Berg

Hear Wally's Call from Aconcagua

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I might take a moment now, in this afternoon wind and sun up here at 16,000ft, to describe more to you about our team: myself, and Mike Stencil, and Sal Pomponi, and Al Hanna. Al and I go back to 1992, we all met on the streets of Kathmandu at the [Unintelligible] in the fall of '92, after I had summitted Everest for my first time, and those guys were returning from Ama Dablam expedition with Todd Burleson and Alpine Ascents.

The following spring, we were all on Everest together and the friendship that we've created, or had over these years, beginning on Everest. Al and I went back and attempted Everest and went up to 28,000ft together in 1995 has led to a lot of great adventures around the world, for Sal, Al and myself. I normally climb with Sal or Al; we rarely get to go together, as we are this time. But it's a real special opportunity for all of us; we're good friends. We've had adventures all over the world. You'll remember, probably as recently as last June, when I called from Gunnbjornsfjeld where Sal Pomponi and I had stood on the summit of the highest peak above the Arctic Circle. Briefly before that, Al had been in there climbing with me on some other peaks, and attempted Gunnbjornsfjeld as well. And back about a year-and-a-half ago — I'll focus on Al's climb a little bit — about a year-and-a-half ago, Al, told me and Todd Burleson had said, "I think I'm ready for Everest again, what should I do."

We came up with this plan to do climbs around the world...[Unintelligible]...and his ability to acclimatize, living in a mountain environment is necessary to climb the high altitude, etc. He had a lot of experience, but he wanted to see if he's still good for it. So we [Unintelligible] the end of last year, Todd and Al went to the summit of Elbrus together. This October, while I was home in Colorado, Al and Jose Luis and Adam were climbing over the volcanoes of Ecuador and went to a couple of summits, including Cotopaxi.

And here we are in Aconcagua, which I told Al, I thought was a good final sort of preparation for the altitude he'll deal with on Everest, which is Al's plan. He does plan to go to Mount Everest and attempt to successfully reach the summit, having been as high as 28,000ft in the past. Vern Tejas is going to work real closely with him on this project. I'll be around and be as supportive as I can be from the distant Base Camp. But this is going to be a huge deal for a guy who has worked on a dream for the decade nearly now that I've know him — climbed all over the world.

And that's why it's the "One Mountain at a Time" expedition because what this is all about is the process rather than the completed goal for people like us, for mountaineers. We love the life that we have up here, we're interested in the camaraderie, the mountain environment, the effort, day-to-day, it takes, that it is hard but it's rewarding, and we love being up here. Aconcagua is a great goal, at this point. Al and Sal have climbed it, so, you know, this is just their way of going back to — I won't say familiar terrain — but areas they've been in the past and see...gauge how they're still doing.

There's one more thing going on here though that's special to all of us and I have to say special — really special — to me and that is, this will be my seventh summit, if I make it to the top. I started on the Seven Summits...years ago...[transmission fails].

—Alpine Ascents Guide Wally Berg, MountainZone.com Correspondent

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