No snow in minneapolis this year.A Christmas without snow just does not feel right in minneapolis. Kinda sucks!
Funny coming from an Indian who is a Hindu.
Sunday, December 25, 2011
Saturday, December 10, 2011
Are my achievements comparable to Sehwag?
Well, he scored 219 runs,the highest ever total in cricket one day international and I made a score of 204 in Bowling,my best score ever!
I think it is!
Two people producing their best ever in their lifetimes! :) Disagree?
This is how my play looked like
X 9 9/ X X X 9 9 X XXX = 204
I think it is!
Two people producing their best ever in their lifetimes! :) Disagree?
This is how my play looked like
X 9 9/ X X X 9 9 X XXX = 204
Saturday, December 03, 2011
VIVA MEXICO!
Had gone diving in Mexico for a week for thanksgiving and it was tremendous fun.
Great mexican food.Really! Vegetarians do have lot of options.Boy!I love tortilla's and Habenaro sauce.Chipotle - you suck in making tortilla's!
It was fun to drink coconut water out of coconuts after a very long time.
Fun haggling with roadside vendors who used to greet us with 'Namastes' and tried to attact us by saying 'Everything is 1 rupee' (Though it was not!)
Bribed myself out of a road violation ticket for 300 pesos with a traffic cop.
Friendly people and surprisingly clean cities.
Chichen Itza was wonderful and Tulum was spectacular.Coba and Ek balam were remote and secluded and very peaceful and had the mayan ruins mostly to ourselves to explore.
Diving wise it was pretty awesome, a lot of first's on my diving resume. First cavern diving,first night dive, First drift dive,First shark dive.We did 7 dives in 3 days.The second largest reef in world runs through mexico through yucatan peninsula which we happened to see during our deep dive.
The Bull shark dive was simply amazing.Had never observed sharks from so close quarters and we had about 14-15 of them swirling around us. Scary at first but then you get into your comfort zone knowing that they dont really care about you much unless you do something stupid like waving your arms at them or holding out your arm as to feed them,you can be rest assured you will be limbless within minutes. :)
The cavern dive had wonderful stalactites and stalagmites underwater.
The night dives are more spectacular than day dives marine life wise,saw a ton of moray eels,sea urchins,turtles,sting rays
It was a pity missing out on Cozumel because of dive permit confusions.Well,maybe next time.
VIVA MEXICO!
Jumping infront of Chichen-itza
More photos will be uploaded on my flickr later.
Wednesday, November 23, 2011
This will be Epic!!
I just read that the russians are trying to scale K2 this winter. Wow!! Seriously wow!! Read it here..
Keep a look out for these hardy men!
Keep a look out for these hardy men!
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
Guess what?
Guess what? I had Jerzy Kukuczka's 'My vertical world' delivered at my doorstep today morning and i didn't buy it or order it. Whoever sent it got me one of the greatest memorable gifts of my lifetime.Thank you very very much! You have no idea what this gesture means to me irrespective of how the book ends up as a read, I can't thank you enough. You should have really seen my face when i opened the package and saw the title on the book. :)
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
Kukuczka - Can you pronounce it??
Even i don't know how to pronounce it correctly after all these years of idolizing him.His complete name is Jerzy Kukuczka. To me he is the greatest high altitude mountaineer of all time,no second thoughts.The god of climbing in Himalayas.In my eyes he is far superior than Reinhold messner who is generally considered to be the greatest high altitude climber of all time being the first to climb all the 14 8000 meter peaks.
Jerzy Kukuczka was the second to do it.Sadly the world never remember's second placers,not in any sport or any sort of competition.
He climbed the 14 8000 ers in 8 years compared to Reinhold messner's 14 years and i believe holds the record for climbing all of them in the shortest duration. In the process, Kukuczka established ten new routes and climbed four summits in winter.
Out of the 14 mountains only 9 had been climbed in winter before 2010 and none in the Karakorum range, until last year when G2 was knocked off making it ten.
Of the 9 climbed before 2010,4 were done by Jerzy kuckzka.
To give an idea about how winter climbing compares,here is a write up i found on the web.
Winter is a whole different story with base camp having a average temperature of -20 and that gives the frostbite time in around 30 minutes. The average summit temperature is around -90 which gives a average frostbite time in just 5 minutes or less. Usually 3 out of 4 days the summit is blown with hurricane force winds. It's dry, very windy, cold , and dark. There is low humidity which is about the only plus of winter climbing.
For me the bench mark is his climb of K2 via the south face.
South Face or “Polish Line”- In 1986, Jerzy Kukuczka and Tadeusz Piotrowski summited on this route. This dangerous avalanche route is also called “Suicidal Route” as no one else even attempted it.
In my mind he is the greatest ever!
Why am i suddenly writing about him? Because,they are going to release a documentary about him. Read it here - http://www.explorersweb.com/everest_k2/news.php?id=20476.
I am really excited and looking forward to see this documentary on one of my climbing heroes.
Infact he has written an autobiography My Vertical World: Climbing the 8000-Metre Peaks which i have been trying to lay my hands upon for a long time. Its out of publication and the used ones sell at 149$ on Amazon,yikes!!I am still looking for a benefactor who has it and would lend it to me or even better present it to me. :)
Jerzy Kukuczka was the second to do it.Sadly the world never remember's second placers,not in any sport or any sort of competition.
He climbed the 14 8000 ers in 8 years compared to Reinhold messner's 14 years and i believe holds the record for climbing all of them in the shortest duration. In the process, Kukuczka established ten new routes and climbed four summits in winter.
Out of the 14 mountains only 9 had been climbed in winter before 2010 and none in the Karakorum range, until last year when G2 was knocked off making it ten.
Of the 9 climbed before 2010,4 were done by Jerzy kuckzka.
To give an idea about how winter climbing compares,here is a write up i found on the web.
Winter is a whole different story with base camp having a average temperature of -20 and that gives the frostbite time in around 30 minutes. The average summit temperature is around -90 which gives a average frostbite time in just 5 minutes or less. Usually 3 out of 4 days the summit is blown with hurricane force winds. It's dry, very windy, cold , and dark. There is low humidity which is about the only plus of winter climbing.
For me the bench mark is his climb of K2 via the south face.
South Face or “Polish Line”- In 1986, Jerzy Kukuczka and Tadeusz Piotrowski summited on this route. This dangerous avalanche route is also called “Suicidal Route” as no one else even attempted it.
