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Posted by: JJ Justman, Casey Grom
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mount Rainier
Elevation: 10,600'
Posted by: Seth Waterfall
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Kilimanjaro
Posted by: Dominic Cifelli, Ben Luedtke, Michael Murray
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Aconcagua
Elevation: 18,000'
Two things sprung to mind when I was asked to do this post. First what my wife would say “another rest day, you go on vacation and you need rest days?” The other was why me - am I the best rester, is that my speciality?
This put me to think about this. Am I incapable of discussing the climbing/trekking days? Is that just too technical for me - walking uphill on a pile of gravel and sand everyday - left, right, breathe, left, right, breathe. Yeah, that is super technical so I’m never going to be out in that brigade.
However, am I the best rester, what about the rest of the bunch?
Start with the guides. They are never going to be assigned as superior resters. Job security with RMI suggests they’ll never get the rester job.
What about Norm, my tent mate? Norm never rests. Whether it’s out shooting beavers to make his wife’s world famous beaver stew, or do DIY around the house - shelves and presses to keep everything in place (he could do with some shelves in the tent!). No, not Norm.
Mikayla , hmmm? No not her either. On rest days Mikayla is off negotiating world peace and post Cold War detente with any passing Poles or Russians Mikayla is too focused on world peace.
Chris, surely an option. However, Chris is the best dressed person on the mountain. As we crawl from our tents every morning, covered in dust and stained with the remains of last night’s dinner, Chris is like James Bond - clean, sparkling. I’m positive he gets overnight Amazon deliveries of new gear. But I digress, is Chris a rester? No, Chris spends his rest time searching for the latest gadget or piece of gear. What’s the next 360 degree camera? Also Chris is an inventor and an environmental evangelist- something we didn’t know at the outset of this trip. His latest “the Oop stove” provides instant sustainable heat in your tent and solves the blue bag challenge. Also, even when I wake in the middle of the night I hear Chris doing some wind experiments. No, Chris’s rest days are his busiest days.
Finally the three lads - Andy, Jon, Ben. (Ben has been a champion sleeper since he reconnected with his sleeping bag). Whenever I ask Jon how his afternoon sleep went he replies “I had a great sleep”. So the anesthetist, the pathologist and the unsuspecting patient spend their afternoons doing some macabre fiendish high altitude medical research. It’s important that science progresses
Yeah, I guess I am the obvious choice.
So the rest day was just that. A quick 90 minute saunter up a nearby hill, that we somehow completed in 45 mins - thanks Ben L. An afternoon sharing all the excess food we carried to Camp 2. A charcuterie board, dates, granola. It was truly a rest day
Climber Myles O'Neil
New Post Alerts:
Aconcagua Expedition January 12, 2024
Myles you seem to be the only team member that knows the importance of a good rest day. Mikayla does like to practice her Russian; who knows maybe world peace can be negotiated on the top of a mountain.
I’m excited for each days blog as you get closer to the summit! Ever onward, ever higher!
Posted by: Michelle DeMers on 1/27/2024 at 5:55 am
That was a fun post to read. I think I have your new team name after seeing this set of pictures. “The Blue Man Group.” (Sorry Mikayla, I did want to excuse you, so that probably doesn’t work). Arc’teryx is drone dropping new gear daily. You all are so close. Time to dig deep. One foot in front of the other and just envision how good it is going to feel at the top resting while celebrating with hugs and fist-bumps.
Posted by: Ed DaPra on 1/26/2024 at 6:20 pm
Posted by: Casey Grom, Leon Davis
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mount Rainier
Elevation: 14,410'
Congrats Suz and Donna! What an unbelievably, beautiful sunny day to summit the mountain and what a great achievement!!! Way to Go! Kirsten & Frank
Posted by: Kirsten on 8/27/2019 at 5:26 pm
Congratulations to Donna and Suzanne and the rest of the Team ... Well done!!!
Posted by: Binotto Family on 8/27/2019 at 2:05 pm
Congratulations to my brother Bob and his friends - you guys rocked it!
Posted by: Ed Sanborn on 7/4/2014 at 1:51 pm
I am so very very proud and excited for my brother Bob.
Posted by: Mary Sanborn on 6/17/2014 at 7:41 am
On The Map
we have been thinking of you and glad to hear all is fine. been warm here in CT and undoubtedly cold there - we’d both benefit from something in between. most important, take care and stay safe.
Posted by: david areson on 5/17/2013 at 10:51 am
Posted by: Kel Rossiter
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mt. McKinley
On The Map
Thanks for blogging. Looking forward to following your progress. Have fun. See you soon!
Posted by: The Koch Family on 6/18/2011 at 4:30 am
Go Patrick! Denali waits for no man.
Posted by: Austin on 6/17/2011 at 10:01 am
Patience is the name of the game now. The rest and acclimation we get here will make us strong up high!
Ants-in-our-pants-o-meter: 7.8.
RMI Guide Billy Nugent
Hope the weather hold out for your team. Good luck and thanks for a great adventure last week.
Posted by: Gary Butcher on 6/1/2013 at 3:59 am
Looks like you guys had beautiful weather! I’m so jealous! Have fun and stay safe!
Posted by: Michaela on 5/31/2013 at 10:49 pm
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