When the body, mind and will are focused toward a single end, anything can be accomplished. But that doesn’t make it a guarantee.
Elevating 22,841 above sea level, Mount Aconcagua, or “Mount Colossus,” is the tallest mountain in the western hemisphere. It is located in the Argentine Province of Mendoza, within Aconcagua Provincial Park, and each year thousands of tourists visit the stunning colossus thats summit is an envy of climbers the world over.
The physically and psychologically demanding nature of the ascent is dually the source of Aconcagua’s intrigue and frustration. It is said that of those who attempt the climb, only 25 percent reach the mountain’s pinnacle.
Ever since he completed John Krakauer’s “Into Thin Air” in the mid-90s, Granite Falls native Mike Hansen said he has dreamed of climbing a mountain over 20,000 feet. The irony here is that the book details the 1996 non-fiction ascent of Mount Everest, which turned catastrophic when eight climbers were killed and several others were stranded by a rogue storm.
One of the nine sons and 12 off-spring of locals Marguerite and Luverne Hansen, Mike graduated from Granite Falls High School in 1984 and then enlisted in the Navy where he spent six years working in the engine room of a nuclear sub. From there he headed to Colorado and obtained a mining engineering degree at the School of Mines. Today he remains in the Rockies, working as a Program Manager for Hewlett Packard in Fort Collins.
When Hansen was finally presented with the opportunity to exceed 20,000 feet on foot, the seed of his dream had long appeared dormant. His priorities had come to center around his wife, Paula, their seven year old twins, Evan and Corrine, and a demanding job with one of the top computer companies in the world. But dreams don’t die easy, and sometimes they’re just slow to grow.
As fate would have it, living in Fort Collins placed the Hansens up the street from one of the premiere outdoor adventurists in the world. To enthusiasts of active lifestyles, Marshall Ulrich is a demigod.
An ultramarathon runner, adventure racer and mountaineer, Ulrich has climbed the world’s seven highest summits, formerly held the Badwater Ultramarathon record and last year ran across the United States, averaging 57 miles a day. He has even gone so far as to have his toenails removed to improve his marathon capabilities.
Despite Ulrich’s intimidating list of achievements, Hansen did not shy away from joining the ultramarathoner when asked, over dinner one evening, if he was interested in partaking in the Aconcagua trip. “You should go,” encouraged his wife, Paulette.
Enlisting compatriot, Rick Newman, whose friendship stems from their days together in the navy, Hansen began training extensively for the 22,841 foot trek over the course of five months.
Three to five days a week, the two rose at 4:30 a.m. and hiked, with packs, up a nearby 1,500 foot vertical pitch. On weekends, Hansen said they managed three to eight hours worth of more intensive climbing.
For all the training, “My first goal was not summit,” said Hansen. “My first goal was to be safe and come back, then it was to maintain my integrity (not mess up my chance or someone else’s chance to summit), have fun, climb over 20,000 feet and, finally, to make the summit.”
On January 7, Hansen and Newman arrived in Mendoza as two of the fourteen individuals apart of Ulrich’s Dreams in Action (DNA) trip. Climbers came from Colorado, Iowa, Ohio and California and ranged in age from 32-64. As is this case with most all of Ulrich’s adventures, a sponsor supported a charitable component. In this case two local youth were given the opportunity to climb with the DNA group up to Aconcagua’s base camp at 14,340 feet.
It was not an inexpensive excursion. Costs included the plane ticket, a $450 per person park permit, $4,000 for the guide service – which carried tents and cooked for the group, as well as $2,000 in equipment spent prior to departure. Hansen says the expense was definitely worth it, and he’d do it again.
Recalling Aconcagua’s physically and pyschologically challenging attributes, it is important to note that this does not mean perilous. Mount Colossus is a technically easy climb, requiring little more than adequate attire and crampons (shoe spikes) that are only necessary at the end of journey. The majority of the difficulty comes from the elevation.
“If you ascend too quickly you get dizzy, you get a headache, you get short of breath, you resperate quickly, and because there’s not as much oxygen you start to really deplete your hydration levels,” said Hansen. “It is extremely important to drink a lot, ideally eight liters a day.”
Altitude sickness usually occurs at heights above 8,000 feet and is said to resemble a bad case of the flu, carbon monoxide poisoning or a hangover. In extreme cases, where there is rapid change, high altitude pulmonary or cerebral edema can ensue, and is potentially fatal.
To stave of the likelihood of altitude sicknesss, great care is taken to acclimate the climbers to the change. As the body reaches higher elevations it handles the change by producing more blood cells – but this takes time. The nine day trek up the mountain often involved hikes up to one elevation, and then a return hike back down to one of the various camps. It also included a few acclimatization days of rest.
In the beginning, the group eats hardy and guides cook steak, chicken and other foods of substance. As they get closer to the summit, the meals switch to mainly rice and pasta. It’s not matter of being skimpy, with each step toward the higher altitudes food and water become harder to digest and the lack of oxygen eventually shuts the digestive system down.
