#mtjmountains

[tommydangerdude-blog]

Thinking at Elevation

One of the best and worst things of climbing these mountains are rest days....

They are wonderful because you can let you body relax and not do anything for a whole day. You have plenty of time to cook, replenish your water, recharge our batteries with our Goal Zero solar panels and even catch up on route finding for future camps.

The bad part is that is too much time. You start to ponder about things and you lose focus even laying at 16k feet.

In this photo I had built a rock wall to my right to help block the winds exceeding 50mph mixed with the cold temps. My face is covered because the sun does a number on your skin at this altitude. Even though we are wearing our Sun Bum we wanted to protect our skin even more with our buffs.

I laid here thinking of whats next? What can MTJMe and myself do to help us get closer to cure for Cystic Fibrosis and happiness in general around the world. 

These thoughts are ones that come often to me as I see the struggles around the world. I couldn't help but shed a couple of tears for those that we have lost and those that we watch as they struggle for their breath.

You see this is something I can't fix alone. Mark, John, and I can't fix it alone. MTJMe can't fix it alone. WE MUST DO THIS TOGETHER!! An army of fighters that come to the war prepared and ready for the fight. 

There will be loss. There will be death. There will be memories, but unless we do this together we will lose the war and CF will win and  rule. 

We are close. Researchers are getting smarter, medicines are getting better, and we are changing the world. We must continue though. 

The hardest part is right before the summit. You can see it. It seems so close yet with every step you have to catch your breath. You feel like your heart can't possibly take this anymore, but it does as you take the next step. You lungs are expanding beyond places its ever touched. Each step is like running a sprint. You gasp and gasp again. If anything is close to restricting your airway your body begins to freak out. Yet you take another step. Inching closer to the summit. 

Eventually you take the last step and then you realize you are standing on the summit. 

We are in this phase with CF and the medicines for a cure/control. We must continue these steps because one day we are going to wake up and realize we are on the top and there is a cure........

Be Bigger Than Yourself

(Photo credit Red Tide Productions)

[tommydangerdude-blog]

Relincho Valley Some things just happen for a reason. Some call it Karma, some call it God, and some call it luck.   Through the first two days we had been hiking the same trek as another group. Most of them were Norwegians that spoke pretty good English. A lot of them had climbed Kilimanjaro and some even climbed Elbrus so they were in the same boat as us. Only one difference. They were a guided climb. We were the Solo Rapido Americanos. As we were packing up camp to start the trek so were the Norwegians. Lets just say it was a good thing they were literally two minutes faster than us this day. The three of us were certain the trail continued north around the mountain and into the far valley. I mean you could even see a start of a trail out of camp that way.  We knew we would have to cross the river soon after leaving camp. What we didn’t realize was that it was the wrong valley…. After the Norwegians started walking we said to each other “Where are they going?” quickly realizing they were going the right way and we had the wrong path. Soooo we followed them for a bit realizing the valley we needed to hike was right in front of our face. We came up to the river. John and I removed our boots and rolled our pants up to our knees to cross the frigid waters as Mark took the challenge of finding sketchy spots to hop the river so he wouldn’t have to remove his boots. Luckily Mark didn’t end up soaked and John and I made it across with numb toes. We played like we knew exactly where we were going when we caught up to our friends…..Nothing to see here…..Just some Americans climbing the highest mountain outside of Asia knowing exactly where the trail is going…….. As we dried our feet and continued our hike we entered the Relincho Valley that consisted of epic views and amazing "on the edge" hiking. In some spots one slip and lets just say “no bueno”. It was a lot of climbing at first gaining around 1,500ft in the first couple of hours and then turned into rolling hills. We eventually pulled away from the Norwegians after we noticed the trail was obvious heading to our next camp. We wondered what would of happened if we continued to go astray…….. (Photo credit to Red Tide Productions)

[tommydangerdude-blog]

