Chris' Blog

Oofda!

2010-06-16T14:39:00.001-07:00

Time flies when school is kicking your butt!

I'm half-way through rotations now. Just finished with six weeks in internal medicine at a clinic in Duluth/Superior. It's been a demanding rotation, but I think I've learned a good amount.

Next it's on to family practice in Woodbury. I'm stoked to be working/studying so close to home. Hopefully the bike will be out of the garage more this summer.

No major adventures planned for the immediate future, but Julia and I are going to be Hawaii in August to visit a friend. Very excited for that!

Back Home

2009-09-24T13:26:00.001-07:00

The trip is officially over! We made it home. Randall has been visiting friends and family in Minnesota and Duluth, and now he's on his way out East to Vermont. It sounds like he may be staying there for a while - if he doesn't end up on a yacht in Florida. I'm back in school now after just a few days of recovery. It's been hectic, of course, but I'm enjoying it. This year I transition to the clinic, and that's going to be a whole new kind of adventure.

"Thank you!" to everyone who helped us in the fundraising for Save the Children. I've heard that the money will be going to a new program called Project Child Protection in Mongolia that will commence in the near future. The details should be available soon on the Charity Rallies website (http://www.charityrallies.org/). I would also like to extend an equally exuberant "thanks!" to the people who helped us with parts, repairs, and gas for the Jeep. Without you we wouldn't have been able to experience this great trip! The Jeep, by the way, was sold for $5,200. The money will be going to the charity organization Go Help, which will use the funds for local projects.

Randall and I hand over the keys to Dulguun of Go Help after 8,300 miles through 15 countries.

Saving the Children

2009-08-30T20:05:00.000-07:00

As you know, we've been raising money for Save the Children in Mongolia. It's been pretty successful, but the other day we witnessed some atrocities: kids climbing with terribly substandard equipment! This was an opporunity to really save some children.

Our last day at Terelj National Park, we found some bolted climbing routes. We floundered on them for a while, but had fun. The rock was good, but the crystals were large and sharp. As we finished our second route, we noticed that a group of three kids and an adult had set up a "rope" a little ways down the rock from us, so we walked over to say hello.

It turns out that the three children were from Ulaanbaatar, and they were climbing with an instructor. They were using shoes that didn't fit them, and were clipped into a worn and frayed piece of webbing, not rope, by a single non-locking carabiner. The instructor was belaying them without the use of a belay device, essentially holding one end of the webbing in his hand. We were mortified. We uncoiled our rope and climbed the route they were on, setting a proper top-rope for them to use.

We showed the kids some essentials. Randall showed them how to tie into the rope with a figure-eight follow-through knot. I showed the oldest of them how to safely use a belay device. Then we did a demonstration for them before easing them into belaying. We supervised some climbing and belaying before cutting them loose to give it a go on their own.

When we were done climbing and ready to go, I gave the intructor some gear and the rope. Now he should have enough to teach some proper top-roping and even lead climbing on a short route. The kids were excited to be able to climb with some good equipment, and we were happy that their lives were no longer in danger!

The Mongolian belay method.

Nice rock and hard routes.

Randall imparts some wisdom and his proclivity towards safety to the children of Mongolia.

Just Another Day ...in Mongolia

2009-08-30T07:05:00.000-07:00

The day started normally...

We awoke in the Mongolian countryside. We were camped on a ridge with a 360 degree panoramic view of tree covered hills, large rock formations, and herds of yaks and cattle. After a breakfast of oatmeal and coffee, we walked at least 100 meters to an unclimbed rock and spent an hour trying to make a first ascent.

After climbing, we decided to move up the valley to find another campsite and to see more of Mongolia. When we tried to start the Jeep, however, we discovered that we'd run the battery dead with episodes of "The Wire" and spider solitaire. No problem, right? We were on a hill, so we thought we'd roll the Jeep down the hill to the road, wait for a passing car, and get a jumpstart. Good plan in theory, but in actuality we were parked barely on the other side of the ridge. We pushed like crazy to no avail. We came up with a new plan and decided to use the climbing gear to set up a 3:1 pulley system to pull the Jeep over the ridge. Success.

Once on the other side of the ridge, we put'er in neutral and rolled down the hill. Once to the road, we were met by a nice family coming down the road. They gave us a jumpstart and went on their way. We let the jeep idle for a few minutes to let the battery recharge, then we took off down the road. The family had pulled over and were waving us down. We stopped, and they asked us if we could take two people in their car to the family's ger camp. It seemed that there were a few river crossings that their car could not handle. They had helped us out, so we thought we would return the favor.

We'd crossed three or four streams when we came to one that was a bit wider than the rest. The two guys in the vehicle with us were giving Randall, who was driving, directions in Mongolian. The older gentleman, who smelled of vodka, was obviously telling Randall to punch it through the river. Randall gave it the juice and water came over the hood. Then the Jeep died. Randy, with his rally experience, knew that trying to start it again could cause serious damage. We were in deep water, though - deep enough to start seeping through the door seals.

Our riders had cell phone and were good enough to call for rescue. A 4X4 Benz showed up and pulled us out, but not before the Jeep had flooded. Our passengers had us towed back to their family ger camp, where we spent the afternoon draining water from the air intake, removing spark plugs, and then dismantling the interior and taking out the carpet to dry. In the end, we got the Jeep running again, but still needed to let the interior dry out, so we decided to spend a night in a ger there.

The next day was nice and sunny, so we opened the vehicle and let everything dry out. In the meanwhile, Randy and I spent some time riding horses with a guide and eating traditional meals with our host family. That evening we put the Jeep back together. It ran perfectly and the interior had never looked better. Of course, after so much activity we were shot, and decided to spend another night. We did feel a bit better about our predicament, though, as three more vehicles had gotten stuck in the same spot as we did during our stay.

We attempted the return trip the following morning. This time everything went smoothly. We made it through the big stream without any problems. We said our goodbyes and thank-yous to Byemba, the head of the family, and the rest and went on down the road into Terelj National Park for another night of camping.

Our camp on the ridge. Great views!

Some wild onions we fried up.

Randall climbing an unamed toughy.

Stuck, Byemba on the phone, and the beginning of yet another adventure.

The crew that helped pull the Jeepo out of the water.

The Jeep getting torn apart.

Our ger.

View from our ger.

I got the lazy horse.

Ulaan Baatar!

2009-08-23T19:43:00.000-07:00

We made it! Last night we rolled into UB and some of the most chaotic traffic I've seen yet! We found a hostel and settled into a ger (yurt) for the night. Today we are happy to be taking the day off from driving. We have nothing planned but relaxing. We may also do some housekeeping with the Jeep and a bit of laundry, though. It's been a tough last leg and we're excited to be stationary for a moment.

The challenges began the day after we left Novosibirsk, Russia. Sections of the road through Siberia, M-53, was under construction and the detours were horrendous. We were funneled down washboard gravel roads with cobblestones the size of volleyballs, old paved roads with bathtub-sized potholes, and mud tracks. We tried to go slow and avoid as much of it as possible, but there was no getting around some of the obstacles.

We got our first flat tire late morning that day, which was quickly remedied with a swap of the spare. At the next village we brought the flat into a tire shop to see if they could fix it. A chunk of scrap metal had cut a gash about two inches long in the tire, and the techs were unable to patch it. There were no tires of the appropriate size for our rims for sale, so we rolled on down the road without a spare.

