Now THIS is extreme kayaking!

Popular Science has posted a pretty cool article about how kayaker Shaun Baker attached the engine of jet ski to his kayak. The project cost $10,000 to develop and 18 months to put together, but you can see the results for yourself below. Baker steers the boat by using his paddle as a rudder and he uses peddles inside the cockpit to control his speed. Looks like fun! Oh, and that Topcat 4x4 looks awesome too!

Karakorum Update

K2Climb.net has posted a Karakorum Update with news on what's happening on all the big peaks in the region. In short, there isn't much going on now, or in the next few days either, thanks to the weather.

On K2, the Shared Summits Team is back in BC, while the Korean team that was making it's summit bid yesterday has given up the attempt after finding an abundance of snow on the upper portions of the mountain. The teams will wait out the coming storm in BC for a weather window to open next week.

On Broad Peak, the news is that Amical reached the summit last Sunday. Meanwhile, most of the teams are gathering in BC and are making their preparations to break trail further up the mountain. Several teams, including Gerlinde Kaltenbrunner were planning on making summit pushes over the weekend, but have postponed them due to incoming weather.

Finally, over on the Gasherbrums, camps are still being established and the word is that the conditions are amongst the worst ever seen by the Australian Field Touring Alpine Team, who has spent much of their time fixing the ice fall and preparing to move up to C2. Other teams are still arriving on the mountain, including Mario Merelli, who will be going for Hidden Peak on GI.

Looks like it's going to be a quiet week for now. But once the weather passes, I think we can expect plenty of action.

New Expedition Length Adventure Race Series Coming?

The world of Adventure Racing is already a buzz, both good and bad, over the return of Primal Quest next year. In fact, registration opens this weekend. But today, there is a rumor floating about that there is a new series of expedition length races in the works.

This rumor comes by way of the Yak Blog over at CheckPointZero.com. Yak is well connected in the AR community and is often in the know on events like these before official announcements. He says that this new series of races, which would be international in their scope, and would not be affiliated with the ARWC, the Raid, or any other existing adventure race.

Yak goes on further to say that the series would currently consist of four, week-long races, in various locations all over the globe. He also says that the prize money is "as big as anything out there" and that there is an Ecc-Challenge type TV deal in the works as well. The plans are also advanced enough that the organizers behind it have already struck deals with foreign governments, acquired sponsors, and TV deals.

Yak does provide the caveat that the deal is not official yet, but that it is very close. He claims we could hear an announcement in a matter of a days as well.

This is exciting news for fans of adventure racing. The sport is as healthy as it's ever been, but many of the big name races have gone away, changed formats, or have evolved in new ways. As a fan of the sport, I love to see the big, epic races. and this sounds like just the kind of thing I would love to see happen. Hopefully we'll hear more on this soon. I think we might be in for something special.

Breaking News: Alan Is Off Denali

I've been mentioning Alan Arnette's Denali climb quite regularly the past couple of weeks as we've listened to his audio dispatches and waited for updates on his progress. Alan's latest audio dispatch just came in with the news that he is off the mountain after experiencing severe abdominal pains.

The last report we had was that he and the rest of his team were stuck at 14,200 feet waiting for a weather window. Apparently that window came today, and the team began to move up the mountain in preparation for their summit bid. However, when Alan reached the Headwall at around 16,000 feet or so, he began to get sick and was forced to turn back. He returned to the Ranger Camp and was immediately evacuated from the mountain and has been checked over by a doctor, and is presently feeling much better, but his effectively bring to a close his climb on Denali.

This is just the first step in Alan's Road Back To Everest however, and this set back will not deter his bigger goals. Right now, he's feeling a little let down, but he also knows that the first thing he has to think about is coming home safe and sound. Alan promises us a written report on his climb next week, once he's safe and sound back in Colorado, along with some sure-to-be amazing photos as well.

Alan, I'm glad to hear you're safe and feeling better, but don't let this bump in the Road deter you from your bigger prize.

K2: Summit Bids In Waist Deep Snow!

Another K2 Update today from K2Climb.net. A few days ago I mentioned that the Shared Summits Team was sent back down the mountain from C2 when bad weather put a halt to their summit bid. Now it seems that not all the teams decided to retreat to the safety of Base Camp to wait out the storm.

Chris Warner, the leader of the Shared Summits crew, says that their descent from Camp 2 went mostly without incident, although a thick avalanche did roll past just right of the route. Chris also reports that a team of three Koreans and three Sherpa guides were heading up the mountain, in snow that is described as waist to chest deep, in an attempt to reach Camp 4. The Koreans were hoping to make a summit bid today before more bad weather moves in by the weekend.

While the Koreans and the Shared Summits Teams work on the classic Abruzzi Spur, the French and Czech teams on the Cesen route are making progress of their own. The French have set up tents at C2 while the Czechs have already proceeded up to C3.

One thing is for sure, there are no shortage of teams on K2 this season. Lets just hope everyone comes home in one piece and climbs safely, starting with the team already going for the summit. K2 is one of the last places I'd want to be with foul weather looming.

Portable Hiking Grill?

Has anyone tried this thing out yet? It's called the Grilliput and I came across it while reading Gadling earlier. Essentially, it's a tiny, fold away grill for camping and hiking. When you're ready to use it, you simply set it up over your fire and through some food on it. It looks like an interesting concept, I'm just wondering how well it works in the real world. They're available from REI for just $29.

The Rest of Everest: Episode 50!

It's the episode we've all been waiting for! The Rest of Everest has achieved a very cool milestone in reaching it's 50th episode which also just happens to coincide with the final day of the climb.

This episode is entitled "Episode 050 May 22nd, Summit Day" which pretty much says it all. Rest of Everest producer Jon Miller is once again joined by climbers Ben Clark and Lhawang Dhondup, both of whom reached the summit on this expedition and have some great things to say about the climb.

The day the team went up, the weather was less than stellar, and the early video footage in this episode shows. We're also treated to a series of shots of Ben and Lhawang on the summit, looking tired but happy as they hold up various signs and flags. Following that, we return to video footage at Base Camp, where Jon reaches his friends for the first time in days, and learns that they had topped out. We are also treated to some more incredible video and photos from the climb while Jon, Ben, and Lhawang talk about how Everest effected them personally and how they felt when the summit was achieved.

Jon opens the episode with a few brief message that may be of interest to fans of the show. First off, he'd like all of us to head over to The Podcast Awards page and nominate The Rest of Everest for a Podcast Award, in the "travel" category". The nominations don't open until July 1st, which is this weekend, but clearly this show deserves to not only be nominated, but win an award as well. Jon has produced fifty amazing episodes, maintaining a high level of quality along the way, and telling a great story for all of us who follow the show. You can bet I'll be taking the time to fill out a nomination.

Jon also takes the time to plug Alan Arnette's Denali Climb, which I've noted a few times as well. Alan is currently taking his first steps on The Road Back To Everest and is climbing for a cause, in this case raising money for the Cure Alzheimer's Fund. The latest news on Alan is that he's stuck at 14,200 feet, and waiting for a weather window to open.

The final piece of big news this week is that The Rest of Everest, for the first time, has a sponsor! That sponsor is Alpineer.com, a great site with some good deals on all kinds of gear for a wide variety of activities, including climbing, mountain biking, hiking, camping, and more. This week Rest of Everest viewers can get 10% off their order by entering the coupon code of "everest" when checking out. Sounds like a good deal to me!

