HOW IT ALL GOT STARTED

Hello and thanks for visiting my climbing blog!

My name is Scott and I live in Atlanta, GA. I always had an interest in climbing mountains, but never really knew how to get started. In January of 2005, the company I was working for decided to open an office in Memphis and I volunteered to move and help get things kicked off. When I arrived in Memphis I only knew one person, whom I met a few years prior at a wedding, so I gave him a call. He agreed to meet me that evening, but couldn't stay out late because "...he was heading to Africa the next day." Upon meeting him that night, I learned he was leaving the next morning to try his hand at climbing Kilimanjaro.

The next morning, I was talking to my mother and telling her about the conversation from the previous night. During this conversation she asked me if I realized my Uncle Steve had been a climber for years. "No," I responded. She gave me his phone number and the following weekend I made a call to a relative I hadn't spoken to in years. Little did I know how much that call would change my life!

In the 6 years since, I've been to Africa (Tanzania & Kenya), Russia (Moscow & Mineral'Nye Vody), Mexico, Georgia (The country, not the state), and South America (Chile & Argentina), summitted Mt. Kilimanjaro, Mt. Elbrus, and Mt. Rainier, made two attempts at Cerro Aconcagua, an attempt at Ixta, made quick stops in London and Quito, Ecuador, met an endless number of extraordinary people, and developed a new relationship with my uncle.

The blog entries, pictures, and details below are my attempt to share my adventures with the rest of my friends and family. I hope you enjoy!

Friday, April 6, 2012

Outta here!

Now for the worst part about climbing: Getting there.

Even though I’m staying in the U.S., I have to be at the airport 2 hours before my flight (they typically fuss about my gear – ice axe, crampons, etc…), then I have a 4.5 hour flight to Vegas, and then a 4.5 hour drive through the desert to Lone Pine, CA. So, it’s going to take me a total of probably 12 hours, door-to-door, to reach my destination. If everything goes as planned, I should arrive in Lone Pine tonight around 11:30pm Pacific time. Once I arrive, Ill have to unpack the duffels and get everything re-packed in my backpack. The group is meeting at 7am Pacific for breakfast, a gear check, and then we are off. No rest for the weary!

Updated weather forecast looks awesome. Sunny, clear skies, and cool temperatures. Looks like the low will be around 18 degrees with a 20 mph wind, giving us a wind chill of -1 to -4 degrees. Chilly, but certainly not the coldest weather I have been in.

As long as my cell works, Ill blog to this site. I would check IMG’s site too, listed below.

Click here for weather link

Click here for IMG blog

Work is done. Properties are squared away. Training is done. Packing is done. I’ve done everything I can do. Time to go climbing!!

Heading higher,
SZ
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