The second flat came just outside of the next big village, luckily. We limped into the tire shop there, nearly riding the rim. This time they were able to patch the punctured tire. Once again, though, there wasn't a tire available for sale that fit our rims. We moved on without a spare.

We went to sleep that night happy to have four inflated tires. We were disappointed the following morning, however, to find that the patch didn't hold. We had a flat and were camped between towns. This meant that one of us would have to leave the Jeep, take the spare rim (from which the useless tire had been removed), and find a new tire to put on it.

I volunteered to look for the tire. I left around 9AM while Randall stayed to keep an eye on the Jeep. We agreed that if Randy had not heard from me by noon the following day, that he should start worrying. I took off with me a backpack of essentials and the spare rim, walking a half-mile to the highway, and then hitching a ride to the next village.

The Russian man, Roma, who picked me up was what Randy calls "a Fixer." He knew where to go and who to talk to. He didn't speak a word of English, but we communicated with little Russian that I know and some sign language. Within 3 hours I was back to camp with a brand new tire. I offered to pay him for all the driving around that he did, but he refused, and I ended up stashing a $20 bill in the car for him to find later. Unfortunately, I was in such a survival mode that morning that I forgot to even snap a picture with Roma.

Randall and I slapped the new tire onto the Jeep and immediately went back to the tire shop. We bought another new tire and discarded the patched tire. With five good tires, we traveled on in the direction of Irkutsk and Lake Baikal.

We spent a night at camping resort on Lake Baikal. We had a terrific meal at the restaurant of a traditional Russian soup recommended by the waitress and fresh fish. The following morning we took baths in the lake and then hit the road again towards Ulan-Ude followed by the Russia-Mongolia border. The road was good and the travel was easy (for a change).

We made it to the border just as they were closing down the Russian side. We ended up spending the night in the Jeep there. The next morning we made it through the Russian side in about an hour, which was followed by five on the Mongolian side.

Completely unprofessional customs workers made for a frustrating day. We watched as a woman shuffled our papers, walked them from one booth to another, chatted, walked to another booth, shuffled the papers, and chatted some more. At one booth, the woman inside was busy tending to her child. An obviously drunk worker tried made some gestures that we didn't know how to interpret, while someone's dog barked from the corner where it was chained. Eventually we made it through and continued our journey, driving through a stunning Mongolian landscape.

So here we are in Ulaan Baatar! We're taking a rest day before we decide what to do with the remainder of our time in Mongolia. We'd like to get out and see the countryside before handing the Jeep over to Go-Help/Charity Rallies for auction.

We'll be home soon, and hopefully I'll have a chance to tell you some stories in person and catch up with the happenings and goings-on. Speaking of which, big "CONGRATULATIONS!" to Mike and Megan on their engagement! See you all soon!

Randall with our first flat.

Putting on a wheel after the hitch-hiking and tire-finding adventure.

A village in front of Lake Baikal.

The gateway to Mongolia. Finally there!

Typical scenery.

Back in Russia

2009-08-17T20:24:00.000-07:00

We left Kostanay a bit tired a few days ago. Instead of getting a good night's rest at the hotel, we ended up going out on the town. We found that the dance clubs just get started at midnight. That made for a late night, and we didn't get to bed til at least 4am. We had a blast, though, and were glad to party down for one of our last nights in Kazakhstan.

Since then, we've been on the road and camping. Angus and Tim, the other team that we're traveling with right now, have quite a bit of "kit" in their Vauxhall Combo. They have a few chairs, a table, and a two-burner stove. Thus, we've combined our supplies and skills to make for some extraordinary camp meals. For example, we bought some fresh-picked mushrooms roadside a few days ago and had a nice pasta with sauteed onions, garlic, and mushrooms. The following morning we had mushroom omelets with beans and toast. Delicious.

Last night we arrived in Novosibirsk, Russia. We found a relatively inexpensive hotel with community showers and no hot water. No problem, though, as we're just stopping over to clean ourselves up a bit before we head on our respective ways. Randy and I will leave for Irkutsk and Lake Baikal today, which will take about three days. Angus and Tim head for the Altai and western border of Mongolia. It's been great traveling with them, and hopefully our paths will cross again in the future!

Taking a Break in Kustanay

2009-08-14T01:00:00.000-07:00

*Check out some of the earlier posts. I've posted more pictures*

After four nights of camping in the Kazakh wilderness, we're staying at a hotel tonight. We need to register our passports in Kazakhstan before we get to the Russian border again, so we stopped in Kustanay to do so. Apparently, to register, one needs to be actually staying at a physical address somewhere. We can't enter "camping" or the name of just any old hotel in the box on the registration paper. That's fine with us, as we're in need of showers and laundry service.

We've made some new friends in Kazakhstan! While looking for LPG a few nights ago in Aktobe (Aktubinsk), a man approached us and offered to take us to a station. Zhora and his wife escorted us across town. We exchanged some gifts, as well. He gave us a few smoked fish, some Kazakh beer, and a CD of the local flavor. We gave him a flask of the good stuff and a Johnny Cash CD. A good trade, indeed. They were then kind enough to escort to the proper road out of town and gave us a nice send-off!

I'm looking forward to some local cuisine this evening and some good rest in a bed! Oh, and we finally bought the correct LPG pump adapter for Kazakhstan! Too bad we'll only be here another day or two.

The Lost Crusade, our new friend Zhora, and Team Ulaan Baantor.

Not a tree, road, or building in sight.

Kazakh Roads

2009-08-12T06:29:00.001-07:00

Yesterday was a great drive from Atyrau to Oral (Uralsk). The road was magnificantly straight and bump free! The other road, to the east, we heard was frought with so many potholes that people routinely drive in tracks in the desert parallel to the road.

We had some interesting and diverse interactions with the Kazakh people yesterday. The spectrum was covered. We met terrific people and terribly cranky people. We got kicked out of a gas station for inquiring as to where we might buy a certain adapter for our LPG tank. I even got into a shouting match with a police officer who, I think, stopped me for not having my headlights on - at 5:30PM. After I gave him a flask of special "American vodka" (ask me in person about that sometime), he gave me my driver's license back.

We're in Aktobe now. We've met up with some Englishmen who we'll convoy with for a few days. We are going to head towards Kustanay tonight and camp somewhere along the way. We have run out of time/money on our cell phone, so the map (www.charityrallies.org/thelostcrusade) may not be updated for a few days until we can sort something out.

The road awaits! I wish I could be more detailed, but we must be on our way.

Camels crossing the road. I didn't even know that had camels in Kazakhstan until this trip. We've seen many heards and flocks of livestock here, but interestingly we've yet to see a fence.

Out in the countryside looking for a campsite.

Ran into this little hedgehog while looking for a spot to camp.

A grassy spot to sleep, trees for cover, and a good sunset. We'll drink to that.

Kazakhstan

2009-08-10T23:15:00.000-07:00

The ferry and entry into Russia went down without problem. We left Sochi the same day, August 8th, and battled traffic on narrow winding roads through the foothills of the Caucusus mountains. We stayed a night at a hotel in Mykop and kept truckin' the next morning. Once through the mountains, we traveled straighter roads through prairieland. We camped behind an abandoned gas station and watched an episode of "The Wire" on Randall's laptop. We again awoke and hit the road for the Kazakh border.

These two and a half days in Russia yielded no less than seven stop-and-checks by the Russian police, who wanted to see our documents. No fines, tickets, or bribes (despite some solicitations).

