OVERLOAD

Sometimes there is just too much information available. This information overload tends to make some decisions more difficult not less. It is this way for me anyway. Before the Internet, I would have gone to a sporting goods store and purchased the best mountaineering boots I could find. Period! No reviews, no opinions and I most definitely would not have had to choose between dozens and dozens of types and styles. OVERLOAD!!!

The same is true of guide companies and what they offer. They all have the "Why should you choose us" pages on their websites but there are sooooo many of them.  None of these decisions are cheap either, we will dropping some big bucks on the guide company. How much is enough? How much is too much?  Am I really going to get what I am paying for? Summit Success rate vs Safety?  Guide certifications? Food choices? OVERLOAD!!! OVERLOAD!!!

-20F Degree sleeping bags. Dozens and dozens of them. How can they all be so much different. Heavy ones, light ones, down and synthetic fiber. Prices range from a modest $450 to well over $1100.  How to choose? Color..meh, I don't really care. Weight, well at 20,000ft I think I will probably care. I just want to be warm and if things head south, I may need it to keep me from freezing to death. Not a minor decision. OVERLOAD!!! OVERLOAD!!! OVERLOAD!!!

 One could argue that since my life depends on all three of these items, cost should not be an issue.  True statement...BUT I did not win the lottery this week!  There must be a balance between quality, utility, weight and cost. Jus sayin... I will continue to sift through the myriads of electronic swill to see if I am able to locate the magic site, page or store that caters to simple people who must still go to work on Monday morning. That is unless I find a sponsor before 4:30 AM. I am glad I started early!

DON'T DIE!

BOOT LORE

Mountaineering Boots....not your average footwear! Nor are they your average price at Payless shoes.  Why do we need special boots for mountaineering? Well, they are taller, stiffer and more insulated. More importantly, they are designed to be used with crampons.  The feet will like this, most especially as long as I am not sliding down the side of a mountain at breakneck speed! The other very important aspect of these types of boots is WARMTH! They come in "double" or "triple" layers. To prevent frostbite, the inner layers of insulation, when wet, may be removed and placed in a sleeping bag to dry.  The feet will REALLY like this!  

There are a multitude of choices and none of them are cheap. I need some assistance in making a decision and would greatly appreciate any input from individuals who have used any of this type of footwear. Please let me know what you used and why you decided on that specific boot. Muchas Gracias!

TURN ON THE LIGHT

Need more motivation?  Is there pain, fear and doubt in the way? Here is a very well done video by Mountain Hardwear.  Enjoy and remain MOTIVATED!

PRESSURE BREATHING AND REST STEP

Getting to the top of a mountain is never easy. If it were, then there would be a Starbucks on the top of every single one with no parking to be seen. It is all about the feets and seats. The feets get you to the seats! The best seats in the house are never cheap nor readily available to those who do not truly want to work for them. I have found the best seats on the tops of mountains. In the same place where the Last Rock lives. Hills are great but mountains are exceptional. As the mountain gets steeper and the altitude increases, the air cools, drys out and legs muscles begin to suffer from the reduced oxygen and increased carbon dioxide in the body. For me, this tends to lead to a reactive airway problem on almost every trip to altitude. I start to cough and hack like I live in a TB ward! The coughing and hacking then lead to other very undesirable issues like bronchitis and pneumonia. Even worse, it keeps other climbers up at night when a good nights sleep is imperative. If this goes on night after night, you probably shouldn't walk too close to the edge! Your team mates need their sleep.  As I was doing more research on the best way to get to the Last Rock, I found this small video and something I never thought about.  Cover Your Mouth...just like your Mom said!  I will give this a try in the future.

Breathing!!!  I never knew that I needed to be breathing in a special way!  Mostly it has just been gasping and panting like a dog every time I stop.  Hands on my knees or utilizing my trekking poles to prop me up until I am no longer purple again.  Who knew?  Well, I guess mountain climbers and bikers know.  Guess what? MOAR muscles to work on now.  

Actually, this sounds pretty annoying!  

And finally, the "Rest Step". I already use this technique but have never combined it with the Pressure Breathing. I am anxious to see how it works together as the air gets thinner. 

