wonderful afternoon, being nice and warm and dry, enjoying her company, learning her Nepalese word for thunder and lightning. We were actually having a thunder and lightning storm this afternoon, but now we are enjoying a view of the mountains as it clears after the storm, with some fresh snow up at about 3600 or 4000 metres or so. Great day we gained about 890 metres, didnt descend very much today so it was great to have gained it and kept it, about 3 hours and a bit of walking about 20 000 steps worth. We are just really enjoying life on this part of the trial we know that after tomorrow things will get a lot more crowd. So right now we are enjoying the quiet and enjoying Depauns (guide) company, had a great time showing him pictures of my family and of climbing on the ipod
Have a great day, and we will catch you tomorrow most likely from Lukla
TA
Remember as TA heads up Mount Everest you too can be involved by taking part in Recreation Newfoundland & Labradors Step Up to the Summit Challenge. The challenge begins March 18th and continues through May 31st. RNLs Small Steps, Big Results website allows individuals and teams to track a wide variety of physical activity by converting all to a number of steps. Sign up your team for the challenge today at http://www.recreationnl.com/smallstepsbigresults.
Also, big thanks to AppleCore Interactive for helping make these updates possible. |
| Good Morning Nepal |
3/29/2010 |
Hi this is TA calling in from the Gumpa at Bouksa at 2340 metres, I couldnt get a signal last night to call in the update so Im calling in this morning. We jus climbed up form the viliage of Kharikhola, were we spent the night. It took us about 5 hours, and about 38 000 steps to get there. We had a great day, gained about 800 metres in elevation over the course of the day and then lost about 1400 metres. So it was a downer day for elevation but we will gain it all back and then lose much of it again today as we travel the up and down route. But it gives us lots of opportunity to developed great leg strength. Lots of baby animals along the trail yesterday, baby goats, baby chicks running around, and lots of greenery, there is a real sense of Spring having come to this part of the Himalaya. A wonderful day to get out walking and it is defiantly warmer when you get into the 2000 metre elevation range, and a little cooler when we hit the 28s and 29s. Looking forward to today, I will catch you from tonight.
Thanks, have a great day
TA
Dont forget you can help support TA by donating to the Everest 2010 Mountain of Learning Award at Memorial University. To donate go to: https://www5.mun.ca/dir/viking.gv020.p001
and be sure type Everest 2010 Mountain of Learning Award in the box
Thanks so much for your support! |
| Life is Good |
3/28/2010 |
Hi this is TA calling in from the village of Ringmo at 2730 metres. We have had a great day here in the Solu region of Nepal, we trekked about 17 kms, gained about 760 metres elevation, but only actually ending up about 50 metres higher then yesterday. Its kinda been a bit of up and down, gain some elevation, lose some elevation, gain elevation. I was actually thinking of my friends Eric Larsen and Anthony Jiman. I read the other day that on their North Pole quest they cross the 85th parallel 5 times already because of negative drift. So we where thinking of them today as we walked up one ridge, and down another, and up one ridge, and down the next, its a great climb high sleep low kind of day.
We are doing great, visited a wonderful monastery just north of Junbesi that houses about 500 monks, and then had lunch in a tea house, and started the trek here over to Ringmo. Along the way Flat Stanley got to cross his first suspension bridge, so that was an exciting time, got some great pictures to send back to his class of his first suspension bridge. We climbed up through some apple orchids, and many rhododendron blossoms, its an absolutely lovely time to be here in Napal. Im standing here watching a vertical prayer flag trail in the wind, the full moon has just come out from behind a cloud, so life is good.
I walked about 35 000 steps or so. I think yesterday I may not have had the pedometer in a good spot, so 5 hours of walking. So we are just checking in, I wanted to say a big thanks to Earl Walker our communications manager who is transcribing and posting these audio blogs so that you all can follow along.
Also, another big thank you to AppleCore Interactive for all of their support.
Thanks so much for following along. Catch you tomorrow
TA
Dont forget you can help support TA by donating to the Everest 2010 Mountain of Learning Award at Memorial University. To donate go to: https://www5.mun.ca/dir/viking.gv020.p001
and be sure type Everest 2010 Mountain of Learning Award in the box
Thanks so much for your support! |
| The Freshness of it All |
3/27/2010 |
Hi this is TA calling in from the village of Junbesi at 2670 metres. We got out of Kathmandu today, after a few more hours of delay we flew to Phaplu or Pa-Plu as I am supposed to say it.
It was a pretty interesting, entertaining, bumpy ride with a big hairpin turn to the dirt landing strip. We met our guide come porter there; it was a relief to have him greet us. We saddled up and hit the trails pretty quickly because we had gotten in a little later then planed, and began our walk up to Junbesi.
Walked about three hours and gained a few hundred metres and saw some of the most wonderful country side. For the first time ever in Nepal we shared the walking trail with no other westerners as we walked. It was pretty quiet on this section of trail; its a new section for me so it was lovely to get to see some new sights and to be reminded of the freshness of it all. There were new cavs, new puppies, and new spring wheat all around us on the terraced agricultural land, as we went through a couple of villages and walked along the Junbesi cola, the river there and came up through this wonderful valley.
It was great to get on the trail, we are stretching our legs I got my 15 kgs on my back which is good for work hardening as we make our way. Marian is doing great. We had a wonderful visit to the Junbesi monastery, which was originally built in 1634. We managed to meet the tea man as he calls himself, he allowed us into the prayer hall and he introduced us to the Buddhist sanctuary there. I showed him my protection cord from the Karmapa, he took us upstairs and showed us a picture of the Karmapa. So we had a wonderful connection with him and he presented us with Katas of welcome to his monastery.
We had a wonderful day, its great to be walking the movement is helpful. My pedometer said about 15 000 steps today, Im not sure if that right on or not but I know that my wonderful people at recreation Newfoundland and Labrador will take a peak at the chart they made and see if that makes sense, hope folks got out walking.
I want to say a special hello to the students in madam Edwards class at CC Loughlin school in Cornerbrook Newfoundland. Flat Stanley had a great flight on the Twin Otter, we had him out and he took some pictures. Hes thrilled to be on the trek and we are thinking of you as we walk along.
Another big thank you to RJG Construction who have actually provided me with a new SAT phone for this expedition on which Im calling in these updates, I really appreciate their sponsorship and support of the expedition and help with communications technology.
Hope your having a great day
Thanks so much. Talk to you soon
TA |
| Hurry Up and Wait |
3/26/2010 |
Hi this is TA calling in from the rooftop of the Nirvana Garden Hotel in Kathmandu. Unfortunately due to flights being canceled over the last few days to Lukla they diverted our airplane from Phaplu to fly to Lukla, which meant we had an interesting, exciting, engaging morning watching people at the domestic airport in Kathmandu, and unfortunately didnt get to fly.
So we will try again tomorrow, to try to get out to Phaplu to begin walking. The delay means that we have a little more time around Karnel and we can get a little more settled into our Nepal life and listen to the cacophony of car horns, and construction as they are building a new guest house next to the Nirvana. We will make our way around the crazy chaos of motorcycles, cars, tourists and folks on the street.
I took Marian down to Durbar Square, so we are settling nicely into Nepal life, which can sometimes be hurry up and wait, hurry up and wait, but we will see what tomorrow brings. Im thinking that if we cant get out to Phaplu tomorrow we will probably just travel with the team, so we may come up with a trekking plan for the Kathmundu valley or whatever else Raj can come up with for us to do.
So alls well here, getting sorted in terms of the time zone and got our gear all sorted away. We came in so organized because we knew we would be heading out so thats a wonderful thing. Just wanted you all to know that we are settling in, thinking about you and hoping you had a great day.
In my walking today I did 6872 steps around Kathmandu, hope you are stepping up to the summit challenge and logging all that great physical activity.
Thanks
Have a great day
TA
Remember as TA heads up Mount Everest you too can be involved by taking part in Recreation Newfoundland & Labradors Step Up to the Summit Challenge. The challenge begins March 18th and continues through May 31st. RNLs Small Steps, Big Results website allows individuals and teams to track a wide variety of physical activity by converting all to a number of steps. Sign up your team for the challenge today at http://www.recreationnl.com/smallstepsbigresults.
Also, big thanks to RJG Construction for helping make these updates possible. |
| Kathmandu, How Are You? |
3/25/2010 |
Hi this is TA and Marian calling in from the rooftop of the Nirvana Guest Hotel in Kathmandu, we had a long day of flights and now we are getting settled in and testing out the new SAT phone.
So howdy from Nepal, got to go find some more air time, but catch you soon!
Bye
TA
Remember as TA heads up Mount Everest you too can be involved by taking part in Recreation Newfoundland & Labradors Step Up to the Summit Challenge. The challenge begins March 18th and continues through May 31st. RNLs Small Steps, Big Results website allows individuals and teams to track a wide variety of physical activity by converting all to a number of steps. Sign up your team for the challenge today at http://www.recreationnl.com/smallstepsbigresults.
Also, big thanks to AppleCore Interactive for helping make these updates possible. |
| A Collective Everest |
3/23/2010 |
Happy Everest Eve,
There are no more doors on the Everest Advent Calendar and the bags are packed. I have a few more loose ends to tie up in the morning and then time to jump on the plane for Nepal (via a few stops along the way). We arrive in Nepal Thursday morning and start trekking on Friday. Marian and I are starting in Phaplu and trekking up to Lukla where we will meet the rest of the team. Ill begin daily updates from Nepal.
We had a fine send off on Signal Hill on Saturday. As Michelle, Natelle, and I pulled our tires up five times, we were joined by Jacinta who took on a tire for the first time. Lots of others came out to hike the hill once or three times, some drove up and honked, and one long time reader of my blog came out to meet and greet and even offered us a ride down. Mary and Michelle even delivered special drawings from Abigail, their daughter/granddaughter near the top of pull number four. Heather made her 200th climb of Signal Hill on Saturdayshed passed up several fine weather days to reach her milestone climb on the special send-off day.
In all, I counted well over sixty Signal Hill ascents by the collective group. Some will know that sixty Signal Hills equal the height of Mount Everest so I thought it was pretty special that we achieved a collective Everest that day. After we finished our ten ascents, Earl and his mom were waiting at the top with a Vanilla Dip angel food cake (possibly even more of a religious experience than the donut version). Deb and Wilma joined us for the top out celebration. Thanks to Deb, Gail, Leslie, Bethany, Tina, et al who drove us down the hill in between repeats. Heres a link to photos of the send-off:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=401008&id=509940550&l=473ed509d7
As I head off to my second climb of Mount Everest, I am well aware that my climb too has been and will be a collective effort. There are many people to thank now for their contributions to my training and fundraising efforts and there will be many people to thank when I return from the mountain especially the sherpa and western staff who will work so hard to make the climb possible.
So, I apologize in advance if I miss anyoneI know by naming names I am bound to leave someone out
Thanks to:
Oma for the inspiration and courage to go back
Mom for the courage to go on
Dad for his strength and belief in me
Mike and Shawn for unwavering support
Rayne and Xander for mermaids and astronauts
Marian for kindling the fire of my dreams
The Trekking Teams (Marian, Natelle, Nadia, Jacinta, & Leslie and Dan) for sharing the trail and the adventure
Michelle and Phil for pushing me hard in training both with TRXs and tires
Janice at Core Insight for putting humpty dumpty together again and again (though no last minute injuries this time)
Deborah and Wilma for being my first and foremost mentors and sponsors
AppleCore Interactive for my website, sponsorship package, and school curriculum makeover
RJG Construction for helping me have the tools I need
Allied Health Services for assisting me in training hard and staying healthy (Amy, Holly, Mike, Todd)
Newfoundland and Labrador Credit Union for their support and for hosting a Vanilla Dip Day during the climb
School Sports Newfoundland and Labrador for jumping on board late in the game
And to the many of you who reached into your own pockets to donate, purchase books or toques to help me get to the mountain
Colleagues and friends at the School of Human Kinetics and Recreation at Memorial University for helping me plan my training and for encouragement throughout
Special thanks to Fabien Basset for his expertise in hypoxic training and Tim for watching over my training sessions
and YOU who cheer me on, follow my adventures, and go after your own dreams whatever they may be.
Catch you next from Nepal!
With gratitude,
TA
PS: Ways and places to follow the expedition (bookmark these now so you can find them later)
TAs Website: http://www.taloeffler.com (Updated daily)
TAs Facebook Group: http://www.facebook.com/?ref=home#!/group.php?gid=102972039777 (Updated daily)
My Everest: http://www.myeverest.com/ta (Updated daily-you can hear my voice!)
Peak Freaks Blog: http://www.peakfreaks.com/everestnews2010.htm#BLOG%20SPOT
(Updated daily)
Alan Arnettes Everest Coverage: http://www.alanarnette.com/news/ (Alan covers all the expeditions north and south and he has an app for the I-Phone/I-touch to make it easy to follow along)
(If you received this via email, dont fret updates will continue to be sent every three or four days!)
|
| Summit Socks and Send-Offs |
3/7/2010 |
Howdy to All,
March is here and the Everest Advent Calendar’s doors are half open! The remainder of the road trip went well with two presentations in Calgary and I’ve been busy since my return trying to take items off of the mountain-sized to do list and sneak a bit of training in as well.
A highlight of the week was receiving a care package from Madame Edwards Grade Three class at CC Loughlin School. They sent along a sleeping bag and pillow for Flat Stanley as well as a bike for him to train on! Each child in the class also sent along a greeting card and I loved Noah’s interpretation on my name…he said TA’s Totally Awesome and Trying Again! Check out the covers of the cards at this URL: (http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=394562&id=509940550&l=12068c83ca)
I knew I wanted to jump in hard to training this week so Natelle and I took to the hill on Thursday with tires in tow. Neither of us had particularly checked the weather so when we found ourselves up high in the wind in the midst of freezing rain, we both declared, “We’re a bit underdressed for this.” We kept ourselves warm by dropping off the crest of the hill as soon as we could and set a new record for a single pull of 27:22 and for doing four pulls! The four pulls up and three pulls down amounted to 10.5 kilometers of pulling and nearly 2000 feet of elevation gain! By the end, we were giddy with exhaustion and cold but very pleased to have pulled it off (ha, ha).
As it’s taper time, I’m trying to maintain the intensity of training while dropping some of the volume, which is handy because there are a mountain of details to attend to over the next two weeks. Like securing my summit socks…as I’ve confessed before I am a superstitious creature of habit: I always put on my left hockey skate first. And I always buy a new pair of socks to wear on summit day. This pair of socks is left unworn until the chosen day to swaddle my feet in new and fresh loops of merino wool (clean socks are warmer than dirty ones). It’s a ritual I’ve used on all my climbs and I’m not stopping now!
Summit socks and send-offs…I was chatting with a friend last week about send-off possibilities and realized that I was more interested in a welcome home party than a good-bye one (as Ed Viesturs so aptly put it, “The summit is optional, getting home mandatory). So be prepared to party hard when we get back from Everest but in the meantime, I would like to invite you to a Signal Hill Send-Off of Sorts. On March 20, we’ll be doing our last big tire pull and then I’ll be doing an additional five ascents (as per my tradition of doing ten ascents of Signal Hill before each climb). We’ll start around 9 am or so and be on the hill road for the next 5-6 hours. We’ll pull/trek up and use cars for the descents.
Come join us for a hike up the hill-the tire ascents will be slower than the trekking ones and I’m sure the ascents will slow gradually over the day (so if you’re worried about being slow-come later). We’ll be looking for folks who can spare a little time as drivers that day to help out the team with descents. Come on out for a climb of the hill and then go log your accomplishment on the RNL Small Steps/Big Results Website as part of the Step Up to the Summit Challenge (http://www.recreationnl.com/smallstepsbigresults/). It’s an informal send-off and we won’t have much ability to carry on conversation, as tire pulling is hard work but do come out, wish us well, honk your horn, walk along side, and get some exercise!
And if you’re not in St. John’s, please find a hill wherever you are and go for a walk up it on March 20 and drop me a line or a picture to celebrate with us!
Speaking of which, Signal Hill is calling me now to get off my butt, into my pack and walk uphill! Have a good week!
TA
|
| Road Trip |
2/27/2010 |
Happy 2010 Olympics!
Another seven doors are open on the Everest advent calendar and Ive had a good trip out west. After months of wrangling with various bureaucracies, it finally worked for me to pay a visit to the University of Northern Colorado (UNC) in Greeley, Colorado. I met Chris Mullen in Little Rock, Arkansas at the Association of Experiential Education conference two years ago. Hes Director of Student Engagement at UNC and he seized on an opportunity to bring me out for a speaking event.
In hindsight, I realized this was my first presentation to university students outside of Memorial University and AEE conferences. I was in a mood to channel my inner stand-up comedian and gave the students an introduction to things Newfoundland and things Canadian. Since Colorado is a ways south of the border, Tim Hortons isnt a daily ritual and so I had to introduce Velma as a cousin of Dunkin Donuts. The room was full of hockey fans and I risked their vengeance to predict that Canada would win gold in both mens and womens hockey. The audience forgave me later when I invited them all to come up and hold my Olympic Torch. I left Colorado with a wonderful banner decorated with signatures and well wishes from many of the attendees. I will hang it where I can see it often in the next few weeks. Thanks Chris for all your hard work!
As part of my stay in Colorado, I had the privilege of meeting Alan Arnette in person. We met for lunch and I appreciated Alans sharing of his experience over 7500 metres, his perspectives on my preparations, and his attendance at the evenings event. He and I have followed each others climbs over the past four years. Alan, (http://www.alanarnette.com), in honour of his mother, is climbing the Seven Summits to raise one million for Alzheimers research. Alan also does an excellent job in covering Everest climbing seasons. His website is an excellent source of up-to-date information on all Everest expeditions and of fascinating interviews of Everest climbers. Alan even has an I-Phone app for tracking expeditions this yeardownload it today so you dont miss any news from the mountain! Thanks Alan for all of your hard work in sharing Everest expeditions with the world.
After Colorado, I flew up to Edmonton to spend some time with my family, make another pilgrimage to Mountain Equipment Co-op, and watch lots of Olympic coverage. One of the highlights of this visit west was going wall climbing with Rayne and Xander. I loved belaying Rayne as she climbed to the top of several climbs smiling and waving down to Auntie from above. Rayne is taking a weekly climbing class and she was so proud of her ability to put on a harness, tie a figure eight knot, and introduce Xander to the gym. Xander was rather taken with the bouldering cave and he might have a future as a luger since he loved sliding down the caves padded floor.
After a big afternoon of climbing, Rayne, Xander and I cuddled while cheering on the Canadian women in the big gold medal game. That night, Mike and Shawn headed off to a movie and I had a recent Ring of Fire challenge trying to get the kids to sleep. Shawn says shes always willing to contribute to my mental training. As Ive watched the Olympics, Ive taken inspiration from so many athletestheir intense training and focus, their pushing through physical and mental barriers, and their deeply moving stories of tragedy and triumph. I feel like one of the things I am packing into my big duffel bags is as much inspiration as will fit!
As I am typing this, my mom and I are watching the womens gold medal curling game. Both my mom and dad played the game for years and I played in high school as well. Being back here, I miss my dad even more than usual but Ive packed up a few of my dads tools and things to take home. On my next visit to Marble Mountain, Ill be making tracks on a pair of my dads skis. We had lunch with Oma yesterdayshe brightened with my visit but she has been so missing my dad. In reality, all of us are missing our Heinz!
Speaking of inspiration, Im hoping my expedition will motivate you and others to be more physically active! In partnership with Recreation Newfoundland and Labrador (RNL), I am pleased to announce Step Up to the Summit Challenge. The challenge begins March 18th and continues through May 31st. RNLs Small Steps, Big Results website allows individuals and teams to track a wide variety of physical activity by converting all to a number of steps. Ill be reporting in on my number of steps per day in my daily updates and Im hoping you will climb the mountain along with me. Sign up your team for the challenge today at http://www.recreationnl.com/smallstepsbigresults.
Have a good week,
TA
|
| Everest Advent |
2/22/2010 |
Howdy,
I can’t believe another week has flown by and I’ve added another 16.6 ascents of Signal Hill into the mix! The tire pulling crew dragged their way up 3.5 times this week and we were joined by Deb Shortall who impressed us all by pulling on the way up and running her way to the bottom–she also helped with logistics by providing us with a few lifts up in her van as well.
My Everest “Advent” calendar started this week on Feb. 19…instead of a pre-Christmas countdown, the $.42 post Noel NHL themed bargain, is helping me mark and celebrate and motivate during the last 32, no 31, no 30, no 29 days until we leave for Nepal. I’m thankful to Michelle and Kellie who provided me with a high quality chocolate substitute for the bargain version that was emerging from each hidden door. Each day, the serotonin released through the ingestion of high quality cocoa solids helps soothe the ragged nerves of a to do list that grows instead of shrinks, the panic that I need to be doing more training not less, and the myriad of other emotions that occur in rapid succession these days.
