When Clarence King in 1864 was attempting to summit Mt. Tyndall in what he thought was his pursuit of the top of Mt. Whitney the sport of Mountaineering was in its infancy. He was more surprised than any that he missed his mark by more than a mile-obscured and disoriented by a passing Sierra storm. Still mistakes like his were rare and what people were able to endure and accomplish in such a simple age was inspiring. What he didn't know he had he didn't need. His list of gear was staggering for what he was about to attempt. A simple nap-sac, a blanket, a pair of leather boats, one lasso, and some dried bacon and coffee for nourishment. To keep himself warm all he had was a blanket and the body of his climbing partner Richard D. Cotter to barricade himself from the alpine cold. People that can endure such conditions with ease and grace, and without complaint are of a different worldly mind than most. It's a single minded mentality that few it seems these days can afford.
Fortunately for me, -or unfortunately depending on the way you look at it-there has been 150 years of advancement (or
de-advancement) in the field and in what you can bring with you to those hard to reach places.
Had I a chance I would have happily
lended Mr. King my
Garmond GPS. Perhaps then he would have set foot upon the right summit.
For the past two months I have slowly been researching the right gear. Most of it came to my house the other day in a big box resembling Christmas. It was as it turned out a bit more synthetic and plastic than what King would have imagined. But what I have to imagine is do I really need all this? There are gaiters, helmets, ice axes and fleeces. Pocket knives, backpacks and a sleeping bag. A
carabiner, a climbing harness and a pair of snow shoes. I know own enough layers to clothe a small army. It literally fills up my entire dinning room. Yet.... somehow I am supposed to schlep all of this on my back, up the tallest mountain in the lower 48, and into the thinnest air I have ever breathed? Isn't some of the point of this to be freed from all that binds us?
Perhaps I am forgetting something here.
The most important piece of gear that I could possible take with me are my own two feet. After all they are what will carry me into this predicament and will, with a bit of luck, carry me out. And thanks to EMS I am now the proud owner of a pair of
Scarpa Omega Mountaineering boots to protect them. The number one rule in the wilderness is to protect your feet. And I have paid healthy to do so.
For all I care I could go naked now, just as long as I have my boots on. Try that one on for size Mr. Clarence King.
There are other more high profile mountains to tackle. It may be the highest but it certainly is not the most well known or hardest. It is not frequented by many or talked about often yet there it stands, alone, and in a place that few visit. It is the pinnacle of a mountain range I have come to love. Something about that speaks to me. There will be nothing more pleasing to me at this moment to stand upon its east flank as the early morning Sierra light rises above its neighbors. It is my ambassador into the mountaineering world.
