Hans Van Erum from SecureLink joins ICT Expedition in Alaska

View all pictures here.

Read the Jobat article here (Dutch only).

June 17th: "And now you're back ..."

He's back and fitter dan ever. A little tanned actually. Tons of stories to tell and memories to share. But we're all very proud of Hans and his team members. It was a tough trip and he held his own perfectly.

Congratulations, Hans. Start training for next year's Expedition ... :-)

June 15th: "And now the end is near ..."

And they face the final curtain. These last days, the group is still remarkably happy and fit. First mission was to return to base camp, thank the guides and make some apprearances in front of the camera.  The guides were very happy with their biggest group ever (!).

But suddenly, the weather is changing and a safe flight off the mountain is not that evident. Some team members may not be picked up due to heavy winds and the impossibility to take off or land. It takes a very long time, but eventually all contestants make it down. Barely. The side wind turns every landing into a rollercoaster ride, but the view on the Nebesna Glacier makes up for everything.

To celebrate these dangerous flights there were some icecold Heinekens and Alaska Amstels, but unfortunately no beer :-). The trip downhill caused one van to give up indefinitely. And to make matters worse, the night was infested with hundreds of musquitos. Hit them, baby, one more time.

The next day the group made plans to discover Alaska by water from the town of Valdez. A town that smelled a little bit like home. The kayak trip was marvelous. There were sea eagles Bald Eagles, seals, sea otters, and many more. Luk was fooling around after the kayak trip and hosed everyone down. It didn't take long before the group was ready to hunt him down!

The rest of the trip is a mixture of laughter, food, drinks and at last: a normal bed! And a bath, fresh clothes, ... it seems so long ago ... The group decides to split into a hiking team and a town exploration team. Culture and sports go together fine!

Tomorrow they embark for their trip home. This will take 2 days and end Tuesday evening in Schiphol. Fly safely!

June 11th: "Sitting on top of the world"

Good news: everybody reached the top. Bad news: it was tremendously hard. The first team started their journey very early: 2AM, which was already one hour later dan planned. They reached the summit around 7.45AM. Some guides made it their goal in life to pass another, earlier group. An exhausting effort, no doubt.

One contestant, Simon, seems ill. But fever and a cough don't stand in the way of getting to the top. It's so cold that Stefan's camelbag is frozen. Some group members sent him a bottle of water along the security cord.

Reaching the top is a very emotional moment. Especially for Luk, as he tells his story to Toon's camera.

6000 calories were burned per person during the hike to the summit. Temperatures go up quickly which means the "snow bridges" could melt. Hurry up, people! 2PM: some groups return to high camp and are desperately seeking some energy drinks.

An early dinner and an early night. Everyone is tired. In the next days our participants will descend to base camp, sleep on the air strip, get on a plane and go kayak in Valdez.

June 10th 2009: "The only way is up"

It's safe to say that moral is good in the group. Everyone is feeling fine and there is a sense of real cameraderie amongst the participants. And the guides did not forget the 48th birthday of José. Happy birthday to you!

 

 

 

 

 

Today they leave basecamp. This is the start of a climb to high camp on 3200m altitude. That meant breaking up camp early in the morning, filling the backpacks and burying some supplies for the return. The rest was tied on the sleds, towed by the 2nd and 3rd man in each group of 4. They set off in 30°C, a temperature that would make us all jealous.

But these temperatures make it very difficult to hike and climb. Again, a complete silence on the way to the top. Only the sounds of the snow shoes, deep breaths and a loud fart now and again. 4,5 km in length and 445 m in altitude, a nice hike in almost 3h.

Wednesday is summit day. The group sets off in the middle of the night in order to return to high camp somewhere in the afternoon. That means an early night and an early dinner: pasta, pesto and salmon. Bon appétit.

June 9th: "let's rock and roll!"

Our team has had a first day of real hiking and climbing. It was a sunny day and the mood was good. Armed with steal gear, security clips and ... candy! They use things like Snickers, Mars, brownies as their power food. High on sugar, they walked on beautiful, white glaciers, in the midst of total silence.

Caution is needed, because the flank of the mountain is on avalanche alert. There are hidden holes in the snow that make hiking extremely dangerous. Team members are tied together 4 by 4 to reduce chances of casualties. At lunch groups are sitting up to 20 meters from each other.

Temperature has dropped significantly. This is a good test for the jackets and other equipment.

Click for a map to see where the group is now.

Fun is over. This is the real thing.

June 8th 2009: "In the summertime"

It was a 20 hour flight to Anchorage, but all went fine. First participant to stand out from the crowd was naturally Hans! His passport with so many different stamps, Hans is a globetrotter, was arousing too much suspicion with the US Homeland Security Services. Anyway, he wasn't sent back to Belgium.

Due to warm spring and summer a lot of the snow already melted, making it too dangerous for little planes to land on Mt Sanford. So another mountain was chosen to explore: Mt Jarvis (4400m). Not as high and dangerous as Mt Sanford, thus making it more feasible for all contestants. But apparently not for all vans, as one broke down on the way to camp.

The team spent a lot of time on briefing and practicing. Latrines, building camp, how to fall, ... everything needed to be prepared and needed to come naturally when necessary. But they seemed to have a little spare time. Just enough to make a kayak trip on the ocean.

It's a great environment, and the team is enjoying a nice 22°C at 9PM! But in the shade the temperature drops to 9°C. The sun goes down for just 1 hour per night.

The next day, the guides are playing a game of 'hurry up' and 'wait, wait, wait', typical for these people, they say ... The best is yet to come.

See you soon!

June 4th 2009: "And they're off!"

Today 17 participants leave for Anchorage to start the ICT Expedition 2009. Well, not today actually, but tomorrow. Tonight they assemble in a Schiphol hotel to make sure everyone is on time for the flight on Friday. The participants fly to Houston where they have to make a connection flight to their final destination: Anchorage, Alaska.

They take off at 10.10AM and when they reach Anchorage it will be 6.00AM our time.

Their first task as a team prior to the flight: deciding who carpools with who to Schiphol :-).

Check back regularly! 

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It has been a life long dream of Hans to test his own strengths, to check his limits and to seek unattainable goals. Therefore, his participation to the ICT Expedition was inevitable.

Hans is Senior Networking Consultant and co-founder of SecureLink. He is married to Trui and is the loving father of 2 fabulous children. In his free time he enjoys running and swimming. What better way to release the sportsman inside of him than the ICT Expedition 2009?

12 days of climbing, building and breaking up camp does not frighten Hans. On the contrary, he is looking forward to this challenge: "It's the thrill that excites me", he says, "going to the limit and beyond. During the last couple of months I developed a real appetite for extreme conditions. I feel I am in good shape and ready to go!" Hans and the other contestants passed several physical and medical tests as preparation for the journey.

The ICT Expedition 2009 presents the participants with Mount Sanford, Alaska. A giant of 5000m and thus the 6th highest mountain in the United States. In preparation the ICT Expediton team trains a couple of weekends in The Ardennes. Further below you can find some pictures of one of the training weekends in Bouillon.

We wish Hans all the best on his journey. He is embarking on his expedition on June 4th, 2009.

Please check back regularly for more updates.

Click here for pictures.

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