All kidding aside, I am getting more and more excited to go. The training deposits are in the bank, the gear is being organized into labeled bins, and it will be March 23rd before I know it. People are reaching out to help in both big and small ways.
I’d like to introduce two new sponsors who’ve come aboard the Everest 2010 Mountain of Learning team. The Newfoundland and Labrador Credit Union, (https://www.nlcu.com/Home/). is a proud Camp Three sponsor and I appreciate their support. RJG Construction (http://rjgconstruction.com/) is a Camp Four sponsor and they have helped me out tremendously by updating my satellite phone to a much lighter and more advanced version. Known as the “Earth Movers”, RJG Construction is helping put a solid financial footing under the expedition with that burden (and my phone burden) feeling much lighter these days.
I am continuing to seek sponsorship so please continue to send leads and suggestions my way. There are also many ways to support my efforts and the expedition. I still need lots of small items like lithium batteries, hand and foot warmers, and trail snacks. I always appreciate having small notes of encouragement to open while on the mountain–you can send these along to my home address (7 Wood Street, St. John’s, NL, A1C 3K8). You can make a donation to the Everest 2010 Mountain of Learning Award at Memorial University: URL: https://www5.mun.ca/dir/viking.gv020.p001
and be sure type Everest 2010 Mountain of Learning Award in the box. You can also post notes in inspiration on the various websites on which you follow my adventures.
I’ll post these again closer to the expedition but here are the websites where you can follow me up the mountain.
1) TA’s Website: http://www.taloeffler.com (Updates will be posted here daily)
2) My Everest: http: http://www.myeverest.com/ta (Updates will be posted here daily and you can sign up for email notification)
3) TA’s Facebook Group: http://www.facebook.com/home.php - !/group.php?gid=102972039777 (Updates will be posted here daily and members messaged at regular intervals)
4) TA’s Email Group: If you get a weekly email from me now, you will continue to get a digest form of updates from the mountain at regular intervals.
I’m headed off on “Road Trip” out west for the week doing a few presentations and visiting my family and trying to train on the road! Thanks for all the encouragement you’ll send along both before and on the expedition–it helps me keep going taking it step by step both on the way to and up the mountain.
Have a good week,
TA
|
| Life in the Zone(s) |
2/14/2010 |
Happy Valentines Day,
I try to pay close attention to my heart. Both my physical heart and my emotional heart. On this day, where we celebrate the loves in our lives, I thought I would write about a connection Ive been making lately from my training to my life. In almost all of my training, unless I forget to put it on, I wear a heart rate monitor. At a glance, I can see the rate at which my heart is beating in beats per minute. I can use this number, along with the physical sensations that go with it, to gauge the intensity of the workout I am doing.
A common system of physical training uses heart rate zones. There are various formulas (each with their own limitations) you can use to set up your training zones. Most of these formulas start with your maximum heart rate. This is the fastest your heart can beat-youd know it on this particular day because it was the rate your heart was beating when you first realized you were falling in love with your sweetie. Another way people find it is through VO2 Max testing or various other tests that involve upping your intensity in an activity in increments until your heart (or you) cant go any faster. I found mine by wearing my heart rate monitor and noting the highest heart rate I saw recordedmine is 185.
People used to think that our max heart rate was 220 minus our age and that max heart rate declined with age. From what I understand now, if we stay in good physical condition, our max heart rate doesnt have to decline with age. Another interesting thing is that max heart rate is unique to you and unique to each activity you do. My max heart rate in hockey is different than in hiking than in swimming and likewise, we shouldnt make the mistake of comparing our max heart ratesjust because mine is higher or lower than yours doesnt mean anything about our relative fitness.
Another important heart rate number is your resting heart rate. Ideally this is taken first thing in the morning before you move or get up. Sometimes you find it by sleeping in your heart rate monitor or by having your basal metabolic rate tested. My resting heart rate is about 40 these days. Our resting heart rate is a good indicator of fitness as resting heart rates do decline with increased fitness because the heart becomes more efficient at doing its job. I monitor my resting heart rate fairly often because a rise in it is an indicator of overreaching or overtraining (which I am trying very hard to avoid this time).
Back to heart rate zonesso the formula I use is called the Karvonen method that uses something called the heart rate reserve. The heart rate reserve is your maximum heart rate minus your resting heart rate. So my heart rate reserve is 145 and I can use this number to set my training zones (have I lost you yet?).
So, my maximum heart rate is 185.
My resting heart rate is 40.
My heart rate reserve is 145.
My Zone 1 (long slow activity) would be in between:
Low value: 40 + 60 % * 145 = 127 beats per minute
High value: 40 + 70 % * 145 = 142 bpm
My Zone 2 (easy aerobic) would be in between:
Low value: 40 + 70 % * 145 = 142 bpm
High value: 40 + 80 % * 145 = 156 bpm
My Zone 3 (anaerobic threshold) would be in between:
Low value: 40 + 80% * 145 = 156 bpm
High value: 40 + 90% * 145 = 163 bpm
My Zone 4 (high intensity intervals) would be in between:
Low value: 40 + 90 % * 145 = 163 bpm
High value: 40 + 100 % * 145 = 185 bpm
Each zone invokes a different physiological response in the body and depending on your training goals, your training program would prescribe different amount of time spent in each zone over the course of a training week or training phase. Some coaches use four zones, some use six and some use as many as eight. Each person will have a unique set of zone boundaries based on their individual parameters.
As you can probably surmise, the intensity of the work also varies with the zone. In Zone One, you can workout for hours and this provides a solid endurance base. In Zone Four, you can only work out for 30 seconds to a minute without needing to restits really hard work and tough to stay with. So heres the kicker (a tribute to the freestyle skiers at the Olympicsthe kicker is the jump they use to get airbourne)
This week I saw that my physical heart has zones but my emotional heart/soul/life has them too! I saw that I could divide my life into various zones that call upon me to adapt to different stresses/tasks/demands. With Marians surgery and my dads death, the last six weeks of 2009 were pretty much in Zone Four and to balance that out I found that Ive really needed to keep the first six weeks of 2010 in Zones One and Two!
Life in Zones One and Two hums along with quiet efficiency and grace. Zone Three things begin to get much tougher but are still manageable and Zone Four requires that I go all out, use multiple coping strategies, and reach out for support. I think sometimes its easy to get caught up in keeping life in the upper zones and getting off on the adrenaline that courses through us with that level of stress. I know its been my goal in general, and in specific to Everest to intentionally keep life/training at a manageable level so that I attain of my goal of arriving at the mountain well trained yet well rested. Its been a challenge to remind myself of that goal and make decisions accordingly but Im loving life in the lower zones!
If by chance, Ive piqued your interest in heart rate zone training/testing and you live in St. Johns, my sponsor Allied Health Services at Memorial University does both VO2 max and basal metabolic rate testing (http://www.mun.ca/hkr/ahs/about/). Besides thinking about life in the zone, I had a good week of training both using the hypoxic training gear and working out with Phil Alcock at the Core Health Spa (http://www.corehealthspa.ca/). You can see some photos of some of the unique workouts Phil has me do in this gallery: (http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=383305&id=509940550&l=e0b5495242).
I also paid a visit to one of my other sponsors, AppleCore Interactive, and shared lunch and a bit of inspiration with their staff. They got to meet Flat Stanley and see pictures of the fake apple I pinched from the fruit at AppleCore in 2006. Heres the AppleCore blog entry about the visit: (http://applecoreinteractive.blogspot.com/2010/02/ta-loeffler-and-flat-stanley-visit.html). For my last link of this link filled paragraph, the Tire Pullers and I were caught in action by CBC on Thursday where we were doing our biggest pull to datea Three Pull! You can see the video clip here: http://www.cbc.ca/video/#/News/Canada/NL/ID=1410845249
Okayneed to finish up so I can get some supper and catch some Olympics! Need a dose of Olympic inspiration! Go Canada Go!
Thanks for zoning in instead of zoning out!
TA
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| Renowned mountain climber visits Springdale |
2/7/2010 |
By SARAH BURTON
The Nor'wester
Dr. TA Loeffler knows what it takes to pursue a dream and reach extraordinary heights.
The St. John's native has climbed five of the Seven Summits - the highest peaks in each of the seven continents, and is planning to conquer the remaining two as well; Mount Vinson and then Mount Everest, which is her ultimate goal.
The renowned speaker is a professor of Outdoor Recreation at Memorial University. She has received international awards and recognition for her work. She visited Springdale on January 26, and spoke about her journeys to roughly 200 spectators at the Indian River High School lecture theatre. Her theme was "Drawing Inspiration from New Edges."
"Go after your Everest, whatever your Everest is," said Dr. Loeffler. "Because I believe we all have one. It might be about your schoolwork, it could be a sport that you participate in, or it could be a community service or a career you're hoping to enter, but I believe we all have an Everest," she said.
Dr. Loeffler had experienced many extreme outdoor adventures before pursuing the Seven Summits, but can recall a time in 2004 when climbing her first summit, Mount McKinley, the highest peak in North America - seemed impossible.
"This is the peak that taught me about dreaming big," she said. "When I first went up to Alaska, I had half a mind to climb this thing, but when I saw this mountain from the plane I thought, 'No way. It is way too high, way too expensive, and definitely way too cold.'"
Dr. Loeffler underwent extensive fitness training to complete the first summit, which happened to coincide with her 40th birthday. She emphasized how important hard work, discipline and the support of others has been in accomplishing such goals. The speaker also explained how physically strenuous it was to keep going with the high elevations, causing her skin to swell and her stomach to become ill.
"On one particular day I climbed for six hours, then I shoveled snow for four hours in minus 25 degree temperatures, then I climbed into a tent for half a bowl of Roman noodles for my birthday supper, and then I got back out of the tent for two hours to melt drinking water. So it was for these days that I needed to train for so hard," she said.
Since climbing Mount McKinley, Dr. Loeffler has spoken to over 20,000 students throughout the province.
Repeatedly, she noted the importance of taking footsteps towards a dream, despite the circumstances. Dr. Loeffler attempted to climb Mount Everest in 2007, but had to turn back partway due to illness. But climbing the world's highest mountain continues to be her main aspiration, even if she is only at the peak for a matter of minutes.
Grade 7 Valmont Academy student Samantha Burke was one of many high school students who attended Dr. Loeffler's presentation. The teen felt inspired by the mountaineer's words.
"I thought it was really good," said Ms. Burke. "It was amazing that she would be able to climb mountains that high, I would never be able to do something like that. I think I probably would go after my dreams after I heard her speech - it was really motivating."
Ms. Burke added that she is thinking of becoming a singer or an artist in her lifetime, noting how she enjoys drawing pictures.
Dr. Loeffler encouraged the students that their dreams, or Everests are their own to pursue, and that they must aid each other in making them happen.
"Nothing will ever be the same again and by coming together and supporting each other in going after those Everests, we make the mountains shorter for each other," said Dr. Loeffler. |
| Shakedown for the Summit |
2/6/2010 |
Happy Snow Day,
Sitting here in my chair after an epic climb of Signal Hill to do some gear testing in todays big blizzard. When I saw the forecast, Snow at times heavy and blowing snow. Amount 20 cm. Wind west 60 km/h gusting to 80 except gusting to 110 along parts of the coast. High minus 4, I couldnt resist going out in it. As St. Johns winter weather is often mild, its hard to find extreme conditions to test combinations of clothing and gear in but this week was an exception. You can check out todays shakedown mission here: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=379576&id=509940550&l=af2633e943
Some will remember that last February, I ventured north to Iqaluit to attend a polar training program led by Matty McNair. One of the key factors of any polar expedition, Matty coached, is the shakedown. She hounded us over and over again to experiment, test, recombine, futz, retest, and retool our gear and clothing systems before any big expedition. Matty suggested that all gear be chosen at least one year out so there would be ample time for testing and then adapting systems. I hear her loud and clear and have been evaluating clothing I have used in the past and acquiring some new items in the meantime.
Im on a two-month countdown rather than Mattys suggested 12 months but am making good progress towards clothing combinations for various conditions and elevations. Tuesday night delivered fairly cold temperatures (for here) and a good stiff wind resulting in a wind chill of minus 27 Celsius. After playing two games of hockey, it was time for a different set of padding. When climbing the upper reaches of Everest, climbers often choose to cloth themselves in a down suit. Rather like a sleeping bag with arms and legs, the down suit provides warm to slow moving climbers (remember high on the mountain it can take four to six breaths to take each step) in the super low temps of high altitude.
Given I am a fairly warm-bodied creature who pumps out heat rather easily, I have often feared immolation if I ever tried to wear my down suit inside. Marian was game for a late night visit to the top of Signal Hill to take the suit through its paces (actually its zippers.) I discovered that certain zipper pulls used for certain elimination tasks were too short and needed lengtheninggood to know now rather than being stuck with an open zipper that I cant reach at 8000 metres. Marian drove me up and was kind enough to record the evenings antics/costume for posterity. You can check out the her artwork here:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=378641&id=509940550&l=18eff3d5ae
Wearing the down suit is an intense experience as its fluffy folds cut you off from the environment and create kinda of a sensory deprivation situation. Add to the suit a practice oxygen mask and goggles and the transition to urban astronaut is complete! Wearing goggles makes it a challenge to see your feet; add the practice mask and that challenge doubles. The practice mask had its air intake near the bottom of the mask so every time I tried to look down, my air supply was completely cut off thus being an even more realistic rendition of high altitude. The winds were strong enough to move us around a bit as we climbed up to the summit cairn near the Ladies Lookout. Im hoping for a few more low temp wind chill moments to go out again with a few more combinations of clothing layers underneath my Pillsbury Dough Boy suit but overall it kept me quite cozy!
This was a fifty percent week. The break in training hours and intensity gave me a chance to catch up on a few tasks and attend a few appointments. The first part of the week seemed to be filled with summit energythings were cruising along and feeling great. The second part of the week was filled with more valley energythings seemed harder and I felt more fatigued. Funny, how I can be more tired during a rest week than during a big training week. Having both energies in close proximity reminded me that its good to practice being with/in the valley sometimes. Of course, the summit is much more fun but like the tide, energy ebbs and flows. The key is to flow with it and not attaching too much meaning to either end of the spectrum. I noticed my minds temptation to ramp up a bunch of doubt as my energy flagged.
I thought back to my 2007 expedition and wondered what effect arriving at base camp with bronchitis had on my entire experience. Im guessing it sent me careening towards the valley (both figuratively and eventually literally) and set off some of the same thinking I had this week. Im grateful for the chance to see it here when my mind is less clouded my altitude. I can practice working with my mind on it now, do some meditation, and remind myself that likely more than half of the challenge of Everest is mental.
A few weeks back at the invite of Michelle (of tire pulling fame), I attend a kickboxing training session. It was so much fun that Ive been going along with her since. There is something very elemental in learning to punch and kick. As a kid, I studied judo. I loved the discipline and learning to throw people and now its being great to learn to throw punches. About a year ago, I first gave voice to an idea: I want to learn to fight, I said to myself. I had no idea what that meant or exactly whyother than a long term dream of wanting to bike from Tuktoyaktuk to Tierra del Fuego and wanting to know more about self-defense before taking that on. I consulted a few friends whod studied some different martial arts and poked around a few gym websites but never took any action on it.
There is always such joy in learning a new skill and this has been no exception. The outward learning of weight transfer, punching combinations, and intense interval activity is fabulous. There has been a more subtle inward learning as well related to connecting to a more primal level of assertiveness/anger than I usually experience. I still dont really know what it all means but I do know its darn fun and I have a sense its going to come in handy at about 7500 metres as I fight to leave Camp Three for Four.
The blizzard abated Saturday morning just in tire for another epic pull up the hill. I was joined in this somewhat ambitious post blizzard activity by Natelle, Michelle, and Marian. On the first pull, the snow actually gave us a break reducing the friction we were pulling against. On the second pull, drifts started depositing snow across the road giving us barriers to surmount and bigger wind chills to guard against. The last half pull yielded and we could celebrate the longest pull to date 2.5 up and 2.5 backin all a nearly 3 hour of experience of good, solid, hard work. Thanks to my tire pulling team matesyou make it all much more fun to do! Kent Barrett captured us in action and his commentary still has me laughingcheck it out here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/kentbarrett/4334943080/
Marian also captured some of the action on the hill this morning and you can see her photos here:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=379939&id=509940550&l=11b9a4078a
I still have Everest 2010 toques for sale. The have an embroidered Everest 2010 Logo, black knit exterior and pile on the inside for a double layer over the ears. The toques are $20 each including tax (shipping is extra). Email me if you are interesting in giving some toques a good home! Im also still selling my book, More than A Mountain: One Womans Everest. If you email me and said the codeword shakedown, Ill give you the conference rate deal of $20 including tax (shipping is extra).
Commercial ended
Hope your week was filled with lots of learning, fun, and you found a few things to shakedown as well.
Catch ya in seven,
TA
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| Ladder Practice for the Khumbu |
1/31/2010 |
Greetings from Another Week,
Downtown St. Johns is a cacophony of colorful rectangular houses whose front doors open onto the street and whose back doors open into secret gardens that double as cat paradises. Today Marian and I had the joy of moving two sixteen-foot extension ladders into the back yard. Youd think this would be an easy task and youd be wrong. You see the next house is only four feet from by back door. The door is seven feet high. You do the mathits impossible to have enough angle to get the ladder out the back door.
Plan Two. Carry the ladder up to the second floor. First, open front door and back ladder back unto street and angle up the stairs. Make sure not to take out any passer-bys with the ladder. Carry ladder upstairs and into bathroom at top of stairs. Back ladder into dining room-the kitchen counter is full of dishes and is backed by a beam we need to maneuver the ladder around. Ease ladder into corner of room and knock plant off windowsill but manage not to put ladder through large window. Scrap past beam and open door and take ladder out to deck. Reflect on the experience and move second ladder through the same path with greater aplomb.
Celebrate. Ladders are longer than the deck so slide one onto neighbours roof in order to separate the extension piece from the ladder piece. Easier said than done. Go downstairs for pliers and return with whole toolbox. Good thing since ladder is playing hard to get and my dad always said use the right tool for the job. Eventually, through much problem solving, vice grips, handsaw, and many sockets, the Siamese twins are separated and lowered off the deck. Another ladder is set at an angle using the old cupboard from the utility room renovation last summeralways knew that would come in handy. Make another ladder course down below using some old cement blocks.
Get excited. Go find mountaineering boots and cramponsits time! Balancing on the ladders with sneakers was proving to pretty easy so time for the real stuff! First choiceuse middle space between front crampon teeth and back teeth? Use front points on one rung and back teeth on another? Use the space between the mid points to balance? Try all three. For now, the last option seems to be working best. No guide ropes on the home course yet as there will be in the icefall so balance is key. Soon Ill install some rope to be able to practice fixed rope technique (sliding my ascender along as I climb up the one ladder and across the others). I figure my fitness can get me only so much speedother speed will be gained from having quick ladder and ascender changes. Check out this weeks picture album at http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=377179&id=509940550&l=de530ad293 (sorry about last weeks broken link).
My dad. Missing him today and most days. Heard the song Cant Help Falling in Love by Elvis Presley this morning. We used it in dads memorial video. Every time I hear it I see the pictures of my mom and dad enjoying life together in my mind and my heart goes out to my mom who I know is missing her dear love. I enjoyed working with tools this morning on the ladder project this morning because my dad taught me how to use them. He taught me to take things apart and put them back together and how to make things work. Dad taught me to put on winter tires and change the oil and cast lead bullets for the black powder rifles we would shoot together. He taught me to drive a boat, snowmobile, and standard transmission. His tools lessons often carried life lessons as well and I often hear myself repeating some of his wise adages. Im grateful that my dad taught me these skills and the confidence to use them. I know his support and teaching have helped me go forth into many arenas considered non-traditional for women including Mount Everest.
Practice. Dad taught me the secret to any skill was practice whether soccer or downhill skiing, ladder climbing or grass cutting, public speaking or baking. Practice does indeed make us closer to perfect and I appreciate my parents for both demonstrating this in their own lives as well as inspiring it in mine. Practice. Its what I try to do in preparing for all of my climbspractice the skills and attitudes I will need on the mountain. Mr. Hamilton, my English teacher in high school who taught me to rock climb, said it wasnt good enough to tie a figure eight knot fast. He said, You need to be able to tie it fast behind your back in a cold shower. I aspire to practice so that I can cross the ladders in my back yard backwards, in crampons, with a big pack in the dark! The Khumbu Icefall is a very dangerous place and I aim to be ready to get through it as fast and as safely as I can. Practice will help.
