Volume 9 Number 2	Newsletter of the High Altitude Mountaineering Section	March 1997

In This Issue:

• March HAMS Program - MEXICAN VOLCANOES
• Section News
• Briefs
• CLIMBING MAUNA LOA VOLCANOES NATIONAL PARK, HAWAII
• Pain Relievers and High Altitude Climbing
• Training Tips for Grand Canyon Rim X3
• INTERNET CLIMBING CONTACTS

HAMS March Program MEXICAN VOLCANOES Denise Snow and Linda Prebble will present a slide show on the November '96 HAMS trip to climb three volcanoes in Mexico: Iztaccihuatl, La Malinche and El Pico de Orizaba. Some of the team members summited all three peaks, despite the eruptions of Popocatepetl. Denise and Linda are both fairly recent graduates of the CMC HAMS school (1994-95) and have also climbed in the Swiss and Italian Alps. March HAMS Program Colorado School of Mines - Green Center 924 16th St., Golden (10 blocks south, 2 blocks east of AMC) 7 PM, Monday, March 24, 1997 Public invited, no admission fee.

Section News

The EXCOM of HAMS met on January 30, 1997. The following is a summary of topics and events discussed:

* Schools. Ken Yarcho reported there are 18 participants in the winter session of the HAMS school. He has purchased ascenders, ice tools, pickets and a fluke for the HAMS section. Paul Wilson reported there were 20 participants and 11 instructors for this year's Crampon Seminar. Next year he would like to hold the seminar in November to take advantage of better weather conditions.

* Overnight Trip Coordinator. Tom Urban discussed putting together additional local trips to practice HAMS school techniques between the school and the Rainier trip. See the announcement for the Longs Peak winter climb in this issue.

* Research. Paul Wilson plans to put the climber/peak list on the HAMS web site. This list was originally offered hard copy to members. This could be valuable information for climbers. Due to the small number of requests for hard copy information, Paul has offered to work with Keith Jensen to put the list on the web site.

* Section News. Keith Jensen has agreed to take on the responsibilities of administering the HAMS section of the CMC web site in addition to being the Social committee chair. Thanks for your help Keith!

Thin Air

is the newsletter of the High Altitude Mountaineering Section, published five times annually.
Newsletter Committee: Kris and John Wallack, Linda Grey, Terry Root

SUBMISSIONS ARE WELCOME!
Send submissions to the CMC clubrooms, 710 10th Street #200 Golden, Co. 80401. Our job is easier if you put it on a disk in any common DOS/Windows format and include a hard copy. But feel free to type or handwrite if you wish, make sure it's legible.
Next Thin Air Deadline : April 10, 1997

The High Altitude Mountaineering Section

exists to promote an interest and awareness in expedition mountaineering within the Colorado Mountain Club. Dues are $7 annually for members of the Colorado Mountain Club.