In my mind he is the greatest ever!
Why am i suddenly writing about him? Because,they are going to release a documentary about him. Read it here - http://www.explorersweb.com/everest_k2/news.php?id=20476.
I am really excited and looking forward to see this documentary on one of my climbing heroes.
Infact he has written an autobiography My Vertical World: Climbing the 8000-Metre Peaks which i have been trying to lay my hands upon for a long time. Its out of publication and the used ones sell at 149$ on Amazon,yikes!!I am still looking for a benefactor who has it and would lend it to me or even better present it to me. :)
Sunday, October 23, 2011
E.S.POSTHUMUS
I have become a huge fan of this group.They are an independent group which produces cinematic style music.Wikipedia classifies them as modern classical,new age music,symphonic rock.Their music has been used in umpteen movies.Try them you might like it. My work out playlist is loaded with them,just inspiring music.
Saturday, August 20, 2011
Denali through videos..
Taking off from Talkeetna:
First view of Denali - It is massive and stands out in the alaskan range.
A closer view of Denali flying in:
Landing on the Kalhitna glacier:
Basecamp:
Moving from Basecamp to Camp 1
Typical day setting up Camp
Camp 1
Caching inbetween Camp 1 and Camp 2.View of the Kalhithna dome.
Moving Back to Camp 1 after caching.
Moving to 11K camp
14K camp
Moving to 17K camp from 14K
16K ridge on Denali
17K camp on Denali- Route description
Summit Video:
The day after summit-ting denali ,at 17K camp
Flying out of the Alaskan ranges(Long video)
First view of Denali - It is massive and stands out in the alaskan range.
A closer view of Denali flying in:
Landing on the Kalhitna glacier:
Basecamp:
Moving from Basecamp to Camp 1
Typical day setting up Camp
Camp 1
Caching inbetween Camp 1 and Camp 2.View of the Kalhithna dome.
Moving Back to Camp 1 after caching.
Moving to 11K camp
14K camp
Moving to 17K camp from 14K
16K ridge on Denali
17K camp on Denali- Route description
Summit Video:
The day after summit-ting denali ,at 17K camp
Flying out of the Alaskan ranges(Long video)
Thursday, August 18, 2011
Success rate on Denali
I was looking up the climbing statistics for this year on Denali,Out of a total 1203 registered climbers 641 summited, that brings the success rate to 53%
The NPS website contains statistics from 1903.As of now a total of 37278 people have attempted and 19518 people have summitted bringing the overall success ratio to 52.35%.
More information at below link
http://www.nps.gov/dena/planyourvisit/current-statistics.htm
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
Road to Denali ..
The Beginning:
It all started after Rainier in June 2010. I did not summit Rainier because of dangerous avalanche conditions but i knew i could have climbed it if the conditions were good.After my gradual progression in climbing i had come to a stage where i wanted something bigger.The choice was obvious - 'Denali', but i was not sure if i was ready for it.I was not sure if it was still a couple of years away or was it now?But i knew in my heart that i wanted to do it.I had sleepless night's thinking about it,looking and reading up anything and everything on Denali all the time and trying to make up my mind whether i was ready for it.It was a huge commitment from my side in many ways financially,physically,psychologically,work wise,utilizing off all my leaves which i had saved so far.I was questioning my physical abilities the most,could i carry 100+ pounds over 16 miles over 21 days, my ability to be out in extreme cold for 21 days,my mental stamina,how would my body react at 20,000 feet?the highest i had been to was 14,500 feet on mount Whitney and i did fine, but Denali standing at 20,320 feet is a good 6000 feet more and i have read enough articles on people suffering from high altitude sickness to take it for granted.
After endless questions and rolling overs in bed i finally decided to send my friend Chris a mail to check with him what he thought about my abilities.Chris and i have climbed several times together, he has seen me on ice,rock and alpine conditions and thought he would be one of the best judges and to top it he had scaled Denali the year before in 2010 and would know what is required and whether i would be able to do it.After some assurances from Chris i decided to take the plunge and Chris wrote this recommendation letter to AMS.
Chris wrote this out to Alaska mountaineering school on Nov 12th.
On Fri, Nov 12, 2010 at 2:27 PM, Christopher Wright wrote:
Hey Julia (and Caitlyn, and who else is in Talkeetna?),
Hope all's well with you guys and you're getting set for the short days to come. Just wanted to drop you a line to say I think Mayur should be a great fit for a West Butt expedition. We've climbed together a bunch in the alpine and on ice and rock throughout the last few years and I think he should surely have what it takes. I've lined him out a bit on some training he might want to get into, maybe a bit more winter camping, but I think he'll slay it.
I think personally this email was the best motivator for me to put my fears behind and go for it. Irrespective of whether Chris really thought i was capable or not he did not discourage me and helped me throughout my training giving me useful tips.I owe a lot to Chris for his help.
Alaska Mountaineering School based on my climbing record and Chris's recommendation immediately accepted my application. I chose the date of June 6-26th and i spoke with my bosses at work for three weeks leave,my immediate manager did not want to take the call so he made his boss have a meeting with me where i explained what i wanted to do and why i needed the leave.It was more like a sales pitch marketing myself that i would safe and am a competent climber and knew what i was doing.The super boss decided to grant me leave and asked me to come back safe. I guess i am thankful to my employers in a way for letting me go. :)
Training
Once i decided to take the plunge in November of last year i knew i had to get a lot of things done in the next 7 months. I had to plan the logistics out - i had to book my flight tickets at the cheapest rates,get all the gear(again wanted it cheap,i am a cheapo that way),get to know my team mates,get to know my guides but most importantly i had to get my body ready!
They say the best way to train for climbing is climbing itself !!
I knew i was at a great disadvantage being in Minnesota,Minnesota is flat!!Not the greatest of places to train to climb the highest mountain in north america.There was not even a small hill within miles to go climb and train.
But i also knew i had the greatest advantage being in Minnesota,Minnesota is Super COLD!! Denali is colder than Everest it seems and Minnesota winter is as cold or colder than Denali(during summer).(I personally agree as I have encountered colder temperatures in Minnesota than what i encountered on Denali,maybe we were lucky). With winter coming up i knew i had the perfect playground to train myself for the cold and test out all my gear.