Camp Two. Im just finishing up the phase of training called Camp Two. Ive got eleven hypoxic training sessions in the can and eleven to go. As I enter Camp Three phase, the pace of training will increase once again to prepare me for the rigors of the Lhotse Face. The phases are all at once, literal, figurative, and metaphorical (Mr. Hamilton taught me well). We passed the two-month countdown to departure this week. Time is both flying and moving slowly. The to-do list grows exponentially each day and I remind myself to breathe frequently. What needs to get done will get done and everything else will fall away. Time to stop writing this and start laying the foundation for Camp Three.
Have a great week. Thanks again for coming along!
TA
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| Flat Stanley is in the House |
1/27/2010 |
Good Morning,
Im back in my chair after a whirlwind road trip to the far side of the province. Marian and I headed out Friday morning to drive to Gambo. There I did a firstI presented at Smallwood Academy to the entire school of Kindergarten through Grade Twelve. In the past, Ive done either K-6 or 7-12 so keeping the entire school of 300 students engaged was a good challenge. I had no idea in 2006 when I first visited Everest 2010 trekking team member Jacinta Macgraths school in Trepassey that I would go onto to visit over 60 schools and speak to over 21,000 kids in Newfoundland and Labrador since.
Monday, in Corner Brook, we picked up Flat Stanley 2010. Those that have been following my adventures since 2006, will remember that I took a Flat Stanley to Mount Everest in 2007 from Woodland Primary School in Grand Falls-Windsor. Flat Stanley is a childrens book character who was flattened by a bulletin board. He travels in an envelope by mail with miniature milk and cookies packed by his mom. He visits different parts of the world and reports back on his experiences. In September, on the day I was leaving for Australia, I presented to the Edge Education Conference here in St. Johns.
Patricia Edwards was in the audience that day and afterwards came to ask if I would take her class Flat Stanley with me in 2010. I said I would be thrilled to and given a speaking booking in Springdale, I offered to pick up Flat Stanley myself in Corner Brook. I spoke to almost the entire school and enjoyed walking the school corridors that had been festooned with prayer flags that Madame Edwards class had painted. I had my picture taken with every member of her class and Rogers Cable even paid a visit to learn about the upcoming expedition. Patricia hosted Marian and I in her home and I look forward to the special connection with her class that will be built as Flat Stanley reports back on his experience. Heres a link to see pictures of Flat Stanley 2010: (http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=375548&id=509940550&l=0a48ef9bd2)
Tuesday, we woke up beside the beautiful Indian River in Springdale at the Riverwood Inn. (http://www.riverwoodinn.ca/). The sunrise colors reflected in the river were stunning. We were treated to a night in such luxury by the Inns owner, who was one of many sponsors, who made my visit to Springdale possible. Margaret Stirling, facilitator of the Bridging the Gap program in Springdale, asked me to come speak to the students in the class. As the class is small, I suggested partnering with the local high school to be able to reach more people with my visit. She brought together the Town of Springdale, several programs, several sponsors, and the result was a packed house in the theatre in Indian River High School.
The Springdale partnerships also enabled me to leverage the road trip to include the visits to Gambo and Corner Brook. A talk to 14 students in one program blossomed into an outreach to over 1400 youth and adults in three locationswowthe power of working together pays dividends! The visit also allowed me to train in some deeper snow by spending two days snowshoeing and cross-country skiing in Gros Morne National Park and a half-day downhill skiing in Corner Brook. Special thanks to Todd Wight of the Ocean View Hotel in Rocky Harbour, (http://www.theoceanview.ca/) for finding us a place to stay in Rocky Harbour.
And now, as my father would say, If you want to dance, you have to pay the band time to get off my chair and stuff five days of intense training into three. Its the last week of Camp Two and a 100% week. Pitter, patter, time to get atter!
Have a good week,
TA
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| A New Altitude |
1/17/2010 |
Good Evening,
In an unusual moment, I am lost for words. In the scale of human tragedy, this weeks earthquake in Haiti has given me (and most folks I know) an occasion for pause, for prayer, and for sorting out how best to be of service/help. It is hard to wrap our minds around the amount of devastation, pain, and suffering. I take solace in hearing of and reading the stories of courage, compassion, and generosity that get sifted and shared from the rubble of such a time.
I had a good week of training. Things seem to be progressing on schedule and the long hours of planning, logging, and activity seem to be beginning to pay dividends. Bryhanna Greenough's interview for The Scope came out on Thursday and I was so pleased to be featured on the cover. Kevin Coffey did an excellent job with the photographswed had fun looking for a mountain on Signal Hill. You can find the article at http://thescope.ca/features/to-the-summit
I promised some more information about hypoxic training. In light of the absence of words, Ive put together a photo essay that documents some of the realities of high altitude living and how hypoxic training works. Basically in a nutshell (and highly simplified), as you ascend, the atmospheric pressure declines. The amount of oxygen is always the same (approx. 21%) but the molecules of O2 get further apart as the pressures lessens making it harder to get as much oxygen in each breath. At Mount Everest base camp, it is as if there is half as much oxygen as at sea level while at the summit, it is like there is 32% of the oxygen of sea level.
In a reduced oxygen environment, the body makes a bunch of physiological changes to cope with the reduction in available oxygen. You breathe deeper and faster, your heart pumps faster and harder, and the ph level of your blood changes. If you ascend slowly enough, your body can change enough to keep up, if you do not, you may suffer from Acute Mountain Sickness.
What the hypoxic training does for me is mimics this travel to high altitude. It allows my body to make a few changes in advance and to increase my fitness. The trick, since life at high elevations stresses our bodies, to find the right balance between time at altitude and time at sea level. Some people have trained hypoxically too much before climbs and then bonked on the actual climb.
So, since a picture is worth a thousand words, and since I am a bear of few words this week, I invite you to click on this URL that will take you to the photo essay I put together: http://bit.ly/89RKbT
I spoke at Crescent Collegiate this week to 600 junior high and high school students. It was fantastic to be back in a school and I look forward to a few more school visits this week. Its a 90% training week that I will push into the first four days to make room for road trip to the Western part of the island for some school talks and outdoor training.
Have a good week,
TA
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| "Avoiding Insanity" |
1/9/2010 |
Howdy,
It’s near the end of the first week of my Camp Two training phase and it’s been an interesting week of activity and reflection. This week was a bit of a rest week with a few parts of the training program forgiven to reduce the intensity for the week to a level of 60%. The intensity grows from week to week and culminates in either a 90% or 100% week for the last one of each phase. Having just come off the final 100% week of Camp One, I noticed a pull to want to continuously ramp up the intensity, however my past experience of overtraining tells me otherwise and I did my best to modulate those impulses.
I saw someone’s Facebook status update this week listing this familiar quote by Albert Einstein, “Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” It got me thinking about how I was training for Everest and evaluating what I was doing the same and what I was doing differently than in 2007. When talking to former expedition teammates or mountaineering acquaintances, I frequently ask them the same question, “What will you do differently or the same this time round?” I appreciate hearing reflections on their experiences and feel I can learn from lots by listening.
Hopefully by now, your curiosity is piqued and you are asking yourself, “What is TA doing differently this time?” Here’s some insights into what I am up to…
Nutrition and fueling–I am being very intention and mindful about both what I am eating and the timing of meals and snacks. I decided a few months ago that I wanted there to “be less of me to haul up the mountain.” Whether I am carrying weight in my backpack or on my body, it’s still weight I have to propel up the peak so I set a goal of losing some body fat while preserving and building muscle/strength.
With the support of Allied Health Services at Memorial University of Newfoundland (http://www.mun.ca/hkr/ahs/about/), I’ve met with Holly Grant and she helped me set up specific parameters to use to attain this important goal. Using her sport nutrition expertise, she’s chosen a calorie load for me to hit each day with specific goals related to the macronutrients of carbohydrates (55%), proteins (20%), and fats (25%). I measure all my food and enter it into a training log–it takes about an hour each day to do all the logging of both my training and food but I’ve come to see it as valuable information and mini celebration of each meal well chosen. Holly checks it frequently and gives advice on how to tweak the foods I am using for fuel. As a result of this mindfulness, I notice I am eating very delicious meals that are made from whole, fresh ingredients, am eating slower, refueling directly after exercise with a mix of carbs and protein, and thinking food is a marvelous thing!
Rest and Relaxation–With hindsight, I realized that I went to Everest in 2007 having done too much and having slept too little…too much training, too much public speaking, too much of everything and not enough rest. My goal for this attempt is to go to the mountain well rested and very eager to work hard. In light of this, I have set a sleep goal of eight hours per night–this is a challenge since I naturally seem to need seven hours. Like parents, with an early morning toddler, who need some extra rest, I have a morning curfew and don’t allow myself to get out of bed until I have reached eight hours of “horizontal” time even if this means lying quietly or meditating. With Marian’s coaching, I’ve taught myself to go back to sleep in the early morning rather than rev the jets of my mind’s engine with everything I need to get done. I have simplified my life greatly and reduced my expectations about how much and what I can get done. I continuously ask the question of “Will this help me climb Everest or can it wait until after the climb?” I regularly say “No” these days…a relatively new word in my vocabulary.
Enlisting Expertise–Before the launch of Everest 2010 Mountain of Learning last fall, I cobbled together a sponsorship invitation package for it. Using a past template, I tried to put together something that might work. Soon after that event, I met with Deborah Bourden at AppleCore Interactive (http://www.applecore.ca/) and she said her team could help me out. Yesterday, their rendition of my sponsorship invitation got uploaded to my website and printed off…it’s stunning and beautiful and a reminder that there are times, I need to stretch and ask for the assistance of others. Given my shyness, sometimes it’s easy to do something myself than walk through the fear to ask for help. Please visit my sponsorship page (http://www.taloeffler.com/sponsorship.asp) and see AppleCore’s excellent work. If you have any contacts that might be interesting in the benefits of sponsorship, please let me know. I need your help in making such connections.
A few weeks back, I had the pleasure of doing a training session with Phil Alcock at Core Health Spa (http://www.corehealthspa.ca/). After that session, I reflected on the strength training that I was doing. Again, I had turned to past training regimes, read a few books, and put together a workable program that I was doing on my own in the gym. Given my goal of going to the mountain as physically and mentally strong as I can be, I realized another change was in order. Even though it meant a financial stretch, I knew I wanted to work with Phil intensively until I head off for the mountain. He has the expertise to create a varied, demanding, and specific training program for me. We worked together three times this week and he had me jumping up stairs two and three at a time, climbing down stairs on hands and feet, balancing on an upside down BOSU, and producing copious amounts of sweat. With Phil pushing me, I work harder than I would on my own.
Similarly, a few months ago, in a wonderful exchange of a delicious dinner for expertise, my colleague Fabien Basset (http://www.mun.ca/hkr/research/) set up my training plan for the last four months before the mountain. An exercise physiologist with expertise in both hypoxic training and coaching, he set up a periodized program to have me peak at the right time. In programs I designed myself, I tended to peak early and risk overtraining. He revamped the hypoxic training program into three sessions a week that utilize hypoxic exercise intervals followed by normoxic recovery intervals. What does this mean in English? It means I hike on the treadmill at a 15% grade wearing a 30 pound pack while wearing a mask that channels less than the regular amount of oxygen in room air for set intervals of intense work then remove the mask for recovery. I’ll do a future update explaining the science and reasoning behind such a strategy but for now, I appreciate having access to Fabien’s vast expertise.
Climbing Team–In choosing my outfitter for this year’s attempt, I elected to go with Peak Freaks (http://peakfreaks.com/). As is my practice, I like to “date before going steady” so I climbed with them in the fall of 2008 on Pumori. I found I liked the small team ambiance and cohesion. I am thrilled that the team’s leadership for next spring’s climb will be Tim Rippel and Hugo Searle (both of whom I climbed with in 2008). A third guide I haven’t met yet will join them. Additionally, I had the privilege of climbing with four of my teammates on that same climb. For most of my climbs, I am meeting my colleagues on day one of the climb. It will be great to already have a foundation on which to build a deeper camaraderie and trust.
On many of my climbs, I am the solo woman. As a hockey player, I am superstitious (I always put my left skate on first etc. and I watch for omens or rituals that seem to contribute to winning and propagate them). There are two other women on Peak Freak’s Everest 2010 team. When I look back, I can see that whenever there as been another woman with me on a seven summits climb, I have summitted. No guarantee but a wonderful omen and an opportunity for a different team climate than last time where I was outnumbered 60 to one.
Trekking Team–I am so excited and grateful to have company from home for the trek to base camp in 2010. A climb of Everest is a long and intense 2.5-month group living experience and so it will be fantastic to have a team of four friends from Newfoundland trekking in with the expedition. For the trek, I will be joined by Marian Wissink, Nadia Schenk, Natelle Tulk, and Jacinta McGrath. All have been brave enough to follow me through the Grand Canyon and now are taking the challenge a little further and higher by coming along to Nepal. We had our first almost-full team training session last night in the dark on the back side of Signal Hill. We did hiking intervals and placed rocks on the summit cairn to mark the beginning of our shared journey. Sharing the training and the climb with the WOKies in 2008 on Kilimanjaro was a life-changing event and I’m so glad to have such a fine group of women join me for the trek.
I realize it was a reflective week because I had two interviews about the upcoming climb. One was with long-time Everest chronicler and climber, Alan Arnette (http://www.alanarnette.com/), and one with Bryhanna Greenough of The Scope (one of our local weeklies)…each interview provided thought-provoking questions and an opportunity to share my preparations for the climb and that got me thinking about what I was doing differently and the pulls to do the same as before (and expect different results a la Einstein).
A question for you…What do you need to do differently?
You can check out Alan’s interview with me on his website (http://bit.ly/4Kz2LM) or his Outside Magazine blog on Monday (http://bit.ly/4GXoWf).
Keep an eye on The Scope (http://thescope.ca/) for Bryhanna’s story.
Thanks for coming along on this Mountain of Learning,
TA
PS. A reminder that the expedition is raising funds for a student award in experiential education at Memorial University of Newfoundland. Tax deductible donations can be made at the following URL: (https://www5.mun.ca/dir/viking.gv020.p001)
|
| Happy 2010 |
1/2/2010 |
Happy New Year!
Wow! Its 2010 and today is a palindrome (01022010), as an odometer moment queen* thats pretty exciting! (* An odometer moment queen is someone who is fond of numerical fun such as the time 12:34:56 and car odometer moments such as 1234567). So its a fresh year and a fresh decade with a hip numerical address.
The new year is so often filled with thoughts of newness: new dreams, new goals, new behaviours, new semestersbut on the dawn of the new year, I found myself pondering more about the past than the future. Ive recently been reading Julie Angus Rowboat in a Hurricane and during big storms on their crossing of the Atlantic in a very small boat, they would put out a sea anchor. The sea anchor, shaped much like a drogue parachute, helps keep the boat oriented correctly in storms so it doesnt breach to the waves.
So that got me to thinkingabout sea anchors and regular anchorsand about how one was to keep you firmly from moving and the other was for use during a storm though I guess if you were close enough to shore, you could use a regular anchor to hold the boat during a storm. So anchors can both hold you steady in one place or perhaps enable you to survive vicious sea statesthen I began to wonder about the pastwas the past an anchor that holds us in one place or guidance for when storms hit?
For me, I latched onto the sea anchor analogythat the past provides stability for launching forth into what is coming. I think there can be temptation to anchor ourselves to what we know we can do or where we are comfortable but I know for me, Im not satisfied staying in harbour, that I need and want to venture out to get new views and new vistas. I spent the afternoon at The Rooms, the Provincial Archive, Museum, and Art Gallery. Many of the exhibits celebrated the expeditions and sea voyages of Captain Bob Bartlett so perhaps thats why anchors and setting out are occupying my mind.
In many ways the journey from 2007 to 2010 has been the length of a heartbeat and in other ways, the length of several decades. I cant believe three years has passed and less than three months remain until I return to Everest. I find myself looking back and looking forward at the same time. Reflecting on my past climb and the lessons that Ive extracted from it while at the same time planning and training for going back while all the while trying to remember to be present now, in this moment, in this time.
Yesterday as I pulled my tire up Signal Hill once again and the exertion forced me to turn my eyes down to the asphalt beneath my feet, I was very present in each step. I noticed the small pebbles that would roll out from beneath my foot, the instant scraping crescendo of picking up a bottle cap beneath the tire, a cigarette butt, a brief skiff of wind across my cheek and the instant release from the bondage of lactic acid upon a momentary stop. Given two trips up a week, I imagine that I will become even more familiar with the micro-world that unfolds with each step up the hill. In those moments of intense physical outlay, I do find small pockets of attention to imagine the Lhotse Face or final traverse and try to deposit some of that physical work in a reserve bank that I can draw on when I actually am on the Lhotse Face or in the Khumbu Icefall. Kudos go out to Michelle Young for having the courage to pull a tire up with me on Friday and special thanks to Marian for her keeping our tires safe from turning cars!
I had a excellent week of trainingit was the last week of Camp One. Monday marks the beginning of Camp Two with an increased emphasis on strength training and the beginning of hypoxic training on the Go2Altitude system. I was able to witness and recognize several training gains this week and thats always a wonderful gift that helps fuel the further hard work that the next month will deliver.
Thanks to all whove been holding Oma in their thoughts. My family is keeping a close eye on her and shes be able to continue living where shes to for now. Thanks for joining me on the dawn of this new year and decade. I wish you and yours all the best in 2010 and beyond.
Have a good week,
TA
|
| The Team |
12/26/2009 |
Happy Boxing Day!
Its been a quiet relaxing few days around here as I timed my training to take a few rest days around the holidays. I had trained eight days solid since returning from Edmonton so spending Christmas Eve and Dad doing little physical activity was a welcome break. I hope the best of the holiday season found you and your family over the past week.
My training is divided into four phases named Camp One-Four after the camps we will us on Mount Everest next spring. I have one more week in Camp One before moving up to Camp Two. Each phase introduces new goals and new training activities and is periodized to gradually increase the workload. As my training progresses and the time to the climb becomes shorter, training or other injuries become more of a concern because there is less time to get them healed before the climb.
I aim to treat training injuries as they arise and be cognizant of staying healthy in all respects of my life. Some ask if I will give up hockey and the answer is No. Its a critical part of my life for both training and mental health. I will play less aggressively and will do my best to avoid areas on the ice that are more likely to create injuries (i.e. racing for the puck near the end boards).
Along with my own precautions, I have privileged to have the support of a great body care team. Last week I said I would introduce the folks who are being kind enough to support by Everest efforts by donating their services/expertise. Dr. Amy Butt, Director of Allied Health Services at Memorial University of Newfoundland, mobilized the first group of folks. (http://www.mun.ca/hkr/ahs/about/) Allied Health Services offers a variety of testing and professional services to members of the Memorial University community and the general public.
Through Allied Health Services, Todd Row, a certified athletic therapist, is treating me. Athletic therapists have training and expertise in treating and rehabilitating athletes and getting them back into the game/back to training as quickly as possible. Todd keeping an eye on some of my nagging training injuries that seem to keep popping up (oh how I miss my 39 year old body:-). Todd uses a combination of modalities such as ultrasound, electrical stimulation, assisted stretches and exercise prescription to treat various owies. (highly technical term).
Also, through Allied Health Services, Mike Pollard, a certified massage therapist and expert in sports massage, is keeping my legs limber and able to handle the huge training load. Since flexibility has never been one of my strengths, Mikes work on my legs is a real help in staying the training course.
Finding the right balance between energy expenditure (training) and energy intake (eating) is always a challenge. For me right now it is more tricky than usual because some days I am burning close to 2000 calories in trainingthat can make for some interesting appetite spikes. Fortunately, I have Holly Grant, sports nutritionist, on my team. Working through Allied Health Services, Holly assists athletes in finding the right balance of macro and micronutrients to maximize performance. I log meals into software that Holly checks in and offers suggestions on how I can make substitutions in what I am eating to hit the balance of nutrients she is suggesting.
Through Allied Health Services, I also have access to VO2 Max testing, Basal Metabolic Rate testing, and underwater weighingall of which are being used to track the effectiveness of training. As January is often a time for setting up resolutions and making positive lifestyle changes, I highly recommend Allied Health Services if you need some expertise in bringing some of those changes to fruition.
Along with massage and athletic therapy, I also have Janice Drover of Core Insight (http://www.coreinsight.ca/), looking after my body. Janice is a certified Sports Chiropractor who uses Active Release Technique in treating my injuries/sore spots. Janice spent a year treating Olympic athletes in Calgary and will be heading out to Vancouver to treat Paralympians during their games in March so I know I am in good hands. Within the Core Insight office, there are several other practitioners so they are also a good resource for New Years Resolutions.
For me, mountaineering is a team activity. I am grateful to my pre-climb Body Team and appreciate their generosity, support, and care. On the mountain, there is the base camp medical clinic to draw upon as well as having some doctors and a dentist on our climbing team (Im hoping not to use their services very much or at all this time!!!).
Time to go pull a tire up Signal Hill!
