There are fourteen mountains on Earth reaching the heights of over 8000 meters. This was Deep Creek hot springs, probably once a sweet destination, but now the site of a fatal ameobic disease if you submerge your head (though we saw plenty of people doing this) and a high fecal coliform count. Mauna Loa (4,169 m or 13,678 ft) is the largest mountain on Earth in terms of base area (about 2,000 sq mi or 5,200 km2) and volume (about 18,000 cu mi or 75,000 km3).

Our weather algorithms are thoroughly tested and proven to work well for thousands of mountain ski resorts and surf breaks ; however, the database of mountain locations may contain errors at this early stage. All very dramatic (and great for news soundbites) until we step back a bit to take a longer view.

At any given moment in your climb, you may look up at the rest of the mountain and tell yourself that it’s too much, that you can’t do it. Maybe you think it is simply too difficult to lose weight, or to quit smoking. Here, I turned left, continuing on the broad trail up to the summit of Trayfoot Mountain.

A set of quartzite outcrops to the left of the trail provided a decent view into Paine Run Hollow. Check back often for the most up to date reports on hours, mountain operations and both current and weather forecast conditions. By the time we reach the bridge the 80M drop turns my stomach a little and a moment of worry before thinking just how brave Indi must have been to cut that rope!

These days, Paul and I live in different timezones, and the core of Dark Mountain has grown to a collective whose six members are spread over four countries. To learn more about what IMG can offer you go to the International Mountain Guides Link listed above.