Jon Bowermaster: Dispatches from St. John – Day 3

by Jon Bowermaster on

I spent one rare rainy day in St. John with Jane Johannis, who couldn’t have been happier about the dampness outside her simple house. “When it rains like this I put out every pot and pan I have, in order to keep my plants watered,” she says.

A native of the island, at 80-plus years old her skin as beautiful as fine Italian leather, eyes reduced to slits from years spent tending her garden under a hot sun, she wears a long pink dress and flip-flops. Her hair, remarkably free of gray itself, is pulled back in a tight bun. One of seven children, with nine kids of her own, she has lived most of her life in the small island town of Coral Bay. “You could say I’m surrounded by family all the time, yes,” she says, though she’s not against the occasional off-island foray and has been to New York and LOVES Las Vegas. “I do manage to play the slot machines,” she smiles, “since I’m not a drinker I need to have something to do!” But more than anything she loves her island life and her gardens.
Her expertise is the herbal medicines she finds everywhere in the bush, giving the occasional class but counseling her friends and neighbors for free. “People now they too easily run right to the pharmacy when they need something. They tell me, ‘It’s easier.’ I don’t agree. Me, I never go to the pharmacy. The doctor? He’s the last person I turn to!”

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What does she find in scrub and forests? Black wattle for fighting colds. Aloe for burns. Eye bright, which is – believe it or not – makes your eyes stronger. Sour sop used as a sleeping aid. Bastard okra, boiled and used to relieve burning eyes. Breadfruit leaves, used in an infusion to cure high blood pressure and lime leaves boiled with salt to fight aging. “Those are the ones I rely on most these days,” she laughs.

She’s not wild about some of the changes on her island, like the cost of living and taxes both of which are going up. “Even Coral Bay is changing, with more shops, more people, more everyt’ing,” she says. I’m headed to her small town the next day and ask for a recommendation on a good place to eat, the best places to hike. “Go to Salt Pond, for sure. That’s where we collect the best sea salt. The best restaurant would be Lucy’s, but she died the other day at 93, of a stroke. I’m going to her funeral tomorrow. So that restaurant be closed for a private party. But you might stop by anyway. Probably be the best party of the year!”

It’s summit day on Everest!

by Kraig Becker on

Over the past week or so, climbers on the South Side of Mt. Everest have been working their way into position to take advantage of a possible weather window which would give commercial teams the first shot at the summit this year. For most of that week, high winds, sometimes in excess of 100 mph, have buffeted the upper slopes of the mountain, and there were conflicting reports as to whether or not those winds would die down. But yesterday, the skies cleared, the winds dissipated, and the window opened, giving way to the first major summit push of the season.

For the climbers, this will be the final leg of a two month long journey to the summit, a journey that begins with a ten-day trek to base camp itself. The weeks that follow are spent acclimatizing on the mountain. As the teams go higher up the face, they establish camps and stash their gear and supplies for later. But they are also training their bodies to work at high altitude, while slowly getting ready for the opportunity to stand on the summit, the highest point on Earth.

This weather window is expected to be a short one, and close fairly rapidly, but the climbers who moved up the mountain hoping for this opportunity have been rewarded, and it seems that they’ll have plenty of time to reach the top, and get back down safely. Other large commercial teams elected to pass on this attempt, looking ahead to another potential window forecast for early next week. That window should be longer and safer for their clients.

Meanwhile, on the North Side of the mountain, which falls in Tibet, the climbers have had to be much more patient. Bad weather had prevented the necessary fixed lines from being put into place until this weekend, when a large Chinese team completed that work. With the ropes in place, the way to the summit is now open, and climbers, such as 13-year old Jordan Romero, will soon be making their attempts as well.

The summit of Everest is not the finish line for these men and women. Getting back down the mountain is quite dangerous as well. For most of them, this is not just the culmination of two months of hard work, but also years of training and preparation as well. Perhaps even more importantly, it is the achievement of a dream

Outside in Aspen delivers outdoor fun June 11-13

by Gadling Staff on

Outside magazine and the Aspen Chamber Resort Association (ACRA) have announced the first annual Outside in Aspen adventure weekend set to take place in Aspen, Colorado June 11-13. The three day event will be filled with hiking, mountain biking, kayaking, and other outdoor activities, with a host of professional adventure athletes, such as Olympic gold medalist Tyler Hamilton and mountaineer/photographer Jake Norton, on hand to take part in the fun.

The festivities get underway on Friday night with a welcome party at the Sky Hotel which will be used t for the Leave No Trace organization. Then, on Saturday the Base Camp will open, which will serve as the adventure headquarters for the weekend’s activities. Visitors will gather at BC to meet up with guides who will take them rock climbing, trail running, cycling, fly fishing, and much more. Then, following a full day of active outdoor pursuits, it’ll be time to head over to a pool party at the Hotel Jerome. An after party at the Belly Up Aspen, will round out the evening.

