Upper-body warmth!

The upper body layering system is very important.  You need to be able to add/subtract layers quickly to be able to adjust for any type of weather that may come your way.  My choices were:
-- "Mountain Hardware Absolute Zero" parka
-- "First Ascent Igniter" jacket
-- "First Ascent Point Success" jacket
-- "First Ascent Cloud Layer" fleece
-- "First Ascent Mountain Guide" soft-shell jacket
-- "First Ascent Rainier Storm Shell" hard shell jacket
-- "First Ascent Paradise 1/4 Zip" baselayer, 2 each
..... total retail full price:  about $1700

Hands and such.....

Here you see:
-- "Outdoor Research" light-weight, windproof gloves
-- "Outdoor Research Arete" mid-weight gloves
-- "Black Diamond Mercury Mitt" heavy-weight gloves
-- "Outdoor Research" water-bottle parka, 2 each
..... total retail full price:  about $250

Return to the Canyon

This week, since my Dad and Aunt were in town, it gave us the perfect opportunity to head back up to the Grand Canyon.  It had been far too long since my last visit, considering it is my very favorite place on earth.  Lacie, Dad, Donna, and myself all went up for the day.  We went to some various view points, and hiked down the Bright Angel trail to the 3-mile resthouse (making for a 6 mile round-trip hike).  All in all, as with most trips to the Canyon, it was a beautiful day.

Training update! (4/19-4/25)

For this week I started doing more work with my backpack, along with the usual stuff:
Monday --
Thunderbird park hike with 30# pack
Tuesday --
12 mile bike ride, then pull-up training at home
Wednesday --
Squaw peak hike with 30# pack
Thursday --
Taliesin trail hike with 30# pack
Friday --
Thunderbird park hike with 30# pack
Saturday --
6 mile hike in the Grand Canyon
Sunday --
12 mile bike ride
..... as the weeks continue, the training needs to become more rigorous and focused.  My dad and aunt were in town this week, so it was a balance of playing host with my workouts.  The journey continues!

Technical Gear, and Headwear

The West Buttress route on McKinley isn't as technical as some of the other routes, but there is still glacier travel involved, as well as some technical rope work.  Because of this, you need to take a variety of technical gear to get the job done.  Also, the two biggest places that heat is lost from your body are your feet and your head.  Since we already covered the footwear, I figured next we should address the head:
-- "Black Diamond Half Dome" helmet
-- "Petzl Adjama" harness
-- "Black Diamond" ice axe, with protector
-- "Black Diamond" trekking poles
-- "BCA Tracker" avalanche transceiver (rental, not pictured)
--7 Various "Petzl" and "Metolius" locking and non-locking carabiners
-- "Petzl Ascension" mechanical ascender
-- 6' pre-sewn sling
-- 10' pre-sewn sling
-- 20' nylon parachute cord
-- 25' 6mm rope
-- 12" bungee cords (4 each)
-- "Mountain Hardwear Micro Dome" hat
-- "Mountain Hardwear Power Stretch" balaclava
-- Brimmed hat
-- "Julbo Dolgan" glacier glasses (2 pair)
-- "Extreme Gravity" goggles
..... total full price retail cost:  about $750 (including rental cost for transceiver)

Sleeping and Packing Gear

Next on the gear list is the sleeping/packing stuff.  Let's have a look:
-- "Mountain Hardwear BMG" backpack
-- "Gregory" duffel bag
-- "Camp Inn" duffel bag
-- "Mountain Hardwear Wraith"
     -20 degree sleeping bag
-- "Sea to Summit eVent" Compression stuff sack
-- "Therm-a-rest Prolite Plus" sleeping pad,
     with stuff sack
-- "Cascade Designs Ridgerest" sleeping pad,
    with stuff sack
It's cold on the mountain, so warm sleeping is a necessity.  Also, the massive amount of gear needs to be packed, shipped, and hauled a long way, so it's important to have the right bags/packs to make it happen.  The total full-price retail cost:  about $1300

Less work, more focus!

Since last September I had been working a part time job with a local chef named Kevin Binkley so I could earn some extra cash for my trip.  He's a visionary chef, and it was a great pleasure to have the opportunity to work with him, but in order to focus more on training for my trip, I had to stop working there as of the end of February.  Then, in February I started teaching night classes at ACI, working doubles for 9 weeks.  As you can imagine, working 15 hour days makes it difficult to focus on training, but now that is over as well.  So now, no part time job, no doubles, all focus!  Let the REAL training begin.

FOOTWEAR

The amount of gear needed to climb Mt. McKinley is ridiculous.  But, I suppose if you want the best chance of coming home with all your body parts still intact, it's a necessary investment.  Here is a picture and list of just the footwear purchased for the adventure:
-- "Black Diamond Sabretooth" Crampons
-- "La Sportiva Spantik" Mountaineering Boots
-- "Outdoor Research" Gaiters
-- "Smartwool" Mountaineering Socks (3 pair)
-- "Smartwool" Liner Socks (4 pair)
-- "Forty Below Purple Haze" Overboots
-- "Sierra Designs" Insulated Camp Booties
-- "MSR Denali" Snowshoes
..... total full-price retail cost of footwear alone:  about $1400

Here we go.....

Ok!  We just passed the two-month-mark until my departure for Alaska, so I believe that means The Endurathon has officially begun!  From this point on I'll be keeping closer records of my training routine, any pertinent information about the trip, and all the facts/figures/gear that are involved in a climb of this sort.  Please check back often, if you're interested, to stay up to date on all the excitement.  My flight leaves Phoenix early in the morning on June 8th, 2010, and arrives in Anchorage the same day.  The trip has three guides, and 9 clients (including myself) for a total of 12 climbers in our group.  We will all be meeting at the airport in Anchorage at which point there is a shuttle that will take us north to the town of Talkeetna.  The reality of the trip has started to sink in, so at this point I'll happily accept any encouragement along the way!  I'll update again soon.....