Yesterday we entered Kazakhstan after gifting two Beanie Babies and a broken Ipod to the border guards. The roads past the border took a turn for the worse. We traveled bumpy bouncy pavement with juicy suspension-killing potholes all the way to Atyrau.

We ended up camping across the road from an oil refinery near Atyrau last night. We awoke at 7AM to a car horn honking. Security wanted to know why we were there, but ended up telling us we could go back to sleep. 15 minutes later, a work crew pulled up, and we met the foreman, Ahman.

Ahman spoke passable English, especially compared to my terrible Russian. We made him a cup of coffee and asked him as many questions as we could about Kazakh roads, where to find LPG and an internet cafe, and about Atyrau. He was stoked to be practicing his English and was a tremendous help. He drew maps to LPG and internet and we were on our way, glad that we'd camped where we did!

We found the LPG station, but didn't have the correct adapter. We waited at the fuel station for about a half an hour until someone with the right connection came along. We borrowed the adapter, fueled up, and gave the owner and the station attendant each a Turkish beer.

Now we're doing some business on the web (obviously). Next on the agenda: try to figure out what our next move will be. Apparently, there are limited LPG fueling stations in Kazakhstan, and this will be a huge factor in the decision.

Trabzon, Turkey from the ferry as we sail away to Russia.

In Sochi. Welcome to Mother Russia!

Monastery and Rock Clımbıng

2009-08-07T02:31:00.000-07:00

As planned, we took a trıp to the Sümela Monastery. It was a neat place ın an ıncredıble settıng. The orıgınal monastery was buılt by two monks ın the 4th century on the sıde of a clıff uner a large overhang, whıch formed most of the ceılıng of the buıldıng. Sınce then, ıt has been added on to over the centurıes by varıous partıes. Many of the frescoes have been defaced by muslıms who belıeved that art should not depıct human forms. The paıntıngs on the ceılıngs have mostly avoıded thıs fate.

After vısıtıng the monastery, we found a campsıte and set up camp. Once we were settled ın, we decıded that we should explore some of the local rock. We had seen a nıce lıne up a large face earlıer ın the day that looked clımbable and protectable ın the tradıtıonal clımbıng style. It started ın a rıght-facıng corner wıth a crack ın ıt. Thıs crack followed the corner for about 60 feet to a large roof, whıch could be bypassed to the left. The remaınder of the clımb was on face holds that were margınally protectable. The clımbıng was decent, but the descent was the real adventure. As ıt got dark we stumbled through brambles and thorny vınes to get back to our packs at the base.

We leave for the ferry to Russıa ın about one hour. Wısh us luck gettıng ınto and through Russıa ınto Kazakhstan!

The Sümela Monastery built into a large hollow in the middle of a cliff.

The original monastery, covered with frescoes.

The ceiling inside the original monastery.

The rock that Randall and I climbed yesterday. I'm pretty sure that was a first ascent. I'd rate our route about a 5.7/5.8.

Trabzon

2009-08-06T02:48:00.000-07:00

Just before leavıng Istanbul, we met up wıth another rally team, Ephram and George. Ephram went to school wıth Randy ın Duluth years ago. He and George are now lıvıng and workıng ın Dublın. They are partıcıpatıng ın the Mongol Rally proper (not the Charıty Rallıes event). We'd been trackıng theır progress, and by chance happened to be ın the same place at the same tıme. Small world!

The four of us left Istanbul a few days ago on great freeway roads. They deterıorated after about 400km to two lane road wıthout any markıngs. Constructıon, fog, and ındıscrımant use of brıghts by Turkısh drıvers confounded matters. After 700km of tough drıvıng, we arrıved ın Samsun at around 2am and drank Turkısh beer on the shore of the Black Sea. We spent the nıght at a campground near the beach. When we awoke the next mornıng we went for a swım, ate fısh for lunch, and then departed for an easy 330km to Trabzon.

Randall and I are now ın Trabzon awaiting a ferry to Sochi, Russia. We parted wıth Ephram and George, who are contınuıng on to Georgıa and Azerbaıjan. The ferry should be leavıng here tomorrow. Untıl then we are goıng to do some explorıng. As soon as we fınısh up some busıness checkıng emaıl and checkıng the status of other rallıers we plan to drıve south to Sumela monastery. It was buılt ınto the sıde of a steep clıff ın the 4rd century by Athenıan monks. It looks lıke ıt wıll be a very cool place.

Mosques and More!

2009-08-02T08:29:00.001-07:00

The imposing Blue Mosque.

The Hagia Sofia at night. This was the largest cathedral in the world for nearly 1000 years. Built in the 6th century as a basilica, it was later converted to a mosque. It is now a museum.
A Whirling Dervish. This is not a dance, but a spiritual ritual of persons devoted to the Mevlevi Order. This order practices Sufism, which is the mystic component of Islam.
Turkish delights.

The Vehicle

2009-08-02T03:35:00.000-07:00

We're riding in style. Our 2008 Jeep Grand Cherokee may be more than ten years old, but she's flush with creature comforts - and they all still work, suprisingly. All, that is, except the airconditioning, which probably just needs to be recharged. She's got electric windows, locks, sunroof, and seat control. If those aren't enough, she also has electric headlight adjustment, heated seats, cruise control, and leather upholstery. Brilliant!

We got the Jeep on the cheap from eBay.uk. It cost around $600, plus what we've spent on repairs, some of which have been fairly major. The labor for these repairs was nearly free, however, as a friend of Randall's has helped us out immensely. Thanks to Dave, who has rally experience and an awesome shop in Evesham, England, we have a running vehicle.

The best part about the Jeep is that she runs on liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), which is the same propane that you use to fire up your gas grill at home. LPG is nice for an endeavor such as this because it costs about half as much as gasoline, and burns cleaner. Petrol and diesel emit particulate matter into the air, whereas LPG emits virtually none.

Filling up the tank. The petrol tank has been reduced in size and the LPG tank is mounted alongside it.

The LPG runs from the tank under the Jeep to a modulator, then to a heater, then into the fuel injectors. We must start the vehicle using regular gasoline, then when the engine heats to 40 dgrees celcius, it switches to LPG. The transition is seamless and we never even notice.

This is one type of pumps. We have adapters for two additional types, because the standard is different from country to country.

Istanbul

2009-07-31T13:10:00.000-07:00

We just spent some time in Croatia on the Dalmation Coast a few days ago - not enough though, of course! I didn't get a chance to do any deep water soloing, but we all went for a dip in the beautiful blue water.

After Croatia, we turned inland to Bosnia, stopping at the amazing city of Mostar. It was bombed in the Bosnian War in 1993 and is now a UNESCO world heritage site. It is the site of the famous Stari Most bridge, which has since been rebuilt. We spent that night in Sarajevo and enjoyed dinner and a stroll through the city center.

The following day we had some problems and miscommunication with the border to Serbia, but made it through in about 4 hours. We spent the night in a small town in Serbia with a friend of Karina's. Today it was smooth sailing to Istanbul, where we are staying tonight.

Lots more photos to post!

The Stari Most bridge in Mostar. Gorgeous place!

Julia in Sarajevo.

Austrian Cows

2009-07-27T06:36:00.000-07:00

Yesterday and this morning we spent time at a mountain hut near Kitzbühel, Austria. The weather was gorgeous, and we went for a hike up the mountain to a small lake. The hillsides were dotted with cows grazing. On the way to the lake, we stopped to rest at small catholic chapel. Inside there were four pews, each holding two occupants. It was very idyllic with views of rugged mountains in the distance.