Packs included only the bare essentials and weighed roughly 35 pounds. Tents and other items were carried by mules that tended to scale the mountain with abandon.
“They literally run with your gear ... when they come by you just get out of the way,” Hansen said.
Beyond the time it takes to retrace one steps to acclimatize, the hike up mountain is also extremely slow. Hansen said that each step is separated by just a few inches from heal to toe and nevertheless is extremely energy intensive, especially as the higher altitudes are breached.
“It literally became exhausting to put your socks on,” he said.
From camp to camp, the DNA crew struggled up the mountain. There were incidents such as rolled ankles, one individual got dysentery and not everyone would make the journey to the top. Of the 14, the peak would only be reached by three.
On January 17, the climbers arrived in Camp Berlin at 19,490 feet; on January 18 they would attempt the summit. A 2.6 mile, 3,500 foot ascent was all that separated them from the highest point of Aconcagua, weather permitting.
Hansen said that there are two things that climbers are supposed to look out for before making the final hike: reticular clouds and plumes of snow blowing off the peak. Reticular clouds are lens shaped and indicate high pressure, while the snow blowing from the mountain indicates high winds. On this morning, Hansen could see both.
It involved a degree a danger, but if the climbers wished to attempt, they were informed that there was a few hour window that made it safe to summit. They decided they would go.
Following a two to three hour climb, the group made the decision of who would stay and who would make the final five hour trek. Along with a fellow from Ohio, both Hansen and his compatriot Newman were the only ones who decided to try and make it. Even Ulrich had become sick.
It was a gruelling five hour steep ascent in which they were broadsided by 50 mph winds.
“It was so hard,” said Hansen.
But the tears flowed alongside hoots, hollers and hugs when they reached the top.
Of all the feelings that might have overcome the 44 year old, Hansen said, “The sense of gratitude was overwhelming. I was just so thankful to be so incredibly fortunate to do something like that.”
A nine day hike up took two days heading down. With every step into lower altitudes the climbers became stronger.
Even though Hansen has returned home, his head is invariably still up in the clouds.
“It was awesome to take that much time away from life and just focus on one thing. I’m very fortunate that my family supported my zaniness,” he said.
He encouraged anyone to take on such an experience, such a challenge.
“If you have a dream go pursue it,” he said. There’s always time later but it eventually slips away ... You have to have some dreams that you really want do, just go do them.”
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When the body, mind and will are focused toward a single end, anything can be accomplished. But that doesn’t make it a guarantee.
Elevating 22,841 above sea level, Mount Aconcagua, or “Mount Colossus,” is the tallest mountain in the western hemisphere. It is located in the Argentine Province of Mendoza, within Aconcagua Provincial Park, and each year thousands of tourists visit the stunning colossus thats summit is an envy of climbers the world over.
The physically and psychologically demanding nature of the ascent is dually the source of Aconcagua’s intrigue and frustration. It is said that of those who attempt the climb, only 25 percent reach the mountain’s pinnacle.
Ever since he completed John Krakauer’s “Into Thin Air” in the mid-90s, Granite Falls native Mike Hansen said he has dreamed of climbing a mountain over 20,000 feet. The irony here is that the book details the 1996 non-fiction ascent of Mount Everest, which turned catastrophic when eight climbers were killed and several others were stranded by a rogue storm.
One of the nine sons and 12 off-spring of locals Marguerite and Luverne Hansen, Mike graduated from Granite Falls High School in 1984 and then enlisted in the Navy where he spent six years working in the engine room of a nuclear sub. From there he headed to Colorado and obtained a mining engineering degree at the School of Mines. Today he remains in the Rockies, working as a Program Manager for Hewlett Packard in Fort Collins.
When Hansen was finally presented with the opportunity to exceed 20,000 feet on foot, the seed of his dream had long appeared dormant. His priorities had come to center around his wife, Paula, their seven year old twins, Evan and Corrine, and a demanding job with one of the top computer companies in the world. But dreams don’t die easy, and sometimes they’re just slow to grow.
As fate would have it, living in Fort Collins placed the Hansens up the street from one of the premiere outdoor adventurists in the world. To enthusiasts of active lifestyles, Marshall Ulrich is a demigod.
An ultramarathon runner, adventure racer and mountaineer, Ulrich has climbed the world’s seven highest summits, formerly held the Badwater Ultramarathon record and last year ran across the United States, averaging 57 miles a day. He has even gone so far as to have his toenails removed to improve his marathon capabilities.
Despite Ulrich’s intimidating list of achievements, Hansen did not shy away from joining the ultramarathoner when asked, over dinner one evening, if he was interested in partaking in the Aconcagua trip. “You should go,” encouraged his wife, Paulette.
Enlisting compatriot, Rick Newman, whose friendship stems from their days together in the navy, Hansen began training extensively for the 22,841 foot trek over the course of five months.
