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.....

Hike Profile: holbert trail, south mountain

South Mountain has some wonderful trails for both biking and hiking, and this is one of my favorite's on the mountain:  The Holbert Trail.  From the trailhead to the summit, it's 3.5 miles each way.  The first 2.5 miles are great desert hiking, and the last mile follows a road to the top.  The total hike probably gains about 1000 feet of elevation (give or take a few).  It's a nice change of scenery, and it's a different view from the top, because of how far south in the valley it is.  I definitely recommend this one.  It's a good, long 7 mile hike, with a nice amount of elevation gain to get the heart pumping, but without making it overly strenuous.  It's a great hike for all abilities.  Once you enter the gates of the park, take the first immediate left, and then drive almost to the end of the parking lot.  The trail will be marked on your right hand side.  Good times.

Hike Profile: bell pass trail

     The Bell Pass trail is another wonderful hike in the McDowell Mountains.  The trail starts at the Gateway trailhead, along with many other great hikes, and heads toward the Gateway loop.  After turning right onto the loop, the Bell Pass trails intersects the Gateway loop after about a mile and a half.  From that point, Bell Pass is about two miles, and close to 1000 feet of elevation gain, ahead.  The total mileage on this trail is around 7 miles round-trip, with just over 1000 feet of elevation gain.  It was a cloudy, rainy day when we went, which gave me a perfect opportunity to test out some of the rain-gear I had purchased for the McKinley climb.  After the hike, I can tell you with extreme confidence, that the First Ascent Rainier Storm Shell Jacket and Pant combo is worth every penny......bone dry through the entire hike.  Happy trails.