We also spent some time hunting for and picking mushrooms growing on the slopes near the hut. Our friend and acting guide, Karina, told us which ones were edible and which ones to avoid. We must have picked nearly a half pound of small yellow mushrooms. Later, we cleaned them and Karina used them in a spaghetti sauce. We ate dinner at dusk while the cows came down the mountain, bells jangling.

Karina, on a layover between jobs as a psychiatric nurse, has decided to join us on our way to Istanbul. We'll be on our way in a few hours, with a stop for perhaps a few days in Croatia. There is a film festival going on there that we'd like to check out. We also would like to visit the Dalmation coast while there. Personally, I'd like to try to do some deep water soloing (rock climbing over water without gear or rope, just shoes) over the Adriatic.

Gas leaks, Traffic, and Austria

2009-07-25T17:27:00.000-07:00

In the past few days, we've blazed through France, Belgium, Luxemburg, and Germany. Now we're in Austria. It hasn't been an easy cruise, however.

After all the engine troubles that I talked about in the last entry (radiator, cracked head, etc) had been taken care of, we thought we were set and on our way. Not without some trouble with the security system first, however. This caused us to end up staying an extra night near London with a friend of Randall's, who helped us out tremendously. Once the security system issue was sorted out, we rolled down to Dover. With school just getting out for the summer in England, the roads to the ferries were congested. We all thought that we'd end up camping near the white cliffs and losing another day, but thankfully we were able to book a ferry for the same evening.

We got off the ferry in Calais, France around 9pm on the 24th. We started booking it for Germany, and arrived at the border yesterday (25th) in the wee hours of the morning. Too tired to continue, we camped at a random wooded spot in a rural area. We awoke later that morning, packed up, and hit the trail (quite literally). We'd gone no further than 50 feet when a strong gasoline smell filled the cab. We stopped and opened the hood to find unleaded draining from the fuel line into the engine compartment at the head.

Randall and I took the line off and took stock. We found a couple of plastic spacers, one good O-ring, and one disintegrating O-ring. We fiddled with it all for a while, trying to get a good seal - until I dropped a spacer and the good O-ring into the compartment. We searched for the missing parts for a while, then resorted to combinations of duct tape and zip-ties to seal the coupling betweeen the fuel line and the nipple it seated onto. After nearly two hours, we finally found that we could use some spare rings from an MSR stove kit to seal it.

Our improvisation must've been sufficient, because Julia, Randall, and I spent the remainder of the day making our way through Germany in stop-and-go weekend vacation traffic. We arrived in Austria around 10PM. We settled into a vacant flat that a friend set us up with in a small town called Kirchbichl, near Innsbruck. A few glasses of wine and a beer or two down the old gullets, and plans to hike up to a mountain hut this morning (26th) materialized from seemingly nowhere. I'm pretty pumped for that, of course, and hope to enjoy some fresh alps air before we hop back in the Jeepo for the drive to Croatia.

When I get a chance, I'll tell you about our Jeep a bit. It runs on petrol and propane. Until then, auf wiedersehen!

We found some woods down a backroad in Germany and caught some Z's before continuing to Austria.

This is where we had the gas leak. Good to go now, thanks to an MSR Whisperlite camp stove repair kit.

Beyond the Pond

2009-07-21T15:21:00.001-07:00

Julia and I made it to the UK today. We flew into Heathrow International and checked into our hotel shortly after. Because Randall is up north taking care of some last minute issues with the Jeep, we'll meet up with him tomorrow. In the meanwhile, we are trying to beat the jet lag and stay active with some sightseeing.

This afternoon we took the "tube," or underground rail, to Central London. We popped up from a rail station right in front of Big Ben. It was a great introduction to the city. We also saw the House of Parliament, Westminster Abbey, Trafalgar Square, and the National Gallery. After our self-guided walking tour, we had dinner beneath St. Martin-in-the-Field church at the Crypt Cafe. It was a good way to start the trip, to be sure.The House of Parliament and the Westminster Bridge.Julia in front of Westminster Abbey.Chris and Julia in front of the National Gallery.Julia enjoying a bite at the Crypt Cafe.

Garden

2009-07-19T21:00:00.000-07:00

I've had a wonderful time tending to the garden this summer. The plants have taken off and are growing at an incredible rate. The vegetables are just about ready to start producing. We'll miss most of the harvest, though, as Julia and I are off to the land beyond the big pond on the morrow. The next time you hear from us, we may be drinking Earl Grey on a damp London afternoon - perhaps eating scrumpets with Her Majesty, the Queen.

Cucumbers to the left of me, tomatoes to the right. Here I am. Stuck in the middle with you.

Lamb's ear and chicks'n hens. If there were such a thing as goat rocks, we'd have ourselves a regular barnyard themed party in the garden.

Earlier this summer we had some very nice iris blooms that came from my aunt Charlene's garden last summer.

Annual Camping Trip 2009

2009-07-17T20:43:00.000-07:00

Another terrific year on the shores of Gitchi Gumee! We were missing a few, but most of the crew was there. Golfing, biking, relaxing on the beach, and even a little climbing were enjoyed. Dan was on point with Morgan's Meal Plan, and we all ate like kings on a weight-gain program.

Gooch conquering Carlton Peak.

Mike, Dan, Phil, and Loren (L to R) at sunset.

Mike takes it up a notch and wins the tree-climbing game this year. How could this possibly be a bad idea?

The Mongol Charity Rally

2009-07-17T17:46:00.001-07:00

It’s nearly upon us. Next week Randall and I will be starting in London and driving 10,000 miles across Europe and Asia to Ulaan Baatar, Mongolia. Julia will also be joining us for the first week of the journey. After some sightseeing in Istanbul, we say goodbye to her as she hops a plane back to England. She will visit a friend there while Randy and I continue on. In all, we will visit 12 countries, navigating large cities, traversing mountain ranges, and crossing vast plains.

The end goal of this crazy adventure is to raise some money for some good causes. With the help of some generous givers, we’ve already raised over $1600 for Save the Children (www.firstgiving.com/tate-ziebell). In addition, the 1999 Jeep Grand Cherokee we’ll be driving will be donated to Go Help/Charity Rallies in Ulaan Baatar. Our vehicle, along with other participating teams’ vehicles, will be auctioned and the proceeds will go to local charities. To date, the 2009 Mongol Charity Rally has raised over 46,000 UK pounds ($75,000 US)!

I know most of you already have these web addresses, but for those that don’t, you can track our progress, read blog entries, and view posted pictures:
www.charityrallies.org/thelostcrusade (Our team page on the official Charity Rallies website)
www.randalltate.com/rally (Our site, created by Randall the Great. Also, drop the “/rally” to check out some spectacular photos)
chrisziebell.blogspot.com (This site, silly.)

Julia Finishes Grandma’s Marathon in Record Heat

2009-07-16T11:09:00.001-07:00

Heck yes! Congratulations to Julia for a job well done in Grandma’s Marathon!

Despite incredible and unseasonable heat, Julia managed to cross the finish line. The heat, lack of shade on the course, and virtually no wind made for a grueling 26.2 miles. The medical tents were very busy, and rumor has it that the event was nearly called off due to the conditions. Julia fought through it and crossed the finish line like a champion!

Good job, Julia!

The Great One

2009-07-07T17:01:00.001-07:00

More commonly known as Mount McKinley , the highest point on the North American continent was first called Denali, or “The Great One,” by the native Athabaskans.

