Has anyone ever hiked a 8k meter/26k ft. mountain?

James282 · #1 01-02-2007, 06:18 PM

Just read into thin air by Jon Krakauer and it has piqued my interest in doing some big mountain climbing. Does anyone here have any experience climbing any of the huge mountains in the world, or even some of the 2nd tier type mountains like Kilimanjaro, Denali, or Vinson? Any info or trip reports would be greatly appreciated, as I think I am aiming for a Kilimanjaro trip about a year from now. Thanks!

James

RunyonAve · #2 01-02-2007, 06:20 PM

[censored] that, its cold.

gumpzilla · #3 01-02-2007, 06:37 PM

[ QUOTE ]
Just read into thin air by Jon Krakauer and it has piqued my interest in doing some big mountain climbing.

[/ QUOTE ]

Huh. That's a pretty crazy book to get you into climbing. If you're looking for religions, perhaps he can sell you on Mormonism with Under the Banner of Heaven, as well.

Thremp · #4 01-02-2007, 06:41 PM

Why don't you try to hike something like 12kft first with a rise of 5k feet in a day first then decide?

Odds are you might get yourself killed on this one.

Entity · #5 01-02-2007, 06:59 PM

[ QUOTE ]
Why don't you try to hike something like 12kft first with a rise of 5k feet in a day first then decide?

Odds are you might get yourself killed on this one.

[/ QUOTE ]

Odds are good that James won't get himself killed on Kilimanjaro. The majority of the mountain is walkable, and it's not nearly as technical of a climb as many other peaks of similar height. It's considered the worlds highest "walkable" mountain.

James,

I haven't done a ton of mountaineering, especially on higher peaks, but I would recommend getting some basic mountaineering experience and determining how you feel about the sport first. Learn the basics, roping up, crampon techniques, crevasse rescue, etc. You can learn most of these on a lot of technically moderate-to-difficult climbs that can get you a taste of what you'd be in for when climbing a more difficult route like Denali.

I would personally recommend something like a seven-day training course on Mt. Rainier (14,410ft), which will certainly test your abilities while helping train you for something like Denali or other climbs.

Keep in mind the differences between Denali and a climb like Kilimanjaro are very very large.

Rob

James282 · #6 01-02-2007, 07:58 PM

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Why don't you try to hike something like 12kft first with a rise of 5k feet in a day first then decide?

Odds are you might get yourself killed on this one.

[/ QUOTE ]

Odds are good that James won't get himself killed on Kilimanjaro. The majority of the mountain is walkable, and it's not nearly as technical of a climb as many other peaks of similar height. It's considered the worlds highest "walkable" mountain.

James,

I haven't done a ton of mountaineering, especially on higher peaks, but I would recommend getting some basic mountaineering experience and determining how you feel about the sport first. Learn the basics, roping up, crampon techniques, crevasse rescue, etc. You can learn most of these on a lot of technically moderate-to-difficult climbs that can get you a taste of what you'd be in for when climbing a more difficult route like Denali.

I would personally recommend something like a seven-day training course on Mt. Rainier (14,410ft), which will certainly test your abilities while helping train you for something like Denali or other climbs.

Keep in mind the differences between Denali and a climb like Kilimanjaro are very very large.

Rob

[/ QUOTE ]

Hi Rob, I'm fully aware how different all of these mountains are. I'm mostly interested in hearing stories from people who have done any of them - not saying I plan on doing any technical climbs myself(i don't at this point). As far as basic hiking experience, I have it. I'm not sure if I came across like reading Into Thin Air is the only experience I have with climbing, but it isn't, don't worry.

James

James282 · #7 01-02-2007, 08:02 PM

Badger, thanks for the story. This is the sort of thing I was looking for!

James

Thremp · #8 01-02-2007, 08:04 PM

You do realize that your death rate is pretty solid for a 15k mountain hike leaving on a summer day in T-shirt and shorts and a fanny pak at 11AM for a 8 hour hike?

Entity · #9 01-02-2007, 10:17 PM

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Why don't you try to hike something like 12kft first with a rise of 5k feet in a day first then decide?

Odds are you might get yourself killed on this one.

[/ QUOTE ]

Odds are good that James won't get himself killed on Kilimanjaro. The majority of the mountain is walkable, and it's not nearly as technical of a climb as many other peaks of similar height. It's considered the worlds highest "walkable" mountain.

James,

I haven't done a ton of mountaineering, especially on higher peaks, but I would recommend getting some basic mountaineering experience and determining how you feel about the sport first. Learn the basics, roping up, crampon techniques, crevasse rescue, etc. You can learn most of these on a lot of technically moderate-to-difficult climbs that can get you a taste of what you'd be in for when climbing a more difficult route like Denali.

I would personally recommend something like a seven-day training course on Mt. Rainier (14,410ft), which will certainly test your abilities while helping train you for something like Denali or other climbs.

Keep in mind the differences between Denali and a climb like Kilimanjaro are very very large.

Rob

[/ QUOTE ]

Hi Rob, I'm fully aware how different all of these mountains are. I'm mostly interested in hearing stories from people who have done any of them - not saying I plan on doing any technical climbs myself(i don't at this point). As far as basic hiking experience, I have it. I'm not sure if I came across like reading Into Thin Air is the only experience I have with climbing, but it isn't, don't worry.

James

[/ QUOTE ]

It didn't come across as you being completely inexperienced, but was mostly the statement that you were thinking about something "like Kilimanjaro or Denali." I now realize you were just looking for people who had done either sorts of those so that you could compare the relative experiences, but I was just trying to point out how drastically different the two are, when it comes to climbing.

I've done some peak-bagging, but very little in the way of technical climbs. The highest I've climbed was to the top of some of the passes along the JMT on the Pacific Crest Trail in California. ~13k feet I think was the highest I ascended, but it was just hiking through passes (during a hike I did from Mexico to Canada a few years ago).

Good luck to you, regardless. If you come to hike Rainier, let me know.

Rob

James282 · #10 01-02-2007, 07:49 PM

[ QUOTE ]
Why don't you try to hike something like 12kft first with a rise of 5k feet in a day first then decide?

Odds are you might get yourself killed on this one.

[/ QUOTE ]

Rofl, get killed on Kilimanjaro? Are you crazy? I know it happens, but with good guides and good physical fitness(i ski ~70-75 days a winter, exercise in the summer) the death rate is absurdly low compared to most extreme-type adventures. The most common cause of death in big mountain climbing is altitude related sicknesses, and good guides are notorious for being overcautious with signs of hape and hace so I'm not overly worried about that aspect. I also have lived at mile+ altitude for two years and skied 10k+ altitudes many times and have had no trouble with altitude sickness, so I don't think I'll die. But thanks for your concern!

James