Aconcagua by Human Power, come see the boat Oct 2

[erden]

 

Well, if any of you are skipping the Rope Up, say if it rains like last year, Seattle Vertical World is offering their gym to us for a send off party on Saturday Oct 2 at 7:00 pm. The following morning, I will be leaving by bicycle from Seattle to Miami as the first phase of the trip to Aconcagua. Then in late February-early March, I will row from Miami to Ecuador via the Panama Canal. From there, I will bike to Argentina to climb Aconcagua with my friends.

 

I will bring the boat to Seattle Vertical World after 5:00 pm (crossing our fingers that the container will arrive on time!). Come for pizza, short presentation, show and tell as long as you guys like -- Event Flier

 

 

The goal will be to make new friends and to connect with the old ones. Suggested donation of $5 to cover the pizza. Larger donations will get a t-shirt, listing on the sponsors list and inclusion in the boat register depending on the amount. So the more the merrier, bring your friends, especially if you know any school teachers who will want to take this to their students!

 

Sunday 7:00 am, I am taking off by bike from Pocock Rowing Center, directions are on the web site in the calendar. If you are in town, come ride with me out of town on Sunday.

 

See you soon.

 

Erden.

[sk]

HAVE A GREAT TRIP

[erden]

HAVE A GREAT TRIP

 

I am counting on it. This 24/7 non-stop chase of things to do before I leave will not end until I get on the road. I need my sanity again

 

Erden.

[sk]

I bet I will be thinkin about you. I can't wait to read the TR when you get back

[Billygoat]

Damn! That sounds pretty adventurous. GOOD LUCK

 

Cheers

 

Billy

[erden]

I can't wait to read the TR when you get back

 

It will be long - think

 

How about if I serve it as regular dispatches also mirrored on the Around-n-Over site. Sign up to our yahoo! group, then you will get the dispatches in your inbox. To sign up send an email around-n-over-subscribe@yahoogroups.com?subject=SUBSCRIBE.

 

My resting heart rate will go down to low forties again

 

Erden.

[erden]

Here is some info on the obscure pastime of Ocean Rowing.

 

Enjoy,

 

Erden.

[Greg_W]

Your shameless self-promotion is getting a little tiring. Do your proverbial 60 meters and shut up.

[Dru]

Greg

 

I think this is cool.

The only thing i want to know is why the rowing to Aconcagua. Why not just ride bike all the way? People drive all the way to Cerro Torre from the PNW - see Alpinist 7

[erden]

Thank you Dru.

 

The rowing is because:

 

1. One cannot safely travel from Panama Canal south toward Columbia in the human powered sense. There are no roads and the only paths available through rain forests are being used by drug runners. These may also not be suitable for a bike, did not even investigate. Normal procedure is to get to Panama and then to take a boat to NE Columbia, then to continue the ride, which takes away style points from the human powered thing...

 

2. The primary goal is to circumnavigate by human power. This will be done rowing from Miami to Miami. The boat will wait for me while I travel to the high summit upon landfall. The summits are secondary, they are the tribute, they will be nice to do. They also require serious funding and logistics.

 

I have the boat, I can keep going. If we do not have sponsors to cover, say, the costs of Everest then I will touch land in India, then replenish the boat and press on rowing. If between Panama and Ecuador, the winds take me west, and that is not unlikely, and I can't pull back into land, then I will skip Aconcagua and press on across the Pacific. It is all relative.

 

I hope this answers your question.

 

Erden.

 

-----------------------

P.S. I post here because there is a historical link behind cc.com and this journey. I have friends here who have come to know me under unfortunate circumstances. My posts are intended for old friends, and new friends. The rest can put me on their ignore list, and I will not take it personally. There is always the spray forum, too...

 

I am sorry that I do not boulder, nor have the time for the "proverbial 60 meters" at this time until I carry out this commitment which will go on through 2010. I no longer value activities that rely on contests over numbers or that require beating another person over the head to gain recognition. Competition for grades no longer hold any meaning for me, they are only a measure of my fitness when I care to keep a tab on my health.

 

It is the journey, and that gains more meaning when shared. I will provide a TR when and if I return from this journey, and that is expected of any of us who wants to share. What I am promoting is the promise of a TR.

[Dru]

[ivan]

erden, you rock dude! i can't imagine letting anyone pissing you off w/ negativity.

 

so are you bring a fishing pole or what?

[Ireneo_Funes]

I'm totally impressed by what you've done so far, Erden. It sounds like you've got a really good attitude - can't wait to read the TR!

[erden]

I will take about 100 days worth of food on board, consisting mostly of freeze dried stuff. The boat will have a cooking stove with a gimbal. As the boat rocks, the weighted gimbal will try to keep the food from sloshing in the pan.

 

I will have protein supplements, recovery drinks, and some variety on board to keep myself motivated. It will be more a mental challenge than a physical one to continue on in solitude on the oceans, so a little treat here'n there with the food will go a long ways.

 

I will take a fishing rod for an occasional catch, perhaps also a spear gun to score a dorado or two. The boat moves so slowly on the ocean that fish take it as a stationary object, algea have time to grow on it, and barnacle larvae latch on. It becomes a virtual zoo under the boat that requires regular scrubbing by getting under the boat (sharks are a threat then ) to keep the boat from slowing down with the drag.

