Nevado Sajama Summit | Jenn Drummond

April 22 SLC>>>BOLIVIA
Landed in Bolivia this morning at 6 am local time. Basically, I have been traveling for 24 hours to get here. Not an easy place to get to and my body is feeling a little off from the lack of sleep. International flights have to come in, in the wee hours of the morning because the airport is located at 13,325 feet. This is the coolest time of the night and gives the planes the needed air pressure to safely land. I will tell you that when we were landing I was a little concerned with how fast we were going but found out there was plenty of runway available to slow us down.

At the hotel, I took a quick nap and then met up with my friend Meghan. Her expedition to the north pole was canceled this spring so she was awesome enough to come and join me on my training climb here getting ready for Mt. Logan.

The city of LaPaz is much bigger than I expected. It’s very hilly so to get around you can take different gondolas instead of just taxi cabs. The city is a bit lower than the airport but still above 11,000 so we went to check out some of the sites and now are back at the hotel doing the duffle shuffle (repacking bags to head to the mountains).

As of now, our plan is to eat breakfast early in the morning and drive to the mountains. We will have an easy 1 1/2 hour hike to base camp. Mules will be used at this point to carry the heavier gear. It feels good to be on an expedition again. It will allow me to go through gear and confirm all is working as planned and ease a bit of the stress for the main event (Mt. Logan) coming up in the middle of May.

JENN

April 23>>>BASECAMP
The first day of our trip was both exciting and nerve-wracking. We woke up early and had a quick breakfast before leaving the hotel at 8 am. The drive to the mountain was long, taking us about 5 hours to reach our destination. Unfortunately, I got car sick during the journey, but I hoped it was a one-time deal and tried my best to shake the feeling off.

Upon arrival, we met our guide and crew who would be accompanying us throughout the trek. They were a friendly and experienced group of people who quickly loaded our gear onto the donkeys. We had our lunch while they did that, and then we were ready to start our ascent.

It was a beautiful morning when we set out for our first day trip to Nevado Sajama, the highest mountain in Bolivia. The sun was shining down on us, but the wind made it chilly enough to put on our down jackets. Despite the cold, we were excited to start our journey.

The hike was about 3 miles long, and the trail was of a mellow grade. Surprisingly, I found myself managing well in my tennis shoes. We began our journey at around 14,000 feet and climbed steadily, reaching an altitude of about 15,500 feet.

The most striking thing I noticed about the mountain was the intense wind. I wondered why I had forgotten that volcanoes are notoriously windy. The experience was incredibly exhilarating but also quite nerve-wracking, making me realize that I am not particularly fond of hiking up volcanoes. Note to self.

During this first day, I was surprised to learn that our camera guy would only be shooting photos, no videos. This trip will be filled with tons of those and videos I’ll attempt on my phone. Despite this sudden revelation, I managed to laugh it off as I enjoyed the beautiful scenery around me.

As we began our ascent, we could feel the altitude affecting our breathing, but we were determined to keep going. I need to breathe better in general. Second note to self.

Along the way, we stopped to test some of the food provided by Nutritional Fitness. I was grateful for the nourishment, but my fingers were struggling from my Reynard’s disease. Despite the cold and the altitude, we kept moving forward.

After a few hours, we reached base camp, where we were greeted by the donkeys that would be carrying our gear. We could only bring what we could carry, so the donkeys were a big help. We rested for a while, taking in the stunning views of the surrounding mountains. We were exhausted but thrilled to have made it this far. We quickly set up our tents and started cooking dinner. It was a simple meal, but it tasted amazing after a long day of hiking.

As we settled into our tents for the night, we knew we had a tough climb ahead of us the next day. But we were excited to see what the mountain had in store for us. We drifted off to sleep, ready for whatever challenges lay ahead.

JENN

April 24>>>HIGH CAMP

AM:

Today was a challenging but rewarding day. I woke up feeling a bit under the weather, but I powered through and made it to our current location at 18,600 feet elevation. The sun helped to make the temperature bearable despite being very windy in sections of the journey. I had some soup from the day before for breakfast which gave me enough energy for today’s trek. Everyone on my team is in good spirits despite the conditions and we are all looking forward to what tomorrow brings!

PM:

The sun is setting on the horizon of this incredible mountain range, and I am filled with a sense of awe. As we prepare for our summit attempt tomorrow morning, the porters are busy setting up tents at high camp. In preparation for the climb, I have gone through my gear to make sure I have everything that I need. I even had some of my red and white gummy bears for fun. I now know I need a new sleeping bag; gloves; and a better mid layer. It was great to test some gear and food on this climb to better prepare for Mt. Logan.

JENN

April 25>>>SUMMIT ATTEMPT

Last night we had a huge unexpected windstorm. Well expected, just not at the level it came in at. We had to put small boulders in our tents to keep them weighted down so we would not blow off the mountain. In order to climb safely, the wind needed to stop at 2am. It did not cease until 6.

On this mountain, you have to be off the summit by 8am, 9 if you want to push your luck. It is exposed and wind gusts can make it very hard to navigate the open terrain with no place to hide or get protection from it.

So, we sit and eat breakfast gazing at a perfect summit in great weather. However we know it won’t stay perfect as we can feel the wind picking up in the distance as if the mountain were teasing us. The way our demons tend to do.

We know the right thing to do but temptation is there. My goal was to get altitude to prepare for Mt. Logan. Summiting would have been great but ultimately not worth the risks. All decisions carry a risk.

Having a solid plan going in and working with that plan keeps emotions in check and helps you stay the course. The more clear the objective is, the less power the temptation has. Having guides that have been here before, in environments like this save your life. In business they save you time, money and resources.

The lessons are always many and hit hime at a deeper level when the game of life is at play. Which, if we are honest, it always is. Reality always wins.

Heading down the mountain grateful for the opportunity to climb again.

JENN