Highpointers Up The Butt - what the heck is that? We're glad you asked. First the name: Highpointers Up The Butt is our team name and is derived from being members of the Highpointers Club and our route on Mount McKinley is the West Buttress. Our team consists of six individuals: Peter Anderson, team coordinator of New Windsor, N.Y., Thom Davis of Thornton, N.H., Garret Oswald of New Portland, ME, Robert Williams of Wilmington, MA, Ben Baranko of Downers Grove, IL, and John Christiana of San Francisco CA. Thom, Robert, and Garret are regular contributors to VFTT.
We came together through a HP Club inquiry that Peter posted about 2 1/2 years ago; our climb dates are May 31 through June 18, 2004. The results of the advertisement lead to 12 interested individuals or groups. With time, the current team developed, a group of individuals who love mountain adventures and are hoping to become 50 state completers. Peter is working on visiting all state highpoints a second time.
What's wrong with these guys who want to climb Mount McKinley, spending 3 weeks on a block of ice, with temperatures plunging to -25 degrees below zero, and gasping for air while carrying loads of more than 60 pounds? Hey, what's wrong with all of these guys! It's a life enhancing experience, one that excites the inner being, and takes you to places you'll always treasure. Friendships are made that can last a lifetime.
This explanation may not satisfy many people as to why we climb mountains, particularly a mountain with a summit of 20,320 feet. Friends have asked us about the climb: the preparation, such as training, gear, food, etc., the team members, and what the climb is like. We were asked if we would be posting trip reports on the internet. Originally no, because we had no way to communicate from the mountain. But we then decided to rent a satellite phone to communicate with friends and family. After some discussion, we pursued the obvious next step by asking Mohamed Ellozoy if he would be willing to receive some calls from the mountain and post our trip reports on VFTT and the HP Club forum. We hope you will enjoy 'climbing the mountain' with us; sorry no pictures this time.
As a final thought, although the West Buttress route is considered technically easy as a mountaineering climb, there are plenty of hazards to engage our knowledge, skills, and experience. Our philosophy is: safety first, summit second. We hope the weather is in our favor, only -25 degrees versus -40 degrees, and the winds top out at less than 50-60 mile per hour. If the summit is not attained for a variety of reasons, but all of us return with no injuries, the adventure is a success. For all of us, the summit is the bonus, one we all hope and climb for.
Stay tuned for our postings via sat phone and Mohamed Ellozy.
We came together through a HP Club inquiry that Peter posted about 2 1/2 years ago; our climb dates are May 31 through June 18, 2004. The results of the advertisement lead to 12 interested individuals or groups. With time, the current team developed, a group of individuals who love mountain adventures and are hoping to become 50 state completers. Peter is working on visiting all state highpoints a second time.
What's wrong with these guys who want to climb Mount McKinley, spending 3 weeks on a block of ice, with temperatures plunging to -25 degrees below zero, and gasping for air while carrying loads of more than 60 pounds? Hey, what's wrong with all of these guys! It's a life enhancing experience, one that excites the inner being, and takes you to places you'll always treasure. Friendships are made that can last a lifetime.
This explanation may not satisfy many people as to why we climb mountains, particularly a mountain with a summit of 20,320 feet. Friends have asked us about the climb: the preparation, such as training, gear, food, etc., the team members, and what the climb is like. We were asked if we would be posting trip reports on the internet. Originally no, because we had no way to communicate from the mountain. But we then decided to rent a satellite phone to communicate with friends and family. After some discussion, we pursued the obvious next step by asking Mohamed Ellozoy if he would be willing to receive some calls from the mountain and post our trip reports on VFTT and the HP Club forum. We hope you will enjoy 'climbing the mountain' with us; sorry no pictures this time.
As a final thought, although the West Buttress route is considered technically easy as a mountaineering climb, there are plenty of hazards to engage our knowledge, skills, and experience. Our philosophy is: safety first, summit second. We hope the weather is in our favor, only -25 degrees versus -40 degrees, and the winds top out at less than 50-60 mile per hour. If the summit is not attained for a variety of reasons, but all of us return with no injuries, the adventure is a success. For all of us, the summit is the bonus, one we all hope and climb for.
Stay tuned for our postings via sat phone and Mohamed Ellozy.