Take good care,
TA
|
| Pumping Up the Volume |
12/20/2009 |
Happy Solstice to All,
After an intense month, this week was indeed much lighter and I look forward to the return of more illumination day by day over the next months. I always enjoy celebrating the two solstices but somehow always wish that the Summer Solstice was in August instead of June. :-)
Air Canada got us home on Monday and even fed us along the way! Im grateful to our neighbours, Brian and Mona for keeping an eye out on our place and shoveling out the car and sidewalk after a big storm so we didnt have to come back to a daunting pile of the white stuff. Marians daughter, Maaike, kept the plants alive and I appreciated the many sympathy cards waiting in the mailbox. It was good to get home and be surrounded by friends.
Much of my week was spent getting back into the swing of training. As I look back over the past six months, I can see that many factors have conspired to keep me from training too hard or too long. Its time now, however, to pump up the training volume and become a lean, mean climbing machine. Ive been working with several folks to both create and support my training. In designing my program, Ive been keeping in mind the constellation of strengths and skills I will need.
Over the next twelve weeks, Ill be working hard to further develop, sharpen, and strengthen my aerobic endurance, anaerobic endurance, upper, lower, and core body strength, respiratory endurance, flexibility, hiking with a pack, and mountain skills. Its a tall order but Everest is an even taller one! Having been on the mountain, I have a better sense of the demands and challenges of both the terrain and the altitude.
My aerobic endurance will come through step aerobics classes with a pack, some incline treadmill hiking with a pack, and outdoor hiking with a pack. My pack will become my almost constant companion as Ill always be carrying one on the mountain-it is also a way to increase my workload without running (each week the amount of weight in my pack will increase by a small amountright now I am carrying 25 pounds). Challenges to my anaerobic endurance come through ice hockey and incline treadmill intervals developed by Dr. Fabien Basset at Memorial University of Newfoundland.
Body strength will be build through a combination of weight training and functional fitness training. Respiratory endurance will come through training hypoxically using the Go2Altitude system as well as by using the Spirotiger to strengthen my diaphragm. Finally, Ill continue to coax flexibility out of my tight tissues through some yoga (Have I mentioned that when they were giving out hamstrings I was at the back of the line and got a very short set). :-)
I also realize that having honed mountain skills makes me faster and therefore safer on the mountain so Ill also dedicate some training time to knot tying, fixed rope ascension, ladder practice, rappelling, and tire pulling. I did my first tire pull halfway up Signal Hill this weekit such a good workout and reminds me constantly of the absolute humbling that high altitude hands out. When pulling the tire, I am moving very slowly, almost breathless, and on the verge of vomitingjust like climbing the Khumbu icefall.
This week I also had the pleasure of catching up with Phil Alcock at the Core Health Spa (http://www.corehealthspa.ca.) We worked out together yesterday and I was reminded of the intense functional fitness workout that Phil can dole out. If youre in St. Johns and need someone to pusher you harder, hes your man!
All this hard work will tax my body to the max so I have a team of folks who will help me both avoid and treat any training injuries that may occur. Ill introduce that team in next weeks update. Thanks again to all for your support and care this past month (and beyond)its meant so much to me. I would ask that this week you keep my Oma in your thoughts and prayers as she had a small stroke and were hoping shell continue to be able to live independently.
Enjoy this holiday season in whatever way you celebrate it.
TA
|
| Joys and Sorrows |
12/13/2009 |
Good Icy Cold Morning to You,
The combination of minus 45 degrees C and ice fog this morning at the Edmonton International Airport means were spending an additional day here. Our flight was cancelled and given big travel volumes, we couldnt be rebooked until tomorrow. You should have seen the look on Moms face when we rang the doorbell and handed her the morning paper after shed dropped us off at the airport at 5:00 a.m. Surprise, were back, we exclaimed. I was looking forward to being home and getting back into a training routine but as Oma so frequently says, What comes, comes.
Last Sunday I had the great pleasure of joining Xander on the ice for his hockey practice. I loved being out there with him and perhaps todays delay will allow me another visit to the arena when his plays again today. On Friday, I visited Raynes school again. This time, not to speak about climbing but instead, about the carrying the Olympic Torch. I spoke to the elementary school in two groupsat first I wasnt sure I could muster the energy but as soon as I saw the childrens faces light up at seeing the Torch, I knew I could do it. I even had the kids in stitches at one point when I climbed up on a table to demonstrate my luge technique (I had had a great brainstorm in 1986 that I would make the Olympic Luge team in time for the Calgary winter gamesunfortunately, early in my sledding career, I ran my luge off the track and busted up my knee pretty darn good when I hit a tree and that was the end of that!)
In the homily of my Dads funeral mass, Father Reddy counseled us that this would be a time of great joy and great sorrow and that has been true to my experience of the past week. After Dads passing, we continued to tell fun and memorable stories of Dads life throughout the week. Im really grateful to the group of my brothers friends who gathered from around Western Canada to support him and who pulled off a spontaneous celebration of Dads life after the prayer service on Wednesday. It was marvelous to share in such deep laughter and appreciation of my Dad after the intense grief of the prayer service.
Special thanks to Todd and Shelley for the impromptu feast and for Seans delightful rendition of learning to waterski under my Dads watchful eye. Thanks as well to Dave Fritz for feeding us all twice during the week, Doris and her Mom for the German feast that evoked so many memories, Shawns Mom and Dad for wonderful baked goods and watching the kids, and Uncle Bart for his kindness and care to all of us.
Father Reddy had asked for a copy of my eulogy so he could know a bit more about my Dad since he had just recently moved to their parish. I so appreciated how Father Reddy wove together the readings, his homily, and the essence of Dads spirit into a beautiful liturgy to send him off to whatever comes next. The highlight of the mass for me is when, in honour of Dads great sense of humour, Father Reddy told a joke. It may have been the first time I heard a priest tell a joke in church and it was so fitting of my Dad. Special thanks to Monica and Heidi for reading at both services and to Todd, Mike, Derwyn, Cam, Gerry, and Brian for being pallbearers. Your participation in honouring Dad was much appreciated.
One of the things that speaking professionally has taught me, is to allow a presentation to ebb and flow like the tide. I know when I am speaking that some of the topics are highly emotionally charged and I need to allow pause or humour to allow myself time to compose myself to continue. When I first said I would do Dads eulogy, I wondered if first I would find the words and second, once found, if I would be able to speak them.
Over the course of three early mornings, the words did come. As you will see below in my Dads eulogy, he always believed in me and I wrote a reminder of that right into it so that if I was struggling to speak, I would remember that my Dads many reminders that I could do it. And I did do it, twiceonce during the prayer service and once at the funeral. My voice got stronger and gained power as I spoke reaching a crescendo in the last paragraph until the last lines. Saying the good-bye, the parting, the letting the reality of the loss sink in by speaking those words aloudbrought a tsunami of grief to the surface and almost overwhelmed my ability to enunciate the sentiment but I held on for dear life, for my dear Dad, and got through the words with my voice cracking, tears streaming down my face, and my heart open.
Good Morning
On behalf of mother Denise, my Oma, Frida, my brother, Mike and myself, I would like to thank you deeply for your being here with us today to both share our grief at the loss of Heinz and to celebrate his life and the gifts he gave us all.
One of the greatest gifts that my father gave me, and to so many others, was his belief in me. Every spring at his beloved lake and cabin, Dad would orchestrate the putting in of the pier and boat hoist. Most often, all of the male neighbours would gather to help each other to move these very heavy objects from the land into the water. When I was about ten or eleven, I was helping Dad get the pier project started. He and I were lifting the pier sections from their storage location to the lakeshore. As the neighbours began to arrive, they each in turn, tried to come over and take the burden from me. Each time Dad said, Leave it to her, she can do it. So since then, at times in my life when I may have doubted whether or not I could do something, like right now perhaps, I hear my Dads voice, She can do it.
I have heard it said that the mediocre teacher tells, the good teacher explains, the superior teacher demonstrates and the great teacher inspires. Without every setting foot at the front of a classroom, my father was a great teacher. He taught so many people, so many things: from how to drive a stick shift, to casting lead bullets, to getting up on water skis, to how to fix most anything. His students ranged from the boys at the shop to our childhood friends; from the neighbours at the lake to anyone he shared a chairlift with. His generous spirit spilled forth to both help and teach at the slightest perception of need.
After surviving World War II in the Sudenland region of Czechoslovakia, Heinz and his parents, Frida and Alois, immigrated to Canada and settled in Good Soil, Saskatchewan. Dad often told stories from his life on the farm; of the magpie he befriended that would steal the tractor keys and hide them, of the horse he loved and tended to, and of course, his long walk to school. Unlike many Canadian kids who heard similar tales, my dad and his cousins Monica and Heidi really did walk seven miles through snowstorms to their school.
My Dad and his parents moved to Edmonton in time for Dad to attend high school at St. Marys. Here, his stories continued. We heard of sporting feats, fast cars, and pranks played on teachers and friends alike. Dad met Mom as a substitute blind date set up by her older brother, Gerry. After a delightful courtship, they were married in 1964. Mom said the other day that perhaps Dad was always early for everything, because she was an hour late for the wedding.
Soon after I was born, Mom and Dad moved to Ottewell. In this neighbourhood of young families, they met some of their lifelong friends. Out of this connection, Dad and Manfred Springer began to go hunting together. Over the years, we watched them pack up their vans, trailers, campers, or RVswhatever the hunting accommodation de jour waswith their guns, supplies, and scrumptious hunting fare known as Fantasy Casserole that often came from Dads skillful mixing of several cans of food. A week or so later, they would emerge from the bush surrounding Whitecourt with many stories, a few chickens as Dad would call grouse, but not very often with big game. After years of watching this phenomena, Mike and Shawn began to call these so called hunting trips, Camping with Guns. When Shawn killed her first chicken, Dad stood by and coached her through the whole process of cleaning it, despite many of the men wanting to jump in and take it from her.
My Dad loved nothing better than to be outdoors and especially to spend time around a bonfire. Both while hunting and at the lake, most evenings were spent nursing a drink, telling tall tales, and a joke or two with whoever was gathered around the warmth of the community fire. Come to think about it, make that ten or twenty jokes. Dad loved to make people laugh and kept a huge repository of jokes in his steel-trap mindhe never forgot a thing.
My Mom called Dad, her Walking Encyclopedia. We all quickly learned never to get in an argument with Heinzhe always wonespecially if it had to do with what happened when. Im not sure when we all discovered the source of his amazing memory. He wrote daily in a notebook, keeping track of the weather and significant events of the day. Dad was an avid, voracious reader with an insatiable curiosity for how things worked. He was a gifted engineer who could repair anything given a supply of duct tape, tie-wraps, Velcro, and GE Sealant.
My Dad had a special place in his heart for animals. He hated to see them suffer and always helped care for all the strays my brother and I brought home. He had a special bond with our cat, Pudd, and an even deeper connection with Bear, his beloved Akita. Despite all of the pain he suffered from the cancer, I suspect the worse day of my dads life was when he lost Bear. I imagine Bear was waiting to greet Dad with his two huge paws on Dads chest.
Life dealt Dad several blows in short order. He lost Bear, he and mom were both diagnosed with cancer, and his father passed away all within a couple of years. Many would have folded and left their cards on the table. Not my father. He faced the challenges and suffering of the past twelve years with grace, courage, and humour. Dad demonstrated a seasoned ability to live with uncertainty and to go forward each day, not knowing what it would bring. He took early retirement, continued to pursue the things he loved to do, researched options, and put up with the many side effects of his cancer treatment. He lived life as fully as he could and inspired us in how he coped with the tremendous pain of his illness. Dad also broke the silence around prostate cancer by encouraging every man he knew to get tested. He saved many lives by being brave enough to talk about his cancer.
Along with hunting, Dad loved to ski. Starting on the small hills surrounding the farm in Saskatchewan and progressing to the huge drops of Sunshine Village in Banff, Dads passion was for the slopes. He shared his passion by teaching Mom, Mike, myself, and many others to ski. He always counted the days to his annual ski week with Mom, Manfred and Agnes. The day that Dad died, the first winter storm of 2009 raged outside. When Mike and I met at the hospital that day, we looked out at the falling snow and thought Dad picked the perfect day to go. We took comfort picturing him carving turns in endless fresh powder under crystal blue skies and sunshine knowing his favourite meal would be waiting in heavens cafeteria.
I believe that the true measure of our worth is not where we come to be at journeys end, but in the lives we touch along the way. I know both personally and by looking out at all of you gathered here, that we have all been deeply touched by Heinz as a husband, son, father, opa, friend, and teacher. Heinzs courage in living the past decade with a devastating disease, his generosity and acts of kindness, his contagious laugh and sense of humour, and most of all, his love for his family, will never be forgotten. Dad, I am so glad you are now free of painrest in peacewe all miss you dearly.
Thanks to all of you in my cyber community of support for sending caring thoughts and prayers. Weve felt your support and leaned on it many times. I look forward to seeing friends in Newfoundland soon (whenever Air Canada can get us there) and I am committed to taking my training for Everest to a new height of dedication to both honour and be close in spirit to my dad. See you in a gym nearby soon!
With gratitude,
TA
|
| Off to Powder Ski Slopes |
12/6/2009 |
I’m up early to write from a different chair. It’s been a big week on the metaphorical mountain and I know forming and sharing the words will help me reflect and process the deeper meaning of it all.
People had said I would know when it was time to come. I was checking in several times a day with Edmonton, watching airfares, trying to train, and seeing how Marian was doing. Dad moved onto the palliative care unit at the Grey Nuns Hospital on Sunday. Mom used to be the night supervisor there for 20 years and though it meant a longer drive to get there, she knew Dad would receive the best care.
And then as people said I would, I knew it was time. We got seats on a most windy Wednesday morning and flew out. Shawn picked us up at the airport and we went right to the hospital. When we walked into his room, Dad woke and was able to greet us. He was finally comfortable when lying still and would rouse when called to but was sleeping the rest of the time.
Soon after we arrived, a succession of visitors arrived and we spent much of the afternoon telling stories of Dad’s life and the ways he impacted ours. There was many stories of hunting, skiing, and times at the cabin. One of Dad’s favourite things was napping on the couch at the lake and I imagined him laying on “his” couch napping as we spun yarn after yarn. Later in the afternoon, Rayne came to visit and helped the nurse give her grandfather his medication and got a chance to ask lots of questions about Opa’s care.
Wednesday was hard but I took solace in being surrounded by caring friends and family and in the fact that laughter was being doled out in about the same ratio as tears. We were celebrating my Dad, and since he loved to laugh, naturally many of the stories made us chuckle. We met with Dad’s doctors and though they couldn’t give us a timeline, they hinted at a few weeks. Having started our day in Newfoundland at 3:30 a.m., we fell into bed exhausted that evening.
The next morning we headed back to the hospital. As soon as I walked into the room, I knew things had changed dramatically. In taking one look at my Dad, I knew it wouldn’t be weeks, I knew it would be days, if that. Dread was the first emotion to arise followed quickly by huge waves of grief. Seeing the nurse do care and the intense pain that any movement caused Dad, a tiny sense of relief that his suffering might soon be over began to enter my body.
I had brought my Olympic Torch to show my Dad. In the elevator, some one had asked me if the box contained chocolates. I said, “No, it has an Olympic Torch.” I took it out of the box and once again witnessed its magic as people began to hold it and pass it around. I showed it to Dad as soon as I arrived and there was a brief flicker of recognition in his eyes. I placed it on the windowsill and we enjoyed watching nurses, doctors, and visitors as they picked it up and hold the torch. As I carried it on Mom and Dad’s anniversary, it felt like a tribute to have the torch there.
Dad’s main doctor, Dr. Amigo, paid a special visit so I could show him the torch. He carried it out onto the unit and joked that his ego was getting bigger by the second. He was originally from Argentina so we shared our love of Dulce de Leche and I showed him pictures of climbing Aconcagua on my laptop. I appreciated Dr. Amigo taking time to be with us with such kindness and grace–not only was he looking after Dad, he was looking after us. It seemed he had “right livelihood” being perfectly suited in skill and temperament to the work he does and I loved his name. Amigo means friend in Spanish and he was indeed, a doctor friend.
As the day progressed, Dad could no longer respond or wake up. He slipped deeper and deeper into unconsciousness. In July, I carried a string of prayer flags to the summit of Mount Elbrus for both my Dad and Moh Hardin, my Buddhist teacher. In celebration of this, I hung a string of prayer flags over Dad’s bed and took comfort in seeing their familiar colours and having them remind me of Buddhist teachings. They also provided another point of conversation and it turned out that one of Dad’s nurses had worked in Tibet. Small world.
The hospital gift shop had “puffed wheat squares.” These chocolate confections are one of my favourite treats as well as Dad’s. I bought some and brought them up to the room. I wished that just one more time Dad and I could compete for the last bite. It wasn’t uncommon for Mom to have to make one tray for my Dad and one for me. I was comfortable talking to my Dad even though he couldn’t respond. I offered him some puff wheat squares and told him that I would keep eating them and would miss sharing them with him.
We spent the day in prayer punctuated by stories. Again, when visitors would come, we shared memories of Dad and used laughter to temper our grief. It was harder to leave the hospital that night and I contemplated staying over. We asked the nurses to call us if anything changed and we’d be back as quick as we could.
The call came the next morning. We all headed quickly to the hospital. It was snowing heavily. Mom, Marian and I arrived first. Seeing Dad, we knew it wouldn’t be long. When Mike and Shawn arrived, both Mike and I had had the same thought. Dad loved to ski and this was a perfect day to go. Each time I looked out the window, I imagined Dad standing at the top of his favourite run in Banff just waiting for enough perfect powder to fall to begin his run.
We all sat round him. He was no longer in any pain and for the first time in days, we could touch him (previously the lightest touch was agony for him). Again, we told stories and memories and laughter was once again mixed with the tears. I had promised Rayne I would take a picture of something on the unit but had forgotten the camera in the car. I didn’t want to leave but knew I didn’t want to miss getting the picture for Rayne so I let Dad know I was stepping out and quickly went to the car. I stopped in the gift shop for more puffed wheat squares.
I got back to Dad’s room and took the picture Rayne wanted. A sense came over me and I turned, put the camera down, and saw down beside my Dad. I offered the puffed wheat squares round and most indulged–Dad loved them. We surrounded Dad with love and care and he passed gently at 12:34. Those that know me know that my watch beeps everyday at 12:34. It is my favourite time of day…1, 2, 3, 4! I just get a kick out of it and don’t want to miss it so I set an alarm. It was just like my Dad to pick such a moment to go. I know that each day when the alarm beeps, not only will I chuckle with my favourite time of day, I’ll think of my Dad and everything he means to me.
Once the first round of tears had fallen, we took out a small bottle of whiskey that Dad hadn’t gotten to drink and passed it around. We told Dad that we must really love him to drink the rye straight up without mix. Dr. Amigo came in and offered words of comfort that though Dad went quicker than anyone expected, he was now finally free of pain. With his words, came a huge sense of relief for me that has carried me through the first few days since Dad’s death. Near the end, he hurt so much that I could hardly stand it and I am so grateful that he suffering is over. I knew I would miss him so much but I wanted him pain free even more.
We each took time to say our good-byes. I took the prayer flags down knowing that they would come with me to Everest and hang in my tent as both a reminder of my Dad and a reminder of his strength that I can draw upon whenever needed. We packed the rest of Dad’s belongings and I drove us home through the storm. The rest of that day was a fog of funeral arrangements, logistics, and alternating relief and disbelief.
We all dreaded telling Oma, my Dad’s mother for we know she’d loved him so deeply for all of his 67 years. She’d had a dream earlier in the day that Dad had died and sobbed uncontrollably for the first while. We then got out her brandy and toasted Dad once again. With glasses in hand, the stories began again and Oma had us nearly peeing our pants with her antics. I appreciated the laughter as it helps balance out the deep sadness.
Since most of you live away from Edmonton and won’t be able to see Dad’s Obituary, I’ve pasted it here.
Heinz Loeffler, aged 67 years, passed away peacefully surrounded by his family on December 4, 2009. He is survived by his loving wife, Denise, his mother, Frida and two children, TA (Marian), and Mike (Shawn). Heinz also leaves to mourn two grandchildren, Rayne and Xander and numerous other relatives and close friends. He was predeceased by his father, Alois and Uncle Joe and Auntie Hilde. A prayer service will be held on Wednesday, December 9, 2009 at 7:00 p.m. at the Chapel of Howard & McBride Westlawn, 16310 Stony Plain Road, Edmonton with a Funeral Mass on Thursday, December 10 at 11:00 a.m. at Good Shepherd Catholic Church, 18407-60 Ave, Edmonton. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Prostate Cancer Canada, (145 Front Street East, Suite 306 Toronto Ontario M5A 1E3 http://www.prostatecancer.ca) or the Grey Nuns Community Hospital, Palliative Care Unit 43. Heinz’s family thanks you for your care and support during this difficult time.