On Sunday, it’s back to Base Camp for another full day of outdoor fun. The weekend will be capped by a panel discussion moderated by Outside editors, with adventure athletes fielding questions from the crowd and discussing issues in the adventure community. Lunch will be served following the panel discussion, with a gear give away soon there after.

In order to make Outside in Aspen as affordable and accessible as possible, special packages are being offered through Stay Aspen Snowmass, where you can get two-night lodge packages starting at $99. Additionally, the Outside in Aspen Activity Package is available for $250 and includes entrance to the welcome party, half day outdoor activities on both Saturday and Sunday, access to Base Camp festivities throughout the weekend, and entrance to Saturday’s Pool Party as well. The package also includes admission to the adventure athlete panel discussion on Sunday, and includes lunch after that event too.

For a great weekend of outdoor fun and adventure, plan on being in Aspen on June 11-13. It is sure to be a great time. Register here.

First summits of the year on Everest

by Kraig Becker on

The first summits of the spring season on Everest took place two days ago when a group of Sherpas completed fixing ropes to the summit of the world’s tallest mountain. In all, nine Sherpas, from three different commercial climbing teams, stood on the peak at an altitude of 29,029 feet. With their work complete, the door is now open for other climbers to soon follow.

The nine Sherpas were working cooperatively on the South Side of Everest to place the all important ropes for their paying clients, who will begin making their way up the mountain sometime next week. The team consisted of three Sherpas from each of the three largest mountain guide companies operating on Everest, Himalayan Experience, Alpine Ascents, and International Mountain Guides, who joined forces to ensure a safe climbing environment for all the teams.

For their part, the climbers on the Nepali side of the mountain are finishing up their acclimatization process and are preparing to make their summit bids. Early indications are that those bids will begin next Thursday, on May 13th, weather permitting. After years of planning and weeks of preparation, the finish line is in sight, for these mountaineers, many of whom have payed upwards of $50,000 for the chance to stand at the top of the world.

The story is a bit different on the North Side of the mountain, which falls in Tibet. Bad weather on that side of the mountain has prevented the Sherpas from fixing the ropes, so for now, there is no access to the summit. The climbers approaching the summit from the north, including 13-year old Jordan Romero, must be patient and wait for now. Once the weather clears however, there is sure to be a rush to the summit on that side of the mountain as well.

Mountainfilm Festival unveils 2010 line-up

by Kraig Becker on

Organizers for this year’s Mountainfilm Festival, scheduled to take place from May 28th through the 31st in Telluride, Colorado, have announced the line-up of films scheduled to be screened during the event. The list of films deal with some very diverse, and often provocative, subject matter, with topics ranging from the war in Afghanistan to the impact of plastic on our lives and the environment to the looming extinction crisis, and beyond. Whether you’re a budding climber, an active environmentalist, or just have a love of good cinema, you’re sure to find something in the line-up that well peak your interest.

The most well known film on the list is, without a doubt, The Cove, which made the rounds on the film festival circuit last year before going on to win the 2010 Academy Award for Best Documentary. The movie struck a chord with viewers and critics alike for its no nonsense, and often graphic, portrayal of the annual dolphin slaughter in Japan. The Cove returns for an encore showing at the Mountainfilm Festival this year after having a single, surprise screening last year.

Other intriguing films to make the cut include an intense and personal look at life on the front lines of the war in Afghanistan entitled Restrepo and a climbing film called Point of No Return that follows mountaineers Jonny Copp and Micah Dash on what would ultimately be their final climb. The festival will also mark the U.S. debut of The 10 Conditions of Love, a documentary about Rebiya Kadeer, an activist from the Chinese province of Xinjiang. Kadeer has been very vocal in her criticisms of the Chinese government, and as a result she was thrown in prison for more than six years. The film explores her activist lifestlyle and the toll it has taken on her family.

The films being screened at Mountainfilm are just one element of a very active weekend in Telluride. In addition to the movies, there is the Moving Mountains Symposium on the opening day of the festival. This year’s topic is the Extinction Crisis, and there will be a number of speakers on hand to discuss this very important subject. In fact, there will be great speakers attending the festival all weekend long, with the likes of Greg Mortenson, author of Three Cups of Tea and Ed Viesturs, America’s preeminent mountaineer, on hand to share tales of their adventures.

Passes are still available for the film festival in a variety of packages. Click here to check out the details. And for a complete list of the films that will be screened at Mountainfilm, click here.