LOCALadk Magazine

LOCALadk 25 Chapter 1: The Sierras (By Ben Rosenberg) Graduation day at the State University of New York at Plattsburgh, I groggily walked down the stairs of my house, dodging the mounds of gear and making my way to the kitchen for breakfast. It was the second- to-last day in what we knew as the "Kayak Frat." My roommates and my lease were ending, and we were embarking on a three month long adventure to fulfill our senior thesis expedition for SUNY Plattsburgh's Expeditionary Studies Program. The past three years in the program were spent learning the basics in movement for adventure sports such as rock and ice climbing, backcountry skiing, and paddlesport. In addition, we learned group dynamics and skills in outdoor leadership to facilitate experienc- es in guiding and instruction. The program's classroom included trips to Utah, Idaho, Japan, and even Kyrgyz- stan, but our main venue was right in our backyard — the Adirondacks. Paired with the expert knowledge of professors who worked in the field and a few local renowned guides such as Will Roth and Mark Scott, students were prepared well for a career outdoors. A year of preparation for the expeditions was spent in this amazing crucible of outdoor adventure — climb- ing rock and ice in Chapel Pond pass, skiing the slides in the High Peaks, and walking up Poke-O-Moonshine with weighted backpacks — all for a chance in my expedition to climb some of the highest mountains in the continental U.S.: the Sierra Nevada. I settled on the Sierra during research for my histo- ry thesis, reading about David Brower and the Sierra Club. I wondered how this landscape inspired them so much to fight tooth and nail for public lands in the Si- erra and the rest of the country. I planned a two week trip into the mountains, one week spent rock climbing on Mt. Whitney and another week spent a bit north in the Palisades region climbing. These objectives would aid in finishing prerequisites for the American Moun- tain Guide Association rock and alpine guide courses with the goal of my working with them after gradu- ating. Walking the stage to graduate and shaking the University president's hand was the lowest priority on my list. I needed to pack for this expedition. Miraculously, the gear of my two partners, Tim and Jackson, and my gear all fit into Tim's Kia Sportage (dubbed Shadowfax) with the aid of two giant roof boxes. We left New York while most of our classmates were celebrating their graduations, heading for Colo- rado to actually finish our final two backcountry skiing classes. The two weeks spent in Colorado helped acclima- tize us to the Sierra's altitude, Mt. Whitney stands at 14,505 feet and is the tallest peak in the continental U.S. Although the terrain of the Adirondack's is rug- ged and often more strenuous than out west, the lack of height does no favors when the air gets thinner in

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