Challenge #2: Mount Vinson October 1st-31st, 2023

Mount Vinson rises to an elevation above sea level at 16,050 ft and is located in Western Antarctica, overlooking the Ronne Ice Shelf. Mount Vinson is covered in ice and snow. Explorers say it is not a technically difficult climb. The harder part is surviving the frigid temperatures of the Antarctic. The mount is located in a remote location, making it colder than usual, if that is even possible. The best times to hike to the summit are during the Antarctic Summer (December and January). During the summer, the sun is out 24 hours a day and the temperature stays around  -20°C (-29°F)!

Mount Vinson of the Vinson Massif was first discovered in 1935 by Lincoln Ellsworth, an American explorer. Just as Ellsworth saw the mountains come into view, he could see the peak in all its glory. These mountains would later be named after Ellsworth himself. The peak sits amount Antarctica's other 5 highest peaks in what is known as the Vinson Massif, slopes slightly towards the north. The massif is named after Carl Vinson, a U.S. Representative of Georgia, who was a huge proponent of the exploration of Antarctica. It took over 30 years for people to finally reach the summit. Carl Vinson being one of them in 1966.

• https://www.britannica.com/list/7-or-8-summits-the-worlds-highest-mountains-by-continent
• https://www.britannica.com/place/Vinson-Massif
• https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/mount-vinson/
• Photograph by Gordon Wiltsie, Courtesy of the National Geographic Digital Collection