One of my most popular images on ExposedPlanet is the image of Makalu at sunrise, taken from the 3rd step of Everest. Makalu is the 5th highest mountain on earth, so there are not too many places from where you can look down on it.

I had taken a second image, a while later and had never edited it well, so now is the first time I am sharing this later picture. The original was shot just before the sun came up, this one just after. The light is different, the image is sharper and features of Mt Makalu are clearer. Though the other image is dreamier, I might even like this twin image better, how about you?

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This was taken while crossing a bridge over the mighty Columbia River, from Vancouver (Washington, USA) to Portland (Oregon). Though Portland is rumored to be the most cycle friendly city in the US, actually getting in on our bicycles was not that easy at all…

Anyway, the view to Mount Hood was beautiful in the late afternoon, while flocks of birds flew over a side arm of the river, lined with the houseboats of the Bridgeton neighbourhood.

Mount Hood, called Wy’east by the Multnomah tribe, is a stratovolcano in the Cascade Volcanic Arc of northern Oregon. It was formed by a subduction zone and rests in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located about 50 miles (80 km) east-southeast of Portland, on the border between Clackamas and Hood River counties.

The height assigned to Mount Hood’s snow-covered peak has varied over its history. Modern sources point to three different heights: 11,249 feet (3,429 m) based on the 1991 U.S. National Geodetic Survey, 11,240 feet (3,426 m) based on a 1993 scientific expedition, and 11,239 feet (3,426 m) of slightly older origin.

The peak is home to twelve glaciers. It is the highest point in Oregon and the fourth-highest in the Cascade Range.[9] Mount Hood is considered the Oregon volcano most likely to erupt, though based on its history, an explosive eruption is unlikely. Still, the odds of an eruption in the next 30 years are estimated at between 3 and 7 percent, so the USGS characterizes it as “potentially active”, but the mountain is informally considered dormant.

(info from Wikipedia, see this page for much more info about Mt Hood).

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Popocatepetl is an active volcano, relatively close to Mexico city. Due to the toxic fumes that come out regularly, it is now forbidden to climb Popo. It is 5,426 m (17,802 ft) and therefore the 2nd highest mountain of Mexico, after Pico de Orizaba.

The name Popocatepetl comes from the Nahuatl words popōca ‘it smokes’ and tepētl ‘mountain’, thus Smoking Mountain.

This is shot from the wonderful Paso de Cortez, the saddle between Popo and the neighbouring volcano, ‘The sleeping woman’ Iztaccihuatl.

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The Huascaran is the highest mountain in Peru, it has an elevation of 6,768 metres (22,205 ft). The core of Nevada Huascarán, like much of the Cordillera Blanca, are Tertiary granites.

Most images of it are shot from the Huaraz valley at the other side, from which the mountain looks like 2 giant snow domes. This is shot from the summit of Chopicalqui, also known as Huascaran’s 3rd summit, just when the sun was rising over the Cordillera Blanca as the range is called.

Huascarán gives its name to Huascarán National Park which surrounds it, and is a popular location for trekking and mountaineering.

The Huascarán summit is one of the points on the Earth’s surface farthest from the Earth’s center,closely behind the farthest point, Chimborazo in Ecuador.

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Looking up in the wet (and very slippery!) rainforest zone on Kilimanjaro, you will see huge ferns, making you feel you are in Jurassic park and not sliding down from the highest point of Africa :)

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A guide embraces his client on the summit of Pico de Orizaba at dawn, happy for a safe ascent to the highest point of Mexico.

WikiPedia:

“The Pico de Orizaba, or Citlaltépetl (from Nahuatl citlal(in) = star, and tepētl = mountain), is a stratovolcano, the highest mountain in Mexico and the third highest in North America. It rises 5,636 meters (18,490 feet) above sea level in the eastern end of the Eje Volcánico Transversal mountain range, on the border between the states of Veracruz and Puebla. The volcano is currently dormant but not extinct (..) It is the second most prominent volcanic peak in the world after Africa’s Mount Kilimanjaro.

The Pico overlooks the valley and city of Orizaba, from which it gets its name. The name Citlaltépetl is not used by Nahuatl speakers of the Orizaba area, who instead call it Istaktepetl (Iztactépetl in the traditional orthography for Classical Nahuatl) ‘White Mountain’.

A regionally dominant peak, and in fact the highest peak between Colombia and the Yukon, the Pico de Orizaba is ranked 7th in the world in topographic prominence. It is the second most prominent volcanic peak in the world after Africa’s Mount Kilimanjaro. Although it is about 110 km (75 miles) inland, to the west of the port of Veracruz, its peak is visible to ships approaching the port in the Gulf of Mexico, and at dawn rays of sunlight strike the Pico while Veracruz still lies in shadow. The Pico is ranked 16th in the world for topographic isolation.

