2003

"...suddenly as Blade traversed around a blind shoulder, he got the shock of his life..."

Blade Jones's first attempt in the Summer of 2001 was cut short when his sherpa got sick at base camp, which in turn caused delays. The next day Blade came within 1,000 meters of the summit. It was tempting, but the seasoned mountaineer knew he had to make the right choice otherwise he would miss a semi-annual dental appointment in Los Angeles. This conquest would have to wait yet another year. In 2002 Blade skillfully made it to camp I (in Lone Pine), but due to fog conditions the visibility was only 25 meters. Blade was unable to find directions to the Muir trail. Regrettably he called off his epic trek for the second year in a row and drove home.

2003 was hopefully going to be different. Blade would also bravely attempt to summit WITHOUT oxygen but while traversing the more tested Eastern face. To be on the safe side Blade also made arrangements for an extra sherpa to haul supplies to base camp on June 22. On June 23rd Blade would bivouac at camp III at the South end of the Muir trail. On the morning of June 24th the skies were clear with the exception of some distant smog blowing in from the West. At 10:45 PM Blade successfully reached camp IV but the weather was beginning to turn ugly. What had first appeared to be smog was starting to look suspiciously like tropical rain clouds. He could turn back now and probably make it back to camp III in time to turn on his generator and catch the evening episode of the Simpsons on his portable TV. Another option would be to bivouac at camp IV and wait for a possible weather clearing. But the prospect of waiting yet another year to attempt the summit loomed too large. Blade elected to press on in spite of the dangers.

Then at 1:15 PM the glory of Whitney was all his. Blade's had reached the summit! Blade paused for some personal time to reflect on his long journey and to revel in his conquest. However at 1:20 Blade rather suddenly began to experience a mild headache, light headedness, and dehydration. These were sure signs of hypoxia!!! Blade knew all too well that this was the time to immediately start moving down the mountain to lower altitude. However Blade broke the golden rule of climbing by lying down to rest, dangerously dosing in and out of consciousness for 15 minutes. Fellow mountaineers know Blade as a man who always keeps a cool head. So why the lapse in concentration? Was Whitney about to claim another victim? Perhaps Blade should have known better than to scale Whitney going solo. Would Blade's body come to rest on the mountain that he had devoted his life to conquer?

As it turns out Blade had merely erred when he gulped down 4 shots of Old Chicken whiskey to celebrate reaching the summit. Blade awoke somewhat refreshed and then instinctively began his decent at 1:35 PM. This journey would only be a success by reaching base camp safely, and with all his fingers and toes in tact. Up to this point luck had been on Blade's side. But suddenly as Blade traversed around a blind shoulder, he got the shock of his life when a marmot jetted out from behind a rock and scurried down the trail. Blade instinctively braced himself against a boulder, until the danger passed. Blade proceeded with extreme caution and later came across the marmot about 25 meters down trail, scratching the under side of his chin on a rock. At this altitude it was too high for fleas to survive so Blade surmised that it was only a simple itch that was bothering the marmot. Blade made a mental note for future climbing reference and continued on his way.

It was now 2:45 and darkness would soon descend over the Sierra Nevada. Descending in darkness could easily leave a climber stranded and vulnerable to hypoxia. By 3:15 Blade had only descended another 2,000 meters, but fortunately the trail began to flatten out more and Blade was able to pick up the pace with a light job. By 4:45 Blade had reached base camp, with 2 hours and 15 minutes left to spare before the Simpson's was scheduled to air on the Lone Pine FOX TV affiliate. However Blade dusted the rest of his bottle of Old Chicken, fell asleep, and overslept until the next morning, missing the Simpson's.

ON TOP OF THE LOWER 48 STATES! Blade is shown in the background with a whiskey bottle in hand, and wearing the red bandana below his left knee.

	Mt Whitney	K2
Relative height...	Highest mountain in the lower 48 states	Only the 2nd highest mountain in Asia / Europe
Have people died climbing?...	YES	YES
Climbing permit required?...	YES	YES
Does snow collect?	YES	YES