Finally, although we've reached the 50th episode, and along with it the Summit of Everest, Jon promises us that there is plenty more to come. For instance, the climbers still have to get down from the mountain, and I'm sure they'll have even more interesting things to say about their climb when they do. So fans of the show sit tight, we're not done with this 2003 expedition just yet.

Ulrich and Ousland Enter Franz Josef Land

Polar explorers Thomas Ulrich and Børge Ousland continue their expedition from the North Pole to Norway via Siberia. According to ThePoles.com, the two men reached Franz Josef Land on June 22 after kite skiing from the Pole and are happy to find solid ground waiting for them. They've been on glacial ice or water for the entire trip, and are happy to have soil under their skis.

Now 58 days into their expedition, the pair have cut their rations to half in order to have enough food to complete their journey unsupported. They also say that their rest times have gotten longer and they are on the move only 8 1/2 hours a day. Clearly the journey has taken it's toll on these two very experienced arctic explorers.

If every thing goes according to plan, the two will cross Siberia, where they will catch a ship in Cape Flora to carry them to the Northern most part of Norway. From there they will disembark and make their way on foot to Oslo.

Thomas and Børge are following in the footsteps of a Norwegian expedition from 1895, in which explorers Fridtj of Nansen and Hjalmar Johansen, attempted to reach the North Pole but were forced to turn back. They entered Franz Josef Land from the North and explored regions not seen by man before that time, but were stranded their when the seasons changed and were forced to build a stone hut and live off the land while they waited for Spring. They survived, and then headed South where they met a ship of their own in Cape Flora. Nansen and Johansen did it all without the aid of modern gear too.

K2 Update: Maxut and Vassily Go For K2!

K2Climb.net is reporting that Kazakhs Maxut Zhumayev and Vassily Pivtsov have left for the mountain and will arrive in BC in a few days. The two men are fresh off their recent ascent of Everest, in which they were the first non-Sherpa's to reach the top, and now they're ready to give K2 a crack.

WIth them is Serguey Bogomolov, a Russian climber who watched four of his companions swept off the mountain in an avalanche last year. He returns to K2 to have a go at the summit, and perhaps exercise some demons in the process. Serguey was very close to getting swept up in the same avalanche that claimed his teammates. The three very experienced climbers will try to go up the North West Ridge, and for Serguey, the only 8000m peaks left on his list are K2 and Annnapurna. For Maxut and Vassily, it's K2, Lhotse, Manaslu still to conquer.

Hey guys? Why didn't you knock out Lhotse while you were on Everest. You had the time! ;)

Weather Turns Back Summit Bids On K2

K2Climb.net is reporting that bad weather had turned back climbers on K2. Chris Warner and the Shared Summits Team were planning on making a summit bid today, but more than two feet of snow has fallen at Camp 2, and high winds are predicted for later in the week, meaning that all the teams are going to have to wait before they go up.

The team switched routes last weekend to the Abruzzi Spur. The plan was for the team, who are already acclimatized to follow one day behind a Korean team fixing ropes up the mountain. They arrived in Camp 2 with the though of moving up to C3 and C4 tomorrow and Thursday, with a summit bid coming by the weekend. Now those plans are on hold while they wait for the weather window to open again. Right now it looks like that will be next week sometime at the earliest.

Primal Quest 2008 Dates Announced!

The Primal Quest Website has re-launched today, just five days before online registration opens for the 2008 race. Along with the site re-design, the dates for next year's race has also been announced. PQ 2008 will kick off on June 21st and run through July 2nd. 75 coed teams of four will be racing for the $100,000 prize, which is down from the $250k prize in years.

It's good to see PQ taking steps towards returning next year. I'm sure the top teams will be registering for the race, as it has earned itself a reputation of being the most challenging and grueling of all the major races. Primal Quest returns with a new sponsor, but will continue to be raced in the United States somewhere in the western states. The location and course have yet to be announced, but you can bet that it'll be a long, tough race.

The new site looks good. It's lean, easy to navigate, and offers up some good info. I'm sure they'll be posting more updates and info in the months ahead. The real question remains though, can anyone win this race other than Nike?

Hurry Up And Wait For Alan On Denali!

I've got a quick update on Alan Arnette's who is off climbing Denali at the moment as he prepares for his return to Everest next Spring. If you haven't been following his dispatches from the mountain, Alan is currently at high camp and waiting for a weather window to open up so that he and his team can go for the summit. Right now, it looks like that summit window should open up around the middle of the week or so, and he's hoping to make his bid by the end of the week. Currently, he, and the rest of the team are just sitting around camp, trying to amuse themselves while they wait for their opportunity. What's the favorite pass time in camp? How about an Ice Axe throwing contest!

Alan is preparing to return to Everest next year as he will be attempting to climb to raise money and awareness for Alzheimer's Disease. He's hoping to raise $100,000 which he will donate to the Cure Alzheimer's Fund. It's a great organization, and a great cause, and I would encourage everyone to contribute to Alan's efforts.

Into The Wild Movie Trailer!

I found this while reading the Outdoorzy Blog over the weekend. It's a movie trailer for John Krakauer's Into The Wild. Apparently the movie is set to be released this September, and is being directed by Sean Penn.

For those that haven't read the book, and I recommend it highly, it's about a young man named Christopher McCandless who graduates college, gives away his possessions, and donates his life savings to charity. Then, he moves to Alaska, where he wandered off into the wilderness to live. Four months later he was found dead. Several notes and letters, along with a diary, were later discovered at his campsite, and they tell the desperate tale of him trying to survive. Great book. I hope the movie is worthy of the title, but since Krakauer is one of the screen writers, I'm thinking it should be worth watching.

Carabiners 101

Outside Online's "Gear Guy" fielded a good question, and offered up a nice answer as well, today concerning carabiners. The question comes from someone new to climbing who is a bit confused by all the choices and options when it comes to those handy little devices that are so good at helping us defy gravity.

You can read the whole thing here. But as always, the Gear Guy does a nice job of breaking down the basics and offering up some good solid advice, including recommending some brands, uses for various sizes and shapes, and insights into how carabiners and harnesses are rated for safety. It's a short, but informative read for anyone who is getting into climbing or has an interest in it in general.

Being a bit of a gear head, I suppose it's no surprise that the Gear Guy is one of my favorite sections over at Outside Online. I like his no-nonsense approach to answering the questions and I usually find some new nugget if info, even when I'm reading about something I already know about.

Gobi March Over!

The 2007 Gobi March came to an end over the weekend after six grueling stages through the Gobi Desert. The ultramarathon was over 250km in length and lasted a week, with 185 competitors from 23 countries taking part in the event.

The over all winner this year was Mark Tamminga with Stephen Hilton and Lucy Brooks tied for second place. Lucy claimed the top spot of the Women's devision as well. The final stage of the race was a mere 20km in length (compared to the 80 the day before), and ended with the last 10km running through the maze like streets of Kashgar, past a statue of Chairman Mao, and ending near the Id-Kah Mosque, an ancient monument of the city.

This is the first of the 4 Deserts series from RacingThePlanet.com. Next up we'll have the Atacama Crossing starting in August, which will have a similar stage race format and will take place in the wilds of the Atacama Desert in Chile.

More Second Step Nonsense

Throughout this past week I've closely followed ExWeb's efforts to determine who first free climbed the Second Step on Everest's North Side after the Altitude Everest Team laid claim to that honor last week. ExWeb has been following up on the subject all week contacting such climbing historians as Miss Elizabeth Hawley and Jochen Hemmleb in their dogged attempt to get to the bottom of this story.

