Our Vinson Team met today for their final gear checks and briefing before flying to Antarctica.   It is always an exciting anxious time, each climber checking their lists one last time and guides going through every piece of gear to be certain everyone is prepared for the expedition.   It was made a bit more challenging for one of our climbers, Grant, who had his entire climbing kit and his wallet stolen from a rental car just days before the expedition.   Grant had come to Chile early to travel a bit, and along the way lost all of his gear.   With a lot of help and a bit of shopping, Grant was able to put together all of the gear he needed to be able to make the expedition happen.  It was truly a huge effort, and somewhat amazing that it all worked out.

Let’s hope that’s the end of the drama for these guys.

After the final meeting this morning, the team weighed all of their equipment, and sent it to be loaded onto the plane in preparation to fly as early as tomorrow morning.   They’ll enjoy a team dinner tonight in Punta Arenas, then it’s hurry up and wait time.

We hope to hear from them tomorrow from Antarctica, but again, delays are normal…

Here’s a team picture with the Straight of Magellan in the background.

Here's the Mountain Trip Dec 13 Vinson Team!

Front Row:  Don, Scott, Grant

Second Row: Priya, Jacob, Joe

Back Row: David, Adam, Mary