Author: Climbing the 7

Meeting my team in Mendoza has been great. There’s 8 of us plus our 3 guides. Everyone comes from very different backgrounds and places, each with their own reasons for being here. We had a team dinner last night and spent today gearing up in a small village called Los Penitentes about 3 hours from Mendoza.

As with any group of strangers things have started slow but a common goal and an adventure ahead quickly unites. We packed all our gear and in the picture above you can see we have a lot of stuff! We organized our personal gear into two different piles. One for the trek to base camp which is all our basic backpacking and camping stuff- sleeping bags, pads, and light clothing. The other for all our high mountain gear we won’t need until we hit base camp in three days- double plastic boots, down jackets, goggles, etc. We have a mule team carrying most our gear to base camp so having things organized now means we won’t have to tear it all apart on the mountain.

Everyone has been training and prepping for this trip long before we arrived in Argentina. We’re all ready and pumped to punt it all to use starting tomorrow. In the morning we hit the trail and should be on the summit in the next 12-14 days. I feel like a kid trying to sleep on Xmas Eve knowing something amazing is waiting for me tomorrow. Hopefully my next post will be about the summit which will be incredible but really this is all about the journey, and so far what a journey it’s been.

I know I said in my last post I’d be writing about my gear for Aconcagua but that’ll have to wait till after I summit. I landed this morning in Santiago, Chile and got my first glimpse of Aconcagua during our descent.

It looks massive way out there standing above the rest of the Andes. I’m really excited for the challenge that lies ahead of me. I’ve trained hard and now all that’s left to do is trust myself and get this next summit.

I have a few days until I start and will be spending them exploring Santiago before heading to Mendoza, Argentina where I begin the trek. Here in Santiago I’m staying in a cool and funky hostel called The Rado. It’s got a lot of cool Rock n Roll inspired art all over the place.

I met another one of my teammates Mike Tancer who also lives in San Francisco. We grabbed some beers and started getting excited for the climb.

Once I’m on the mountain I’ll be out of reach so there won’t be any updates and as I’ve told my family and friends “no news is good news”. I plan to bring my journal up with me to write something everyday which I will then post once I’m back. I’m also going to take a selfie every morning to accompany my journal entries so you can see what 20-ish days on the mountain looks like. I think it will be entertaining to see how haggard I end up looking over the course of the expedition.

Once I’m in Mendoza I hope to write one last post about meeting my team and about all our prep before we head out.

A few years back I was in a pretty bad road biking accident and along with a concussion, road rash, and blown ear drum I shattered my right clavicle which required surgery. The doctors pieced it all back together installing a plate spanning my collarbone holding the fragments in place so they could grow back together and heal.

I had been told that I would eventually need to have it removed but once I healed from the accident life got hectic. There was work to be done and adventures to be had. Finally, five years later it caught up with me.

When I was on Rainier the weight of my pack and the straps grinding against my plate was too much. I would typically put a beanie between the plate and my pack but the straps wore me down. Once I got off the mountain I promised I was going to visit my doctor. Of course months went by and I never went.  The pain got worse and I finally paid my doctor a visit. Immediately it was clear the hardware would need to be removed. I debated doing the removal before or after Aconcagua but it didn’t last long. I went in for the surgery 10/26 and have fully recovered feeling even better than before.

While on the mend I was finally forced to take a break and stop moving. In the past year I have traveled out of the country to Tanzania, Zanzibar, Iceland, and Mexico. I’ve been to a number of bachelor parties and the weddings that followed. On average I’ve been on a plane once a month this year. Despite the crazy traveling I work a lot and if I’m not on a flight or working then I’m training for my next summit. Newton’s first law states that an object in motion tends to stay in motion and I am no different. The surgery required me to stop and it reminded me how important it is to slow down every now and then.

I get so wrapped up in the everyday grind in addition to this whole climbing thing and I forget to stop and enjoy the ride. Getting outside, I realized is where I get to stop. Even though I’m out on the move I’m not caught up with worrying about all the trivial things I do in the real world. Climbing and hiking is much simpler and boils down to two basic things. First don’t get hurt or injured and second keep moving in the direction of your goal. Out there I’m not thinking about paying the bills, what I said in a meeting, or the gifts I need to buy for the holidays. Outside the pursuit is simple and I’m able to reduce the background noise of modern life. Nature feels therapeutic.