I found these two great training guides on the AAI website which i used as a template for my training.training chart ,training guide.
I joined the gym and there was an indoor cycling program which i joined as i could not cycle outside because of winter conditions.There were these two great instructors who had their classes on Tuesday's and Thursday's who literally tore the legs off you in their program. I made it a point never to miss their classes,i literally cried and cheated on my first few weeks as my legs and heart could not sustain their tempo but gradually as my fitness improved i improved in their class. I started running outside in the cold,first on the pavements and then in snow.( inspiration from Rocky 4).I incorporated swimming once a week and i used to go to a indoor pool at my friend's apartment.Initially i was focused on improving my cardio, then i started working on my core/legs and back. I started hitting weights in the gym specific to these areas. As a substitute for climbing i started using the stair master in my gym.As part of the training program i had to start climbing with a backpack and i was embarrassed to do it in the gym as there were too many people gawking at me and asking questions, I decided to improvise.I went to the highest skyscrapers in Minneapolis downtown and checked with the security folks whether i could use the stairs to train for my climb,all of them refused.I realized that one of my friends lived in a 17 floor apartment, i asked her whether i could use the fire stairs for the training and use her name to enter in and out of the apartment and she agreed.So i used to go to her apartment with a backpack and began to go up and down the stairs. On days i could not make it to her apartment i used to carry a backpack and walk around the frozen lakes.It used to be beautiful,walking alone in a white world.Once the weather started getting warmer i took my road bike out and started training on that.
So i used to cycle,swim,run,climb stairs or the stair master and lift weights. I made it a point to exercise in someway almost everyday. Towards the end of the program i averaged 6-8 miles of running and on one day took it as far as 17 miles running.I cycled around 25 miles average but hit 50 miles on one motivated day,used to swim 50 laps but did 100 laps one day.Averaged 6 miles with a 70 pound backpack and once walked 11 miles with a 65 pound pack. Maxed 350 floors carrying a 65 pound backpack or averaged 2 hours on the stair master. I did a trip to California one weekend for a Yanni concert and felt so guilty about not training that i ended up carrying a 40 pound backpack upto the top of mission peak.Thanks to Karthik for showing me the documentary on Denali which spooked me out and made me intensify my training even more. :)
I must thank Jasmine and Pranav who kept motivating me on days i felt a little bit lazy and used to urge me to go out.
Gear:
I knew that i had to spend a lot on gear.Yeah! The best mountaineering gear dont come cheap. An absolute zero parka costs 650$,The spantik boots cost 700$,The outdoor research gloves cost 200$,A -40F sleeping bag cost 700$.Yeah!No kidding.
Here is an entire lexicon of what is required - Gear list, lexicon
I put a post on one of the mountaineering forums that do i really need these costly gear to climb Denali and these were a few replies.
'Yes!!Just look at all your toes and fingers and see if its worth 1000$,if you don't think its worth that much,then dont buy the gear else buy it'
'If you are staying at 17,000 camp, without a higher rating parka would be miserable. Put it this way, you are spending boatload of money and time on this trip, do you really want to cut your trip short because the additional $300?'
I think these posts had me convinced.I started scournging for used stuff in good condition everywhere,on craigslists,on mountaineering forums,on ebay,looking for sales on websites. I ended up getting an almost brandnew Marmot -40 bag worth 700$ for 300$ from a Minnesota climber who took it to climb Denali,made it to the top and never used it later on.I got a brand new absolute zero parka for 270$ from back country ,its actual cost is 650$.I got a brand new 200$ black diamond gloves from craigslist for 75$ because the guy found it a size too small and had no takers for it.I got my Spantiks for real cheap on an online sale,the size ordered was wrong but the online site was good enough to send me the correct size without charging me anything extra. I think i spent nearly 3 months to assemble all the gear but it was well worth it as i saved a lot.
This guy here has one of the best trip reports on Denali .
Travel:
Airline tickets - Flying to Alaska from Minneapolis can cost between 600-800$, i ended up using my delta skymiles of 40,000 miles and getting a free round trip ticket.
Travel from Anchorage to Talkeetna - One of my teammates was from Anchorage and he offered to pick me up at the airport and go together to Talkeetna.Otherwise it will cost one about 60-80$ each way depending on whether you take the train or a shuttle.
Accomodation:
At Talkeetna i stayed at the Talkeetna hostel which charged 20$ a nite for a bunk.It was pretty decent with decent baths and toilets.
At Anchorage,I arranged to stay with Lacole who happens to be the wife of my climbing friend Phillip, she had recently moved to Anchorage and Phillip was to join couple of months later and they graciously agreed to have me over at their place.They moved from Charlotte,NC to Anchorage.
I was all set!! Now i just had to go and do it!
I must agree that i really enjoyed the process of preparing for Denali as much as i enjoyed the experience of actually climbing it and reaching the summit. It was a really long process but well worth in the end.
It all started after Rainier in June 2010. I did not summit Rainier because of dangerous avalanche conditions but i knew i could have climbed it if the conditions were good.After my gradual progression in climbing i had come to a stage where i wanted something bigger.The choice was obvious - 'Denali', but i was not sure if i was ready for it.I was not sure if it was still a couple of years away or was it now?But i knew in my heart that i wanted to do it.I had sleepless night's thinking about it,looking and reading up anything and everything on Denali all the time and trying to make up my mind whether i was ready for it.It was a huge commitment from my side in many ways financially,physically,psychologically,work wise,utilizing off all my leaves which i had saved so far.I was questioning my physical abilities the most,could i carry 100+ pounds over 16 miles over 21 days, my ability to be out in extreme cold for 21 days,my mental stamina,how would my body react at 20,000 feet?the highest i had been to was 14,500 feet on mount Whitney and i did fine, but Denali standing at 20,320 feet is a good 6000 feet more and i have read enough articles on people suffering from high altitude sickness to take it for granted.
After endless questions and rolling overs in bed i finally decided to send my friend Chris a mail to check with him what he thought about my abilities.Chris and i have climbed several times together, he has seen me on ice,rock and alpine conditions and thought he would be one of the best judges and to top it he had scaled Denali the year before in 2010 and would know what is required and whether i would be able to do it.After some assurances from Chris i decided to take the plunge and Chris wrote this recommendation letter to AMS.
Chris wrote this out to Alaska mountaineering school on Nov 12th.
