Vinson Massif Summit 2011! After presenting my Mount Everest story for an Presidio event in Raleigh, I boarded a plane for 30 hours to fly down to Punta Arenas, Chile.  I had 5 days to explore Patagonia, Chile since weather prevented flights into the Union Glacier, Antarctica. The first day I did some crevasse rescue [...]

First off, I’d like to apologize to JoAnna and my family for putting them through this two month worrisome adventure. You’ve been very supportive, which I appreciate, but it was very risky, and I apologize for any pain I may have caused. What started as a major goal ended in a fight for survival, with [...]

I’m as acclimatized as I can be to climb the highest mountain on earth!Unfortunately the Everest claimed its first victim while we were high on the mountain. I’m not sure what’s been released to the press so I’ll be vague. A man had some breathing issues and had a heart attack, dying immediately. We watched [...]

Four days at Everest basecamp could very well drive me crazy. I have the personality to effectively multitask and to always be on the move working toward a goal; making the most of each hour. Rest days put a halt to that. Other climbers love the down days since they can lie in their tents [...]

It was really cold up at Camp I, but luckily I had my -40 sleeping bag and I wore a couple down layers. I’m not sure what it is about altitude, but I woke up 4 times to pee. My bottle was frozen each time so that made life interesting. I woke up around 5 [...]