Yesterday a couple of new articles were posted on the subject that just help to illustrate how silly the whole thing has become. First we have word that Nickolay Totmjanin also claims to have free climbed the Second Step to avoid the crowds. Nickolay was on Everest in the Spring of 2003 and was going up without oxygen. He feared that if he waited too long for the traffic jams to unsnarl, he would get frostbite, so he free climbed the step so he could keep moving. This story goes to show that there may be a number of climbers who have accomplished the feat and just didn't bother to trumpet their success, something that is not uncommon in the climbing community.

The other article of note is this editorial by ExWeb that essentially takes Conrad Anker, and his team to task, for their claims as being the first to free climb the Step. In the press release, Anker and climbing partner Leo Houlding were called "two of the world’s leading climbers", something that seems to have irritated the gang over at ExWeb since Altitude Everest topped out. It seems that they define a climber's ability by how many 8000m peaks they've summitted, and have been using that as criteria for analyzing the claims of Leo and Conrad being "leading climbers".

While I've had fun this week reading these reports and offering my own thoughts on the subject, I never really took it that seriously. As I noted several days ago, I chalked it all up to some marketing hack for the Altitude Everest team being a bit over zealous in their PR spin. I also said that there is a difference between climbing and mountaineering, and it's pretty tough to not recognize that Leo Houlding is amongst the best climbers in the World. Not every climber goes up 8000m peaks, and using that as your way of judging who is and isn't a good climber is being a bit narrow minded. On top of all that, the editorial by ExWeb is a bit insulting and condescending to Conrad Anker, who is a respected climber, and by all accounts a respectable guy. It seems to me that the gang over at ExWeb are taking things just a little too seriously here, and of course they never miss an opportunity to take a shot at Russel Brice, which they also do in an off-handed way in this article.

So, what was a bit of a fun mystery to discuss and debate back and fourth, and now turned into an even bigger fiasco. We have other climbers coming forward to say they've accomplished the free climb of the Second Step and a leading climbing website taking unnecessary shots at the Altitude Everest Team. I guess now that the Everest climbing season is over, there just isn't enough other stuff to talk about.

Dean Karnazeas: Is It Time For An Intervention?

We all know Dean Karnazeas, long distance runner, business owner, and author of Ultramarathon Man. He also seems to never meet a marketing gimmick he doesn't like. For example, check out his latest stunt which has him running on a treadmill, suspended above Times Square in New York City, in an attempt to beat the record of 153 miles in 24 hours. To top the whole stunt off, you can watch him live via webcam from the Accelerade website Accelerade just so happens to be an energy drink, and sponsor of this event.

Now I respect Dean quite a bit. He's proven his endurance in plenty of ultramarathons, even winning the Badwater a few years back. And of course we all remember his 50 marathons in 50 days in 50 states promotion last Fall. Perhaps it's time we stepped in and asked Dean to reconsider some of these marketing schemes. After all, we wouldn't want him to get over exposed. Plus, every time I see this guy, he makes me feel like I need to hit the gym. Of course, he would make 99.99% of the human race feel that way, so perhaps that's natural.

Oh, and as of right now, Dean's run 103 miles and has seven hours and eighteen minutes to go.

Karakorum Update: Summit Push On Broad Peak!

Progress continues in the Karakorum with with more teams arriving all the time, and climbers already starting to make their summit bids. K2Climb.net will be trying to keep us all up to date on what's happening in Pakistan over the coming weeks as more climbers try to add an 8000m peak to their resume.

On K2 itself, teams are establishing camps and setting down their fixed lines. Only a few of the times have arrived at BC, but more are expected soon. Don Bowie of the Shared Summits Team describes what it's like camped on K2 comparing the mountain to a skyscraper in New York City. Don says the vertical wall of K2 rises up out of the snow and ice in an immediate and imposing fashion. He even remarks that after putting on his crampons he can take three steps and begin gaining vertical ground. This article is a nice read to understand what conditions are like on K2.

Over on Broad Peak, the Russian team is making it's summit bid. The three groups of four climbers will stagger their attempt over the next few days, each making their way up the 26,400 foot mountain and sharing campsites a day apart from one another. If all goes well, the first team should get a crack at the summit in the next day or so. By the weekend, all three teams should have hopefully topped out. Meanwhile, Ivan Vallejo who recently summitted Annapurna, has arrived in Islamabad and will be helping guide a team up Broad Peak, which already amongst his 13 8000m summits.

On other peaks in the Karakorum there has been activity as well. Nanga Parbat has seen the arrival of a Belorussian team to join the Chileans who are already in camp. Over on Gasherbrum, Alex Gavan has arrived to go for both GI and GII. Alex is also widly known as the man who filmed the now infamous NangPa La video of Tibetan refugees being gunned down by Chinese soldiers last year. The Project Himalaya Team, fresh off Everest, has also arrived to climb both Gasherbrum peaks and FTA, a commercial expedition, will have a go at GII.

A number of climbers and teams are still arriving in Pakistan, and we should expect to hear a lot more about their climbs over the next few weeks. K2 should especially be interesting, as 16 teams are expected on the mountain, with only three currently in BC.

The Rest of Everest: Episode 49

A new episode of The Rest of Everest has been posted today and for everyone who has been part of the expedition through these video podcasts, it's the moment we've been waiting for. The summit bid is in full swing with the climbers moving up to Camp 4.

This episode is entitled Episode 49: May 21st, Camp 4 and unlike previous episodes, we jump straight into the climbing with the team already in full gear and proceeding to High Camp. John is joined by both Ben Clark and Lhawang Dhondup in narrating this episode and offering some great insights and sometimes humorous stories, such as a teammate actually tossing his goggles off the mountain in frustration.

Meanwhile, the footage this is shown from base camp demonstrates how frustrating it is for the support staff as they wait for news from above. The radios don't always work and you can see the tension and concern as teammates sit around waiting for contact with their climbers.

As always, the show is very well done, but now that we're back into the climbing, we get some very nice shots from high up on the mountain that will have you pausing the video to look around. The shots up the mountain will intimidate with how steep the climb can be, while the views back down will take your breath away with the amazing beauty. Great stuff.

Next week, it's time to go for the summit. It's fitting that that push begins on Episode 50. You won't want to miss that one for sure.

Leo Houlding vs. an Audi RS4

The past few weeks I've posted quite a bit about the Altitude Everest Team and throwback style climb. It was the first big, high altitude summit for Leo Houlding, who is more of a rock climber than a mountaineer. In fact, he's one of the greatest climbers in the World, and you can watch him go to work in these two videos from YouTube.

In the first video, Leo races an Audi RS4 up a mountain as part of the televisionshow Top Gear. In the second video, he races it back down. If you're not interested in dropping $65k on the Audi, you can fast forward to the 4:25 mark of the video to get to the climbing. Both of the videos are a lot of fun and I think you'll enjoy them.

Thanks to the Anonymous poster in the comments section that passed these along. Great stuff. :)

Still More On The Second Step

ExWeb has published their third interview, from an expert, regarding the recent controversy over who has, and hasn't free climbed the Second Step of Everest. This time they spoke with climber and historian Jochen Hemmleb, essentially asking him the same questions they asked John Harlin and Miss Hawley.

Hemmleb's comments are fairly straightforward and to the point. He does give credit to both Oscar Cadiach and Theo Fritsche for successfully free climbing the Second Step, and says that both of the climbs are documented. In Cadiach's case, it's even been written up in a few books. Fritsche's climb is documented on the web, but Hemmleb notes that Theo is very understated when it comes to his accomplishments and doesn't go out of his way to promote himself.

