Ja Perg we Arctic grunts called that wind the "HAWK". It would come up quickly and drop the fucking temp 60 degrees in minutes and if you started at -5 f even with arctic gear you were in danger of freezing. They taught us to either put up a tent if we had one or make a snow cave ASAP always carry a candle to heat the snow cave.
I was in Bethel Alaska as a Civilian doing a Financial Computer upgrade for the City, when I got caught out in the open only a mile from the hotel. it was early winter,No snow on the ground. I had a nice heavy parka, but only jeans with long johns. The Hawk hit. In mins I lost lost the feeling in my legs - I was only walking about a mile to the hotel., If a cabbie who already had a fare had not stopped to pick me up, I would not be typing this
ja I saw a smoke grenade once popped just in front of a ice fog gradient. The damn thing did not disprese. It just went up in a compact green column about 12 ft high about 12 inch wide. I swear you cut the damn thing with a bayonet!!!! As we looked across the valley we could see the fog coming toward us. We were praying the Helos got to us before the Ice fog did, because we were out of rations and water and were in the middle of nowhere (Ft Greely). We knew once that fog hit us it would be days before we could be extracted. We fucking did not even have tents nor yukon stoves- no way to keep warm. Never so glad to see a Huey in my life
It was sooo cold, just the few seconds it took to unload my M-16, i.e. take my hands out of my arctic mittens, the blood froze in my finger tips. SHIT! when I stuck them under my armpit to warm them the blood coming back into the capilaries HURT LIKE HELL
I haven't. What's the reference?Have you seen 'The Bucket List?"
"canned"...
I was doing the same thing, but my knowledge of it is older than yours, so I wasn't very successful.It sounds fabulous, Perg! I'm glad you're going to make good use of the kayaks.
Today's link froze up my computer for a bit, but it was worth it. Very cool. I can tell I've read too much Everest stuff the past 6 months... I was trying to identify landmarks in the panorama.
"The National Park Service suspended the search for two missing Japanese climbers on the Cassin Ridge of Mount McKinley this morning after determining searchers were unlikely to locate the men.
Mountaineering rangers will continue using digital images collected during the last week to try to find the climbers or their remains.
Tatsuro Yamada, 27, and Yuto Inoue, 24, were expected to return from a climb of the Cassin Ridge a week ago. In a discussion with Denali rangers a month before their climb, Yamada and Inoue said they planned to take five to six days of food and fuel on the Cassin Ridge. Normally, teams making a quick, technical ascent of the route take minimal gear.
Based on the dated journal entries, the men probably left their camp at 7,800 feet as early as May 10. That means they have been without food and water as long as 14 days, and search managers consider survival impossible at subzero temperatures with limited supplies.
The National Park Service began planning the search on Friday, and from Saturday to Tuesday, searchers flew 33 hours in helicopters and airplanes. Neither the climbers nor any gear was spotted on or near the route. No evidence of a fall or disturbed snow was seen either, the Park Service said.
More than 3.000 high-resolution photos of the search zone were taken during these flights. Analysis of the enlarged and enhanced images will continue on the ground.
Park Service official believe Yamada and Inoue reached the upper elevations of the route. They saw several sets of footprints and a campsite at 17,000 feet. Tracks followed by a subsequent climbing party reportedly reached upward of 19,000 feet.
Also, during a low-level flight Wednesday, mountaineering rangers in the Park Service's Lama helicopter discovered tracks traversing the 5-mile length of the Kahiltna Peaks.
According to the journals Yamada and Inoue left in camp, the team had intended to approach their route via that knife-edge ridge, which tops out at 13,440 feet. The tracks follow the dramatic ridgeline and connect with the Cassin Ridge, indicating the duo accomplished a difficult and highly technical new variation on the traditional approach."
