Into The Upstairs

The Kid, T-Bear and Monkey had been planning the expedition for months. They had been training for almost a year. Well, The Kid had been training, advancing from being completely immobile, to being able to support his head, to being able to sit up, to being able to crawl, and now he could finally pull himself up to a standing position. Monkey and T-Bear had mostly hung out eating bananas and honey respectively, but they could already walk, so there wasn't that much training to actually do. By mid-December they decided they were physically ready to table the awesome challenge of Mt. Gigishouse.

The Kid doing stove pull-ups as part of his intensive training program.

The Kid practices his climbing technique and use of an authentic climbing sweater on his local mountain.

Their crack support staff quickly took care of the final travel arrangements and insuring the proper visas, permits and inoculations were obtained. (Actually the final travel arrangements mostly consisted of figuring out how to cram all Kid and Pack Leader related gear into the car; visas, permits and inoculations would have been much easier.) With the preparations done, the crew set off on the journey to base camp. It was a long journey that took a lot out of the team, particularly on the support staff. In particular, Dork Boy needed a lot of rest after the journey because of some very late nights of navigating. While the logistic staff rested, the climbing team began preparing for the arduous climb.

Due to weather conditions at Mt. Gigishouse, the team had a limited window to reach the summit. Because of this, the team was planning on spending several days acclimatizing at base camp, and then making an aggressive rapid one day ascent and descent, as opposed to the more conservative approach of spending a night at the high base camp on Bilbeauxz Plateau.

The acclimatizing phase went very well. After several days T-Bear, Monkey and The Kid were all very comfortable with the environment. In fact, acclimatizing may have gone to well because when it came time to set out for the climb, T-Bear and Monkey decided rather than making a cold brutal climb to the harsh conditions at the peak of Mt. Gigishouse, they would remain in the warm cozy conditions of base camp where there where lots and lots and lots of snacks were readily available. Thus, The Kid set out for the peak of Mt. Gigishouse on a cloudy day in late Decemember with only his trusty sidekick, Sherpa Bilbo for company.

The plan for the ascent was to begin the climb up the long South Ridge to reach Bilbeauxz Plateau. Then take a quick rest, before making the technical tricky crossing to the North Ridge. Then a quick ascent up the North Ridge to the peak. Then they would have to make descent the way the had come and reach Base Camp before the weather window closed.

The climb began well. The Kid was climbing quickly and confidently. But as they reached the top of the South Ridge the altitude began to effect the The Kid. He began climbing much slower and less stably. It took all of Sherpa Bilbo's concentration to avert disaster several times, but they did reach Bilbeauxz Plateau on schedule. However, The Kid was very tired, and after a brief rest he considered giving up his dream of reaching the peak. But after consulting with the staff at Base Camp and Sherpa Bilbo, he decided to continue.

The rest gave The Kid a burst of energy, and he quickly crossed the Bilbeauxz Plateau. However, the short steep climb up the North Ridge was a brutal slog. The Kid had to battle cold and a much thinner atmosphere. But eventually because of the determination of The Kid and the skill of Sherpa Bilbo The Kid reached the mystical peak of Mt. Gigishouse.

The Kid celebrating reaching the peak.

After a great deal of celebrating his monumental achievement, The Kid had to begin the climb back to base camp. Unfortunately the prolonged exposure to the thinner atmosphere of The Upstairs had left The Kid highly disoriented. Either because of some death wish or because of his training to become the first drive of a co-ed bobsled team, The Kid insisted on attempting to make the descent head first. For several tense moments both the base camp staff and Sherpa Bilbo pleaded with The Kid to go feet first, but to no avail. Finally, Sherpa Bill was forced to restrain The Kid and carry him back to Base Camp.

The Kid and Baby D during an early bobsled training session.

After arriving at Base Camp, The Kid had a sippy cup, some Cheerios and some string cheese and was completely revived. He was so revived he tried to steal some of Dork Boys celebratory beer and enjoyed retelling stories of his epic climb.

The Kid Mountain climber and renowned beer thief