The article also gets into semantics on what is considered a "free climb" with ExWeb wanting to rule out any type of assistance, including Sherpas and oxygen, but Hemmleb and Harlin both agreed that the use of Sherpas and O2 didn't rule out a free climb of any pitch.

As for that Chinese team that was credited by Miss Hawley with a free climb of the Second Step, Hemmleb says they didn't free climb it at all. The team used pitons and a shoulder stand on their way to the top, both of which would rule out a true "free climb"

So, where does that leave us on the subject? At this point we have varying reports on who has actually free climbed the Step. Miss Hawley credits the Chinese team and now Conrad Anker's Altitude Everest Team. Hemmleb rules out the Chinese, and I tend to believe him on this one, as even John Harlin said he'd be shocked if the Chinese did a true free climb of the Second Step, as they weren't free climbing in China at the time. Hemmleb gives credit to Cadiach and Fritsche for their climbs, saying that their is evidence to suggest they both accomplished the feat, despite Shambu telling Miss Hawley that Cadiach's team used the ladder. Harlin has pretty much stayed above the fray of speculation, commenting only on what the AAJ's records show.

One thing is for certain, it seems that the Altitude Everest team was not the first to complete the free climb. We're likely to see some clarification on this when the team returns to Kathmandu next week. Knowing what I do about Conrad Anker and Leo Houlding, I'm guessing they don't care one way or another, they're just happy to have achieved their goal. This press release that came out touting their accomplishment was likely the work of a marketing hack anyway. But it sure has been fun to read, speculate, and think about the various aspects of these climbs over the past week.

I'm still looking forward to the documentary the team made on the way up, and hearing about the climb directly from Conrad and Leo themselves.

Gobi March Continues On!

The Gobi March continues on today, with another stage in the books and competitors slowly, and painfully, making their way to the finish.

Yesterday, during Stage 3 of the ultramarathon, competitors kicked things off with an ascent of 1800m to a mountain pass that would allow them to continue on from Langerville where they spent the night towards their goal for the day of reaching Gobi Oasis more than 40km away. After reaching the high pass however, if was a 16km trail descent down the other side, and then crossing several rivers and streams, on their way to the finish line for the day. William Laughlin of the United States was the first to cross the finish line and claim the stage win in around six hours of time.

Right now, the Stage 4 results aren't posted yet, but the breaking news is that Lucy Brooks and Stephen Hilton have arrived first at the finish line. Lucy leads all the female competitors claiming state wins each day so far. The report also says that yesterday's temps were cold following the climb through the mountain pass and the river crossings, but today is very different with "blistering heat" reported.

The Gobi March is part of Racing The Planet's Four Deserts Ultramaraton series. The race consists of six stages over seven days and a total of 250km of racing. At the start, there were 185 competitors from all over the planet.

Update On Alan Arnette

Our friend Alan Arnette, whose page I referenced many times during the 2007 Everest season is off climbing Denali. It's the first step in his Road Back To Everest : Memories Are Everything campaign, in which he will be raising $100,000 for Alzheimer's Research.

Alan's been on Denali for a about a week and a half now, and you can find all of his dispatches here. He's had some problems with technology on the mountain, and word is that his new PDA won't hold a charge for any more text dispatches. But for now, he is still sending back audio updates on his progress. So far, he and his team have been shuttling supplies up the mountain and establishing high camps for their summit bid, which is likely to come next week if the weather holds out. The audio dispatches are short, but interesting to listen to, and offer some nice insight into the experience on the mountain, such as how the team had to carry gear during the night and early morning thanks to the fact that it's warmed up there, and that has made for melting snow and ice, resulting in treacherous conditions at times.

If all goes according to plan, after Alan summits Denali, he'll start looking at Shisha Pangma later in the year, his expedition on an 8000m peak. After that, he'll head off to Mexico in January of 08 to climb Orizaba, an 18,880 foot volcano. Along the way, he'll also spend some time on several of the many 14,000 foot peaks in his home state of Colorado, with the eventual goal of being on Everest next Spring. It should be an interesting journey to take with him, and his cause is one that touches many of us personally.

Hopefully we'll hear more from Alan soon, particularly on when the team plans to summit. I'll keep you posted as we learn more.

Miss Hawley Speaks On The Second Step!

ExWeb continues to try to get to the bottom of the Second Step Controversy, this time publishing comments from Miss Elizabeth Hawley herself. As most of you know, Miss Hawley is the very respected historian and keeper of Himalayan climbing records. She publishes a database of climbs that is considered the definitive record of who summitted the Himalayan peaks no only in Nepal, but beyond. She's been living in Kathmandu for nearly 50 years, and she personally meets with as many climbers as possible to discuss their climbs.

Last week, when the Altitude Everest Team summitted the mountain, they also claimed to be the first team to free climb the Second Step, despite the fact that other climbers (Oscar Cadiach, Theo Fritsche) have also laid claim to the feat. To further muddy the waters, Miss Hawley released a statement that was picked up by Reuters that said that the Altitude Everest climb was the first to successfully free climb the Second Step since a Chinese team did it back in 1960. Presumably, this would be the first team to go up on the North side.

So, who really is the first? The climbing community has been scratching their heads at these conflicting reports, but ExWeb has been working hard to get to the bottom of the story, and contacted Miss Hawley for her thoughts, and she doesn't pull any punches. In the interview, she says that she has just spoken with Shambu Tamang, who was with Oscar Cadiach back in 1985, and he claims that the team did indeed use the ladder and fixed ropes at the Second Step. Shambu even adds that they fixed the ladder, as they were climbing in August during the Monsoon season. She further goes on to state that she assumed that Fritshe and the other teams that have gone up, have used the ropes and ladder as well, as she hasn't been told otherwise.

This kind of gels with what John Harlin of the American Alpine Journal stated yesterday as well, that the AAJ's report on Cadiach's climb made no mention of free climbing the Second Step, and only that he had to "overcome" that section of the mountain.

So, is this another case of a mountaineer exaggerating his exploits on the mountain? I'm not sure why Cadiach would feel the need to do so, as he is an experienced and respected climber with plenty of peaks under his belt. Or is it simply a case of misunderstanding? It would seem that Shambu Tamang's comments cast serious doubt over Cadiach's claims though. The topic isn't completely closed yet either, as we're expecting to hear from climber and historian Jochen Hemmleb, who I'm sure will have some interesting comments as well.

Crossing The Bearing Strait By Foot

Remember Karl Busby and his Goliath Expedition? I've mentioned it a few times in the past, but just as a reminder, Karl is the guy who is attempting to walk around the World. Karl started in South America, back in 1998, at Ushuaia, Argentina, and made his way North, reaching Alaska last year.

One of the more daunting tasks for Karl was that he intended to walk across the frozen wastelands of the Bearing Strait to cross into Russia, a feat that had not been accomplished by anyone in recorded history, and seemed like a daunting task, but one that he would have to over come to to continue his journey. If you followed Karl's adventures though, you know that he not only successfully completed that trek, but he was also promptly arrested upon reaching Russia.

Now you can get a glimpse at what that amazing crossing was like, as Karl has posted the BBC Videos on his website. There are six of them in all, so it'll take some time to watch, but it's pretty interesting stuff. It makes you wonder if this guy is slightly more than crazy! ;)

Thanks Gaddling!

Cycling: Basso Suspended, New Anti-Doping Campaign

Two stories of note from the world of cycling today. On the same day that Ivan Basso is suspended for two years the International Cycling Union unveils a new anti-doping campaign.

