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CheapTents.com has posted an interview on their blog with long distance hiker Andrew Skurka, who just finished his six month long, 4700 mile Alaska-Yukon Expedition. The epic trek, which passed through multiple national parks in both the U.S. and Canada, traversed both the Alaska and Brooks mountain ranges, while passing through some of the most pristine and remote wilderness in North America.
In the interview, Andrew touches on such topics as his inspirations for these long distance treks, how he deals with solitude on the trail (Hint: it isn't an issue!), and which section delivered the best scenery on the expedition. He also offers some thoughts on gear, route planning, as well as his training for these kinds of journeys. Andrew even gives us an interesting tip on how to make your own cook stove out of a can of cat food!
I want to thank the writers of the CheapTents Blog for allowing me to participate a bit in this interview. They were kind enough to allow me to submit three questions of my own (I'm not saying which ones were mine!) and they even kept them in the final draft! This interview only adds to the quality posts that they are making over there, including an interview with long distance hiker Samuel H. Gardner that I linked to last week. Keep up the great work guys and thanks again for allowing me to have a little input on this one.
As I mentioned a few days ago, Andrew Skurka finished up his 4700-mile long Alaska-Yukon Expedition last Sunday, but he hadn't posted anything to the National Geographic Adventure blog with his final thoughts yet. I suspect those final thoughts are still coming, as it'll take some time for him to reflect on his accomplishment, but yesterday he did post a few quick, and rather amusing, thoughts.
You can read the latest entry to the blog by clicking here. In the post, Andrew shares his thoughts on what his favorite trail food was for the six-month journey and a very funny story about how he literally scared the crap out of a bear that he encountered along the way. I won't give too much away on either account, but I do think it is safe to say that Andrew will now be weighing his pack down with a lot of chocolate on his next long distance expedition.
When asked to sum up the expedition in a single word, Skurka replied with "Humbling." That probably seems appropriate for a trek that passed through some of the most remote and wild places in all of North America. The journey was not an easy one, even for a guy who is used to backpacking his way across miles of backcountry. It seems like he learned a lot about himself and the environments through which he traveled on this adventure.
I'm sure we'll get a more detailed follow-up on the trek once he's had time to rest and think about the whole experience. But for now, this brief entry is both fun and insightful at the same time.
While we're on the topic of expeditions that are coming to a close, it appears that Andrew Skurka has finished up his Alaska-Yukon Expedition as well. In his last entry to his regular blog posts over at the National Geographic Adventure Blog, he hinted that the end was coming soon and that the end would also be "bittersweet" since his life had revolved around the project for the past 12+ months. At the time of that writing, Andrew was 200 miles and seven days away from the finish line, and according to his route map, it appears that he returned to his starting point in Kotzebue, Alaska on Sunday.
For those not familiar with the Alaska-Yukon Expedition, it was a 4700 mile journey through some of the most remote backcountry in North America on foot, skis, and pack rafts. The epic trek required nearly six months to complete, and crossed through six U.S. national parks, and two Canadian parks, as well. Along the way, Andrew made full traverses of the Alaska Range and the Brooks Range as well, all the while crossing just eight major roads.
Now for most of us, the mere thought of this type of hike is daunting enough, but for Skurka it's just another long-distance test of endurance to add to his resume. Andrew is the king of long distance hiking, have already completed numerous treks including through hikes of both the Appalachian and Pacific Crest Trails, a 6875 mile trek through the western U.S. that crossed through 12 national parks, and an 7778 mile sea-to-sea hike from the Atlantic Ocean in Canada to the Pacific Ocean in the Northwest U.S.
But the Alaska-Yukon Expedition presented some interesting challenges that Skurka had not contended with before. The weather was brutally cold for quite some time, and he had to deal with snow and ice well into the spring. On top of that, there was a remoteness to the trail that he hadn't experienced before on most of his other long-distance hikes. At times, when he was in the wilderness, Andrew was truly alone, without another person for miles around.
Congratulations to Andrew for completing yet another massive and highly impressive long distance trek. Can't wait to hear more about it.
