Pre-Climb - Day 1
May 3 Summary

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A day of last minute mayhem running around getting gear, a new computer, the satellite transceiver, audio cables, etc. and driving all over the city and across the border to get it all. Then back home to set up software on the computer, finish packing and head out to the airport for the flight up to Whitehorse where they arrived just past midnight. 

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After years of dreaming and planning, the adventure has begun to change how we learn and how we see the world of education. No longer is the world in a textbook, but in fact the world has become our classroom. We started on a dream and now we begin the first steps towards our climb to the top of Canada on Mount Logan. Our team of 14 men and women has embarked upon a journey not only from their homes in Quebec, Ontario, Alberta and British Columbia but also from their families and friends. They have started not just a journey to Whitehorse in the Yukon, but also a journey of bigger proportions, a journey to their heart. They bring with them their own dreams and hopes, looking anxiously ahead to the days and month of climbing Canada’s tallest mountain – Mount Logan. This is a journey waiting to be told, a journey waiting to be shared.

The challenges ahead for the climbing team from extreme weather to the dangers of altitude and glaciers will be met with determination, patience and respect. We will face both physical and mental adversity and be comforted by the serene silence of our environment and the inspiring beauty of the mountain. It is here on the mountain that we will enjoy where we have arrived and where we will begin to share the adventure and the journey with you.

Now only 3 days to our scheduled flights on to Mount Logan, the day was a race against time, checking the ‘to do’ list, trying to accomplish more than time would allow. Shawn and I went through our gear, the group gear, the food lists and the long list of shipments we were waiting for from our supporters and suppliers. But with all the chaos, there was a sense of calm, knowing that we were going to run out of time and we had to catch a plane from Vancouver to Whitehorse in the Yukon.

The biggest dilemma for both of us was the weighing of the weekly lunch bags knowing that it was not about what we wanted to eat, but how much could we carry. I carefully put together my weekly lunch including pepperoni, animal crackers, cheese, gummi bears, sesame seed snaps, Energy 10 bars, nuts, dehydrated fruit, hot chocolate, soups, drink mixes, sour cherries and my skittles. I threw it in a bag thinking that I knew this was going to be what I needed to sustain the physical challenges ahead and with one quick lift off the counter I even more quickly realized that it was a lot heavier than the 4-6 lbs per week I had planned.

James

Pre-Climb - Day 2
May 4 Summary

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Shawn and I arrived in Whitehorse today very excited about starting our journey to the top of Canada. After years of dreaming, planning and last minute chaos we finally left the comfort of our homes and families and began the first leg of the trip with a flight up to the Yukon. The journey opens a new chapter of both our climbing experiences, but also our lives. We will face the might and beauty of the mountain and live within a team of 14 individuals all living and working towards the goals of the Expedition.

We arrived in Whitehorse safely with all 10 of our duffle bags in tact. It was an exhausting day, but from within the storm of last minute running around I found a calm moment and realized that our efforts were bigger than each of us ... that this incredible undertaking called the Summits of Canada was about to face a challenge bigger than any mountain, the journey to change education with a live experience from Canada's highest mountain ' Mount Logan'.

James

Pre-Climb - Day 3
May 5 Summary

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The team spent all day preparing our equipment, going through crevasse rescue gear, food handling procedures and the simple task of running around town getting last minute food, gear and miscellaneous items. They all met for the first time and confirmed my decisions, as everyone began working together from the first moments they met. Urzsula and Samantha arrived at 12:30 in the morning after a whirlwind journey from Ireland and Toronto, tired but excited.

Later in the morning, way too early, I went and picked up Mike and Andy at 4:30 am from the bus depot, and to their pleasure they were then able to sleep in a bed after 20 hours of sitting on the bus.

We were very grategful for the Beringa Centre and their hospitality, giving us plenty of space to lay out all of our gear and make final preparations. After ordering pizza in and spending 14 hours going through everyone's gear, we finally packed our vans at 10:30 pm and headed back to our Hostel.

James

Pre-Climb - Day 4
May 6 Summary

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Details unavailable. Travel day to Kluane Lake and Silver City.

