Mountain Technique - GUT-Z JOURNEY

by Natalie

The Beginners Guide to Climbing Mountains

Getting to the top of a mountain and capturing the surrounding views can be an incredibly rewarding experience! In fact, the physical challenges and feelings of accomplishment are so great that you may find yourself wanting to climb more peaks and bigger mountains. For some this can lead them on a journey that culminates on Mount Everest! But, nobody starts with climbing the highest mountain in the world. We start with a dream of a mountain. This blog post is full of mountain climbing basics to turn your dream of a mountain summit into actionable steps to get you up the mountain.

by Natalie

Managing Risks in the Mountains

Adventuring in the outdoors requires almost constant risk management skills, and I’ve spent decades creating systems and structures to do so. Today I want to talk about these systems and how I use them in the mountains.

I was recently on a trip to Colorado where I went to climb a 14’er by myself. On my way down, a horrified hiker appeared, commenting that I shouldn’t have hiked in the dark, by myself, when there are mountain lions. It caught me off guard; I was being questioned about my risk management. And, of course, when you have weird interactions with people, you always think of all the right things to say later.

in Mountain Technique

by Natalie

Why I love Antarctica

Reason # 1

The continent itself.

Antarctica has to be one of the least accessible places in the world. Just being here and getting to stand on the continent is a pretty special feeling. Knowing that I get to see things most people will never have a chance to see. My very first season I worked at the South Pole station. As I flew from McMurdo (the main station) to the pole, I could hardly comprehend the scale of what I saw. At times glaciers span practically to the horizon on both sides. There were so many more dramatic peaks and valleys than I had imagined.

in Mountain Technique / Trip Reports

by Natalie

TRIP REPORT: Dragon Peak to Gould

3^rd Class, Summit 12,995ft, mileage varies depending on route

Trail Head:

Onion Valley out of Independence CA

Approach:

You have the option to make this a climb into a circle. I chose a counterclockwise circle heading to Dragon Peak first, traversing to Gould and then dropping down to Kearsarge pass to hike back to the trail head.

To reach Dragon Peak from the east you start out on Kearsarge pass trailhead but promptly veer right onto golden trout lakes/dragon pass trailhead. While an official trail, expect to focus on navigation at times, as you make your way to the dragon basin. Sections have been damaged by erosion and flooding. Once you gain the upper lakes you will be rewarded by great views. Dragon peak and Dragon tooth are both very striking and worthy of their names. You can read about my ascent up dragon tooth HERE.

in Mountain Technique

by Natalie

TRIP REPORT: Hurd Peak

This is a little quick report on a backcountry scramble up Hurd Peak.

Trail Head:

The trail starts out of South Lake in Bishop CA.

Approach:

If you have ever been at south lake before Hurd Peak is likely the first mountain your eyes will be drawn to. It poses a striking presence at the back end of South Lake and dominates a lot of the skyline from this vantage point. The hike begins out of south lake proper. You will eventually take a trail spur towards treasure lake. Hurd peak is in view for much of this approach and when you decide to turn off cross country towards the peak is really individual preference.

in Mountain Technique

by Natalie

My AMGA Rock Guide Course Experience

My AMGA rock guide course was an exceptional experience for me. I am incredibly grateful to First Ascent and AMGA for providing a scholarship. Being awarded a scholarship was absolutely the final push I needed to join the program.

in Mountain Technique

by Natalie

Antarctica Sea Ice McMurdo Sound

Before too much time passes, I want to wrap up sharing about my 2020 Sea Ice work in Antarctica. In my last post about Antarctica, I introduced the idea of the sea ice and outlined a few highlights of early season sea ice work. In this post I’d like to talk more about late season sea ice work and some of the science that takes place on the sea ice.

in Mountain Technique

by Natalie

Mt. Huntington to Mt Stanford N Grade III class III

This was an amazing girls weekend with two good friends in July. We headed in for a couple of nights at Hilton Lakes out of Rock Creek (Sierra NV). We had our eyes on Mt. Huntington with an option to add Mt. Stanford. There was limited details on the route except what was listed above and a vague description of a few access options (mostly from pioneer basin on the west). Ultimately it ended up being a bit of a bigger day than we had anticipated but also more awesome than expected.

in Mountain Technique / Trip Reports