Sure, getting to base campe was a nice reward for some hard work, I got to relax for a bit to acclimatize at just over 14,000ft, but now the real work begins. By the time you are reading this, I will have carried gear up another 3,000ft to Camp 1, and then turned around and decended back to base camp to sleep. The following day, I will have broke camp and carried the otherpart of the load up to Camp 1. Each load weighs about 50lbs, the terrain gets steeper, and the air gets thinner. You may have a good day and think mountain climbing is the greatest thing since Trappest-brewed Belgian Ales, the next day you may never want to see a mountain again. And if all goes according to plan, I will repeat this process two more times until I get to high camp at just over 20,000ft before a summit bid (weather permitting, of course)
You might be saying, “wait, all that work and you’re going back down? Is that right?” Yes, it is called the cache and carry. Also, there is a motto in the mountaineering world that says, “climb high, sleep low.” and that is the essence of the cache and carry. It not only gives climbers a chance for their bodies to acclimatize to the higher altitudes for a brief period of time, but it also is imperative for them to move up food and supplies that will be needed for the rest of the climb.
And that is the cache and carry in mountaineering. Cheers!
A wise person once said, “Sometimes the greatest form of action is inaction.” In mountaineering this is especially true. Welcome to the world of acclimating to high altitude.
Today I am taking a rest day at base camp. And as slacking as it may sound, taking this day will be one of many key factors in the success or failure to reach Aconcagua’s summit at 22,841ft.
So what goes into a rest day and why is it important? Well let me use part of my rest day to tell you. For starters, the body undergoes numerous changes at higher elevation in order to increase oxygen delivery to cells and improve efficiency of oxygen use. These adaptations begin almost immediately and continue to occur for several weeks. People vary in their ability to acclimatize–some adjust quickly while others may fail to acclimatize altogether, even with gradual exposure over a period of weeks. Taking this one step farther, even an individual themself may vary in his or her ability to acclimatize relative to previous experiences at altitude. It really is one of the true “x-factors” in mountaineering. Failure to properly acclimatize (proper acclimatization includes: climbing slow, rest days at camps, hydrating well, eating high-carb foods, and taking short acclimatization hikes) can obviously lead to altitude sickness to varying degrees.
So how does acclimatization work? In general, the body becomes approximately 80 percent acclimatized after 10 days at altitude and approximately 95 percent acclimatized by six weeks. The respiratory rate peaks in about one week and then slowly decreases over the next few months, although it tends to remain higher than its normal rate at sea level. After 10 days, the heart rate starts to decrease. The reverse is true on the decent: we begin losing the hard-won adaptations at approximately the same rate at which we gained them; 10 days after returning to sea level, we have lost 80 percent of our adaptations. This rest day, as mentioned, not only will give the me a chance for the body to acclimatize to the higher altitude, but it also allows me to reload my equipment and supplies that I will need to carry up to and use at the higher camps. Further, it also allows me to become more informed about the conditions at higher altitudes. As you might imagine, this doesn’t take much time so you really find yourself sitting around, journal, read, eat, drink lots of water, ponder your life (you would be surprised how many people make life changes after being on a mountain!) to name a few. Some people may talk to climbers on other teams. If they are feeling overly ambitious, they may go out for an easy hike around the camp just to keep the blood flowing.
Asd that is how and why doing nothing can help you reach great heights.
Greetings! Tomorrow morning I will be flying out to attempt a self-guided climb of South America’s Mt. Aconcagua–one of the Seven Summits of the world and the highest peak in the world outside of the Himalayas–in an effort to raise funds for Endure to Cure’s Small Wish Program.
At 22,841' elevation, Aconcagua is the highest peak in the world outside of the Himalaya's
On the morning of February 12, 2012, my climbing partner Todd Asher Bergstein and I will begin the approach climb. We will move one step at a time, slow and steady, to help the fight against pediatric cancer. YOU can be a part of this journey by tracking our progress right here on the NoLimits blog and on facebook. We will do our best to provide updates through our support team. But better yet, if you’re interested in taking the fight into your own hands and joining Team Endure to Cure, please check us out and discover how you can be somebody’s hero.