One of my new gigs is contributing travel stories to the Huffington Post, and a few days back they published my first article, which is a list of my choices for ten great domestic adventure destinations. With the economy still struggling, many people are staying closer to home this year, and I wanted to give some suggestions for great places to visit that offer plenty of outdoor adventure without breaking the budget to travel there.
Amongst my suggestions are such places as Bar Harbor, Maine, which is near Acadia National Park and offers everything from sea kayaking to rock climbing, and even great road cycling. Moab, Utah gets the obligatory nod for its amazing mountain biking of course, and my friends in the Black Hills of South Dakota get a mention too, as it is an amazing place for outdoor adventure that still sits off the radar for a lot of travelers. One of my other picks, The Everglades of Florida, is another seldom visited place, and I'll be going there at the end of the month, so expect more details about that place as well.
I copped out a little bit in my selection of Alaska to the list. Yes, I picked the entire state, but there is just so much to see and do there, it was hard to narrow it down to just one location. Besides, no matter where you go in Alaska, you're bound to find some kind of outdoor adventure. Along the coasts you can sea kayak with whales, head into the interior and you'll find plenty of untouched wilderness for hiking and camping. And of course, mountaineers will head to Denali, or one of the other great peaks, for the climbing opportunities as well. It truly is an unmatched adventure destination not only for the U.S., but internationally as well.
Of course, narrowing down a list like this to just ten destinations is never easy. I did try to represent a variety of places around the U.S., giving fairly close options no matter where someone lived. Clearly Colorado is under represented as well, but that's mostly because places like Boulder and Fort Collins are already well known. Colorado is a great option, but I was hoping to spotlight a few that maybe people didn't know so much about or hadn't considered before. The list could easily have expanded to twice the size without too much trouble.
So? What are your favorite domestic adventure destinations?
Long distance super-hiker Andrew Skurka has reached a major milestone on his Alaska-Yukon Expedition, which he began back in March. Andrew has been posting updates on his journey over at the National Geographic Adventure Blog, and his most recent update indicates that he has now reached the half-way point of the expedition, but he wonders if that really matters, considering the challenges that still await him.
The Alaska-Yukon Expedition is a seven-month long, 4700-mile excursion through some of the most remote and unexplored wilderness in all of North America. The trek began in Kotzebue, Alaska and will eventually end there as well, most likely in October. In between, Skurka is making one giant loop that has already taken him south along snowmobile routes to the Iditrod Trail, which he then followed east through the Alaska Range of mountains, before turning south once again and passing through Wrangell-St. Elias National Park, to the Lost Coast. Hugging the coast, Andrew continued down the Inside Passage, and has now made the turn north to his current location in Haines, Alaska.
With a good chunk of the trail behind him now, Andrew is happy to have reached the halfway mark, but he also wonders if it really matters much beyond just a point on the map. Ahead of him is still plenty of things to overcome, including traveling up the Yukon River, and crossing three mountain ranges, not the least of which will be a traverse of the Brooks Range. He also says that he is preparing for the last major stage of the journey, trekking from Whitehorse in the Canadian Yukon back to Kotzebue, something that he also says he suspects will change his definition of wilderness forever.
This has been amazing adventure to follow so far, and Andrew has done a great job of sharing it with us with his regular blog updates. I can't wait to hear about his experiences in the Brooks Range, which may be the most untouched and remote wilderness that remains in North America. It should prove to be very interesting.
There are five winners this time out, with some very diverse projects to follow in the weeks and months ahead. The recipients include the following, which I pulled directly from the First Ascent Blog:
Expedition 2 Endure On June 28th, Larry McKurtis begins his solo ride from Alaska to Argentina, approximately 16,000 miles on bicycle, unsupported. Taking trails and side roads, he will be pushing the limits of his equipment and his own determination. For approximately nine months Larry will be hard at work on this amazing adventure, so make sure to keep checking in on his progress.
Winter Denali Ascent Confined to a snow cave for 12 days by a blizzard during her last attempt, Christine Feret is making another push to be the first woman to summit Denali in the winter. With an extensive background on Denali, Christine and her climbing partner Artur are already underway on training. With their sights set on February 1st, 2011 we’ll be able to follow them through their training and into the big climb.