Three to five days a week, the two rose at 4:30 a.m. and hiked, with packs, up a nearby 1,500 foot vertical pitch. On weekends, Hansen said they managed three to eight hours worth of more intensive climbing.
For all the training, “My first goal was not summit,” said Hansen. “My first goal was to be safe and come back, then it was to maintain my integrity (not mess up my chance or someone else’s chance to summit), have fun, climb over 20,000 feet and, finally, to make the summit.”
On January 7, Hansen and Newman arrived in Mendoza as two of the fourteen individuals apart of Ulrich’s Dreams in Action (DNA) trip. Climbers came from Colorado, Iowa, Ohio and California and ranged in age from 32-64. As is this case with most all of Ulrich’s adventures, a sponsor supported a charitable component. In this case two local youth were given the opportunity to climb with the DNA group up to Aconcagua’s base camp at 14,340 feet.
It was not an inexpensive excursion. Costs included the plane ticket, a $450 per person park permit, $4,000 for the guide service – which carried tents and cooked for the group, as well as $2,000 in equipment spent prior to departure. Hansen says the expense was definitely worth it, and he’d do it again.
Recalling Aconcagua’s physically and pyschologically challenging attributes, it is important to note that this does not mean perilous. Mount Colossus is a technically easy climb, requiring little more than adequate attire and crampons (shoe spikes) that are only necessary at the end of journey. The majority of the difficulty comes from the elevation.
“If you ascend too quickly you get dizzy, you get a headache, you get short of breath, you resperate quickly, and because there’s not as much oxygen you start to really deplete your hydration levels,” said Hansen. “It is extremely important to drink a lot, ideally eight liters a day.”
Altitude sickness usually occurs at heights above 8,000 feet and is said to resemble a bad case of the flu, carbon monoxide poisoning or a hangover. In extreme cases, where there is rapid change, high altitude pulmonary or cerebral edema can ensue, and is potentially fatal.
To stave of the likelihood of altitude sicknesss, great care is taken to acclimate the climbers to the change. As the body reaches higher elevations it handles the change by producing more blood cells – but this takes time. The nine day trek up the mountain often involved hikes up to one elevation, and then a return hike back down to one of the various camps. It also included a few acclimatization days of rest.
In the beginning, the group eats hardy and guides cook steak, chicken and other foods of substance. As they get closer to the summit, the meals switch to mainly rice and pasta. It’s not matter of being skimpy, with each step toward the higher altitudes food and water become harder to digest and the lack of oxygen eventually shuts the digestive system down.
Packs included only the bare essentials and weighed roughly 35 pounds. Tents and other items were carried by mules that tended to scale the mountain with abandon.
“They literally run with your gear ... when they come by you just get out of the way,” Hansen said.
Beyond the time it takes to retrace one steps to acclimatize, the hike up mountain is also extremely slow. Hansen said that each step is separated by just a few inches from heal to toe and nevertheless is extremely energy intensive, especially as the higher altitudes are breached.
“It literally became exhausting to put your socks on,” he said.
From camp to camp, the DNA crew struggled up the mountain. There were incidents such as rolled ankles, one individual got dysentery and not everyone would make the journey to the top. Of the 14, the peak would only be reached by three.
On January 17, the climbers arrived in Camp Berlin at 19,490 feet; on January 18 they would attempt the summit. A 2.6 mile, 3,500 foot ascent was all that separated them from the highest point of Aconcagua, weather permitting.
Hansen said that there are two things that climbers are supposed to look out for before making the final hike: reticular clouds and plumes of snow blowing off the peak. Reticular clouds are lens shaped and indicate high pressure, while the snow blowing from the mountain indicates high winds. On this morning, Hansen could see both.
It involved a degree a danger, but if the climbers wished to attempt, they were informed that there was a few hour window that made it safe to summit. They decided they would go.
Following a two to three hour climb, the group made the decision of who would stay and who would make the final five hour trek. Along with a fellow from Ohio, both Hansen and his compatriot Newman were the only ones who decided to try and make it. Even Ulrich had become sick.
It was a gruelling five hour steep ascent in which they were broadsided by 50 mph winds.
“It was so hard,” said Hansen.
But the tears flowed alongside hoots, hollers and hugs when they reached the top.
Of all the feelings that might have overcome the 44 year old, Hansen said, “The sense of gratitude was overwhelming. I was just so thankful to be so incredibly fortunate to do something like that.”
A nine day hike up took two days heading down. With every step into lower altitudes the climbers became stronger.
Even though Hansen has returned home, his head is invariably still up in the clouds.
“It was awesome to take that much time away from life and just focus on one thing. I’m very fortunate that my family supported my zaniness,” he said.
He encouraged anyone to take on such an experience, such a challenge.
“If you have a dream go pursue it,” he said. There’s always time later but it eventually slips away ... You have to have some dreams that you really want do, just go do them.”
