Mount Vinson, Antarctica 2024
The pee hole won! But in the end, we’re all winners!
There were times when I felt like I was living in a movie scene and the director was going to yell, “cut” and I was going to be pulled from my wonderful, blissful and tough reality.
How can pooping in a bag, peeing in a bottle and not showering for 7 days be so much fun!?! Well, it is. It’s more than fun, it’s exhilarating. There is something about being in nature that just continues to pull me back. No matter how harsh it is, I’m continually pulled back over and over again! Sir Francis Younghusband writes the description of the pull to the mountains so well that I can’t even begin to write it more eloquently…
Sir Francis Younghusband, British explorer and mountaineer, 1863-1942 wrote this in the introduction to the 1922 book Mount Everest: The Reconnaissance, 1921. Younghusband was a British explorer who led early expeditions into the Himalaya, and was a major influence on legendary mountaineer George Mallory.
“It is only on the mountain side, breathing its pure air, buffeting against its storms, testing their nerve, running hair-breadth risks, exercising their intelligence and judgment, feeling their manhood and looking on Nature face to face and with open heart and mind that they are truly happy. For these men, days on the mountain are days when they really live. And as the cobwebs in their brains get blown away, as the blood begins to course refreshingly through their veins, as all their faculties become tuned up and their whole being becomes more sensitive, they detect appeals from Nature they had never heard before and see beauties which are revealed only to those who win them. They may not at the moment be aware of the deepest impressions they are receiving. But to those who have struggled with them the mountains reveal beauties they will not disclose to those who make no effort. That is the reward the mountains give to effort. And it is because they have so much to give and give it so lavishly to those who will wrestle with them that men love the mountains and go back to them again and again. And naturally the mountains reserve their choice gifts for those who stand upon their summits. The climber’s vision is then no longer confined and enclosed. He can see now all round. His width of outlook is enlarged to its full extremity. He sees in every direction. He has a sense of being raised above the world and being proudly conscious that he has raised himself there by his own exertions, he has a peculiar satisfaction and for the time forgets all frets and worries in the serene atmosphere in which he now for a moment dwells. And it is only for a moment that he can dwell there. For men cannot always live on the heights. They must come down to the plains again and engage in the practical life of the world. But the vision from the heights never leaves them. They want to return there. They want to reach a higher height.”
Younghusband says it best, “They want to return there. They want to reach a higher height.” Is this an addiction, no, it’s quite the opposite, it’s a pull, a passion, a purpose. There is a quote that I repeat over and over again and is written in rainbow colors in my pantry. “The things that excite you, they are not random, they are connected to your purpose, follow them.” -unknown. We must follow our purpose in life! There are so many times that I found myself off of MY path. It’s ok to get off your path, as long as you find your way back. We must focus on being OURselves on OUR path. Sometimes, I find myself dimming my true personality to not stand out too much. That’s not me, so why would I do that? The more I find myself being free and being me over and over again, the more I feel like me, and I’m more connected to my true purpose. This is the real me! It’s also ok if someone else doesn’t like me, they don’t have to stay around me. I dimmed my light for so long for no true reason!
The Journey Begins:
We started our journey at Union Glacier in Antarctica and waited for our flight to take us to base camp. This was a beautiful day, and I was so excited as we boarded our majestic flight to start our journey up the mountain. I think the best part about this day was sharing our dreams with the group after dinner, or before breakfast. Who knows if it was morning or night, because it was always light outside so I sometimes forgot what day or time it was. I’m often hesitant to share my goals and dreams, because I don’t want other people’s energy or judgment to affect the vastness of my desires. I also may change my goals as time passes, so these goals are usually held close to my heart. BUT, it was sweet to share these goals with strangers that have become friends and are also very adventurous. They wouldn’t be on this expedition if they weren’t adventurous dreamers!
The next day we pulled our sleds to low camp. This day was easier than expected for me because I trained a lot with a pack and a sled. Who knew the slope of the dirt road where I pulled my sled in North Georgia would mimic the snowy slope in Antarctica?
