It's more than 24 hours since a group of intrepid mountaineers were scheduled to ascend the state's largest mountain, to see whether you were still clinging to a building that is probably buried under several feet of snow.
And I've heard nothing.
Nothing!
Are you still lashed to that building at the top of that pile of rock, ice and brimstone that forms Mount Adams? Did the sun's ultra-violet radiation weaken your tether and the howling winds at the mountain top carry you off? Or are you still there, waiting to be retrieved?
There has not likely been such a memorable search since Stanley went into darkest Africa looking for Livingstone. Who cares? Some people do.
Inquiring minds want to know.
Well, OK, they would have wanted to know if I had told them ahead of time that a search and retrieval operation was under way. But I got distracted, and all of a sudden I realized March 14 was a couple days ago. That was the day that Anna Elz had pledged her commitment to see whether The Unbreakable was still clinging to a post atop Mount Adams, where they was left last summer. (Click here for the story.)
Here's one of the last photos I have of you since you made it to the top last July as the crowning achievement of your mission to raise One World Futbols for children all over the world:
As you faded into the midsts of legend, I hung on to the dream of looking for you again. I joined the Mountaineers. 2016 was going to be the year I settled my grudge match with Mount Adams by making it to the top after two aborted attempts.
But something happened in the interim.
I got older.
On my first training hike with the Mountaineers, I realized these people are animals. The first hike was a night hike with headlamps, and the pace was steady and upward. My quadriceps began to growl. I stopped to rub them. The Mountaineers trudged on. The night got darker. The quadriceps began to groan and quiver. I fell behind. The Mountaineers trudged on. After a couple of hours of trying to hush my quads the hike was over, I slid into my tiny sports car, and it was then that there appeared in both legs a pair of charley horses worthy of the Smithsonian.
It became clear I was not going to be able to find you on a Mountaineer hike this year.
But a month ago I attended a Mountaineers snow scramble field trip in which we trained to slide down hill upside down on our backs without dying and stomp through snow for a couple miles until I sweated a couple liters of water into my garments, too many of which I was wearing that day.
I made it through primarily with the help of instructor Anna Elz. Her photo from the Mountaineer's Web site is immediately below.
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Instructor Anna Elz |
I just happened to mention that I had a friend up there.
Naturally, she was curious.
Inquiring minds want to know,
The rest is history.
Shortly afterward I receive the following message:
We are planning to climb on May 14. The road should be mostly open to the south route but we may have to tack on a few extra miles round trip to get to the trail head. With the snow pack, it is very possible that Wilson will be buried since we are going so early. The other thing I wondered, is that much will depend on what was used to secure him to the mountain. Even if he is indestrcutible, the material used to attach him may be worn or he could have blown off. It is still a great mission and we will report any sightings. I've told my team and they are excited too!
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Missing Futbol Notice |
Here's the latest e-mail I received from Anna:
Update..we are furiously packing and much discussion of the turn in the weather. Sounds like we are going for it but the summit bid may be in a snowstorm.. So we'll see what this adventure brings...maybe Wilson..maybe not but it will be fun,cold,and WET!!!We turn back if it is unsafe but if we do make it to the top it will require a hell of a lot of shoveling.
Will send update
Cheers ,
Team WilsonWell, there you have it, Wilson. Now we can only sit and wait ... and hope.
Love,
Robert
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