So say whaaaaa!? What is this climb all about?
Alright, I know it sounds a bit intense, neither of us has pushed ourselves to these heights or in the nasty weather conditions that are sure to loom in the altitudes high above, but we feel very well prepared to execute. The proceeds raised from this climb will help Endure to Cure fund its Small Wishes Program. Click here to check out some of the past wishes we have funded.
So…The Nuts & Bolts on Aconcagua:
• At 6962m (22,841ft) above sea level, Aconcagua is the highest mountain not only in South America, but it is also the highest in the world outside of Asia.
• Located near the border of Chile and Argentina and lying entirely in the Mendoza region of Argentina, the ascent to the summit offers stunning views of the Andes mountain range. The “Stone Sentinel” is surrounded by numerous peaks over 20,000ft. and the surrounding lowlands consist of beautiful desert landscapes with a large diversity of flora and fauna.
• Aconcagua is generally climbed from late November through the beginning of March.
• The “Stone Sentinel” is notorious for its inhospitable weather conditions:
- Temperatures generally range from highs in the 90°s with intense wind and sun near the base to lows of -40° or worse with wind chill at the higher elevations.
- Winds on the mountain can often reach hurricane-force levels providing for interesting camp sites.
The Route:
We will be taking the Polish Traverse Route from the Vacas Valley Approach. This is regarded as a moderately difficult route and requires intermediate experience. It is non-technical for the most part but ice axes, crampons, and harnesses are required, and rope lines may be used on certain parts depending on the conditions.
The Climb:
Similar to Everest, Aconcagua is an “expedition style” mountain which means you must trek in to base camp before you can begin the actual climb. This will take a few days over rough, rolling terrain and a few river crossings. Though we will still be carrying a weighted pack, a silver lining is that pack mules will haul the heavy loads of necessary equipment, food, and gear to base camp. After that, it is up to our team to carry to higher camps, break and move camps since we will not have porters or sherpas doing this for us.
Here is what our day-by-day itenerary currently looks like. But keep in mind that in mountain climbing, as in life, having a strategy that is flexible is necessary to improve your odds of success. We must adapt to the ever-changing environment, circumstances and conditions; so this definitely is subject to change:
Day 1 (Saturday, February 11): Drive ~4 hours from Mendoza to Penitentes and then camp overnight at Los Puquios (~8,000ft)
Day 2: Hike to Pampa de Leñas (9,000 ft.)
Day 3: Hike to Casa de Piedra (12,000 ft.)
Day 4: Hike to Plaza Argentina Base Camp (13,800 ft.)
Day 5: Rest day in Plaza Argentina. Basically hang out, write in journal, read, or ponder whatever you’d like.
Day 6: Acclimatization climb to Camp 1 (16,400 ft.) and return to base camp. We will make a “carry” of gear needed at higher altitudes and then return to base camp.
Day 7: Move to Camp 1.
Day 8: Carry to Camp 2 (19,200 ft.) and return to Camp 1.
Day 9: Move to Camp 2.
Day 10: Move to High Camp (20,600ft)
Days 11: Summit days. Wake up around 4:30am, make push to summit starting around 5am, return to sleep at high camp. This could be a 14-hour day depending on conditions.
Days 12-15: These are extra days built into the itinerary in the event the weather does not allow us to proceed as planned.
Day 16: Traverse to Berlin (19,400 ft.) and descend to Plaza de Mulas
Day 17: Hike about 6.5 hours out to Puente del Inca and make drive back to Mendoza.
YOU CAN DO THIS, TOO; join our TEAM!! Our philosophy is simple: ANYBODY, ANY EVENT, ANYWHERE in the world. For more information on how you can join our team of fundraising members, please click here: JOIN TEAM E2C. Be ordinary, do extraordinary.
THANK YOU!
