 Mt. Vinson journal entry:
Nov. 27, 2008
Low temp. -30F
The
Saddest Thanksgiving Ever
“We arrived at High Camp at 1:30 a.m., after six and a half
long hours back up the fixed lines. We put up our tent in a
frantic attempt to provide shelter, as the mercury plummeted
to –35 plus the wind chill. Exhausted and frozen, we
skipped food and tried to sleep for a few hours. We awoke
to howling winds. Our 10 a.m. summit attempt would have to
be pushed back a few hours. We stayed in the tent as the
winds continued to build. By noon, the guide felt we
were in a threatening environment and needed to get down
fast, before the 45 mph gusts got worse. As he informed me,
we were now in dangerous life and death mode. We made a
plan of how we would quickly proceed, once we stepped
outside the tent. Backs to the wind, and protect the
fingers at all cost. We packed our gear inside our shelter,
then headed out into the relentless wind and pulled down the
tent. I was crushed by the realization of not getting a
shot at the summit. Thoughts of disappointment rattled my
brain, as we scurried down the fixed lines in the bitter
cold. My goggles soon became frozen and my nose was
beginning to get icy, even under my facemask. The
descent to Low Camp seemed to go on for hours. When we
returned to camp, the guide said we would be going down to
Base Camp in the morning. A black veil of disappointment
filled my head, as I tried to grasp what was happening.
That tiny, minute window to the summit had been closed, and
I would be going home without ever having a shot at the
top. I called Dad via satellite phone to let him know I was
safe, but my disappointment was immeasurable. He listened
while I cried, and felt my pain as strongly as I did. He
had been my climbing “rock” and we were both shattered.
Several hours later, my guide talked with a leader from
another team. The two of us would join their group tomorrow
and stick it out a few days longer, possibly having a shot
at the summit after all. Looks like I’ll be climbing
that 4000 ft. headwall for a third time.” |
