Communication from one of the most remote areas of the Earth is sometimes sketchy. We haven't heard from Scott, but here is an update from his teammate Ryan Waters: 

23 Nov, 11 - 20:01     
78.4941S,85.7390W
"Hello from high camp! A long day of awesome climbing up the headwall and a cool route up the col to high camp. We just had a big dinner of Real Turmat meals and a big hot drink. We can see forever up here. Looking back to the West we see the Nimitz Glacier sprawling below with small peaks poking out from a thin cloud layer.

We are going for the summit tomorrow. Planning to leave around 9 am when the sun is on the route. It is a long day up 3600 feet to the summit so we must hit the sack." (Ryan Waters, Mountain Professionals)

Exploring Punta Arenas ...

Another day in Punta Arenas is another day closer to flying to Antarctica. The Norwegian South Pole team was put on notice to be ready for a call to the Airport Friday morning between 6am and 9am. This means we are next and will most likely fly Saturday morning and then hopefully immediately to Vinson with no delay.

Today was cool, grey and windy, but what else is new in Punta Arenas. There was not a lot to do today. I sat around in the hotel and worked on my book for a while. Yes, I am working on a book and have been doing so for around three years. I think writing a book is an even bigger mountain to climb than Everest.

Around 11:30 I decided to go for a run. I figured that perhaps I should try to maintain some fitness while I am here, plus it would be a good way to explore the city. I put on my trail shoes, my smelly socks, my fancy new Lu Lu Lemon shorts that I got for my birthday before I left, my Sherpa shirt, by running hat and my iPod and I was off. I ran down the main street to the water and turned right. The smell of ocean was strong in my nostrils as I sucked in air.

The waterfront is similar to the waterfront of most port cities. There is a combination of industrial, manufacturing, shipping, residential and park lands. One great feature is a dedicated bike path and a separate walking/running path so that there is no mix of cars, people, and bikes. I ran past the Dreams Hotel and Casino. This is where the cruise ships come in and is the finest, and most expensive, accommodation in the city. After that I ran past the shipping docks that were full of containers, forklifts, cranes and for some reason thousands of bundles of rusted wire. Past the shipping docks it turned residential with nice, but not huge homes.

All the nicer homes in the city have tall concrete walls with spikes on top surrounding them and a large gate across the driveway. ADT security signs are everywhere and every store, even the grocery store, has security guards with bullet-proof vests. This makes me think that the city has a high crime rate, but I have seen no evidence of this and feel totally safe. The people I meet on the street are friendly, not overly so, but not distant at all.

Past the residential area the land opened up with a few large ocean-side parks. They are not quite as fancy and lush as the parks we might have back home, but they are nice and attract the locals for walking and beach exploring. The water is cold so there is no swimming, but there are plenty of shells to gather and a lot of beach glass as well.

One park was an exercise park and they have all these metal machines for people to use. I sat on and tried out all of the apparatus as I went by; partly out of curiosity and party because it was a good excuse to stop running for a few minutes. One machine was like an elliptical, and one was like a leg press, another was similar to a shoulder press. Basically it was every exercise contained on a Nautilus machine and set into a stand-alone machine. There were even a few machines that mimicked the exercise gimmicks advertised on late night TV. I half expected Susanne Somers to be there running fitness classes.

Moving on I passed another shipping yard and came to what appeared to be a graveyard for old ships. These were not little ships, but huge tankers and cargo ships. Five or six of them were run aground and looked like they had been there for quite some time. One huge cargo ship was easily 300-feet long and presented a massive hole in its side. Another was even longer and had four tall masts that once upon a time would have held sails. All the ships were extremely rusty and had been stripped of everything of value and that could be re-used on other ships.

As I walked the beach looking at the ships I began to notice all the shells, the pretty rocks, and the beach glass passing by my feet. I walked up and down the beach for a while collecting the nicest specimens and enjoying the view of the ocean. Eventually it was time to start my return run.

On the way back I picked up a friend to run with me. She was beautiful, in great shape, very friendly, and had gorgeous blond hair. She was also a dog. Punta Arenas has over 11,000 wild dogs and one had chosen to spend some time with me. She ran right beside me like we had been doing it for years. Every minute or so she would look up to make sure I was still there and that she was right at my side. It was fun to run with a partner for a while, but she was not much of a conversationalist.

