12/12/21 – Summit notes
And so our next adventure begins…
I will always feel the adventure truly begins from the moment you say yes to doing it.
From there until the big travel day, it’s almost as if you leave it is like an app running in the background waiting to launch.
I started this past week by packing ahead Wednesday before I left, only to need to unpack Friday, given the bags are overweight while still trying to ensure I have the essentials for the trip. I was required to take a COVID-19 test on Thursday and aimed to take another on Friday before traveling as every country is slightly different from their travel requirements. All the places I have traveled have required the COVID test within 72 hours of boarding the first leg of an itinerary. The first stop on the journey, Chile, requires that the COVID test be within 72 hours of boarding the last Plane before landing in Chile. That flight will not be my SLC flight but my ATL flight, so I grabbed another COVID test to make sure I am within the range of that country’s requirements.
Also, Chile has a mobility passport component that has to be filled out within 48 hours of landing in Chile. The details are necessary, especially with international travel for any adventure, whether leisure or climb. Either way, I am just grateful it can still happen with the ever-changing requirements and restrictions of the pandemic.
We celebrated a beautiful Christmas on Saturday at our house and an early birthday celebration with the twins before my trip. Both were being celebrated in a lighter format on their respective days, but grateful I was still a part of the main events. It was significant and fun to celebrate early this year and remember that the feeling of Christmas is more important than the date of Christmas. Not to mention the fact that celebrating one’s life should never be confined to one day a year; life in itself is a daily celebration!
Even though I often travel, especially for my climbs, I am conditioned to expect things to go wrong during travel. When they go as smoothly as they did this morning, I can feel myself not trusting it and questioning where any mistake may be and how I will manage and mitigate it. What a valuable life lesson to realize before I even leave for the airport…
Let go of the past, do not manifest drama, and allow new ways of being to unfold. Also, treat each day as new with opportunities while not letting the past destroy the present or worrying about the future rob your peace.
When traveling, I often aim to break my trip into manageable pieces to not seem or appear overwhelming for me. For example, 4 is a small enough number; therefore, I know I will be home in 4 weeks. I hold onto the number 4 because it feels longer when I try to approach the thought of 28 days.
I love being a mom as much as I love mountaineering, and the gift of both is knowing they are always a part of me. It brings me to the present moment when doing either of them. I am a better mom because I know the mountains will cause me to miss moments in their lives, and I am better in the mountains because I want to come home to little people that call me mom. It is all truly a blessing to lead the life I live.
I was delayed in Atlanta before officially landing in Santiago, Chile. From here, I will be taking COVID tests every day till I leave for the ice, which will be on 12/18. While missed my connection flight once arriving in Chile, due to the COVID processes, I had to wait until the next flight available, given they do not automatically book your next flight once your connecting is missed. First hiccup in the journey, but nothing I cannot give myself a little grace and patience. While I wait for the next leg of the journey I am growing more excited the closer to get to the ice and Mount Tyree!
12/14/21 – Punta arenas arrival
I left Park City at 7:00 am on Sunday the 12th and arrived at my hotel, Diego De Almagro, in Punta Arenas at 10:30 pm 12/13/21. It was only truly a 4 hour time change from home, but I lost about a day of travel with layovers.
Chile is significantly much farther south of the equator than even I realized. The sun officially rose today at about 5 am, yet the beginnings of sunrise in the sky began around 4 am. The sunset does not set until around 10 pm in Chile, and full nighttime dark doesn’t happen until around midnight. Although we are much more South than the United States, it is not as warm here as many think. Visualizing a jacket and pants type of weather gives you a perspective of the average weather here, but the sun is warmly welcomed.
However, there is a hole in the ozone layer above Punta Arenas, which many tell travelers to avoid going out in the sun in the afternoon. I researched this since I was interested in knowing when the ozone hole is most prominent, and this issue’s most extensive seasonal timeframe is in September/October. It starts to be safer come December, but the one last year wasn’t deemed “safe” until around Christmas. Learning about this has made me glad we are working as a global force to protect our planet.
My friend Garrett is here running 3 trips on the ice. I went with my friend Garrett in our group, going to the ice, to the grocery store to help him pick the food for 3 weeks of the expeditions. It was fascinating to see what goes on behind the scenes firsthand. There are mini-marts on many corners of where we are staying, but if you want more abundant choices and other things for the home, etc., you want to go to the store, which is similar to a Walmart in the states.