A New Talent:
When you find yourself standing at a pee hole (where everyone goes number one on the mountain in Antarctica) at the low camp of Mt Vinson, it’s ok to be yourself even if that means laughing at yourself to the point of tears. A guide from another company, Todd, witnessed this while he was using his wag bag. Todd was minding his own business, well maybe I should say doing his own business behind the, let’s call it the “poop wall”. I’m standing there as confident as I can be with my new found talent of using the she wee (female urination device or FUD) without pulling my pants down and exposing my butt to the cold elements. I stand in my mountain stance with my weight on one leg and the other leg slightly bent. For a second, I felt a little manly peeing while standing up. I didn’t really like this feeling since I like my femininity. Well, there goes one foot. I am definitely falling! Thankfully, I fell backwards and not into the overflowing yellow ochre colored pee hole. There was no time to catch myself, because both of my hands are on my she wee as if I’m holding a penis. Once again, this felt foreign and odd. Falling wasn’t odd, but holding something in between my legs felt VERY odd. Next thing you know I am flat on my back, and I have knocked over the entire pee wall structure as if I were The Hulk busting through a brick wall. I am now on my back with both hands still on my she wee at my crotch, ice blocks all around me and crying laughing. I couldn’t stand up because I was laughing so hard. I just rolled on my back and continued to laugh. Who falls at the pee hole with a she wee in hand and knocks down an entire wall… I do! Yes, this is a typical story in my life. I have learned to just embrace the fun! I look over to see Todd laughing out loud and he yells out, “Nobody saw it, your secret is safe with me!” Needless to say, we later laughed and shared the story on the ride to the ice runway as we made our journey home. I pulled up my pants and vowed to not pee at the pee hole with my feathered friends booties anymore. I would pee in a bottle then dump the bottle, or have on my real boots at the pee hole. I spent the next 20 minutes rebuilding the pee wall. Thankfully, no one asked what I was doing or why I was doing this. Yes, a lot of my stories from this expedition revolve around pee. I won’t try to analyze that too much. That would be a scary topic to dive into.
That night was the first night in the tent with my tentmate who was a guy, yes, a man. A stranger. Well, I guess I had known him for a week at this point , but it was still a guy that I barely knew! I was married for 19 years, and I don’t think I ever shared these types of moments with my then husband as I did with this stranger. I had to pee in a bottle with a guy in my tent!!! The first night I woke up with him in my tent (or was I in his tent?), and I contemplated peeing for an hour before I could do it. I didn’t want to get completely dressed to go outside just to go to a pee hole and fall again. The sun was out during the day and night, so I could see, but the shadows of the mountains blocked the sun and it was even more cold at night than it is during the day. I wished for the urge to go away. I even thought at one point, why do humans have to pee, couldn’t God have made us differently so things like this wouldn’t be so hard? “Come on, Laura, you can do it!” I repeated to myself over and over again. SO I did it. I pulled down my pants and peed in a bottle praying he wouldn’t wake up. Ahhhhh the relief. I did it, I faced this fear. The mountain didn’t scare me, but yes, peeing in a bottle with a man in my tent, that scared me. Face your fears, they say!!!
Training Before Antarctica:
The next day we were still at low camp. The weather was supposed to get bad with high winds so we decided to build a wall to protect our tents. We didn’t really need this wall, but it was fun to work and move our bodies since we hadn’t done much exercise other than pulling our sleds to low camp. We waited in Punta Arenas for 4 days to catch our flight to Antarctica. I exercised as much as I could during this time, because I was so used to training. I trained for months for this expedition, and I still could have used more training. My coach, Zoe, would send me workouts on a weekly basis. Some days I would find myself irritated at Zoe. I would think, “Who in the world has this much time to train?” I would find myself irritated at her when I would see numerous 4-6 hour days in one week. I’m a mom of two boys, I manage my own investments, I have three businesses in Costa Rica, I have friends and family that I want to see… Who has this much time to train?!? Well, the answer is, I do. I have that much time to train, because I built it in my schedule and made it happen. Zoe was helping me fulfill my goal! I had to remind myself over and over again, Laura, this is your goal. It was like having a chisel in my hand chiseling at a huge wall in front of me. Each day I was able to slowly break down the wall one step at time, one workout at a time. Training no longer feels like a daunting task, it feels as if it’s a part of my everyday life. I’m already training for the next mountain. Well, I’m starting tomorrow! One more day of rest as I recap the coolest trip to the bottom of the earth to find a pee hole. Let’s get back to the story on Mt. Vinson.
