Contact MargaretArchive for the 'Crofton News' Category
Crofton Resident’s Update from Denali
June 5th, 2008 Categories: Crofton News
STAYING HEALTHY
Crofton Maryland resident Art Huseonica and his team have been hanging out at Camp 3, on their climb of Denali, and they will be pushing up to High Camp (17,000’) as weather permits. They’ve already moved a “cache” (food and fuel) to 16,000 ft.
His wife Karen asked Bob Baker how they know where the cache is located, and here is the answer:
The guides connect 2 lengths of wands to be sure they will not be buried, if they think there is another chance of that. Each team has its distinctive want markings.
Karen says they ran out of hot chocolate, but they did take a short field trip to the “Edge of the World.”
Lunch is a continuous stream of energy bars throughout the day, washed down with copious amounts of water. They fill their water bottles with hot water to help keep it from freezing. Water is obtained by melting snow and ice using small white gas mountain stoves. Evening meals have been an assortment of freeze-dried entrees bolstered by generous portions of butter, salt, and hot sauce.
The key is to ensure a variety of items to minimize appetite boredom and help promote consumption of at least 6,000 calories per day. Still, each climber will lose a considerable amount of weight during the expedition due to extreme exertion and a loss of appetite with increasing altitude as your body’s physiology determines that it is more important to send blood to the brain and muscles vice the digestive system.
A special thanks to Karen Huseonica for sharing Art’s updates with Focus On Crofton readers. (6/3/08)
RELATED POSTS:
| Discussion: No Comments »
Report From Crofton Climber, Camp 3
June 2nd, 2008 Categories: Crofton News
Karen Huseonica reports that she spoke to Art yesterday (5/30/08) at 4 p.m. EST via SAT phone, when the team went back down to Camp 3 at 12.900’ to bring up the “cache” (food & fuel). It was cold when they returned so they made some warm burritos for dinner!
Traveling with snowshoes or crampons and roped together in groups of three climbers and one guide, they move the cache either by backpack and/or each towing a sled laden with supplies, which can be exhausting work! Today they will practice on the fixed lines above Camp 3.
The team remains strong and in good spirits as they approach the more difficult terrain of Denali. Tomorrow (6/1/08), they plan to move the “cache” up to 16,000’.
Today’s weather in the mountain at their camp is zero to 5 below and tonight a chance of snow with temperatures at 5-10 below zero!
This report includes excerpts from a 5/31/08 email from Karen Huseonica.
RELATED POSTS:
| Discussion: No Comments »
Crofton Elementary Raises $17 K for Cystic Fibrosis
May 29th, 2008 Categories: Crofton News
C
ongratulations to Crofton Elementary School!
A student “Hop-a-thon” raised $14,000 for Cystic Fibrosis and a “Coins for Kids” campaign raised another $3,294.43. Now that’s impressive!
But that’s not all. Other events included a sumo wrestling match between Principal Donna O’Shea and Assistant Principal Colleen Brusca – a reward to the students, when they reached their fundraising goal -and a teacher’s blue-hair day, in which many of the teachers participated. By the way, that wrestling match was too close to call, so it ended in a tie.
Laura Gordon, whose second-grade son Austin has Cystic Fibrosis, accepted the funds on behalf of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.
Congratulations to everyone involved – kids, parents, and teachers!
P.S. If you’re relocating to Maryland, Crofton schools provide a good incentive for you to make Crofton your next home. They’re one of the many factors that make Crofton real estate a good investment AND one of the reasons Crofton was named by Money Magazine as one of the Top 100 Best Places to Live.
_______________
_______________
| Discussion: No Comments »
My #1 Request for the New Crofton Civic Association Board of Directors
May 28th, 2008 Categories: Crofton News
Crofton’s own political process kicked into action this week.
Ladies and Gentlemen, the election is over. Nothing has changed – the incumbents won in an uncontested election. Only the Presidential race was contested, and Steve Grimaud was re-elected to this post.
I just have one request of our “new” Board of Directors. Please restore Crofton’s curb appeal. Crofton real estate property values depend on visitors’ first impression!
Our president for the past 6 years was quoted in the Crofton Crier saying about Lake Louise that “a beautification project could be expensive, as much as $50,000 for an engineering study alone.” If the Crofton budget had included $5,000 towards this engineering study for just 10 of the 11 years that Mr. Grimaud has served on the Board of Directors, we would have the funds for it now. I honestly don’t think we can afford to wait another 10 years – it needs help now.
Several weeks ago, as I drove to College Park for an appointment, I exited the Beltway at Rt. 201 (Greenbelt) and found myself waiting at a red light, surrounded by beautifully manicured grass and freshly mulched beds filled with daffodil blooms. My thought: it’s a sad day when a Crofton resident thinks a Prince George’s County median strip looks better than my community’s front yard.
Returning Crofton’s once-beautiful front yard to magnificence is my #1 request for the new Crofton Board of Director’s. What’s yours?
______________________________
| Discussion: No Comments »
Crofton Climber - Update from 11,200′
May 27th, 2008 Categories: Crofton News
By Karen Huseionica, 5/25/08
Today, the team is still at Camp 2 with about 60 other climbers. This is due to the bad weather…lots of snow and high winds.
I talked to Art yesterday via satellite phone and he mentioned that Camp 2 is actually at 11,200’ and I had said in an earlier dispatch that it was at 9,500’. If the weather clears today they plan to make a carry of supplies to 13,500’ below Camp 3 then return to Camp 2 to spend another night before moving to Camp 3 at 14.200’.
Weather is always a factor in mountain climbing and Denali is certainly no exception -everyone needs to be patient and prepared.
Art’s keeping up with completing his high altitude medical study daily questionnaire and recording his oxygen saturation level and heart rate.
Thanks, Karen, for keeping Crofton “in the loop” -
RELATED POSTS:
| Discussion: 1 Comment »