A very nice example of the Rest Step moving from Camp 1 to Camp 2 on Aconcagua. Hahaha...all I have to do is walk and breathe or, is it breathe and walk?

TWO DAYS BEFORE THE DAY AFTER TOMORROW

TODAY!

That "thinking" thing again!!!  It must have been my feet doing the thinking this time because if it had been my brain, things today would definitely be different. Today will be the second of three days in a row with my personal trainer. Three days in a row. Someone should call the Cops! He is trying to kill me...  I believe he is into "my" fitness challenge more than I am. He is absolutely fixated on the fact that this is the last week for this session and is determined to make sure that I end it swimming in the bottom of a Motrin bottle!  Last night after our workout, he said "eat a good breakfast tomorrow, you are going to need it".  Huh?!  What exactly does that mean???  Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow with the the Devil's Spawn. He has a Master's Degree in torture. Seriously, all those years of school just to inflict the maximum amount of pain in a multitude of different ways and using tools I had never even imagined.  

Those big huge yellow "beach balls" are for the beach, not for balancing, contorting and snorting on while I slam out one more crunch. Being an old Sailor, I had never imagined using big heavy line (Battle Ropes) to turn my arms into two pieces or worthless spaghetti.  

They are for tying up things, not turning my arms into two longs masses of quivering, sweaty useless pieces of meat! Who thinks these things up?  What sick and twisted minds are at work here?  It is almost entertaining to listen to the Snap, Crackle and Pop of my shoulder joints as I watch the waves the ropes make...ALMOST!  TODAY...two days before the day after tomorrow.  Time to go get beat up and abused.  Later!

MALBEC AND MOUNTAINS...OH MY!!!

What is Malbec Wine? 

It’s a full-bodied red wine that grows mostly in Argentina.

Known for its plump dark fruit flavors and smoky finish, Malbec wine offers a great alternative to higher priced Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah. However, there’s more to Malbec than just value. Learn the secrets of Malbec wine, some great Malbec food pairing tips and 4 amazing facts that will change the way you think about this ‘lowly’ wine grape.

Malbec Wine Taste

ARGENTINA: The main fruit flavors in a glass of Argentine Malbec are blackberry, plum and black cherry. The nuanced flavors offer milk chocolate, cocoa powder, violet flowers, leather and, depending on the amount of oak aging, a sweet tobacco finish.

Malbec Wine Characteristics

• FRUIT FLAVORS: (berries, fruit, citrus) Blackcherry, Pomegranate, Plum, Raspberry, Blackberry, Blueberry
• OTHER AROMAS: (herb, spice, flower, mineral, earth, other) Cocoa, Milk Chocolate, Coffee, Mocha, Molasses, Leather, Black Pepper, Green Stem, Gravel, Tobacco.
• OAK AGING
• ACIDITY: Medium 
• TANNIN: Medium 
• SERVING TEMPERATURE: “Slightly Cool” 69 ºF (21 ºC) SIMILAR VARIETIES: Syrah, Merlot, Dolcetto, Touriga Nacional, Petit Verdot, Petite Sirah, Lacrima, Nero d’Avola, Mourvedre (see other full-bodied red wines)
• BLENDING: Blended commonly in Right Bank Bordeaux with Merlot and Petit Verdot. In Argentina, Malbec is occasionally blended with Bonarda, a regional red grape originally from Italy

4 Awesome Facts About Malbec

Argentina ‘Saved’ Malbec. Today, Argentina leads with over 75% of all the acres of Malbec in the world. In a way, Argentina reinvigorated Malbec as one of the top 18 noble grapes. Now it grows in seven countries and continues to grow in popularity. 

Malbec’s Blind Tasting Tell: Look for a magenta-tinged rim. Malbec wine is a deep purple-red that is nearly opaque, similar to Syrah and Mourvedre. However, Malbec wines will often have a bright magenta rim. A tell!

Malbec loves high elevation. In lower elevations, Malbec grapes struggle to produce the acidity they need to create great tasting and long lasting wine. High elevation areas with a wide diurnal temperature shift (ie hot days, cold nights) make the grapes produce more acidity. Find out why acidity is so important. 

