It’s a tough thing to make the decision to turn back without a summit on any mountain. I’ve done it myself, less than a few hundred yards from my goal. The decision can come about for several reasons; weather, altitude sickness, exhaustion, too late in the day, unsafe rock, navigational errors, etc. For Ann Curry and her team it was a combination of physical exhaustion and altitude sickness. I guess it just stops being fun when you’re throwing up and have a throbbing headache.
The common perception of mountaineering is that it is all about the summit. Contrary to that though, many seasoned climbers will tell you that although the summit is an achievement and a great place to reflect on the journey, it isn’t the most important piece. The journey itself and often the bonds you build with your partners are the true summit. Finding out more about yourself, your physical limits, being in a beautiful place, an alien landscape, and being part of a team are what are truly important. The summit is nice, don’t get me wrong. Looking down from that perch and thinking about all it took to get there as well as all it takes to get back down is a place of great reflection. When I’m up there I feel like a bird gliding above the world. Ann and her team should know they already accomplished more than most by just attempting Kilimanjaro. And that’s bragging rights enough.
I saw on NBC tonight that Ann Curry, a Today Show host is attempting Kilimanjaro. She is at 15,000 feet now and her team is making that tough decision whether to make their summit bid tomorrow. The team has had issues with altitude sickness and fatigue during their Kilimanjaro struggle. In some of the videos you can see how tired she is. Her slurred speech was the first sign of altitude sickness. If they go for it they’ll be at Crater Camp next. I went through there and it’s a VERY cold place. Good luck to her.
Ann Curry appears to be very physically fit. It’s just a testament to how difficult this mountain can be. Ann is raising awareness for climate change. The glaciers on Kili have been an important barometer for climate change. 85% of the glaciers are gone today. When I climbed in 2005 we crossed very little snow. Arrow glacier is fading particularly fast. It’s a sad reminder that we need to take action in our everyday lives and try to curb greenhouse gases. As of now scientists aren’t sure how much of global warming is attributed to man. But it can’t hurt to cut back on your driving, turn that thermostat down, recycle, and ride your bike more.
Last week I posted a gear review for a Merrell rain jacket. We all know Merrell for their shoes, but now that they’rebeefing up the Merrell apparel line people are stopping to take a look.
The Flux jacket makes for a great toasty layer when it’s chilly out. Throw on a quick dry under shirt, the Flux, and a shell and you’re ready for any of the nasty conditions mother nature can throw at you.
The Flux also works especially well for the techie members of the family. It boasts an inner and outer pocket for that new PDA or MP3 player you’ve got on the list to Santa this year.
Last but not least this jacket actually looks good enough to wear out to get drinks with the in-laws or the boss. It has a tailored design so it sweeps in to hug your body and keep you warm while looking fashionable at the same time.
Despite it’s ridiculously hard to pronounce name, this peak is a stunning beauty. It typifies everything people stereotype for mountain topography. Long snowy slopes, a craggy upper section and a pointy summit.
Uncompahgre is a Ute Indian word that has several connotations that relate to water. “dirty water” “rocks that make water red”
Ever since I caught images of this mountain I have wanted to get up onto it’s slopes. I’ve heard it is one of the more beautiful mountains to climb in the area with a great class II approach to the summit. From a distance the pictures make it look like you would need to do alot of scrambling, but according to 14ers.com that isn’t necessary.
Uncompahgre peak has a broad summit plateau, rising about 1,500 ft (500 m) above the broad surrounding alpine basins. The south, east and west sides are not particularly steep, but the north face boasts a 700 ft (210 m) cliff. Like all peaks in the San Juan Mountains, Uncompahgre is of volcanic origin, but is not a volcano. The rock is of poor quality for climbing, precluding an ascent of the north face.
The most popular route for climbing Uncompahgre Peak is Uncompahgre National Forest Service Trail Number 239, which starts from the end of the Nellie Creek Road, east-southeast of the peak. The Nellie Creek Road is a four wheel drive road accessed from the Henson Creek Road, about 4 miles west of Lake City. The trail to the summit is a strenuous hike rising 2,919 ft (890 m) in elevation in about 3.5 mi (6 km). It accesses the summit in a winding ascent, starting from the east, passing over a south-trending ridge, and finishing on the west slopes of the summit plateau.[2]
Paddlers will love this handy egg-sized waterproof MP3 player from Freestyle Audio. Don’t let that size fool you though. This mp3 player has all the features you could want in an mp3 player, plus it fits your lifestyle of getting stuff wet.
Digital Audio Player with 2GB Hard Drive Capacity
Compatible with Sony Connect, Napster To Go, Yahoo! Music Unlimited, All Subscription Music Services, Rhapsody To Go
Additional Functions: FM Tuner, USB Storage Device
Features: PC-Chargeable Battery, Long Battery Life, Waterproof
Stores Approximately 685 Songs
Screen Features: OEL Display
Battery Lasts Up to 15 hrs.
Other Features: Low Battery Indicator, Playlist, Digital Tuner Presets, 30 FM Station Presets, Screen Saver
Reads WMA, MP3, WMA DRM, Secure WMA
Modes: Repeat All, Resume Function, Repeat Mode, Shuffle Songs, Play, Repeat 1, On/Off/Pause/Play, Play in Order Mode
Language Support in English, French
Includes Sync Cable, Belt Clip, Earbuds, Built-in Rechargeable Battery, Arm Band, Instruction Manual
90 Day Warranty
5.5 x 7.5 x 1.75 “
The rugged exterior casing is waterproof and shockproof. Not to mention it holds 2 GB of your favorite tunes and can play them for up to 18 hours on one charge of the rechargeable battery. So if you’re in the market for a waterproof mp3 player for your paddling or snow sports, this is a great choice.