88bike’s VILLAGES 88bikes has a very simple goal: to provide a sustainable, joyful, empowering form of transportation to young people who have been challenged to be their own heroes due to poverty, war, disease, conflict and other regional hardships. Throughout the summer of 2010 they will be reaching out to rural parts of Lesotho, Mongolia, Tanzania, Latin America and the Navajo Nation to give away approximately 1,000 bikes.
Idaho Speed Traverse Truly a multi-sport endeavor, Steve Graepel, Christopher Minson and Jason Quinn will attempt to pioneer a variation of the Idaho Centennial Trail during a 15-day South-to-North traverse of Idaho. With more than 840 miles to cover by foot, raft and bike, they will need to average 56 miles per day. We will be highlighting their training over the next year building toward the final push in 2011.
Ski Across Alaska for PTSD Combining a great adventure with a great focus, Michael Ferrara brings attention to Post Traumatic Stress Disorder as it affects civilian ski patrollers, guides, firefighters, and many more who watch over the safety of others in the mountains and beyond. Joining him on this epic ski expedition are ski patroller Isabelle Day and avalanche search dog Lhotse.
Each of these sounds like quite the expedition, and I'm sure we'll be hearing more about them all in the future. The first to get underway is the Expedition to Endure, which kicks off in just a couple of weeks, with cyclist Larry McKurtis riding his bike from Deadhorse, Alaska all the way to Ushuaia, Argentina. A distance of 16,000 miles. (Yeah, but is he climbing Denali and Aconcagua in the process? ;))
If you'd like to apply for a Be First Sponsorship, click here to submit your next adventure. Then check out the video below for more information.
Long distance ultralight hiker Andrew Skurka launched his Alaska-Yukon Expedition nearly two months ago, and during that period he has hiked, skied, and snow shoed over more than 1100 miles of remote Alaskan backcountry. During that time, he has seen some dramatic changes to the conditions in which he is traveling, and although spring has arrived up north, it hasn't always made his journey easier.
In a recent post to the National Geographic Adventure Blog, where Skurka is keeping us all informed of his progress, he says that spring has brought cold and wet conditions, replacing the sub-zero temperatures and snowfall, with 30º, rainy conditions instead. The change in weather has kept him cold and wet most of the time, which has not made it easy for him to function under those conditions. He also adds that spring runoff tends to dump water on top of already frozen rivers and lakes, making them very cold and treacherous to ford. Andrew says that he expects much of the spring to be like this, and the fall as well, and he looks forward to the warmer summer weather that is not too far off at this point.
All told, the expedition is expected to take about seven months to complete, and will cover more than 4700 miles in total. During that time, Skurka will pass through six U.S. and two Canadian national parks and hiked the remote Alaska and Brooks Ranges. An adventure such as this one would be a once in a lifetime affair for most people, but for Skurka, it's just another hike to add to his growing list of accomplishments, which include 7778 mile coast-to-coast hike across the U.S. and Canada, as well as a 6875 mile jaunt through the Western U.S.
Ever wonder how Andrew does it? Well, The Nat. Geo Adventure Blog is giving you your chance to ask him yourself. The long distance hiker is due back into civilization tomorrow, and he has agreed to answer any and all of your questions. Simply go to this post on the NG Adventure Blog, and post your question in the comments section. Andrew will log on over the next few days, and answer you personally. So, if you've got questions about the gear he uses or how he plans these big expeditions, head on over and post them. This is a rare and unique opportunity to have those questions answered by an expert on the subject.
Yesterday I posted a story about the 2010 Iditarod that proclaimed Lance Mackey the winner of his fourth straight race, but it turns it out that the source I used (The Examiner) was a bit premature in their posting, and Lance hadn't even crossed the finish line yet. Worse yet, they claimed that Jeff King took second place, while both men were still out on the course. The article was later removed, and I had to post an update saying that we were still waiting for the results.
Well, the results are now final, and Mackey did indeed win his fourth straight Iditarod, but it was Hans Gatt, not Jeff King, who claimed second place. King would take third, and a host of other mushers have now come into Nome, including Ken Anderson and John Backer, who were fourth and fifth respectively. Ramey Smyth finished sixth and Sebastian Schnuelle seven, with Dallas Seavey eight, and Hugh Neff ninth. As of this writing, those are the only teams that have crossed the finish line. Mitch Seaey is out of the checkpoint in Safety and on his way in however.