Basso, who won the 2006 Giro d'Italia, received his suspension for his involvement in the infamous Operation Puerto blood doping scandal that rocked the sport last year on the eve of the Tour de France. Basso has repeatedly denied having doped, but did recently admit that he "attempted" to dope at one point, apparently being unsuccessful in that attempt. The ray of sunshine in all of this for Basso is that he is receiving credit for time already served under suspension and will be eligible for reinstatement in October of 2008.

Meanwhile, the UCI dropped the details on their new anti-doping campaign today as well. The main focus of this campaign is the "Riders’ Commitment to a New Cycling" in which professional riders will sign a declaration proclaiming that they won't dope. The names of the riders who sign this petition will be posted on the UCI website for the whole World to see, and presumedly damning any rider that signs it and then fails a test, to eternal shame in the public eye. Oh yeah, and one other thing! Anyone who signs it also agrees to donate an amount of money equal to their salary to the UCI anti-doping fund. Maybe that will get them to take it seriously. Those who sign also make their DNA available to Spanish authorities in the on going Operation Puerto investigation as well.

Any efforts to clean up the sport are a good idea, but seriously, is there any sport, anywhere in the World, that has a worse problem with illegal, performance enhancing drugs? Barry Bonds would be a choir boy compared to some of these guys it seems. Here's hoping they make some strides towards getting everything under control, but until they do, the winners of every major race will be called into question.

John Harlin Weighs In On The Second Step

I mentioned yesterday that there is a growing controversy surrounding the Altitude Everest Team's recent claims that they were the first to "free climb" the Second Step on Everest on their way to the top. The team went so far as to remove the ladder that is traditionally used in this tricky section of the mountain in their attempt to climb as Mallory and Irvine did back in 1924.

Upon their return from their successful summit, the team put out a press release that claimed they were the first to achieve this vaunted climb, despite the fact that ExWeb has posted an article that claims that both Oscar Cadiach and Theo Fritsche had free climbed the Second Step as well. The matter was exasperated further when Miss Elizabeth Hawley, the Grand Dame of Himalayan Climbing History, was quoted as saying that the Altitude Everest Team was the first to do this since a Chinese team made the climb back in the 1960's.

Of course, the climbing community has been awash with confusion over these very different remarks, with a number of people weighing in on the subject, including Cadiach himself. ExWeb has contacted John Harlin, of The American Alpine Journal, Everest Historian Jochen Hemmleb, Miss Hawley herself to, try to get to the bottom of this whole affair. Apparently, all three have responded, and we'll hear from each of them soon, but for now, John Harlin III is the first to give comment.

Harlin went back to the 1986 report published in the AAJ, on Oscar Cadiach's Everest summit, which was done in August under Monsoon conditions. He says that the report makes no mention of Cadiach free climbing the second step, and that it only says that he had to "overcome" it, which doesn't reveal a lot. Harlin also says that the AAJ is not very complete when it comes to Everest, mainly noting when there are new routes put up, or when an old route is done in superior fashion.

He then goes on to define what "free climb" means, with a special emphasis on climbing using your own power, hands and feet, and no special tools. Harlin than concedes that it is debatable that climbing using supplemental oxygen is still a free climb.

The rest of the article examines Harlin's thoughts on other aspects of the climb and his thoughts on the claims that Conrad Anker and Leo Houlding are amongst the "best climbers" in the World. ExWeb debates that statement because of a lack of high altitude climbs, but Harlin clearly sees that skill at climbing and altitude do not necessarily have to relate to one another.

This is another interesting read. I'm not sure what it means that Cadiach's 1985 climb has no mention of a free climb of the Second Step in the AAJ. Seems kind of odd to me, considering the importance of such a climb. I guess we'll have to wait to see how Miss Hawley and Jochen Hemmleb have to say on the topic.

The Gobi March Is Underway!

I mentioned last week that The Gobi March would be getting underway yesterday, and sure enough, the first two stages are in the books. You can read the Stage 1 report here and Stage 2 here.

It seems like the race is off to a good start. The first stage was 35km in length and moved down shepards' paths through the valleys of the region, crossing a nearby river several times on footbridges that would only support a few racers at a time. The race even passed through some villages that have never been visited by foreigners before, bring many curious onlookers out to see what was going on. At the end of the day, it was Danish racer Henrik Eiberg who crossed the finish line first.

Stage 2 was 38km in length, but now the racers had suffered through a similar length the day before, and some were feeling the strain of running nearly a marathon the day before. Still, more than 170 competitors remain in the race, and today's course took them through the Tiznap River gorge for 19 straight kilometers. The race continued up into the hills, racing along the over flowing banks of the river itself, until it ended in the village of Langer, the end of the second stage. Lucy Brooks and Stephen Hilton, both of the U.K. crossed the finish line together, to claim the stage win.

At this point of the race, W. Rowley Aird of the United Kingdom has the over all lead Annick J.E. Berghman of the U.S. is the top female competitor, currently ranked 11th overall. There are four more grueling stages to go however, so the race is still up in the air at this point.

Crazy Kayaker Still Paddling!

Backcountry Blog has posted a second update from the Crazy Kayaker a.k.a. Jacob van der Merwe, who set off in May to paddle the length of the Mississippi River.

At the time of this current update, Jacob is 792 miles into his journey and is now South of St. Louis. He notes that the current has no become a factor he has to deal with, but it has also helped him to pick up speed, raising his average distance traveled from 30 miles a day up to 40. It's also a month since he started and Summer is now just around the corner, so the heat has begun to play a factor as well, forcing him to start a bit earlier in the morning and not go as late in the afternoon.

Jacob is also 53 miles North of Mile 0 on the Mississippi, which marks the spot where the Upper and Lower Mississippi begin and end respectively. The Lower Mississippi is approximately 850 miles in length and will end when CK reaches New Orleans. He still has plenty of paddling to go, but is making great progress I must say. You can follow his progress in his personal blog including todays entry which discusses his passing through my home town of Dubuque, IA.

Things Heating Up In Pakistan

With the last team now off Everest, we can finally close the book on the Spring Season and turn our eyes over to the Karakorum, where things are really starting to heat up. K2Climb.net has posted an update on some of the things happening now in Pakistan.

The Russian's on Broad Peak are reporting that they have established Camp 3 and will soon be making their summit bid. The team returned to BC for some rest, but will be heading back up this week as long as the weather holds out. Over on Nanga Parbat, the story is similar, as the Chilean team there has established Camp 1 at 4920m, but have yet to see any neighbors move into the area. The reports are that the weather had been great, and they began establishing the route up to C2, but since then the weather has taken a turn for the worse, and they have retreated back to BC.

Over on K2, there has been some snow storms as well, but the Russians on the West Face have begun moving up the mountain anyway. They have established Camp 1 at 6000m and have also started to put down fixed lines up to 6500m. There is still a lot of work to be done on the World's second highest mountain, but so far, the progress has been good.

Over the next few weeks, we should really be hearing a lot more about the Karakorum climbs. Many of the teams haven't even arrived on site yet, so things should be picking up. However, these mountains aren't like Everest, and we won't be seeing 100 summits in a single day. You can count on that.

Controversy Over The Second Step

Last week we all read the updates and watched the progress of the Altitude Everest Team which was the last team on the mountain, and were looking to summit following a free climb of the Second Step. By weeks end the team had accomplished their goal, and reached the top of Everest.