Eventually I turned up away from the water and my partner decided not to join me on this last leg of my run. I ran up the second main street which moves towards the city centre square at a slight upwards slope. Just like the other main street this one has two lanes of traffic separated by a large boulevard in the middle. This boulevard is full of walking paths, sculpted trees, monuments, statues and busts of famous people. This presents a contrast in times as this was obviously once a rich, proud and special place, but today much of it is in disrepair, and graffiti covers many of the monuments.

Close to the top of the hill I turned right and followed yet another once beautiful boulevard back towards the direction of my hotel. Just over an hour later I returned to my hotel. Although I was not overly excited about going for a run when I first set out, I am glad that I did it. I saw parts of the city that I would not have seen otherwise, and I did feel good from the exercise as well.

The rest of the day was relatively uneventful. Ron, Ryan , one of Ryan’s friends Eric (he is guiding the Emperor Penguin trips in Antarctica and has skied to the North and South Poles as well as climbed Everest – there are a lot of over achievers down here) and I went for a drink at the Shackelton bar which is in a famous hotel used by Shackelton and his team when planning his two South Pole Expeditions. After that we went back to the pizza jazz bar where we had dinner the other night.

After dinner Ron and I explored the main square and I took some photos of the architecture and the craft sellers. We also got a glimpse into the youth culture as they hung out on their BMX bikes and skate boards in the square. One interesting fact about life in Punta Arenas is that a very large percentage of the population, kids included, smoke. There are no smoking by-laws and the restaurants are thick with smoke. It is difficult for a non-smoker like me to adjust to. I have not had to deal with smoke while I ate dinner for a very long time (at least not in North America anyway).

We then wandered slowly back to our hotel and retired for the night. All in all not a bad day. Nothing that exciting, but still good. Every day is a good day.

Summit Life! Scott Out.

November 16
Today is the day we were supposed to fly to Antarctica. But alas we are still here in Punta Arenas along with countless others who are also waiting. Some are more patient than others, but this decision is beyond our control.

In the morning we had a team meeting to decide what to do with our time. After some back –and-forth we decided to look into renting a car and driving to Torres del Paine. The drive of 398km we figured would take us about 6 hours. We would stay the night, hike for a day and return the next day. Translated into English the Torres del Paine are the Towers of Pain and have earned their name for inflicting just that on its visitors. It is a spectacularly beautiful and rugged area comprised of crystal blue glacier fed lakes and piercingly tall and sharp granite spires. Hiking and climbing opportunities are abundant along with kayaking, fly fishing and mountain biking.

Just as Ryan left the hotel to investigate the rental car options one of the other teams got a call from ALE telling them the first flight of equipment and crew would go out tonight and that if all went well their flight may be pushed up by 12 hours. If they got pushed up then there was a good chance we would also get pushed up. I ran out the door and called Ryan back. After a brief discussion we decided that it would not be a good idea to disappear for a few days with the flight situation in such an uncertain state.

Torres del Paine was now off the table, so we switched to a more local and less time consuming activity; penguins.

With the assistance of our hotel staff we arranged to go on a penguin tour to Monumento Natural Los Pinguinos located on Isle de Magdalena in the Strait of Magellan. The Strait of Magellan is named after Ferdinand Magellan who in the year 1520, while in the employ of Charles I of Spain, discovered this shortcut that connects the Atlantic to the Pacific . Although the Strait is a difficult navigational challenge due to numerous islands and unpredictable winds it is an important shortcut that allowed early sailors to avoid the extremely dangerous task of sailing around the horn at the bottom of South America.

The tour would cost us 35,0000pesos each (about $70). We were picked up by a crazy van driver at our hotel at 2:00 and escorted to the port with a group of other tourists and stranded Antarctica people. There we boarded a boat for the 2:30 trip to the island. The wind was low and the seas were calm making for a comfortable crossing to the island. Cormorants (a large sea bird) and Dolphins accompanied us on our short voyage.

As we chugged across the water the 210 acre island came into view. This island is the home to over 140,000 penguins. Yes, you read that right, it is not a typo. There are 140,000+ penguins living on this island. In the early years after the Straight was discovered sailors and fishermen would seek shelter from storms on this barren island and they would collect Penguin eggs and hunt the Penguins (not an overly challenging task) to provide food for their voyages.

The island is barren of trees and the only vegetation consists of short tough grass that the penguins use to line their nests. It is quite a desolate place. As we landed at a small dock, the island was alive with movement. Penguins were everywhere.