I walked around the town because I enjoy exploring new places when traveling. I joined up with some fellow friends heading to the ice the same day as me. We dined at La Cuisine, which I would recommend going to, as they offer a french spin on local foods.
One thing I do enjoy about Chile is being on the water, as it reminds me of my time on the water at my parents’ house in Michigan during the summer. The sunsets are spectacular with the clouds in the sky and the slow turning of colors and intensities. I plan to do more exploring in town to connect to the local culture of beauty salons.
12/15/21
Today was a relatively slow and more relaxing day. The highlight of my day was connecting and chatting with Maria “Pachi” Paz Ibarra. She is the first female to summit Mt. Tyree. She is a guide for ALE and helped guide a successful summit in 2017, making her the first woman to summit the mountain. She holds many records in this area of the world. We reviewed a map of Tyree, talked about the different sections of the climb and the challenges associated with each. We will hope for fantastic weather, which includes warmth and low winds. She has currently healing from a broken leg from another adventure. I shared with her about my plans for summiting Mt. Logan this coming May; if she is healed up and can swing it, she might come to join, which would be amazing.
I have found expedition people have the kindest hearts. I love how supportive and encouraging everyone is in our adventures and journeys.
A nearby hotel hosted an exhibition for a local artist, Cristian Vidal, and I decided to check it out. I went to see his fantastic water colorwork and purchased a small piece to bring home to the USA. He was super excited to sell me the piece I bought and even had someone drive on 6 hours road trip to deliver it!
I found a hair salon today to try out. However, with the COVID restrictions, you are only allowed to have the stylist and a client in the salon at a time, and masks are required. My hair feels amazing now, and I love how something as simple as having my hair blown out can recharge my batteries.
The 4-hour time change is still a challenge to adapt to for me. Part of it has to do with the long days, given it’s only dark for around 5 to 6 hours at night. The other part is dining, given that most restaurants start serving dinner at 8 pm here, and it is hard for me given I like to eat dinner earlier in the evening.
There is also a team of marathon runners down here. They were supposed to go to Antarctica on Sunday for a marathon. I guess every year, the marathon takes place at union glacier. People fly down, stay for two days, run laps at union glacier to get to the marathon distance, and then fly home. The weather has been so bad in Antarctica that they haven’t made it there yet. It looks like the weather is changing just in time for me to arrive down there, and I have fingers crossed it all goes as planned.
12/16/2021
The days in quarantine are long, but I am looking at it as the calm before the storm with the storm being all the excitement of Antarctica and Mount Tyree. Punta Arenas has mild weather that doesn’t change much throughout the year. Passed another COVD test today in which I aim to keep being optimistic about them coming back negative each day. Especially since I am in my last leg before I go to the ice.
Went for a walk with a few friends down here to burn a few hours and do some more sightseeing. We ate lunch at our favorite café called Wake Up, and I recommend it as a must go to if you are ever in this part of the world. The lemon pie is amazing and I intent on having lemon pie every day before I leave since discovering it. It’s my favorite food here.
We had a gear check later in the day and all was a go. I had to drop a few more pounds out of the bag, but I just moved those to my carry on so all is good. Getting anxious and excited to get this show on the road for this next climb!
12/17/21
Today, they picked up my bags to check them in for the flight at 10 am tomorrow for the ice. I walked over after then to the place to get my boarding pass and needed to show my passport. Once there I did the official bag weigh in, took what I hope to be the last COVID test for and received an n95 mask for the plane to wear during the flight.
I had lunch again today at Wake Up and I have officially have eaten here every day since I discovered it yet it never gets old since the quality of food and cuisine is delicious. After then I picked up the laundry I had washed and got my final blow out at the beauty salon here before heading to the ice.
I was topping off all the batteries to remember in which I then remembered I forgot to get a memory card for the drone. I walked to a store downtown that didn’t have one but a person in the store heard me needing one and stepped in to help. He was driving to another nearby store that would have one and I could have a ride there to purchase it. I am so grateful for this because most of the people here do not speak English. I also learned that this person had spent time in Antarctica for the government of Chile which allowed me to pick his brain on the drive to find the memory card, which I found, and then got a taxi ride back to the hotel. Love when the universe provides and lines up the most random things to make life flow.
