Centenarian planning Antarctic climb
ANCHORAGE, Alaska — He is a world-class adventurer who spends his days in bed, relying on a caretaker to help him with mundane activities such as walking.
But Norman Vaughan is determined to celebrate his 100th birthday by scaling the 10,300-foot mountain in Antarctica that bears his name. And, listening to his surprisingly robust voice, it’s easy to believe he just might do it, despite his congestive heart disease. His spirit certainly is willing.
“I’m working on getting physically fit, to get rid of that thing,” he said, kicking a steel walker at the foot of his hospital-style bed.
If not, professional climbers taking part in the planned December expedition will pull Vaughan in a specially rigged sled dubbed the “Norm-Hauler.” However he gets to the summit of Mount Vaughan, he plans to break out the champagne. It would be the first taste of alcohol for the teetotaler.
“The only liquor I’ve ever had was the taste of wine at communion,” he said. “I told my mother I wouldn’t drink until I was 100 and she said, ‘That’s all right.”’
The mountain was named by Adm. Richard Byrd after Vaughan joined his 1928 South Pole expedition as part of a crew driving dog teams 1,500 miles across frozen terrain to collect geological samples and other research specimens.
Vaughan was born Dec. 19, 1905. He first climbed to the summit of the mountain with his wife and others three days before his 89th birthday, slowed only by an artificial knee.
Since the 1994 climb, Vaughan has had triple bypass surgery. He uses a wheelchair to go long distances. But he’s begun an exercise regime to condition himself for the upcoming climb, spending hours in a therapeutic pool, walking whenever and wherever he can.
At least 16 people, including medics and climbers, have signed on, said his wife, Carolyn Muegge-Vaughan, 62, who is organizing the trip. She also is heading an effort to raise the estimated $2 million cost of the excursion.
“We have a long way to go,” she said. “We’ve got a lot of different irons in the fire.”
Veteran mountaineer Brian Horner is among the climbers planning to take Vaughan up the mountain. Horner, who runs a survival skills school in Anchorage, doesn’t believe Vaughan will be able to tackle the climb because of his frail condition.
“I don’t think we have enough time, seeing how long it takes him to make it up my stairs,” Horner said. “His brain is there completely, but his body is letting him down, which is a shame.”