November 24 – Supplemental Dispatch:  Berg Adventures’ Connection with Carl G. Vinson

Listen to Audio of Wally's Call (.wav)

One thing to note on this Thanksgiving Day is that the three of us are climbing Vinson Massif.  In 1966 after a very strong team of American mountaineers and polar explorers made the first ascent of this mountain it was named for a gentleman who had just retired, it was Carl G. Vinson, the Georgia Congressman who served for 50 years.  He was an accomplished, influential yet humble man. 

This peak had been identified as the highest point in Antarctica during the international geophysical year when the US Navy made surveys across the continent, along with many other nations who were doing cooperative studies here.

I don’t think people in Georgia, or anywhere perhaps, realize how significant it is that the highest point in the last continent to be explored was named for this gentleman while he was still alive.

Back in Georgia today Tilman Snead and an entire group of Vinson family are at a Vinson family reunion and are awaiting a call from us.  Woodie will make that call, the retired Captain Woodrow Vaughan of the US Navy is proud of this ascent we are doing of Vinson because it was in 1964 when he graduated, that Carl G. Vinson gave the commencement address to that esteemed group of Annapolis graduates.  Who could imagine all of these years later that Woodrow Vaughan and Martin Glynn and I who are honored to be with him will be making an ascent of this mountain named for Carl G. Vinson in the wilds of Antarctica.

Update:

At 3:00pm Mountain Time Woodrow Vaughan and Wally Berg were successful in calling the Vinson family during their reunion.  Senator Sam Nunn answered their call and spoke with them about their adventures in Antarctica.