Thank you for all of your kind words, thoughts, and prayers as they bring great comfort to my family and me. Take good care,
TA
|
| A New Elevation |
11/29/2009 |
Good Morning,
When climbing a high altitude peak, we dont just climb it once. We climb it at least twice, perhaps three of four times. In order to acclimatize properly, mountaineers use a strategy of Climb High, Sleep Low. To climb a new altitude, we first do a day trip to that elevationwe might carry of load of suppliesor we may just climb up to introduce our bodies to the new height. This introduction sets off complex physiologic processes that eventually change the composition of our blood to enable us to survive in an ever-decreasing oxygen environment. After one or two excursions to a new elevation, we break down camp and move to the new one.
I always seem to dread the second climbperhaps because I have seen and climbed the route and know what difficulties lie ahead. I know how hard I will have to breathe and how challenging some sections will be to surmount. And then I am always surprised that the second time through is always easier because I know whats coming, I have markers to use along the climb to measure progress, and I am a wee bit more acclimatized than the first go.
Arriving at the new camp, there is always much work to do: tent platforms and kitchens must be dug, tents erected, and snow melted into drinking water. Doing these tasks at a new elevation is always humbling. Move too fast and youre instantly breathless and panting. Imagine being a bit drunk or tipsy while already feeling the next days hangover, feeling deeply chilled overall with really cold feet and hands, being able to move two shovelfuls of snow and then having to lean over your shovel out of breath, then having to swing your legs to make the blood go back to your toes through centrifugal force, then having to catch your breath again, then shoveling again, then feeling a bit dizzy and unsteady, then swinging your arms to bring blood to your hands, shoveling a bit more. Repeat the above for four hours while really wanting to curl up into a ball in the snow.
Earlier this week, when it became clear that my Dads battle with prostate cancer would likely end very soon; I was thrust instantly into a high elevation environment that I wasnt acclimatized to. Instantaneously, my heart could not beat hard enough or deep enough to move the mountain of emotion through, my lungs couldnt take in enough to air to stave off the suffocating grief, and my head rushed with both dizziness and confusion. Though I have climbed through grief along with my Dad over the past eleven years the best I could, this is a new and gripping elevation that has stopped me cold.
One of the things that you must quickly learn at high altitude is to move slowly. When sitting down, its easy to forget how stressed your body is because it can keep up with the demands when you are not moving. Stand up quickly and take a few quick steps and the feedback is swift. So too this week, I learned that grief is an invitation to move very slowly. Like acclimatization, it is a slow process that cannot be rushed or forced and I must climb through it step by step. The route is new to me and I dont know the markers along the way. The snow is deep overwhelming and at times, I am pitched forward onto my face when my foot drops into a posthole. The visibility is poor, making it difficult to see both the route and my teammates.
I know enough to follow the rope in front of me, to try to step in the footprints that others have left, to take breaks, and to trust that I will get new views as I climb higher. This is a climb that there is no turning back from. I cant call it off because of bad weather or risky conditions. I cant stop it. I can only climb it as best as I can, knowing there will be avalanches of emotion along the entire route. I cant avoid these pounding white waves that pummel me with loss and deep sadness at frequent, seemingly random intervals, triggered by invisibly, falling from their high perches to bury me.
I can only traverse this terrain with care and cherish the memories and profound inspiration that my Dad has given me from the moment I was bornto speaking on the phone with him just the other night. My Buddhist path has taught me that it is possible to synchronously do two paradoxical things at once if I can and grasp that duality doesnt existI must simultaneously hold onto the rope that ties my Dad and I together while at the same time, prepare to take him off-belay. This will be the toughest climb of my life thus far and Marian and I will be heading to Edmonton soon to join my family.
Thanks to all who sent get wishes to Marian this week. Shes recovering very well and Im very grateful since that means she will be able to travel with me. We shared a quiet week where she rested at home and I made short forays into the world to train and receive athletic therapy. Todd Row at Allied Health Services has been helping to get my patellar tendonitis to settle down.
Ironically, one of Todds recommendations is that I need to stretch more (of the five areas of fitnessflexibility is my least favourite). I guess the universe these days wants to stretch me both physically and emotionally. The other day I described myself as feeling like lately Id been shredded on the cheese grater of life. Its always good when my sense of humour rises to the top of the coping strategies list. Its one of my best and one I learned from my Dadhe loves to laugh, joke, and often knows just how to make someone more comfortable by making fun of himself. I inherited my funny bone from him.
I appreciate all of the support Marian and I have received over the past few weeks and Ill ask that you continue to reach out as the mountain suddenly seems even steeper now. Please keep my entire family in your thoughts and prayers. Have a good week and take care.
With gratitude to you,
TA
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| Down River |
11/22/2009 |
Happy US Thanksgiving!
As I look forward to this week, where my friends south of the 49th parallel will be celebrating Thanksgiving, I am thankful that last week went as well as it could have and that Marian came through surgery like a trooper, is home now, and is on the road to recovery. After last weeks road metaphor (thanks to all for the kind feedback), I turn this week to the metaphor of a river. Actually a specific river, the Colorado, through a specific place, the Grand Canyon, to make sense and meaning of the experience called last week. I wrote at some point each day to reflect, process, and deal with the huge waves of emotion that poured over me regularly.
Nov. 16, 2009
Last spring, Marian and I rafted the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon. It was a 226-mile journey through one of my favourite places on earth and it was such a joy to share it with her. As we prepared ourselves for her surgery, I was in search (as I always am) of a guiding metaphor. Very quickly, the memories of the Colorado River surfaced and provided a frame for the feelings that were engulfing us.
Rapids on the Colorado are graded from one to ten based on their difficulty and level of risk. Before most rapids of eight or above, we would stop and scout the rapid from shore. Wed look for big rocks, hydraulic water features, and standing waves with an eye to find the best line to the bottom of the rapid. At the top of every rapid is the Vthe water pours through the rocks at the top and makes a V shaped trough that you aim to put your raft down the middle of. As you drop down the V, you pull left or right or ride it right down the middle.
The jury is out about how much you can really influence the movement of the boat once you are in the rapid. Usually, the key is in the set-upif you get the boat to the best place, youll get through. As we neared Lava Falls, the largest drop on the river, we read the description in the guidebook, Enter the V on the mid right and begin to pull hard to the left. Attempt to pull over the large standing waves and avoid the huge pillow rock at the bottom on river right. Dont worry in twenty seconds it will be over either wayyoull either be upright or you wont.
The description was oddly comforting knowing that the experience (like everything else) would pass and be done shortly. At the top of the rapid, the water pools a bit and seems to slow. I wondered if we would ever get to the rapid and the thundering pulse of my heart competed with the cacophonous roar of the impending drop. Then suddenly, the current caught us and the boat began to slide down into the rapidthere was no turning back thenjust trust and pull. Breathe and hold on. Twenty seconds of intense, intense living. My memories of the rapid are a blurring blend of adrenaline and roller coasterwe did manage to go up on the pillow rock but slid harmlessly off and cheered wildly at being upright at the bottom of Lava!
In the days before her surgery, both Marian and I drew on the idea of setting up for the rapid. We did everything we knew to bring her strength up, to set up a great health care team, and to get the house ready for her recovery time. Despite the large waves of emotion that rolled over and through us, we kept working to see the way through the cataract, memorize the line, and then position the boat at the top of the V.
Im sitting in the waiting room as I type this knowing that Marian is now in the rapidthere is no pulling the boat back up rivershe must ride it out. Im standing on the shore with throw line in hand and trusting that in a few hours, the rapid will be over and well reunite at the bottom of the chasm. This morning as I sat with her, I recognized that the same thundering herd of butterflies from the Grand Canyon had once again taken up residence in my belly and I took solace in recognizing the familiarity of the sensations. We got through the Colorado upright and all right, and Im tied to that hope today as well.
Standing here on the shore, Ive put my proverbial foot in the shoes of those who love and care about me and have a visceral sense of what it must be like when I head up into the risks of the high altitude environment. Im filled with empathy of how hard it is to sit and wait and pray that no harm comes to a loved one. I knew it before, but today I am reminded of it on a deep, deep level. In feeling this, I am also committing to doing everything I can to stack the odds in my favour, prepare well, make good decisions, and position my boat in the best possible way on the Everest V wave.
Nov. 17, 2009
Of the hundreds of rapids on the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon, there are two that are feared the most: Lava Falls and Crystal. Crystal comes relatively early in the trip just past Phantom Ranch. Its a teeming monster of white water with several boat-eating holes to navigate around. The first time I rowed the Grand, I took one look at Crystal and decided I would walk around it. One of my teammates rowed my boat through and I shot video for the crew. On my second canyon trip, I was rowing well, lead boat, and ready to attempt Crystal. We arrived at scout and the water was low (because of the Glen Canyon dam and fluctuating energy needs, the Colorado River has a tide).
The low water meant that the run on river left that squirted the first massive hole was available. We had someone on the team whod flipped a boat in Crystal before. He wanted to watch a guided team go through. Then a private group. Then another commercial group. By then, the water had risen and the door to the left run was slammed shut. We re-scouted for the right hand run which required rowing backward across the V wave to spin and miss the first hole. I wasnt at all psyched for the run and hated (at that point) to enter rapids backwards. With heavy heart, I pushed off into the river with Liz riding on my front pontoon like a rodeo rider on a bucking bronco.
I set my boat up and began to pull hard across the V. The enormous rush of current grabbed the boat and we shot off like a rocket. I pulled and pulled but not hard enough. We got dragged down the V and didnt have enough momentum to break the large standing V wave. In an instant, we cascaded right down into the maw of that first hole. The force of the water threw the stern into the air and the boat catapulted over itself throwing both Liz and I into the mercy of the river. After a thrashing in the hole, I surfaced and caught a lung-full of air and realized the boat was out of reach to grab. I was forced to swim the kilometer long rapid without the extra floatation of the raft.
Liz surfaced nearby and grabbed my PFD. We were instantly swept into the next gigantic hole and thrown violently to the rivers bottom. Fortunately we werent imprisoned by the holes hydraulics and soon were careening towards the third hole. That one flushed us through and now only the bone-yard, a rocky outcrop in the middle of the current threatened us. With most of us strength zapped by the extremely cold water, we feebly swam towards river right and managed to avoid being strained through the rocks. I finally got to shore and couldnt see Liz. I jumped up to see if I could spot hershe was around a rock outcrop puking out the river water. I climbed over to her and we rejoiced in being alive after a huge Crystal Swim.
The rest of the team came down with one other raft flipping. We righted the boats. The rest of the day is rather a blur of frothing whitewater, spent adrenaline, and holding on and getting through. You see, below Crystal are The Jewels. Oft underestimated, oft misunderstoodthis collection of gemsSapphire, Ruby, and the like are demanding in their own right. A collection of seven eights and nines they catch the unwary boater who has failed to look downriver from Crystal.
The third time I rowed Crystal I followed Kristen Zbornik down the left hand run and had a perfect runafter which was major celebration. This past April, I sat behind Sharon and barked commands as she piloted the boat down the left hand run. Marian and Chama were ready to highside and we kissed the cliff on the river left but we got through it. Marian could see the relief than flowed from every pore in my body when we were all safely through Crystal. I relaxed for the first time on the trip.
Today, I feel like Marian and I are in the Jewels. We got through yesterdays Crystal (the surgery) in good form, with a great line, and with the boat upright and everyone on board. It was tough but the relief at the bottom of the rapid was easily palpable. Today, with adrenaline spent, the day looms a bit tougher. She has more pain and more nausea. I have more pain seeing her in pain. Were watching for any sign of complications. Were still riding the current and trying to position the boat in the best spot for all the rapids that are coming our way and we recognize were only a third of the way down the river.
Fortunately, we had river beta. We knew the jewels would come after Crystal and had prepared for them. We keep our oars in the water and trust that were just where we need to be.
Nov. 18, 2009
After the jewels, the river grants a small respite. A few days filled with more slack water, beautiful sights, and rapids that are more fun than terrifying. Coming into the hospital this morning, it feels like weve left the jewels and are looking forward to going downriver at a less intense pace. Ive relaxed today some and can sense movement towards healing.
We know there could still be a Lava Falls (infection) but we hope to avoid running another huge rapid on this trip. Well keep heading downriver prepared for whatever the current takes us towards.
Nov. 19, 2009
We are definitely past the jewels. The intensity of the week has eased and we enjoy the trip home. We settle into our healing base camp (home) and start strategizing on leaving the river for the mountain eighteen weeks from now. If recovery continues to go well, were hoping Marian will still be able to trek to Mount Everest in April of 2010.
Nov. 20, 2009
As we transitioned from the hospital to home, I was reminded of the excitement of arriving at Everest Base Camp. It usually takes between ten and fourteen days to trek to base camp and there is great excitement in finally arriving there. A few days of settling in, puja blessing and then the hard work of climbing the mountain can begin.
I was filled with a similar excitement when we reached home yesterday. Finally, we were where we wanted to be. Looking ahead, I see the long road of recovery stretching before us and I know will climb this figurative mountain in the same way we climb any other, step by step. Weve found a few recovery training programs that progress from short 3 minute walks forward to full physical capacity over six to eight weeks and each day, well make out way through the plan. Well be extremely mindful of rest, nutrition, and taking it all very slowly.
Looking back at the week, I can see that I was really prepared for the Crystal day but not so much for the jewels. The river has taught me once again of the value of beta and scouting and keeping an eye on both the current rapid and what lies ahead around the bend. Ive appreciated the river metaphors for its guidance and ability to assist me in making sense of all the emotional currents of the week.
Nov. 22, 2009
Were happily ensconced in our base camp. The last few days have almost felt like vacation. When Marian is sitting still, shes doing so well, its easy to forget that she just arrived at base camp. Weve been having fun playing hokey from life, catching up on a few seasons of Greys Anatomy, receiving visitors, and contemplating life six weeks down river. I am so proud of Marian and the tremendous courage she displayed this week. I will draw upon those memories when I need a dose of the same.
I am grateful to Marians doctors, nurses, and hospital staff for providing excellent care. Thanks for all my doc and nurse friends who provided advice and hints for getting through the experience. I am also appreciative for the acts of kindness we received this week from a dietary aide providing me with a meal at the hospital to friends dropping off meals and supplies, to friends checking in and listening at the end of long days, and to family and friends coming over so I could still get out to a few hockey games. Each kindness struck a note of joy in my heart and I appreciate how deeply moved I was by each of them.
Please continue to keep us both in your thoughts and prayers. Please also add my mom and dad to that list. My dad has been having a pretty rough go of it lately and Im wanting to infuse them both with lots of love and healing energy.
Take good care,
TA
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| With Glowing Heart |
11/15/2009 |
Happy Anniversary Mom and Dad!
The title of one of the many books I read a book in grad school stayed with me over the years: “We Make the Road by Walking” because it so aptly describes the unfolding of a journey. A few weeks back, when I was first in Australia and getting used to driving on the left side of the road, I caught myself over and over again being tempted to say that “We are driving on the wrong side of the road.” Each time however, I would catch myself and say aloud, “Hey–we’re driving on the other side of the road” instead. I would then muse about how it easy it is to frame “different” as “wrong” and how seductive it is to stay within “secure” environs, situations where we know how things work or where we are comfortable.
Along the road, there are many intersections and our paths unfold depending on whether we turn right, left, go forward, pull a U-turn or park the car. In my presentations, I show a picture of a road sign in Tibet where my choices were to turn left and go towards a “loud ditch” or turn right towards the “Pearl Peak Supreme Headquarters.” I turned my bicycle right and a few kilometres down the road saw Mount Everest towering before me.
It was then that I knew I wanted to climb Everest. Standing at the North Everest basecamp the next day, I had someone take a picture of me so that I could remember that moment of deciding I wanted to climb Everest. At that point, I wasn’t worried about the climbing (though I probably should have been), I was worried about the fundraising because I had no idea how a shy, phone-phobic human being could possibly raise the $60,000 necessary to climb Mount Everest.
In 2008, along that same piece of road amid a mountain of controversy, the Olympic Torch was carried in the relay that would eventually take the flame to the summit of Mount Everest and onto Beijing for the Games. Yesterday, along High Street in Grand Falls-Windsor, I carried that same flame. Similar to a Buddhist lineage where teachings are transmitted from the Buddha through teachers to students, the Olympic Flame is passed from one Olympic Games to the next, from Athens to the next host location.
Canada is hosting the 2010 Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver and Whistler. To carry the flame to the Games, they have organized the longest domestic torch relay in history. In 102 days, the Torch Relay will use 12,000 torchbearers to move the flame 45,000 kilometres. Last night, I was honoured and touched and moved to spend 300 metres with the Olympic Flame on my parent’s 45th wedding anniversary.
I was the first to receive the flame in Grand Falls-Windsor so the flame arrived in a small lantern. The Flame Keepers transferred the flame from the lantern and ignited my torch. My moment with the flame arrived. I raised the torch skyward and felt my spirit soar alongside the bold, crackling light. I had planned to walk with the torch but was encouraged by the entourage to run if I could. Listening to their instructions, I made Marian’s job as photographer tougher as she then, also had to run.
There is a red maple leaf on the torch indicates which way to hold it, “Closest to your heart,” our briefer had said. My heart beat faster and faster as I took those first tentative steps into the black night and then I gazed upward at the flame and began to run. I’m not sure if I ever really looked forward as to where I was going because I was so mesmerized by the flame. “I’m holding the Olympic Flame, I’m holding the Olympic Flame” kept coming into my mind following by “This flame has been to the summit of Mount Everest and I will follow it there.” I wanted to blaze the image of its bright hope on my mind, heart, and soul so that when mine dims along the road to and on Everest (as I know it will at times), I can draw courage, strength, and persistence from the thousands of athletes who have dedicated themselves to the pursuit of excellence in their sport.
As I had been warned, my time with the flame was quickly over. I turned the corner onto Church Street and walked the last few feet to the next torchbearer. I stopped, glanced at the flame once more and then brought my torch down to ignite the next one. My torch was then turned off and I spotted Marian off to my right. I quickly went over and gave her a hug and then needed to jump aboard the shuttle bus. The other torchbearers welcomed me aboard enthusiastically and I enjoyed watching the rest of the torchbearer team complete their legs of the relay.
We drove up to the community celebration where the crowd cheered on Tony Kyritsis as he arrived with the flame to light the cauldron. As I made my way towards the stage to watch the festivities, I looked at the faces of many children as I walked by with the torch. They were awestruck, glowing really (as was I). They had, at that moment, been filled with the true spirit of the Olympic Games and to any child that seemed like he or she wanted it, I offered a chance to hold the torch. They then would remark on either how heavy or light it was and marvel at its design and their proud parents would come over and capture the moment.
I was sponsored as a torchbearer by the province of Newfoundland and Labrador so I met Minister Sullivan backstage during the celebration and shared some about what the experience was like to carry the torch. After the fireworks, Marian and I realized how chilled we were and headed to find some supper. I’m grateful to Marian for making the big road trip with me out to Grand Falls-Windsor to share in my Olympic experience… sharing it with her made it more fun and more meaningful to me.
Three weeks ago, two kilometres deep along a bush road in Australia, Marian and I shared a different experience. She had a bit of a health crisis that scared us both pretty deeply and tomorrow she’ll have surgery to prevent it from happening again. Marian is embarking on a mountainous journey of healing and I will be there every step along her road to recovery. I would ask that you keep us both in your thoughts and prayers tomorrow and over the next few months.
I had no idea when I decided, at that dusty intersection in Tibet, to turn right that I would attempt to climb Mount Everest, carry the Olympic Torch, or fall so deeply in love again. I’ve had to repeatedly leave pavement that is so comfortable and secure for the learning, growth, and love that lies just beyond sight around the bend on rutted and bumpy dirt roads.
Thanks for walking this road with me…what intersections are you at?
TA
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| The Well of Experience |
11/8/2009 |
Good Morning to All,
The early morning, early winter light is draping the South Side Hills in a gentle blanket of rose taffeta. As I glance out the window, my gaze lowers to the delightfully delicate blossoms on our rescued Christmas cactus. Ive been learning to garden this year and this adventure has included bringing home some of the half-price specials from the local grocery store. Weve saved them all and the cactus blooms are reward for this behaviour and are reminiscent of origami cranes launching into flight from green branches.
A steaming of cup of tea warms me from the inside and is part of my swine flu avoidance program. Im settling into my chair to reflect on the week and see what rises to the top of my mind for sharing with you today. It was a week where I wrote frequent updates to you in my mind hoping to capture a moment or an insight, and now I wish Id actually had put pen to paper so I could remember what some of them were. Images from the later part of the week are most present in my mind so Ill start there and see what I weave out on the warp of the week.