Got a message around later in the evening and got word that they are 50/50 on the flight taking off tomorrow morning for the ice. We will hear from our flight crew between the hours of 8 and 9 am here and was told I need to be prepared to be picked up at 9am ready to go if all is okay to travel to the ice. I am keeping my hopes high and being optimistic that we get to go to the ice tomorrow.
12/18/21 – Antarctica Arrival
I am here!
I officially made it to Antarctica. The flight from Punta Arenas to Antarctica was about 4 hours. Because there are no real runway lights in order to land here, often weather conditions need to be ideal to fly. Everyone is excited to be here, myself included.
Once we arrived we received a tour of the camp. I met my tentmate Anna, who is from Germany. There are shower tents that gather their shower water from melted snow. There are bathroom tents arranged by gender, with 2 toilets in each tent, one for each bathroom necessity. The biggest tent is the dining tent which is where all the teams gather together to for our meals 3 times a day. Not to mention the food has been great here!
Our tents will be used for the entire season here so we have cots to put our sleeping bags on. You definitely need a sleeping mask here to keep the sunlight out given there is a longer stretch of daylight in this part of the world. Otherwise you wouldn’t necessarily get much sleep without one and quality sleep truly helps in these climbs. There are also pillows at this base camp which is such a blessing to have and a huge win in the land of endless white snow, ice, and freezing temps. I doubt I will be without my down jacket for this trip. I will also be sleeping with my toothpaste tonight so that it will be warm enough to use tomorrow.
So far, I am truly enjoying the group at this camp here. I am really missing my kids though the most. We are hoping to venture over to the Mt. Vinson base camp tomorrow.
12/19/21
Today we got snowed in at the base camp. The runways for the planes have no lights to guide them into landing currently. There are no depth perceptions without the sunlight, so everything is halted for today. To kill time, we did a puzzle that has been at the camp for at least 10 years now. Although 3 pieces were missing, we still attempted to complete it be the best we could. Unsure if we beat any other time on the length of the puzzle competition, but it’s more about the fun of putting it together than how fast you can complete it.
Everything is going well for our team, and we had to take more COVID tests today to ensure everything is testing negative. So far, so good, which is a blessing. We heard that a private expedition had been canceled due to frostbite for some team members. That is a worry of mine being out here, but I think we will all be fine and go well. I have lots of gloves and handwarmer to keep my body temperature up and my hands and feet warm. I still find it interesting that the sun never really goes down on this continent. It’s fascinating how different parts of the world have completely different time zones and complete various aspects of daylight.
Spirits are very high here at the camp and everyone is eager to get to the mountain for our climb. Grateful to be “clouded” here and not on a small tent on the mountain. Also grateful for the opportunity to even be here and even more grateful for those that are at this camp, sharing this experience with me. I find it so enlightening, refreshing, and fun to meet new people and hearing of their unique stores. It’s amazing to share and listen to others experiences and travels throughout the world and through mountaineering.
12/20/21
We did another 500 piece puzzle day to pass the time. It was sunny today, so we did get a walk around the camp for a bit and explored. I decided to try the camp showers today, and the water was warm.
Also, they came back early and canceled the flights to the mountain, so they are unloading the planes, and we are moving back into our tents at union glacier. Although I am bummed, I am grateful that they are being safe about everything. However, it’s a bit frustrating for me not to be on the mountain yet. Fingers are crossed we get out tomorrow. What an adventure in patience so far! Mountaineering can teach you so much more about life than just reaching the summit and the climb.
12/21/21
We finally made it to Vinson base camp! It took all day for the weather to clear, but we are finally here! We landed here at 7:30 pm and got set up here. It’s so beautiful here.
We have big tents at the base camp. Anna & I are sharing tents again. Everything is set up with 2 people to a tent, with some at 3 people to a tent. We are able to leave our stuff here and only take what we need up the mountain. There is a snow wall built to protect the tent from the wind. On one side, whereas right now, there is no wind. My climbing guide, Todd, was at Vinson base camp the whole time, so it has been nice to meet up with him finally! We have an All-Star team for Tyree, which is exciting.
The only person on our team who has climbed the mountain before is Sam. However, everyone else is highly experienced. Sam lives in Montana primarily and guides all over the world. Todd lives in Salt Lake City, so another Utah resident here makes me feel closer to home.