Randall, Peter, and I decided sometime last winter, or perhaps even before, that we were going to have a go at it this summer. Randy and Peter had attempted Denali some four years earlier, which culminated in three nights spent at high camp (17,000) in weather that did not permit a summit attempt. We all had hopes that this time would be different.

After months of planning and equipment collection, we were ready when May came around. Well, mentally prepared, anyway. While training for the climb, Peter rolled his ankle a few times. He decided to lay off and let it heal, putting a damper on his regimen. Randall, developed a hernia whilst trekking through South America. It required surgery no less than three weeks prior to our start date. Finally, studying for finals consumed most of my time during April, and my training also took a hit. With the 15+ mile long West Buttress route requiring a minimum a week and a half to reach the summit, there would be time to train on the mountain. Right?

We arrived in Talkeetna on the 23rd of May. We made final gear adjustments and preparations, and took an air taxi to Kahiltna Base Camp (7,200 ft) on the morning of the 25th. We unloaded our equipment from the De Havilland Otter ski plane, picked up sleds and fuel, and began the long slog to our first camp. Things went well for the first few days, and we moved up the mountain in terrific weather. On the third day, we awoke to blowing snow and white-out conditions.

After being tent-bound for a few days, we decided to go for the camp at 11,000 ft, despite the white-out. We traveled by spotting bamboo wands that marked the route.We made it to 11k camp and spent a few days acclimatizing and caching food higher before making the move to 14,000 ft camp. The travel between 11k and 14k was more interesting than further down the mountain, with an ascent of “Motorcycle Hill” and a traverse of “Windy Corner.” Windy Corner lived up to its name both on the cache day and on the day we moved to 14k camp.

At 14k camp we again spent some time acclimatizing. The views of Mounts Hunter and Foraker were amazing. We spent days making water, reading, listening to iPods, and trying to keep motivated. The weather at 14k wasn’t bad, but we could see that higher up it was very windy. However, the forecast predicted that a high pressure front would begin to move over the mountain in a few days and stabilize the weather briefly. That would be our weather-window.

We moved to High Camp at 17,000 ft on a cold and windy day, but made it without any problems. At about 16k ft and above, the effects of the altitude and lack of available oxygen became noticeable. We took our time traversing “16 Ridge,” which starts at the top of “The Headwall,” a 2000 vertical foot steep face, and ends-up at High Camp. Even though it was a chilly day, there were almost no clouds in the sky, making the journey seem a little easier.

We spent only one night at 17k feet before taking a shot at the summit. The high pressure system indeed moved over the mountain. The was clear and relatively warm (nearly 0 degrees F) when we left camp to ascend the 3100 vertical feet to the top. The going was very slow, and the lack of oxygen made it tough to warm up cold fingers and toes. Despite the full sun and clear sky, the temps were below zero Fahrenheit all day.

The view coming across the final ridge to the summit was incredible even with a hypoxic brain and hazy thoughts. We spent about 15 or 20 minutes standing on the top, taking some pictures and trying to soak in the view before heading down.

The cruise back to 17,000 ft, where our camp was still set, took far less than the grind to the top. When we arrived back at the tent, we all crashed for the night.

The following day, we pushed hard to make it from 17k all the way back down to Base Camp at 7,000 feet. We hobbled in at around 11pm, ate some chili, and slept like rocks. Randall woke up early the next morning and got us on the flight manifest. By 9AM we were on our way back to Talkeetna, where we spent the day cleaning, drying, and repacking gear. That even we celebrated with a pub crawl that lasted until 2AM for me (4AM for the rest), taking advantage of the Alaskan summer sun.

Up and Running Again

2009-06-25T11:19:00.001-07:00

After quite a hiatus from the blog, I’ve decided to make another run at it. I recently purchased a new laptop that has a very cool feature. There is some sort of interface between my desktop and blogspot.com that makes it very easy to post blog entries. Now I’ve got no excuse. Be on the lookout for new and debatably interesting posts coming soon!

Annual Camping Trip 2007

2007-07-30T21:39:00.000-07:00

There was a fantastic turn-out once again this year. We chose to camp at the secret spot on the lake (as opposed to the secret spot in the woods).

Already I can't wait until next year.

Josh and Andy enjoying a quiet moment together in the hot tub.

The bikers at the top of Lutsen right before a blazing decent. Nobody is covered in mud... yet.

I think that's Wes. He's usually a pretty quiet dude, but when the tree-climbing game gets busted out, there's no holding him back.

The golfers making the best of a marginal day.

Camping near Duluth

2007-06-30T22:19:00.000-07:00

Julia and I did a little "back country camping." We had a great time and a great view.

We also visited Joanna and Randy and tossed some bags.

Wyoming Trip

2007-06-03T16:34:00.000-07:00

Matt, Mike, and I recently did some climbing out in Wyoming and a little in South Dakota as well. We had a great time mountaineering on the Grand Teton and rock climbing at Devil's Tower and the Needles.

We drove through the night for 16 hours to Grand Teton National Park. After we found a campsite at Jenny Lake, we unloaded the gear and prepared for climbing the following day. It was a good stop for a little acclimatization.

We woke up later than we wanted to the next day and didn't get to the trailhead until about 7AM. We hiked through forest on a nice trail for the first few hours until reaching the snow field in Garnet Canyon. We continued on until about 3PM and made camp just below the lower saddle. We went to bed around 5 or 6PM that night.

At 2AM we were up for an "alpine start" (pre-dawn). We climbed the Lower Saddle headwall and then traversed over to the Stettner Couloir. The climbing was excellent in the cold, hard snow. The Stettner, which is a mixed snow, ice, and rock climb, did not have as much ice in it as other years to our dismay.

We climbed out of the Stettner late in the morning and began the slog up the final snowfield to the summit. The sun had been beating on this part of the mountain all morning and the snow was very soft. It made climbing difficult and slow because we sink in, sometimes to our hips, after each step.

After a long, hard afternoon, we finally summitted and began the descent. Mike did a great job route-finding, and we located the rappel anchors to the Upper Saddle without much problem. However, the descent from the Upper Saddle to the Lower Saddle was more difficult and we ended up back in camp at about 10PM. It was quite a long day.

After a good night's sleep and a late wake-up, we headed down to the car. We found that rodents had chewed through some wiring and the car wouldn't start. It was towed to Jackson, where we spent an addition two days waiting for the repairs. It was a good rest, though.

We left Jackson and headed to Devil's Tower. We had planned to spend a day scouting and maybe doing some light climbing. When we got to the base of the route we were scouting, The Durrance Route, we decided to just climb it right then.

We had another group ahead of us on the route and ended up waiting at a few of the belay ledges. The climbing was great, though, and the route was easily protected with cams and nuts. We summitted at about 4PM after 6 hours on the route and descended. We made a quick camp-meal in the parking lot and decided to knock-out a drive to Custer State Park that evening.

The next morning we climbed a little in the Needles before it started raining. We climbed the well-known Needle's Eye formation, but were shut-down near the top and didn't summit. After two big successes (for us, at least) already, we didn't worry about it too much. We just viewed it as a reason to make another trip out to that area.

Climbing the snow ridge approaching the final snowfield.

The three summiteers.

Mike rappeling off of Devil's Tower.

Early Season Rock

2007-03-11T21:07:00.000-07:00

No, not death metal. Real rock. In March.

Julia, Matt, and I took a trip down to Red Wing to climb at Barn Bluff this weekend. There was still lots of snow on the ground, but the temps were in the low 50s. Unfortunately, the rock we were climbing on was in the shade and cold fingers were common. We still had a blast.