Jason Sissel
PS: We would like to thank each of our volunteers, friends, sponsors and partners who make our organization possible. Without you, we do not exist, so thank you. In particular, Delta Air Lines, Arc’Teryx, La Sportiva, Suunto, and Elevate Studios who have made this expedition possible.
Team Endure to Cure member Andres Sauma from Santiago, Chile recounts the important life lessons he learned by participating in Ironman Korea in 2011.
The Lesson–By Andres Sauma
It all started after my first successful Ironman in Cozumel, Mexico. My performance was pretty good considering it was my first attempt at the full distance. The dream of qualifying to the Ironman World Championship in Hawaii was beginning to grow inside of me. But since it is such a difficult dream being pursued by so many people, I needed a plan.
I started checking background on all races around the world to try to find out the best choice to accomplish my dream. Races in the US and Europe are too competitive, why not try some exotic destination?
Before I knew it, I was registering for Ironman China 2011. I thought, “ok, I can combine work, race and vacation.” So moving into my training program of 13 weeks achieving my dream seemed possible. Early swims at 5:30 didn’t bother me. Riding with cold weather in the dark before sunrise was the only option to get those 5-6 hours workouts done without sacrificing precious family time.
But training early didn’t bother me. I always love crazy challenges. So after 9 weeks of training the news came in: Ironman China was cancelled due to some bureaucratic issues with the Chinese government. Suddenly, my plan started to fall apart. The Ironman organization offered to cover expenses and gave complimentary race entry fee for a list of races. France, Korea, USA…which one to choose? I chose Korea.
And the bad luck continued: Flight delayed in Paris. Missed my connection in Seoul. Lost my passport in Seoul airport!!!! All alone in the middle of nowhere, not to mention the 30 hours of flights and airports in my body. Couldn’t fly to Jeju island without a passport, but as things tend to do, it ended up working out and I got to the island.
Ok, now comes the easy part I thought…” racing the Ironman.”
It took a day on the island to turn my optimism down. Weather was brutally hot and humid. The race course was full of hills, not only for the bike leg, but also for the marathon course. No problem, stick to the “unplan”, I thought.
Race day. One mass start, my swimming was the high point of the day. I managed to catch the Pro swimmers and hold a good position until the swim was over. 6th place over 1800 athletes! This was a great way to start. Now all I needed to do was follow my nutrition and pacing plan.
Everything was going well until my Power Bars started to melt from the heat. I couldn’t seem to manage the humidity well. Drank too much electrolyte drink and all of a sudden I was another victim of gastrointestinal distress.
Before finishing the bike I felt like my legs were collapsing. I thought, “ok, I finish the bike leg and quit.” Entering transition tent I started to think that maybe, just maybe I could run for a little while… and maybe I would feel better. So I tricked my mind and started the marathon. At mile 2 I was already walking. The heat was crushing me. No strength on my legs, felt like a balloon ready to pop. How was I going to finish the race?
At this point, my plans for Hawaii were over and I felt like I had no reason to continue this agony. All I could think about was pulling out of the race and going home. But after that brief moment, I started to picture my family and friends from Endure to Cure. I began to feel guilty. I cannot let them down. I’m here for them too. I wondered what lesson I would be teaching my daughters if I tell them I quit, but was physically capable to have kept moving forward and finished what I started. Is it ok to quit? No, not in this case. I came to here to inspire people, my family and friends. To show everybody that no matter how bad the odds are, there’s always something to keep fighting for. I need to finish this race. No matter the how disappointing my finish time was to my expectations and my dream of Hawaii Championship. It was going to be a long day, but now I didn’t care because I had a higher purpose to get to the finish line. A few hours later, I crossed the line almost crying. I did what seemed impossible. Korea taught me that a higher purpose can help you extend beyond your limits. This is what I want to teach my children and friends. This is why I compete, to help others, not just myself.
Andres with his children after winning his age group at the Piedra Roja half Ironman.