Some of our team members include Seba, who is from Chile yet lives in Colorado. Rob Smith, from the UK. That makes up our team of 4 guides and myself as the client. I have met Rob in the mountains before, and he summited k2 this summer. The entire Vinson team is 10 clients total for the climb. Everyone here has a unique story, and it has been super fun to meet new people while embarking on this adventure. It’s fun to have all the personalities to intermix with and learn about them more. I am excited to be at the Vinson camp finally and looking forward to our climb!
12/22/21
I want to wish a very happy birthday to the twins, Jana and Julia! I know you are having the best birthday ever and that your party was so much fun!
We hiked to the low camp today, which took about 4 hrs to do. It was more work than a person would think initially. You have to drag a sled with gear and be tied off to one another. Suppose that the person behind you was going a little slower than you; this means that you will get tugged on the rope, which can get exhausting. Crampons were required the whole way, but no fixed ropes. We could have skied this section, but we all decided to hike it.
The main tent was destroyed at the low camp in the winds; therefore, some of the guides that came up will go back down to base camp, grab more gear, and come up again tomorrow. It is about 10 degrees colder than expected, and everyone can feel the temperature difference. Usually, you do not need a down suit to climb Vinson. However, since some of the guides were going back down to the base camp, I asked them to get mine to use higher up the mountain. I do not do well in extremely cold conditions.
We got the tents set up first and then blew up our sleeping pads. I decided to warm up in my sleeping bag before eating dinner this evening. I need to warm up before eating and drawing blood to my stomach away from my extremities. The solar panel at this camp is lost, so I might not be able to have updates every day. It will depend on how long everything will last in the cold and on the full charge I had when I left base camp. Tomorrow it is expected to be windy therefore it will be a rest day here. I am content with this decision because I want to acclimate to being ready for climbing Tyree as much as possible.
Todd has been a superstar guide and carried up real food to be re-heated for us, which means we didn’t need to eat dehydrated meals tonight! I am still growing used to the daylight timeframe, such as it’s currently 10 pm and looks like noon. The sun will go down around the mountain soon, making it even colder here. We won’t start moving till around 11 am here, unlike my Everest climb. We don’t have to worry as much about melting ice and snow here, given it is cold 24/7, so we travel when it is the warmest. Everest, we had to travel a lot at night cause the ice moved around, making night travel safer because the snow and ice would be set and not melting. We have been sleeping until 9:30 am cause we need to wait until the sun comes up or it will be too cold to move here.
12/23/2021
Today I ate a chewy ginger candy that is not chewy when it is negative degrees out and ended up chipping one of my side teeth. Thankfully you don’t notice it when I smile, but it is still annoying. My tongue wants to play with it, and the side of my mouth is rubbing funny. We got lucky at low camp with no wind, given that base camp had tons of wind, and everyone there got stuck there today. 2 of the guides came up with a new dining tent, so I helped set that up. The team of people here is amazing, and for any readers here, I recommend to with ALE for all things Antarctica.
They have excellent guides and the best arrangements for internal travelers and mountaineers. All other guiding services have to use them. Sun comes and goes and with the daylight and nightfall, so does the temperature. It’s incredible how much it swings. Time honestly means nothing here when the sun is always shining, and there is nowhere to be.
I miss my people more than life itself right now, but I know I am returning a much better human for them and myself. If the weather allows, we will head up the mountain tomorrow. 2 of the guys from our team checked all the fixed lines today, so we know everything is in great shape! We pray that the high camp is still intact and not another build once we arrive type of scenario.
12/24/2021
We made it to high camp today! The vertical section of the climb is about 3,000 feet gain on fixed ropes because it is so steep. Antarctica’s weather is extreme such as it is cutting, abrasive, and unforgiving. You can get warm moving in the sun with no wind, but if the wind happens at any level, then you are then freezing. You also can’t have exposed skin, or it will get burned, and layering is a challenge. Today we will sleep at high camp and wait for a weather window to get to the summit.
The summit push that brings you back to high camp is a little over 7 miles and about 4,000 feet of ascent. It is exposed, so the weather has to be great, or frostbite is an extremely high risk to make a go of it. I am so grateful for my guides. They are taking great care of me and giving me coaching advice along the way. On the open parts of the climb, there are flags in the ground to help you keep track of the way to go as it can get white-out quickly, and everything looks the same. I like the flags, and I need more of them in my personal life so I don’t get too far off the track of my goals when life gets busy. We have a dining tent at high camp, which is nice because you can connect with others on the team and keep your mind off the extreme weather. Would be an amazing and beautiful way to spend Christmas, reaching the summit of another mountain. Praying for ideal weather tomorrow to reach the summit. I wish everyone the best Christmas Eve!