There is one word that adequately describes the High Sierra Wheeled Duffrite, cavernous. I can see this packhorse working well if you were to take a trip overseas and need to haul alot of gear. I could have used this on my jaunt through east Africa a few years back. I can also see the usefulness for this bag if you are a guy with a special lady friend who likes to take the kitchen sink when you travel. You can either wheel the bag or unzip a compartment on the back fort backpack straps.
First, let’s start with the Duffrite’s size. Humongous! 7,980 cubic inches of space! That’s double what a multi-night backpack could carry. So don’t worry about having to decide whether or not you’ll need the ice axe on that peak you’ll be climbing in Spain this summer… bring it just in case.
Next up we have compartments. For many of us outdoorsy types staying organized is essential. Especially when you’re going to be “on the road” for a few weeks or longer. High Sierra has you covered here as well. There are compartments and zippers galore. Even a dividing wall that can zip open or shut to create two interior compartments.
Other key features are clothing straps to hold certain things in place. Compression straps to tighten the load. Handles on the top and bottom. And let’s not forget wheels. If you load this thing down, you’ll be glad you have them when zipping through the airport. It even has reflective piping so traffic can see you if you’re in the city.
If you’re planning an extended trip, and will need to bring alot of gear, this could be what the doctor ordered.
In many parts of the country right now it’s raining, snowing, or a mix of both. And we have several months of that to look forward to. Never fear, the Merrell Sprint Jacket is here.
This jacket has a loooong list of cool features that go way beyond keeping you dry. The pit zips open up to let your armpits breathe a bit and allow airflow into the jacket when condensation begins to build. The hood has draw strings that synch it down nicely to your head while allowing enough room on the front of the hood for a cap bill.
There is a multi-media pocket inside that fits an mp3 player perfectly and includes a porthole for your headphone to slip through. Lined pockets provide a nice warm feel instead of be the slick wet surface that the rest of the jacket is made of. Adjustable Velcro cuffs are a great touch too.
The Sprint is truly a top-of-the-line rain jacket that could be used for everyday where. But really folks… get this thing out in the hills and get it dirty, or your wasting it.
I was pretty stoked when I opened up my mail to find a pair of Injini Tetrasoks. These look like the most fun feet can have since pajama one-pieces with the “feets” built in. I had to try them on right away. They are a little strange the first time you put them on, it’s not like putting on gloves. My little sausage toes made it kinda challenging to get them on. Once on, I couldn’t stop wiggling my toes, it feels pretty strange at first.
their first “real test” came while camping last weekend. I’m not sure if the kept my feet any warmer than regular socks, but my feet kept partyin inside my shoes. They were a great source of campfire conversation, and the envy of some fellow campers. While I still stand firmly on “No Socks With Sandals”, if you were that type, these would be a pretty fun accessory.
I think I like wearing them to work the best. I know I’m wearing something fun, but none of my co workers have any idea. I think this is how it must feel to wear sexy underwear…. if you only knew what was on under these shoes.
The Adventure Tech is a sleek looking watch, resembling the stylings of many active lifestyle watches you would normally see on a runners wrist only. But this watch does much more than keep lap times. It has many of those tried and true features we’ve been looking for in this GREAT WATCHES test, namely an altimeter, barometer, and thermometer.
All instruments seemed to be fairly accurate. The buttons were easy to sue, and the orange/gray color combination got a thumbs up from the Outdoorzy logo designers.
Sewn into the resin strap is a cloth liner. I liked the way this feels on the wrist. Much more organic to wear than a raw resin strap. Just keep in mind that when you finish a hard workout you’ll need to rub it down with soap and water to avoid any funk smell. This has been a common theme with many outdoor watches over the years. If you want a comfortable band, you typically have to clean it.
It’s a great looking watch at a great price. We’d recommend it for a stocking stuffer. Its feature list and look are impressive, but you won’t cringe at the receipt when the damage is done.
Weighing in at $100, this is the least expensive in our watch review series. This version of this watch is actually being discontinued after this year so you may be able to pick it up for less than that if you shop around (we’ve seen it as low as $68). Which just leaves you that much more to spend on the next edition of this guy.
Specs:
Digital Display
Gray Resin Strap
INDIGLO® Night Light
Stainless Steel Case
Water Resistant to 50m
Size: Extra Large
Timer
Dual Time Zones
Altimeter
Range of 2,300 ft - 29, 500 ft (700m - 9,000m)
Tracks current, highest, and accumulated altitude
Graph displays ascent and descent
Barometer
Range of 300-1, 100mba
tracks current and sea level pressure
graph displays changes in barometric pressure
Weather icons display forecast
Thermometer
Range of 14 deg.F - 140 deg.F (-10 deg.C to +60 deg.C)
Despite it’s ridiculously hard to pronounce name, this peak is a stunning beauty. It typifies everything people stereotype for mountain topography. Long snowy slopes, a craggy upper section and a pointy summit.
Next up we have compartments. For many of us outdoorsy types staying organized is essential. Especially when you’re going to be “on the road” for a few weeks or longer. High Sierra has you covered here as well. There are compartments and zippers galore. Even a dividing wall that can zip open or shut to create two interior compartments.
Other key features are clothing straps to hold certain things in place. Compression straps to tighten the load. Handles on the top and bottom. And let’s not forget wheels. If you load this thing down, you’ll be glad you have them when zipping through the airport. It even has reflective piping so traffic can see you if you’re in the city.
In many parts of the country right now it’s raining, snowing, or a mix of both. And we have several months of that to look forward to. Never fear, the Merrell Sprint Jacket is here.
The 