 

The stuff growing on the bottom attracts fish which attract bigger fish. Doratos are huge, four feet long, a type of tuna I believe.

 

I can sun dry or cook the fish - sushie is always an option. Some rowers avoid hooks or knives on board with the logic that any cut is a potential end to their voyage. I think I will just be careful.

 

I have had my share of crabby days and negative attitude, and on occasion still do. I am 43 and still growing. I have learned to recognize this, and I am man enough to apologize.

 

We are all on the stage, in the first act before the curtains come down. We all do this without rehearsal. I hold no grudges, I forgive, I forget, I move on. I also hope that everyone else feels the same way about my transgressions.

 

Peace.

 

Erden.

[Figger_Eight]

I am sorry that I do not boulder, nor have the time for the "proverbial 60 meters" at this time until I carry out this commitment which will go on through 2010. I no longer value activities that rely on contests over numbers or that require beating another person over the head to gain recognition. Competition for grades no longer hold any meaning for me...

 

[Billygoat]

That is some advanced thinking. Glad to see it.

 

Cheers

[lummox]

The stuff growing on the bottom attracts fish which attract bigger fish. Doratos are huge, four feet long, a type of tuna I believe.

stfu noob

dorado also known as dolphinfish or mahi mahi or flatheads or dodo (the list goes on and on) is in the coryphaena genus. tuna are in the thunnus genus. not the fukin same at all. they suck as 'sushi' (but i think you meant sashimi). dorados are fukin badass generalist predators with such a high energy expenditure that they have oversized gill surface area. this requires them to have an extreme metabolism. they grow to ab out 4 feet and 20 pounds in their first year. they basically die after a couple years because they cant eat enough. learn to filet. they peel way easy and the skin makes a decent trolling skirt. but you wont be rowing fast enough for that

i suggest taking a couple megabait lures and a krocodile or three along with a decent 30# rod and reel setup. just a cheapie seeker rod and penn jigmaster reel will do the trick. fukem up erden.

[erden]

I know sharks when I see them, the rest are grouped under fish, so there. I never said I knew my fish, that may have to change though

 

Thanks for the tips on the gear. I need to rig the boat so the rod is fixed to the side. I can row and tend to the rod when a fish bites. I have to make sure that I don't catch something bigger than I can handle!!!

 

Erden.

[lummox]

Thanks for the tips on the gear. I need to rig the boat so the rod is fixed to the side. I can row and tend to the rod when a fish bites. I have to make sure that I don't catch something bigger than I can handle!!!

do a net search for kayak fishing if you want to get way more info on rigging. but really all you need is a cheapie rodholder --some pvc pipe. you can even forego the rod and reel but i dont think you got the stuff to handline a dodo. one more thing: dodos go apeshit when you gaff them and bring them aboard. gaff when they turn on their side about 2 feet below the surface (if you gaff them at the surface they will fling themselves off almost every time). putting pressure on an eye will chill them the fuck out once on board. also holding them by a gill plate and tail to bend them in a 'u' shape will keep them in control until you can kill. otherwise you will find out why the 20-30 pounders are known as 'ballslappers'.

[Lambone]

wow dude, rowing around the world...that's intense! hope you don't get seasick easily!

 

good luck!

[erden]

"ballslappers"

 

OUCH.

 

I will be careful. In fact, I should print your post and tape it on the roof of the cabin in the boat!

Erden.

[ivan]

ah, but if you catch a huge honking shark, and he drags you along your intended course for a few miles, aren't you honor bound to row back to the original "biting" point to avoid dirtying the "human power" motto if not, then maybe you should bring 2 rods?

[MervGriffin]

Erden:

 

Watch the film "Kon-Tiki" and you'll see Thor Heyerdahl and his raft-mates catching sharks by hand. A few years ago, Thor himself gave me an impromptu demonstration (albeit without a shark present)and insisted it was a good time and that one should stay away from the "biting end" of the flailing shark. It seems to me that it involved grabbing them by the tail and flinging them on deck. There are, of course, tastier fish to eat, but shark meat ain't too bad.

 

[erden]

Darn, Ivan, I had not considered the possibility of getting pulled by a shark traveling in the same direction. Bummer, maybe I will have to cut bait then? I mean, what would the critics say?

 

So, before starting to fish, I should take a GPS reading. In the eventuality of a shark pulling me, I can then return back, NOT!

 

I think I can fess up and count that as part of the experience/elements. In fact that would make a pretty damn good story: "there I was hanging on for dear life not to be pulled out of my boat with my last hook in the middle of the ocean surrounded by mama and papa sharks circling when I had their baby on my line..."

 

Fun stuff

 

I did read Kon Tiki, did not see the movie though. I saw the pictures of them grabbing the sharks by the tail which seemed to handle just like a tennis racket. With the rough shark skin, I think they mentioned that the grip was very strong as well.

 

I probably will not want to pull in a shark unless I can prove to myself that I can keep the meat long enough to consume it all. I would hate to waste the whole animal unless I am desparate. I will go with smaller fish, and mostly do that out of boredom and for variety, I think.

 

Mostly I will eat what is on board. All the food that I take will be tested ahead of time so that if I soak it enough under the sun in a dark cup, the food will become edible. This is in case I run out of fuel, or stove breaks down, whatever.

 

Thank you for the suggestions guys.

 

Erden.