Mt. Elbrus, one of the Seven Summits, is Europe’s highest point at 18,510 feet (5,642 meters). (This is higher than Western Europe’s Mt. Blanc in the Alps.) The Caucasus Main Range is considered to be a border between Europe to the North and Asia to the South in most guidebooks and encyclopedias. Two main Mt. [...]
Today was a day of acclimatization and training in Terskol with a 4,000-foot ascent to approximately 10,000 feet. Joe noted that it “really got the heart pumping.” Team members also reviewed standard skills such as rope knots and harnesses. Tomorrow, the group will head to the snow and icy terrain of the Kashkotosh Glacier to [...]
Now safely in St. Petersburg, today Joe and his fellow climbers had a team dinner, discussed their upcoming itinerary, and settled in for the night (Russia is eight hours ahead of Indianapolis). They’ll use tomorrow for a bit of rest and some group bonding and quick sight-seeing, spend another night in St. Petersburg, then fly [...]
This afternoon, Joe departed for the Expedition Hope – Mt. Elbrus climb. With the continual changes in airport security, and although airport “issues” in Chicago, Ill., actually pushed the departure flight from Indianapolis, Ind., a surprising hour earlier, fortunately check-in went smoothly, with little waiting and no hassles. Joe arrived in Chicago around 4:30 pm [...]
Mt. Elbrus above the clouds. We are now only one week from the Expedition Hope — Mt. Elbrus climb. In these final days prior to departing for Russia, I am going through the gear checklist and making sure that no items get left behind. I will also continue to train, which consists mostly of cardio [...]
With only two weeks to go until the Expedition Hope — Mt. Elbrus climb, I am still continuing to train and also beginning to pack some of my gear. I am eager to get to Russia and begin our climb up Europe’s highest peak, knowing that each step and challenge I will face is in [...]
In the past three updates, we’ve looked at the gear, apparel and reporting equipment I take on the climbs. Now we’d like to return focus to the mission of Expedition Hope and my personal experiences with the loss of a loved one to suicide. With only three weeks to go until the Expedition Hope — [...]
Although none of the items below are technically necessary on a climb, they do make possible my ability to share the Expedition Hope climbs by creating actual audio and visual records. Satellite Phone (Iridium 9505a) – For each expedition, I carry this phone to call back with expedition updates of our progress. A satellite phone [...]