Home Up October 2001 December 2001 January 2002 March 2002 April 2002 June 2002 July 2002 August 2002 September 2002 October 2002 December 2002 March 2003 May 2006 June 2006 July 2006 August 2006 Sept 2006 October 2006 November 2006 December 2006 January 2007 February 2007 March 2007 April 2007 June 2007 July 2007 October 2007 November 2007 March 2008 Newsletter Photos

 

Greetings from Oregon Peak Adventures,

This is the March 2002 Oregon Peak Adventures Newsletter. You are receiving this because you are a past client, you have asked about us, you are a family friend and it's cheaper than sending Christmas cards, or you left your business card at the recent Portland Oregon Visitors Association Show in Portland. Where, by the way, Kim Lawlor, of Peter Jacobsen Productions, won a $100 OPA gift certificate in the random drawing. So have a read. If you don't wish to receive any further Newsletters, just reply with "Remove" in the Subject and we actually will take you off the list.

Well, after two weeks of summer, it just snowed again in Portland on Thursday and Friday and we're back to clouds and rain. Standard winter. There's 218 inches of snow at Timberline on Mt. Hood, almost 100 inches more than the maximum amount last year. Probably going to require some serious skiing within the next few days.

ECUADOR

John and I returned from Ecuador Feb 15, and had a great trip. We summitted Guagua Pinchincha (15,728'), Ruminahui Central (15,203'), Cayambe (18,977'), and Cotopaxi (19,348'). Climbing in Ecuador is very straight forward. We flew into Quito at 9,400' elevation, so we begin acclimatizing immediately. We followed the "climb high, sleep low" technique and it seemed to work well. Neither John or I had any problems with acute mountain sickness (AMS).

The basic routine was to catch a bus in Quito and get off close to the mountain. We would then get a taxi or pick-up truck either to a hacienda if we were staying in one or directly to the mountain hut. From the hut we would then climb. The huts are at 15,000'+, so the elevation gain to the summit is under 5,000', which is less than from Timberline Lodge to Mt. Hood, or any route on Mt. Adams. This was a somewhat new and fun experience for us as we were totally on our own and climbing mountains we had never been to. In some cases, the routes had changed significantly from the descriptions in our guidebooks, but the routes were easy to follow, especially after sunrise. There were some steep sections and crevassed areas to cross, but it was not overly technical and shouldn't be a problem for folks who have glacier travel skills. We moved slower and got tired, but it didn't feel significantly different than climbing here. For safety, if we go back with clients, we will use the services of the strong, local guides. I did OK, but would definitely want back-up support to deal with any emergencies.

The weather was cloudy almost every day and all of our summits were in the clouds. But we had some clear periods on the way up, and the scenery is spectacular. Huge volcanos as far as we could see. We enjoyed the Eucadorean people who tolerated our not so good (well, awful in my case) Spanish with good humor, ate great and reasonably priced food, and saw a lot of very neat places. We met two of the top Ecuadorean guides on the mountains and enjoyed talking with them. They believe that the current weather pattern results with the best climbing weather occurring in November. So we are considering putting a trip together for November 2002 if there is sufficient interest. If you want to gain straight forward high altitude experience in a very civilized setting, Ecuador is the place to go. John and/or I would go and we would contract with one of the Ecuadorean guides we met who would make the local transportation arrangements and would actually lead the climbs. This would be a great trip at a very reasonable price. Additional options would be to visit the Galapagos Islands and the Amazon Basin after climbing. Let me know if you are interested. We may be doing a slide show on our trip in the Portland area. We'll let you know.

NEPAL

We are now focusing on our trekking and climbing trip to the Khumbu region of Nepal this October-November. We plan to gather in Kathmandu on October 19. October-November is when the best weather conditions exist for trekking in the Khumbu region. We believe that there will not be a significant threat to tourists from the Maoist guerrillas in Nepal this coming November. However, February is a time of heightened Maoist violence as Maoist groups commemorate the anniversary of their insurgency and they did damage the Lukla airfield control tower on February 3 & 4. We will keep close track on conditions and keep you updated. Reasonably current information is available at http://travel.state.gov/travel_warnings.html.