12/25/2021
Merry Christmas to everyone! I knew I was guaranteed a white Christmas being here, and Mother Nature delivered a whiteout snowstorm. I am spending the day in my tent, which also means I am freezing to empty the bottle in the elements. I used my satellite phone, which worked today, to call home. It makes me so happy to hear how happy they all are and enjoying the holiday. It also helps me to stay committed and focused on the task at hand, so I come home with successful summits and do not need to come back here. During this time of year, the landscape here is breathtaking. Rocks, white, and blue for as far as the eye can see when the wind calms, which was last at 7 am. Up at this camp spot, the sun is blocked more by a ridge from 4 am to 6 am, and you can feel it. Every breath I can see, and my nose hairs get snow crystals in them. Tomorrow, if weather permits, we will go for a summit push, which will take 8 or so hours to do. No skin can be shown, and even with the best gloves & boots, hand warmers are required to avoid potential frostbite.
12/26/2021 – Mt. Vinson Summit
Today I summited Mt. Vinson! It started as a warm venture, and then halfway in, it was extremely cold temperatures with crazy winds moving in. I was so grateful I was wearing my down suit. While it was too hot for the warm sections, without it during our 2-hour blizzard, I would have had to turn around and go back to high camp. No skin can be exposed, or you will suffer from frostbite. We made pretty good timing considering, and the views of Mt. Tyree are amazing. I have gotten blisters on my feet from the climb, and they have only gotten worse. We are at high camp tonight again for acclimatizing.
There is another peak nearby we thought we would summit tomorrow, but maybe not with my feet in the condition they are in currently. I will decide tomorrow what makes more sense and is best for me. I have to decide to climb up high again or let the blisters heal more and stay at high camp. I could feel the lack of O2 today in the air, so hoping the climb absorbs in my body, and I have a better time on Mt. Tyree. Missing family and friends the most when I just lay down, and my brain goes idol. I am so grateful that climbing Mt. Vinson is done because I didn’t think I was going to last the cold for a bit there. I am so proud of myself for fighting through and summitting successfully. Tonight’s dinner at camp is dehydrated pasta and sauce. I am anticipating it will be good, and I definitely have an appetite tonight.
12/27/2021
Well, I got up today to go climb Mt. Shinn. However, when I got my boots on, plans changed quickly. I have two really bruised ankle bones, and any movement in the shoes is painful right now.
The plane came to Union Glacier from Punta Arenas, Chile, today. To my surprise, a new pair of boots were put on the plane for me! We got confirmation that the boots are in Union Glacier.
I feel confident that my decision not to climb today was the right one to make, mainly because I could have never dreamed of new boots coming in on a private plane for me. Today will be a rest day today while I try to heal my bruised ankles and hopefully get my new boots.
12/28/2021 – Vinson base Camp
Today was a BIG day for the group and for myself! We went from high camp down to Vinson base camp. Once we arrived, we had a fantastic meal cooked by the chef there named Sebastian. The food was terrific, and his chef-curated meals were delicious.
We packed up all of our belongings and took a plane to Mt. Tyree! My new boots arrived on a flight right before ours took off for the next camp. I couldn’t have planned it any better than it turned out. Talk about absolutely perfect timing for the arrival of the new boots. The pilot we had to drop us at Tyree, which was amazing. We circled the mountain to see it from different angles, and then he found a patch of snow to land on safely. The plane has skis instead of tires, and the lighting was good, so he did a great job landing us simply and safely. It took us about 20 minutes to unload the plane once we landed. Then we had to set up base camp.
There is a lot of snow here, so we stomped out a 20×30 area to give us flat ground to set camp. We set up 3 sleeping tents, a dining tent, and Todd built a wall to provide privacy when using the portable toilet. All of our bathroom movements will be carried out as we are required to follow the leave no trace rules and guidelines. So far, our Tyree camping around has been colder, snowier, but less windy! Having that wind being gone is a huge plus. My feet are going to appreciate the rest day tomorrow. I am still amazed by the beauty of untamed nature is all around. I feel so blessed and grateful to be here. My team is fantastic, and the beauty of this space is humbling. What a magnificent planet we live on!