I’m back training again and turning it up to get ready for Aconcagua. Taking the time off to have the plate removed set me back a bit but in the end this momentary pause will set me up to be better, stronger, and ready for the challenges ahead. It also helped me realize that sometimes in life you need to take a step back and reduce the background noise in your life so you can really focus on the most important things.

“True adventure begins when everything goes wrong.” -Yvon Chouinard

After climbing Kili I had no idea what to do next in order to get ready for my next of the 7 which would be Cerro Aconcagua. I was ready to go big after my trip to Iceland so I figured why not hit another high altitude peak in the states to train? I had already done Mt. Whitney which is the highest peak in the lower 48 states and also had done another peak earlier in the year called Mt. Shasta which is 14,140ft. There was another peak called Mt. Rainer in Washington that had always held my attention since its known as “mini- Denali” and was one of the more dangerous volcanos in the states to climb. Given that and my desire for going big it seemed that Mt. Rainier would be next!

I immediately began researching guide companies and found that there were only three which operated on Rainer. Having researched all three I picked International Mountain Guides for my climb and because I was going big I couldn’t just pick the normal route everyone takes their first time up the mountain. Instead I chose a route up the Kautz Glacier which is the second most technical route to the summit. There is no trail and it involves navigating ice fields filled with crevasses along with a 500ft multi pitch ice climb. Having no technical ice climbing experience, I was PUMPED for a shot at throwing a pair axes into the ice!

I started talking to the guide company and they recommended being able to carry 50+ pounds for the five-day trip. I’ve been backpacking a long time and found it hard to believe that I would need that much weight for five days! Normally I’m able to slim my pack down to 30-pounds including water for a four-day trip so I figured adding an extra day plus some winter gear couldn’t possible get me any higher than 35-40 pounds. I started training by throwing all my gear plus cans of food (think heavy but dense) into my pack and went hiking every weekend in addition to climbing at the gyms.  As the trip got closer I began assembling my gear in my bedroom which always puts my dog Jack on high alert that “Dad” is heading out yet again for another adventure.

After a lot of training and anticipation it was time to leave. I flew out of San Francisco International Airport and into Seattle Tacoma International Airport. I made arrangements to have a rental car and made the two-and-a-half-hour drive from the airport to Ashford, Washington where International Mountain Guides had their headquarters. I arrived that afternoon just in time for our 3pm group check in and met our Lead Guide Mike and the rest of the crew I would be climbing alongside. We shagged out all our gear and made sure everyone was ready for the mountain and then went our separate ways for the night.

When we met that next morning we all gathered our gear and got into the guide company van and headed up the mountain. Since we were going up a technically demanding route and we all came from different backgrounds the guides wanted to spend a few hours on the mountain making sure we all were up to snuff. We reviewed all the basic stuff like how to walk in crampons, tying different climbing knots, self-arrest, and rope travel in a group. After we were done we all piled back into the van and were left to our own devices back at headquarters where we would all meet again the next morning to finally head up the mountain.

Finally, the next morning came and we started divvying up gear and food at headquarters prepping for our departure. As I had said before they had warned us to be ready to carry 50+ pounds for the trip and even though I didn’t believe them I ended up with 50 pounds of personal gear and group items like a tent and food. I was a bit pissed at myself for not heeding the recommendations but figured what’s a few more pounds than I expected…? Famous last words.

We got to the base of the mountain and started our climb. Over the next four days we would blaze our own trail up the Kautz Glacier making camps along the way each evening. It was a Tues when we started and the plan would be to ascend from 5,400ft on day one up to 9000+ft and set camp. Wed we would go up to 11,000ft to set camp followed by our high camp on Thurs around 12,500+ft. We would camp at the high point Thurs night and then wake up early around 2am Fri morning for our summit attempt. As with any good plan something always forces you to adapt and change.