I did three inspirational speaking engagements in the past three days: one in Gander to newly elected municipal officials from across the province, one to the Canadian Institute of Metallurgy and one to a Body, Mind, and Spirit retreat. Each group was very different in how they responded and the parts of the message that resonated with them as well as being remarkably similar. I am always awed when an audience rises in tribute at the end of one of my talks; Im humbled and almost alwaysembarrassed. I do my best to accept their appreciation gracefully and silently hope that they will take something forward from the presentation into whatever challenges they are facing in their lives.
I know for me that I try to take something forward from each climb or adventure into those that come next. From Denali, I took discipline and the knowledge of how routine both inspires and nurtures discipline. From Aconcagua, I experienced both the demands and rewards of patience. Kilimanjaro brought the joys of shared experience, camaraderie, and an invitation to venture once again into deep relationship. Oyos de Salado delivered the courage to begin again leaving disappointment in its wake and Pumori taught me that in giving, I receive more much in return. Kosciuszko and other Australian experiences have delivered a plethora of summons to nurture curiosity, connection, and vulnerability.
As I think back over the delight of seeing kangaroos leaping gracefully in the distance or poised in silent witness at the side of the road, I am struck with the privilege of drinking deeply at the well of experience. Some times the water is so sweet and refreshing and at others, bitter and hard to swallow. It takes courage to continue to visit the spring never knowing what I will carry away in my lifes bucket. The temptation to withdraw within is there for me but mostly I try to embrace the following instruction from Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche that The everyday practice is simply to develop complete acceptance and openness to all situations and emotions, and to all people, experiencing everything totally without reservations or blockages so that one never withdraws or centralizes into oneself. (Thanks to Susan for reminding me of this instruction with every email she sends).
An image of climbing a knife-edged ridge comes into my mind. In some mountaineering texts Ive read, they caution that when climbing such a ridge that if my climbing partner falls to one side of the ridge, I should be prepared to hurl myself over the other side thus stringing the rope that connects us over the top. This would leave us safely hanging over the two precipices but in quite a predicament. Wed have to sort out how to climb back to the ridge without introducing slack into the system that could enable the other to fall further down the slope. There is both vulnerability and safety that comes in roping up together and facing the challenges of climbing (and life) in community.
In talking with my homeopath this week, I saw clearly that I am being invited to experience the vulnerability that comes with the openness that the Chogyam Rinpoche was teaching about. I also perceived that in my vulnerability is my strength so rather than avoid it, its time to embrace it. One of the gifts of my Germanic heritage is the ability to be stoic and to carry the sense of needing to pull off many things without help. As I look at the realities of preparing for and climbing Mount Everest, I see that I need to expand beyond what is comfortable and to be in the world in new and different ways and for this week, that way is being vulnerable and open to whatever is coming my way.
I also need to ask for helpsomething Im not terribly good atin one of my Buddhist texts, there is a list of 49 ways in which a Bodhisattva can fail. At the moment, I can only recall one of them: Failing to enable or allow the generosity of others. Funny how that goesso Im going to practice asking for help. There are numerous ways that you can help out or support me as I traverse the path that is taking me back to the worlds tallest mountain. Ill type the list of ideas that pop into my headif any of them seem like an invitation to you, drop me a line and Ill provide more details.
Some of the things/areas I need help with:
Inspiration: Im looking for folks to write letters/notes that I can take on the mountain and open when the going gets tough (written on lightweight paper). I can also use regular doses of inspiration/motivation along the way.
Sponsorship: Weve almost got my new and improved sponsorship package completed. I need connections. As I am phone-phobic and a quite shy academic, I could use help in setting up meetings where I can present my expedition to potential funders/sponsors. I feel like I can stretch and do well at such meetings but Im at a loss at who to meet with. Do you have folks you could introduce me to? Could you be a sponsor or do you work for an organization that could be a sponsor? As a side note, this year I do have a sponsorship option that can include a charitable receipt.
Driving: Soon it will be time to start doing multiple ascents of Signal Hill once again, could you donate a few hours of driving downhill to enable this valuable training process?
Training: Sometimes training alone is a drag. Company is nice on occasion. Im looking for folks whod like to go out for a hike or keep me company as I do some of my training.
Eating Well: Balancing work, training, speaking, and fundraising can leave little time out in a day. In the past, some folks have helped out by sharing meals. If youre cooking a big batch of something, perhaps you could freeze a serving or two that I can store in my freezer when life is too full to cook.
Curriculum: Im redesigning the school curriculum we created in 2007 for teachers to use with their students. Im looking for a few folks to help out with the revisionfinding good Internet links about Everest and Nepal that can be included in the package that will go out to schools once again in the spring.
Ladders: Along with physical training, I want to practice skills that will speed up my travel on the mountain. I want to construct a Khumbu training ground in my back garden so I am looking for four or five aluminum ladders that I can borrow/have. They would be leaving outside during the winter so they should probably be old ladders nearing the end of their useful lives. The other day I asked Earl Ludlow if Newfoundland Power might have some old ones. I also wondered about Aliantanyone else have an old ladder kicking about?
Boot Heating: Some climbers use boot and/or glove heating systems at high altitude. I have used the charcoal kind but am wondering about the battery powered systemsanyone have such a system that I could try out?
Gear: There are just a few pieces of gear that I need to acquire for this climba four season base camp tent, some new goggles, and perhaps a new expedition communications system (Im contemplating moving up to a netbook from the PDA). Batteriesalways need batteriesespecially lithium double and triple A kind.
Donations: The Everest 2010 Mountain of Learning Experiential Education Award at Memorial University of Newfoundland has been created and there is now an on-line donation option. Here is the URL and please ensure you click the button for the award so your contribution gets to the right place. With many of us adding a small amount to the award, well reach the summit of being able to support students in short order. Thanks in advance. https://www5.mun.ca/dir/viking.gv020.p001
Thats a good list for now. There will be other things that come up and Ill pass on my requests along the way. Thanks for checking out the list and I appreciate your support in all the many ways it appears.
I want to thank the sponsors who have come on-board already for Everest 2010. AppleCore Interactive has been with me since I climbed Denali and I cant imagine doing this without their support and expertise. The Egg Producers of Newfoundland and Labrador have been an important 2009 sponsor and I hope youve heard our second radio commercial 3000 eggs. Id also like to thank my newest sponsor, Allied Health Services of the School of Human Kinetics and Recreation. They have offered to support my training and preparation through nutritional counseling, athletic therapy, massage therapy, and exercise testing.
Have a good week,
TA
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| They Fly Through the Air ... |
11/1/2009 |
Bunny, Bunny!
Somewhere along the way I learned that the first thing we should say on the morning of a new month is Bunny, Bunny, so it seemed like an apt greeting for today. Welcome back to standard time for those whod left it for the increased light of daylight savings time (I believe Arizona and Saskatchewan abstain). I remember hearing once that they tried daylight savings time once in EcuadorI must admit I never quite understood as the sun rises and sets at the same time there all year because of their proximity to the equator (though at the same time, I think its always good to try new things). Its definitely a change to have moved from Southern Hemisphere Spring to Northern Hemisphere Autumn where the light is leaving instead of arriving. I appreciated the few extra weeks of making vitamin D!
I am back home after some marvelous weeks of adventure and new experiences. Its hard to know what to write about first. One quote that informs my teaching and living comes from the book Illusions: The Adventures of a Reluctant Messiah where Richard Bach claims, We teach best what we most need to learn. I also try to embrace and invite situations where I am uncomfortable or are a stretch for me. Thirdly, I believe its critical for teachers to regularly return to the role of student so we can remember all the fear, anxiety, excitement, and joy of learning something new. The first day of the Association of Experiential Education conference provided an invitation that addressed all of the above values.
There was a poster inviting participants to spend a workshop session flying. Not metaphorically. Flying for real. On a trapeze! I have to digress a bit to say that I have always been a fan of the circus and the trapeze artists are some of my favourite acts. I even considered attending the Barnum & Bailey Circus Clown school as a young adult (they only admitted US students at that point). After seeing Cirque de Soleil in April, I must confess to checking out their website to see what it took to become one of their performers. So naturally, when offered the opportunity to fling myself into space holding onto a trapeze bar, I jumped at the chance, as did my dear friend and colleague, Karen Warren. Karen signed up her 16 yr old daughter, Amelia, as well!
About 17 others joined us and our first challenge was to find our way to Trapezium by the Montreal metro! I instantly recalled my challenges in Moscow navigating the subway using Cyrillic signage. I appreciated the bilingual world of the Montreal underground. Excitement was running very high in the group, as this was a new activity for all. We arrived and were greeted by our three instructors. Dont worry, they consoled us, Well have you flying in minutes. Many of us werent sure we wanted to be airborne that quickly.
A quick demo of how to put on the safety harnesses and Heidi the Brave was already climbing the ladder to a blue wooden platform suspended 25 feet off the ground. Along with the belay lines, there was a net to catch us that was held about 6 feet off the ground. We al stared up with amazement as within ten minutes of arriving, Heidi had swung out from the platform, brought up her knees and hang upside down by her knees from the bar, let go of the bar with her hands, and then righted herself and then dismounted from the bar with a backflip!
Spontaneous applause and nervous twitter erupted from the group! Heidi had shown us exactly how it was done! A few turns later, it was my turn. As I climbed up the ladder, I noticed that a herd of butterflies had assembled in my midsection and were doing their best imitation of River Dance. The beating of their wings and feet in time fanned the intensity flames of the experience and I noticed I was on an edge, both figuratively and literally. It was different sensation, as heights dont often bother me (though I dont usually fling myself off them purposely either). I came round the ladder and got hooked into the belay. The instructor on the platform moved things along with a practiced rhytm.
My left hand grasped the ladder and I was told to reach out for the bar with my right. Even though I had been warned, the bar was heavier than I ever imagined. Its weight immediately dragged me closely to the edge and to the looming drop below. On command, I grabbed the bar with my left hand and, without the aid of the instructor holding me back, I would have been catapulted into the void. Hung out over edge like a chicken waiting for slaughter, I jumped as soon as the instructor said, Hep!
Wed been briefed to listen to the instructor on the ground who would let us know the ideal moment to swing our legs up, turn upside down, let go with our hands, return to the bar, and then drop the bar. I must admit that Im not sure I heard a word he said on that first go, as sensations of flying and falling inundated my brain. However, I did swing my legs up on command but neglected to bend my knees. I tried again on the second swing and got my foot nearer the bar but still fell short of the task. I dropped to the net without waiting for the command and so got a stern talking to about listening more carefully for the commands. I think the butterflies dance had deafened me to the sounds of the outside world.
It was new to be less physically competent than the rest of the groupturns out that Id been too strong but under-flexible. I turned my attention to Karen and Amelia and the butterflies stomped off stage right. It was so cool to watch Amelia hit it perfectly on her first go! After everyone had a first round go, it was time to try it all again. As I climbed the ladder, I rehearsed the move in my mind and imagined my knees bending enough to allow my legs to come through my hands. The butterflies briefly migrated through but this time, it was easier to stand on the platform holding the bar since the sensations were more familiar. Hep! Im flying once more but again my feet strike the bar on both attempts. At least this time, with more spaciousness inside my belly, my ears seem to work and I follow the instructions and pull off a beautiful back flip when dismounting the bar.
As I flip off the net, Im given the keys to the city. Simone, the head instructor says he has just the technique for someone like me who has little flexibilityHold your hands close together and swing your legs straight wide and around. I waited for my third attempt sad that while others are graduating to being caught, (leaving the safety of their bar to swing from the arms of another instructor) and I was still working on the prerequisites. I climbed the ladder seeing my new move in my mind, leapt off the platform, flew through the air, my legs swung up and suddenly my knees were effortlessly on the bar! On command, I let go of my hands and arched my back looking towards the rafters-perfect position for being caught next time. I end that round with another back flip and the place erupted in cheers! I did it! I yell to myself and I pump my fist in the air.
Simone says, Leave your harness onI want you to go up again soon. Once again, the butterflies are back, this time flying in a unified swarm bouncing hard from one side of my belly to another. Im amped! Im charged. The adrenaline is coursing through my body. A few turns later, I venture up the ladder once againhoping to follow Amelias lead and fly perfectly into the arms of my catcher. Im nervous thinking I will screw up. Id only had one go at my new technique. The platform instructor advises me to listen carefully to Simone as she noticed that Id gone a little early than one of his commands on my previous go.
Left hand holding the ladder. Right hands reaches out for the bar. Left hand joins it. Hanging out over the net. The catcher begins swingingthis time, he calls the Hep. I launch. I swing. Legs arise at the right moment. Knees catch the bar. Hands let go. Back arches. Hands grasped. Knees release. Im swinging lower now held by someone who is hanging by his knees! After a big arch, he drops me into the net and I enjoy both the moment and the cheering support of the group. I am already thinking about how I can fly again. Not today. Im donestick a fork in me. The wayward Monarchs have pressed all of the adrenaline out of me rather like those who stomp the juice from grapes to make wine.
Karen, Amelia and I speak excitedly about the experience the entire metro ride back to the hotel. We invent a greeting of raising our hands and saying Hep. We bask in the glow of a new and challenging experience. Weve lived at our edges and now can celebrate all of the insights that come from being there.
For me, it was fabulous to observe our instructors work with folks in the trapeze environment. I loved watching good teachers and being taught well. I enjoyed feeling the sensations and feelings of student-hood and pledged to remember how that felt the next time I begin a class or ask a student to step closer to her or his edge. I will ponder my reaction to the challenge of taking several tries to get it and appreciate my tenacity in trying. Finally, I will cherish sharing the experience with Amelia and Karen and Im certain that the next time we see each other, we will relive the experience over and over again.
So, Im out of time and space to talk about kangaroos and koalasthat will have to waitafter a few weeks of little physical activity, I look forward to the next phase of training that begins tomorrow! Drop me a line to let me know where your edge is hanging out these days. Happy November and have a great week!
TA
PS...There are pictures nestled safely in Karens camera. Ill post them when I get them!
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| Summit Number Five |
10/23/2009 |
G Day Mates from the Snowy Mountains of Australia,
Two weeks ago, I was shocked to learn of the huge amounts of snow remaining in the Snowy Mountains this year and promptly went and added snowshoes to my packing pile for Australia. I could hardly believe it! Snow in Australianever really imagined there would be snow in Australia but I have since learned a bunch more about my sixth continent. Yesterday as I slogged my way up Kosciuskos snow covered flanks, I gave thanks for my pattern of tracking a mountains weather for the few weeks before I climb it. That tracking provided us with snowshoes and kept Marian and I from having to posthole the entire 13 km journey to the summit and back.
Mount Kosciusko is the highest peak in Australia (there is a higher one in an Australian territory on a small Pacific island). It is located in the Snowy Mountains about halfway between Sydney and Melbourne and within the protective boundaries of Mount Kosciusko National Park. It is named for a Polish explorer and I hear there is a Mount Kosciusko in Poland as wellmight need to add that one to the list. Listit is because of a list that I am here.
Dick Bass was the first person to climb the Seven Summits, the highest point on each of the continents. He is a strong amateur climber from Texas and he chose Kosciusko as his seventh summit. Pat Morrow, a professional mountaineer from Canada, was the second person to complete the Seven Summits. He chose a peak in Indonesia, Carstenz Pyramid, because he used Astral-Oceania as the seventh continent. Since then, some climbers have gone with Bass and some with Morrow, and many with both. For now, since Ive always imagined Australia as the seventh continent, Im going with Bass.
When we arrived at the Kosciusko Visitors Centre to check conditions and purchase some maps, we were briefed about the large amount of snow still remaining in the mountains. The Snowy Mountains were living up to their name! We were shown pictures of cars passing through two metre drifts that covered the road to Charlotte Pass. We heard from a park warden whod just returned from a trip in the backcountry who warned of flooding and huge amounts of water beneath the snow creating sinkholes that could potentially drown you if you sunk through. All of a sudden, this wasnt shaping up to be the almost a given walk-up that Id understood Kosciusko to be. My spirit sank as I realized there was a real chance we wouldnt get the summit, Id come halfway around the world to get.
As much as I try to frame my quest of the Seven Summits as a journey that begins long before a mountain and ends only when the next one begins, I sometimes fall prey to summit feverwanting to get to the top really bad! Wednesday evening I recognized the pressure that spending lots of time and money to pursue a mountain ups the pressure and increases my craving of the summit. I was suddenly anxious about both the climbing conditions and about the impact of those conditions on our chances for getting to the top.
We packed our gear carefully because the Snowy Mountains have a reputation for rapidly changing weather. We entered waypoints in the GPS in case the visibility was poor (as it turns out, it was good that it was clear as the GPS seems to have been damaged enroute to here). We studied route over and over again, enjoyed a yummy dinner and hit the hay early to get a good nights rest. Summit day dawned bright and sunny. Winds were moderate and the temperature delightful for crossing snow. The UV Index was 9 (extreme), which meant careful attention to sunscreen and sunglasses would be critical.
Marian and I headed out from the top of the Kosciusko Express chair lift. The walking track was quickly buried under snow but we could see the remains of snowshoe and boot tracks. A few steps into the soft snow had us reaching for our snowshoesthe climb was underway. We stopped often to admire the view, wonder at all the snow, consult the map, hydrate, and catch out breath. Even though we were climbing at only 1900 metres, we could still feel the influence of the altitude. Wed arrived in the valley on the day before but I didnt want to wait a day to acclimatize because we had good climbing weather in front of us and I didnt want to chance it. I knew wed feel the thinner air but we werent at risk for any serious altitude issues.
We were climbing through a lovely valley with ridges to both sides. About 2 kilometres into the climb, we caught our first glimpse of Kosciusko. A long steep corniced ridge surprised me with some avalanche debris coming off it. The Land Down Under has held so many surprises! It was good to finally see the peak and see the route forward. After some more climbing, we reached Rawsons Pass and had a snack. The route from Charlotte Pass meets here and I finally knew that it was likely wed summit. The winter route varied from the summer by going directly up Kosciuskos southern flank rather than going around the back along the summit track. I was glad for the traction cleats on my snowshoes, as the terrain got quite steep near the top!
I saw the stone tower that had been constructed on the summit! We were going to make it. I would stand on the fifth of my seven summits. I wouldnt have to come back to Australia to climb Kosciusko again! (Not that I wouldnt mind, however, this trip has really just been an appetizer for the grand buffet of experiences and sights that Australia offers). It took two attempts to get Elbrus and will take at least two to get Everest so I was pleased that Kosciusko was a one timer!
We drank in the views, bundle up against the wind, took heaps of summit photos including Velma and Flat Stanley, had some lunch, and didnt really want to leave the summit. The surrounding snow covered peaks gave way to the blue hazed capped peaks of the lesser range and it felt like we could see for hundreds of miles. What a joy to share a summit with Marian once again (she climbed Kili with me in June of 2008).
After an hour or so on the summit, we coaxed ourselves off knowing that the snow was just getting softer and the way home a more difficult task. We passed a few more folks on their way up. The trip down was faster, of course, because it was downhill and we could just follow our tracks out. We stopped for a celebratory lunch at Australias Highest Restaurant, The Eagles Nest. (XanderI did see an eagle sculpture at the restaurant but no real ones). Velma auditioned for the menu but elected in the end to come down and keep climbing mountains with me.
We hit the showers and enjoyed a well-earned nap for the rest of the afternoon. A fine, fine climb made more special by the huge amount of snow! I realized all the uncertainty made the summit all the finer!
Today we hiked along the Thredbo River through forests of Blue Gum Trees and saw parrots flying from tree to tree. I reflected on Phil Erschlers words as he welcomed the group to my first Elbrus climb. He said, The Seven Summits are really a cultural experiencesome are very fine mountains to climb and some are just OKbut what unites them is an amazing opportunity to explore some amazing countries and cultures along the way. I totally agree.
Ive spoken before of how when I journey somewhere, the map is never the same again. As I walked along the valley below the Snowy Range today, I lived this belief once again. I will never look at the map of Australia the same way again. The past week has been filled with so many amazing experiences that the map will serve as a trigger to replay them in my head.
In my next update, I will share some of those experiences but in the meantime, I will close by expressing my gratitude to Jen and Scott Quill for their wonderful hospitality in making the first half of our visit to Australia filled with connection, discovery, joy, and friendship. We head for the ocean tomorrow to go from snow to sea, from climbing to beach walking. We start flying for home on Tuesday. I stop into Montreal for the Association of Experiential Education conference and Marian goes straight home.
Thanks for coming along on another climb. Its always the best to have you along!
Cheers,
TA
|
| Happy Thanksgiving |
10/11/2009 |
Happy Thanksgiving to All,
Im back sitting in my chair. Last Sunday I sat in a different chair, beside my dad in his hospital room in Edmonton. He gave us all quite a scare but is doing much better now. I found being in St. Johns was too far away and lucked into an Aeroplan seat so I flew out for a quick visit. Though I would have wished for a different occasion to be there, I enjoyed getting to spend time with my family.