As I mentioned yesterday, both King and Mackey are said to be retiring from the Iditarod, so this list of mushers is likely to be the ones that are contending for next year's win. There are a number of good, young sled drivers on that list, so it's clear that the Last Great Race will continue to thrive without these two great champions who now have four wins apiece. Most notably, keep an eye out for Dallas Seavey, who is one of the best young racers out there, and clearly has a bright future ahead of him.
Congrats to all the finishers, and as I said yesterday, so long to Lance and Jeff. Their presence will most certainly be missed next year.
Updated: Apparently, Mackey hasn't quite crossed the finishline yet, and neither has anyone else. The article that I had used for this story was posted by Examiner.com, and has now been pulled from the site, so like everyone else, we'll wait and see who makes it to Nome first, second, and third. I'll update this story as more solid information comes in.
Meet the new boss. Same as the old boss. Lance Mackey claimed his fourth straight Iditarod Championship today by reaching Nome ahead of chief rival Jeff King, who was the second man to cross the finish line, and it appears that Hans Gatt will take third.
Mackey left White Mountain this morning, following his mandatory eight hour rest, and had a one-hour, 57 minute lead on Gatt at that time. As he sped off on the final leg, he bid the gathered crowd farewell, telling them "I'll see you in Nome." A few hours later he made good on his promise, and made history in the process. Mackey is the first person to ever win four consecutive Iditarod sled dog races, something that will surely cement him into the lore of that great event.
The end of the 2010 race will be a bit bittersweet for fans, as both Mackey and King have announced that this will be their last go at the Iditarod. Between them, they have eight championships, and have battled one another closely over the past few years. If they hold true to their word, and do retire from the Last Great Race, it will really open up the field next year.
Currently, the leaderboard has Ken Anderson, John Baker, Hugh Neff, Ramey Smyth, Sebastian Schnulle, and Dallas and Mitch Seavey rounding out the top ten. All of those men are reportedly into White Mountain, and will be making the final dash to Nome soon.
Congrats to both Lance and Jeff for amazing careers. You'll be missed.
Due to lots of demands at the day job and in my personal life the past week or so, I haven't had the time to follow, or cover, the Iditarod as much as I usually do. I'm hoping that will change this week, as the tops mushers are flying along at the front of the pack, and things should get very interesting over the next few days.
Since I last posted on the "Last Great Race", two familiar foes have started to duke it out for first place. Three time defending champ Lance Mackey and four-time champ Jeff King are, once again, running first and second in the race. As of this writing, Mackey has gone in, and out, of the checkpoint at Elim, while King is still en route, having passed through Koyuk, in hot pursuit. At this point, there just White Mountain and Safety stand between Mackey and the finish line in Nome, and if King is going to catch him, he's going to need to be fast.
Behind King, and also out of Koyuk, are Hans Gatt, currently running in third place, followed by Ken Anderson in fourth, and Hugh Neff in fifth. The next five behind them, which includes the likes of Mitch and Dallas Seavey, as well as Sebastian Schnelle, are all into that checkpoint, but aren't like to contend for one of the top spots.
While we haven't seen any major blizzards like last year, which left the mushers and their dogs hunkered down for hours at a time, the weather has been a challenge none the less. Gusty winds and cold temperatures consistently dropping to -15ºF have definitely taken their toll on the racers and their pups.
As the turn into the home stretch, it's beginning to look like Mackey will become the first person to win four straight times. On the other hand, King, who has already announced his retirement from the race, is looking to join Rick Swenson as the only five-time winners of the Iditarod. He was trailing Mackey by 74-minutes as of this morning, and it seems that lead may have grown since then, but anything can happen out there in the wilderness, and the race isn't over until they're in Nome.
Long distance hiker Andrew Skurka has set off on his Alaska-Yukon Expedition, which I first told you about back in November. The journey will cover 4700 miles on foot, skis, and packraft through some of the most remote backcountry in Alaska and Canada's Yukon, and is expected to take approximately seven months to complete.
