The longest day of the year is a little redundant in a place where the sun doesn't set... we'll take it anyway. Summer has come to Antarctica. But that doesn't mean the living is easy. We still have the tail end of that storm to contend with. At least we hope it is the tail end. There is still a lot of cloud stuck on Mount Vinson, but it did seem a bit better than yesterday, on the whole. So we packed up the camp and moved up the mountain. We left Vinson Basecamp at 2:10 PM, which is not too late to be starting out (in case you are wondering). Our plan revolved around using the late evening sunshine that Low Camp is famous for. It only took us until 6:40 PM to pull in to the camp at 9,000 ft. Conditions on the route were calm, cloudy, and not exactly cold. We each did a bit of sweating, which can get problematic in a place that is perhaps -10 F but everyone took good care and we sailed through without difficulty. On the way, we picked up our cache of supplies where the Branscomb makes the big ninety degree turn from South to West, and that pretty much completed the sled hauling "approach" portion of this climb. Camp went up fast as we ran stoves for dinner and melted snow for drinking water. It is just after midnight now, and all are in bed. There is a thin layer of cloud still blocking our sun... but it isn't like it is the end of the world or anything. RMI Guide Dave Hahn

On The Map