Aside from having a hell of a time carrying my loads Tues and Wed went well. We navigated glacier fields and crevasses without incident. A few times we had to step directly across some crevasses and my guide told me to look down. Having been a rock climber I was used to being up high and looking down but this was entirely different. As I stepped over the void I looked down and saw a bottomless pit. The edges of the crevasse were framed in brilliant white snow and as my eyes followed the crevasse walls down the white turned to light blue then dark blue and eventually pure black. My stomach dropped as my mind thought “what if?” and I quickly continued to safety on the other side of the emptiness. As we continued up the mountain the views kept getting better and I couldn’t help but feel pure happiness being out there putting myself through yet another test.

When we woke up Thurs morning we were all amped as this was the day we would get to do the big multi pitch ice climb I had been stoked about. We all roped up into our teams and kept slugging our way up the mountain and finally made it to the ice chute. The chute wasn’t completely vertical but had 60+ degree slope which would be way too steep to simply walk up. We waited at the base while our guides racked their ice climbing protection which was a mix of pickets and ice screws. Each guide had two clients and would start up the climb leading the pitches and then bringing up their clients on anchors they built at each pitch. The experience of climbing ice was something else! Adjusting to ice climbing was difficult and exhausting but after some trial and error I got the hang of it. After three pitches of climbing we made it to the top and were an hour’s hike from where we would set our high camp. This is where we would camp for the night and leave behind all our heavy gear to head for the summit in the early hours of Fri morning. Of course that was the plan but the mountain had another idea for us.

The whole time on the mountain I thought I had been on an adventure but like I said the mountain had other plans for us. When we had reached our high camp Thurs afternoon the guides radioed down to base camp to check in and get the weather forecast for the evening and following day. So far the weather gods had been cooperating with us but now they had decided to test our group. Our Lead Guide Mike came to the group saying base camp alerted him that a nasty storm was rolling in and by late this evening we would be swallowed by snow accompanied with 60+ mph winds and a white out. Of course upon hearing this we all thought our summit attempt was done and over but Mike told us we had some options. Option #1 would be to descend the mountain and call it a day knowing we gave it a good effort but that it just wasn’t in the cards. Option #2 was to wait it out and see if the storm missed us. We all settled into this new reality when Mike dropped Option #3 on us. He said we were all strong and good climbers so if the whole group voted yes for this option then we could do it. Option #3 would be to continue hiking and go for the summit then and there even though we had been climbing and hiking since that morning and were exhausted. This sounded like our best chance at getting to the top so we all talked about the risks of continuing. It was made clear to us that if we went this route that we would not be able to leave gear behind and would have to carry our full loads to the top as we had no idea where we might end up if we kept going. There was a strong possibility that the storm would roll in as predicted and we would be stuck in a white out unable to descend safely. If this happened, we would have to hunker down for the night wherever we could get shelter and ride out the storm. Naturally we all agreed that the reward outweighed the risks and decided to go for it. Everyone took a moment to rest and then we continued into the unknown and let the true adventure begin.

Having already completed a day’s worth of hiking and climbing we were all spent as we set out to gain the summit. It would be another 4 hours minimum till we summited depending on our pace so everyone settled in for the long haul. I have completed some pretty big summits with Mt. Whitney, Mt. Shasta, and Mt. Kilimanjaro under my belt but these were nothing in comparison to what I was about to accomplish. As I continued climbing I literally felt like each step was the last one I had energy for and that I was never going to make it. In all my other climbing and hiking I have had to dig deep to tackle those challenges but any depth I had dug into myself previously was like a puddle when compared to how deep I had go to keep myself moving. Every time I dug just a little deeper I thought that was it and yet somehow I was able to keep finding a depth within myself I never knew existed. After what seemed like an eternity of chanting “one more step” to myself we were within sight of the summit along the ridge-line that would lead us to victory. Just as soon as we had reached the ridge the storm we had been warned about swept in and left us in a white out. We continued to the summit and celebrated delirious from exhaustion but floored on adrenaline and our triumph.

