A good thing about COVID-19 is that it gave me the opportunity to officially announce my website and blog. Thank you for checking it out and for connecting with me via the Contact Me page with your positive comments and your great questions.
Based on your feedback and questions, I wanted to dedicate this post to answering your questions. So here we go....
Q: Who developed the website and blog?
A: I can't take credit for actually creating/developing the site. I have to thank Page Turner Editing for creating an awesome-looking website and blog. It's definitely a benefit when you're married to the President and CEO of the company! Now that the site is built, it's up to me to write and provide content, post photos, etc.
Q: What made you decide to do the blog?
A: Check out the About Me page, where I'll tell you all about it!
Q: Who took the pictures posted in the Gallery?
A: Me! As much as I like to write about my journeys, I enjoy taking photos even more as words can't begin to describe the views you see on the peaks of mountains. Photographs do better justice, but they still don't compare to the live views that the high altitude world has to offer.
I take hundreds of photos on each expedition for a handful of good ones. What's crazy is that for the coolest, most beautiful things I've seen on my climbs, I have no photos, as they're typically in a technical part of the climb where you don't have the ability to take a photo, or it's in the middle of the night, as most summit attempts begin around midnight to 3:00 am.
A perfect example was on Mt. Rainier on the Ingraham Glacier. It was about 2:30 am, and we were walking across ladders and boards to cross the massive crevasses. Due to the crystal-clear night and frigid temperatures, as you looked down into each crevasse, you'd see an aqua glow emitting from clear glacier ice. With a rope in one hand and an ice axe in the other, while simultaneously trying to not fall into the crevasse, let's just say it was not an optimal time to stop and take a photo.
BTW: Check out my recently posted photos of my February trip to Jackson Hole, WY, and of the Grand Teton, which I will be climbing in August.
Q: You mentioned in your last blog that you were about to announce your climbs for 2020. Are you still planning on doing them given COVID-19, and what are/were you planning on climbing this year?
A: As we rolled into 2020, I nailed down my "2020 Vision," including my mountaineering expeditions. At the end of February, I received my permits and began my training for my climbs.
Thanks to COVID-19, my 2020 "Three-Piece Pursuit" climbing tour has been reduced to a two-piece suit and potentially a pair of pants. My scheduled climbs were:
1. Mt. Whitney via the Mountaineers Route--14,505 ft. (tallest mountain in the continental US)
--CANCELLED due to Sequoia National Park being closed. Pushed permits to 2021.
2. Mt. Shasta via the Avalanche Gulch--14,179 ft. (second tallest in the Cascade Mountain Range)
--Potentially pushed/pending to June 26-28 due to flights, etc.
--As of May 16, climbing permits are now being issued for climbing above 10,000 ft.
3. The Grand Teton via the Exum Route-13,777 ft
--August 15-17; still pending.
Q: How are you training with National, State and many local parks being closed? Don't you usually do really long and steep hikes with a 40-pound pack every weekend?
A: You are correct. My big training ground was Breakneck State Park in New York, where I hiked a 10+ mile loop with over 4,000 feet of vertical. Lately, I've been limited to long, hilly runs and bikes at a high intensity as well as the StairMaster and lifting at "Base Camp," aka my basement! I've been able to build a decent level of fitness, and I'm feeling pretty strong.
My biggest issue is I haven't had any real altitude in the legs and lungs other than Jackson Hole in February, which is a concern on the 14,000-foot glaciers of Mt. Shasta, as it's a long haul. Regardless, I know what to expect and will mentally and physically push through the effects of high altitude.
Regardless, of what happens this summer with Mt. Shasta and The Grand Teton, for now they keep me focused and motivated six days a week to get out there and train. Plus, as I always say, the mental benefits I achieve from getting out there and blowing some steam and being in "Peak Performance" is good for me regardless, and it makes me a better overall person in general, especially during the stressful pandemic.
Thank you for all of the great questions, hopefully I answered them to your satisfaction. Don't forget to check out my recently uploaded photos of the Tetons in my Gallery and if you're interested in creating your own site or blog or have a book to edit, check out Page Turner Editing.
Thanks for following along, be safe and Climb On!
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