12/29/21 – Rest day
I took a rest day at camp today. The guys took a load up to the high camps for the group. They said the route has a lot of snow, but they cut a path at least 2 high. At the camp, it is much colder here than Vinson. We lose the sun behind the mountain tops from 9:30 PM – 7:30 AM before we lost it from 4 AM to 6 AM. When it happens, it is felt to the core of our bodies. We have dehydrated meals for the mountain, but we have meals that a chef makes for the group for base camp, and they are amazing! I wish all setups could be this posh in extreme environments. The team is feeling good, sharing stories, and laughing a lot. I am super fortunate to be surrounded by such amazing people and talented mountaineers.
The plan is not set yet for tomorrow, so we will see what comes of it. The weather is supposed to be good the next few days, and we are watching the sun pattern on the mountain. I am staying hydrated and sun screened regularly. I am very excited about what is to come, and this place is beautiful and inspiring. I find myself in silence reflecting, evaluating, and just being here. Besides my own endurance and resiliency, it has been amazing in this journey to experience all these beautiful places on our planet.
12/30/21
Today was another rest day for me as my feet still need to recover. I read some more books and did a lot of journaling today to reflect on my trip so far. One book had 4 sections, with one section focused on forgiveness, at the end of asking if you keep anyone out of your heart and invite them back in. It hit home for me because I realized that if I judge others, I judge myself. If I forgive others, I can forgive myself. Lots of goodies in the book that connected to me in a way time allows you to absorb lessons a little deeper. I am inviting all my followers and readers to keep an eye on the blog for lessons I will share when I return from this adventure!
I got the new boots laced correctly and my footbeds in them, so hopefully, nothing on my feet will get worse. I have probably packed my pack a few times today, just making sure I have it all. We get to leave later in the morning, which is nice—trying to work with the sun’s heat and use that to our advantage. Tomorrow will be about a 6 hour day, and then an estimated 24-hour push the next day! So these two rest days are preparing me for the big day, which would be a fun way to start the New Year! What a beautiful way to start 2022 as the first American female on the top of Mt. Tyree and the second woman in history to summit it. I can’t think of a better way to ring in the New Year! The team is excited and ready to climb this beautiful mountain. The time away has been healthy despite missing my people. So close!
Sending all my love – Jenn
12/31/2021
Happy New Year to my family, friends, followers, and more! WHAT A YEAR, WHAT A JOURNEY! Thank you for being here with me in this journey and this thing called life. I made it to high camp today! We skied to the base of the ridge and then trekked up the approximate 3,000 feet. It went faster than expected, and Mother Nature was very kind to us weather-wise. Now more time to rest for the summit push tomorrow. Already have my bear socks on, which are the lucky socks I have worn for each summit push! New boots are working great! It is cooling off quickly, and our tent space up here is super compact but worth the views. Thank you for all the good luck wishes, the cards to read, and all of the support! It is humbling and inspiring knowing this is more than just mountaineering or climbing mountains. I am so grateful to b in a position to go for a summit push tomorrow. It is so much more than a mountain top. This one is for everyone that has ever been told no and pressed on anyway. It’s to metaphorically pave the path for all of us in the pursuit of dreams. Every step is one, representing when we said yes when we could have said no. I am on this quest with many of you, physically tomorrow but emotionally always. We got this!
1/1/22 – summit success on mt. tyree
Yes, yes you all read that correctly… I SUMMITTED MT. TYREE TODAY. What an amazing way to start the new day and on new years day no less. I am exhausted and need to rest, I will update you all more tomorrow!
1/2/2022 – More Summit Details to Share
We summited Mt. Tyree yesterday! Checked another seven second summit from my list! It took us around 18 hours, which, based on previous attempts, we were planning on 24 hours but happy that the weather allowed us to move faster. It is about 5300 feet of climbing, and we climbed 21 pitches. It was forecast to be -34c, but the sun was out a lot, so it didn’t feel that cold the whole time. We moved together on a rope once we were done with the pitch Climbing to the summit. The ridge was sharp and steep, and the views were endless in all directions. It was fun to see Mt Vinson that we climbed last week (the highest pt. Of the continent. The descent took longer than I had hoped, but it was nice to rappel and not have to be so sure of footing. Before you got to the pitched climbing, there were many rocks/snow/ice along the ridge to negotiate and navigate.