We don't yet have final confirmation, but our friend Don Messerschmidt has offered to accompany us on the trek. Don lives in Kathmandu, speaks fluent Nepalese and is an Anthropologist and Natural Resources & Social Forestry Specialist. A brief background can be found at http://menris1.icimod.org.np/htmlarchive/mcnrm/msg00004.html. Don has worked in Nepal since he first arrived there as a Peace Corps volunteer in 1963. He has written several books abotu the Himalyian region and is a great travelling companion. If job responsibilities prevent him from going on the trek, he at least plans to spend a day with us in Kathmandu discussing the culture of Nepal.

After spending a few days in Kathmandu, we will fly to Lukla and begin our trek. We will go up the Gokyo Valley, cross over the Cho La (Pass), then turn up to Kalla Pattar and the Everest Base Camp. We then head back for Lukla. The trekkers will go directly to Lukla, while Island peak climbers will take three days to climb before continuing on to Lukla. If we have four more hard-core climbers, we will climb Mera Peak and circle back to Lukla from there. More information is at http://www.oregonpeakadventures.com/nepal.htm.

Days in Estimated Nepal Price Khumbu Traverse – Return after trek to Everest Base Camp 24 $2,600

Imja Tse (Island) Peak - Return after climbing Imja Tse 27 $3,100

Imja Tse (Island) Peak and Mera Peak (Includes 1 & 2 above) 40 $4,100

The above prices are based on having ten clients. This includes all trips costs after you get off the plane in Kathmandu, including the round trip flight between Lukla and Kathmandu. This is a fully supported trip with low overhead. We will use a local trekking firm. OPA guide Gerry Itkin will be assistant leader and we're hoping Don will be able to accompany us. The trip will go regardless of how many clients sign-up, but the price may change. I hope you can go with us . This is going to be a great trip!

TANZANIA

We have rescheduled the Tanzania trip for 2-22 February 2003. This will consist of a nine-day climb of Kilimanjaro, a five day safari, and four days in Zanzibar. Fortunately, social and political conditions are stable in Tanzania and we are looking forward to another wonderful experience with our delightful friends there. As are all of our trips, everything is covered from the time we meet you at Kilimanjaro International Airport to when we board our return flight in Dar es Salaam.

The Full Trip is $3,850

Kili Climb Only: $2,500

Kili Climb + Safari: $3,250

Safari + Zanzibar: $2,700

The pricing is based on six clients. More information is at http://www.oregonpeakadventures.com/Tanzania.htm.

To reserve your spot on either trip we require a $500 deposit. Call or send me an e-mail for additional information and a sign-up form.

WE'RE STILL PLAYING IN THE SNOW.

We will be snowshoeing, cross-country skiing, and winter camping up into April at least. Let us know if you want to go on a trip. Spring is just a great time to be out. A sunny warm day in the snow - what can be more fun! See http://www.oregonpeakadventures.com/winter.htm.

ALPINE MOUNTAINEERING TRAINING

We will be conducting an introduction to Alpine Mountaineering Seminar on Mt. Hood on Friday, 22 March. Then on 23-24 March, we'll cover glacier travel and crevasse rescue. We'll set up a snow camp on Saturday night. You can do either session for $100 per day. This is a great opportunity to get up to speed for snow climbs this summer. We will have another one day session on June 15.

SUMMER 2002 SCHEDULE

The Website www.oregonpeakadventures.com is up to date so check it out for more information.