Matt takes the first lead of the season up this chilly buttress.

I lead a different route while Matt belays. There's snow on the ground and we're in the shade, but there is no wind to speak of.

Julia high on the rock.

You can tell by the look on her face that she knows just how serious this game really is.

There's a snowstorm on the way...

2007-02-25T18:13:00.000-08:00

Cool. Let's go camping.

Finally, we've got some snow! I was starting to get worried. Ali, Joe, Matt, and I enjoyed it at the Sandstone quarries, where we camped and did some ice climbing.

Before the storm. Joe goes tent-diving while Ali keeps watch.

During the storm. "Time for bed, try not to drag snow in with you."

Matt shows us the finer points of wilderness survival.

Lounging by the fire.

Joe, Matt, and Ali getting ready to climb.

A Little More Ice

2007-01-14T18:53:00.000-08:00

Joe, Matt and I decided to take a trip up to Sandstone today to check out some ice there. The city has embraced climbers and we got a great vibe from everyone. The ice was awesome. Much taller than anything in the metro area.

2007-01-14T18:41:00.000-08:00

Joe and Matt at the top of the cliff starting to set a route.

2007-01-14T18:40:00.000-08:00

Matt tops out on a fun route.

2007-01-14T18:38:00.000-08:00

Joe getting geared up.

2007-01-14T18:34:00.000-08:00

The ice was a little brittle, but fun nonetheless.

Winter Wonderlaa... Where's the Snow?

2007-01-12T10:56:00.000-08:00

Last semester went great for me. Organic chemistry monopolized my time, but it paid off in the end. Next week is the beginning of another semester and I'm looking forward to rocking Biochem.

I'll also start a new job next week. I'm very excited about that. I'll be working for a non-profit in St. Paul. Due to the sensitive nature of it, I won't go into the details here. Ask me about it sometime, though!

I've been itching for some snow! I'd like to get out on some snowshoes or do some winter camping now that my knee is on the mend. Well, even though there isn't any snow, there is still ice!

Last night Joe, Matt and I took a trip to a local ice climbing spot know as "the Brickyards." There are some sandstone cliffs there where water seeps out and forms large vertical columns of ice. We had a good time climbing with our headlamps on and the St. Paul skyline lit-up behind us.

2007-01-12T10:54:00.000-08:00

Trying not to fall off.

2007-01-12T10:53:00.000-08:00

Matt making some progress.

Out of Commission

2006-10-25T15:18:00.000-07:00

I guess I was doing too much biking and running and the like. As a result, I developed a tear in my patellar tendon (right below the kneecap) and was on crutches for a few weeks. If that wasn't enough, I sprained the ankle on my good leg coming down some stairs! I ended up rolling around in a wheel-chair last week.

That was certainly an interesting experience! Not only was it a challenge to navigate the U of M, but getting to and from school was also a hassle. Cooking was tough, cleaning was almost impossible, and even using the restroom was difficult. It was pretty hard for Julia as well. She had to take time from her busy schedule to give me a hand. I definitely have a new respect for those who've got disabilities, whether they are temporary or permanent.

I'm back up and walking this week, albeit with an ankle brace and a full-length knee immobilization brace. I'll be in the knee brace for another few weeks, and the ankle will probably be braced for a while longer. Also, no running or biking for 6 weeks! I don't know what I'm going to do with myself.

2006-10-24T18:15:00.000-07:00

Getting around.

Back to School

2006-09-28T20:13:00.001-07:00

I'm back at school and hard at work. I'm taking a few classes at the U and really enjoying being back in the classroom. I also started a new job at REI last month. I'm not sure if that was a good thing or not however... I don't know if its a good idea for me to be around so much gear all the time. I do really like working there, though.

With school, work, and OCS, I haven't had time for much else. Last weekend I was able to participate in my first "Offroad Triathlon" at Hyland Regional Park. I had an awesome time with the sea kayaking, mountain biking, and running. Other than that, I haven't had a whole lot of time for anything too exciting. I've just been trying to stay on top of the schoolwork and such.

2006-09-28T20:12:00.000-07:00

Starting out the kayak portion of the race. Photo by Julia.

Mount Rainier

2006-08-22T12:34:00.000-07:00

Mount Rainier is a volcano in the Cascade Mountains. It is the tallest mountain in Washington State at 14,411 ft., and the 5th tallest in the continental United States. According to the National Parks Service, last year nearly 9,000 attempted to climb Mt. Rainier. Just over half of them were successful. Only 276 of them attempted the route we chose: the Kautz Glacier.

To start the route, Joe, Matt, Mike and I began at 5,400 ft. where the NPS has a very nice visitor center. We started hiking around 7 AM on Monday, the 14th. We hiked through some beautiful alpine meadows with an amazing amount of wildfowers in bloom. We hiked until with met the Nisqually Glacier, where we put on our crampons, roped up, and crossed. After crossing the glacier, we ascended a rockfall gully called "The Fan." We had some lunch before heading out onto the Wilson Glacier and up to our first campsite.

The first night we set up our camp on the edge of the Wilson Glacier at about 8,200 ft. When we awoke the next morning we had an awesome view with the clouds a few thousand feet below us. We started out around 7 AM again and went the rest of the way up the glacier. We reached a rock band where we unroped and climbed up to "The Turtle," which is a large, steep snowfield. We spent the rest of the day ascending this and set up camp at around 11,200 ft.

The following morning we got an "alpine start," meaning that we awoke at 2 AM and started off by 3AM when the snow was still very cold and hard, making ice and rockfall less likely. The cold conditions at this time also make snowbridges more stable and allows for quicker travel. The first obstacle we had to overcome was a 30 to 40 foot cliff that needed to be descended. We rappeled down this and then continued on through an icefall area to some technical ice climbing sections on the Kautz Glacier. There was far more vertical ice than we had expected, and we ended up behind schedule.

Once we topped-out on the ice, we still had some glacier travel to go. By this time the sun had some out and we were slowed down by hidden crevasses. We ended up finding a suitable campsite at around 13,000 ft. after 9 hours of climbing and glacier navigation. We ate some dinner and went to bed around 6 PM that evening to get enough rest for another alpine start the next morning.

The fourth day on the mountain was summit day. We spent about 3 and 1/2 hours navigating more crevasses before making it to the summit at 6:30 AM. We spent the rest of the day descdending the 9000 feet we'd climbed. By the end of the day we were all beat. We headed back to Tacoma and had some beer and pizza as a reward and crashed out for the night.

I had a great time on this trip and was treated to some awesome views. The sights were absolutely amazing. "Thank you" to Mike, Matt, and Joe. I can't wait for the next one...

2006-08-22T12:28:00.000-07:00

If you look closely you can see a general route overview in red dashed lines. Our campsites are marked with green circles. (You may have to click on the picture and enlarge it to see the route.)

2006-08-22T08:28:00.000-07:00

Still on solid ground and moving quickly.

2006-08-22T08:26:00.000-07:00

The Niqually Glacier was the first glacier that we crossed.

2006-08-22T08:25:00.000-07:00

Taking a stop for some rest and some lunch.

2006-08-22T08:23:00.000-07:00

This is the view we awoke to after our first night on the mountain.

2006-08-22T08:22:00.000-07:00

Joe and Matt are taking a break after a particularly steep section of a snowfield known as "The Turtle."