After the obligatory photos the guides came to us and explained that the true adventure would continue since we could not go back the way we came due to the storm and the next potential place we could camp semi- safely for the night was a 3-hour hike down another trail. Immediately we began our decent and every one of us struggled making our way down the treacherous slopes. After having reached the deepest parts oy myself on the ascent I literally had nothing left and was letting gravity carry me down with bursts of strength from my legs to keep me from falling off the mountain. No matter how exhausted any one of us might be during this part of the trip there was literally no other option except to continue. We all pushed on and made it to a flat where we could dig into the mountain for the night and ride out the storm. My tent mate and I began shoveling snow to build walls and dig in a platform to set our tent up in to protect us as best we could from the weather. Drained from the days’ efforts we slumped into our tents and ate a quick meal before passing out. I had never slept in gale force winds before but the gusts and fluttering of the tent woke me a few times and while I probably should have been scared sadistically I enjoyed the experience. After all I was here to go big and this trip was definitely not leaving anything on the table.

In the morning when we woke we were told we had been sleeping in the face of an ice cliff that had been the site of one of the worst climbing accidents in North America. Overnight I guess it was cold enough to not worry about the cliff shifting and causing an avalanche but in the light of day there was concern as the cliffs face warmed in the morning sun. We packed up and headed out from camp without breakfast as fast as we could. After descending a few more hours, we made it to Muir Hut where base camp was located and were rewarded with a hot breakfast and warm shelter. We had made it! All we had to do from this point was descend a few hours more over easy terrain back to where our van would pick us up.

In one of my earlier posts I said “I chose the 7 because it was huge. In the end it wouldn’t be about the summits, it would be about the journey. It would be about pushing myself to my limit because that’s where I figured I would see who I really was.” I know Rainier isn’t one of the 7 but it was part of the journey along the way and up there I pushed myself farther than I’ve ever gone before. I got to see a part of who I was when I was at my limit. The experience of digging deeper into myself for motivation and strength when I thought I was on empty gave me perspective about what I could accomplish. If I could find it within me to keep going on Rainier, then what else was possible?

This all isn’t really about the 7 or climbing mountains. It’s about going big. It’s about putting myself out beyond my limits and way outside my comfort zone. The 7 are about the process, the journey between point A and B. It’s about going big.

After having lost a sense of who I was due to a difficult relationship, I was given an opportunity to reexamine myself and really take a look at who I had become and who I wanted to be. I realized I wasn’t happy. Not just because of a breakup but also just because of where I was in life. I felt like I had gotten stagnant, like I was living in the slow lane. In pictures of myself before the relationship I was outside all the time hiking, backpacking, or climbing and I looked really happy doing it all. It was time to get that back. I settled into my old routine of 3-4 days a week at the climbing gyms in between weekend trips outside. I started feeling great. I started feeling like I wanted to do something big. I wanted something gnarly I may never achieve out in front of me on the horizon. I chose the 7 because it was huge. In the end it wouldn’t be about the summits, it would be about the journey. It would be about pushing myself to my limit because that’s where I figured I would see who I really was. In November 2016 I choose the 7.

I began training right away for Kilimanjaro and after summiting I came home high off the travel bug. Almost immediately I turned right back around and ended up in Iceland over the Presidents Day weekend. I flew out Thursday afternoon and landed in Reykjavik Friday morning at 4am. I had rented a camper van to sleep and drive around the island in with no particular plan. The only thing I had on my itinerary was to scuba dive the Silfra Fissure on Saturday morning and fly home Monday night. Everything in between was open and since I had a camper van I could sleep anywhere. I had no idea where I would go but was pumped for the adventure. Over the course of four days I went on quite the road trip. I landed Friday morning in Iceland and by that evening had managed to get adopted by an Irish Stagg Party going to Iceland’s mini Coachella, called Sonar. It was held at the Harpa which is a giant music hall with multiple stages and venues inside. There I saw numerous DJ’s and musical acts but the highlight was seeing an Icelandic Gangster Rap group. Trust me it was awesome!