Pre-Climb - Day 5
May 7 Summary

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The weather seems perfect to fly here at Silver City and the team is all ready and excited anticipating the climb ahead. Yesterday the pilot was able to fly a team of climbers close to Mount Logan, but shy of our route at Kings Trench. The good news is that with this team closer to the mountain they will be able to provide more accurate reports on Mount Logan. Unfortunately, through the day the weather did not improve and we were unable to fly any of our team up to Base Camp.

We are staying at a campground in Silver City waiting for the weather to open up. Len, Adam, Travis and Stephanie were sleeping in their tents while the rest of the team slept in a lodge with 4 bunk beds and 6 beds. Called ‘Kluane Base Camp’, the facilities are excellent with a cookhouse, showers and full bathrooms. We had a great dinner of Shepherds pie with ice cream for dessert. Even with the mountains in front of us, the team is enjoying the comforts around us, hoping and knowing that our time on the glacier is coming soon.

The team had a great game of scrabble with Josh pulling off a win by using his 7 letters to come up with ‘shuttles’ with Shawn a close 2nd with his choice word ‘beers’. Overall a great day with lots of excitement; we can only hope the weather breaks soon and we start to fly up.

James

Pre-Climb - Day 6
May 8 Summary

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The team is getting restless sitting here at Silver City looking up and seeing blue sky all around us, but 160 km towards Logan the mountain and the surrounding area is covered in cloud. With all the pent up energy we decided to go for a climb up Sheep Mountain as a group, but when the three cars converged we realized we forgot ‘Lightbulb’ Larry from Channel 10. I raced back to find him off filming on the Lake with my worst fears of being eaten by a Grizzly Bear unfounded. After a quick run back to the car we drove back to Sheep Mountain where the rest of the team had headed up. Lightbulb and I scrambled up a couple thousand feet on our way to the top and while we wanted to catch the group, we found over 50 wild Dall Sheep in the meadows up high and decided to stop and film them. Sometimes we take the beauty of the mountain and the natural wildlife around Canada for granted as Lightbulb, who is originally from Florida and now with Microsoft in Redmond, Washington, was amazed at the beauty of both the landscape and the wildlife.

While the rest of the team got to the top and started to head back down, Adam, Danylo, Josh, Travis, Andy and Mike decided to take the direct route! Straight down a 35 degree slope of loose small rock (or ‘scree’) and proceeded to run down the mountain with Josh yelling in his ICOM walkie-talkie: "mad dog" "mad dog". Both Adam and Danylo zoomed down first, but it was Josh who earned the nickname ‘mad dog’ for his wild screams and trying to jump in the air like Batman. A great climb by all, even Larry, who ½ way up decided that we were the climbers and he was here for Channel 10 and decided to lay down on a nice warm flat rock and rest ... until I told him there were Grizzly Bears in the area and I would not lie down on what looked like a dining table in this part of the Kluane National Park. Well, Larry did not take long to understand the meaning of my words (that is why we call him "Lightbulb Larry") and doubled his pace to catch up with me.

The evening was spent with some excellent Chili and fresh fruit and a number of scrabble games, with everyone enjoying a splendid day. Everyone is healthy, with a few getting anxious about sitting around Camp, especially Stephanie and Andy, who sheepishly ask every hour or two, “So you think we are going up tomorrow?”

And like I tell them, tomorrow brings another day and we can only wait until the weather breaks around Logan for our chance to fly onto the mountain to Base Camp at 2,800m.

Until next time, stay safe, live well and tell someone you love them!

Namaste,
James

Pre-Climb - Day 7
May 9 Summary

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The team woke to blue skies again with high hopes for our Expedition to start to fly onto Mount Logan. A quick check with Andy Williams, our pilot, and we heard that there was lots of cloud in closer to Logan, but they had to fly in close to pick up another Expedition who had been there for 10 days and this would give us an excellent look at what was happening near Kings Trench. I had a chance to make breakfast for the team with pancakes, scrambled eggs and omelets with a touch of salsa. After a hearty breakfast, Shawn, Larry, Josh and myself went down to the airport when Andy flew back in with the two climbers to get an assessment of what was happening over the mountain ranges around us. The news was not good with plenty of low cloud to 2,500m blocking all landings near Mount Logan and the Kings Trench.

The weather waiting game is a well-known part of climbing Mount Logan and while we have 7 days extra in our schedule for storms and weather, each of us would prefer to be on the mountain than here in Silver City. With 14 team members it will take 7 flights for the group and gear for a total of 21 hours of flying time spread over 3 days. And while we are anxious to fly onto Kings Trench the only comfort at this point of waiting is that our group is the first in line to fly up when the weather window appears.