On Fri, Nov 12, 2010 at 2:27 PM, Christopher Wright wrote:
Hey Julia (and Caitlyn, and who else is in Talkeetna?),
Hope all's well with you guys and you're getting set for the short days to come. Just wanted to drop you a line to say I think Mayur should be a great fit for a West Butt expedition. We've climbed together a bunch in the alpine and on ice and rock throughout the last few years and I think he should surely have what it takes. I've lined him out a bit on some training he might want to get into, maybe a bit more winter camping, but I think he'll slay it.
I think personally this email was the best motivator for me to put my fears behind and go for it. Irrespective of whether Chris really thought i was capable or not he did not discourage me and helped me throughout my training giving me useful tips.I owe a lot to Chris for his help.
Alaska Mountaineering School based on my climbing record and Chris's recommendation immediately accepted my application. I chose the date of June 6-26th and i spoke with my bosses at work for three weeks leave,my immediate manager did not want to take the call so he made his boss have a meeting with me where i explained what i wanted to do and why i needed the leave.It was more like a sales pitch marketing myself that i would safe and am a competent climber and knew what i was doing.The super boss decided to grant me leave and asked me to come back safe. I guess i am thankful to my employers in a way for letting me go. :)
Training
Once i decided to take the plunge in November of last year i knew i had to get a lot of things done in the next 7 months. I had to plan the logistics out - i had to book my flight tickets at the cheapest rates,get all the gear(again wanted it cheap,i am a cheapo that way),get to know my team mates,get to know my guides but most importantly i had to get my body ready!
They say the best way to train for climbing is climbing itself !!
I knew i was at a great disadvantage being in Minnesota,Minnesota is flat!!Not the greatest of places to train to climb the highest mountain in north america.There was not even a small hill within miles to go climb and train.
But i also knew i had the greatest advantage being in Minnesota,Minnesota is Super COLD!! Denali is colder than Everest it seems and Minnesota winter is as cold or colder than Denali(during summer).(I personally agree as I have encountered colder temperatures in Minnesota than what i encountered on Denali,maybe we were lucky). With winter coming up i knew i had the perfect playground to train myself for the cold and test out all my gear.
I found these two great training guides on the AAI website which i used as a template for my training.training chart ,training guide.
I joined the gym and there was an indoor cycling program which i joined as i could not cycle outside because of winter conditions.There were these two great instructors who had their classes on Tuesday's and Thursday's who literally tore the legs off you in their program. I made it a point never to miss their classes,i literally cried and cheated on my first few weeks as my legs and heart could not sustain their tempo but gradually as my fitness improved i improved in their class. I started running outside in the cold,first on the pavements and then in snow.( inspiration from Rocky 4).I incorporated swimming once a week and i used to go to a indoor pool at my friend's apartment.Initially i was focused on improving my cardio, then i started working on my core/legs and back. I started hitting weights in the gym specific to these areas. As a substitute for climbing i started using the stair master in my gym.As part of the training program i had to start climbing with a backpack and i was embarrassed to do it in the gym as there were too many people gawking at me and asking questions, I decided to improvise.I went to the highest skyscrapers in Minneapolis downtown and checked with the security folks whether i could use the stairs to train for my climb,all of them refused.I realized that one of my friends lived in a 17 floor apartment, i asked her whether i could use the fire stairs for the training and use her name to enter in and out of the apartment and she agreed.So i used to go to her apartment with a backpack and began to go up and down the stairs. On days i could not make it to her apartment i used to carry a backpack and walk around the frozen lakes.It used to be beautiful,walking alone in a white world.Once the weather started getting warmer i took my road bike out and started training on that.
So i used to cycle,swim,run,climb stairs or the stair master and lift weights. I made it a point to exercise in someway almost everyday. Towards the end of the program i averaged 6-8 miles of running and on one day took it as far as 17 miles running.I cycled around 25 miles average but hit 50 miles on one motivated day,used to swim 50 laps but did 100 laps one day.Averaged 6 miles with a 70 pound backpack and once walked 11 miles with a 65 pound pack. Maxed 350 floors carrying a 65 pound backpack or averaged 2 hours on the stair master. I did a trip to California one weekend for a Yanni concert and felt so guilty about not training that i ended up carrying a 40 pound backpack upto the top of mission peak.Thanks to Karthik for showing me the documentary on Denali which spooked me out and made me intensify my training even more. :)
I must thank Jasmine and Pranav who kept motivating me on days i felt a little bit lazy and used to urge me to go out.
Gear:
I knew that i had to spend a lot on gear.Yeah! The best mountaineering gear dont come cheap. An absolute zero parka costs 650$,The spantik boots cost 700$,The outdoor research gloves cost 200$,A -40F sleeping bag cost 700$.Yeah!No kidding.
Here is an entire lexicon of what is required - Gear list, lexicon
I put a post on one of the mountaineering forums that do i really need these costly gear to climb Denali and these were a few replies.
'Yes!!Just look at all your toes and fingers and see if its worth 1000$,if you don't think its worth that much,then dont buy the gear else buy it'
'If you are staying at 17,000 camp, without a higher rating parka would be miserable. Put it this way, you are spending boatload of money and time on this trip, do you really want to cut your trip short because the additional $300?'
I think these posts had me convinced.I started scournging for used stuff in good condition everywhere,on craigslists,on mountaineering forums,on ebay,looking for sales on websites. I ended up getting an almost brandnew Marmot -40 bag worth 700$ for 300$ from a Minnesota climber who took it to climb Denali,made it to the top and never used it later on.I got a brand new absolute zero parka for 270$ from back country ,its actual cost is 650$.I got a brand new 200$ black diamond gloves from craigslist for 75$ because the guy found it a size too small and had no takers for it.I got my Spantiks for real cheap on an online sale,the size ordered was wrong but the online site was good enough to send me the correct size without charging me anything extra. I think i spent nearly 3 months to assemble all the gear but it was well worth it as i saved a lot.
This guy here has one of the best trip reports on Denali .
Travel:
Airline tickets - Flying to Alaska from Minneapolis can cost between 600-800$, i ended up using my delta skymiles of 40,000 miles and getting a free round trip ticket.
Travel from Anchorage to Talkeetna - One of my teammates was from Anchorage and he offered to pick me up at the airport and go together to Talkeetna.Otherwise it will cost one about 60-80$ each way depending on whether you take the train or a shuttle.