Sonny The Protector Sonny is the mascot to one of our awesome sponsors Sun Bum and is a Gorilla that just wants you to protect your skin from the harmful rays of the sun. Lets just say Sonny travels a lot. He goes everywhere with me. He has been to the top of Mt. Elbrus in Russia, Mt. Toti in Colombia, and Mt. Aconcagua in Argentina. Along with many other places around the world. One of the traditions we have started with Sonny is him being the protector of our tent. He gets stationed just outside the entrance to our tent letting people know they must pass through him to enter for any reason.  Not only does he protect us in our tent but he protects our skin as well as we use Sun Bum's lip balm and proline series every single day. Also you will notice me wearing Sun Bum's hats as well. They make all kinds of rad stuff like beach towels, shirts, footballs, frisbees, and yes you can even have your very own Sonny for the right price. Just go to trustthebum.com to get your rad SB swag. This Sonny that you see in the pic will be auctioned off to raise money to help Red Tide Productions, Mark Nolan, and Myself get to the top of some of the Seven Summits. You see we are climbing the Seven Summits to raise $1,000,000 for those affected by Cystic Fibrosis, but these mountains are not cheap to climb. We have covered our cost through all of the mountains so far but the expensive ones are coming up and frankly we aren't rich dudes so we need your help. We also are throwing in rad gear for certain auctions so you can have a piece of our adventures. One of the great things about Sonny is that he is always a conversation starter. EVERYONE asks about him in so many different languages as well. Why do you bring him? What is he? Do you take him to the summit? Is he heavy? Can I have him? Does he really protect your lazy ass?  The answer is that Sonny is a rockin' dude protecting other rockin' dudes. If you're interested in the auction with Sonny just let us know. We will be organizing it soon! If you are looking to sponsor three dudes to climb these epic mountains and have a company yourself. Well its a write off and just contact me ([email protected]). All we ask is that you be bigger than yourself and help us make the world a better place! Keep being awesome. Adventure on and Live.Your.Life.

[tommydangerdude-blog]

Moon So Bright We reached our first camp (Pampa de Lenãs) after taking off from the entrance of the Vacas Valley around 6pm on January 2nd. It was definitely a long day due to losing our way at one point confusing a large white rock for a possible tent thinking it was camp. Sadly this also took us the wrong way and we had to back track after realizing we took the lower trail and needed the higher trail. After setting up camp and getting some water as we reached extreme dehydration the night grew upon us. As the sun set darkness covered camp, but then as we looked over the mountain top we saw what looked like an industrial flashlight on top of the mountain. We then realized it was the moon rising!!! It was the brightest I had ever seen the moon during any night in any location. It was truly blinding in the middle of the night.  John whipped out his camera and set up an exposure shot. Where he would leave the lens open for a bit to capture more light. What we got was mind blowing. The moon was SO BRIGHT that it literally lit up the whole valley and even though you look at this picture and think its the sun shining, its actually the moon. Those aren't dust particles. Those are stars with the bright moon lit over the land. To our eyes it was still dark on the valley with a bright moon, but this photo shows how much light the moon was putting off. I just couldn't stop staring at it...It was so beautiful. (Photo by Red Tide Productions)

[tommydangerdude-blog]

Mule Crossing Whether you are heading to Plaza Argentina via the Vacas Valley or to Plaza De Mulas via the Hormones Valley there is a good chance you will be using the Mule service. The three of us hired one mule for our expedition. Now these mules only go up to base camp so be careful of the gear you do bring. Try not to bring extra cords/accessories/jackets or stuff you just really don't need because you will be carrying it in a cache form after base camp. Also make sure you have extremely durable bags as these mules and muleteers know how to really put some wear and tear on your expensive bags and if you get a hole then your stuff vanishes along the trail. Luckily we used our The North Face base camp duffles to help secure our food and gear. Also beware as you hike. These guys are on the move as you trek to your next camp. Some how they are kind of quiet so they can sneak up on you especially if you are hiking with headphones in listening to an awesome podcast like Stuff You Should Know. Being completely honest I know the system and how these guys are used and being an extreme animal lover it kind of breaks my heart that they are constantly on the move through the extreme heats of the Argentinian Mountain Range. They are truly beautiful animals and have truly helped us in our adventure. We are no better nor less than any race or species. We are equal whether you think the human race is superior or not. Try carrying 200lbs on your back for 20 miles and tell me if you are more superior than these beautiful mules. This photo was taken as the mules raced by us either taking gear to camp or bringing it back to another camp. Its amazing to see how they can maneuver on the edge of cliffs that seemed sketchy for us to even attempt. 100% respect for the mule. (Photo was taken by John Burkett of Red Tide Productions) #mtjme #mtjmountains #bebiggerthanyourself #liveyourlife #curecf#cysticfibrosis #fucf #7summits4cf #7summits #sevensummits #climbing#mountaineering #argentina #aconcagua #summonedbygiants #tommydanger#marknolan #johnburkett #redtideproductions #mules #thenorthface#stuffyoushouldknow #sysk #photography #canon #canon5d#canonphotography #rapidoamericanos