High Winds on the way to High Camp:
By this point I can pee freely in my tent. I had mastered another task. We wake up in the morning, and pack up to go to high camp. There were a few teams that went to high camp the day before and they radioed down to let us know the weather was clear up there so we could go up. This was the fixed lines day. Fixed lines with an ascender was new to me on this expedition. I reached out to Garrett Madison, our lead guide and owner of Madison Mountaineering, before our trip and let him know I was new to using an ascender. I had done everything else in terms of skills that the climb required (well, except for outdoor she wee training). Garrett said I would easily pick up this skill. I feel like I did well on the fixed lines going up the mountain. My body felt strong with the full pack on my back. I ended up being slow at transitions to reclamp my ascender and carabiner. This is something I will practice so it becomes second nature to me before the next climb. It’s hard to learn something new on a mountain with the altitude and cold elements working against you. We got to the top of the fixed ropes, and that’s when the shit hit the fan for me.
Mistake one, I took off my helmet and put my goggles away in my pack. I should have left the goggles on my head, because I knew I was struggling with my glasses fogging up. We had one simple hill to climb that should take an hour and a half. This should have been the easy part. The winds picked up and the sky became darker and darker. I had zero visibility. My glasses were frozen solid. This is where Garrett remained calm and told me I have to keep moving forward even if I can’t see. Well, I did what I had to do and just listened to his footsteps and followed him as he shortened the rope between us so I could follow his steps. The temperature dropped even more and the risk of frostbite was too high to get out my goggles. I was so confused without visibility, and I didn’t even realize that a storm was hitting us. I finally just took my glasses off for the last 20 minutes of the climb since it was so cloudy and the risk of snow blind decreased. By the time I got to high camp, my eyelashes and eyebrows were white and frozen. This is a part where I felt like I was in a movie. I was changing gloves to prepare to put up tents, and all of the sudden men were at my feet taking off my crampons and whisking me into a tent to have some hot tea. I went from blinding wind to being in a strange tent with a nice man that offered sugar in my warm tea. I felt like I went from a mountaineering movie in a storm in Antarctica to a tea garden in London. The nice gentleman in the tent was sharing his photos of his family with me. I felt like I was in the twilight zone. Two extremes happening in one minute. 
I felt guilty sitting in the tent as I imagined my teammates outside working to set up tents. I even told my tentmate later that night that I didn’t deserve to be on the summit team, because I was pulled in a warm tent as others worked. Well, come to find out, most of our team was pulled into different tents as the guides from all the different companies set up our tents. I think Craig was the only one that wasn’t pulled into a tent which makes sense since he was the most accomplished climber on our team. It was wonderful to hear and see how much the guides help each other! It’s like a family on the mountain. The group in front of us had a few people that suffered frost bite on their team during this storm so we were fortunate to be pulled into the warm tents. The next day, there were still high winds, so we spent the day in our tent. It was a journal day, a movie day, a music day, a thought day. Lots of time.