Andrew arrived in Kotzebue, Alaska a few days back, and if everything has gone according to schedule, he should have set off today on a planned 34-mile ski trip to the first cabin he will stay in along this new epic route. Leaving Kotzebue behind, he'll now travel south to the Iditarod Trail, then follow it across the Alaska Range before proceeding down to the Lost Coast. From there, he'll proceed down the Inside Passage before turning north up the Yukon River, where he'll cross over the Ogilvie and Richardson Mountains. Finally, he'll turn west, running the length of the Brooks Range, which will deliver him back to Kotzebue, where the entire adventure started.
This incredibly long and challenging route will cover some of the most rugged backcountry in North America, if not the world. The Brooks Range in particular remains mostly unexplored and unsettled, and would be enough to make any hiker think twice. But Skurka isn't just any hiker, having earned his legendary status on trails like the Appalachian and Pacific Crest, not to mention his own Great Western Loop, which stretched for 6875 miles, and earned him the title of 2008 Adventurer of the Year, not to mention his Sea-to-Sea adventure, which ran 7778 miles from the Atlantic to the Pacific.
In the weeks ahead, I'll be posting on Andrew's progress and following along with his adventure the best I can. He plans to tweet his progress on his twitter account, and he's also posting blog updates at the Nat. Geo. Adventure Blog as well. They've already posted an overview of the expedition and a look at Andrew's gear, which should prove interesting considering his lightweight approach to these trips.
Good luck and godspeed to Andrew! Be safe out on the trail!
The 2010 Iditarod will get underway tomorrow with the ceremonial start in Anchorage, Alaska. There is a deep and experienced field of 71 mushers set to hit the trail for the 38th annual running of this event that is called "The Last Great Race", and is legendary the world over for its challenges.
With the ceremonial start out of the way, the true race will begin on Sunday from Willow, where the drivers, and their amazing sled dogs, will set off for Nome, some 1161 miles away. Being an even numbered year, the teams will take the Northern Route this season, which means they'll pass through the remote villages of Cripple, Ruby, Galena, and Nulato along their way to the finish line, with traditional checkpoints in places like Rainy Pass, Rhon, McGrath, Ophir, and many others making their annual appearances as well.
The 1100+ mile course will take anywhere from 10-20 days to complete, depending on conditions out on the trail. The race is quite the test of endurance for both the mushers and their dogs, as they face howling winds, challenging mountain passes, blizzards, and white out conditions. Winners receive a cut of the purse, which varies from year to year, and a new pick-up truck, which comes in pretty handy in Alaska.
The top mushers to watch in the year's race include three time defending champ Lance Mackey, who remains the best bet to win. Past champions Jeff King, Mitch Seavey and Martin Buser always remain threats to take it all, and of course, there always seems to be young, hungry challenger lurking in the pack.
According to the expedition's blog, which is handled through Facebook, the duo was flown from Talkeetna to base camp at 7000 feet on Wednesday, where they've been busy setting up camp ever since. They have dug their first snow cave to serve as a shelter, and are busily preparing to begin their assault on the mountain.
ExWeb has the details on the climb, which will be a unique one to say the least. Christine and Artur estimate that it will take a minimum of 4 weeks to reach the summit, as they'll be climbing in an unusual fashion. The two mountaineers will be heading up the hill, dragging sleds with all of their gear on it behind them. It is estimated that when fully loaded, the sleds weigh more than 250 pounds. According to Christine, they'll hike each day as long as they can, then stop to dig a snow cave for shelter each night. They didn't even bother to bring tents with them on the trip. They did, however, pack a couple of steel shovels, and a ladder for crossing over, and escaping from, crevasses they may find along the way.
The weather on Denali can be quite treacherous at just about any time of the year, but especially so in the winter, when temperatures can drop to -40ºF and freak snow storms can batter the mountain. Standing 20,320 feet in height, it is the tallest mountain in North America, and due to its high latitude, it is pretty much cold there all year long. Thankfully, the climbers are familiar with the mountain, as Christine has already climbed it twice. She does hope to stand on the summit in the winter however, and if successful, she'll become the first woman to do so.
