Mt. Logan from the plane on the way to the Base Camp
The Logan expedition has come to an end. Three attempts to set up Camp 3, two descents to the base camp, temperatures at -30F, and no summit. All these things together would lead to think that it was an awful experience...and indeed, during the last days, a change of scenario -to a bit warmer one- was highly desired, however...now, days later, the conclusion is that this was an amazing experience that taught me more than many other "successful" climbs I have participated in.
Information about Mt. Logan shows that it has the biggest rounded base of a non volcanic mountain in the world. That becomes very tangible when you fly an entire hour next to the peak just to get to the base camp. At the beginning, Mt. Logan received us on friendly terms. Six days of consecutive good weather helped us progress and the team moved faster than expected, including a heavy (and hard) single push to Camp 1 on day 2 with no intermediate caches.
Arriving into the Base Camp
Our chosen route went via the King's trench, which is a glaciated valley surrounded by the Queen and the King peak. Technically this is not a complicated section, however pulling (and subsequently flipping) the heavy sleds on the wavy glacier makes this journey a tedious job. It is also important to mention that the Mountain Madness 2019 expedition was alone on the mountain for most of the time...with the wind and new snow, every time we traveled on the glacier we were opening a new trail!
Water break on the way to Camp 1. Behind is the Quintino Sella glacier where planes dropped the team off
After the period of good weather, the clouds rolled up bringing winds, snow and negative temperatures. At first this was not a problem. The itinerary included days for waiting for the right conditions, not to mention that the team had positioned food and fuel all the way to camp 3 (out of a total of 4) when the weather was still good. A little rest was welcome.
Between camp 2 and 3 Photo D. Danhouit
The problem came when the storms were not stopping. With these waiting periods in remote environments, the body suffers hard deterioration. It was a forced inactive break. Yes, some hours of rest are fine after long journeys, but when they turn into days sitting in a tent, even the acclimatization is not fulfilled. This last factor certainly affected one of the members and the team had to use some of the "batches" of calm weather between storms to evacuate him and then come back to the original position on the mountain, for more waiting. In the end, the second wave of storms lasted for seven days.
So how's life in the middle of a storm up on the mountains of the Yukon?
You wake up to the frosted condensation from your own breathing falling on your face. Then, the sleeping bag gets opened, but you have to put on more jackets to compensate for the change. Probably the pee bottle is full, so the next step is getting ready for a -always rough- visit to the latrine. This involves gloves, a hat and googles. On the way back, to take advantage of the trip, it's a good idea to shovel the accumulated snow around tents. Finally melting some snow for warm drinks will cheer up the spirit.
Then the day is a lethargic sequence of reading books, falling asleep, changing clothes (to other ones equally as dirty), snacks combined with freeze dry food, and more drinks. It almost feels that all these activities are the price to be paid for the little sip of whiskey that each member is allowed at night. Reset and repeat!
Dan D. and Joshua Jarrin into the cooking tent on Camp 2. Mt. Logan
In the modern world we live in a constant state of blurriness. Social media and technology are great but also noisy. When you are disconnected to the level that you do on these remote peaks, ideas become more clear and, more importantly, the appreciation for the “little” things is tangible. A warm bottle of water at the bottom of the sleeping bag, a real meal -in between a bunch of freeze dried rations- or a dry pair of socks will make your day. Basic, but true happiness.
That’s in the moment, but also its important to mention the feelings developed along the journey that prevail in the aftermath. Waiting all day for a couple of text messages, that batteries of satellite devices allow, and confirming that we cannot wait to be close to our loved ones, is a perspective difficult to find in the comfort of the city. Maybe that’s why expeditioners come back for a second (or third) attempt, or if they reach the summit, they seek a new one...because these journeys teach us to appreciate the important things of life.
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So what are the lessons learned:
- For these arctic expeditions, bring enough whiskey and bacon. Climbers are allowed to find substitutes for the bacon...it doesn't occur the same for the whiskey!
- The electronic book is a good idea for reducing weight, just make sure that the solar charger will give some juice, even if positioned under the tent...See the photo.
- Patience, patience, patience!
When the storm broke the cooking tent we had no other option that cooking into the tent (against the indications of the manufacturer) ...also we were able to (minimally) charge our devices from inside the tent.
Special Thanks to my colleagues Geoff Lodge and Jaime Pollitte for the great partnership!