Accomodation:
At Talkeetna i stayed at the Talkeetna hostel which charged 20$ a nite for a bunk.It was pretty decent with decent baths and toilets.
At Anchorage,I arranged to stay with Lacole who happens to be the wife of my climbing friend Phillip, she had recently moved to Anchorage and Phillip was to join couple of months later and they graciously agreed to have me over at their place.They moved from Charlotte,NC to Anchorage.
I was all set!! Now i just had to go and do it!
I must agree that i really enjoyed the process of preparing for Denali as much as i enjoyed the experience of actually climbing it and reaching the summit. It was a really long process but well worth in the end.
Saturday, August 06, 2011
Timeline on Denali
Day 1 - Group photo and we leave for the Kalhitna glacier with Talkeetna air.We land on the glacier at 6 PM in the evening. We set up camp and take food.Basecamp is 6900 feet.
From L to R - Robert,John,Mike,Jon,Josh,Helen,Brady and myself.
Day 2 - We get up at 2 AM and leave basecamp at 4 AM to Camp 1.Camp 1 is across the Kalhitna glacier.We reach Camp 1 at around 10 AM and set up camp.Camp is at 7800 feet.
Day 3 - We get up at 1:00 AM and do a carry till 10,000 feet,cache the stuff on Kalhitna pass and get back to Camp 1 around 11 AM.
Day 4 - We get up at 1:00 AM again and pack camp and move to Camp 2 at 11,200 feet.We reach camp at around 10 AM and set up camp.
Day 5 - We have a easy day,leave camp at 10 AM go down to 10,000 to get back our cache and get it to Camp 2.We are back by around 1 PM.
Day 6 - We are up at 1:30 AM ,start at 3:00 AM climb till 13,500 feet and cache beyond the windy corner and get back to Camp 2 by around 9 AM.
Day 7 - We move to Camp 3 at 14,200 feet.Leave camp at 4 AM and reach at 10 AM.
Day 8 - We go back to 13,500 and get back the cache to Camp 3.Around 3 hour round trip.
Day 9 - We climb the headwall and cache stuff at 16000 feet and get back to camp 3 at 14,200 feet. About 6 hours round trip.
Day 10 - Rest day at Camp 3.
Day 11 - We move to High camp at 17,200 feet,on the way up we carry the cache stowed at 16000 feet.This was the hardest day for me. We left at 6 AM in the morning and reached high camp at 5 PM in the evening.
Day 12 - rest day.
Day 13 - We leave at 9:30 AM in the morning towards the summit. We reach the Summit at 6:06 PM in the evening.We spend about half an hour and return back to high camp at around 11:30 PM.
Day 14 - We start at 12 PM from high camp at 17,200 feet in the afternoon and descend back all the way till Camp 1 at 7800 feet.We stop at 4 AM in the morning and set up camp as Jon and John both are suffering because of the 16 hour push.
Day 15 - We rest at Camp 1 at 7800 feet.
Day 16 - We start at 3 AM and cross the heavily crevassed Kalhitna glacier to basecamp.We fly out at 7 PM from the glacier to Talkeetna.
From L to R - Robert,John,Mike,Jon,Josh,Helen,Brady and myself.
Day 2 - We get up at 2 AM and leave basecamp at 4 AM to Camp 1.Camp 1 is across the Kalhitna glacier.We reach Camp 1 at around 10 AM and set up camp.Camp is at 7800 feet.
Day 3 - We get up at 1:00 AM and do a carry till 10,000 feet,cache the stuff on Kalhitna pass and get back to Camp 1 around 11 AM.
Day 4 - We get up at 1:00 AM again and pack camp and move to Camp 2 at 11,200 feet.We reach camp at around 10 AM and set up camp.
Day 5 - We have a easy day,leave camp at 10 AM go down to 10,000 to get back our cache and get it to Camp 2.We are back by around 1 PM.
Day 6 - We are up at 1:30 AM ,start at 3:00 AM climb till 13,500 feet and cache beyond the windy corner and get back to Camp 2 by around 9 AM.
Day 7 - We move to Camp 3 at 14,200 feet.Leave camp at 4 AM and reach at 10 AM.
Day 8 - We go back to 13,500 and get back the cache to Camp 3.Around 3 hour round trip.
Day 9 - We climb the headwall and cache stuff at 16000 feet and get back to camp 3 at 14,200 feet. About 6 hours round trip.
Day 10 - Rest day at Camp 3.
Day 11 - We move to High camp at 17,200 feet,on the way up we carry the cache stowed at 16000 feet.This was the hardest day for me. We left at 6 AM in the morning and reached high camp at 5 PM in the evening.
Day 12 - rest day.
Day 13 - We leave at 9:30 AM in the morning towards the summit. We reach the Summit at 6:06 PM in the evening.We spend about half an hour and return back to high camp at around 11:30 PM.
Day 14 - We start at 12 PM from high camp at 17,200 feet in the afternoon and descend back all the way till Camp 1 at 7800 feet.We stop at 4 AM in the morning and set up camp as Jon and John both are suffering because of the 16 hour push.
Day 15 - We rest at Camp 1 at 7800 feet.
Day 16 - We start at 3 AM and cross the heavily crevassed Kalhitna glacier to basecamp.We fly out at 7 PM from the glacier to Talkeetna.
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
Godspeed, my brother!
Monday shall be a new morning
one never seen before
my brother, you shall scale a height unseen before
as the known forms of life fade away and all you have are your climbing buddies,
know that the sun shining on a cloudless afternoon is your best teacher
the billion stars on that chilly night shall shine as bright as your dreams
the calm, smiling moon shall be your friend and soul mate
don't shudder if an unexpected challenge comes
its just mother earth's way of saying "I love you and i'll take care of you"
may fortitude be your armor
rock on my brother! Godspeed!
I have recollected this poem a hundred times on Denali which gave me a lot of strength.Thanks to this very special person who sent it to me before i climbed denali and who has made a ton of difference in my life!
one never seen before
my brother, you shall scale a height unseen before
as the known forms of life fade away and all you have are your climbing buddies,
know that the sun shining on a cloudless afternoon is your best teacher
the billion stars on that chilly night shall shine as bright as your dreams
the calm, smiling moon shall be your friend and soul mate
don't shudder if an unexpected challenge comes
its just mother earth's way of saying "I love you and i'll take care of you"
may fortitude be your armor
rock on my brother! Godspeed!