Isle de Magdalena is home to the Magellanic Penguin (Spheniscus magellanicus) also known as the Burrow Penguin because they dig burrows in the ground where they live, lay their eggs and raise their young. They are a smaller penguin of about 2 feet tall and weighing about 144oz when fully grown. They have the classic penguin tuxedo look of black and white with bright brown and black eyes.

There is a narrow trail that rings part of the island and leads up to the old light house on the top which is now home to the island curator and a small museum. The trail is closed on both sides with wooden stakes and two lines of rope to create a small fence. Humans are not allowed to step off the trail, but the penguins dart back and forth at will.

As we slowly walked up the trail towards the light house the penguins went about their business like we were not even there. I think to the early sailors they would have been an extremely easy prey to hunt. Penguins return to this island in September as this is where they were born. They find a mate and will remain with that mate for life. The eggs are laid in October and are incubated for 40 days.

Penguins hung around in pairs and occasionally small groups. Frequently I observed penguins tugging at the tough short grass with their beaks trying to extract some insulation and padding for their nests. Others stood tall on their feet with their heads thrust to the sky and let out a series of hoots, brays and calls not unlike that of a wolf howling at the moon. I have no idea the reason for this display, but it was quite entertaining.

The walk to the light house took about an hour. Not because it is that far, but because I was walking very slow to take in the experience and to snap picture after picture. The return walk to the boat was a little faster, but there was always something new to see.

We spent about 1.5 hours on the island and then made our way back to the boat. The tide was going out so the gangplank was no longer usable so we had to climb over the side of the dock, step across some bumpers and into the boat. It was pretty simple for us climbers, but for the tourists it was a little more challenging. Eventually everyone was on board and we started to motor back to Punta Arenas. On the trip back they gave us wine and sandwiches and put on a movie "Walking Dead" about an American town that had been overrun with zombies. I did not watch.

We got back to town around 8:30pm. Ryan was meeting a friend and Ron and I went to the grocery store and bought a roast chicken, some fries, and an avocado for dinner. After dinner I made a skype call home and spoke with Susan and Amy and then I went off to bed.

As I have mentioned before, there is no heat in our hotel. Well there is heat, but they have not turned it on. It is cool in our room, but not too bad. Tonight when I opened the door to our room it was freezing cold. Somehow the window and the patio door had blown open and the room was the same temperature as the outside which was just above freezing. We left the door to the hall open for a while to try to warm it up, but there was not much else we could do.

All in all it was a good day. We did not fly and are now behind schedule, but I was able to experience the penguins which I would have not have done if all had gone as planned; the silver lining in the cloud.

Hi to Marg at Georgian Peaks and all the others who are following along.

Summit Life! Scott out.

Journey of a Lifetime!

"Men Wanted for hazardous journey. Low wages, bitter cold, long hours of complete darkness. Safe return doubtful. Honour and recognition in event of success”

As the story is told, this was a employment advertisement put into the London newspaper looking for members for Ernest Shackelton’s Nimrod expedition to Antarctica. Apparently thousands of applications were received for what in print seems to be a rather bleak job. However, the enormous enthusiasm surrounding this ad reflected the human desire to explore, to adventure, and to push personal boundaries.

People often ask me why I climb. Why I spend my free time in cold and inhospitable locations. Why I put my life at risk. This is a difficult question to answer, but the basic response is because I love it. It makes me feel alive.

In mid November of this year I will join two friends in an attempt to climb Mt. Vinson, the tallest mountain in Antarctica. To date I have successfully summited the tallest mountain in 6 of our 7 continents. Climbing Mt. Vinson, providing that I make it to the top, will be my final summit of the “7 Summits.”

Before my departure, my blog’s will focus on my daily preparations, my gear, my thoughts, my family’s thoughts, my drivers, and much more. Once on the expedition I will do my best to send back daily blogs reporting on our progress and my personal thoughts and insights.

As a leadership and high performance team specialist I will also share my insights into this world and how some of my personal experiences can be used to better understand how to lead and build high performance teams.

My good friends at Adult Essentials (www.adultgummies.com) will be supporting me on this journey. Daily exercise and nutrition are a critical factor in success. The stronger I am, the greater my chance of success and the more I will enjoy the experience. My challenge however, is that like many of you, I Iead a very busy life. Between business and family commitments it is difficult to find time to train and I do not always eat as well as I should. This is where nutritional supplements come into play: to help me balance my dietary needs while finding time to train physically for this trip