A TIMELINE OF TRIPS AND ADVENTURES
1999
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Name: Nepal 1999 Destination: The final trip to Asia Timeframe: Sept - November Description: Not much to say about a trip that didn't go well.
The Albums:
An attempt that never really got going.
More of a great trek than a serious climbing trip. A huge storm at the start of the fall season made for trouble in all sorts of ways.
1996
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Name: Karakoram 1996 Destination: Murphy Goes to Masherbrum Timeframe: May - June Description: Where everything that can go wrong does go wrong. Four of us against Masherbrum. We should have known better.
The Albums:
An attempt with Eric Olson, Gary Kuehn and Scott Porter
Where everything that can go wrong does go wrong.
1995
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Name: Karakoram 1995 Destination: A pre-wedding honeymoon 2 trek trip to Pakistan Timeframe: June Description: Pakistan being what it is, we presented ourselves as married and on our honeymoon. In reality we wouldn't tie the knot for another two months. That being said, we hooked up with our friends Rich and Dawn who were already doing some serious Asia time for two two week treks into the heart of the Baltoro Karakoram. First we went to Latok basecamp on the Choktoi Glacier. After a brief rest we then went to Hushe hoping we could get ourselves up to the Gondogoro La for that classic K2 vista. That didn't happen but Rich, Ishmael (our sirdar) and I did get a sunrise summit of Gondogoro Peak as a consolation.
The Albums:
1993
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Name: Karakoram 1993 Destination: An alpine style attempt on the Std West Face Route Timeframe: May - June Description: I learned alot from Dave Mention about how to organize a trip to the Karakoram. This time we mimicked the things that went so well two years prior. We sold thousands of tee-shirts, courted gear manufacturers (thanks to Heli and Climb High) and got a grant from REI to clean up the Broad Peak Base Camp. The five of us was an odd number and I wish we were a team of six but in the end we went with what we had. The weather was not bad, but it never really stabilized and so we keep getting blown off the mountain. On our 2nd attempt, at about 7000m Heli got really sick and after waiting a day we bailed for basecamp. It got worse, so helicopter evac was ordered. All of a sudden we were four with our sirdar Ghulam Rasul. He was our sirdar in 91 when Greg Child cancelled his trip, so considering how in demand he was and is, we were lucky to get him two times in a row. When the weather improved we went up again. Two days later another storm blow us off the mountain again.
The Albums:
An alpine style attempt on the Std West Face Route
The last of the cheap excursions to Asia. A really great trip that demonstrated once again how weather controls the show and you're just along for the ride.
1992
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Name: Alaska 1992 Destination: Bad weather in the Alaska Range w/ Helmut Lenes Timeframe: May - June Description: A return to the AR. Unlike two years ago, 1992 was both unstable and deadly. Heli and I flew into the Ruth Gorge with John and Peter hoping for a quick trip up the West Ridge of the Moose's Tooth before heading over to Denali for further adventures. Weather windows came and went quickly this year and we never really got untracked. We did run into Mario - my friend from Quebec - with his students. We also ran into Wes and Mike who would join us the next spring on our trip to Broad Peak.
The Albums:
Bad weather in the Ruth Gorge
Expecting the same good weather as we had in 1990, we were rewarded with alot of snow and plenty of downtime in the Ruth. We waited in town for a couple of days before we could fly. We got dropped off in the gorge at the beginning of the short weather window which only lasted two days. We could have used one more.
More bad weather on Denali
Part 2 of our 1992 trip. After the hop over to the Kahiltna, the weather pattern never really settled down. We made slow progress to 14k and after one day of rest headed off to the Upper West Rib on what was the best day of the trip. The next day we made it to the top of the Orient Express before winds drove us down the West Butt and out of harms way.
1991
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Name: Karakoram 1991 Destination: The first of four trips to Pakistan Timeframe: May - June Description: Dave Mention from LL Bean put together a great trip to Gasherbrum 2. We had lots of sponsors so the price of entry for the seven of us was quite cheap. Like Tajikistan two years earlier, this was another magic trip. We didn't summit, but we came close.
The Albums:
PAKISTAN: ATTEMPT GASHERBRUM 2
An attempt on G2 - the fun never stops
The more I think about this trip, the more I am so totally amazed and grateful for the extraordinary effort put in by Dave Mention to make it possible for all of us to go on this memorable journey to the other side of the world. We came close to tagging the summit, but as the years go by it seems to me it's the journey itself that i grow more fond of.
1990
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Name: Alaska - 1990 Destination: An intro to the Alaska Range w/ Mark Whiton, Andy Carson and Tad Pfeiffer Timeframe: May - June Description: 1990 was the year Mark Whiton finally convinced me to go to the Alaska Range with him. We tried the west face of Huntington and then did a quick 10 day round trip of the West Butt.
The Albums:
ALASKA RANGE: ATTEMPT MT HUNTINGTON
An attempt on West Face w/ Mark Whiton
My first and only attempt at what used to be termed 'Super Alpine'. A stunningly beautiful peak in the heart of the Alaska Range.
A ten day round trip up the Butt where the weather was indeed our best friend.
After our attempt on the West Face of Huntington, we jumped over to the Kahiltna to hook up with Tad Pfeiffer for a delightful 10 day round trip stroll, made easy by almost perfect weather. We were joined in the latter stages by our Canadian friend Mario Bilodeau.
1989
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Name: Tajikistan - 1989 Destination: From Russia with Love: An amazing adventure in a far away place. Timeframe: October Description: Looking back, I have to say this was one of the most magical trips I have ever been on. Not only was it spur of the moment, my visa only came thru at the last second. The crew, the location and the weather combined to make the experience both exotic and rewarding.
The Albums:
TAJIKISTAN - FANSKIE MOUNTAINS
16 Days of classic 3rd world adventure
There were two parts to the trip .... a trek into the Fanskie mountains capped off with an alpine climb on the NW Face of Pik Energia. The second half was designed to offer some whitewater rafting. Adventure as we all know, starts when you throw away the script.