Not As Much Oak as You Might Think! Because of Malbec’s bold flavors and richness, many wine tasters believe that industrious use of oak is employed. Not true! In the $9-12 range you’ll find most Argentine Malbec to have only about 6 months of oak aging. 10-12 months of oaking Malbec will give it that classic ‘blueberry’ smell. Some Malbec wines are aged for a long time (18-20 months), but you have to pay to play. Expect to spend around $24+ for Reserva Argentine Malbec and more for US Malbec.

Malbec Food Pairing

Umami lover. Unlike Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec doesn’t have a super long finish. Because of this, Malbec is great with leaner red meats (ostrich anyone?). The wine does extremely well with funky flavors like blue cheese and rustic flavors like mushrooms and cumin spice.

Perfect Malbec Food Pairing
Black pepper buffalo burgers with blue cheese mushrooms and rosemary infused garlic kale chips.


When was the last time you had a blue cheese burger?

Meat Pairings
Dark meat poultry and lean red meat. Malbec also pairs well with earthy flavors too, such as beef brisket. Duck, Chicken Leg, Lamb, Beef, Ostrich, Buffalo, Pork Shoulder

Spices and Herbs
Look for spices that have earthy or smoky flavors such as: Parsley, Sumac, Thyme, Rosemary, Porcini Powder, Smoked Paprika, Black Pepper, Cumin, Coriander, Juniper Berry, Clove, Vanilla Bean, Garlic, Shallot, Green Onion, Barbecue Sauce

Cheese Pairings
Look for funky and rich soft to semi-firm cow’s and goat’s milk cheeses.

Vegetables & Vegetarian Fare
Mushroom, Roasted Vegetables, Green and Red Bell Pepper, Potato, Arugula, Kale, Chard, Grilled Endive, Onion, Beet, Tempeh, Lentils, Black Beans, Forbidden Rice

TREPIDATION OR RESPECT?

I had a day off and after a morning at the gym, did a lot of reading about Acute Mountain Sickness (AMS) specifically on Aconcagua.  Yes, yes I can read, but it was very difficult finding a coloring book about AMS! The pictures are easy though. Anyway...the little gizmo pictured above is a Pulse Oximeter. This is a very popular tool on the slopes of the mountain. I have my own pulse ox and have used it on other climbs.  

Quite simply, it uses red light to measure how much of your blood (hemoglobin) is saturated, in this case, saturated with Oxygen (O2) and is measured in percentages.  This number is call your SPO2.  A fancy name for how much oxygen is in your blood. In the ICU, this is a standard piece of equipment that we hook you up to upon arrival and then keep measuring it around the clock.  A decreasing or low SPO2 may portend problems or a declining respiratory status. Or, it may mean you have cold fingers and you are just fine!

The percentage of oxygen at sea level is 21 percent.  The percentage of oxygen on the summit of Aconcagua is 21 percent!  So why is oxygen such a big deal on the top of very high mountains?  Well, the percent of oxygen is the same however, there are much fewer molecules available to breathe when gaining significant altitude. It is like placing a drop of food coloring in a small glass of water and then placing that same drop in a swimming pool. It is still 1 drop, it's just very spread out!  That 21 percent just does not go as far when you get to very high places.  

This Pulse Ox also measures heart rate.  Upon arrival to base camp, one of the first places we will check into is the Medical Tent. 

There they take your vitals which includes SPO2 and heart rate. It is "normal" for a body to have a lower SPO2 and higher heart rate when gaining altitude.  Base Camp is at almost 14,000 feet. That is close to the highest I have ever climbed. My SPO2 on our last trek to that altitude was in the mid 90s and heart rate in the 70-80s.  In the ICU we will put a tube down your throat place you on a ventilator when you dip into the low 80s,  On the top of Aconcagua our SPO2 will be in the 60s!!!  NO TUBE and NO VENTILATOR!  