Rayne and Xander presented me with my birthday present, a miniature prayer wheel. I explained about the purpose of the prayer wheel and the Tibetan writing on the outside of it. The mantra OM MANI PADME HUM spins round and round. This mantra roughly transliterates as the jewel of the lotus and indicates both the object of and the path. Xander was quite taken with the mantra and wanted to try to say it. I found an audio file of a lama chanting it and he began to follow along to all of our delights.
The next morning, my brother said that he and Shawn were awakened to the tones of the mantra as Xander crawled into bed with them. Later that morning, I presented Xander with a CD with a 23-minute song of the mantra and I thought my brother was going to kill me. Id also included the song, I Want to be your Personal Penguin and that became an even bigger hit. Once I returned home, I was having a video Skype call with the kids and Xander noticed my small plush giraffe, Twiza. Twiza is one of the Zimbabwean names for giraffe. Later that day, I heard from Shawn that Xander was teaching his Twizzle to meditate with the mantra!
On the Saturday night, Oma also gave us a scare. Perhaps because of the stress of Dads hospitalization, Oma ended up in a different ER with chest pain. As Mom and I drive to see her, I wondered how the evening would unfold. When we arrived, she had good colour and the pain had eased some, so I relaxed a bit. The docs wanted to really check her out so we were waiting for blood work and x-rays. Despite the disorientation of the emergency room, Oma was in a very sweet mood. She reached over the side rails of the bed and stroked my hair asking if I wouldnt consider dating a nice young man.
She wanted me to find a tall slim handsome professor to marry. Oma gave me specific directions on what to do on date number one and date number two. When she started to talk about her philosophy of sex, I flushed and marveled at the circumstances that had me chatting about such things with my 92-year-old grandmother. Eventually she fessed up that she wanted me to bring a nice man home so she could steal him away and she had grand plans for a double date at a fancy restaurant.
At points were laughing so hard that our ER nurse came over to remind us tongue in cheek that this was a solemn serious place and we shouldnt be laughing. We could tell by the look on her face that she was enjoying caring for Oma. Shawn came in and relieved Mom and I so we could get some sleep and Oma was discharged the next morning with no known cause for the chest pain.
As per usual, I went out a bit too hard training a few weeks back. Ive been paying the price with various tendons and joints complaining since then. I didnt train while I was in Edmonton at all and since returning home, I have been taking it easy to give a bit more healing time. Im continuously reminding myself to train the body I have today, not the one I had last week, last month or last year. Its frustrating, of course, but it what it is. Ive been getting up really early to attend a boot camp session every morning at six and then come home and work with my Spiro Tiger. Its a respiratory training device that lets me practice breathing fast and deep without hyperventilating with the goal being to train the respiratory system so it doesnt fatigue as quickly when working so hard at altitude. Imagine blowing up a balloon about 20 times a minute and you get some of a picture of it. Its a funny sensation to be breathing hard without exercise. I have always loved the quiet of early morning, appreciated the influence of the discipline of early awaking, and the joy of having two hours of training done by 8 am.
We hosted the launch of Everest 2010 on Thursday night. It was a great evening and I gave a presentation that had some new elements in it and I always feel a bit on edge giving a new part for the first time. Its always a relief when folks laugh at the parts I want them to. The weather was horrific and it was a Thursday evening before a long weekend so the turnout was a bit disappointing but I am so grateful to all who braved the elements to come out and meet the trekking team, donate to the Mountain of Learning Experiential Education Award, and buy a new Everest 2010 toque. There were a few lifers in the crowd whove been to ever INCO event Ive hosted and I really appreciated their support in being there once again.
The next few days will be crazy as I try to prep three conference presentations, train, and pack for a journey to the land down under. Marian and I leave on Thursday for Australia. Were heading down for what will no doubt be too quick of a visit to my sixth continent and fifth seventh summit. Were going down to climb Mount Kosciuszko, the highest peak on Australia. The snow is lingering this year and were taking snowshoes to make the climb to the 2229 metre summit. Well be hosted by Jen Quill, a student from the first class of students I taught at Memorial. I look forward to seeing her and hearing of her path from here to there.
Im very thankful to you for coming along on this climbing journey of mine. Your presence helps me transition between being along and being together. Though it is I that must take every step in training and on the mountain, I do it knowing you are with me in spirit. I am also thankful for my family and friends, for bountiful food and opportunities, and for health and well-being. Have good week.
With gratitude,
TA
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| Climb High, Sleep Low |
9/27/2009 |
Good Morning to All,
I often receive kudos for what I do. This morning I am giving myself kudos for what I am not doing. It’s a beautiful Sunday morning and I want nothing more than to be out on a big run. Instead, I’m sitting in my writing chair. Why? Because my legs still haven’t recovered from Thursday’s big climb endurance day (http://bit.ly/jkR4h).
After the double climbs (more likely the descents) of Signal Hill, Cuckhold Head, and Quidi Vidi Hill, some kneecap and Achilles pain is lingering and I really trying to be smart about training injuries this time round.
In line with my intent for this to be a “Mountain of Learning”, I want to try to apply all the lessons I’ve learned from past attempts and this week’s lesson is that it is better to take time off early for things to heal than push through. A hard lesson since it is gorgeous outside and I really want to run. I console myself knowing that I am going on a gentle hike this afternoon and hope to replace some running this week with pool time. “I’m six months out from the climb and there is lots of time to get ready!” is the mantra that keeps me in my chair this morning.
Another big installment for the expedition was due this week so that a big motivator to spend some time working on my sponsorship invitation. In the past, I would have called it a “package” but now I am more comfy with the invitation because I see the importance of inviting people to both come along on and invest in the expedition. It makes a tremendous difference to have assistance with the mountain-sized project on many levels. I have fond memories of during my first attempt, supporters dropping off pre-cooked meals so I wouldn’t have to cook, friends saving batteries to power my headlamp, students donating their spare change, and folks buying expedition toques like they were the latest fashion hit.
You can visit my sponsorship invitation here at this link (http://bit.ly/KUom6). Check it out and if you have any suggestions to improve it or if you have any ideas of where I can send it to or people I can meet with to discuss it with–please drop me a line. It does really take a village to climb a mountain and I know there is lots of expertise in my community of support. Seeking sponsorship and financial support for expeditions is one of the toughest things for me to do…I’d rather go climb Signal Hill a hundred times (smile, chuckle).
We also finalized the logo for the expeditions. Using your feedback and some of the realities of embroidery thread, the logo is now is the same red, blue, and green of my adventures that move logo. Both have their inspiration in prayer flags and it felt right to be truer to those colours in the end. I’m really pleased with it and like the sense of connection to previous expeditions it has. I can’t wear to wear it and I think they are starting to get this batch of toques sown on Monday. Some folks already have their orders in! The toques will sell for $20 all in (plus shipping if you need them mailed).
Along with working on sponsorship, I’ve been surfing around looking at airfares, equipment, and training. Heck, this week, in line with my intention to push my limits, I even went to a Zumba class! More like dance than any other exercise class I’ve ever attended, it was pretty entertaining I’m sure to watch me try to move my hips to the Latin-American inspired music…if I can Zumba, anything is possible! I had trouble keeping my heart rate up, I grabbed a skipping rope and tried to make the moves while jumping up and down.
I close my presentations by sharing a number of lessons that the mountains have taught me. When climbing at high altitude, we often have to “Climb High, Sleep Low.” This facilitates our acclimatization and I think work hardens us to the frustrations of going over the same ground over and over again. One of the ways that I train both mentally and physically for this is through intervals. Periods of intense activity are alternated with periods of rest. I’ve added intervals back into my training mix by running them on the backside of Signal Hill. Thursday morning as I was going up and down the hill and almost stepped in some doggie doo, I was reminded of a classic piece of writing I did while training for Denali. I’ll close my update by sharing it once again.
Learning from Doggie Doo
Thursdays mean intervals. Intervals are another word for suffering. They involve running up the backside of Signal Hill at close to max heart rate for 5 one-minute intervals and then running uphill for 3 three-minute intervals at 85% of max heart rate. Basically-it's one big sucking wind experience that humbles the body, mind and soul.
The first interval...I ran very hard and got a ways up the hill. Near the end of the minute, I passed some doggie doo. I noted it in my mind. Beeper rang, I walked down hill past the doggie doo -not quite back to the spot where I started.
The second interval...Ran hard, passed the doggie doo earlier in the run, got higher up the hill. Beeper rang, walked down past the doggie doo again but not as far down as interval one.
The third interval...sucking big wind, passing doggie doo, getting higher on the hill...I realized that I was enjoying running the same strip of trail over and over again-a new experience-have always liked circle routes more than out and back noticed that I kept passing the same doggie doo over and over again...had some universal sense that we are all passing by doggie doo -it was metaphoric connection to our issues/burdens/stuck spots...also some sense of doggie doo as karma and needing to pass it by several times until we are done with it.
The fourth interval...really sucking big wind, passed the doggie doo, got higher on hill...realized that passing the same way, passing the doggie doo filled me with a sense of comfort, surrender and acceptance instead of shame and disappointment...with each interval, I passed the doggie doo sooner and easier than the time before...
The fifth interval...feeling like my lungs were going to escape through my nose, heart beating like wildfire, leaping over the doggie doo–celebrate the end of the 1 minute intervals...take the rest period to walk all the way to the bottom of the hill...
Begin again...running uphill...slightly slower for much longer...have a new definition for suffering...keep feet moving...pass the doggie doo...rejoice...keep feet moving...
Repeat two more times...get to highest spot on the hill today...think I've finally passed the doggie doo for good...look down...there is a new pile of doggie doo to pass...
In the writing, it doesn't seem nearly as profound as it felt at the time...there was just such a sense of relief and compassion in the moment of realization of universal doggie doo...that and surrendering into going over the same ground over and over again but moving a bit further forward each time...both were quite moving and filled me with joy and excitement....Life lessons come in many forms...though never did I think that doggie doo could teach me so much.
Watch where you are stepping and have a good week,
TA
(See you on the 8th)
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| Choosing the Mountain |
9/22/2009 |
Happy Autumn or Spring!
Were having a delightful fall day here with warmth, sunshine, and the full possibilities that harvest season brings. Sitting here in my favourite chair sipping on mint tea taken from our deck garden boxes, roasting sweet potatoes and apples for soup, and enjoying a blueberry muffin as a post workout snack. Training is going well and I seem to be harvesting strength and endurance gains from the work planted thus far. All feels right on such a lovely day!
Its been a big few days with three presentations in four days, paying the contractor for the renovation work, and shipping off my next payment installment to Peak Freaks for my Everest expedition. Once again, I feel like Im on a diving board hoping that having taken the step into the abyss that there will be water to catch me softly at the end of the drop.
Im pretty confident there is, because despite the challenges of choosing the enormous task of climbing Everest once again, I have the experience of the first attempt to both learn from and trust. There was water last time.
As I was speaking to the Cancer Survivor Reception at the Placentia Relay for Life over this past weekend, I was struck by the word, choice. I am choosing this path. I am choosing to climb and to undertake the risk and suffering that that entails. One survivor spoke at the reception saying, I would have never chosen cancer but I am grateful for the lessons and life change it brought to me. There seems to be greater ease in accepting learning that comes from challenges we choose rather than those that are thrust upon us by circumstance, illness, or accident. In speaking with several cancer survivors of late, I was moved by their grace in embracing what had been dealt to them.
A few weeks back I spoke at the Prostate Canada Cancer Network National Conference. This group was the beneficiary of my fundraising efforts with my Elbrus climb and I truly wished my dad could have been there that night to be surrounded by such a strong community of supporters. Thanks again to all who contributed to the PCCN in honour of ElbrusClimbing for my Dad. So many people came up afterward and wished my dad wellI wanted to bottle up all that warmth and care and send it to my dad in Edmonton. As I say often, when we take on our own Everests, we have no idea of where the path will lead.
At the PCCN conference, I was seated with the conference chair and his wife. She began the dinner by quizzing me as to where I had grown up, what school I had gone to, and finally for my longer name. A smile came over her face about the same time I recognized her. Mrs Kennedy! I exclaimed. What are you doing here?
Mrs. Kennedy was my Grade Six teacher who I just adorned. She taught me Language Arts and French during my Smurf collecting phase and through a time of rapid physical and emotional growth. What a thrill to see her as I am so often filled with such gratitude for those who taught me during the long course of my education. At one point, I snuck away to the box of books I brought to sell that evening and fished out a copy. I wrote a short message thanking Donna (oh how hard it is for me to call her that) and presented it to her. It was a moment I had dreamed of since having my book come outto present a copy to one of the many teachers who taught me to write. Almost every time I looked at Mrs. Kennedy during the presentation she was dabbing at her eyes and then it took everything in my power to contain the emotion that welled up in me seeing her well up. It was an extra special evening because of her presence.
The same week I also dropped by the Health Sciences Centre to visit a student of mine. He is about half way through an arduous chemotherapy program and hed expressed interest in reading my book. Since it can sometimes be hard to find in bookstores these days, I offered to drop one off. We talked a long time about his cancer and how hes making his way through all of the emotions and challenges of fighting for his life. I shared stories of tough times on some of the mountains I climbed knowing that nothing I have faced on a mountain comes close to his journey. I met his mom during the same visit and was once again reminded how widely cancer throws its net and leaves no one uncaught. I was thrilled to hear this week that a midway CAT scan was showing that the treatment appears to be working for him and I will continue to hold him and his family in my thoughts and prayers.
So, over these past weeks I have been radically reminded over and over again of the tenuous and precious nature of my/our existence and how lives, journeys, and families can change in mere moments or over shifting seasons. I continue to try to be open to all the lessons that come to me for having chosen this path as well as being open to the lessons I havent chosen.
Take care and have a good week,
TA
PSThanks for spreading the word about the Oct. 8th 7:30 launch of Mountains of Learning at the INCO Theatre at MUN.
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| Climbing Gros Morne |
9/14/2009 |
Greetings from Gros Morne,
Some dreams take longer to percolate than others. I had hoped to ascend Gros Morne as part of the Long Range Traverse in 1996 but there were no transmitters available so we were limited to camping at the end of Western Brook Pond. The seed was planted however, and its been waiting for the right conditions to finally germinate. Today in a downpour, that seed like many of the mushrooms I studied over the weekend, popped through the forest duff to see the light of day. My, myI think that paragraph may have had a few too many metaphors but Im happy to report that after 13 years of wanting and waiting, I finally stood atop the 806 metre iconographic summit of Newfoundland, Gros Morne.
Id worried that Id missed another season and thus climbing opportunity. Im not certain where the summer wentperhaps to renovations and Russia and teaching. When making plans to attend a mushroom foray in Central Newfoundland, Marian and I realized we had a small window of opportunity to make a jaunt over to Rocky Harbour and make the climb. Thanks so much to Todd Wight at the Ocean View Hotel for providing a wonderful basecamp for the climb. Last February, when I spoke at the Hospitality Newfoundland and Labrador Tourism Summit in Corner Brook and Todd had heard that I was wanting to come out for a climb of Gros Morne, he said to be in touch when I was hoping to climb. Id expressed embarrassment to him that Id made an attempt on Everest but hadnt climbed Gros Morne.
With little warning and two bus tours on his doorstep, Todd found room for us at his inn and its been such a delight. So often, because I climb at high altitude, climbing means suffering and deprivation. Instead, this climb, I was treated to a wonderful view looking out over the ocean, hot shower, and wonderfully soft sheets. All of which was even better to come home to after spending nearly six hours climbing in a downpour. We knew the weather forecast left much to be desired but since this was our only day to climb, we packed lots of layers and made the best of it. Our other option had been camping in the national park campground which would have been fine but what a gift to be treated to the most luxurious base camp Ive ever climbed fromThanks again Todd! (http://www.theoceanview.ca/)
I loved the ascent portion of the climb, gaining nearly 2500 feet in 2.5 hours. My knees and ankle complained about coming back down. Found myself fantasizing about the Grouse Grind in North Vancouver where you can gain 3000 feet and then take the gondola back down! Im pleased with my two climb endurance sessionstheyve showed me that Im on track in beginning to ready my mind and body for the challenges ahead.
Its time to send off a huge installment for the Everest climb next week. You can imagine my disappointment, where in the last week, six speaking engagements (that were going to make a significant contribution to the climbing fund) were cancelled. Add to that the house renos coming in a twice the initial estimate, and my low stress financial road to Everest has grown a few speed bumps. Im reminding myself that, in the end, it will all play out in the wash (mixing a few more metaphors) and there is really no need for stressjust an invitation to get more creative, work a little harder, and stretch myself to ask for support in new venues and settings. As Oma says, Whatever comes, comes.
Speaking of Oma, I thought of her often this weekend as I attended the Newfoundland Mushroom Foray. A chance for lay and professional mycologists to get together to learn, seek, share, and talk mushrooms. Marian asked me to come along and Im glad I went. I am by nature a very curious person and I love to learn new things. I went into the weekend with a history of picking mushrooms with my Oma and Opa when I was a kid but not knowing much about the fungal kingdom. Forty-eight hours in the presence of mushroom aficionados and presto, on the hike today, I was pointing out the Genus Aminita, Russula, and Cortinarius beneath many trees along the trail.
After the big day out in the rain and cold, my eyelids are drooping. Hope youve had a good week and I hope to see many of you out for the Launch of Everest 2010: Mountains of Learning on October 8th at the INCO Theatre at MUN at 7:30 pm. Tickets are available from me and at the door.
Thanks for coming along on another fine adventure,
TA
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| Mountain of Learning |
9/5/2009 |
September is the month of starting again. In the Northern Hemisphere its a time of back to school with all the excitement and anxiety of a new school, new grade, new teacher. In the Southern Hemisphere, its a time of spring where the cold days of winter give way to the possibilities of summer. Its also the month of my Omas birthday. She turned 92 on Wednesday.
In honour of Omas birthday, I made her special bacon wilted fresh garden salad and plum cake. I was working from memory on both as it had been years since I watched her make either. I did google German plum cake and got some guidance on the cake part of things. Later in the day, when I called Oma I told her that Id baked plum cake. She wondered if Id made the streusel topping for it. I said, Oma, the recipe didnt have streusel on it and I didnt know how to make it. She answered, You dont need a recipe, you just take soft butter and hand mix flour and sugar into it until it crumbles and falls apart. You make it sound so easy Oma, I replied.
In talking to Oma, its clear that her short term memory loss is getting more pronounced but she was proud that she still remembered the important stuff like eating. When talking recipes, she rattled them off easily with an aplomb that comes from making them hundreds of times. This past Mothers Day, I had a wonderful conversation with Oma. I was saying how amazing it was to still have my grandmother and she said, Whatever comes, comes! I said, Did you ever think you would live to be 91? She answered, Oh no, I thought I would be dead at 60 since everyone in my family died early.
I asked, What do you think the secret of your long life is? She thought a moment and replied, I walked everywhere. And I never overeat. I eat my veggies. And have some sweets every now and again. I never hit the bottle much. Though schnapps are a good cure for an upset stomach and take everything as it comes. This from my Oma who has been declaring to me since I was ten that she was dying, who can still out walk me, and who was famous for carrying heavy cement bags at the age of 70.
Oma has had a hard life filled with the challenges of beginning over and over again. She was orphaned at the age of six and had to go live with a new family. She survived World War II but lost her home and all belongings. After the war, she immigrated to Canada beginning her life over once again in a new country spending her first year in indentured servitude. Omas spent the last decade living without her dear husband with whom she shared life for over fifty years. If anyone in my life knows about starting again, starting over, picking up pieces and going forward, it is my Oma.
Despite all the hardships shes faced, Oma is a delightful, generous, and loving person. Her voice brightens whenever I call her on the phone. She still grabs my cheeks, pulls me forward, kisses my forehead, and tells me how much she loves me. Oma has always loved reading and learning new things through books. Whenever I travel through Germany, I always try to bring her back German reading material.
I, too, am starting again this September. I am beginning the intense and dedicated training that will prepare me to return to Mount Everest. Climbing the worlds highest peak requires a mountain of inspiration. On my last two climbs, Ive drawn motivation from my parents. On Pumori, I dedicated my efforts to my mom and her journey of living through breast cancer. On Elbrus, I thought often of my dad and his long battle with prostate cancer. For my second attempt on Everest, I am looking to my Oma, my grandmother Frida Loeffler, for the power, confidence, and strength to tackle such an enormous challenge again. In taking on Everest once more, I know much more clearly the sacrifice, the pain, the focus, and the financial realities of climbing the worlds highest mountain. It is that clear picture that makes it both harder and easier to choose to go back. It is in finding my way through the joys and sorrows of starting again that I will turn to my Oma for motivation for I know how often she has had to start again.