I have recollected this poem a hundred times on Denali which gave me a lot of strength.Thanks to this very special person who sent it to me before i climbed denali and who has made a ton of difference in my life!
I wish I could find this girl!!
Her name was Marissa!
I was on a boat cruise in Alaska at Portege glacier to see the glaciers calving.It was a beautiful place and i was busy clicking on my camera.Then she approached me.I could sense the curiosity on her countenance.Her first question was 'Where are you from'? I replied 'From India'. She - 'You have come a long way,where is your group?'.Me -'I am here by myself'.She -'Oh?'.I could see she didn't know what to say next -so i said 'I am here to climb Denali which i will begin in 3 days and i am just spending some time sightseeing'. She - 'Oh!Its a dangerous mountain,i hope you take care'.I said 'I will'.Then i asked where she was from and made small chitchat,i don't remember anything about her apart from her name which she said was 'Marissa'. She said 'take care' and moved away and i went back to my camera. It was just another casual friendly talk which you normally have with complete strangers on your vacations which has no bearing on your memory a few hours later.But little did i know that this was going to turn out a bit different.
After a few minutes she was back.She - 'I want to pray for you'. Me(taken aback) - 'what?'. She - 'Can i hold your hand and pray for you?Please'. I did not know what to say,i dumbly held out my hand. She took my hand and she uttered a sort of grace to god asking him to keep me safe and strong and to give me strength to climb the mountain safely and go back to my family and loved ones safely. I was deeply touched!! I suddenly felt a deep connection with this girl who was just a stranger a few minutes back.
I mumbled 'Thank you'. Then i asked whether i can take a photo of her and with her.She agreed.We had almost reached the end of our cruise trip and she bid a final 'Stay safe' and left with her group. I kept staring after her for sometime digesting what just happened and then i left the boat myself.
I came back safe and successful from Denali and i wish i knew where she was to just let her know that 'I am safe and thanks for your prayers'.
A total stranger touched my life and gave me strength when i least expected it.Just makes me muse about life and good people.
I was on a boat cruise in Alaska at Portege glacier to see the glaciers calving.It was a beautiful place and i was busy clicking on my camera.Then she approached me.I could sense the curiosity on her countenance.Her first question was 'Where are you from'? I replied 'From India'. She - 'You have come a long way,where is your group?'.Me -'I am here by myself'.She -'Oh?'.I could see she didn't know what to say next -so i said 'I am here to climb Denali which i will begin in 3 days and i am just spending some time sightseeing'. She - 'Oh!Its a dangerous mountain,i hope you take care'.I said 'I will'.Then i asked where she was from and made small chitchat,i don't remember anything about her apart from her name which she said was 'Marissa'. She said 'take care' and moved away and i went back to my camera. It was just another casual friendly talk which you normally have with complete strangers on your vacations which has no bearing on your memory a few hours later.But little did i know that this was going to turn out a bit different.
After a few minutes she was back.She - 'I want to pray for you'. Me(taken aback) - 'what?'. She - 'Can i hold your hand and pray for you?Please'. I did not know what to say,i dumbly held out my hand. She took my hand and she uttered a sort of grace to god asking him to keep me safe and strong and to give me strength to climb the mountain safely and go back to my family and loved ones safely. I was deeply touched!! I suddenly felt a deep connection with this girl who was just a stranger a few minutes back.
I mumbled 'Thank you'. Then i asked whether i can take a photo of her and with her.She agreed.We had almost reached the end of our cruise trip and she bid a final 'Stay safe' and left with her group. I kept staring after her for sometime digesting what just happened and then i left the boat myself.
I came back safe and successful from Denali and i wish i knew where she was to just let her know that 'I am safe and thanks for your prayers'.
A total stranger touched my life and gave me strength when i least expected it.Just makes me muse about life and good people.
Citizens of the world!
Here is how the conversation went!
Person 1: You know! I am gay!
Person 2: And I am a lesbian.
Person 3: And I am straight!
Everyone laughs and raise the wine glasses.
Person 1: You know! I am gay!
Person 2: And I am a lesbian.
Person 3: And I am straight!
Everyone laughs and raise the wine glasses.
Monday, July 11, 2011
Breathe in,wheeeeez ...breathe out,Huuuufff ..breathe in,wheeeez...breathe out....Huuuuffff. 'One step', 'One step', 'One step'.... I am staring at my feet and the rope in between my feet and mentally uttering 'One step' for every step i take.I am just following the rope, I dare not look up. In this oxygen replete atmosphere,every step is an effort,the body is tired and fatigued and refuses to move.In such a state looking up and seeing how far to go would be extremely demotivating. My mind is swirling with negative thoughts about giving up.I try to block these negative thoughts and just focus on the one step my leg is taking.
Suddenly Jon shouts from behind,its as if he was reading my mind - 'Don't give up guys!! We are almost there. We started it together and we will finish it together.One step at a time!'. His words infuse new energy and determination which will last about 10 minutes and again the agony will start creeping in. I am at 18,500 feet on Denali, the highest peak in the north American continent.
Then i looked up! My heart sank,i knew the summit was still a good 4-5 hours away.The negative thoughts came now in heavy gusts.The cold was creeping in and hope was diminishing.But still somewhere in the deep of my heart i knew i wanted to do it and would regret it a lot if i turned back which would be the easiest thing to do.This something(possibly desire,possibly an answer to a question,possibly to prove something to myself) kept me going.I painfully continued.Breathe in,wheeeeez ...breathe out,Huuuufff ..breathe in,wheeeez...breathe out....Huuuuffff. 'One step', 'One step', 'One step'....
Suddenly Jon shouts from behind,its as if he was reading my mind - 'Don't give up guys!! We are almost there. We started it together and we will finish it together.One step at a time!'. His words infuse new energy and determination which will last about 10 minutes and again the agony will start creeping in. I am at 18,500 feet on Denali, the highest peak in the north American continent.
Then i looked up! My heart sank,i knew the summit was still a good 4-5 hours away.The negative thoughts came now in heavy gusts.The cold was creeping in and hope was diminishing.But still somewhere in the deep of my heart i knew i wanted to do it and would regret it a lot if i turned back which would be the easiest thing to do.This something(possibly desire,possibly an answer to a question,possibly to prove something to myself) kept me going.I painfully continued.Breathe in,wheeeeez ...breathe out,Huuuufff ..breathe in,wheeeez...breathe out....Huuuuffff. 'One step', 'One step', 'One step'....
