Vinson Expedition Dispatch
December 8, 2010 – Off to the Summit We Go
Leaving high camp for the summit
It is the morning of December 8 and it is our sixth full day working out of high camp, 12,000ft/3,700m on Mount Vinson. Today, Kate, John, Flat Stanley, Pachi and Wally are heading out for the summit of Mount Vinson.
Last night I was still pretty concerned even though Mark had given us a good forecast for today. When the group went to bed, I looked up towards Mount Vinson, and it was very foreboding and scary looking up there—still really bad weather. But Kate and I, we got soul. This morning we actually had sun on our tents. We have extremely cold temperatures, but the winds are mild and we are going to set off now.
I think you know from previous dispatches we have done that after we got to high camp, the DC 3 arrived on the glacier and began to shuttle more Vinson climbers in. Forty-nine Vinson climbers are working on the mountain below us. Most days they have been shut down, just like we have.
We are really ahead of the game here, and it feels pretty good. We’ve had a lonely, but rewarding time at high camp. Over the next 12 to 14 hours we will be climbing up to the summit of Vinson where we hope to reach the top. Then we will come back down to high camp. Seeing as the conditions are good, we are encouraged and excited to be climbing and we will try to report to you from the summit of Mount Vinson today.
