November 16
Today is the day we were supposed to fly to Antarctica. But alas we are still here in Punta Arenas along with countless others who are also waiting. Some are more patient than others, but this decision is beyond our control.

In the morning we had a team meeting to decide what to do with our time. After some back –and-forth we decided to look into renting a car and driving to Torres del Paine. The drive of 398km we figured would take us about 6 hours. We would stay the night, hike for a day and return the next day. Translated into English the Torres del Paine are the Towers of Pain and have earned their name for inflicting just that on its visitors. It is a spectacularly beautiful and rugged area comprised of crystal blue glacier fed lakes and piercingly tall and sharp granite spires. Hiking and climbing opportunities are abundant along with kayaking, fly fishing and mountain biking.

Just as Ryan left the hotel to investigate the rental car options one of the other teams got a call from ALE telling them the first flight of equipment and crew would go out tonight and that if all went well their flight may be pushed up by 12 hours. If they got pushed up then there was a good chance we would also get pushed up. I ran out the door and called Ryan back. After a brief discussion we decided that it would not be a good idea to disappear for a few days with the flight situation in such an uncertain state.

Torres del Paine was now off the table, so we switched to a more local and less time consuming activity; penguins.

With the assistance of our hotel staff we arranged to go on a penguin tour to Monumento Natural Los Pinguinos located on Isle de Magdalena in the Strait of Magellan. The Strait of Magellan is named after Ferdinand Magellan who in the year 1520, while in the employ of Charles I of Spain, discovered this shortcut that connects the Atlantic to the Pacific . Although the Strait is a difficult navigational challenge due to numerous islands and unpredictable winds it is an important shortcut that allowed early sailors to avoid the extremely dangerous task of sailing around the horn at the bottom of South America.

The tour would cost us 35,0000pesos each (about $70). We were picked up by a crazy van driver at our hotel at 2:00 and escorted to the port with a group of other tourists and stranded Antarctica people. There we boarded a boat for the 2:30 trip to the island. The wind was low and the seas were calm making for a comfortable crossing to the island. Cormorants (a large sea bird) and Dolphins accompanied us on our short voyage.

As we chugged across the water the 210 acre island came into view. This island is the home to over 140,000 penguins. Yes, you read that right, it is not a typo. There are 140,000+ penguins living on this island. In the early years after the Straight was discovered sailors and fishermen would seek shelter from storms on this barren island and they would collect Penguin eggs and hunt the Penguins (not an overly challenging task) to provide food for their voyages.

The island is barren of trees and the only vegetation consists of short tough grass that the penguins use to line their nests. It is quite a desolate place. As we landed at a small dock, the island was alive with movement. Penguins were everywhere.

Isle de Magdalena is home to the Magellanic Penguin (Spheniscus magellanicus) also known as the Burrow Penguin because they dig burrows in the ground where they live, lay their eggs and raise their young. They are a smaller penguin of about 2 feet tall and weighing about 144oz when fully grown. They have the classic penguin tuxedo look of black and white with bright brown and black eyes.

There is a narrow trail that rings part of the island and leads up to the old light house on the top which is now home to the island curator and a small museum. The trail is closed on both sides with wooden stakes and two lines of rope to create a small fence. Humans are not allowed to step off the trail, but the penguins dart back and forth at will.

As we slowly walked up the trail towards the light house the penguins went about their business like we were not even there. I think to the early sailors they would have been an extremely easy prey to hunt. Penguins return to this island in September as this is where they were born. They find a mate and will remain with that mate for life. The eggs are laid in October and are incubated for 40 days.

Penguins hung around in pairs and occasionally small groups. Frequently I observed penguins tugging at the tough short grass with their beaks trying to extract some insulation and padding for their nests. Others stood tall on their feet with their heads thrust to the sky and let out a series of hoots, brays and calls not unlike that of a wolf howling at the moon. I have no idea the reason for this display, but it was quite entertaining.