It was not highly complex but tedious and mentally consuming because every step counts. If anyone falls, the whole team needs to be ready to self-arrest. There is no place to rest along the climb because it is so steep, so you need to snack and drink at the belay spots. The team worked great together, and the fitness of my teammates was humbling. Experience in mountaineering was evident in all they did for the climb. Quick fueling, managing heat, and ready to help before I needed it. So lucky to be with such a strong crew. We climbed in teams of 2 and 3, and I was part of a 3 person team on the way up to the summit and 2 on the way down. I just moved things faster this way, and it meant hot water was waiting once we got back to high camp!
Today we descended from high camp to base camp. I could hardly wait to get out of my boots and into skis as it is a 3,000-foot descent from high camp to base camp, of which 1,000 feet we did on skis. More challenging to turn with heavy backs on but still nice to cover that much ground by not walking in boots. It is too cloudy currently for a plane to come in and pick us up. We will see what the week brings! I am so grateful to be here and feel so thankful for my team and for summiting Mt. Tyree. However, I am missing my kids and family, so now that the task is complete, so to speak, I am ready to head home. My flight that I will have is coming out of Union Glacier but is not until 1/9. So we either continue to spend the time here, or they’re waiting for the 757 to come in for all of us that will be departing.
1/3/22
We were told bad weather was coming in, so we got picked up by plane from Tyree. We also stopped at the Vinson base camp to drop off Rob & Sam, given they will be working on the next rotation, and then headed to Union Glacier. It sounds like we will be at Union Glacier for a bit, though, because 4 people in the flight plane crew to get back from the ice tested positive for COVID. Please say some prayers for me to get home soon! I am so thankful for the journey, but missing my kids while trying be patient in the waiting portion of this trip. Luckily the people here are amazing and making the most of the time here, just trying to make the most of where I am now.
1/4/22
We are still stuck at union glacier. However, stuck is all a matter of viewpoint. I see it as still getting to experience Antarctica and all its glory. Which right now, it is experiencing super high winds. We are in tents called clamshells. The tents have a cot in them and a thin mattress that you put your sleeping bag on. They also have a pillow which is a huge plus! This method keeps you off of the ground and a little warmer. Each tent has two cots, but I don’t have to share my tent at the moment. Today we were told to pack up all of our duffle bags inside the tents because winds are expected to be so high tonight that the tents could get destroyed in the wind, and we don’t want all of our stuff to blow away if it does. We were also advised to keep our down jackets and gloves in our sleeping bag, plus boots and socks nearby in Clam hotel. So at least I am somewhat protected from the edges of the grid and the winds. Fingers crossed, we are being over-prepared!
Still, we have no news of when we can to leave Antarctica but keeping a bunch of type A personalities from being able to control their destiny is rather comical to experience. We were supposed to visit some different ice areas today by big vans with super-sized tires (think monster truck tires), but the winds are keeping us put. I believe extra sweets have been put out to try and keep every1 at peace. Either way, the food is amazingly good, and everyone here weighs more than when they left for here. Missing everyone at home but reminding myself that these are the days I will be telling stories about when I am older, making the best of it!
1/5/22 – Patience is a virtue
There is a wind and snow storm at Union Glacier. Luckily no tents blew over last night, but the wind was loud and unapologetic; all the while, it has been stormy all day. I am missing home extra right now.
I am missing the big moments at home and the little ones where you catch one of the kids’ eyes and smile love back at one another without one noticing. I am missing the smell of the clean house on Thursdays after the cleaning ladies left and finding the cats in their favorite hiding spots.
Also, I like walking past the kitchen, enjoying them, but I love how the random details bring me home. I am so excited to hear how everyone is doing, what they are feeling, and how their latest dreams are becoming a reality. These are the days, and I am doing my best to front-load my journaling and be conscious about how to plug each child in for some one-on-one love when I get back.
I am looking forward to hearing their stories and giggling. I had my quota of hot chocolate for the year, and I am pretty rested. Feet are pretty much healed, and my meditation game is the strongest in a while. I am also looking forward to bringing home the fun of a successful summit and learning the patience of waiting to get home.
1/6/22
There was still no sun today, but the wind was less so we could ride fat-tire bikes around. There is a track they groom with groomers like they groom ski hills. I rode it the loop two times. The bikes are not of great quality, but again we are in Antarctica, and the fact there are bikes here is rather impressive. Every day they do little adventures when the winds are not too bad. Today they did an experience with an elephant rock island, which has fossils in it. It was fascinating to visit and be able to experience. There are also many lectures and movies about the movie. I recommend visiting this website to learn more about the elephant island. The movies are usually documentaries about Antarctica and talk about Antarctica explorers. I feel very knowledgeable about this white and blue continent. Many card games are being played to pass the time, along with scrabbling. I am impressed by how good some people are at scrabble when English is their second language! We are still waiting on news as to when we can fly back to Chile. Possibly the 10th, but not for sure yet. I am just doing my best to enjoy the detox from wifi and enjoying the present.