We're less than 24-hours away from the start of the Yukon Quest, the annual 1000 mile long sled dog race that runs from Fairbanks, Alaska to Whitehorse, located in Canada’s Yukon Territory. The two week long event gets underway tomorrow morning, with the starting line on the Chena River in downtown Fairbanks. From there, the trail will wander off into the remote wilderness, following an old mail route that was used during the Gold Rush era.
The official list of mushers currently has 24 names on it, including former champ, and sled dog legend, Lance Mackey, who is returning to the race after electing to not run in it last year. Mackey is the three time defending champ of the Iditarod as well, and back in 2007, he came the first person to win both the Yukon Quest and that race, in the same year.
Over the next few weeks, the mushers, and their sled dog teams, will be enduring some challenging conditions. It is notoriously cold in the Yukon, Fairbanks is currently -10ºF and Whitehorse is hovering around 0º as well. Blizzards can strike the region at any time, with high winds causing whiteout conditions. And yet these men, and their amazing dogs, will be out there anyway, doing what they love. You've got to respect that! For a very cool flyover of the Yukon Quest trail, powered by Google Earth, click here.
Should be a great race and a nice prelude to the Iditarod, which gets underway in 28 days.
I've mentioned the Riding the Spine expedition several times in the past, but it has been quite a long time since I posted an update. It is the epic journey by mountain bike from Prudhoe Bay, Alaska to Ushuaia, Argentina, that was undertaken by Jacob Thompson, Sean Monterastelli and a man named Goat (I kid you not!). After three and a half years on the trail, covering more than 21,000 miles, passing through 14 countries in the process, the boys have finally arrived at their destination, reaching Ushuaia this past Sunday. Their online journal declares: "We Did It!"
Riding the Spine derives its name from the fact that they made most of the journey by peddling through mountain trails and over passes, rather than on established roads and highways. Jacob, Sean, and Goat spent more time in the Rockies and Andes, the mountain spines of their respective continents, then they did on paved roads and in civilization. They also managed to work in a couple of paddling trips, kayaking some whitewater along the way, and even used kayaks to transport their bikes through a remote section along the Panama and Colombian border.
Needless to say, the past three years have been quite an adventure for this trio, who were occasionally joined out on the road by some guest riders too. I want to extend a hearty congratulations to the entire crew on reaching their goal. What an amazing journey this has been, and I'm sure they're having a lot of bittersweet emotions at the moment. Three and a half years is a long time to devote to a project, and to see it end has to be both very rewarding and kind of sad at the same time.
Long distance hiking legend Andrew Skurka is preparing for another epic hike for 2010 and has begun to discuss the details on his website. Tentatively called "The Great Alaskan-Yukon Loop", this adventure will see Andrew trekking through 4500 miles of wilderness, around the border of Alaska and Canada's Yukon Territory.
The journey will begin in March of 2010, when Andrew will set out from the village of Kotzebue, in the northwest corner of Alaska, along the Chukchi Sea. From there, the plan is to ski south, sharing part of the Iditarod trail, and passing through the Alaska Range. As spring draws near, Andrew will take to the water, packrafting the Copper River to the ocean, then following the Lost Coast. With that stage behind him, he'll go back on foot to hike the Chilkoot Pass Trail from the Inside Passage to the Yukon River, where he'll once again take to the water, before trekking the length of the Brooks Range to finish up the hike.
Andrew expects the trip to take roughly seven months, in what he calls "a race against winter". He hopes to complete the entire loop before the notoriously brutal Alaskan winter returns, but make no mistake, traveling on foot in Alaska in March is going to be plenty cold and challenging still. Of course, this is Andrew we're talking about here. The man who has practically defined the long distance hike, covering more than 7700 miles trekking across North America back in 2004 and another 6875 miles on a grand loop of the western United States. If anyone can pull of this type of hike, it is him. I mean seriously, 4500 miles is like a walk in the park, right Andrew? :)
While plans for the hike are coming together Andrew is still looking for a sponsor and even a new name for the trek. So if you think you can come up with something better than The Great Alaskan-Yukon Loop, click here to offer a suggestion. Hmm... I think I'll submit something like "The Great Alaskan Death March" or maybe "Skurka's Folly". (Aww...come on, that last one isn't terrible considering the history of the state!)
