Vinson Expedition Dispatch

December 1, 2010 – We Arrive at Camp I

It is the first of December and this is Wally calling you from the upper Branscomb glacier in Antarctica, this is our camp I for climbing Mt Vinson.

Yesterday at about 2:40 pm we left Vinson base with our packs loaded our sleds behind us and started up the glacier towards camp I.

It took us seven hours to pull our sleds up the glacier, it was beautiful the entire way and the weather continues to be perfect.

If you are wondering why we are moving in the afternoon, at this time of year as far south as we are in Antarctica the sun is always high in the sky, straight overhead. It circles around and never goes very low on the horizon. We are in the Ellsworth Mountains, so at certain times depending on the camp you are in, the sun will be behind a high steep mountain ridge above you. Here at camp I, which is an elevation of about 9,000ft/2,800m, the sun doesn’t go behind the mountains until about 3:00 am and then it comes back and hits our tents at about 11:30 am. It is very cold when the sun isn’t on us and our ambient air temperatures here tend to be very mild conditions between -18°C and -25°C. If the sun is hitting us while in our tents it is quite warm even in these temperatures. Without the sun it is very cold and we need to be tucked into our sleeping bags.

The sun hit our tents at 11:30 am today. We woke up and lit our stoves a little bit after that; we had our morning drinks, and began breakfast well after noon. So we have had the experience when waking up in Antarctica the first thing we say is “good afternoon” to our teammates.

Once again the weather continues to be great. John, Kate, Flat Stanley, Pachi, and I are in great spirits. There is a big challenge ahead of us, but the report from Camp I is that we are all well and having a lot of fun!