1/7/22
We had a break in the crazy wind today. Therefore, my friend George and I went hiking up a nearby mountain with Seba. We skied to the base of the mountain as well. I hiked up a few hours, then came down and skied back. It was a nice change of scenery and a way to burn, some time doing something physical. Missing sunsets and sunrises since the sun just circles around, there are clouds, but it is still bright, and sunglasses are needed throughout the day. It makes it hard to sleep sometimes.
I am sure there is a lesson in this waiting here, but it has been a long one, and the desire to be home is all too real. There is a library area that is heated filled with books on Antarctica. Much easier to pass the time with a mission than waiting out the weather to get back and the flight crew to be cleared for COVID quarantine.
Miss the sounds of certain things as well as colors in the landscapes. This is the land of white, scattered with a few black rocks and some ice blue skies. The mountain we climbed is called Rothman, and it is right next to camp. It was fun to get above our little world here and see the layout of all the tents and such from a different view. Lucky for us, we have been stuck at Union Glacier in this weather, which has common areas to spend time with others.
There are 40+ people immovable at Vinson Base camp waiting for the weather to get here. I can’t imagine our area with 40+ more people, but hopefully, it will happen for them soon cause we have it better than they do currently! Rumor in our camp is they are coming in tomorrow, so I am going to shower tonight at camp ahead of their potential arrival. Since Antarctica is a “leave no trace” continent, the showers are not what a person may expect. How you shower at camp is that you fill a bucket with hot water, add snow to cool it down, and then wash yourself within a few minutes before the water gets too cool. It’s an excellent and refreshing few minutes! I rinse, turn off the water to use soap, and then rinse it all off at the end. It’s one of the remarkable life hacks that I have learned from Antarctic life.
1/8/22
Well, today was another day spent in a white-out! We didn’t have any adventures off campus because of the weather. They made some make-shift ping pong tables, so we had a tournament for that, which is much better than nothing. Boredom = time for creativity. I am trying to find the best every day and make the most of my time here cause since I am not sure if I will get the chance to visit again. My best travel trip for this summit is that there is a lot of patience is required for trips to Antarctica! It can be a bunch of the same routine but a different day which could be challenging for someone who craves a lot of variety in their adventures. Also, most days need to be planned that day instead of in advance due to the weather, and you can spend a lot of time waiting out the weather.
I have been thinking about packing my bags up again to see if that will motivate the weather to change, and we can potentially fly at least back to Chile. Given that I summited Mount Tyree on New Years Day, one would think, okay, I can just go back home now and reflect on that journey. That’s not how traveling to Antarctica goes; you have to play it by ear once you get to the ice. I am forever grateful for the opportunity to be in such an area many may never see or experience in their lives, but I am more than ready to come home, see my family and kids. I am sure there is a universal lesson in patience here for me to learn with the waiting out the weather game, but it’s harder to grasp the more I am waiting to get a flight, even just back to Chile.
1/12/22 – I’M HOME, I’M HOME, I’M HOME!
On 1/10/22 the plane finally arrived to take us back to Punta Arenas. We didn’t arrive in Punta Arenas until after 1 AM and then checked in around 3 AM. The last day on the ice was filled with gratitude and thankful goodbyes to our guides for the trip and friends. 1/11/22 was a bit of a blur with the travel itinerary and multiple stops and rearrangements to get back from Chile and meet COVID restrictions. I am happy to say as of today I made it safely and happily back to Utah! The travels to and from Antarctica felt more exhausting than the climbs I completed in Antarctica! However crazy it was to get home, finally being home makes all the troubles quickly fade away and makes everything all worth it. The hugs, cake, flowers, snuggles, and showers of love were amazing to come home to. I am so lucky to have such a wonderful family and a great group of friends. I loved coming home to everyone! I’d say this climb is a wrap and so much I want to talk about in the coming weeks on the blog about it as well. A big thanks to everyone for following along with each climb and each journey.
Sending love and cheers until the next adventure,
Jenn