Going to Aconcagua to Release Next Week

I came back from Aconcagua a couple months ago. It was a great expedition to the Southern and Western Hemispheres highest mountain. The Travel Journal was done pretty quick and then I released an initial draft and sent it off to the editor. The Editors other commitments made it impossible for him to work on the journal.

In the end this was fine by me as it gave me the opportunity to rewrite the journal, smoothing it out and adding subtle detail giving it great new flow. I also had the opportunity to add many more pictures and set up web sites with more photos and some videos. So it is not very similar to the pre-release.

I am really pleased to announce that this title will release next week and also of the news that I will be releasing both Going to Aconcagua and Going to the Amazon in the Spanish Language over the next few months.

Thanks for all your support!

Mt Avalon, Mt Field, not sure what is Next weekend then Mt Tower of London

So, I will be staying in the SOHO area of London as I research my new book in the British Museum. I am starting to get excited for this new book! So the order of business of the day, I continue to prepare for my Mt. Everest Base Camp adventure this spring in Nepal. It will be grueling with 6 plus hour hikes daily up for a week, and then the same back down. Granted there will be huts, and food, and history… So today for training I did something other than Mt Washington. First was the Avalon Trail to Mt field. I have some words for it, “Fun, Pleasant and wet.” There were frogs and very few people. A Nice Hike. Well that was until this last mile to Mt Avalon,  that was a steep climb Steep, Severe, Scrambling amongst Rocks. When done there was a sign, “1 Mile to Mt field and 100 yards to Mt Avalon Summit.” It was a day for both… So 100 yards up to an amazing view of Mt Washington and the Presidents. I have to note that it was worth it but not for the weak of heart, that last mile or so is steep, unlike Mt. Washington it has some breaks beforehand, but that climb is big. The first picture is me sitting on the Summit of Avalon. Now it was a bit of Rock Climbing up the wall to the summit but worth it. For those of you that took the fast route to the Parthenon in Athens this is nothing.

After a lunch it was time to hike to the summit of Mt. Field. It was pleasant at first, a real joy after lunch. Then it got severe, at least four steep climbs (Ouch) but then there was the Sky and the Tree-line, that was a quick mile. OOPS nope there was another set of very steep climbs, it was not the Summit instead it just was a clearing,. Although it was not the top of the mountain, to be humorous, I assume, someone put a summit pile to increase the height of the fake summit.

It had to be another hour up to the summit but I made it. Another Summit with a goal of base camp! Does that make sense???

What they do not tell you in the trail guides: If you have 1.5 Miles of Steep Climb going up, you are going to work just as hard going down. But as the Everest Guide says, it tests you, it lets you know who you are and what you can do. That matters. I need to pick a Mountain or two for next week, I am doing Mt. Washington at the end of the month and then meeting some friends in DC to Hike there.  In between, I will do a hike from Soho to the Tower of London.

I will add one last pic, a vista from the top of MT Field (Note Mt Avalon was the View and a challenge, Mt. Field will remind you that you were there the next morning!

[some facts that eluded me earlier
Mt. Field (4340’) is the highest peak within the Willey Range, which rises from the western boundary of Crawford Notch State Park.

Mt. Avalon (3342’)
and the best view (vista) is Avalon and where i had lunch]

Cheers,

Rob