At the time, I posted an update about their accomplishment, and remarked on a curious note as well. Miss Elizabeth Hawley, the keeper of Himalayan climbing records, noted that this was the first successful free climb of the Second Step since a Chinese team had done it back in the mid-1960's, despite the fact that ExWeb had posted an article about other climbers accomplishing the feat as well. In the case of Theo Fritsche, as recently as 2001.

Naturally Miss Hawley's comments sparked some curiosity out of me, and I sent ExWeb an e-mail to see if they could clarify. Thei response was that they weren't sure of the discrepancy either, but they were working hard to find out why the two more recent climbs were not recognized by Miss Hawley.

Things took a turn another strange turn when the Altitude Everest Team released a press statement with the following quote:

"America’s Conrad Anker and Britain’s Leo Houlding, are the first people to free climb the famous North East Ridge of Everest,"

This seems oddly out of place, no matter how you look at the climb. Strange indeed.

Today ExWeb has published an interview with Spaniard Oscar Cadiach who free climbed the Second Step himself back in 1985, and had a few things to say on the subject. Cadiach, who is a respected and well known climber, remembers the day well, as it was the same day that his first daughter was born. He talks about such things as climbing without oxygen, what it was like going up that rock face, and more. It should also be noted that Cadiach completed his summit on August 28. Right in the middle of Monsoon Season. Crazy!

I'm sure we haven't heard the last of this and hopefully it'll all get sorted out soon. Cadiach, for his part, doesn't seem all that troubled about getting "recognition" for his climb. He knows what happen and feels confident in his work. It's likely that it's just a series of misunderstandings, but it seems strange that someone like Miss Hawley, who keeps very strict records on these sort of things, doesn't recognize Cadiach or Fritsche's climbs. Odd indeed.

For My Dad, On Father's Day

Dad, It's Father's Day, and I wanted to take the opportunity to thank you for passing your sense of adventure on to me. After all, it was you that bought me my first pair of hiking boots and took me to the woods with you for the first time. You showed me how to hunt and fish, and took me on long hikes and you instilled in me a sense of wonder at the World and a healthy curiosity and respect for nature.

You were also the one who took me to the mountains for the first time, and I've been fascinated with them ever since. Your love for those high places was contagious as well, and I remember sitting in your chair reading Alaska Magazine and staring at pictures of Denali for hours. We called it McKinley back then, but those images sparked our imagination, and we both knew that some day, we would go there. You introduced me to the Iditarod, The Last Great Race, but you also told me about Adventure Racing and the Eco-Challenge, which was a great race in it's own right.

When we were kids, you told us great tales of adventure, with amazing heroes like Davey Crocket and Daniel Boone. You told us about a place where The Rivers Ran East and entertained us with stories of your own adventures in far off places. I mean, how many other guys' fathers returned from Canada with two live bear cubs in tow?

Sure, you took us to Disney movies like the other fathers, but you also took us to see The Mountain Men and Jeremiah Johnson, but while other dad's were teaching their sons how to catch a baseball, I learned out to shoot a bow and load a muzzle loader. I loved every minute of it.

So on this Father's Day, I wanted to tell you dad, that you're the one who inspired me. The one who encouraged me and the one who taught me. You gave me this sense of adventure that inspires me to explore the World even to this day. I can't thank you enough for that gift. It's something I can never repay. I only hope that when I grow up, I can be just like you.

Endurance Events Kick-off This Weekend

We have a pair of grueling endurance events getting underway this weekend that should be fun to follow over the coming days. First up, The GoBlog reminds us that the Great Divide Race starts today in Port of Roosville, Montana. The mountain bike race is an unsupported event that covers the entire length of the 2,490-mile Great Divide Mountain Bike Route. Unsupported means you have to bring everything you need along with you on your back or bike, resupplying in towns along the way, as you peddle across Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, Colorado, and New Mexico. The website even brags that there is over 200,000 feet of vertical gain along the length of the course.

Last year there were only eight total racers and only one of them, Matthew Lee, actually finished the race. It took him nearly 18 days to complete the entire length of the course, averaging a respectable 139 miles a day. This year there will be 21 total competitors when the race gets underway. We'll see how many survive.

The other big endurance event getting underway this weekend is The Gobi March which is part of the Racing The Planet series of ultramarathons. This stage race gets underway on Sunday (June 17th), starting from Kashgar, China, and finishing seven days, six stages, and 250km later. As the name indicates, the 185 competitors from 23 countries, will be racing through the Gobi Desert, at altitudes as high as 13,000 feet. In years past, this has been a very tough and challenging race, and I'm sure this year will be no different.

The Gear Junkie's Mt. Shasta Adventure

We first read about The Gear Junkie's trip to Mt. Shasta a month ago. However, he's written up a more detailed report for the New York Times. The article is a good reminder that bad weather can be dangerous on any mountain, and that you should never underestimate the challenges of climbing.

Gear Junkie, a.k.a. Stephen Regenold, set off with a friend to make an early Spring summit on Shasta, which is a 14,162-foot stratovolcano located in Norther California. The mountain is the second tallest peak in the Cascades Range, trailing only Mount Rainier by a few hundred feet. It's an excellent climb for beginning mountaineers, and thousands take out permits each year to give it a go.

When GJ set out, the weather was beautiful, and for most of the first day's climb, the weather was warm and sunny. But that all changed late in the day as they approached camp. The winds picked up, clouds moved in, and fresh snow began to drop, covering the trail and making the climb a lot more challenging. From there, things went from bad to worse, with the jet stream bring 100 mph winds down onto the mountain and an avalanche occurred not far from camp as well.

Moral of the story, as always when you climb, prepare for the unexpected. Be safe, and know when it's time to go up and when it's time to get off the mountain.

Altitude Everest Get Cold Feet!

Outside Online has more information about the Altitude Everest Team which summitted yesterday in their attempt to recreate the 1924 George Mallory/Sandy Irvine climb. As was mentioned in our comments on yesterday's article, the team completed the climb using modern gear as opposed to the vintage gear they had intended to top out in. Apparently the cold temperatures at high altitude convinced the team that discretion was the better part of valor, so Conrad Anker and Leo Holding, donned the warmer, high tech gear for their free climb of the Second Step and their final leg to the summit.

Even more curious, is that Miss Elizabeth Hawley, the respected historian of Himalayan Climbing, has stated that the successful free climb on the Second Step is the first since the 1960's when a Chinese team completed the impressive task. However, this runs counter to ExWeb's recent article that says it's been climbed as recently as 2001. Anyone know why there would be a discrepancy here? I do know one thing, if Miss Hawley doesn't give it the thumbs up, it ain't official! ;)

The fact that Anker and Holding had to switch into warmer gear does throw a shadow of doubt over the question of whether or not Mallory and Irvine topped out on Everest back in 1924. There has been a lot of speculation as to if they made it up or not. The fact that these experienced climbers elected to revert back to modern gear probably says a lot, and this isn't the first time someone had tried to go up in vintage gear, only to abandon that attempt. As I said yesterday, we will probably never know for sure if Mallory and Irvine reached the summit, but the argument is also a little moot. I've always seen getting to the summit as only being half-way through the climb, and a successful descent is still part of the equation.

The Rest of Everest : Episode 48

The latest episode of The Rest of Everest may be a day later than usual, but it's always worth the wait. We're up to Episode 48: May 20th, Camp 3. Rest of Everest producer Jon Miller is joined by Lhawang Dhondup this week as the two narrate this episode, once again offering some great insight.