[tommydangerdude-blog]

Mt. Aconcagua (22,841ft) On day three we hiked from Casa de Piedra to Base Camp rising 3,000 feet over 10 miles of terrain. The day started off climbing 1,500 feet quickly and then turned into rolling hills as we continued to climb closer to the mountain. The wind blew as we wore our I/O Merino necktubes to keep the dust out of our lungs. Elevation started around 10,500ft and ended at base camp just below 14,000ft. The views alone were so magical that you truly felt you were on a different planet. Even though we were gaining elevation it seems as if the mountain was growing with us. The colors of the sky, the mountain, the rocks, and the vegetation almost gives the feeling that you are walking through an epic painting. Looking upward you could see the thermals rising off of the summit as they were creating snow tornados that eventually turned into clouds. This picture shows the great peak (to the left) as base camp is hidden in the rolling hills closer to the mountain on the right. Our route would take us up and around the backside before we could approach the summit.  You are looking at the South Face which very few attempt to climb as it is very technical and dangerous.  Continue to follow More Than Just Me as we will be posting more photos by Red Tide Productions and John Burkett.

[redtideproductions]

Climbing Aconcagua 

Spent the last couple weeks on the mountain Aconcagua in South America. It was the second of the Seven Summits for me and third for the team of climbers (MTJM) climbing to raise a million dollars to help find a cure for Cystic Fibrosis. I arrived with a pretty basic kit of a couple cameras, video and still. I also had a minor audio kit. At the base of the mountain in Mendoza I cut my kit down even further leaving behind my lav mics, receivers, transmitters, one of my video cameras and several lenses. This was a good decision as we had mules up to about 15k but after that it would be our own backs to carry the load up to the summit of 22,841 or at least the last camp which in our case was around 20k. I decided to roll with my trusty 5d Mark iii, GoPro, bag of various batteries, chargers, and a shotgun mic. Hindsight I probably would have cut the mic and half the batteries to save weight. I don't like not having backups, but camera gear quickly weighs in. The climb to the summit was a success but I did end up getting HACE on the way down. I was confused, disoriented, and off balance trying to make my way back to camp. Lucky one of the team noticed and helped me with the slow walk back to camp. The following day we made our day down to Base Camp and again proved to be a difficult day due to severe dehydration from not being able to take care of myself the day before. Other than that it was a great climb, even clipped in a few shots on this video from my iPhone which really doesn't look to bad! All and all it was a great climb and even though I got sick it still doesn't sway my decision to climb. I have no death wish, love my family and life. Part of what makes me love my life is the fact that I get the opportunity to go and step foot in these wonderful places all around the world. I would rather live with some risk in my life than than under the illusion of security and safety. There is no lock on tomorrow for any of us. My biggest fear is if someday I make it to be an old man, and I am laying on my death bed. I don't want to have wished I had gone and seen a few more places, or let what others think I should do sway what I do with my life. I want my life to be high quality, full of positive and supportive friends and family. I want to live without fears and hinderances. The single most overwhelming feeling throughout the whole climb in honestly "the pain of it" was a sense of gratitude. One of the best feelings, the feeling of being full. 

[tommydangerdude-blog]

Full Moon As we sat at base camp just under 14,000ft we made friends with some Argentinians whom became brothers to us. They even fed us one night offering some of their limited food to feed our bellies. As the night grew and the sun set the moon rose to be a beautiful sight. This photo shows so much but it will never give the true affect of the moon rising in the middle of the mountains when you are surrounded by your old and new friends. This day will be hard to be forgotten as it is a template engraved into our memory banks for life. Imagine a world of peace. A world of love.  Help us make these imaginations reality. Be the moon to someones night and light it up. (Photo by Red Tide Productions) #solarlife #getoutstayout #mtjme #mtjmountains #fullmoon #love#bebiggerthanyourself #liveyourlife #redtideproductions #tommydanger#johnburkett #marknolan #zealoptics #throughourlenses #exploremore#goalzero