Happy Thanksgiving!!

Happy Thanksgiving.

     Today I am thankful for my health. Things are starting to come together for the Bicksler 7 adventure!
Training hard and feeling good.
     I want to thank my personal trainer Kacie for pushing me to new limits. Kacie was hired 4 weeks ago and will stay a critical part of my training for a long time to come. I have felt for a long time just running and climbing Mountains is not going to get me were I need to be!

  2012 is just around the corner and kicks off the 10 year plan. We have booked Mt Rainier summit and training for early July. Kilimanjaro still needs a lot of planning and its in the works.

   I am setting out to train hard this Holiday season. I must not lose focus and keep my eye on the goals.
Over the next few days training is going to be at the top of my list of things to do. Starting with a great 530am workout this morning..

  Next on the list of things to focus on is eating healthy. Today starts off with lots of water, Oatmeal, Fresh Blueberries and fresh Blackberries.

 Over the next couple days I plan on trying a double summit of my Favorite place to train Mt Baldy!

Friday will be a warm-up with Derek and friends. Sat will be a double, Back to Back Summit!

Summit of Mt Baldy enjoying some Coffee!

It can get cold at times on Baldy

My kids just before a training Run up the fire roads.



HAVE A GREAT THANKSGIVING EVERYONE!

Mt Whitney Gear list from Oct 29th 2011

Gear in Tommy B's Backpack Whitney MT 2011

Starting at the top left to right. Here it is

1.  North Face 70 liter backpack
2.  Marmot compressible  summit backpack
3.  Scarpa 12pt crampons
4.  North Face Summit Series Gore Tex pants
5.  North Face Summit Series Gore Tex Shell Jacket
6.  North Face Summit Series Prima Loft jacket with hood
7.  Bear Vault for the food at night
8.  Nalgene Bottle
9.  Suunto Core Watch
10. North Face Assault 2 tent
11. North Face Summit series Expedition style Gore Tex gloves
12. Mountain Hardwear  Full length gaiters
13. Mountain Hardwear wind stopper leather palm gloves
14. Julbo Bivouac Shades, photochromatic, antifog
15. Small TI Jet Boil with 1 extra small fuel can
16. Starbucks instant coffee
17. Garmin GPS 60csx
18. Black Diamond carbon Trekking poles
19. North Face Beanie
20. MSR Hyperflow MicroFilter ( not really needed but you never know )
21. Plastic green mug to eat out of and morning coffee
22. Mammut Alum. Snow shovel ( left behind ) not needed
23. Petzl Ice Axe
24. Analog scale to weigh gear, Not taken on the hike of corse
25. snacks, sport beans, shot blocks etc..
26. small First Aid kit
27. Sunscreen 70 spf
28. LipBalm
29. small leatherman , Multi tool , Knife
30. Spot GPS to check in at home and with friends, and Last resort SOS!
31. Bic Lighter and water proof Matches
32. very small amount of shock cord / rope just in case emrgency
33. La Sportive Nepal GTX boots ( My Fav )
34. Nike Dry Fit compression socks with SmartWool Mountaineering socks over them
35. Thermarest sleeping pad ( Compressed down very small )
36. Petzl Tkka 2 head Lamp with extra batts
37. Camera - Olympus Stylus tough  8010 with extra batt ( Not My Fav )
38. TI Spork ( Snow Peak )
39. REI 0 degree sleeping bag ( not in photo )

If you have any questions feel free to contact us: Tommybmountaineering@gmail.com

Whitney Main Trail OCT 29th..

  The time has finally come. Set up camp friday night at the Portal.. enjoyed some good company and got a good nights sleep in the new tent. After spending the day in Lone Pine getting our gear together and shopping at Elevations we were ready for bed and excited to hit the trail!!!

   The big question of the day was what boots to wear. We know that only a part of the trail is covered in snow, so the big debate was, do we need an axe and crampons. If anyone knows me, I always over pack. Yep I took the La Sportiva Nepal GTX boots and the crampons. In the end I didn't mind the extra comfort of a heavier boot..

Our Favorite Mountaineering store in Lone Pine.. Elevations..

Camping at the Portal

The famous FJ Cruiser and Gear Photo!

Camping at the Portal

Happy Camper with instant Starbucks!!

Trail Snacks

Weigh - In at the Portal.. not bad for semi winter gear

Pack felt just right at 40lbs

Look at that view, WOW!

A few hikers along the way!

Yes a little snow at the Cables

yep there was Snow and Ice at the cables!

Amazing weather for October at Whitney

Breath Taking

Little More Snow along the way to the Summit

Had to sign in at the Summit!

Summit Victory on Mt Whitney Main Trail Elv14,502

We had an amazing two days training and playing around trail camp and trekking to the Summit of Mt Whitney! I have huge respect for the Mountains of So. Cal. My climbing partner did an excellent job. Mt Rainier and kilimanjaro are on the books for 2012..

Our Whitney gear list is our next post.. stay tuned

In Lone Pine Packing For our Whitney Summit Bid

Today we headed out to Lone Pine a day early. We plan to camp at the Portal tonight and enjoy the beautiful weather before we make our Saturday Trek up to Base Camp. here is a few shots of us getting our gear together, checking our lists to make sure we have everything and getting organized while waiting for our Favorite Lone Pine Mountaineering shop to open!

                                                             Gear Ready to go 6am!                                                    

               

                                                     Gear List so we don't forget anything!

                                                   Famous Denny's Egg Oatmeal Combo!

                                                          Organizing Gear In Lone Pine!

                                                         Gear Gear and More Gear!!

                                             Today's Whitney Photo from the Ranger Station

In the next few days we will re post our gear photo and go through it piece by piece so you can see what we carry on a quick weekend at Whitney!!!

Mt Whitney Prep

   Sitting here on a Sunday afternoon taking the day off to get my gear cleaned up and organized for the Whitney Summit Assault this coming Saturday, Oct 29th. We head up Thursday night for a quick Hotel stay  in Lone Pine. Start off with a big breakfast Friday morning and head to the Ranger Station to grab our permit. With some time to kill we head over to my favorite store Elevations for any last minute gear...
Just before heading up to the portal we'll swing by the grocery store across from Elevations, then its off to Camp 1 Friday night at the Portal, Elev. 8,365.  8am start Saturday at the Portal heading up to Camp 2, Trail Camp approx. Elev. 12,000.. we will then set up camp and prepare for the Summit attempt early Sunday Morning... Elev. 14,502.. Cant wait to see that view again..

   Today was spent organizing gear and deciding how to keep my pack around 40lbs total. First idea was to not take the ULTRA HEAVY North Face Mountain 25 and use the North Face Assault 2 which weighs in at less than 5lbs..

 

Took the Assault 2 to the park just to see how small and how quick this can be set up. The Assault 2 is a truly amazing two man expedition tent. Super strong single wall design made for the high elevation with snow and wind! Perfect for a quick Whitney summit..

Tune in weekly as we update the Blog and share the amazing Journey dispatched right from Tommy B's laptop as he climbs many mountains to come. The goal is to climb all 7 Summits within 10 yrs.