Last week I posted about an excellent looking paddling documentary that is making the festival rounds called Paddle To Seattle. It;s the story of two adventurers, J.J. Kelley and Josh Thomas, who paddled from Alaska to Seattle in hand carved Pygmy kayaks, a journey of more than 1300 miles that took three months to complete.
When I posted that story I linked to a video clip that gave us a brief glimpse of what the film is about, but today we have the official trailer. Check it out below and keep your eyes peeled for this film. The buzz on it is incredibly high, and I can't wait to see it for myself.
This story has been making the rounds the past few days and it seems there is some truth to rumors that climbing fees are going to be going up on Denali, possibly substantially. The National Park Service is considering raising the cost of a climbing permit from their current rate of $200 up to $500 by the 2012 season. That's an increase of 150%
In recent years, traffic has begun to increase on Denali, and that has led to increased expenses for the Park Service. There have been more search and rescue operations conducted, and the funds necessary to maintain resources on the mountain and remove waste, have gone up dramatically as well. As a result, there the budget for services on the mountain is reportedly $1.2 million below what is needed. Raising the climbing fees is one way to try to ease this situation.
The fee increase is far from a sure thing at this point, and local businesses are saying that it could hurt the economy there, forcing climbers to go elsewhere. The Park Service is expected to have an 18-month long period for public comment, hoping to hear multiple sides of the situation and exploring all options before deciding on the fees increase.
Personally, while I'm seldom in favor of these kinds of increases, I have to say that $200 for a climbing permit is pretty damn cheap for a mountain of the stature of Denali. It is the highest peak in North America, and a substantial challenge for climbers, especially those that want to test themselves on a big mountain, with unpredictable weather, before they go to the Himalaya. While I appreciate that a $300 increase is a hefty one, a $500 fee still seems affordable and reasonable for this mountain. Especially if it makes a difference in how safe and clean the Park Service can make it.
Late last week the mountaineering community was stuck with yet another tragedy when two climbers fell to their death on Denali, plunging 2000 feet down the Messner Couloir, on Friday.
The two men were identified as John Mislow, 39, of Newton, Massachusetts, and Andrew Swanson, 36, of Minneapolis. They were long time friends, experienced climbers, and doctors. They were roped together and climbing on the couloir when the accident occurred, although it is unclear as to how they wandered on to that route, as they had been climbing the West Rib when they set out on May 30th.
The article that I linked to above says that the Messner Couloir is an extremely steep, dangerous, and challenging route that few climbers even attempt. Out of 1200 summit bids last season, only two were launched along that route, although it has become a popular way to descend, while on skis, in recent years. Neither of these two men were carrying skis. Speculation is that they wandered out on to the couloir after a successful summit and were attempt to descend that way. The two doctors' cameras were found intact, and may provide some clues.
These are the third and fourth deaths on Denali this season. My condolences go out to the friends and family of these climbers.
A couple weeks back, just before I took my brief hiatus Down Under, I posted about Mark Beaumont, the man who once rode around the world on his bike, in 195 days no less. At the time, he was en route to Alaska, where he was just about to start his next project, dubbed Cycling the Americas, in which he would be riding his bike from the Great White North all the way down to Tierra del Fuego, at the tip of South America.
Besides covering more than 15,000 miles along the Trans-American Highway, over the course of the nine months or so that the journey is expected to take, Mark also intends to climb the two highest mountains in the Americas as well, namely Denali and Aconcagua. The latest updates from his Twitter feed indicate that he is currently on Denali, and camped at about 14,000 feet.
Today is day eight of the Denali climb, which is expected to take roughly three weeks, depending on weather and the acclimatization process. Mark reports that everything is on track for the team to stay on that pace and he says that everyone, including himself, are doing well so far. He is climbing along the Western Buttress route, the most popular on Denali, and reportedly the weather has been great, with clear skies and warm temperatures.
The Denali season has been in full swing for awhile now, and two teams reached the summit yesterday day alone. I expect we'll be hearing more updates from both Mark, and the mountain in general, over the course of the next few weeks, as climbers take advantage of the relatively short climbing season there.
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