Hike in Antarctica

As mountains go, Antarctica's Vinson Massif* is not particularly awe-inspiring in its height. A humpbacked hunk of granite that rises to 16,860 ft., Vinson is the highest known peak on the continent, but it is still lower than ten mountains in North America. For an accomplished alpinist, the hike to the summit would seem like a Sunday stroll --if only it weren't for a couple of complications.

First, Vinson lies 400 miles due east of remote Byrd Station, and only 600 miles from the South Pole. Second, Antarctica is racked by fierce (up to 90 m.p.h.) gales and covered with ice up to 14,000 ft. thick; the temperature, even in the middle of summer, can drop to -40DEG. Add to that the fact that no man had ever before set foot on the slopes of Vinson--and the laconic announcement from the U.S. Navy base at McMurdo Sound had to qualify as a masterpiece of understatement: "A U.S. climbing party planted the flags of twelve nations on the summit of Vinson Massif, Antarctica's highest mountain, on Dec. 21, 1966."

Complete Isolation. The logistics alone made it an impressive feat. Commanded by Los Angeles Lawyer Nicholas Clinch, 36, a veteran of two Himalayan ascents, the ten members of the U.S. expedition had nothing to go on except aerial photographs in planning their assault, had to do without fancy climbing rigs. And they had to prepare themselves mentally for one of the loneliest undertakings man has ever attempted. Explained Clinch before the climb: "Antarctica is not like the Himalayas, where you can always retreat to a native village if something goes wrong." From the moment that a Navy plane deposited them on a lifeless plateau 20 miles from the base of the Vinson Massif, the climbers' only lifeline to the outside world was an emergency radio hookup with McMurdo Sound, 1,300 miles away. Their sole comfort was that nobody needed to be afraid of the dark. In December, the sun shines 24 hours a day.

Not until the climbers return to civilization will full details of the Vinson ascent be known. And that may be quite a while. Last week Leader Clinch informed McMurdo Sound that the expedition was shifting its attention to Mount Tyree--at 16,290 ft., the second highest peak in Antarctica.

* Named after former U.S. Congressman Carl Vinson, longtime chairman of the House Armed Services Committee.

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