Leaving on a Jet Plane

Are you ready to rock? I know I am. After two weeks of being in southern Chile we are ready to go. Yesterday we finished loading 16 tons of cargo onto the Iluyshin aircarft and we are preped to fly. The weather is intended to be stable until mid week, so it looks as though we will fly in the morning. The flight over to Patriot Hills, Antarctica is about 5 hours. Once we arrive the main projects will be to get field tents up so all the 41 staff have tents to sleep in. We will spend the next week errecting more tents and weather havens for cooking, toilets, and guides briefing. The Vinson guides will most likely be in charge of getting a repeater anchored on the summit of the Patriot Hill in order to establish a wider range for communication. Once weather is good and we are cleared to leave 7 guides will use twin Otters to fly an additional hour to Vinson base camp. Once there we will need to build our camp. Put up field tents, weather haven, and establish our own comms and install our solar array. Then the real work begins. We must within a week relocate our comms repeater, we must reestablish the 1,000 meters of fixed line and haul an additional 700 meters or resuce rope to high camp. Additionally we must take a rescue sled and rescue equipment to the summit cashe just below the summit pyramid at 15,800'. Then our clients begin to arrive. I am on a ranger patrol for the first group of clients, basically managing on mountain movement, keeping waste under control, and being available should a rescue need to take place. On the second rotation beginning Dec 3rd myself and another guide will be attempting to guide a route that is seldom done and to my knowledge has never been guided. It is a much more direct and a much steeper line to the summit of vinson and will need to be done in alpine style, light and fast. It should be good fun and will be a break from the standard line. After that, weather permitting, i will start making my way back to the U.S.. I am intended to be home for Christmas, but as most of you are aware, plans in the mountains, especially in Antarctica and subject to change. I am not sure if I will be able to update this blog from the ice, but I will certainly make an effort. I have peoples emails that might be interested in following and if I can't maintain the blog via sat phone I will definatly email. Thanks again for the support and love, I carry it with me all the time and think about my friends and family often when I am in the mountains. You keep me going when times are hard. Take care and I will be in touch soon. Thanks again.