I am naming my Everest Expedition Mountain of Learning. As per usual, this name is imbued with multiple meanings. For me, the path of climbing mountains has been a deeply spiritual one. I look to learn from all parts of the expedition from training to approach to the actual climb. I am also an educator. A huge part of this journey has been sharing my learning from the mountains with students both young and old. I will continue with my youth outreach programs encouraging young people to be physically active, to have big dreams, and to read big books. I have heard it said that without reading, there can be no dreams so I plan to become an advocate for literacy and reading as well.
The life lessons on this path have been steep and have moved me to greater understandings of many aspects of my life. This path has also allowed me to give back to the community who supports me through some fundraising efforts. My aim in going back to Everest is to continue to seek learning and share it as it comes. In celebration of Omas life and love of learning and in fulfilling a decades old dream, I am establishing an award at Memorial University of Newfoundland. The award is called the Everest 2010 Mountain of Learning Experiential Education Award.
This endowed award will support students in pursuing experiential education opportunities in support of their degree programs. I know my education was greatly enhanced by attending Outward Bound, the National Outdoor Leadership School, and other such programs. I often hear of students wanting to seek out such opportunities but the cost stands as a barrier. My dream is that the award will reduce some of the obstacles to such experiences and inspire students to enrich their studies by getting outside the classroom.
The award will be funded through a combination of efforts. I am donating a percentage of each speaking engagement proceeds to the award. I am inviting those who are inspired by my second attempt on Everest to support this worthy cause (donations to the award will be tax deductible). Additionally, I will organize fund-raising events during the next eight months (and beyond) to raise the $11,500 necessary to endow the award. Im hoping to have this base amount raised by the time I return from Mount Everest in June of 2010.
The first opportunity to support my efforts comes on October 8th. I am hosting a public presentation that will raise funds for both the award and for the trekking team that will accompany me to base camp. You are invited to come celebrate the start of a very exciting journey and to enjoy an evening of images, stories, and entertainment. Tickets are available from TA, the trekking team, and the door. The suggested donation for the ticket is $10-$20. The evening starts at 7:30 pm in the INCO Theatre at Memorial University of Newfoundland (room IIC 2001). I hope to see you there and please help spread the word.
As I mentioned above, intense training has begun. I did my first climb endurance session on Thursday where I hiked from Cape Spear to town. I covered the distance of 20 kilometres and 3400 feet of elevation gain in about 5 hours and slept very well that night. I am also running, weight training, and going to step aerobics class. Most importantly, I am stretching (something I am quite averse to) in hopes of keeping injuries at bay. The pace of life will continue to accelerate as training and work and fundraising demands build over the next months. Im up for the challenge, I have you and Oma on my team, and I look forward to the mountain of learning that is coming my way.
Thanks for your continued support-hope to see you on October 8th and Ill let you know as soon as there exists the ability to donate to the award online and otherwise.
Have a good week,
TA
PS. For those who have been tracking the renos, were on the summit ridge nearing the top but recognize there is still plenty of mountain to tackle in the descent (i.e. cleaning up and reclaiming the house).
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| Momentum: Bodies in Motion |
8/23/2009 |
Howdy,
Sitting here typing with blue stained finger tips having picked and processed 15 litres of blueberries. Marian, Nolan, and I had a fine time wondering through the Tilton Barrens on a dual mission of checking out an orienteering map and picking blueberries. When I looked at the upload of data from my new Garmin Forerunner 305, I noticed that blueberry picking got much more of our attention. The Garmin is a training tool that is a combination of heart rate monitor and GPS. It tracks how far, how fast, and how fast my heart beats. It is already giving me new windows into and understanding of my training. Using a heart rate monitor allows me to work out in a specific heart-rate zone to give my various energy systems an opportunity to grow stronger and more efficient.
By uploading the data to the Garmin Connects site, I can view the terrain I covered. If youd like to see the berry-picking track, you can click here. http://bit.ly/4h103p If you zoom in (by pushing the plus button) youll see the little squiggles that I made when pursing the almighty blue antioxidant and breakfast staple. In just a few days of having it, I can see that Im going to use the new toy (tool) when teaching students about backcountry navigation. Its both invigorating and a challenge to keep current with all the technology that exists for outdoor recreation these days. What in the past may have been ten essentials may have grown to 15 or 20 now.
It was a bit of a post-partum week after Camp Glow, the valley after a peak experience. Fortunately, I knew that was likely so did my best to wait it out. The house renos made big leaps forward this week and I think the summit ridge may just be visible through the clouds ahead. I got a few long standing house projects done and that felt good.
Training is moving forward. My running distances are slowly growing and the ankle mostly does pretty well. I get some soreness and stiffness with it and on occasion, the other leg hurts in the same place for solidarity even though its never been injured (bodies are funny things).
I notice that training begets training. As I get back to a more disciplined approach, it gets easier to be disciplined. As my training schedule becomes more routine, I find it easier to get it done. As I begin to sense training and strength gains, I get excited to do more. Momentum is key. I see that more and more. I am a creature of momentum. I like to create it and use it to keep things moving forward.
If I (or a project) lose momentum, I notice how hard it is to pick it up again and get it going once more. Sometimes things go on the wayside for weeks, months or years, half donejust waiting for a hit of energy to see them through. With this insight of late, Im more choosey. I dont start things if I dont have the time or energy to see them through. I try to not split my attention too many ways. I am simplifying my existence so that I can focus my momentum on nurturing the most critical tasks through to completion.
Inertia is hard to overcomeboth personally and in training but once I have some of that momentum Ive been talking about, I tend to remain in motion. I like to use the body in motion trick to manage all the things I need to pull off but also have learned that sometimes a body must remain at rest. My life as a science experiment!
Not feeling all that articulate today so Ill sign off knowing that in almost seven short months to the day, I will be arriving in Kathmandu to start another Everest adventure.
Take care,
TA
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| Everything I Need to Know about Climbing... |
8/16/2009 |
Hello to All,
After a full and intense week, its good to sit a spell and reflect on all the rich lessons I received this week. In the course of my climbing training, Ive opted to pursue Ring of Fire challenges as Ive called them; tasks and experiences that require me climbing outside my comfort zone into the heat of an uncomfortable place. I believe its critical for me to practice being uncomfortable since life at high altitude is so frequently filled with discomfort.
This week I stepped directed into some rings of fire, ones that were actually burning, in fact. Thanks to the Women Resource Development Committee and the Marine Institute, I had the great privilege of attending Camp Glow. Camp Glow (Group Learning for Outgoing Women http://www.mi.mun.ca/campglow/) is a five-day firefighting camp for women that introduces many aspects of firefighting. Our group ranged in age from 19-50 and was lead by Krista Parsons Butler and Mary Clarke.
We began the week learning to don bunker gear and finished it fighting a twenty-foot wall of flames. Along the way, each of us faced intense moments of fear invoked for some by being lowered over a 40 foot wall, searching a dark and smoke-filled building, or crawling through ever diminishing tunnels. Each woman had her own way of navigating the maze of emotions and thoughts that arose along the way. Some got quiet. Some cracked jokes. Some cheered loudly and others charged boldly forward.
My younger brother, Mike, is a career firefighter with the Edmonton Fire and Rescue Services. I have always harboured a secret dream to follow his footsteps into the firefighting profession. This week I got to spend five days in his boots and now have even more respect and appreciation of the work he does. Mike is on the high angle rescue team and its very evident that we have expressed our shared love of high places in different ways but I was glad to spend the week thinking so fondly of my younger bro. Seen together, we are often asked if we are twins. After this week, I would answertwins separated at birth by six years. Thanks Mike for being my inspiration this week.
This morning, as I completed my long run, I reflected on the week and thought I might turn to Robert Fulghum (All I Really Need To Know I Learned In Kindergarten) for the format of how I might share the lessons of the week.
Everything I Ever Needed to Know about Climbing Everest, I Learned at Firefighter Camp.
All I really need to know about how to climb Everest and what to do and how to be I learned at Camp Glow. Wisdom was not at the top of the mountain, but there in the orange glow of team spirit and firelight.
These are the things I learned at fire school that I will take to the mountain:
Check and recheck your gear because your life depends on it. Shakedown is keymake sure all the pieces work together.
Practice doesnt make perfect, instead it makes us faster and more confident. Time can be gained through fitness but also through putting all the pieces together more efficiently.
Different fires are fought in different ways. Always use the right extinguisher and technique for the fire you are fighting. Using the wrong one can feed the fire and make the job of putting out much more difficult.
Keep contact with the wall and your buddythey are your safety system for getting out when you cant see a thing.
Stay lowfire and gases will go high. Seek respite in safe pockets.
Fire and smoke cannot penetrate a water wall. Use one to protect yourself, your teammates, and your retreat.
Always know and plan the ways you can get out of a fire and get out before it is too late.
Dont over-think it. Use the skills youve been taught to manage the intense feelings that arise when heading into a burning building.
Our minds are our greatest tools and our greatest enemies. When donning bunker gear, just ignore how hot it isjust get the job done without paying attention to how miserable you are.
Together we can achieve things we cannot on our own. Teammates are deep sources for inspiration, protection, perspiration, and shared joys and loses. Dont ever enter a burning building without a buddy and a team behind you.
Everything I need to know for Everest is in there somewhere: The Golden Rule and teamwork and basic guidelines for coming home alive. Take any one of those items and extrapolate it into sophisticated climbing terms and it holds true and clear and firm. And it is still true, no matter how old we are, when we go out on a climb, it is best to rope up and stick together.
Thanks to all the sponsors of Camp Glow, the program volunteers, my teammates, and especially to the skilled instructors who guided us along the terrain of firefighting. I am sure there will be times next April and May, when I need a hit of inspiration that my mind will turn to the amazing week I spent learning firefighting (and climbing) at Camp Glow.
With gratitude,
TA
PS. The challenges of reno chaos continuepiles of stuff, coal dust, and building supplies block easy passage through the house. We think we finally have a bathroom vanity that will work with the unique space of our 100 year old bathroom and the drywall is back upperhaps the summit ridge is in sight.
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| Flash Rust |
8/9/2009 |
Howdy,
Catching a few minutes pause between coats of rust-inhibiting paint on our old claw foot tub. It got moved out on the deck on Friday and Ive had intimate lessons in the concept of flash rust. Basically, one shouldnt sand or grind a metal object one intends to paint until just before you paint it. If you sand early and it rains say, you get a flash rust lesson and you get to sand and grind and wire wheel more than you did the first time. It was a little like making a carry at high altitude, I got to cover the same ground over and over again.
But now, there are two coats of paint on the tub and it only sprinkled some rain to bring up our heart rates (the paint said-it shouldnt have rain touch it for 24 hours) so the tub is doing a good imitation of an orange ghost or a rather misshapen pumpkin by hiding out under one of our camping tarps.
Speaking of camping, Marian and I have been camping in our house since Friday when they removed the main drainage stack and plumbing in the bathroom. No water, no sewer, no toilet. Frankly, its easier to camp outdoors where you can go off and find a fine spot to take care of business. Instead we are making well-timed visits to local restaurants and schlepping our camping pee bottles with us to work when we head there for a shower.
Now that all the demolition has been done (and of course, it was more extensive than anyone had imagined-when planning renos double the time and triple the budget), they can start putting everything back together again starting tomorrow with the hope of water by Wednesday. So as you can see, my week was consumed by renoseither waiting for deliveries, making upteen visits to building supply stores, consults with da guys, painting, sanding, cutting quarter-round (thank god Marian has more spatial intelligence than I or we might still be up in the new studythe new floor looks fab!), and collapsing our existence into every smaller and smaller spaces as the reno virus spread. Pockets of sanity in the house are harder to find-rather like taking a layover on a big expedition where a metaphoric bomb goes off and things explode from your backpack to be found, dried, and organized before the next big storm rolls through.
Apart from the urban adventure of renos, Ive managed three runs this week. The ankle is doing well in taking on the new activity. Its been great to back at it and Ive reconnected with old running/training routes in the early morning. It reminds me that I do know how to train. I feel rather like the new cork floor that got laid down on the third floor this week, that I am laying a foundation of gentle discipline.
Im reminding myself and relearning about how to make training happen in my new life as part of partnership. When I lived alone, I could train just about any time but now Im sorting through how to fit training in around all the other joys of life like sharing a yummy breakfast on a sun-drenched deck amid the basil and oregano. I figure August is foundation timetraining in a summer paceamid plenty of flower-smelling and reno-projecting.
I thought I would make another invite for folks to join me on the trek into Everest base camp. There is a trek at the beginning of the expedition that meets in Kathmandu on March 30 and last about 2.5 weeks. There are four or five folks already signed up to trek in with me at that point. There is also another trek leaving May 1 that will hit base camp right about summit bid timemore info on these treks can be found on the Peak Freaks website: http://peakfreaks.com/ebc_trek.htm and I would be happy to answer any questions about the experience as well.
I also have a friend who is considering trekking in sometime in May who is going to work with my friend Raj to create a trek and she is looking for a traveling companion as well. If youd like to trek in a very small group, let me know and I will patch the two of you together. Peak Freaks has been holding spots for friends of mine, which they will release soon so I wanted to put one last invite out to join us on the amazing journey to Everest! Im touched that folks are going to great lengths to come along and I cant wait to show them one of my favourite places in the world.
Finally, a climbing friend of mine, Alan Arnette has a mountain-sized ambition to climb the seven summits while raising a million dollars for Alzheimers research. Hes also hoping some folks will join him on some of the climbs. Im thinking I will do my best to climb Mount Vinson with Alan in November of 2010 (a better length of time for raising the funds than this year I concluded). If you are thinking of climbing Kilimanjaro, this might be a great opportunity and great cause to support.
Please check out Alans project at http://www.alanarnette.com/alzheimer/memories7summits.php
Have a great week. Time to give the tub another coat of paint and then log my training hours.
TA
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| Laying the Foundation |
8/2/2009 |
Happy 214th Day of the Year,
How did it get to be August? How did it get to be Sunday evening? It was another rich week of settling back into post-mountain life both looking back and looking ahead. It seems I am often draw to doing home renovations either before or after climbs and Elbrus seems to be no exception. In a moment of sanity, I put the brakes on before the climb so since getting home we have been busy making lots of decisions and getting supplies at hand for when the contractors ready to get to work everything will be in place. Working on the house feels a bit like core workit sets the foundation and is the strength that everything else is built on. Having a home that works well supports me in the rest of my adventures.
Its a bit like organizing an expedition and sorting through what supplies need to be and when, which tasks need to be done before the next, and deciding on a route and seeking local beta. Along with multiple trips to the building supply store, I also returned to a gentle schedule of physical activity. It was too light a load to be called training but is starting to set the base. Im cognizant that my Everest climb is at the same moment, far off and just around the corner. I know from past experience that I can hold to a hard schedule of training for five to six months before I lose drive and focus.
Im trying to layout my training plan so I peak at the right moment next April. I dont want to start too soon and thereby peak too soon. I also am aware that Im starting lower on the fitness scale than in the last several years because of this springs injury. My commitment is to keep listening to my body, to train as hard as I can, avoid injuries, and get enough rest. I wont go to the mountain tired this timethats a promise I have made with myself. So, Im going gently at the momenttesting out the discipline Ill need to muster to get training in with everything else and reminding myself constantly not to go out too hard.
I know that as soon as I start training more seriously, the temptation will be to train very hard so Im laying out the next eight months in phases that will have different purposes such as laying an aerobic foundation, developing strength, working on balance and technical skills, etc. I spent some of the weekend watching the second season of Everest: Beyond the Limit to start reminding myself of the huge challenge ahead and to look at the gear they were using. I enjoyed the show but could have lived without the TV dramatics and I dont recommend watching the shows before bed (it makes sleeping a challenge).
I went for my first run in ages. I wanted to see if my ankle was ready. I did some intervals run up the front side of Signal Hill and stopped in to visit my Summit and Safe Return letterbox but unfortunately someone had removed the letterbox. I was saddened by its loss but still took some time to express gratitude for my safe return from Elbrus. The good news is that my ankle did OK with the run. I was tender afterward and made sure to do some icing of it and Ill try again later today or tomorrow for another gentle foray.
In the end, after a week of mulling over the realities of finances, I dont think Ill be able to swing Mount Vinson this year. As much as it would be great to have Everest be number seven, I think the stress of having to have so much fundraising done so quickly, would be too stressful and too distracting from the my major project of the year Mount Everest. So unless I win the lottery (wish is quite impossible without buying a ticket) or find a big sponsor in the next week or so, Ill be hoping to wind up my seven summits bid in 2010. I did finally luck into a points ticket for Australia so I will be heading there in October with Marian for a climb of Mount Kosciuszko (which I both need to learn how to say and spell)!!!
Hope your week was great and youre having a good summer,
TA
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| Mountains and Motorcycles |
7/26/2009 |
Happy Tely Ten Day to All,
On the last Sunday of every July, a growing number of people find their way to Paradise, Newfoundland and Labrador to walk, run, and roll their way ten miles (16 km) to the finish line beside Bannerman Park in St. Johns. This years event drew nearly 2600 folks and I was one of them. It was my fourth Tely in a row. I ran my first and have walked them since. This year my ankle wasnt ready to run and the last two years I walked in support of friends doing the race for the first time. I love that people come out and stand beside the course to cheer folks us. Kids holding signs and making up cheers always move me to tears. The fire halls put out their hoses to create a spray mist (though this year Im not sure how many participants enjoyed their shower-it was quite cool). The route passes all major motorcycle dealers in town.
As I walked along with Marian, I found myself daydreaming of motorcycles and mountains. With Elbrus completed, Ive noticed a reinvigoration of my desire to complete all seven summits. Last year, Id hoped to have the six besides Everest done before heading back to Nepal next April. Then, with the recession, I thought I should let go of Vinson (the Antarctic peak) because I thought it would be too challenging to fundraise for two major peaks in such close proximity. But since getting home last week, I find my mind/spirit/heart somewhat stuck on the idea of Vinson (rather like a dog to a bone kind of stuck). I even tempted myself by finding out whether or not my preferred outfitter had space on any of their Vinson climbs. They do.
So I find myself perched on a diving board once again. The sensation is familiar. I remember getting to a similar spot in 2006 when I got tired of saying to kids that I was going to Everest if the money came together and changed it to when I am going. I mortgaged the house to do it and trusted that I would be able to repay the debt. So once again, Im poised at the edge and wondering if there is water in the pool below (I suspect there is but there is always a sense of taking pause).
A friend is selling her motorcycle. Its very tempting to buy it though I havent solved the storage question and Im not sure if I am taking on another big financial mountain if this is the best time to take on another vehicle. Its OKthere are many years to ride and many years to climb and Im sure all will become clear as I get quiet enough to listen.
I spent the week resting and making big reno decisions about the house (after 12 years-its finally time to have laundry at home)its good to be home and Im almost over my respiratory infection. My attention is turning towards creating an overall training program for Everest and the eight months between now and then. On Elbrus, Id come up with the metaphor of prayer flags as a guide for training and Ill unfold that for you over the coming weeks. For now, Ill keep it short this week and invite you to view Elbrus pictures at http://bit.ly/CK3qJ
Have a good week,
TA
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| Elbrus: The Rest of the Story |
7/16/2009 |
Greetings from Moscow to All,
The Cliff Notes version
I went to Russia and I climbed Mount Elbrus (5642 metres). It was a great climb and I learned a lot!
For those Paul Harvey fans, the rest of the story
Elbrus is a quirky mountain. Truthfully I suspect, the only reason anyone climbs it, is that it is the tallest mountain in Europe and Russia. There are five routes up Elbrus but the vast majority of climbers begin their ascent in the village of Azou (2530 metres). Azou has the feel of any ski town with a variety of accommodations, small shops, and souvenirs slung along the one road that leads up the valley from Mineralnye Vody (the nearest city of any size). Theres one difference, however, this ski village is in a remote Russian valley on the border with Georgia so there is no polish like many ski resorts in North America. Instead, there is a sense of primitivism and possibility, paucity and practicality, purulence and petulance.
Elbrus twin peaks tower over the neighbouring Caucasus Mountains to the south. Their jagged toothed slopes cry out for climbers but for now, the access door to them is locked tight due to the dispute along the Georgian border. On one of our training hikes, we were warned not to wander past the border signs or we might be met with an unusual welcoming committee carrying large automatic weapons. Given that our team was Canadian (barring one United Kingdom import living in Seattle to whom we granted honourary Canadian status), we decided to give the Russian military a wide berth.
After four days of acclimatization hikes, it was time to head up the mountain. This moment is where Elbrus surrealistic nature as a mountaineering objective first comes into clear view. Most ascend from Azou via ski lift. Ski lifts, actually. I remember in 2006 that I was most frightened by this part of the climb. I was certain the creaking old overloaded gondola would detach from the cable and plummet us all to our death. Given it is now 2009, you know that didnt happen. Three years later, we began our ascent on a state of the art German gondola that whisked us silently an | | |