Mt Baker -Day 11 (Oh My God - Cont)

So what is there left to say and do. I have 11 days left. Prayer at this point is probably the best option. Join me in a moment of silence.

Okay, that helped.

I did spend the past weekend practicing my camping skills. Put up my Copper Spur Ultralight -2 tent in the back yard and slept there in a twenty degree sleeping bag with a self inflating mattress. Mind you, the temperature outside was in the eighties. The tent looked a little shaky to say the least by the time I was fed up trying to assemble it correctly. Fortunately, the backyard breezes were about three miles per hour. Any stronger winds and the cursed conglomeration would have been a jumble of nylon, crooked aluminum poles, and aged climber. My dog, Jezebel-the-Beagle, joined me. The two of us were reasonably comfortable as we lay there staring at the stars overhead. I fell asleep for three hours and then decided I would be more comfortable in my own bed with the cool breezes coming from the window unit air conditioner in my bedroom. My wife, on the other hand, is fed up with the whole thing and is moving out of the house - permanently.

I also spent time this past Saturday packing and unpacking my expedition backpack with everything I will carry on the mountain. Final weight will be close to 40 pounds. Once packed and appropriately adjusted to my torso, I spent the rest of the day with the loaded Denali Pro strapped to my back, doing routine chores around the house; washing dishes, picking up stuff, weeding the garden, etc. - quite a site for those driving by the house who were not aware of my plans. After perpetual adjustments of the shoulder straps, hip pads, and myriad other adjustable laces on the pack, it actually felt reasonably comfortable.

As far as my readings are concerned, I am now focused on some key elements, foremost of which have to do with avalanches. I rushed an order from Amazon.com, the titles of which will provide clues as to my concerns - "Staying Alive in Avalanche Terrain" by Bruce Tremper, "The Avalanche Handbook" by David McClung and Peter Schaerer, "Mountain Rescue Doctor" by Christopher Van Tilberg, and "Mountain Responder: When Recreation and Misfortune Collide" by Steve Achelis. Get the picture. I will need to be sure to pack my Xanax.

As far as physical conditioning is concerned, the last four days I have basically been taking it pretty easy. Paul G., my trainer, has been guiding me through the process. Staying loose is key; no heavy weights and only moderate aerobic stuff. My diet is pretty much gone to pot. Eating a lot of everything and loving every second of it. I rationalize it as a way of building glycogen stores in the muscles that I have been stressing the last six months. Got to be sure I have enough energy reserve for ATP production and O2 transport. I happened to look in a mirror yesterday and noticed that I am actually "buffed", a very significant transformation and not bad for someone several years past the age of 36. If there are any interested women out there, just let me know. I fantasize that after the climb I could get a job as a body double for some aging Hollywood actor, like Brad Pitt or Tom Cruise. Picture this. The director yells action. The cameras are overhead focused on my back with me in bed with some nubile young starlet wearing only an appropriately colored hairpiece. What a life!! At this point, my only consolation is that I have, indeed, spent a lot of time getting into condition. If I don't succeed, at least I can say I tried.

The plans are to leave next Tuesday to travel to Seattle where I will be spending a couple days getting acclimated. I should qualify - acclimated to the Seattle time zone - certainly not to the upcoming thin air. The highest altitude of this part of the trip will be the bar stool of a local saloon. For those of you who don't know Seattle and have never been to a saloon, that's about four feet above sea level. Following equipment checks at the offices of Alpine Ascents in Seattle on the 22nd, I will rent a car and head to a motel near the trail head at the base of Mount Baker. The climb starts on the 23rd.



I can also take comfort that the fund raiser for the hospital "Climbing for Sight and Sound" has done well. Many of my patients and physician colleagues have contributed. It will go for a good cause. I am deeply grateful for their support to the cause. I will carry their names with me, if not on paper, then in my brain. It will certainly give me more strength.