To get out of Base Camp however, one must clear medical...just like the navy. The expedition physician checks your vitals again on the day of departure also. I pray I meet standards!!! They will hold you at base camp or take you off the mountain if you appear ill or there is evidence of not acclimatizing properly.  If you meet the minimum numbers, they put one last eyeball on you and send you on your way up the mountain. All guides have a Pulse Ox  with them and with most companies, they will check your readings multiple times a day to ensure you are acclimatizing appropriately. The human body must adjust to changes in altitude and it takes time. This is why the expedition is three weeks long. 

My only fear on this trip is that my lungs will let me down.  I will be in the most outstanding physical and cardiovascular shape of my life.  Unfortunately, AMS does not care what kind of shape you are in.  Bouts of raging nausea, severe High Altitude Headaches (HAH), High Altitude Pulmonary Edema (HAPE) and the deadliest of all, High Altitude Cerebral Edema (HACE). Research has indicated that all of these maladies have very little if any, correlation with physical conditioning.  I have experienced the nausea and headaches, and one bad bout of HAPE.  Bad things happen when you go up too high and too fast.  Once again, this is why it takes three weeks.  

I have a high level of respect for the mountain and quite a bit of experience listening to my body! Slow is good!  Altitude medications are good!  I pray it is a safe and physically uneventful climb.  I absolutely DO NOT want a yellow helicopter ride off that mountain! 

86,000 SECONDS

86,000 SECONDS AND THE MESSENGER OF MISERY

We will be spending a LOT of time with the Messenger in the coming months!  

M.O.T.I.V.A.T.I.O.N

Get Some!!!

THE GOOD, BAD AND THE UGLY!

THE GOOD, BAD AND THE UGLY

This is one of our possible routes to the last rock!

February 2015

Leave No Trace

THE SPITTERS

SHARE THE TRAIL

The guanaco is a vulnerable animal native to the arid, mountainous regions of South America. They are found in the altiplano of Peru, Bolivia, Ecuador, Colombia, Chile, and Argentina. In Chile and Argentina, they are more numerous in Patagonian regions, as well as in places such as the Torres del Paine National Park, and Isla Grande de Tierra del Fuego. In these areas, they have more robust populations, since grazing competition from livestock is limited. A guanaco’s typical lifespan is 20 to 25 years.


Estimates, as of 2011, place their numbers at 400,000 to 600,000.


Guanacos live in herds composed of females, their young, and a dominant male. Bachelor males form separate herds. While female groups tend to remain small, often containing no more than 10 adults, bachelor herds may contain as many as 50 males. When they feel threatened, guanacos alert the herd to flee with a high-pitched, bleating call. The male usually runs behind the herd to defend them. They can run at 56 km (35 mi) per hour, often over steep and rocky terrain. They are also excellent swimmers.


Guanacos are one of the largest wild mammal species found in South America (along with the manatee, the tapir, and the jaguar). Natural predators include cougars, jaguars, and foxes. Guanacos often spit when threatened.


To protect its neck from harm, the guanaco has developed thicker skin on its neck, a trait still found in its domestic counterparts, the llama and alpaca, and its wild relative, the vicuña. Bolivians use the necks of these animals to make shoes, flattening and pounding the skin to be used for the soles. In Chile, hunting is allowed only in Tierra del Fuego, where the only population not classified as endangered in the country resides. Between 2007 and 2012, 13,200 guanacos were legally hunted in Tierra del Fuego.


Guanacos are often found at high altitudes, up to 13,000 feet above sea level, except in Patagonia, where the southerly latitude means ice covers the vegetation at these altitudes. For guanacos to survive in the low oxygen levels found at these high altitudes, their blood is rich in red blood cells. A teaspoon of guanaco blood contains about 68 billion red blood cells – four times that of a human.

And....they SPIT! With a really great aim!

And...they are LOUD!

T.E.A.M

The Team Grows

As of today, the Last Rock Aconcagua Expedition Team has grown to four.  Davy Jenkins, Cory Gaconnet and Libby Stanton!  It will be nice to have familiar faces around. I have trusted these individuals with my life and will continue to do so!  Welcome aboard the Crazy Train!