I realized a dream..
On June 18th 6:06 PM Alaskan time i realized one of my life dreams, to stand on top of the North american continent.I stood on top of Mount Mckinley aka Denali on June 18th,2011 at 6:06 PM. It was a really proud and emotional moment.
My entire team reached the top.
A jubilant me!
A proud moment!
My entire team reached the top.
A jubilant me!
A proud moment!
Sunday, May 29, 2011
One more week!!
I am excited. Next week same time i will be in Talkeetna preparing for my climb.Last minute shopping to be finished today and tomorrow.
Monday, May 16, 2011
Saturday, May 14, 2011
Thursday, May 12, 2011
'Sore butts are not a happy feeling'
My butt is sore and my leg aches with every push.I have a very new appreciation to the likes of armstrong's,contador's,schlek's who participate in the tour de france and have begun to accept them as super-human's.I have no bloody damn clue how they manage to ride 3000 odd Kms in 20 odd days.I bow down to them,their motivation, their super human strength and pain thresholds.
Today i was extremely motivated and pushed myself to do a 41 mile bike ride on my road bike.Let me tell you a 'life' lesson learnt - 'sore butts are not a happy feeling'. I could not sit on my bike for the last few miles.My legs hurt with every pedal stroke and i literally cried when i finally got off my bike. I could not walk for the first five minutes and was hobbling around like a penguin. Then came the task of lifting and taking my bike four levels up to my house on the stairs.That, My dear friends is pain personified!! None of you should ever go through that and if you piss me off i will definitely wish that pain upon you as it was the most unbearable pain ever!!Imagine a really sore butt and failing legs and having to climb four floors with the a bike on your shoulders.
All in all i was really glad when i came back home and simply dumped everything and flopped on my bed and that was the most heavenly feeling ever.I could hear my butts almost smothering me with their thank yous and in matter of minutes i happily drifted off to sleep.
On 'hind' thought i think it was a painful experience 'Butt' I feel I should take another shot at it.
Some people are stupid and never learn.Do they :)
Today i was extremely motivated and pushed myself to do a 41 mile bike ride on my road bike.Let me tell you a 'life' lesson learnt - 'sore butts are not a happy feeling'. I could not sit on my bike for the last few miles.My legs hurt with every pedal stroke and i literally cried when i finally got off my bike. I could not walk for the first five minutes and was hobbling around like a penguin. Then came the task of lifting and taking my bike four levels up to my house on the stairs.That, My dear friends is pain personified!! None of you should ever go through that and if you piss me off i will definitely wish that pain upon you as it was the most unbearable pain ever!!Imagine a really sore butt and failing legs and having to climb four floors with the a bike on your shoulders.
All in all i was really glad when i came back home and simply dumped everything and flopped on my bed and that was the most heavenly feeling ever.I could hear my butts almost smothering me with their thank yous and in matter of minutes i happily drifted off to sleep.
On 'hind' thought i think it was a painful experience 'Butt' I feel I should take another shot at it.
Some people are stupid and never learn.Do they :)
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Go Yanni!!
This was a long time coming but it finally happened.Having listened to Yanni for years I finally got to see him perform live in San francisco last weekend.It was fun and his group played a really good collection of songs.I had great company with my cousins and it was a gorgeous day at SFO topped with some amazing Masala dosa and sambar vada at a place called 'DOSA' in downtown SFO.You couldn't ask for more!!
Sunday, May 01, 2011
My Mountain Hardware absolute zero parka is here.Supposedly the warmest and burliest parka on the planet.It is worn in all the extreme places on earth(Everest,north pole, Antarctica,..you name it and its been there).People dream about owning a lot of things in life but i am willing to bet it will not be the warmest piece of clothing ever invented by Man till date. :) Even i did not but i just did dibs on that.:) Born in one of the warmest places on the planet and currently living in one of the coldest places and in a month going to one of the most extreme places on planet earth.People talk about diversity in many different ways,can it get more diverse than this? :)
Below is a cute model trying it out.
Below is a cute model trying it out.
Saturday, February 05, 2011
no more sorrow
It was one of the coolest concerts i had gone to, better than their 2008 concert at the same venue.
Prani and myself had gone to the Linkin park concert on Jan 28th at the Excel energy center in St.Paul. Pushed and squeezed ourself to the front and it was well worth the effort.Seeing them up close was really something.Guess we squeezed the maximum juice out of our lemons.Lol!!
Some videos and photos from the concert.
Prani and myself had gone to the Linkin park concert on Jan 28th at the Excel energy center in St.Paul. Pushed and squeezed ourself to the front and it was well worth the effort.Seeing them up close was really something.Guess we squeezed the maximum juice out of our lemons.Lol!!
Some videos and photos from the concert.
Saturday, January 22, 2011
Poomplamoose
check them out on Youtube, they are an extremely creative couple who have risen to fame by recreating and recording music in their rooms.The girl is extremely cute.
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
I felt as if i met god!
Well almost..Atleast i know how it might feel if i accidentally met god!Hmm.. whom did i meet that deserves such comparisons to the great one itself? Please bear in mind that there are different religions,different beliefs and different gods for different people,a god for one need not be a god for another,so you will have to read this with a pinch of salt expecting an anti-climax.:) But heck,this is my blog!
Not digressing let me continue, I had gone on a 3 day ice climbing trip to Ouray,yes,once again!I loved that place so much last year,i had to visit the 'switzerland of united states' once more and climb there.It was three days of great climbing with its own stories which i will fast forward and get to the third day evening which was our last night at Ouray. We were having dinner at a place called 'The outlaw',a so called wild west themed restaurant with all cowboy outfits,horse shoes,cowboy photos adorning the walls.
Phillip,Gary,Chuck and myself were having a swell time having good food and recollecting the last three day events and pulling each other's legs.Then suddenly we hear a 'Happy birthday' song,we turn and see its a young girl with two adults two tables behind us and its the young girls birthday.We turn around to look,smile and return back to our talking.