Chairman John Wallack

Past Chairman Ward Hobert

Secretary/Treasurer Linda Griffith

Programs Committee Austin Hamre*

Jennifer Sears

School Directors Terry Root/Ken Yarcho

HAMS Seminar Director Steve Bonowski

Web Administrator/Social Keith Jensen

Newsletter Committee Kris/John Wallack*

Terry Root

Linda Grey

Publicity Andy White

Data Processing Paula Engel

Equipment Committee Ken Yarcho*

Craig Patterson

Expeditions Jim Rickard

Research/Crampon Seminar Paul Wilson

Denver Group Council Liaison Jack Reed

*=Committee Chair

Briefs

Winter Climb of Long's Peak Tom Urban will lead a Mini Expedition to Long's Peak in April, 1997. This winter climb will overnight in the boulder field on Saturday and begin the roped ascent from there on Sunday. For all the details, contact Tom Urban. We Want to Hear From You! We would like articles from members about trips, health and sports medicine reports, book reviews or interesting items you see in the newspaper and magazines. It keeps the newsletter interesting if members contribute. Please think about writing an article for us about that next trip or conditioning hike you take. We want to hear from you! Send items to Kris and John Wallack, 11508 Broken Arrow Drive, Conifer, CO 80433 or leave them in the HAMS section folder at the clubhouse. Expeditions The following expeditions are in the planning stages: Aconcagua Argentina 12/97 - 1/98 Chimbarazo & Equador Cotopaxi 12/97 - 1/98 Andean Peaks Peru 6/98 HAMS School Crampon Seminar Thirty-eight people participated in the seminar. Five from Boulder, twenty-two from Denver and two from the Pikes Peak Group completed the lecture and the field session. The students were mostly experienced mountaineers. Thirteen highly qualified instructors helped with the sessions. On the day of the field trip, the weather was cold (14 degrees!) and the wind was moderate with excellent snow conditions. Everyone had fun and learned a lot, as the good conditions allowed instructors to expand on classroom details.

CLIMBING MAUNA LOA VOLCANOES NATIONAL PARK, HAWAII

by Beth Schlichter

Mauna Loa, a shield volcano, was created largely by sub-surface lava flows that raise the earth surface level over an extended area. This is in contrast to cone volcanoes such as Rainier, Cotopaxi, Chimborazo and the Mexican volcanoes that raise the surface only in the immediate area of the volcano vent by deposition of lava and ash. The summit of Mauna Kea at 13,796 ft. is higher than the summit of Mauna Loa at 13,677 ft. Mauna Kea is a cone volcano formed on the slopes of Mauna Loa, but Mauna Loa is considered to be the major volcano that created the big island of Hawaii, causing it to lift 30,000 ft. from the sea floor.

Mauna Loa is an active volcano which occasionally issues lava from the summit crater. There are two main routes to the summit. I will describe the route taken by my husband, Ward Hobert, and myself in our September 1996 trip. This route begins at the Mauna Loa Strip Road trailhead and is described as the most difficult and demanding hike on the island due to the elevation gain. Trailhead (6662 ft.) to summit is 7015 ft. of gain in 19.6 miles. This is typically done in 3-4 days with the first night being in the 10,035 ft. Red Hill Cabin, a hike of 7.5 miles. A typical second day takes you to the summit and then about 4.7 miles around the crater rim to the summit cabin at 13,250 ft., a total distance of 16.8 miles for the day. The third day could be a descent to the Red Hill Cabin (11.8 miles) or to the trailhead (19.3 miles total).

We did deviate from the typical schedule in order to allow time for other hikes in Volcanoes National Park and a hop to the island of Kauai for some incredible hikes, but that is another story! We began our hike on Mauna Loa in misty cloud cover but soon ascended above the clouds. Vegetation became scant and mostly non existent above 7500 ft. The texture of the lava varied greatly from jagged and abrasive to occasionally smooth and easy going. Ward did this entire hike in running shoes which were worn out by the abrasive rock and are now retired. I wore very light weight hiking shoes which also took some abuse. We felt that both were preferable to heavier weight hiking boots.

We appreciated the varied formations and colors created by the lava flows. In many places the lava is crusty and fragile. The Park Service strongly recommends that hikers remain on the trail, which is well marked by cairns, in order to avoid injuries from falling into lava tubes or other hazardous lava formations.

Water could be a problem on this hike. When you get your required permit at park headquarters, be sure to inquire about the water which is collected and stored in tanks at both cabins. There was a adequate supply for us. The only other water source we encountered was a marked "water hole" about two miles beyond the Red Hill Cabin. We climbed down into this apparent lava tube and did find ice which could provide water in a somewhat desperate situation.

Beyond the Red Hill Cabin, we had good views of Mauna Kea, which at 13,796 ft. is the highest peak in Hawaii. Views of Mauna Loa summit were ever elusive due to the gradual slope of a shield volcano. On the first day, we hiked to the summit cabin at 13,250 ft., a total distance of 19.3 miles. Our feet were screaming for a long overdue rest at this point. We shared this cabin with only one other hiker.