Mark

Davy

Cory

Libby

THE COOKIE

It MUST be true!!!!  Even the folks at Panda Express know about it!  How could they have known? Ok...so I eat at Panda every now and then.  (Feet speaking now) "he said every now and then", he has a "frequent flyer card".  My feet are selling me down the river again. Anyway, I get lots of veggies and not the rice or chow mien to go with my other healthy entrees so that makes it ok.  MENDOZA, here I come.  The great Panda said so!

TOO MUCH THINKING

I have been doing a lot of "thinking" lately...

The latest thing I have been pondering is where all the places my feet have been in the last 20,456 days. Not only where they have been, but where they are going in the future. Tick Tock Tick Tock, the average human lives 27,375 days. As you can see, my summit clock is ticking!

Yes, I know, me "thinking "is a scary thought but it happens on occasion and the results of those thoughts are usually life altering! For instance, I once thought "I need to get out of town". The next thing I know, 20 years has past and I was retiring from the U.S. Navy. I thought "That girl is cute and fun to be around". Married to the same beautiful person for almost 33 years now. I was invited to a "Fitness Challenge" at work back in January. I thought about it. I do not like dieting, hate running and absolutely love my Maui Onion Potato chips. After thinking about it, I decided I would give it a shot. Three months later, I placed second out of over 30 individuals. I missed first place by 0.01 points. After thinking some more, I signed up for the next 90 day fitness challenge and now am using a personal trainer and arguably am in the best shape of my life (with the exception of Boot Camp). That whole "thinking thing"!

My feet have been in some fairly crazy places. My 20 years in the Navy put them in some exotic places, some dangerous places, and finally, some places where they really needed to be! After "retirement" from the Navy, those same feet decided to visit the very special places that God had set aside for my "mid-life crisis"as some would call it. It is only a mid-life crisis in the very unlikely event I live to be 112 years old! Anyway, these feet at the bottom of my legs randomly decided that VERY high places are the VERY BEST places! Mt. Whitney, Mt. Shasta, White Mountain and Mt. Langley just to name a few of the highest. These feet really like the top of the world. The walk up there...not so much!

Back to that "thinking thing" again. My feet were in agreement that I would most likely not see my 112th birthday. My eyes on the opposite end of where my feet live remind me on a daily basis in the ICU that the "Golden Years" are not always so "Golden". Not golden that is, unless someone spray paints a bedpan for you! So....The feet said to me "Mark, you have thought about "IT" long enough, time to move!"

ACONCAGUA!!!     The two appendages at the end of my legs have decided to go for broke! Go big or go home! They know they will never touch the top of Everest but they and me, have decided this is the next best thing. The tallest mountain outside of Asia, the tallest in the Western Hemisphere and THE HIGHEST non-technical mountain in the WORLD! The feet get giddy just thinking about it! The toenails, well, they have given up long ago! There will be a long training period but it will be over too soon and then it will be time to "fish or cut bait" in January 2017. A little over a year for my feet to convince the rest of the body that we are ready for the event of a life time. Plus it is going to take that long to get the wallet convinced too! LOL A little over a year to get my mind and body as right as my feet think they are.

So why the blog? The Navy, more so than anything else, instilled in me the need for the setting of goals and the practice of accountability. The goals are set. The public posting of my progress to my friends and family will greatly assist me in meeting those goals and being accountable. This venture will arguably be the most mentally and physically demanding event of my life. My Brain, soul and feet will need a lot of moral support in order to stand on that last rock at 22,837 feet! That last rock, the one on the top, just under the cross that has been placed on the summit is where the feet are headed.



The blog greatly assisted me when my feet decided to leave the couch a few years ago and climb the highest mountain in the lower 48 and I think some of you enjoyed watching the transition. This trip will be so much more difficult and the preparation more extensive. Join me in the pain, humor and struggles of getting to the top of the Americas! If the blog is not your thing, that is ok too, my feelings and feet will not be hurt. I have a fairly thick skin. If you do, if you desire to make the trek with me, then...Thank You so very much for the prayers, help, support and good thoughts.

LETS DO THIS!!!