All posts tagged as Mount Marcy NY

17 Feb

inReach message from Robert Danger Byrd

In State Highpoints,Travel by Robert Danger Byrd / February 17, 2015 / 0 Comments

120 miles from Roatan. We’ll be docked there when we wake up. Digging the new beacon. 72 hours of tracking and still at 19% battery.

15 Feb

Danger is sharing their location

In State Highpoints,Travel by Robert Danger Byrd / February 15, 2015 / 0 Comments

I have activated tracking, for the purpose of testing a new satellite beacon
Danger is sharing their location at the MapShare web site: https://share.delorme.com/danger

Do not reply directly to this message.

To learn more about MapShare and the DeLorme inReach two-way satellite communicator, visit http://delorme.com/inReach or http://inReachCanada.com

16 Jan

Mt Marcy Trip Report Posted

In State Highpoints by Robert Danger Byrd / January 16, 2015 / 4 Comments

On January 10th 2015, I stood atop the summit of Mount Marcy the highest mountain in the state of New York. My long time friend and climbing partner Rick Overholt joined me on this climb, but opted not to join me on the summit. You will find the complete Trip Report here.

Statistics
Completed: January 10th, 2015
State: New York
Elevation: 5,343′
Distance: 15 Miles
Time: 2 Days

Mount Marcy Links
Trip Report
Blog Posts
Photo Gallery

GPS Track

You will find, status, photo galleries and trip reports for all of my adventures on the Highpoints Page.

10 Jan

inReach message from Robert Danger Byrd

In State Highpoints by Robert Danger Byrd / January 10, 2015 / 2 Comments

iPhone & fingers froze, hence the absent updates. At Loj now putting hot things in & on our bodies. There’s a tiny room that shoots hot water out the wall!

10 Jan

inReach message from Robert Danger Byrd

In State Highpoints by Robert Danger Byrd / January 10, 2015 / 0 Comments

Just finished breaking camp, everything is an ordeal in these conditions. Bars are frozen solid so I sucked some half frozen honey from a packet. Headed down

10 Jan

inReach message from Robert Danger Byrd

In State Highpoints by Robert Danger Byrd / January 10, 2015 / 1 Comment

Made summit, not pleasant here, heading down now.

10 Jan

inReach message from Robert Danger Byrd

In State Highpoints by Robert Danger Byrd / January 10, 2015 / 0 Comments

Rick turned back. Some Canadian climbers came along and I linked up with them. Found trail, we were 10 feet from it. Almost there now.

10 Jan

inReach message from Robert Danger Byrd

In State Highpoints by Robert Danger Byrd / January 10, 2015 / 0 Comments

Snow very deep, can’t find passable route.

10 Jan

inReach message from Robert Danger Byrd

In State Highpoints by Robert Danger Byrd / January 10, 2015 / 0 Comments

Cold is killing iPhone which used for navigation and messaging. Probably won’t be able to send a summit message. Will try foot warmer in pocket with iPhone.

10 Jan

inReach message from Robert Danger Byrd

In State Highpoints by Robert Danger Byrd / January 10, 2015 / 0 Comments

Very cold, the moisture in our breath formed ice on tent walls. Overcast & snowing again, mild wind below tree line, will be stronger on summit. Moving out!

09 Jan

inReach message from Robert Danger Byrd

In State Highpoints by Robert Danger Byrd / January 9, 2015 / 0 Comments

Awoken by the silence I stepped out. The mountain is still and quiet now. Snow has stopped, sky is clear & moon is bright enough to see the snowbound forest.

09 Jan

inReach message from Robert Danger Byrd

In State Highpoints by Robert Danger Byrd / January 9, 2015 / 0 Comments

Making camp was tough in loose powder, new tent strong but small. Dug pit in vestibule to make room for cooking & melting snow for H20.

09 Jan

inReach message from Robert Danger Byrd

In State Highpoints by Robert Danger Byrd / January 9, 2015 / 0 Comments

Forest serene & resplendent in its winter raiment. I expect to see Jack Frost any minute. Biting get wind, snow & cold sufficient to snap me back to reality.

09 Jan

inReach message from Robert Danger Byrd

In State Highpoints by Robert Danger Byrd / January 9, 2015 / 0 Comments

Ranger turned us back to get snowshoes. He said we would not need them, but it’s the law. So packs are 5lbs heavier. Thanks Ranger Jim. Just left Trailhead.

09 Jan

inReach message from Robert Danger Byrd

In State Highpoints by Robert Danger Byrd / January 9, 2015 / 0 Comments

The Marcy adventure begins! Rick and I are leaving the trailhead now. It’s 5 degrees w 15mph winds. Good visibility snow nice and firm. Good day to be alive!

08 Jan

inReach message from Robert Danger Byrd

In State Highpoints by Robert Danger Byrd / January 8, 2015 / 2 Comments

Climbing up Mt Marcy, NY in the morning to make camp & summit Sat. Gear feeling nice at 60lbs, vs 177 on Denali. -13 w chill at the lodge, hoping for colder.

08 Jan

Mount Marcy Gear

In State Highpoints by Robert Danger Byrd / January 8, 2015 / 0 Comments

It’s 3 AM and I hop on a plane at 7AM today. Just finished packing, which is always the way it is no matter how soon I start.

I’ve been working on a more scientific way to manage my gear and embarked on the process of weighing each and every piece of gear. I got everything for this trip weighed and packed and according the the spreadsheet it is a 67 lb load. Because of the extreme weather conditions, I will have to carry lots of heavy layers.

I will shed some weight as there are a few shared items such as stoves, cookware and tent, but not much.

 

 

03 Jan

Prepping for Winter Climb of Mount Marcy, NY

In State Highpoints by Robert Danger Byrd / January 3, 2015 / 0 Comments

This Thursday the 8th, my good friend Rick Crapshoot Overholt (I was going to say old friend, but he is sensitive about that) and I will board a plane headed for the Adirondack Mountains, home to Mount Marcy the highest point in New York State. With an elevation of 5,343 feet Mount Marcy is not a big mountain, but it is a long slog at approximately 15 miles.

Minus 58 Degree Low & 80 MPH Winds!
Climbers typically opt to climb Mt. Marcy in the summer, but I thought a winter climb might make it a bit more challenging and provide more experience in extreme winter conditions. This area is well known for its intensely fowl weather, and below is a Mount Marcy weather report from this week boasting 80MPH winds on Sunday and a low temp of -58 with windchill on Wednesday, so it looks like Marcy is willing and able to give us her worst.

Marcy Weather 1-3-15

We have been watching the weather via Mountain Forecast and when the wind started trending upwards Rick asked me what my bail out was for wind speed. I beat my chest and told him I would turn around when it became impossible to crawl. Of course I was joking as I have experienced 50 MPH winds during my Mt. Rainier Winter Adventure and it was terrifying. Below is some video of that experience.

I expect this will be the most extreme weather I have experienced so far, and I’m looking forward to the challenge. I’m also glad to have an experienced (I don’t mean to infer age here Rick) climber like rick at my side for this adventure.