Archive for May, 2007
As many of you know, I recently booked a trip to Peru in late July. While I’m there I’ll be doing the Salcantay trek to Machu Picchu and if weather permits I’m going to take a crack at summiting Huayna Picchu. This is one of the most commonly photographed peaks, yet most people don’t know it’s name or even where it is.
Huayna Picchu - (8,860 ft/2,701 m)
From Wikipedia:
Huayna Picchu or Wayna Picchu (Quechua: “Young Peak”) is a mountain in Peru around which the Urubamba River bends. It rises over Machu Picchu, the so-called “lost city of the Incás,” and divides it into sections. The Incas built a trail up the side of the Huayna Picchu and built temples and terraces on its top.
The Temple of the Moon is located on the mountain.
Other helpful information
DAILY CLIMBING TIMES (MANDATORY): The trail up Huayna Picchu closes at 1pm while the ruins are open only from 7am to 5pm daily . It is illegal to stay inside the ruins at night.
WEATHER:
When I say I’ll climb it if weather permits, I mean, if the climb is wet or if it is raining at all I have been told that this peak should not be attempted. Wet rocks + 1,000 foot drops = bad.
May 31st, 2007
In 1924 George Mallory and Andrew Irvine attempted to climb Mt Everest. They never made it back down. Some think they summited that day and were the first to see the top of the world. No one knows for sure though, and it was another 29 years, 1953, before the summit was officially reached. The bodies were left on the slopes of Everest when they died.
In 1999 Conrad Anker and a team of climbers and scientists climbed to the area where it was believed the Mallory/Irvine expedition stopped. They searched and found the body of George Mallory.
Now Conrad Anker is headed back up Everest attempting a climb of the peak with the same clothing, gear, and using the same route that the Mallory expedition used. The intention is to see how possible it was to summit with that combination of gear and clothing. Of course Anker goes into the climb an experienced climber with modern knowledge. A documentary is being made on the event as well, which should be a good watch.
Check out the expedition website and you can follow along with the climb. Good luck to Conrad and the team!
May 30th, 2007
Emile sent me this story, and frankly I don’t know whether to believe it or not. The claim is that an 11 year old boy in Alabama killed a 1,050, 11 foot long wild boar. I know they can get pretty big from my days on the hog farm I worked at. But, seriously, wouldn’t someone have noticed this horse-sized pig walking around the woods?
It’s an AP story apparently, but the media has been fooled before. I’m on the fence, so you be the judge. Read about it here, and check out more pics of the beast at MonsterPig.com.
If anyone has any more info, comment here please.
May 29th, 2007
Don’t forget, the Adventure Racing World Championship race starts tomorrow in Scotland. This is a WEEK LONG race people. Serious stuff.
Outdoorzy member “Goose” is covering this for SleepMonsters and you can follow along with coverage there. We’ll post the results of the race next week.
May 25th, 2007
This crazy story went down when a group of Tibetan Monks were creating a sand mandala in Union Station in Kansas City. If you’re not familiar with a sand mandala, it is where Tibetan monks place individual colored grains of sand on a flat surface and create intricate designs. The process usually takes days or even weeks to complete.
The piece had taken two days up until a toddler got away from his mother and did a little dance on their art, destroying it. But, in true Buddhist monk fashion, the monks just laughed it off and went back to work repairing the damage. That’s it you guys, I’m buying a red robe and shaving my head.
Link to the news story (with pictures of the art before and after)
May 25th, 2007
The Seven Summits, the highest mountain on each continent, are a dream of many mountaineers and adventurers. To climb even one of them is considered a feat by most people. Now, imagine climbing all seven, including Everest, by the time you’re 18-years-old!
That’s what Samantha Larson did. She deferred her first year at Stanford so she could train for the Everest climb. Samantha becomes the youngest non-Nepalese person to climb Everest, and the youngest to climb the seven summits.
Congratulations Samantha! What’s next?
Read more on SamanthaLarson.com
May 24th, 2007
You may already know him from the numerous newspapers and websites his gear reviews and columns appear in. If not, you definitely should check out his site. He is one of the top industry experts for outdoor gear. And we’re proud to welcome him to Outdoorzy.
The Gear Junkie will have regular gear reviews featured here on Outdoorzy and will be providing his detailed explanations on the pros and cons of all the new gear out there. The Gear Junkie will be reviewing everything from bikes to belay devices. We’ve already got his new Gear Review for Gorilla Tape up, so check it out.
May 23rd, 2007
This is considered one of the most difficult climbs in the world. Just looking at it gives me chills. My eyes wander up that glacier and imagine how long it would take to get to a high camp. Then I start to think about the final section and how the heck you would even approach that!
This Week: Muztagh Tower (23,860 ft - 7,273m)
From Wikipedia:
The Muztagh Tower (also: Mustagh Tower; Muztagh: ice tower), is a mountain of the Karakoram range in the Himalaya in Northern Areas of Pakistan[1]. It is often said to be one of the most difficult mountains in the world to climb. The Muztagh Tower stands 7,273 metres high between the basins of the Baltoro and Sarpo Laggo glaciers, and also possesses a second summit, on the northeast ridge, that is 7,180 m high.
Long considered unclimbable, it was first summited in 1956 by a British expedition, consisting of John Hartog, Joe Brown, Tom Patey and Ian McNaught Davis, that came from the west side. The group barely managed to beat a French party attempting to climb the mountain from the east, reaching the top on July 6, 1956, five days before the French. The lower summit was first climbed in 1984 by the northeast ridge.
May 22nd, 2007
That’s right fellow Outdoorzies, you too can pimp your myspace, facebook, blog and more with this simple widget created at Widgetbox. It is EXTREMELY easy. I can’t believe how simple they’ve made this. Just click a button, type your user/password for your Myspace, etc…. and waaa laaa, it’s there! It’s the online equivalent of having a roof rack, it just screams “Yeah, I’m outdoorzy.”
Just click this link and then click “Add to Myspace”. You will then have the option of adding a little mini Outdoorzy Blog to your Myspace page, your Facebook page, or if you’re a blogger, to your blog! The box contains the most recent blog posts with pictures and you can choose from an array of colors. You can also choose a square shape or a horizontal configuration. Keep fresh content on your page for your readers to enjoy, and keep up with the Outdoorzy blog from your page.
Check it out!
Or look at an example of these on our Outdoorzy Myspace page.
Here are a few other cool Widgets you can add to your Myspace page, blog, Facebook, and several other platforms.
I “heart” Outdoorzy.com
Shave My Yeti
May 21st, 2007
In honor of National Bike to Work Day check out this great article on How to Maintain a Mountain Bike.
May 18th, 2007
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