The walk to the light house took about an hour. Not because it is that far, but because I was walking very slow to take in the experience and to snap picture after picture. The return walk to the boat was a little faster, but there was always something new to see.

We spent about 1.5 hours on the island and then made our way back to the boat. The tide was going out so the gangplank was no longer usable so we had to climb over the side of the dock, step across some bumpers and into the boat. It was pretty simple for us climbers, but for the tourists it was a little more challenging. Eventually everyone was on board and we started to motor back to Punta Arenas. On the trip back they gave us wine and sandwiches and put on a movie "Walking Dead" about an American town that had been overrun with zombies. I did not watch.

We got back to town around 8:30pm. Ryan was meeting a friend and Ron and I went to the grocery store and bought a roast chicken, some fries, and an avocado for dinner. After dinner I made a skype call home and spoke with Susan and Amy and then I went off to bed.

As I have mentioned before, there is no heat in our hotel. Well there is heat, but they have not turned it on. It is cool in our room, but not too bad. Tonight when I opened the door to our room it was freezing cold. Somehow the window and the patio door had blown open and the room was the same temperature as the outside which was just above freezing. We left the door to the hall open for a while to try to warm it up, but there was not much else we could do.

All in all it was a good day. We did not fly and are now behind schedule, but I was able to experience the penguins which I would have not have done if all had gone as planned; the silver lining in the cloud.

Hi to Marg at Georgian Peaks and all the others who are following along.

Summit Life! Scott out.

Welcome to the world of big mountain climbing. Patience is the key.

I woke from the warmth of my cozy bed around 7:30am. Our room has no heat, but lots of blankets on the bed. I wandered down for breakfast which was pretty much the same as yesterday with the addition of cans of Root Beer. I have only had one sip of Root Beer in my life and I did not figure I would change that this morning. Who knows what a few days in the future may hold however.

After breakfast we wandered down to the ALE meeting. Today is about 10c with high winds and rain which is pretty typical for Punta Arenas in the spring. The hotel where the meeting was being held was down by the water and the wind picked up the closer we got.

About 40 climbers and ALE staff packed into the small meeting room. Peter, one of the ALE partners, showed a short movie depicting life at Union Glacier and on Mt. Vinson. It was quite exciting and inspiring to watch.


The basics of the presentation included:
The history of Antarctica: many countries have land claims in Antarctica, but instead of fighting it out as we humans usually do all the claiming countries signed the Antarctic Treaty in 1960. This treaty states that the continent will be governed collaboratively for the use of peace and science. All land claims were frozen from that point on. There are some groups that are lobbying to have recreation activities (climbing and skiing) banned from Antarctica because it does not fit within the peace and science guidelines.

Rescue: Rescue is not provided on the mountain and all teams must be self reliant. ALE does have 4 guides stationed on the mountain at any given time and they will help with rescue if necessary. All groups are expected to support one another. There has never been a death on Vinson, but there have been serious injuries, hypothermia and a lot of frost bite. There are several caches of rescue equipment available on the mountain if required. All teams must report in to the base camp manager once a day and all group locations and movement are closely monitored.

Environmental Protection: Antarctica is a pristine environment and those that manage it intend on keeping it that way. Virtually everything that goes into Antarctica also comes out. At the Union Glacier camp all garbage and human waste, including urine, is flown back to Chile. All gear must be checked for dirt, seeds and plants.

Flight to Antarctica: The flight to Antarctica from Punta Arenas is 3050km and approximately 4:20. We will fly in a Russian built Ilyusian 76TD aircraft. This is a very powerful cargo and transport plane that can carry 17 tonnes of cargo and 48 passengers. The plane is built for off-strip landing and take off. Although the ice runway is well maintained not all planes could negotiate it successfully. There is no in-flight movie or meal service. There is a porta-potty however.