CLIMBS:

St. Helens: Swift Creek Route: April 5 & 19

Monitor Ridge Route: May 10 & 24, June 7 & 28, July 10 & 30, August 13, September 5 & 20

Mt. Adams: South Side Route: July 23-24, August 1-2

Mazama Glacier Route: July 26-28, August 9-11, August 23-25

North Cleaver Route: August 21-23

BACKPACKS:

St. Helens Round-the Mountain: July 12-15, August 3-6

St. Helens Mt. Margaret Backcountry: September 9-12

Mt. Adams Round-the Mountain: July 18-22, August 15-19

Indian Heaven Wilderness: August 5-7

 

OUTDOOR SKILLS TRAINING

Alpine Mountaineering: March 22-24, June 15

Map & Compass: Class-June 19/Field-June 22

Wilderness Survival: Class-June 24 or 25/Field Overnight-June 29-30

Class-September 11/Field Overnight-September 14-15

HIKES

St. Helens Hike the Blast (Hike across the Pumice Plain to Loowit Falls at crater)-Class - Sept 3 or 4, Hike - September 7

Hikes at the Oregon Coast, Columbia River Gorge, and on St. Helens, Mt. Adams, Mt. Hood and in the Portland area can be arranged at any time we have a guide available.

ROCK CLIMBING

We have changed insurance carriers and are now covered to provide rock climbing instruction. We are applying for a special use permit at Horsethief Butte near the Dalles, Oregon, which is a great area for learning to rock climb. We also have access to Smith Rock. Several of our OPA guides have taught beginning through advanced rock climbing courses and we will be developing our rock climbing courses this summer. Let us know if you are interested.

RAFTING

First, let's be clear. OPA is not a rafting company. But, if you or your group want to go rafting, we can arrange the trip through one of our rafting partners, provide the transportation, and make sure you get something to eat. Information on trips available is at http://www.oregonpeakadventures.com/rafting.htm.

TIPS SECTION

AIRPORT SECURITY

In the last newsletter, I suggested placing your film canisters (which should be in clear plastic film cans) in a clear Ziploc bag and putting them in the pocket change/keys tray as you go through the security portal. This worked as advertised in Quito, but everywhere else they ran it through the carry-on scanner anyway. Main point is to not put your film in your checked luggage cause it will be fried! The only problems we had checking in were: 1. You can't take strike anywhere matches on a plane, even if you have them in a match safe. 2. I had to wash and rinse out my fuel bottle in the restroom at the Portland Airport, because there was still a fuel smell in it. Other than that, we had a very smooth time on the trip, even with all of our climbing gear.

HEADLIGHTS

We did alpine (i.e. midnight) starts on Cayambe and Cotopaxi. Both times my large headlamp went out while it was still dark. On Cayambe it was because the battery pack had gotten wet and the contacts corroded, and on Cotopaxi the batteries went dead and I considered it too cold and high to mess with. In both cases, I just pulled my Petzl LED Tikka light out of my fanny pack and it worked just great! I highly recommend always carrying the Tikka as a back-up. It lasts up to 100 hours on three AAA batteries and is so small and light. It is good to read with as well.

EATING & DRINKING WHILE CLIMBING

On both Cayambe and Cotopaxi, we once again taught ourselves a good lesson on the importance of eating and drinking on a climb. We just didn't do it enough and were much more tired than we should have been on the descent. We need to stop at least every hour and eat and drink, even if we have to force it. It's critical up high and important all the time. So you can expect to nagged about eating and drinking even more when you're out with us.

PHOTOGRAPHY

I wanted to get good photos on the Ecuador trip so I took my bulky 35mm Single Lens Reflex camera. I don't regret doing that, but wish I had also brought my point and shoot camera with the built-in flash. We did a lot of sightseeing where we were inside churches and historic buildings, as well as being in the mountain huts. The next time I will load high speed film in my point and shoot and use it for inside shots. In many of the churches, you can take photos, but you can't use a flash, so high speed film (400 ASA) would be very useful.

Well, that's more than enough for now. We hope you can do a trip with us soon. We love sharing this wonderful country with new people, and it's always great to see old friends. If you want to do something and you don't see it, or a scheduled date doesn't work for you, get in touch (877 965-5100) or email at info@Oregonpeakadventures.com and we'll see if we can work something out.

Again, if you don't want this news letter, please reply with Remove in the subject line and we'll cease and desist.

Best Regards,

Joe Whittington