On July 1st, 2005 team Cheese Wizardry, comprised of climbing partner Brock Rowley and myself, stood on the highest point in North America for a second time in a decade. Why would anyone go back to a mountain they had already climbed, especially one with nasty storms, severe cold, tent swallowing crevasses, soul crushing backpacks and a distinct lack of local porters? Brock said he wanted a relaxing vacation from his work as a school administrator and I felt I could use the exercise. Additionally, the ability to eat large quantities of cheese in various forms and not gain weight is a mighty big draw.
The climb went amazingly well as far as this sort of thing is concerned. We had decent weather (just 2 to 6 inches of snow per day) and relatively mild temperatures (-10 F for a low and 90+ F in the tent for a high). We reduced our loads from 160 pounds each in 1998 to 125 pounds each. This enabled us to move from camp to camp in single pushes without needing to double carry. Without any weather delays we reached the summit in 12 days and were back at base camp in 14, eight days fewer than last time. While our trip was generally smooth, although somewhat smelly, we did bring back some great mountain stories and captivating photos. To view some of the select images from the expedition, visit www.OutdoorExposurePhoto.com. If you are a Southern Oregon local and would like to see a multimedia presentation of the entire expedition, watch for news of show times and locations coming in the next several months.