Union Glacier: Union Glacier is the main jumping off location for all Vinson climb's and most South Pole ski expeditions. The base was moved from Patriot Hills last year to present a better wind direction for flying, and nicer conditions for those living at the base. The base is staffed by 45-60 personnel who will live in tents for their 2-3 month stay. Upon landing all expedition members are provided with a meal (if you are staying that long) and they can feed up to 120 expedition members at any given meal. They have three big snow melters that produce water for the camp. Only about 10% of the people who go to Union Glacier are women. There is a multi-purpose tent which has a library, and a medical tent with a full time doctor. The camp is laid out in zones of safety. The Green Zone includes the camp and the runway and is safe from hazards such as crevasses and avalanches. The Blue Zone has been surveyed with ground penetrating radar and is safe, but less so. The Black Zone is entered at your own risk. There is a lot do around camp if you are stuck there for several days including climbing and skiing day trips.

Vinson: If all goes as planned (which is unlikely) we will fly to Vinson a few hours after we land at Union Glacier. The base camp will have a manager (Scott Woolums) who will check us in and give us our fuel. There will be 5 climbing periods this season with ours being V1 and V5 being at the end of January. Vinson is then abandoned for the season the Union Glacier is cleared out by mid February. I will provide more details on the mountain in the next few days.

Our Flight Logistics: When we fly to the mountain we will send our checked baggage 1-2 days in advance and this will be held until the flight. We will leave a "town" bag at the hotel with things that are not needed on the mountain, and we will have a carry-on of stuff we will need in-flight or upon landing. We will be dresses in all our polar gear so we are ready to face the elements when we land.

Now the bad news: due to the weather in Antarctica we will not be flying until November 19th at the earliest. This season has had a very stormy start and the runway is currently under two feet of snow. Union Glacier was scheduled to open around October 18, but they were not able to get the first flight in until the end of October. Vinson BC is usually open about a week before the climbers arrive, but this year the base camp staff will only go in about one day before us.

We now have a few days in Punta Arenas with time to kill. This will eat into our schedule and may impact what we can and can not due in the end. We do have several contingency days built into our schedule, but this delay will absorb most of them. While in town we will try to keep busy and maybe find time to visit Torres Del Paine National Park and maybe go visit some Penguins.

Although this is disappointing, it is not unexpected. On these trips you always plan, but then plan for the plans to change. If you have followed any of my previous expeditions you will know that few of my climbs ever go off as planned. Our main objective is to climb Vinson and that is not in any jeopardy. The ski back to Union Glacier I think will be especially cool, but this is what will need to be adjusted if necessary. This comes with the territory and control over the weather is beyond my control.

The afternoon was spent reading and working on the computer. At least we get internet here at the hotel. I wanted to send out a special hello to Michael who is following along on my blogs.

We went to the local grocery store and bought some food for lunch. Restaurant prices are pretty similar to what they would be back home so we don't want to eat out for every meal. The South Pole people who have been stuck here for over 2 weeks now are sick of eating out and I think their budgets have been blown as well. Tonight they were eating cereal for dinner. We are not at that point yet and just got back from a nice dinner of pizza and pumpkin soup.

Vegetables do not seem to be a big part of the meals down here. Not one meal that I have ordered so far has come with any kind of greenery. I did have some pumpkin soup tonight and Ron had a salad, but it is expensive and not a standard part of a meal. It is a good thing I have my Adult Essentials vitamins with me. They are providing me with what I am not getting from the food.

Due to the internet connection I have been able to call home with Skype and it is nice to see and talk to Susan and the kids. It makes me feel better and I'm sure it does them as well. Once we get over to Antarctica that will no longer be possible so I will take advantage of it now while I can.

We were talking at dinner about how much technology has changed expedition life. Just 10 years ago when you left on an expedition you were out of contact for the duration. Today it is easy and relatively inexpensive to keep in touch from virtually any point on the planet.

So now it is the end of another day in Punta Arenas. Not much was accomplished today, but we are one day closer to getting to Antarctica. We just don't know when that day will be.

Pray for good weather.

Summit Life! Scott out.