As the first climbing team, Shawn and I would rise early each morning to check the weather, pack all our gear with the hope that this would be the day we fly out. We would hurry our packing with a hope of ‘this is the day’ and look anxiously towards the direction of Logan wondering if the weather was right. A quick 5-minute walk to the airport quickly turned our faint hope into a dash of reality. Unfortunately, clouds were covering the area and there were no flights this morning, but we would check back at noon for an update.

The one issue for us now is that Lightbulb Larry is due back home this week, and if we are unable to get him on the mountain today he will not be able to spend any time on Logan. We spent a fair bit of time with the pilots discussing the weather and finally decided that we would get Lightbulb up on a flight towards Logan giving him a chance to see the glaciers and perhaps even a glimpse of Mount Logan. We knew from the morning that the glaciers and everything below 3,000m was covered in cloud so we kept our fingers crossed that something somehow had changed. As Larry and I prepared ourselves for the flight and the cold, I was very anxious about finally getting up over the surrounding mountain ranges and seeing first hand what was out there that has been holding up our progress.

As we flew off the dirt airstrip, I could only imagine the view of Logan and the mountains rising over 3,000m. It was exciting to finally be rising above the clouds and seeing the glaciers and snow that we would be living on for the next month. As we turned around the corner from one mountain range to another, we climbed steadily to 3,500m and the clouds started to thin. We went around the final corner and for the first time I glanced across the clouds and in the distance stood Mount Logan. My heart pounded quicker and my mind raced with thoughts of awe with my eyes straining to see details. I yearned to have our team there and looked through the clouds for the details I have read and dreamed about. We flew closer and closer and then I heard a whisper of hope as our pilot said the conditions had improved tremendously from the morning.

The clouds, which blanketed the area around Mount Logan, had started to lift and share the true beauty of the smaller mountains and what seemed like millions of miles of glaciers all around us. Had luck finally come our way, had the mountain and the weather finally chosen to let us come to Mount Logan? We continued to fly closer and the true size of the mountain grasped me like a warm and welcome hug. It was a massive mountain dominating the horizon and the surrounding area. The mountain was beautiful in its size, snow, ice and rock as we flew closer and closer. Then only 10km away, the clouds thinned to reveal the summit of Mount Logan, the very point we aspire to stand on. I looked at the beauty before my eyes like an artist observing a fine piece of art, thinking about the experience and the moment we would reach the summit. As we flew closer and closer it was obvious that the east side of the mountain was clear but our approach from the west side was still clouded over preventing us from flying into Base Camp.

We flew back from our filming trip having provided Lightbulb Larry and Channel 10 with some incredible footage to show the world our adventure so far, but also knowing that any chance of our team starting to get on the mountain would have to wait.

The evening dinner of spaghetti topped with a very nice tomato and sausage sauce was enjoyed by everyone, compliments of another excellent meal by Catherine, Travis and Stephanie. Danylo, Mike and Andy joined the dinner late as they returned back from a local mountain, climbing to the top and skiing down getting a few turns in late in the day. Everyone is still excited, but I can tell the waiting around and not being able to fly up onto the mountain is testing their patience.

The time here at Silver City has been well spent, team building and testing gear both of which will be valuable when we get on the mountain. During a team meeting in the evening there was lots of discussion about the lost days here at Silver City and we decided that when we are on Mount Logan, we will try to make up some time by shortening our rest days. This is a fine balance between acclimatizing and moving on the mountain, and as much as we would like to make up some lost time, it is important that we give everyone a chance to get their body ready with the thinner air.

It’s strange we are sitting at a camp with the birds singing during the day and the flowers starting to come up, knowing full well our plan is to be on a thousand year old glacier with snow everywhere in a matter of days. We took full advantage of our being here though and all sat around a roaring bon fire cooking marshmallows and making “smores” with graham crackers and chocolate. Samantha, having never cooked a marshmallow over a fire, was a quick study and perfected the art of making them golden brown. Catherine also enjoyed the marshmallows with her obvious sweet tooth (she had 5) and it was funny watching Danylo’s obvious lack of patience and cooking finesse as he would shove the branch with his marshmallow into the fire, setting it aflame and quickly blowing it out and eating it in one fell motion. It was a nice evening that lasted until midnight with the skies remaining lighter from the longer days.

We have been here now at Silver City for 3 days and I am hoping the weather gives us an opening so that we can get the team up and in the cold and on the glacier.

Namaste,
James

Pre-Climb - Day 8
May 10 Summary

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Details unavailable. Team waiting for flights onto glacier.

The Climb - Day 1
May 11 Summary

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Skies have cleared and the team is headed for the mountain!

The first three flights up today will be:

1 - James and Shawn (Base Camp setup)
(1pm Update: landed, now on glacier)

End of day update:
Only the 1 flight made it out today. The next flights, weather permitting, will allow the rest of the team to follow in the order:
2 - Travis and Stephanie (with Medical equipment)
3 - Adam and Catherine (with Tech equipment)
4 - Mike and Josh
5 - Urzsula and Samantha
6 - Len and Danylo

Flying time is 2 hrs round trip. James had the GPS unit on the dashboard of the plane again, so you can see the path they took on their flight up today. Upon landing, James and Shawn began setting up Base Camp and preparing for the arrival of the rest of the team.

The Climb - Day 2
May 12 Summary

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Clear skies! The rest of the team will be able to start flying up and onto the glacier today.

New flight schedule:
1 - Travis & Stephanie
     (landed: ~ 11:30am)
2 - Adam & Catherine
     (w/ tech equipment)
3 - Danylo & Josh
4 - Urzsula & Samantha
5 - Mike & Andy
6 - Len

Note: if the map is showing the Summit of Logan and there are no PINS for team location, it will be because the GPS unit has not been turned on (or is having its batteries recharged).

The Climb - Day 3
May 13 Summary

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First things first
HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY !
to all our mom's and to
moms Everywhere :)

After 2 flights in yesterday, 8 members of the team are now on Logan and the remaining 5 are hoping to catch the flight up today.

Next in line for flights:
1 - Urzsula & Samantha
2 - Mike & Andy
3 - Len

The Climb - Day 4
May 14 Summary

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Details unavailable.

The Climb - Day 5
May 15 Summary

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A "carry-forward" of fuel and food to Camp 1 was completed. The remaining members at Silver City (Kluane Lake) flew up to Base Camp today and the team was reunited ... the climb is on! The new arrivals at Base Camp will take a day or two to acclimatize and the first group may do another carry-forward to Camp 1 tomorrow.

The Climb - Day 6
May 16 Summary

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Rest day for the team at Base Camp. Dealing with wind, snow storms, cold weather and white-out conditions.

The Climb - Day 7
May 17 Summary

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Second carry-forward day of gear to Camp I.

The Climb - Day 8
May 18 Summary

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Today the team moved up to Camp I.

The Climb - Day 9
May 19 Summary

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Rest day at Camp I for the team. Dealing with the heat and dehydration from the sun, and the smell from socks and clothes that haven't been washed for a week. Relaxing and playing scrabble, backgammon and crib.

The Climb - Day 10
May 20 Summary

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Today the team did a "carry-forward" of gear to Camp II, at approximately 13,700 feet. Listen to the audio clip to hear some of the unique techniques used by the team to get back down to Camp I.

The Climb - Day 11
May 21 Summary

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The team moved up to Camp II today to 4,190 metres (13,747 feet). The weather has improved allowing the team to make great progress the last few days. Listen to the audio clip to hear how the team is dealing with monitoring food, hydration and health conditions as they move higher, as well as how the terrain has been hampering communications.

The Climb - Day 12
May 22 Summary

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Today was a rest day for the team at Camp II. Team dealing with a few minor health issues, playing scrabble and meeting old friends on the mountain.

The Climb - Day 13
May 23 Summary

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The team was to do a "carry-forward" of gear today to Camp III, but ended up having a rest day instead as the weather this morning was blowing with semi white-out conditions. Also, in a turn of events, the team has now decreased in size by 2 down to 11 members. The Traslins will be heading back down tomorrow (no worries - they're both in good health). James explains the decision in today's Audio Clip. You will also hear how Josh has now reached a personal high-point ... and Danylo presents today's Educational Challenge Question for the contest.

The Climb - Day 14
May 24 Summary

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The team did 2 "carry-forwards" of gear today up the headwall towards Camp III. The terrain at this point is much steeper now, runs through an area of crevasses and required a lot of energy and effort (over 12 hours of climbing up and down twice) to move all of the supplies and equipment up towards the next camp.

The Climb - Day 15
May 25 Summary

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After doing a teleconference with classes at Laidlaw School in Winnipeg and some very exhuberant kids from grades 2, 3 and 4, the team packed everything up and started what was supposed to be about an 8 hour climb up to their next destination: Camp III at 4,468 metres (14,657 feet). Tired and beginning to feel the effects of altitude now, they pushed onwards and upwards over the steep headwall section, but did not make it as far as the planned Camp III destination. Rope teams today were: James, Catherine, Urszula, Samantha & Shawn - Adam, Stephanie & Travis - and Len, Josh & Danylo.

Unfortunately, James may not have eaten enough or had enough to drink during the day and ended up getting hypoglycemic with the effort he exerted moving up the headwall. There were also some problems with the skins on the bottom of the skiis in the snow conditions today not gripping the snow adequately and some hiking without the skiis was required.

While the nights are downright chilly, the opposite is true during the day when temperatures have climbed to 20+ degrees Celsius. And with the sun reflecting off the snow in all directions, some of the team have actually received sunburns, reinforcing the need to be careful to keep the Zinc sunscreen applied to their faces.

They are taking the satellite transceiver with them and will do another test with the unit to see if the higher elevation and more direct sight-lines to the satellite will allow them to maintain a connection and, at the very least, try and send out some pictures to post up on the website. Stay tuned.

The Climb - Day 16
May 26 Summary

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The team took a much needed rest day at Camp II-b (or 2.5) today. A few of the members are dealing with altitude issues now as well as the the draining effects of carrying up a lot of weight from communications and power gear and equipment. While a few of them rested in camp, the others climbed down to retrieve a cache of supplies and Len, still feeling strong, did 2 carries of gear from the cache below up to their current position.

Now at about the half-way mark up the mountain, they are being careful to measure heart rates and blood-oxygen levels to guage their pace. The weather has continued to be relatively good with a bit of overcast and some snow. Should things go well, the plan is to reach the summit in another 9 days.

The Climb - Day 17
May 27 Summary

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The team was to do carry-forwards of gear up to Camp III today. Some did ... a few didn't. James, Shawn and Catherine needed to take another day to acclimatize, relax and re-energize. Last night, another group of 5 Alaskans came through the Summits Of Canada Team's camp after being forced to descend when they encountered 80 km/h winds up near Camp III and one of their members became badly dehydrated. Stephanie & Travis from the SOC team looked at them and administered what medical treatments they could and provided her with some electrolytes before the group continued descending to Base Camp for an emergency medical evacuation.

To date, 7 people have needed to leave the mountain for medical reasons. And although the SOC team of 11 members are also encountering and dealing with a number of difficulties, they are fairing relatively well, using good judgement and working well as a team to ensure safety comes first.

The Climb - Day 18
May 28 Summary

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The team was to do a carry-forward up to Camp III today, however, a storm hit and provided a lot of wind, with -17 temperatures and white outs so they hunkered down and built snow-walls around their tents to wait it out. Even Norbert Joos, a friend of James from Switzerland who was further up the mountain, passed through the SOC camp on the way back down the mountain after encountering 80 km/h winds up at Prospectors Col. Norbert, who was originally lined up to be part of the SOC team, had joined up with another group as he needed to adhere to an earlier time schedule. Unfortunately, his trip is now over as they head back to Base Camp.

In the meantime, the extra day lay-over has allowed the team's health to rebound. Another challenge the team constantly faces is to keep the batteries warm to maintain the charges and their power supplies. The solar panels and wind turbine are working great, but even so, a full charge only lasts for so long in a very cold environment. In today's audio blog, James discusses the weather, the cold, and the challenges they have been facing each day in order to keep communications flowing and provide the details of their experiences through audio blogs and conference calls.

The Climb - Day 19
May 29 Summary

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The team did not move anywhere today as they got subjected to more nasty weather: cold temp's, white-out conditions, snow and wind.

In today's Audio Blogs, James discusses how each of the team members are doing, how they built snow walls to protect the tents, why there haven't been any Live Video Broadcasts as was originally planned, and how other teams on the mountain are being forced back down because of the weather.

PS - Happy Birthday Stephanie !! :)

The Climb - Day 20
May 30 Summary

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With more storms, winds (up to 80 km/h) and white-out conditions, the team remained stuck at Camp 2.5 for the fourth day in a row. Even though snow-walls had been built to protect the tents, they still had to be dug out of the drifts that accumulated from the winds and snow which continued to do its best to try and bury the tents. The Camp-bound team is dealing each day now with trying to be patient while waiting for the next window of opportunity to move up again ... perhaps a bit difficult for a group of spirited and energetic adventurers. But they are managing well.

Aside from a nagging cough, James' health is on the rebound and his blood oxygen saturation level is back up to 87%. As a good indication that they are all feeling well again and have now adapted to the altitude, today they built an igloo and a snow cave which Shawn described as "going down 10 feet, turned sideways and then was another 10 feet long!" They built side-benches into the walls and actually had a group dinner in it this evening.

Perhaps it is a blessing that they only got as high as they did at this point, as other teams up top have been battered by even stronger winds and have been running out of time, fuel and food. As such, 8 more people moved down today passing through the SOC Camp for a total of 17 people now having left the mountain.

While the team still has ample supplies, most of it is now up at Camp III from the carry-forwards they completed in previous days. As such, they have now been rationing food for a couple of days. With a possible break in the weather, they are hoping to make the move up to Camp III tomorrow, and Friday at the latest. With their hearts still set on the big goals such as measuring the height of the mountain with the Zmax unit supplied by Gemini Positioning Systems, they are maintaining focus on the more immediate goal of getting up to Camp III and the rest of their cache of food and fuel supplies.

Speaking of food, this leads us perfectly into our Educational Challenge Question for today ... but you'll have to listen to today's Audio Clip to find out what it is!

The Climb - Day 21
May 31 Summary

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With the report of a possible break in the storms today, the team was hoping to be able to make their way up to Camp III. And while they did make the attempt, Mother Nature however, had other ideas in mind. The storms continued with more strong winds, freezing temperatures and white-out conditions and forced the team to turn back after only a 1/2 hr into the climb. The mountain, it seems, is not happy with people all over its flanks this year. Yet another team passed through the SOC Camp today on their way down after they decided to relinquish their bid for the summit.

The Summits Of Canada team is also at the point of having to make a major decision. But before we go into that ... there was an 'incident' in Camp today which was probably a turning point for the team. Samantha slipped into a crevasse today ... but before becoming too alarmed, I'll quickly point out that: She is Okay! :)

The team was packing up the camp before beginning the climb today to make a push towards Camp III during a small break in the weather. They were willing to risk a few lighter storm conditions because they needed to get to the next camp in order to get to their main food & fuel supplies that had been carried forward to and stored at Camp III a number of days ago (they have now been on rations for a few days). It was at this point as they were packing up and preparing to move when Samantha, standing right over the spot where their tent had been set up (in an area that had been considered safe), suddenly disappeared and sank into a crevasse when the ground simply gave way!

Urzsula began yelling that Samantha had fallen into a crevasse and the team, not knowing how far down she had fallen or if she was injured, immediatley jumped into action. For all the details, be sure to listen to the Audio Blog from James today. To skip forward to the most important part though, she was apparently down about 10 feet on a ledge and safe, but pleading to get her out of there. Working together, the team quickly pulled her to safety. Samantha's friends and family can rest assured that, although she was obviously shaken, aside from a slightly injured shoulder, she was/is otherwise fine.

Another development today was the assessment that the slope the team needs to climb in order to get up to Camp III is now a potentially hazardous avalanche zone. The going would be slow as it is, with the steep headwall and large crevasses to navigate over & around, as well as the need to break a new trail through the fresh snow. But the new snow that has been dumped by the storms has now made the steep slope a risk that the team will also have to take into consideration if the climb is to continue. (If you haven't already tried it, be sure to check out the "topographic" view in Live Search Maps for another perspective on the route being cimbed by the team. You can find this at the bottom of the map-control in the top-left area of the map.)

So, as James mentions in the Audio Blog, they are now at a cross-road with a decision to make about whether or not to continue the climb. And the weather, it would seem, is for a large part trying to make that decision for them, as it has already for most of the other teams on the mountain. Regardless of the decision tomorrow though, the team has worked incredibly hard and accomplished much already in bringing this expedition to the students across the country and around the world and for that, they have much to be proud of.

The Climb - Day 22
June 1 Summary

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With the numerous days of storms that all teams on Mount Logan have been enduring, a lot of new snow has accumulated on the mountain. While most of us would see this as a great opportunity to head for the hills and take in a great day of skiing, up on a climb it's a much different scenario, the slopes are not groomed and the risk of avalanches (Encarta link)  (Encarta video) must always be taken into consideration.

As such, an avalanche (Cdn Avalanche Assoc. link) assessment was performed on the slopes today and the hazard level was determined to be "High Risk". As a result, when combining this new issue along with other factors that have not been working in the team's favour: continuing poor weather, dwindling food & fuel rations, time schedules, current team health, etc. the team has decided to not continue with the Climb. As such, they began descending today and are now heading back down towards Base Camp.

Safety must always come first, and when all the signs are pointing in the wrong direction, if heed is not taken, it's only a matter of time before a serious accident occurs. You can push yourself and get lucky "sometimes". But if things go wrong, fate steps in and a mountain can be very unforgiving and unmerciful to those who make poor or irresponsible decisions. Climbing can be a dangerous activity in extreme and very remote environments, even for those wih experience ... and accidents here often don't allow for second chances.

While it's fine to push the limits and challenge your endurance and fortitude against the elements, one must always be aware of the potential downside as well. It's important to constantly be aware of the situation and, as such, be prepared to make responsible decisions. And especially when working in a team environment, even if the quest is in the pursuit of worthy goals, one must always realize that the decisions that are made, the actions that are taken, will directly impact the potential safety of the people around you.

As of last night after a group meeting, half the team was willing to carry on and the rest had come to the conclusion that they had reached their limit. After the latest card dealt this morning with the news of increased high risk of avalanches, the team's new consensus was to turn around and start making their way down and off the mountain as most other teams have already done. Mount Logan will always be there. And just as happened with Mount Columbia in Alberta, the team can always come back again under better circumstances to make a safer attempt for a successful bid for the summit.

Best wishes and the support of friends, family, teachers and students from across the country and around the world go out to the team for a safe descent of the mountain.

The Climb - Day 23
June 2 Summary

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The team descended from Camp II to Base Camp today. With the heavy loads of supplies and equipment, it was a long and tiring day and the team chipped in to help each other descend safely by whatever method worked best: mostly skiing and at some points walking. But it was Adam that had the "lightbulb" moment of the day when he gave Urszula some help at one point by loading her pack onto his sled and riding it down the slope for a while using his skiis as brakes!

Back down at Base Camp, the team visited with 5 other teams that were located there after having descended already. They also invited Olin Twitchell, Jeff Levison, and Luke Smith from the Alaskan group over to their tents for a great dinner. While the team was naturally a bit disappointed that the climb is over and they were not able to summit this year, they were all safely back at Base Camp. And with continuing poor weather, the focus then turned to getting the team off the mountain and returning home to share the experience with students and followers of the expedition.

The Climb - Day 24
June 3 Summary

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With a break in the weather today, James chose to use a helicopter instead of the plane and managed to get 3 flights in today. 7 members of the team (James, Shawn, Samantha, Urzsula, Travis & Stephanie, and Adam) got to fly from Base Camp down to Silver City at Kluane Lake and the remaining 4 members got to stay and continue their wait when the weather set in again.

After living on the mountain for the past month in conditions of snow storms, white-outs, wind and freezing temperatures, it was a bit of a shock for those who did get to fly down today to see the green grass and trees and flowers beginning to bloom with the onset of summer already in full swing. Even the mosquitoes were out. Of course, they welcomed the flowers and warm temperatures more than they did the pesky insects!

Another thing that put smiles back on their faces was the chance to clean up with a hot shower and remove the grime of the last month, and to put on some fresh "non-smelly" clothes. And of course, maybe the biggest thrill for the team was the quick trip down to Haines Junction to go out for hamburgers and french fries and fresh salads!

After that, it was back to Kluane to figure out how soon they could get the Len, Josh, Danylo and Catherine down from Base Camp, and to start making arrangements with shipping companies to get all their gear home from Whitehorse.

The Climb - Day 25
June 4 Summary

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No further flights were able to take off today to pick up the remaining members up at Base Camp. The team at Silver City took advantage of the day to relax and enjoy the warm temperatures.

The Climb - Day 26
June 5 Summary

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As of this morning, over half the team (James, Shawn, Travis, Stephanie, Urszula, Samantha, and Adam) were back at Silver City at the south end of Kluane Lake. At one point in the day, the weather cleared enough to allow another flight up to retrieve Len and Josh. Two members (Danylo and Catherine) continued their wait for a flight. Once they arrive and reunite with the team, the plan is to drive back to Whitehorse to begin preparations for everyone to head for home.

The Climb - Day 27
June 6 Summary

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The two remaining members up on the glacier at Base Camp (Danylo and Catherine) managed to catch a flight off the mountain today. After a cheerful reunion with the rest of the team at Silver City and Kluane Lake, the team packed up and left at 3pm for their drive back to Whitehorse where they will sort all of their gear and make arrangements with shipping companies to get it all sent home.

The team will then spend one last day together reminiscing about the incredible adventure they shared on Canada's highest mountain during one of the worst years of weather that the region has seen in a long time. Then, they will get to say their final good-byes before they each head for home, back to their friends and families who will all be eager to hear more about their exciting trip into the heart and heights of the Yukon.

Post-Climb - Day 1
June 7 Summary

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The team is back in Whitehorse today at the Beringia Center visiting their friends (the Wooly Mammoth, the Short-faced Bear, the Scimitar Cat and more ... oh, and the people too of course!) and sorting out and re-organizing all of their hundreds of pounds of gear and equipment and making preparations to have it all shipped home.

Samantha and Urzsula headed for home yesterday and the others will be flying and or driving out from Whitehorse either today or tomorrow as they head back to friends and family, not to mention that other little thing called ... "work" (siiiigh). Yup, it's back to what some people like to call the "real world" for our adventurous team. Mind you, after all of the effort, exertion, labour, endurance, perseverance, and exhaustion, etc. that they've just been through on this expedition ... the so-called work that they will be returning to may just seem like a vacation in comparison!

If you've enjoyed following the group as they made their way up the snow-covered, crevasse-ridden, wind-swept, storm-pummelled slopes of Canada's highest peak, and if you maybe even learned a thing or two in the process during the expedition, then their job is done! And even if the team didn't make the summit this year, if they managed to (even in some small way) challenge and inspire you to become more active and health conscious in your own lifestyle ... then their trip was indeed a success!

Also, if you appreciated the effort, the drive and the determination the team exemplified over the course of this climb in order to help educate and inspire students across the country and around the world ... and if you would like to do something to show your support, why not send a short message along with a few thoughts for the team.

For more details, click here:
Show Your Support

Post-Climb - Day 2
June 8 Summary

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The team is back and headed for home. Most have already left Whitehorse and the rest will leave today.

Once home, they will have a chance to relax over the weekend, re-engergize, visit with friends and family, and tell the stories of some tough days on the mountain which included: crazy weather, rescuing members from crevasses, long slogs climbing uphill, skiing & walking & sometimes even sledding downhill, waiting for planes and helicopters, waiting for clear skies, trying to connect with schools by satellite, sleeping in temperatures of less than -40 degrees, getting blisters, getting colds, getting sunburns ... and more.

And of course there were some good times as well: building igloos and snow caves and snowmen, eating burritos at 14,000 feet, meeting new people, making new friends and sharing the journey and the fun of the whole adventure over the course of a month on one of Canada's most challenging & humbling, inspiring and beautiful mountains!

We hope you enjoyed following the team and listening to the challenges they encountered on their bid to climb Mt. Logan. We also hope that along the way you learned a few things that you never knew before, and were maybe even inspired to learn more about Canada's unique geography, the environment and its history. And while not everyone is destined to take on the challenge and lead a life of climbing in such extreme environments, if we managed to create a little spark (or even a big one) of inspiration in you that leads to continuing or striving towards an active and healthy lifestyle, that's even better!

While the weather won this year, the team will be back for another attempt next year. And of course, in the meantime, there are many other summits that are waiting for a visit from the team on their quest to share Canada's high-points with each of you across the country and around the world ... "One Step At A Time".

Thanks for following the Summits Of Canada - 2007 Live From Logan Expedition.