Below is the short 4min video I put together highlighting the 158-mile run I did in the Sahara Desert for Endure to Cure. Enjoy, and thank you for supporting Endure to Cure. If you are interested in joining our team, donating, or sponsoring, please contact us.
Here is a great reminder for some of the key tenants for living a good life in the short time we have here on Earth. Enjoy and have a wonderful day.
So I’m going to run an Ironman. I don’t want to. Believe me, there are not many things that sound more awful to me than a 14 hour day of exercise. No, scratch that: If I train consistently, work hard, and rock it on race day, then it will be a 14 hour day of exercise. I will be VERY happy with a 14 hour day of exercise. But I have to run an Ironman because I said I was going to run an Ironman. If I don’t then it becomes that thing I said I was going to do that I never did, and I just can’t have that.
Do I think I can run an Ironman? No. I mean, not today. Definitely not. Today I had to literally drag myself through an hour at the gym. But I did it. And I’ll probably do it again tomorrow. And the day after that? I’ll worry about that day later… So I definitely couldn’t run an Ironman right now. But 10 months from now? Yeah, I can do that.
I read a quote the other day about exercise that said “A year from now you’ll wish you started today.” That struck me. Because that’s really what it is. It’s not swimming 2.4 miles or biking 112 miles or running 26.2 miles. It’s making the choice every day to get the workout in, to build up day after day after day, to push myself just a little bit so I make it to the finish line. Anybody can do that. Anybody can start today on the path to accomplishing their goals and doing something they think they can’t do right now. All you need is a purpose that you believe in, that is more important to you than being lazy and sitting on the couch. And you need to start today. Because come race day, you’ll really wish you had.
I made a new friend a few months ago whose son is sick. Every few months he has to go get chemo. Every week or so he’s at the doctor because something strange and unexpected is wrong with him. She’s never said – and I’ve never asked – but I’m pretty sure at some point too soon he’s going to die. And I can’t help her with that. I can’t make him better. Heck, I can’t even think of anything meaningful or useful to say to her about it. I lent her my car the other week when her sister came to town so they could all ride to the hospital together to figure out why her son’s kidneys weren’t working. And I’m going to babysit this week so she can train up her replacement for the job she has to quit because it’s taking too much time away from what time he has left. And that’s pretty much all I can do for her.
Oh, and run an Ironman. I can do that. Compared to what she’s doing, that actually sounds pretty easy. And since I started today, it will be even easier tomorrow.
Courtney Waid is a member of Team Endure to Cure and the recipient of the 2011 Team Endure to Cure Member of the Year Award. You can check out what she is doing and why by clicking here. If you are interested in joining our team doing any event you wish to raise funds and awareness for our cause, please contact us and become somebody’s hero today!
Week in and week out, members of Team Endure to Cure have made a choice to push themselves beyond their perceived limitations to reach the finish line of endurance events of all kinds. They never ask why they are doing what they do because they know why.
Day in and day out, children are diagnosed with cancer or going through harsh treatments. They are forced to push themselves beyond their limitations simply to survive. Their finish line may never seem near. They probably do not understand why cancer happened to them, or why their sense of “normal” has changed from playtime with friends to hospital treatments with doctors.
Part of our mission at Endure to Cure is to help children bridge this scary abyss. Gracious supporters combine with the efforts of our Team Endure to Cure members to help these children endure their treatments with a little more vigor and energy by fulfilling some of their simplest wishes. These tiny wishes usually result in huge emotional boosts.
Our most recent grant went to Carolina, who is currently fighting cancer in a Chicago-area hospital. Carolina was diagnosed with Leukemia in 2011 at just 4yrs of age. Despite her illness, she is still happy and full of life. In an effort to keep Carolina healthy and germ free, she spends a lot of time at home with her family.
Since Carolina cannot go outside much, she spends a lot of time in her bedroom watching movies. Unfortunately, when she needed it most, her TV broke and her family could not afford to purchase a new one. Carolina’s wish simply was to have a new TV and a DVD player so she could watch her favorite Disney movies. Understandably, Carolina was quite excited to hear about her new TV arriving at their home while undergoing treatment at the hospital.