2006-08-22T08:21:00.000-07:00

Here I am rappeling down to the beginning of the steepest section of the climb at about 3:30 AM,

2006-08-22T08:17:00.000-07:00

You can see Joe down the ice wall a little ways making his way up. This section was sometimes as steep as 70 degrees. To give you a little perspective: the "U" shaped snowfield on the left side of the picture is about 250 vertical feet down. The clouds are several (4 to 5, perhaps) thousand feet down.

2006-08-22T08:15:00.000-07:00

Here I am belaying Joe from a ledge on the ice wall. The "ice" at this altitude is not like ice that forms when water freezes. It is formed by the weight of the glaciers compressing snow and fusing the crystals together. It may look like its just really hard snow, but when you whack at it with an ice pick, it quickly becomes apparent that acending without crampons and ice tools would be impossible.

2006-08-22T08:13:00.000-07:00

Just one of the many crevasses that we had to find a way over or around.

2006-08-22T08:11:00.000-07:00

Mike took this pictures of us walking along the crater rim to the summit. We had just navigated some crevassed terrain (hence the rope).

2006-08-22T08:10:00.000-07:00

From left to right: Mike, Matt, myself, and Joe. At the summit and ready to head down to beer and pizza.

2006-08-22T08:08:00.000-07:00

Standing at 14,411 ft. Behind me you can see the crater of the volcano. The summit is just the highest point on the crater.

More Camping

2006-07-24T12:24:00.000-07:00

This past weekend it was the Boundary Waters Canoe Area. We were a bit concerned that we weren't going to be able to get in due to the fires near the Gunflint Trail. The area that we camped in, Brule Lake, was far enough south that we were still able to access it. There was a total restriction on campfires, however. From time to time we could smell and see smoke from the forest fires and helicopters with giant "buckets" in tow were constantly flying back and forth.

We had a great time fishing and canoeing. Maggie, Kim and Joe had some great luck with the fish. The three of them pulled in well over 20 fish, with Maggie's 2 1/2 pound bass probably being the largest. Julia also caught her first fish ever. The weather was great and the bugs weren't bad, it was pretty much the sweetest Boundary Water's trip ever.

2006-07-24T12:23:00.000-07:00

You can see some of the smoke from the forest fire in the BWCA.

2006-07-24T12:22:00.000-07:00

This is the first fish Julia has ever caught: a nice bass.

2006-07-24T12:20:00.000-07:00

Joe filleting a delicious bass while Maggie gives him a few pointers.

2006-07-24T12:18:00.000-07:00

Making some dinner at our first campsite.

2006-07-24T12:17:00.000-07:00

Julia and Chris hanging out on some rocks by the water.

Another Successful Annual Camping Trip

2006-07-17T08:00:00.000-07:00

A group of us once again made the trip to the North Shore to do some camping. This year, since it was predicted to be around 100 degrees, we abandoned our traditional campsite in the woods for one on the lake. The weather was beautiful there. We had a great time playing cowboy golf, eating (like the breakfast that Morgan made for everyone: a french toast, sausage patty, fried egg, bacon sandwich with maple syrup), and mountain biking at Lutsen.

2006-07-17T07:45:00.000-07:00

What is a camping trip without some quality time are the campfire?

2006-07-17T07:43:00.000-07:00

Here we are enjoying some burgers after a hard day of mountain biking.

2006-07-17T07:42:00.000-07:00

We were treated to a spectaular display of lightning on Saturday night. We watched as this storm went by us on the lake.

Officer Candidate School website:

2006-06-30T16:06:00.000-07:00

http://www.dma.state.mn.us/blog/index.html

Summer Fun!

2006-06-30T15:43:00.000-07:00

Well... not really much fun quite yet. I just got back from two and a half weeks at Camp Ripley. I finished Phase 1 of the Officer Candidate program for the National Guard. Its a relatively intense leadership training program. I did lots of physical training. We had lots of classes ranging from Land Navigation to Equal Opportunity. All in all it was an excellent experience. Now I'm in Phase 2 where I will be training at monthly weekend drills for about 12 months. I'll be providing a link to a website that has pictures and videos of that training soon.

Tomorrow I will be moving into a house in St. Paul with Julia. The other day I was thinking about everything that has happened over the past two years. I realized that I've been "home" for only about 2 months in that amount of time. I'm very excited to finally settle down for a little while (although I've got a few things planned on the side). I've got a climbing trip planned for Mt. Rainier in August and I'll be starting school at the University of Minnesota in September. I'm looking forward to taking care of the remaining classes that I need to get into PA school and continue learning spanish.

I hope everyone has a safe and fun 4th of July!

I'm Home Again!

2006-05-12T17:08:00.000-07:00

I left Dominical for the last time on Sunday. I went back to Alajuela with Josh, who had been down visiting for the previous week. On Monday I took a bus to the mountain town of Turrialba. Once there, I found a guide who could rent me kayak gear and take me down the river the following day.

Things had been working out very well. I met my guide, Diego, at 8AM and we headed to the Class III/IV Rio Pacuare. After a two hour van ride, we began a nearly four hour paddle down the river. We paddled by waterfalls that were pouring into the river and through virgin rainforest. Diego notified me when we crossed into the Barbilla Reserve, territory of the Barbilla indigenous peoples. He told me that there were no more roads for many kilometers and that we were in the middle of nowhere.

About 15 minutes later my sprayskirt (the piece of neoprene that keeps water out of the boat) ripped at a seam. My boat filled with water in less than 30 seconds and I had to get out of the water. We pulled the boats out and I was more than a little curious to see what the plan would be.

That's when Diego said, "It's good to have a needle and thread with."

I agreed.

"So, next time I think I will have to bring some," he said.

We sat around and ate some food that we'd brought. Just when I was wondering what we were going to do next, another boater came down the river. It was a friend of Diego's and he had been fishing on the river. He had some hooks and some monofilament line, which worked wonderfully for sewing up the seam.

The rest of the day went on without any problems and it was a good day.

Sam, Tiffany, and John came to Turrialba that afternoon. We made plans to go up to Volcan Turrialba the following day. We had a good time hiking around the craters and checking out the rocks.

Yesterday morning I caught a bus back to San Jose and then to Alajuela to catch a flight home. It was a good last few days to end a great trip. Now its on to adventures in reality for a while.

2006-05-12T17:03:00.000-07:00

Myself and my guide, Diego, take a break during a flat section of the river before heading into some Class IV sections.

2006-05-12T17:01:00.000-07:00

Here I am looking like a nerd in front of a waterfall that fed into Rio Pacuare.

2006-05-12T16:59:00.000-07:00

Behind me are two of the three craters of Volcan Turrialba. One is directly behind me and down and the other can be seen steaming high on the mountainside further back.

Cerro Chirripo

2006-04-27T11:09:00.000-07:00

It had been a goal of mine to hike Cerro Chirripo, Costa Rica's tallest mountain, before I'd even gotten here. Last week the four of us, Jon, Tiffany, Sam, and myself, living in "Dona del Mar" (the name of our house) decided that we would begin on Monday, the 24th of April.

The first leg of the journey was just getting to the city of San Gerardo de Rivas. This is where the treailhead was. It took us nearly an entire day to get here by bus and get all of the park registration and reservations for the mountain-top hostel taken care of.

We awoke at 4am on the morning of the 25th and had breakfast before starting out on a grueling 14Km hike to the hostel at 11,000ft. We actually hit the trail at 5AM at an elevation of 4,987ft. We hiked through the morning, taking only a few breaks and finally reached the hostel at 11:30AM. We started the hike in tropical forest, hiking through beautiful and lush primary cloud-forest. We eventually hiked through secondary forest that had been growing since a forest-fire in 1992.