After partying with the Irish till the early hours I went back to my van and slept a bit. I got up that morning and after breakfast headed out for my dive. This was the only thing I had scheduled for my trip. I had to drive through the countryside to Thingvellir National Park. In the park I would dive the Silfra Fissure located in Lake Thingvallavatn. The fissure is the boundary where the North American and European tectonic plates meet and the only place in the world where you can touch both continents.

The water was so cold that I had to wear a dry suit which was a whole new experience after diving in the warm waters of Zanzibar a month prior. The dive was unlike anything I had ever done. Even in the dry suit it was COLD but the visibility was amazing. After I drove around the park and found a campsite for the evening.

Sunday was spent exploring the island as I pleased and ended with a trip to the famous blue lagoon. I went back into Reykjavik that Sunday night and while I was getting dinner at a Turkish spot I found myself swiping left and right on Tinder. I was on a quest to go outside my comfort zone and being alone in the capital of Iceland my last night I figured what the hell?! I actually ended up matching with and meeting up with a girl and her friends that evening. The ladies showed me around Reykjavik and took me to some local bars. We ended up closing down the bars and had a great time. The whole point was to go big and somewhere between my new Irish buddies, the freezing cold scuba dive, and random Tinder date I felt like I pushed myself outside my comfort zone and accomplished this.

After that trip I was on a roll with going big. I came home and kept climbing and training for my next summit, Aconcagua. That wasn’t until next year and this whole going big thing became a drug. In April I entered my first Tough Mudder competition which is a 10-mile course with 20 obstacles scattered through it. Then after that I set my sights on the next trip. I figured that since I would be planning to climb Aconcagua in the Winter of 2018 I should hit another big peak in between then and now. I decided that over fourth of July I would climb Mt. Rainier. It was time to start training again for another adventure and chance to go big.

Hi my name is Jeff and this is my blog…

I still wonder what the hell I was thinking when I started this goal. Climbing the 7, aka the highest mountain on each continent, is a feat only a few hundred people have completed since it was first done by Richard Bass in 1985. While there are a few differing lists of the 7 depending on geographical and continental boundaries the list I am attempting is referred to as the “Bass Version”. It’s composed of Everest (Asia- 29,029ft), Aconcagua (South America- 22,838ft), Denali (North America- 20,322ft), Kilimanjaro (Africa- 19,341ft), Elbrus (Europe- 18,510ft), Vinson (Antarctica- 16,050ft), and Kosciuszko (Australia- 7,310ft).

I was by no means a seasoned or experienced mountaineer when I began this endeavor. Growing up in Northern California I had camped and backpacked in the Sierras and hiked a handful of the CA fourteeners. I’d also been a rock climber for six years climbing in Yosemite, Joshua Tree, and all the other smaller Northern CA crags.  This along with backpacking gave me some basic skills and allowed me to feel comfortable outside while pushing my limits. Even with my outdoors background the 7 would be quite a stretch but I wanted to have a big crazy goal in my life. It’s about the journey not the destination, and taking on this journey would undoubtedly be life changing.

It was November 2016 when I decided my life needed to be shook up. My girlfriend of almost three years and I broke up back in July 2016 and the shock wave that sent through my life was huge.  She and I had been together almost three years and even though we had our struggles she was my best friend. I thought we were going to be married someday with the house, mortgage, and kids however, it just wasn’t meant to be. Looking back, we were both struggling through personal issues and it wasn’t healthy. We each needed to go out on our own and grow. Uncertain if life would ever bring us back together we parted ways so that each of us could take the time and space we each needed to mature and develop into our best selves.

After months of being a sad sack of depression I finally snapped out of it when a buddy said he had a friend that was going to climb Aconcagua and that I should hit him up. I had no idea what that was but after looking into it I learned it was one of the 7 summits. Having known about the 7 for a long time I never thought that they would ever be something I would attempt. After some research though I decided that this was a challenge I wanted to take on. If nothing else, it would lead me on an incredible journey. I decided Aconcagua was too daunting to start with given it was the second highest of the 7 but that Kosciuszko was too easy given it was the lowest. I set my sights on Kilimanjaro and mid -November 2016 I booked my trip to Africa for Jan 2017, only a month and a half to prep! It was on the books and that’s how my journey started!