Both cabins are well kept and there is bunk space for 8 in the high cabin and 12 at Red Hill. Each bunk has a thick foam pad so all you need to carry is your sleeping bag, cooking supplies, food and other known necessities. The cabins can not be reserved ahead of time except (we understand) once a year by the Sierra Club. Call ahead to Park Headquarters if you want to confirm that the cabins will be available. Try the following number for Park Information (808) 985-6000 ( www.nps.gov/havo).

Walking toward the summit.

Day 2 was summit day--finally reached that elusive goal. The summit afforded us views into the main crater and some active steam vents. There were scattered high clouds so we had good views of Mauna Kea and the entire crater of Mauna Loa. After an hour or so on the summit, we descended to the Red Hill Cabin having hiked a total of 16.8 miles for the day. Our feet were once again grateful for the overnight sojourn. Sunset was grand from here. We shared this cabin with three young men, two of whom were suffering from altitude and did not intend to ascend further.

The next day was a short 7.5 mile hike out to the trailhead. from here we visited the Volcano Winery and did some further exploration of the Park. There are some great hikes into and across the Kilauea Crater. Ask for a map when you call one of the above numbers. There is camping in the Park. We chose to stay in Volcanoes Bed and Breakfast in Volcanoes Village. Rates were reasonable at $45/night for 2. Call (800) 736-7140 for a choice of reservations near the Park.

This trip was a nice deviation from the usual rigors of mountaineering trips. It was good for the body, mind and soul. ALOHA!!

Pain Relievers and High Altitude Climbing

By Paul Wilson

There have been articles concerning the side effects of over the counter pain relievers during or before heavy exercise. There is risk for kidney or liver failure according to articles in Climbing, Outside and the Denver Post (Associated Press) referencing the New England Journal of Medicine in 1994. I will try to summarize the consensus of these articles.

Dr. Houston in his book Going Higher, recommends aspirin because of its ability to reduce symptoms of Acute Mountain Sickness. Aspirin acts like a blood thinner, important when the climber is under stress the of not having enough fluids. Other sources say the buffered aspirin reduces the stomach discomfort.

You might want to check out the articles to get all the details. The only dated article I can find is Climbing, Sept. 15 - Nov. 1, 1994 but I am sure a large library would have more. Also, see Money, April, 1996 and Consumers Reports on Health, Sept. 1994. Paul Wilson and John Wallack have copies if all else fails.

Training Tips for Grand Canyon Rim X3

CONSISTENCY! CONSISTENCY!

by Beth Schlichter

• Do a good strength training workout 2 to 3 times a week with emphasis on quadriceps, hamstrings and upper body.
• Stretch daily - a yoga practice works well.
• Start from a strong base of a least 35 miles per week. Increase mileage by 10% per week (gradual to prevent injury). Weekly schedule to include 3 short days (5-10 miles), 2 intermediate days (11-20 miles), 1 long run (21- 40 or 50 miles) and 1 rest day. NOTE: Adjust mileage to avoid increasing by more than 10% per week. Reach the higher ends of these mileage's by 4 weeks prior to the event.
• Do as much training as possible on trails and hills with 2,000 to 3,000 feet of elevation loss/gain.
• Train in heat and cold.
• Do a long (35 mile plus) "depletion" run 6 to 7 days before the event, then taper. Do fun runs of 5 to 10 miles on trails the last week with the day before the event being a rest day to simply walk, stretch and enjoy some wondrous views of the Canyon that will welcome you tomorrow.
• Get proper nutrition and rest throughout your training.
• Travel light but smart on the day of the event.

HYDRATE! HYDRATE! HYDRATE!

ENJOY THIS GRAND EXPERIENCE!!

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Last Modified March 28, 1999 by Keith Jensen .