The peak is one of three volcanoes that contain permanent snow and glaciers in Mexico. The others are Popocatépetl and Iztaccíhuatl.”

(Note: Actually the glaciers on the mentioned 2 mountains have all but gone and also Pico de Orizaba’s glaciers are melting at an alarming rate…)

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Mount Vinson is one of the 7summits, the highest peaks on every continent, located in Antarctica. This month the climbing season will begin and one of the climbers will be fellow climber Alan Arnette.

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The above image is available as a personalized poster print in the dedicated EP poster store . I will donate all profits from sales of this poster during the Vinson climbing season (November 2010-February 2011) to Alan’s charity, so check it out and order one today!

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Alan will not just go to the cold continent to summit a mountain, but to raise awareness and money for Alheimer research:

Fundraising

Our goal is to raise $1 million dollars as people follow the climbs. Remember all donations go directly to Alzheimer’s research and none to Alan or to support the climbs. All donations are tax deductible in the US.

Here is how you can help:

• Make a flat rate donation per summit, $100 for example
• Make a one time donation for all the climbs anytime.
• Host Alan for a local fund raiser before, during or after the climbs.
• Bid on having a message sent via Twitter during the summit day for each climb
• Host an auction after each climb for a signed summit banner.

First was Memories are Everything: The Road Back to Mt. Everest – that raised $25,000 and now Memories are Everything: The 7 Summits Climbs for Alzheimer’s- a journey to raise $1 million dollars through climbing the 7 Summits.

While climbing is the activity, fund raising is the goal. 100% of your donations go directly to Alzheimer’s research, education and awareness! None go to Alan’s climbing expenses. I encourage you to read more about my partner, the Cure Alzheimer’s Fund and make your tax deductible donation today.

100% for research

So help where you can. Good luck and be safe Alan!

The above image is available as a personalized poster print in the dedicated EP poster store . I will donate all profits from sales of this poster during the climbing season (November 2010-February 2011) to Alan’s charity, so check it out and order one today!

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Here is a recent image on the next ExposedPlanet, shot yesterday morning from the summit of Bolivia’s highest peak: Sajama.

Sajama is an extinct volcano – the crater is filled and covered with ice and snow- of 6542m high (21,463ft), it shadow towers over the Bolivian-Chilean border, lined with other mountains and the twin volcanoes of Parinacota & Pomerape, each of which are also higher than say, Denali (McKinley), the highest mountain in North America…

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It is Everest season and here is one of my favorite images of “Chomolungma”, the mother Goddess of the Earth.

This post is to celebrate 2 things:
- that some of my friends will be very close to the summit at this moment (good luck and be safe!)
- That my new Pocket Guidebook, “Everest, Summit of the World” has been published and is available through Amazon.com and other places right now!
Read more about the guidebook here on 7summits.com or see the info below!
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“This book is packed with practical help and mountain wisdom, and is essential reading for anybody contemplating an attempt on Everest.”

(Lincoln Hall, Everest summiteer and survivor, and author of “Dead Lucky”)

Everest: Summit of the World, by Harry Kikstra

• 1 March 2009
• UK price £9.99
• 96pp+2pp map flap
• 117×145 mm;
• weight 112g/4oz
• ISBN: 978-1-898481-54-6

Of course you can buy it at amazon.com (click here).

Everest, Summit of Asia & the World,

by Harry Kikstra (7summits.com)

At 8848 m (29,028 ft) Mount Everest is the world’s highest peak. Even the trek to Base Camp is arduous. Climbers aiming for the summit must survive the extreme conditions of the ‘Death Zone’ and perform great feats of endurance.

The author describes how to prepare for and climb the popular ascent routes up Everest from both Nepal and Tibet, including

• advice on planning and organization
• how to prevent and manage altitude sickness
• practical advice on the use of oxygen and yaks
• how to choose your Everest route and expedition team
• detailed description of the Tibet (North-east Ridge) and Nepal (South Col) routes
• mapping, diagrams and over 50 colour photographs

It is the same size as the Aconcagua & Denali pocket guides and fits in most pockets, being only 115grams/4oz and 14.5 x 11.5 x 0.8cm in size (5.7 x 4.5 x 0.3 inch).

It can handle the snow, wind and cold you will meet on Everest without weakening the pages.

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A great place to enter the new year. Half Dome in Yosemite park is a wonderful place, standing proud above the snowy valley. In summer it is relatively easy to hike up, that is: if you use the hiking trail going around and not the extreme routes on the face!

The evening before we were pitching our tent in the snow in the famous Camp 4, when a dark shape passed between me and the parking area nearby. A black bear walked, just 30 feet away, ignored us and continued his evening walk.

So close to San Francisco, there is still a lot of nature to be found and to be protected…

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