Atanas and Lloyd called in from Low Camp at Antarctica, following a day of reviewing skills and giving their bodies some time to acclimatize to the thinner air of 10,000′. They climbed up the fixed lines that lead up to the next camp, some 2,500′ above, which gave them the opportunity to work on techniques for clipping themselves into and out of the lines, as well as practice using their mechanical ascenders (clamps that bite onto the rope when pulled in one direction, but will release and slide in the other).
Moving around is often a good idea on rest and acclimatization days, hence the term used by both Atanas and Lloyd, “active rest day.” It helps them acclimatize better than if the laid around in the tent all day. From the sound of the beautiful weather- they had no intention of missing any of the stunning scenery!
Tomorrow, they will climb up to high camp, ascending the steepest part of the entire route. It will be the hardest day of the trip, by most standards, but they are energized, well fed and rested. Atanas is a vegan, climbing The Vegan Seven Summits. We have had a few vegetarians join us on Mount Vinson, but we are fairly certain he is the first true vegan. We’re excited to help him with his quest!
Another first for Mountain Trip- Atanas delivers some of his dispatch in Bulgarian (I think!), before Lloyd caps off the post:
