The MountainWorld™ Blog

Thursday Thought: David Rhodes Sparks on Belief

I love religions. The philosophies underlying the great faiths of our world never cease to amaze and intrigue me. In college, at Colorado College, I was a dual major in History and Philosophy, with a special emphasis on South Asia. This meant that most of my philosophy was, by default, more on the theological side of the fence.

All this said, however, I do not consider myself a "religious" person per se. I am deeply spiritual, but have always disliked the concept of worshiping this or that deity, and having to do so in this or that place. Perhaps I take the more Monist approach to spirit, i.e. that god, the divine, the spirit within us all, is indeed within us all. It is the ephemeral ether, it is all around us all the time, although we may struggle to put a name, shape, or place on it. Simply put, I believe "it" is.

Many years ago, I was given a book by my grandfather entitled simply Memoirs and Letters of David Rhodes Sparks.

Born in Indiana in 1823, D.R. Sparks was my great-great-great grandfather, and quite a man. From walking to the California Gold Rush and the Colorado Gold Rush, fighting in the Civil War, and founding a milling company on the banks of the Mississippi River in Alton, Illinois, David Rhodes Sparks lived a full and interesting life.

Recently, I was given by my mother a copy of D.R. Sparks' Statement of Belief from the mid-1800's. It is this I thought I would share with you, as well as another similar quote from Reverend Charles Andrew Farley, minister of the Alton, Illinois, Unitarian Church which Sparks attended.

I share these because I feel that, in the world we now live where people seem to be increasingly polarized along political and religious lines, we can all stand to be reminded that the divine - whatever we might see it to be - is within us all, around us all, and a part of us all, regardless of race, nationality, politics, etc.

But now I have rather given my objections to the religions of the past and present without giving my own views on the subject. It is not for me nor any thinking man to explain his thoughts on this subject unless he has concluded to adopt faith without thought; in fact, faith without thought is consistent. With the power of thought brought into play, faith vanishes and the mind goes out unfettered to fields yet unexplored. I might simply adopt the words of the immortal Paine and say, "The world is my country and to do good is my religion." These words have no equal for grandeur of thought in either old or new testament but I'll attempt a further view of my thoughts on this subject...God to me is everything, is everywhere; he is the universe, the stars, the sun, the earth; he is the human soul, he is the wood and is in the rocks; he is in the air, in the storm and sunshine alike. In part, everything we see about us or in us is the infinite God.

And, from Reverend Farley:

Do you now ask, "Which is the true church?". I answer, not the Episcopal church, not the Presbyterian church, not the Baptist church, not the Methodist church, not the Unitarian church, but the good in all these churches. All who live under the light of nature or under the more blessed light of revelation. The child of the Ganges, who worships the glorious river, and finds healing in its waters, he who adores the Sun in its Majesty, he who cries out for the help of the great father and whose dying eyes are lit up with the hope of hunting again in the spirit land, all, all are the children of god. All are members of the Church Universal, of that vast temple which the broad skies cover and the broad earth sustains and whose doors are open to the illimitable heaven.

Jake Norton is an Everest climber, guide, photographer, writer, and motivational speaker from Colorado.

The Basics of Altitude: A Primer on AMS, HACE, & HAPE, Part II

Last week, I wrote about the tragic death of Morgan Boisson, which in turn led me to  a post about High Altitude Cerebral Edema, or HACE.

This morning there was yet another sad reminder of the dangers of altitude in my inbox. Today it was the story of John Campbell. Mr. Campbell was on a trek to the Basecamp of Kanchenjunga - the world's third highest peak - with Jamling Tenzing Norgay when he came down with what sounds like HACE. While valiant efforts were made by the Sherpa trek staff and by his daughter, Campbell sadly passed away on October 28, 2009. 

While Mr. Campbell seems to have passed away from HACE, his death is still a reminder that we all should be prepared for high altitude ailments, and be ready to act on them, when we go into the mountains. Campbell was not a newcomer to altitude. According to web resources, he was an avid hiker, going on many trips into the High Sierra, and has already done treks to the Basecamps of Everest and K2.

So, last week we talked about HACE, and now it's time to discuss a bit about HAPE, or High Altitude Pulmonary Edema. 

In my experience, HACE is a bit more common than HAPE, perhaps because studies point to it being a more intense form of Acute Mountain Sickness (AMS). I've personally run into cases of HACE on many expeditions. Last week, I mentioned the story of Miguel Tello, who had both HACE and HAPE on Nevado Huascaran in Peru.
On Everest in 2001, we had another, quite similar situation. 

On May 7, 2001, Tap Richards, John Race, and I were ascending the East Rongbuk Glacier en route to Advanced Basecamp and the beginning of our summit bid. At about 20,000 feet, near the old pre-World War II Camp 2, we came upon 3 Tibetan yak herders carrying a sick Chinese glaciologist, Mr. Gao, down the mountain. Another Chinese scientist, Mr. Li, staggered behind; he was sick, too, but in much better shape.

We knew immediately that our summit bid was off; it was obvious to us that, if we did not act, Mr. Gao would most likely die before reaching Basecamp. He was barely breathing, unresponsive to pain, cold, and generally looking awful.

And so began a challenging rescue, carrying the 180 pound Mr. Gao on our backs, with amazing help from the yak herders and other Tibetans who came up, as well as additional members of our team. For hours, Mr. Gao slipped in and out of consciousness, at times choking on his swollen tongue and often looking like, despite our efforts, he was not going to make it.

But, finally, after about 10 hours of work, we got Mr. Gao into a jeep at the mouth of the Rongbuk Valley. Soon he was in our expedition Gamov Bag and being tended to by our expedition doctor, Lee Meyers. Early the next morning, in stable condition, Mr. Gao was loaded into a jeep and driven off to the hospital in Shigatse.

It was a close call, but Mr. Gao survived. (A week later, Mr. Li drove back into Basecamp with a box full of apples and pears, a nice thank you from he and Gao for helping save their lives.) Had Gao's teammates known the basics of high altitude medicine - and warning signs to look for - this all might have been avoided.

So, what do we look for as signs and symptoms of High Altitude Cerebral Edema? Here's some basics:

• Often one of the first telltale signs is a headache. Cerebral edema is fluid gathering inside the cranial cavity and putting pressure on the brain; thus, a persistent headache, which most often will not go away even with aspirin or ibuprofen, and coupled with ascent to a new altitude, is an early sign of HACE.
• Ataxia, or loss of balance resulting in unsteady walking, is another common sign of HACE. However, much depends on where the pooling fluid in the brain is putting pressure; various changes in mental and physical state can be evident:
  
  • uneven pupil dilation
  • slurred speech
  • inability to remember basics like name, date, time of day, etc.
  • loss of fine motor control

As with HAPE, these are the early warning signs, but things generally deteriorate rapidly afterward. In general, someone with early signs of HACE who is not treated will, within 24 hours, become unconscious, slip into a coma, and pass away. This is serious stuff!

But, again like HAPE, HACE does have some simple, effective treatments.

1. DESCEND, DESCEND, DESCEND! Descent is the only surefire treatment for HACE, and again the rule of thumb is descent of 3,000 feet or more.
2. If descent is not immediately possible, there are some options to "buy" some time:
   
   • Put the patient in a Gamow bag, or Portable Altitude Chamber (PAC)
   • Put the patient on high flow oxygen, 8 liters per minute or more
   • If available, dexamethasone is a great medication for HACE. Dex is a powerful anti-inflammatory steroid which in this case helps reduce cerebral pressure from HACE. Whereas niphedipene works only sometimes in treating HAPE, I've found that dexamethasone is very effective in reducing the severity of HACE. Dex comes in tablet and injectable forms; I always carry both. As with any drug, know how to use dex before you go, and make sure your climbing companions do, too - it could save your life, or theirs!

Those are some of the basics of HACE. Again, these are the rules of thumb and actions I take whenever I'm climbing or guiding in the high mountains. I've seen HACE in climbers and others on Rainier, in Colorado, on Kilimanjaro, and of course in the Himalaya.

We all go into the mountains prepared physically, and prepared with our equipment. But, many people forget to be prepared medically as well. Know your body. Know the dangers. Know what to look for.

And, remember, the mountain will be there another day...the important thing is that you are around to climb it another day!

In the next - and final issue - of this primer, I'll talk a bit about the most important aspect of high altitude medicine: How to prevent these ailments from occurring in the first place! Rule #1: Choose your parents!

Jake Norton is an Everest climber, guide, photographer, writer, and motivational speaker from Colorado.

The Remotest Place on Earth

On South Georgia in 2004...Felt pretty remote to me!

I've been to some pretty remote places...or so I thought. Western Tibet. South Georgia. Borneo.

But, according to an article in this month's issue of New Scientist, these aren't really that remote. Or, at least not that remote according to the criteria used in a new study by the European Commission's Joint Research Centre in Ispra, Italy, and the World Bank.

The study identified "remoteness" based on, as Michael Robinson points out in Time to Eat the Dogs, "information on terrain and access to road, rail and river networks. It also consider[ed] how factors like altitude, steepness of terrain and hold-ups like border crossings slow travel." It didn't necessarily take into account access to cell phone networks (now available on the summit of Everest) or other technological advances that may limit aspects of remoteness."

Nonetheless, it is a pretty interesting piece. Some findings tell us how small indeed our world has become:

• less than 10% of the world's land is more than 48 hours of ground-based travel from the nearest city
• in the Amazon, extensive river networks and an increasing number of roads mean that only 20% of the land is more than two days from a city - around the same proportion as Canada's Quebec province

And, according to the study, what is the remotest place on earth? It's a tough spot high on the Tibetan Plateau at 34.7°N 85.7°E, sitting at about 17,500 feet, and from here it takes 3 weeks on foot to reach Lhasa. Pretty remote!

View Larger Map

Jake Norton is an Everest climber, guide, photographer, writer, and motivational speaker from Colorado.

The Basics of Altitude: A Primer on AMS, HACE, & HAPE

Altitude has been on my mind a lot recently; my colleagues and I at the American Mountaineering Museum are putting the final touches on a new exhibit called Thin Air: Altitude and Oxygen. It will open at the Museum this month.

I awoke Tuesday morning to a sad story in my inbox about a University of Arizona student, Morgan Boisson, who died near Rongbuk Monastery, at the foot of the Tibetan side of Mount Everest, on October 20, 2009.

Boisson was on a study abroad program in Nanjing, China, and traveled to Rongbuk with classmates on a a 10 day tour in Tibet.

Judging from the article I read and the symptoms described, Boisson was died from HAPE, or High Altitude Pulmonary Edema. And, sadly, he was not the first to die this way at Rongbuk, nor will he probably be the last.

We tend to think of severe altitude sickness like HAPE, and it's equally dangerous cousin, HACE (High Altitude Cerebral Edema), as something that only effects climbers. When we're "just trekking" or - like Boisson and the thousands of others who travel in Tibet each year - visiting the high country in a vehicle, we rarely give much thought to the effects of high altitude and the accompanying hazards.

But, these are major dangers for climbers, trekkers, tourists, and anyone traveling to altitude. In fact, Telluride's Institute for Altitude Medicine (IFAM), estimates that altitude sickness costs the Colorado ski industry upward of $200 million each year!

Thus, it's always a good idea to know the basics of HAPE and HACE - and even the more benign AMS, or Acute Mountain Sickness - and to have some tricks up your sleeve to deal with it if it hits a companion, or you.

For today, let's talk a bit about HAPE. I'll write later on about HACE if people are interested.

To begin, keep in mind I am not a doctor, and I don't even play one on TV. But, I do play one in the mountains quite often, treating clients and fellow travelers and local people we encounter along the way. Anyone wanting to know all the in-depth analysis of AMS, HAPE, and HACE should read articles available online at IFAM and the Altitude Research Center. That said, the following are some rules of thumb for altitude, and the things I look for in my clients - and in myself - whenever I travel to altitude.

HAPE, although very dangerous, is fairly rare, especially in travels below 15,000 feet. But, it does occur. IFAM tabulated only 150 cases over a 3 year period in Colorado's Summit County, and estimates that only about 1 in 10,000 skiers develops HAPE during their travels to the high country.

However, in my travels to mountains around the world, I've seen it a lot. From 10,000 foot Camp Muir on Mount Rainier to the 19,000 foot Garganta Camp on Nevado Huascaran in Peru to climbers dying high on the North Side of Everest, HAPE occurs all over the place, and is never a nice thing.

In general, the first signs of possible HAPE, and the ones I am on the lookout for in the mountains, are:

• A sudden and marked decline in ability to "keep up"
• Inability to catch one's breath, even when at rest
• Unnaturally elevated heartrate, even when at rest
• "Rails" or rattling/wheezing/crackling sound in the lungs

If you see these symptoms in yourself or your teammate, it's time to act. While it may not be HAPE, these are generally telltale signs, and the symptoms will progress rapidly downward if HAPE is indeed at play.

If a pulse-oximeter is on hand, it can be used and, in the case of HAPE, will show a decreased oxygen saturation level in the patient. Without a pulse-ox, oxygen saturation can be "guesstimated" by looking for a bluish, somewhat ashen look to the skin and a blue-gray look to the lips and nail beds.

For most trips in the mountains, however, we'll need to decide and act fast. And, in my opinion, it's always best to be conservative with HAPE and HACE, and err on the side of caution. So, how do we treat HAPE?

Go down!

Seriously...go down, and go down now! The only true treatment for HAPE - and HACE - is to descend. And the rule of thumb is to descend at least 3000 feet.

But, what if descent is not an immediate option due to injury, weather, or other factors? Then, it's time for alternate plans which have hopefully been thought out in advance.

If oxygen is available, it should be administered at a high flow rate (i.e., 6-8 liters per minute). If a Gamov Bag or Portable Altitude Chamber is on hand, it should be used immediately. And, Nifedipine can be administered to help you buy some time as well. (Nifedipine, in layman's terms, reduces pulmonary arterial pressure and helps slow the leakage of blood and fluid into the lungs. 

Again, though, the only true treatment for High Altitude Pulmonary Edema is descent.

Here's a classic example: in 1998 on Huascaran in Peru, Jason Edwards, Maximo Henostroza, and I rescued Miguel Tello from high on the mountain. When we found him at 19,000 feet, he was ashen, hypothermic, wheezing, unconscious, and had an oxygen saturation of about 40%. Diagnosing hypothermia, HAPE, and HACE, we administered drugs accordingly and began immediate descent, with concurrent monitoring. After the textbook 3000 feet of descent, Miguel was responsive and moving in our makeshift litter. He made a full recovery, but may well have passed away high in the Andes if we hesitated in our descent.

So, next time you head for the hills, be prepared. HAPE and HACE are rare, but they do occur, and they do kill. Know your body. Know your treatment options. And, have plans at the ready to deal with these ailments if they occur.

Let me know via the comments if this was even remotely interesting to people. If so, I'll write something up about HACE as well. And, if not, I'll drift on to other topics!

Jake Norton is an Everest climber, guide, photographer, writer, and motivational speaker from Colorado.

Secrets of Shangri La

Cave complex in Upper Mustang, Nepal.

He looked like Indiana Jones...really. And, it was probably intentional, a modern-day archaeologist/anthropologist of the far reaches of Nepal. Regardless of appearance, Dr. Charles Ramble was no impostor, no wannabe hero, but rather a dedicated man who had made significant discoveries in the remote, semi-autonomous kingdom of Mustang, a remote fin of Nepal jutting onto the Tibetan Plateau.

For the better part of 3 hours in 1993, Charles Ramble spoke to all 26 of us (we were studying for 6 months in Nepal on a semester abroad program), and not a one was anything but rapt. He told us of a faraway region, until 1991 sealed off to foreign visitors. And, of ancient Buddhist and Bon cave complexes high above Lo Monthang. And, even more intriguing, the fact that these caves date back to perhaps as far a 2,000 B.C. - long before the Buddhist era.

Fresco in cave (left); Charles Ramble inspecting artifacts (right)

And, he spoke of the dangers of his find. Not dangers to himself, but rather dangers posed to the ancient, irreplaceable treasures in the caves: frescoes, artifacts, possibly texts and more that lay unprotected from the elements, and also from art thieves and looters who had already laid waste to many such sites throughout Nepal. (Literally thousands of ancient artworks have been stolen from Nepal's temples and sites over the years; see the website Stolen Art of Nepal and the book by Lain Singh Bangdell, Stolen images of Nepal.)

It was a lecture I never forgot...And, thus it was with great excitement that I heard about an expedition in 2008 by Leisl Clark, Pete Athans, and led by my friend Brot Coburn, would be heading to Mustang to explore and document this amazing site deep in the Himalaya.

(Broughton "Brot" Coburn is a legend in Nepal, and for good reason. He lived and worked there for 2 decades, and wrote 2 of the best books in my opinion on Nepal, Nepali Aama and Aama in America. And, he's a great guy to boot!)

The expedition to Mustang was filmed and is in production by National Geographic, due to air on PBS later this year.

But, you can get a sneak preview with Brot Coburn himself on November 11, 2009, at 7:00 PM at the American Mountaineering Museum! Brot will be our guest speaker for November's sPEAKer Series at the Museum.(You can read a PDF on Brot's presentation here.)

So, come on down and learn for yourself about the Secrets of Shangri La from Brot Coburn! And, check out the video below - a short preview of the film, with old "Indiana Charles Ramble Jones" making a great climb!

Jake Norton is an Everest climber, guide, photographer, writer, and motivational speaker from Colorado.

Thursday Thought: No Child Left Inside

Lila on Mt. Kinabalu, Borneo, at 7 months Last night I was with the First Ascent team at the Eddie Bauer store at Flatirons Crossing. Peter Whittaker, Dave Hahn, Chad Peele, Seth Waterfall, and I held a panel discussion, and kicking it all off was the great Jim Whittaker, an elder statesman of American mountaineering, and a great guy to boot.

Jim waxed about his early days with Eddie Bauer (the man, not the store!), taking his early down products up McKinley, Everest, Mount Kennedy, and more. But, what struck a chord with me was Jim's recollection of where "it all began" for him, and for his twin brother, Lou Whittaker. He recalled his mother yelling when they were children - be it raining or snowing, sun or cloud - "get outside and play!" and shuffling the two giant twins out the door. Jim's personal mission these days is, as he said with a wonderful roar and a wry smile: No child left inside.

Having a daughter of my own now, and living in a far more urban setting than the one in which I grew up, I think a lot about how my wife and I will foster in Lila a love of the outdoors, a respect for the wilderness, and a desire to interact with it in simple yet profound ways. And, more importantly than just Lila, how we can - as a society - encourage our kids (and adults!) to get outside, to experience nature and to push themselves and learn about their abilities, strengths, and weaknesses.

So, these thoughts bring me to today's Thursday Thought, by John Muir:

Climb the mountains and get their good tidings.
Nature's peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees.
The winds will blow their own freshness into you, and the storms their energy,
while cares will drop off like autumn leaves.

If you're interested in this topic of getting kids outside - and the importance of it - be sure to check out Richard Louv's excellent book on the subject: Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children From Nature-Deficit Disorder.

Jake Nortonis an Everest climber, guide, photographer, writer, and motivational speakerfrom Colorado.

First Ascent launches in 183 stores!!

Ed Viesturs on Everest, May, 2009. Photo by Jake Norton.

As most of you know, I've been working closely with Eddie Bauer and the First Ascent team for about a year now, helping with product development, marketing, and serving as the expedition photographer for our expeditions to Cotopaxi in Ecuador, Aconcagua in Argentina, and to Mount Everest last spring.

Well, the exciting time has come...While the First Ascent product has been online and in a few select stores for some time now, it will officially launch nationwide in 183 Eddie Bauer stores on October 12, 2009! (Read the official press release here.)

Is the gear any good? Well, I think so...I helped design and test it, using it in my backyard here in Colorado and up to the tippy-top of Everest this spring. In my opinion, it is the best gear out there, period.

But, sure, I'm a bit biased. So, check out what some others have said:

• Steve Casimiro puts the Hangfire Hoodie in his "Top Performers" list in National Geographic Adventure.
• Backpacker Magazine gave the Big Tahoma packa thumbs up in their October issue, saying: "This versatile pack is supportive and comfortable enough for a week-long trek, but simple and light enough for tackling big alpine peaks…The (removable) hipbelt never interfered with high-stepping, and two aluminum stays transfer loads up to 40 pounds directly to the hips. And the double ripstop nylon used in the packbag is not only superdurable, it’s highly waterproof.”
• Backpacker also loved the Downlight Sweater, saying: "This ultra-ultralight insulator nails the essentials: high draftproof collar, grapefruit-size packability, roomy zipped pockets, and light rain resistance–without layering on doodads that add weight or bulk." And, their Associate Editor, Shannon Davis, loved the warm and functional Peak XV down jacket for her climb of Rainier.
• And, Outside Magazine's "Gear Girl", Stephanie Pearson, recommends the First Ascent BC-100 for climbs in wet weather, like Kilimanjaro, where you need to stay dry but not carry too much weight. Read her recommendation here.

OK...you're getting the picture. The First Ascent line was built by guides, tested in some of the harshest conditions in the world, and reviewed by some pretty tough critics. And, it came out on top in all situations.

So, on October 12th, waltz into your local Eddie Bauer store and check out the new gear. It's great stuff, and comes with the legendary Eddie Bauer lifetime guarantee...so you just can't go wrong!

Jake Norton is an Everest climber, guide, photographer, writer, and motivational speaker from Colorado.

The Loss of a Legend: Dr. Charlie Houston, 1913-2009

Dr. Charles Houston, 1913-2009
From Alpinist Magazine

This morning, from several people, I heard the sad news that a climbing legend, Charlie Houston, passed away yesterday at his home in Burlington, Vermont.

Dr. Charles Snead Houston was a legend in every sense of the word. From pioneering climbs like Nanda Devi in 1936 and K2 1938 & 1953 to pioneering the field of high-altitude physiology, Dr. Houston never stopped forging ahead, breaking new ground and being a leader in all that he did.

I've written a great deal about Charlie on this blog, and there's too much to recount about his life here and now. So, here's a few resources if you are interested:

• The Brotherhood of the Rope post
• Post about Houston's memoir, The Brotherhood of the Rope
• Post about the passing of Bob Bates, a compatriot of Houston
• Thursday Thought from August 27, 2009, about Dr. Houston
• Interview with Houston on PBS NOW
• Books by and about Charlie Houston at Amazon

And, as I think he would like it, I'm going to head out into the hills today, and think about life, about mountains, and about the ever present and ever important Brotherhood of the Rope.

Dr. Houston...thank you for the memories...for the inspiration...for the joy and the stories and the legacy you leave to all of us. You will be missed.

Jake Norton is an Everest climber, guide, photographer, writer, and motivational speaker from Colorado.

Thursday Thought, September 17, 2009 - Video Version

Well, late but not too late...It's still Thursday - for another 2 hours - here in Colorado. Got a bit delayed, but for a good reason - I was meeting my niece and nephew for the first time here in Crested Butte!

Anyway, this is the first video version of the Thursday Thought. I was inspired by the beautiful mountain scenery as I drove down here today, and started thinking Thoreau.

Enjoy, and let me know if you like the video format!

Jake Norton is an Everest climber, guide, photographer, writer, and motivational speaker from Colorado.

Turn $1 into $2...and help make $1 million with the Rosenthal Challenge

As many of you know, my wife, Wende Valentine, does some amazing work. No, she doesn't climb mountains (although she has been up pretty darn high on Everest)...she does something far more important. As an integral part of the Water for Peopleteam, she helps change the lives of people in the developing world by bringing clean water and health and hygiene to their communities.

Having been - with Wende and our daughter, Lila - to some Water for People communities on the Bay of Bengal last November, I can personally attest to the stunning impact Water for People's programs have on the communities in which they work. A few short words sum it up:

• Local: they solve problems with local people and using local technologies
• Sustainable: Water for People's programs will be there for the long haul in a sustainable way
• Honest: No flamboyance here, just honest, good work that changes lives at the most fundamental level, every single day

And now, through the generosity of Stephen and Sandy Rosenthal, Water for People has a Million Dollar Challenge.

The gist is this: Raise $500,000 from donors, and the Rosenthal's will match that money, dollar for dollar, up to $1 million.

So make a difference today...Give to Water for People as part of the Rosenthal Million Dollar Challenge. But, hurry - all gifts must be submitted by November 15, 2009, to be eligible!

Jake Norton is an Everest climber, guide, photographer, writer, and motivational speaker from Colorado.