But that momentary glance left me feeling funny,i felt that i somehow had seen one person in that table somewhere else,I could not figure out who immediately.I glanced back couple of times but could not get a complete view as the person was turned in an angle where i could just see the side profile.I kept racking my brain while i was talking with my friends to figure who it was.
We were done with our dinner and had paid our bills and were ready to leave.As we were leaving I had one last look at this person and suddenly it dawned upon me that this person looked like Dave Hahn.I stopped Phillip who was reaching for the restaurant door and said 'Hey Phillip,doesn't that guy in that corner look like Dave Hahn?'.Phillip had a look and said 'He does look like Dave Hahn,lets check'.So both of us turn back and go over to this person's table.I remember clearly the sequence of events only till this point,The next few minutes are a total blur to me because of my excitement on realizing who the person was and i think this is how the conversation happened.
I say ' Excuse me'.This person looks up.'You look very familiar,Are you by any chance Dave Hahn?'.He says 'Yeah,I am Dave Hahn'. I am almost ready to faint.I can feel my heart pumping and my breathing getting heavy.
I think i said a series of 'Wow','I just can't believe it' and lot of other 'being awed' gibberish and having this feeling of being light headed. I ask 'I guess you have climbed everest..like.. 11 times?'. He says 'From what i can remember,i think the count last was 12'. That's it,It became beyond me to digest and comprehend anything anymore,I was kind of in a delirious state, I dont remember anything beyond that, I vaguely remember telling him about me being from India,how i admire him,etc,etc,etc ...I don't even know what Phillip said to him. I say inbetween 'Can we have a picture with you' and he says 'Sure'. The other gentleman at Dave's table offers to take the photo and clicks two photos.I gushingly say 'Its been an absolute privilege meeting you' or something like that and we depart.
In the photo below you can see Dave sitting behind us.From Left to right - Me,Phillip,Chuck and Gary.
Two photos Phillip and I took with Dave Hahn.
Some stats i pulled from Wiki on Dave Hahn -
In May 2010 he reached the summit of Mt. Everest for the 12th time - the most for a non-Sherpa climber.[1] Among Hahn’s other notable accomplishments are his world-record 26 summits of Vinson Massif, Antarctica’s highest mountain. He has been to the summit of Mount McKinley (originally called Denali) in Alaska, North America’s highest peak, 19 times over the course of 26 expeditions.
This guy is like a living climbing legend,he was part of the expedition which discovered George Mallory's body on everest.He is one the climbers i have admired a lot and been in awe of his super human capabilities.I had not thought in my wildest dreams that i will ever meet him in person in my lifetime. I guess destiny has a weird way of inter-crossing people lives and I sure am thankful to her for letting me meet Dave Hahn which has left a very deep impact on me.
Not digressing let me continue, I had gone on a 3 day ice climbing trip to Ouray,yes,once again!I loved that place so much last year,i had to visit the 'switzerland of united states' once more and climb there.It was three days of great climbing with its own stories which i will fast forward and get to the third day evening which was our last night at Ouray. We were having dinner at a place called 'The outlaw',a so called wild west themed restaurant with all cowboy outfits,horse shoes,cowboy photos adorning the walls.
Phillip,Gary,Chuck and myself were having a swell time having good food and recollecting the last three day events and pulling each other's legs.Then suddenly we hear a 'Happy birthday' song,we turn and see its a young girl with two adults two tables behind us and its the young girls birthday.We turn around to look,smile and return back to our talking.
But that momentary glance left me feeling funny,i felt that i somehow had seen one person in that table somewhere else,I could not figure out who immediately.I glanced back couple of times but could not get a complete view as the person was turned in an angle where i could just see the side profile.I kept racking my brain while i was talking with my friends to figure who it was.
We were done with our dinner and had paid our bills and were ready to leave.As we were leaving I had one last look at this person and suddenly it dawned upon me that this person looked like Dave Hahn.I stopped Phillip who was reaching for the restaurant door and said 'Hey Phillip,doesn't that guy in that corner look like Dave Hahn?'.Phillip had a look and said 'He does look like Dave Hahn,lets check'.So both of us turn back and go over to this person's table.I remember clearly the sequence of events only till this point,The next few minutes are a total blur to me because of my excitement on realizing who the person was and i think this is how the conversation happened.
I say ' Excuse me'.This person looks up.'You look very familiar,Are you by any chance Dave Hahn?'.He says 'Yeah,I am Dave Hahn'. I am almost ready to faint.I can feel my heart pumping and my breathing getting heavy.
I think i said a series of 'Wow','I just can't believe it' and lot of other 'being awed' gibberish and having this feeling of being light headed. I ask 'I guess you have climbed everest..like.. 11 times?'. He says 'From what i can remember,i think the count last was 12'. That's it,It became beyond me to digest and comprehend anything anymore,I was kind of in a delirious state, I dont remember anything beyond that, I vaguely remember telling him about me being from India,how i admire him,etc,etc,etc ...I don't even know what Phillip said to him. I say inbetween 'Can we have a picture with you' and he says 'Sure'. The other gentleman at Dave's table offers to take the photo and clicks two photos.I gushingly say 'Its been an absolute privilege meeting you' or something like that and we depart.
In the photo below you can see Dave sitting behind us.From Left to right - Me,Phillip,Chuck and Gary.
Two photos Phillip and I took with Dave Hahn.
Some stats i pulled from Wiki on Dave Hahn -
In May 2010 he reached the summit of Mt. Everest for the 12th time - the most for a non-Sherpa climber.[1] Among Hahn’s other notable accomplishments are his world-record 26 summits of Vinson Massif, Antarctica’s highest mountain. He has been to the summit of Mount McKinley (originally called Denali) in Alaska, North America’s highest peak, 19 times over the course of 26 expeditions.
This guy is like a living climbing legend,he was part of the expedition which discovered George Mallory's body on everest.He is one the climbers i have admired a lot and been in awe of his super human capabilities.I had not thought in my wildest dreams that i will ever meet him in person in my lifetime. I guess destiny has a weird way of inter-crossing people lives and I sure am thankful to her for letting me meet Dave Hahn which has left a very deep impact on me.
Friday, January 07, 2011
Advanced Scuba diver.
Yay!! I am a PADI certified advanced scuba diver.I got my PADI card in mail today.Got certified at Key Largo on Christmas day.
That's me and my instructor Jason Nocks from Pirate island divers.
That's me and my instructor Jason Nocks from Pirate island divers.
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