Her mother described how she couldn’t wait to get home and watch a movie! With tears in her eyes, Carolina’s mom hugged and thanked everyone who helped make Carolina’s wish come true during this difficult time. She said, “In a time that is so hard, you have made my Carolina so happy. You have done something that I could not do, thank you.”
Thank you to all of our selfless donors and sponsors who supported our Team Endure to Cure members from around the world to make this possible. If you are interested in becoming somebody’s hero today, click here to learn more!
Endure to Cure funded this via Bear Necessities in Chicago, IL.
Part of our mission at Endure to Cure is to help children and their families bridge the scary abyss of harsh cancer treatments and provide a little hope when it is needed most. Our generous supporters combine with the efforts of our valiant Team Endure to Cure members to help these children endure their treatments with a little more vigor and energy by fulfilling some of their simplest wishes. These small wishes usually result in emotional boost providing hope beyond measure.
Our most recent grant went to Frank, who is currently fighting cancer in a Chicago-area hospital. Frank was diagnosed with a brain tumor in the summer of 2011. His diagnosis requires frequent and aggressive treatments. Frank was traveling to and from the hospital five days per week, with a three hour round-trip drive to the hospital.
He began having increased anxiety on these trips and the length of time in the car with no distractions and this added additional, unnecessary hardship on both Frank and his mom. Frank’s wish was for a Nintendo 3DS and some games to help pass the time. “Thank you and a huge hug to everyone that supports Bear Necessities. Frank was so happy to receive the 3DS gift, and surprised by all the games/accessories included.
Frank’s mother passes along her gratitude to everyone who made this gift possible:
“We drive to and from treatment five days every week. The gift has greatly improved Frank’s travel. We appreciate all the caring hearts involved with Bear Necessities, and the joy you’ve brought to Frank. Love and Thanks.”
Thank you to all of our selfless donors and sponsors who supported our Team Endure to Cure members from around the world to make this possible. If you are interested in becoming somebody’s hero today, click here to learn more!
Endure to Cure funded this via Bear Necessities in Chicago, IL.
Week in and week out, members of Team Endure to Cure have made a choice to push themselves beyond their perceived limitations to reach the finish line of endurance events of all kinds. They never ask why they are doing what they do because they know why.
Day in and day out, children are diagnosed with cancer or going through harsh treatments. They are forced to push themselves beyond their limitations simply to survive. Their finish line may never seem near. They probably do not understand why cancer happened to them, or why their sense of “normal” has changed from playtime with friends to hospital treatments with doctors.
Part of our mission at Endure to Cure is to help children bridge this scary abyss. Gracious supporters combine with the efforts of our Team Endure to Cure members to help these children endure their treatments with a little more vigor and energy by fulfilling some of their simplest wishes. These tiny wishes usually result in huge emotional boosts.
Our most recent grant went to Theo, who is currently fighting cancer in a Chicago-area hospital. In early 2011, The lives of Theo and those around him significantly changed when he was diagnosed with cancer. When we found out that he is one of the biggest fans of both the Chicago Cubs and Chicago Bears, we knew a late-season visit to Wrigley to see the Cubs and a surprise from the Bears’ star quarterback Jay Cutler would help give him and his family the strength to keep fighting until cured.
His signed football from Jay Cutler arrived after an unexpected hospital stay and some particularly challenging days of treatment. Theo and his family conveyed what an amazing welcome home gift this was for Theo during such a difficult time. And if pictures tell the story, we couldn’t agree more!
Thank you to all of our selfless donors and sponsors who supported our Team Endure to Cure members from around the world to make this possible. If you are interested in becoming somebody’s hero today, click here to learn more!
Endure to Cure funded this “Bear Hug” via Bear Necessities in Chicago, IL. BN’s “Bear Hugs” program supports cancer patients up to age 19 who face the many challenges that accompany the diagnoses and treatment of pediatric cancer.
