Personnel, Background, and Training

Stan Wagon, 48, professor of mathematics, Macalester College, St. Paul. Minn, and resident of Silverthorne, Colo. (9500') [anagram = WANT A SONG?]
Katie Larson, 35, Montezuma, Colorado (11100') [SOLAR INTAKE]
Leslie Ross, 31, Breckenridge, Colorado (10000') [I SELL ROSES.]
Susie Sutphin, 30, Couloir Magazine, Truckee, California (7000') [HUTS? I USE PINS.]

Two years ago I was on Mt Logan with guide Ruedi Beglinger, but I had a sore back going in and had to leave after four days at base camp. On that trip Ruedi and his group attained the West Summit (19440', 100' lower and 1.5 miles distant from the main summit). But I got a small look at the route and the organization required, and so was inspired to organize my own attempt on Logan. Katie had climbed Denali that season, organizing all the food, and so she was a natural choice. Her two friends Leslie and Susie are superb and fit skiers (all of us in telemark style), and that made us a nicely compact group of four. Susie wrote a proposal for Moonstone's People's Epic Contest, and it won out over 20 such proposals, which earned us $2000 and about $2000 worth of Moonstone gear (which performed very well).

Leslie and I camped out one night and climbed 14430-ft. Mt. Massive in March. Katie and I were on a 9-day desert backpack in Utah with 50-pound packs just prior to Logan. Susie did many tours at high altitude in California. I spent a lot of time dehydrating a huge amount of fruits, veggies, and rice. Katie planned the meals, Susie organized a first-aid kit, and Leslie gathered the materials for a repair kit. We gathered a few times to practice prusiking and crevasse rescue. One winter camp from two years ago is worth mentioning: I joined Katie and her Denali gang for a night on the St. Mary's Glacier around Christmas, 1997. It was a terrible night with snow and very high winds. We had nothing approaching that on the Logan trip in 2000.