You Get Hungry on the Mountain:
This part of the story will start with “TATERS” yes, taters. I was hungry!!! The night before we had mashed potatoes. I couldn’t finish them so I just put them in a clear plastic bag and tucked them in the side of the tent to discard later. I woke up the next day and we had pancakes (Benny’s slow cakes) and bacon. I have an annoying gluten allergy so I just had bacon. Don’t misunderstand me, it was the best, tastiest and the saltiest bacon ever! I still needed some carbs. Later that morning, in my boredom in the tent, I saw the now frozen mashed potatoes in the bag. So what did I do? I stuck them in my pants to thaw them and heat them. They stayed there for about an hour and then I decided that it’s time to eat! They were amazing! I offered them to my tent mate, Jeff, and for some odd reason he turned them down. At that time, I had no idea this wasn’t something that other people would do. It was completely normal in my mind. As I told the story to others, I got weird looks. Apparently, this isn’t normal to warm up food with your body. Well, it was a great experience for me. Later, Luis, another guide on the mountain, decided to nickname me tater then the story ended with crotch taters. Oh well, I can handle another nickname. When a girl is hungry, she has to eat!
The Pee Hole Wins Again!
Yes, you knew there would be one more pee hole story. The wind is blowing, and I’m simply going to the pee hole to empty my bottle. I can’t decide if I’m breaking my rule or if I’m safe. I tip toe towards the pee hole. This one is a little more exposed to the wind so I try to stand up wind when I pour out my bottle. Success! I dumped the pee in the pee hole. Now all I need to do is put the top back on my bottle and walk away. I move my arm to twist the top of the bottle as it’s tucked under my other arm. Here we gooooo… the solid ice was slippery in my down booties. I’m headed up then down. Both of my feet fly in the air, I catch some air and land flat on my back. This time the fall knocked the wind out of me. Down again! Pee hole 2, Laura 0. I scurry away hoping no one witnessed this fall. This is probably obvious, but the booties will not be on my next expedition!
Summit Day, My Favorite Day:
The next day is summit day. We woke up early this morning because we were not affected by the shadows of the mountain, the winds were low, and the sky was blue. I was very focussed and determined! The 7 hours to the summit felt like one hour. I was focused on my breathing and one step at a time. I have asthma, so summit day is usually hard for me. As we get higher in altitude, the air gets thinner and colder. It was often negative 30 degrees while we were on the mountain and even colder as we get higher on the mountain. Two things that work against any human are cold air and high altitude and even more against a human with asthma. I am 48 years old and following my dreams of climbing big mountains. I never thought I could do it because of my asthma. When I was a teenager, I would daydream as I read backpacker magazine while I sat in my pink painted bedroom with ruffled fabrics filling the space. In college, I was a Birkenstock wearing, mountain bike riding cheerleader who studied engineering and then economics with a love for photography. None of these things go together, but that’s me. It’s always been me. I’ve never really made sense, and I’m completely fine with that! Back to my high school bedroom daydreaming about climbing mountains. My daydreams are now a reality. I am living proof that you can always follow your dreams, at any time. You’re never too old! I didn’t pursue my mountain goals because I struggled at high altitude with asthma. Then I got married and had children. My focus was on my boys. I am so proud and fortunate to be their mom! I feel as if I am a good mom, and I now also follow my dreams. Please, if you learn anything from my story don’t let anything hold you back. Not asthma, not work, not marriage, not children. You can do these things well WHILE also following your dreams and fulfilling your purpose. You can have it all, so follow your dreams and don’t look back! All we really need in life is companionship and health. These are the two things we need! Everything else is a simple bonus. Ok, I need to alter this statement. We need companionship, health and bacon! Bacon is a necessity! One of the reasons I love to come to the mountains is because it takes away everything we think we need in life! We don’t need much to survive! I leave the mountain once again wanting less material things and more experiences. 
I am back on the top of Mt Vinson, taking my final steps and getting closer to the summit. I hear my breath, and I hear my steps crunching in the snow. My crampon catches a rock here and there to make a scratching sound. I’m so focused that I can barely hear these noises. Tears begin to form in my eyes. I am standing on the summit of Mt Vinson! The top of the bottom of the earth. I am here. Don’t let anyone dim your light, and don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t or shouldn’t do something! Find a way. There is always a way! Always follow your dreams without fear!
