Today, my nephew Jeremy and his new wife, Eliza, head out to Philadelphia from where they will depart tomorrow for Argentina. They lived and worked for several years in the San Francisco area and this past year made some big life decisions. The first was to get married and the second was to quit their jobs and take to the trail for a year or so, starting with an expedition climbing Aconcagua in the Andes. It is the tallest peak in South America as well as the tallest peak in the Western and Southern hemispheres.
It’s a real mountain at over 22000 feet and will present their group, comprised of the two of them and three close climbing friends, with challenges they haven’t faced yet in their previous outdoor excursions. Several years back, Jer and Eliza completed the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT), a grueling hike that began in April at the Mexican border and ended in October at the Canadian border. They chronicled their 2650 mile journey on their blog, A Wolf Walk. While their trail then took them through the highest points of the Sierras and the Cascades, it offered none of the high altitude challenge that Aconcagua will offer. To determine their tolerance of the altitude as well their overall readiness, their group will spend a week or two climbing lesser peaks surrounding Aconcagua before making their attempt in mid-February.
For those of you have an interest in following their journey in the Andes, they are maintaining a blog from the trail (ah, technology!) that is called Foschizzel Around the World! The Foschizzel here is a combination, of sorts, of their last names, Foster and Schissel. Snoop Dogg is not sponsoring their trip, if you thought that was the case with the name.
I envy the intentionality with which they are living their life and wish them well on this expedition. I will follow their progress closely and live vicariously through their experiences. Hopefully, good fortune will be with them.
Good luck and good climbing, Eliza and Jer!
Redtree Times 