The episode opens with Jon attempting to contact Camp 2 to pass along a message from the parents of one of the climbers who had reached him by e-mail. The scene is a good indication of what communication on the mountain is like as teams struggle to stay in contact. In this case, John couldn't hear Rupert, the person he was chatting with, but Rupert could hear him. Trying to get his message delivered with a non-cooperative radio seems to be highly frustrating. Technology has come a long way, but there is still room for improvement.

Other footage in this episode included a jubilant and celebratory Indian team in ABC whose climbers had topped out that day. Then the scene shifts up to Camp 2 and above as we follow the climbers up the mountain. The climbing footage is once again quite compelling, with some great shots of climbers scrambling up some very steep sections over some large, exposed rocks, and lots of loose scree. The shots back down the valley at the other peaks in the area are also amazing.

For regular viewers of the show, we're well into the summit bit, and Jon promises more climbing footage next week, with Summit Day coming in two episodes, nicely timed with the 50th Episode. I for one can't wait to see the next few episodes, and you can rest assured that Jon has some plans in mind for future episodes as well.

Fast and Light On Denali - Part 2

Speaking of Denali. I've mentioned BackPackingLight.com's podcast a couple of times recently, and mentioned the attempt by Matt Hage and Agnes Stowe to go ultralight on Denali. The two set off to climb the mountain carrying just over 30 pounds of gear each. Well, Matt and Anges are down safely, and did indeed successfully top out. In this latest podcast they discuss their experience on Denali, including a week long weather delay at 14,000 feet. They evaluate the performance of their light gear, and what they would do differently next time. Fo Agnes, this was her first summit of Denali, but Matt has gone up and down four times already.

Typical climbers will go up with 50 to 60 pounds of gear and Alan Arnette told me in an e-mail before he left that his pack was over 40 pounds without water or group gear! Obviously these two were relying on speed and gear that was not only light, but still of very high quality. The weather conditions on the mountain have been less than spectacular this year, and only about a third of the climbers are actually reaching the summit at all right now, which makes their climb even more impressive.

Alan is In Denali Base Camp!

Our friend Alan Arnette has arrived in Denali base camp according to his first audio dispatch from the mountain. If you've been keeping up on his other postings, available on the same page, you know that he left Sunday for Alaska, and has been stuck in Talkeetna waiting for the weather to clear, so that he and the rest of his team could head up to the mountain. He even reported that there were more than 200 climbers who had already completed their climb who were stuck on the glacier waiting to come off, because the small bush planes weren't safe to fly in the cloudy weather.

It's good to hear he's finally arrived in BC. Now he can concentrate on getting the climb underway. I'm sure sitting in the small town of Talkeetna didn't do much for Alan's nerves, as I know when I'm on a big trip, I'm just anxious to get things underway. You may recall that that Denali is Alan's first step in his Road Back To Everest, and part of an ambitious plan to climb several "tune-up" peaks this year with the intent of returning to Everest next Spring. He'll be summitting for a cause this time out though, as Alan is climbing to raise awareness and money for the Cure Alzheimer's Fun, a cause that is near and dear to his heart.

If you haven't already signed up for Alan's dispatches, I'd recommend doing so. It should be a lot of fun to follow his Road Back T o Everest climbs, and cheer him along as he goes for his goal. I'll keep you posted here as well. Climb safe Alan!

Big Foot On Vacation In India!

Here's a curious article brought to us by Outside Online. It seems that the country of India has opened an official government investigation into sightings of large, hairy, ape-like creatures, much like the fabled "big foot" in North America. The creatures are known as Mande burung, or "Jungle Man", and they have been spotted in the remote jungles of Northeastern India near the Bangladesh and Bhutan borders.

One villager in the region claims to have seen a whole family of the creatures, seeing two large adults, and two smaller children, which of course is the usual make-up of the Sasquatch Nuclear Family. The fact that the Indian government has decided to open a formal investigation into who or what these creatures are, is quite surprising. Generally these kinds of stories are met with disdain, or are ignored completely.

Note: The image included with this post is from the film Harry and the Hendersons. That is not an actual picture of a Mande burung, or his family. ;)

Altitude Everest Makes Late Spring Summit!

MountEverest.net brings us the great news this morning that theAltitude Everest Team has made the latest Spring summit ever today, free climbing the Second Step in the process.

Conrad Anker, and climbing partner Leo Houlding, topped out three hours after completing the free climb. You'll also recall that they went up in vintage 1924 gear, much like that worn by George Mallory and Sandy Irvine when they made their fatal Everest attempt. Joining Anker and Houlding were Gerry Moffatt and Kevin Thaw, part of the original team, and Mark Woodward and Dean Staples who were brought on as last minute guides when other teammates took ill. They were all supported by 18 Sherpas as well.

The Altitude Everest Team has been filming the entire climb to make a documentary on Mallory and Irvine. In order to make the film as realistic as possible, the team waited until everyone else was off the mountain to make their summit push, and removed the ladders at the Second Step to accurately portray the conditions Mallory and Irvine faced back in 1924. The climb proves that the two climbers, who perished on the mountain, could have made it to the top, which has been often speculated on. We'll probably never know for sure if they made it, but it certainly adds fuel to the debate.

Personally, I'm looking forward to seeing the documentary when it's finished, and I hope to see an interview or two with the climbers to get their perspective on things, such as how the vintage gear compared with today's high tech equipment. The last reports have stated the team is strong, in good spirits, and making their way back down the mountain. Weather conditions are good, so I suspect we should see them back in camp soon, with more updates to come.

Thanks to Alex for pointing out that the team did make a successful summit bid! Now lets get back to work on that script! ;)

Trekking The Great Wall

The Outdoor News Wire pointed the way to this article about Australian Mark Scholinz who is in the process of hiking the entire length of the Great Wall of China. That's over 3000km for those who need the big stats. Mark is making the trek not only as a personal challenge to himself, but also to raise money and awareness for struggling communities in the developing world.

Currently, Mark has been on the trail for 88 days and has covered 1165km, so about a third of the way through the trip. You can find a lot more about his efforts on his official website which includes his blog, a google map of his trek, and a nice photo gallery.

Of course, Mark isn't the first to make this trek but it's still impressive none the less. I can tell you from first hand experience, that hiking atop the Wall itself can be a challenge, but hiking through the areas where it's not well maintained, would be an adventure for sure. The hills can be rugged and the forests thick, and the areas can be quite remote. Hopefully Mark will reach his goal, but he still has a long way to go.

Altitude Everest: Go For Summit!

Another brief update from MountEverest.net today on Conrad Anker's Altitude Everest Team. They reached C4 at 8300m and took the opportunity to rest up in preparation for the summit bid. As I write this, they are likely to already be on their way up, as they were setting off between 2 and 3 AM local time. Obviously, they're just heading out for their toughest day yet.

The last team on Everest is making their bid to top out, and using all that vintage gear no less. It should be a lot of fun to see how far up they go and how the gear performs. I think it would be amazing if they managed to summit, and I hope we all get a chance to experience what they did through the documentary film.

Right now, the weather is said to be cloudy, with some snow showers, but still fairly warm on the mountain with low winds. It seems that they'll have decent conditions for their climb. I wish them all the best of luck. Careful on the Second Step boys!

Monique Merrill To Retire From Team Nike?

I first saw this while reading the Yak Blog over at Check Point Zero. It seems that Team Nike, the top ranked adventure racing team in the World, could lose another one of their stellar athletes. The Summit Daily News has posted an interview with Monique Merrill in which she hints at an impending retirement.