After the summit, you’re only 50% done:
As we descended the mountain, I found myself struggling with the pain in my ankles from my boots cutting into my lower legs, because mountaineering boots are made for tall men, not for women 5 feet 2 inches tall. Every single step was shooting pain. I decided I had to push through it. The only way home was through pain. So as I took each step, I just took the pain. As we got closer to high camp, we had a small uphill or flat moment. My boots didn’t hurt on the uphill or flat areas so I was looking around at the beauty of Antarctica. I asked Garrett about the different peaks around us. The view felt like a dream, it was too majestic to be real. Well, I was quickly pulled away from dreamland when my crampon of one of my boots caught the strap of my other crampon. I wasn’t paying attention to my steps! Splat! I was flat on my face. This is when I hear from Jeff and Garrett, “Are you ok?” I could tell Garrett wanted to chuckle, but I was a little embarrassed so he refrained. I rarely get embarrassed about falling, because I have an inappropriate response when I see others fall. When someone falls or trips, I laugh even if it’s me. I truly don’t know what is wrong with me, but I have to hold in my laughter until I find out they are ok. Obviously this only happens if it’s a funny and not dangerous fall. I could feel that Garrett was having this reaction to my fall. He wanted to laugh. I mean, I went from upright to face down in one second. I quickly get up and Garrett says, “Impressive”. Soooo let’s turn this into a positive. A mountaineer as accomplished as Garrett just gave me a compliment on the mountain. He said my fall was impressive. I’ll take it, even if it was a complement of an impressive fall!
My asthma was no joke that night. I struggled to decrease my respiratory rate, the inflammation was hitting my lungs and the fluid was forming. All very typical symptoms of exercise induced asthma. I focussed on my breathing, stayed on top of my albuterol and my lungs settled. Jeff, who is no longer a stranger, was completely over me at this point. He offered to pull off my boots, and I am telling you, my feet were stinky! Like really bad and then I was coughing all night. Sorry roomie!
We all crashed that night and got up early to head down the mountain to make it back to base camp. This is where I must thank my rope team. I felt amazing on the first part of the fixed ropes. I even thought “I’m a natural at this.” Well, well, well, right when you think you’re good at something, you get slapped in the face with reality . These ropes lasted forever. How in the world did I ever make it up all of these fixed lines? It was over 3,000 vertical feet of fixed lines. My legs were getting weaker and weaker as I stepped down the slope. The weight of the large pack on my small frame was wearing on the strength of my legs. My pack weighed roughly 40% of my body weight. Just because I’m smaller doesn’t mean my equipment weighs less. Down and down and down. It was never ending. I imagined Falkor, the dog that flies in The Neverending Story, coming to save me as I jump on his back and fly to the base of the mountain. Well, Falkor never picked me up. I had to get my own ass down that mountain. Each step was painful from my boots. My legs were much shorter than my rope team’s legs. Their normal step was almost running for me. Anyway, I appreciate the patience of my rope team. I went as fast as I could go in those huge boots. I know they wanted to go faster, and I was grateful to be on the rope with each of them.
We made it to low camp, buried team gear and rushed off to base camp with hopes to catch the next flight to Union Glacier. We once again have our sleds behind us. I felt so free on this walk. I was not free of pain from my boots, but I was free, free as a bird. The song popped in my head, “‘Cause I’m as free as a bird now, and this bird you cannot change …ohhh and this bird you cannot change…” I felt elated and in love with the mountains once again. As we got close to base camp, Garrett suggested that we sit on our sleds and ride them down the rest of the hill. This was an absolute blast! I’m in Antarctica, I just climbed a mountain of my dreams, and I’m riding on a sled down a hill! PURE JOY!
Part of our team makes it on an earlier flight leaving basecamp. Hunter, Jeff, Garrett and I bury the rest of the items at base camp for the next season’s climbers (future pee hole victims). We celebrate with champagne and get on our flight back to Union Glacier. That night, I stayed up until around 3 am celebrating with people from all over the world. It was a surreal experience. The whole expedition feels surreal.