We rested for the rest of the day on the 25th, which worked out well since the mountains became socked-in with clouds and it rained for the remainder of the day.

We awoke again at 4AM on the 26th and began the summit hike at around 5AM. We summited by 6:30AM at 12,532 ft (3,820M) with perfect temperatures and clear skies. An awesome 360-degree vista was the reward.

After spending a little time at the summit, we began a 20km hike back to San Gerardo. We stopped at the hostel for brunch and eventually made it down the mountain by 2pm. We stopped at a local restaurant and had a celebratory beer and some lunch.

All in all, it was an awesome trip. We did more that 40Km of mountainous terrain with about 7,500 ft of elevation gain in two days. I've got tons of great pictures that I don't have time or space to post, but I'm sure I'll show them to everyone when I get home in May.

2006-04-27T10:58:00.000-07:00

At 0km. We've got a long two days ahead of us.

2006-04-27T10:54:00.000-07:00

We hiked through lush cloud-forest.

2006-04-27T10:50:00.000-07:00

"The Last Step..." to the hostel. It's actually the last step before the real last step.

2006-04-27T10:46:00.000-07:00

Hiking through some of the forest that had been burned in a fire in 1992.

2006-04-27T10:45:00.000-07:00

This is the view of the summit of Cerro Chirripo on the way up. The very last leg of the journey up (although there is still another 20Km down).

2006-04-27T10:39:00.000-07:00

12,500 ft. and great views! The temp. was in the 60's (perfect), and the skies were relatively clear.

Still Having Fun In the Sun

2006-04-23T12:27:00.000-07:00

Indeed! Sometimes fun in the dark as well... last night we went to a fire-walking ceremony. Myself and my new roomates walked not once, but at least twice each, across about 20 feet of hot coals. After the hot walk, we were treated to a local dance club's demonstration of their wonderful moves. There was also a Capoeira exhibition, which is a Brazilian martial-art. I wish that I would´ve had my camera for all of this, but I didn´t this time.

2006-04-23T12:25:00.000-07:00

These are my new roomates. Sam, on the left, and Tiffany and Jonathan.

2006-04-23T12:24:00.000-07:00

There are a few things that I enjoy a great deal in this world. One of them is a good hard-shelled taco, and the other is of course a cute monkey. This squirrel monkey lives down the street from me. We play together sometimes.

2006-04-23T12:19:00.000-07:00

I've been surfing every day, running nearly every day, and generally active. However, some days you just need to kick back with a good book.

Where Are You Living, Chris?

2006-04-15T16:10:00.000-07:00

Right here! Below are some photos of the house that I've been living in. I've been there for a few weeks and will be for a few more. Nothing too fancy, but I love living on the beach. I wake up to the sound of the waves and go to bed to the sound of the waves. Also, the sunsets are spectacular!

2006-04-15T15:57:00.001-07:00

The exterior.

2006-04-15T15:57:00.000-07:00

The view from the back porch.

2006-04-15T15:56:00.000-07:00

The interior.

Vacation Within a Vacation

2006-04-10T15:01:00.000-07:00

Last week I decided that it might be a good idea to take a trip across the country. I'd read about a music festival in the town of Puerto Viejo, so I picked up and took off for the weekend.

It was quite the experience navigating the bus stations and different towns that I had to travel through. I had to use quite a bit of the spanish that I had learned in the previous three weeks. It was also very cool to see a big swath of the country, albeit in passing.

When I got to Puerto Viejo I checked-in at a travelor's lodge/hostel called "Rocking J's." I'd brought my hammock with, so they let me set it up for $4 a night. That included the use of showers and bathrooms, a kitchen, and the use of a place to lock my things up.

The band that was playing on the night that I went to the festival was "Sons de Tequicia." They were an excellent calypso band. However, they made me realize just how terrible most Americans really are at dancing. It made me decide that in the future I would learn how to merrengue or salsa dance.

Aside from the music, probably the best thing about the trip was the food. There is a very unique blend of tastes on the Carribean side of Cost Rica. There is of course the typical Costa Rican fare, with a heavy influence from the local Creole-speaking population. The best dish that I had was a whole red snapper smothered in what was called a "tropical salsa." I doubt that I will ever taste anything like it again. Especially not for $5 (that was also the most expensive meal that I had there).

That's about it for now. Check back again later this week for some postings on my new beach habitat.

2006-04-10T14:55:00.000-07:00

The place that I stayed, called "Rocking J's."

2006-04-10T14:54:00.000-07:00

Having a nice afternoon study session/siesta.

2006-04-10T14:52:00.000-07:00

The calypso band that I saw in at Playa Chiquita, called "Son de Tequicia."

2006-04-10T14:48:00.000-07:00

What else but a Carribean beach.

Hola mi familia y amigos!

2006-04-08T09:35:00.000-07:00

Today I took a stroll along a white-sand Carribean beach and waded in some Carribean tidepools.

"But Chris, I thought you were on the Pacific. What's the deal?"

Well, yesterday I was on the Pacific. Today I'm not. I'll explain when I get back to Dominical. Right now I'm in Puerto Viejo de Talamanca enjoying the vibe. Tonight I'll be going to a local music festival.

Spanish Classes

2006-04-01T09:10:00.000-08:00

I've been at the Adventure Education Center (AEC) now for two weeks. I feel that I've learned a lot of spanish so far. I signed up for classes again next week, although I won't be staying at the school any longer. This weekend I'll be moving into a house called "Dona del Mar," and will be staying there for April.

Besides spanish classes, AEC also offers tours and different activities aruond the area. One activity per week is included in the tuition. The first week I was at the school the activity was "Cowboy for a Day." On this tour I got to ride a horse through the jungle to a pristine beach and then ride along the beach. After that we milked a cow (and drank the milk) and roped a calf.

This past week, the activity was visiting a butterfly garden. It was one of the nicest butterfly gardens I've ever seen. It was very well kept and had a great variety of butterflies, or "mariposas" in spanish. After the garden, we drove to a nearby beach to go for a swim, eat fresh fruit, and watch the sun set. When we got back we went to "El Coco" for some traditional Costa Rican liquer called "Guaro" and some karaoke.

I've been having a great time so far. The surf has also been terrific and I'm catching more and more waves every day.

2006-04-01T09:06:00.000-08:00

This is Guapo. Everyone in town knows this dog. He has no owner that I know of. He just meanders from place to place. "Guapo" is spanish for "handsome." Its not tough to see how he got the name.

2006-04-01T09:03:00.000-08:00

This is my room. You can see my new (used) surfboard. It goes well with the "under the sea" theme of the room.

2006-04-01T09:00:00.000-08:00

Last Tuesday we went to a butterfly garden. It was probably the best butterfly garden I've ever seen. It was south of Dominical near Uvita.

2006-04-01T08:57:00.001-08:00

My current abode.

2006-04-01T08:57:00.000-08:00

This is the kitchen and general hang-out area. There are also some classrooms on the second level.

2006-04-01T08:56:00.000-08:00

These are the "classrooms." Its awesome to be able to see the birds and iguanas while learning spanish. Last week we had a toucan land in a tree right behind our cabina.

2006-04-01T08:52:00.000-08:00

Another paradise sunset.

2006-04-01T08:50:00.000-08:00

Karaoke! Raul and I are fumbling through some Metallica song I think.