Chile/Argentina: Cerro Torre

Many mountaineers view Cerro Torre as the most difficult to climb in the world. It sits at the southern edge of the Patagonian Region. Ceasare Maestre lay claim to the first ascent of this mountain in 1959, although his claims are among the most controversial in the mountaineering world. The mountain is notorious for its bad weather and pin-like shape, and has been ascended less than 100 times. Recent challanges have involved finding a new route to the top, all of which involve steep granite faces.

There was a great deal of skepticism about Maestre's initial claim to ascent. A climb of such magnitude done in alpine style in such bad weather seemed unlikely given the state of the art of alpinism in 1959. Maestre attempted the climb again in 1970 with the help of over 100 locals and a compressible bolt gun, which fires a bolt with a preclipped hanger directly into the rock. The bolt gun is viewed by many mountaineers to defy the mindset of mountaineering--to respect the forces at nature. Many climbers at the time felt that Maestre had 'desacrated' the mountain. To this day, his initial claim to ascent is still doubted, with his further ascent in 1970 simply adding another complication.

While Everest has certainly seeped a lot of fame in the non-climbing world, it is difficult technical and weather-plagued climbs like Cerro Torre which inspire awe in even the most accomplished Alpinists.

The Goal

In my reading on Mt. Everest I came across a webpage for an eighteen year old girl who has already climbed the tallest mountain on every continent. Albeit the girl, Samantha Larson, had a father who was already an experienced climber, there is still something to say about finding out that someone your age has already accomplished your own dreams and then some. Nonetheless, the fact that she climbed these mountains gives me a firmer belief in my own capability. But what does it mean for my own goals? Do I have to raise the ante of my own dreams? Has glory been seeped or made more acessible? I guess I am beginning to come to terms with the fact that there is always someone better than you at anything you do. Whether this is good or not is up to you, but it often does not seem to bide well with ourNeanderthal tendencies towards competition.

Anyway, a browsing of other blogs tell me that adventuring the world or climbing mountains just don't cut it when it comes to public interest. Audiences seem to like tangible goals and paths that they can follow there. It is for this reason that I have decided to make a declaration: I will climb Mt. Everest in March 2010. That is to say, I am going to do everything in my power to get to the top of this mountain before I reach drinking age. I have no money. I have very little climbing experience. Thus, the internet is one of my only means to solicit support and advice.

With a computer, camera and a dream I am curious to see whether the childhood mantra--that someone can do anything they set their mind to--will hold true.

Uganda: Mt. Stanley

In 1888 African explorer Henry Morton Stanley saw a peculiar looking cloud in an otherwise unobstructed Ugandan sky. While he eventually realized that this object was not a cloud, but the sixth tallest mountain in America, the mountain was not fully ascended until 1906 when Luigi Amedeo, an Italian prince and mountaineer led the first successful mission to the top. Where dense vegetation and disease made climbing the mountain, it is now plagued by political turmoil. Since Museveni took power in 1986, rebel uprisings have diminished, but reports of "cannibals with AK-47s" still circulate today.

Mt. Stanley is one of the only peaks in Africa which still contains extensive glaciation. The mountain consists of two twin summits at around 16,700 feet and several smaller peaks that are all part of the Rwenzori range. It is often hailed as one of the most beautiful mountains in the world, and is located involves a 6 day hike through the wilderness that prompted made Amedeo feel like he was in a different world:

“No forest can be grimmer and stranger than this. The vegetation seems primeval, of some period when forms were uncertain and provisory. The silence is profound, and the absence of any sign of life completes the image of a remote age before the beginning of animal existence.”

PS. If anyone has any advice, comments or requests for what they would like to see on mountain descriptions or this blog in general feel free to post.

US: Mt. Whitney

As part an educational branch to my blog I am going to try to make a daily post on a specific mountain with a brief descriptive paragraph. Today I decided to talk about Mt. Whitney. Whitney was named after the famous explorer and geologist Josiah Whitney, who in 1860 led the first effort towards a comprehensive geological survey of the state of California. Located in Sequoia National Park, Whitney is the tallest mountain in the U.S. at an elevation of 14,505 ft. Interestingly, this mountain is within 100 miles of Death Valley, which contains the lowest point in the US at 262 feet below sea level.


Without any requirements for technical climbing, this mountain is the most ascended member of the Sierras. In fact, the trail used to become so crowded that the National Park Service has issued a permit requirement to any hikers that venture beyond the base. Crampons and ice axes may be needed while climbing during the off summer season. The hike to the top is 11 miles, and during the summer month well fit climbers have been known to reach the summit and then come back in a single day. Given that Whitney consists primarily of exposed granite without perils such as glaciers and with an otherwise unimpressive view, many experienced climbers lack interest in this mountain.