We made it back to Punta Arenas. I end the trip crammed in a very small uber with my bags and others’s bags piled on top of us. The car was so full that the driver had to squish me in the door to close it. I jumped on my flight to Santiago, and I ran into climbers on the plane as if I were meant to share one more goodbye.
Finally, the director of the movie takes over and yells “cut”as the final scene is over. I am no longer running into people that climbed Vinson on my journey home. I’m in Bogota, Columbia with all of these strangers. It’s time to face reality. As Younghusband said so effectively, “ And it is only for a moment that he can dwell there. For men cannot always live on the heights. They must come down to the plains again and engage in the practical life of the world.”
My world and my daily life is beautiful. I feel blessed in so many ways. Blessed that I get to have these experiences and meet these people. Blessed that I have two amazing boys that make me proud everyday. Blessed each morning when I get to put my feet on the ground at 6:12 am to go into their rooms to wake them up for school. Blessed that I get to cook them breakfast every morning (sometimes it’s cereal). Blessed that I get to see the sun rise each day. This movie ends with three words. Grit, Grace and Gratitude! Three values that guide me through this oh so wonderful life!
In this story, I talked about pain and uncomfortable situations, about falling and about getting up. Every single ounce of pain and frustration is worth the feeling of standing on that mountain. Every ounce of it! Keep climbing, my friends and stay hard!
I will leave with a quote from one of my favorite poets, Mary Oliver, in her collection of poems, Evidence. “Keep some room in your heart for the unimaginable.”
We all leave as winners. Winners for just following our dreams!
♥️,
LM
My ongoing mission is to inspire and empower others to fearlessly and unapologetically follow their purpose, passions and dreams. -Laura Mooney
Our team, about to leave Union Glacier to head home!
Jeff, Gavin, Craig, Cherrie, Garrett, Laura, Benny and Hunter
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I want to mention our wonderful team and cast of characters:
Stay hard, Benny. Benny, oh, Benny. The Hammer! That’s all I can say to describe this man. He is full of energy and hopeful dreams. Keep being you, my friend. Don’t ever dim your light!
Hunter, a man of few words but the words he speaks are important. Hunter, you are a rock! You are solid and strong physically and emotionally.
Gavin, I began to start thinking in your accent. Yes, you still have an accent. Me on the other hand, I don’t have an accent! On a serious note, I could see the love you have for your wife and children. Keep climbing! Keep saying sarcastic jokes!!!
Jeff, my roomie, the real John Dutton. I’m sorry, is all I have to say. I’m sorry for my stinky feet, I’m sorry for my mashed potatoes. I’m sorry for my stinky clothes. I’m sorry for my never ending cough. You are a patient man and a rock solid climber! Jeff summited Vinson and went straight to Aconcagua for another summit a few weeks later. Way to go Jeff!
Craig and Cherrie, I was honored to witness your love for each other. We all have dreams of finding that person and you guys inspire me to keep looking! Keep making your adventure videos, keep loving each other and keep being peakbaggers! Craig, I was honored to climb your seventh summit with you!
Garrett, our fearless and steadfast leader. Garrett, you were very patient with me! Very! You are gifted and strong with a soft but powerful leadership style that I am honored to witness. I can’t wait to see a video of you catching that big wave!
Luis, you weren’t on our team but became a team member soon after we ran into you on the mountain. Congrats on your book! Higher Ground by Luis Benitez.
Kat, we were glad to have you as a part of our team. Don’t work too much, as work will always be there. Live your life and live it fully. I see my younger self in you! Remember to follow your dreams and never look back! Don’t let anyone dim your light!
Josh, we didn’t meet on the mountain, but we met through our expedition in Antarctica. I’m glad Mt Vinson (and Chuck) introduced me to you.
To the other cast of characters, I hope we meet on a mountain again soon!
To Todd, I hope to never meet you at a pee hole again.