Monique has been one of the top female adventure racers for several years. She's a tough competitor and a well known name in the sport. But she has found her greatest success since joining Nike last year, including two back to back World Championships. Now she isn't sure she wants to continue in the sport, and is considering getting out while she's on top. Right now, she plans to race in The Raid in Chamonix on July 1, but beyond that her schedule is clear.

This would be the third blow to Team Nike in less than a year, as adventure racing legend Ian Adamson retired last December and Richard Ussher left to form his own team. So far, the team has continued to find good members to replace their losses, but it's difficult to find a good female racer that can keep up with the team. Especially since some of the other great ones have already come and gone with this group of racers. It should be interesting to see how things play out with this.

A Couple of Cool Links

I have a couple of cool links to share with you that I thought might be of interest.

First up, check out OnAJunket.com which looks like it could be a promising site to share travel adventures all over the World. The site has a page for stories and another one for photos, and each of those pages is broken down by regions of the World. There isn't a ton of content on the site yet, but there are some interesting stories and some very cool photos to be seen already. If the site picks up traffic and contributors, it could be very cool.

The other site of interest is Video Jug which is positioning itself to be one of the competitors for YouTube. If you've visited YouTube, and who hasn't, you'll know what to expect. However, they have some very nice beginning camping videos with a lot of great advice and info for someone just getting started in the activity. A number of the videos are really well done, and are a great resource for learning basic skills. There are videos on such topics as What food to take into the wild and How to use a camping gas stove, as well as plenty more.

Both sides have a lot to explore already and have some great potential. Definitely worth a look

Altitude Everest Update!

MountEverest.net has posted an update on the Altitude Everest Team. The five climbers, including team leader Conrad Anker, along with 18 Sherpas, have moved up to Camp 3 at 7900m, where they'll begin using supplemental oxygen, which they'll continue to use all the way up to the summit.

The weather continues to be good, with reports saying that it's warm on the mountain, and that the winds are quite calm. The plan at the moment is for them to summit on Thursday as long as everything goes as scheduled.

The team will have to contend with bitter cold at the high altitudes, which may not be easy with their vintage gear. Remember, they're climbing with replica equipment from 1924. Should that equipment prove good enough to see them up the mountain, they'll also have to free climb the Second Step, as they'll remove the ladder there to more accurately portray the climbing conditions that George Mallory and Sandy Irvine encountered.

It should certainly be fun and interesting to watch the climb develop over the next few days. I really can't wait to hear if the team tops out and what their thoughts on the gear and Mallory's chances of success were.

25 Stories of "Sudden Journeys" To Stir Your Wanderlust

Another very cool article from NationalGeographic.com today, this one from their Traveler Magazine. For those of us who suffer from wanderlust, these 25 "Sudden Journeys" are either going to quench the thirst for adventure, or only fire it up even more.

Essentially, this is a list of 25 stories, written by a number of different authors, of last minute travel to far flung places. The beauty of these kinds of trips is that you go on the spur of the moment, with little or no plan in mind, and just let the adventure take you where it will. For example, there is the story of Pico Iyer's trip to Bhutan in which a simple inquiring into a bus trip to the mountain kingdom led to him flying there on the first jet to enter the country. Or how about Holly Morris' accepting of a challenge that put her on top of the Matterhorn. Or the original vagabond Rolf Potts who decided to travel across Burma on a bike.

The stories are short, sweet, and offer a little something for everyone. You'll find adventure, romance, and the thrill of visiting new places. It kinda sounds a bit like an Indiana Jones movie. ;) Lots of fun stories to read. Great stuff.

Vast Herds of Animals Survive In Sudan

NationalGeographic.com has posted a very encouraging article today that says that massive herd of elephants, gazelles, and antelope have survived, and flourished, during the 25 year civil war in the Sudan.

A recent survey of the Southern region of that country has revealed an amazing number of these animals, that up until now were all but unknown to man. It is estimated that between 800,000 and 1.2 million Kob, and antelope-like creature, inhabit the area. Enough to rival the wildebeest migration on the Serengeti. Many other creatures have been found there as well, including beisa oryxes, which were thought to be extinct in that part of the World, and over 5800 elephants as well.

It's amazing that we're still finding these kinds of things, and it makes me happy that the animals are flourishing in and area where they were expected to be in big trouble. Now, lets keep the poachers out, and if you're going to start using the area for tourism, which is unlikely at this time, start slowly. Awesome discovery though. Very cool!

Pole-less Tent

Check out this cool new tent from Nemo. It's called the Morpho AR and it stands out from the pack of other tents because it requires no poles. That's right no aluminum poles! Instead, it uses what they call inflatable "air beams" to hold the tent's shape. Morpho claims that these air beams are twice as strong as aluminum poles and can stand up to all kinds of weather, including high winds, rain, and early seasons snows, which would put it into the three season category.

The whole tent weighs in at 4.8 pounds minimum and 5.7 pounds pack weight, a bit on the heavy side when compared to other tents in this size class. In fact, I've seen a number of tents that are two pounds or more lighter than this. it's also a bit pricey, running $395 msrp. Still, you have to admit it's an interesting design and concept. Set up time is only 45 seconds using the included foot pump, so it's obviously fast and easy to put together, as you can see from this video that I found over at Core77.com

Terri's Big Denali Adventure!

Endurance athlete, writer, climber, and all around cool person Terri Schneider has posted some interesting articles in her personal blog about her recent trip to Alaska to climb Denali.

The first post was made a couple weeks back, and is entitled Denali: The Gift That Keeps On Giving. Terri had intended to blog her entire climb each day as she went, but unfortunately, cell coverage on the mountain, or more specifically, a lack there of, prevented her from achieving that goal. Instead, upon her return, she wrote up this one massive blog posting that details the climb on a day by day basis. She begins with Day 1 and arriving in base camp, takes you through all the stages of the climb, and 17 days later she makes her summit bid. Along the way, there is snow, treacherous climbing, snow, exhaustion, cold weather, and of course snow. It's an excellent read with a some great insights as to what goes on a climb like this one.

A week after she posted the above message, she followed up with this one which looks back on her climb, and the lessons she learned on the highest peak in North America. It's a another very good read, as Terri is an incredible athlete, but faced some things she's rarely had to deal with while on Denali. Her Post-Climb thoughts are insightful and very well written, with a good message about trusting your own instincts and what your body is telling you when you're at high altitude and conditions don't feel write.

These are two excellent blog entries Terri. Thanks for sharing! And it's great to see you writing your blog again. :)

Altitude Everest Team Begins Summit Push!

Conrad Anker's Altitude Everest Team, the last on the mountain for the Spring season, has begun their summit push, moving up to C2 to rest tonight. MountEverest.net is reporting that five climbers and cameramen, along with 15 Sherpas set off to begin their bid this morning.

I reported that the the summit attempt was going to begin last week, but over the weekend Alan Arnette posted that the team came down with a stomach virus and postponed their climb until after they had recovered and regained some of their strength. The plan now is for the team to go up with an eye on topping out on the 14th.

The Altitude Everest Team, as you'll recall, is climbing in vintage climbing gear, circa 1924, and are recreating the legendary climb made by George Mallory and Sandy Irvine. All if it will be filmed with the intent of turning it into a documentary film on Mallory, the famous climber who lost his life trying to climb Everest because "it's there". The team will even go so far as to remove the ladder at the Second Step, to make the conditions resemble the Mallory climb in every way possible.

The weather looks like it should hold out into the weekend, and it should be fun to watch if these guys can pull off the climb in this gear. They're hoping to prove that Mallory and Irvine could have reached the summit with the gear they had back 1924. If they make it, it'll only deepen the mystery of what happened to them.