Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: MONDAY, August 7, 1995 TAG: 9508080007
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-6 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: BRUCE STANTON STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
So, how did they feel when they came down from North America's highest peak?
``You feel like you need a bath at the end of 23 days,'' said Frantz, 49, a heart surgeon at Roanoke Memorial. ``The first thing you think about is a nice, warm bath, a beer and a bed. We didn't have any of that for about 23 days.''
What they did get was the satisfaction of surviving another of their many mountainous excursions. McKinley was the latest in a line of impressive peaks that Johnson and Frantz have reached. Among the notable mountains they have conquered since 1991 are Mount Rainier (14,410 feet) in Washington, Mont Blanc du Tacul in France (13,933), Cotopaxi (19,348) and Chimborazo (20,562) in Ecuador and Grand Teton (13,771) in Wyoming.
On other excursions, Johnson, a retired businessman, has scaled Mount Kilimanjaro (19,340) in Africa, The Matterhorn (14,692) in Switzerland and Mount Whitney (14,494) in California.
For Johnson and Frantz, climbing mountains isn't a hobby, though. It's more like a lifestyle. They scan the globe to pursue the sport of mountaineering.
``Mountaineering is carrying heavy loads and using your legs,'' said Frantz, who along with Johnson belongs to the Roanoke Mountaineering Club. ``It's a sustained exercise at high altitudes over a long period of time.''
P is for preparation
Mount McKinley definitely was a sustained exercise. And it presented a new challenge for Johnson and Frantz.
Because of the severity of the low temperatures, they had to purchase new equipment, including sleeping bags that would protect them at 40 below zero.
Then there were the 80-pound backpacks and 50-pound sleds the pair of Roanokers carried with them up and down the mountain. In those packs and sleds, they carried everything they would need to survive for 23 days.
Johnson and Frantz prepared for the McKinley climb by working out for several months with weights, running with 80-pound packs on their backs, jogging up and down steps at local stadiums and climbing on the indoor facilities at CMT Sporting Goods and the Roanoke City Parks and Recreation Center on Reserve Avenue.
All of the preparation paid off, because McKinley made a molehill of other mountains they had climbed.
``[McKinley] is the mountain that required more of me than any I've done,'' said Johnson, 49, who has been an active mountain climber since 1969 and has scaled more than 425,000 feet of the world's mountains. ``I underestimated it. It is so unforgiving. If it won't let you climb it, you can not summit. You will die trying.
``People who are far better climbers than I have not [reached the peak] because they did not get a break in the weather.''
Before getting that necessary bit of luck, Johnson and Frantz were snowed in at a campsite nearly 6,000 feet from the peak. What happened there showed them how dangerous their sport can be.
A real lifesaver
The duo witnessed a Japanese climber snowboarding on fresh snow when he triggered an avalanche. The Japanese man was caught in the slide, which pummeled him for 2,500 feet before his body came to a rest. His injuries included a ruptured lung, a fractured spine, paralysis and a fractured femur.
Fortunately for the Japanese climber, Frantz was at the site. The Roanoke doctor performed emergency surgery on the injured man in a tent resembling a M.A.S.H. unit. The surgery included Frantz jamming a tube into the man's lung so he could breathe.
``We thought he had been killed,'' Frantz said. ``But there was some good equipment, and there was another physician there. Between the two of us, we were able to resuscitate the guy. After five hours, a helicopter came to get the guy. As far as I know, he [survived].''
Said Johnson: ``He would have died up there had Paul not been there.''
On the McKinley excursion, Johnson and Frantz were accompanied by mountaineers from Alaska, Poland, Chile, Norway and Romania. The group reached McKinley's peak in 18 days. They took five days to descend.
While on top, Johnson and Frantz planted a flag representing the Roanoke Mountaineering Club, which has become a ritual every time they reach a summit.
Though they were successful with yet another climb, they both knew the danger involved and were appreciative and respectful of the mountain. They have been snowed in on other expeditions, and they know there's always the possibility of not returning.
``Anyone who says they don't become afraid doesn't do much climbing,'' Johnson said. ``In mountaineering or rock climbing, you have to put fear our of your mind. You concentrate on what you're doing and don't think about it.''
Said Frantz: ``You give [death] some consideration. You have to be as physically prepared as you can be. You have a margin, and if you get in trouble, you have to have some reserve.
``Having a guide helps. These trips require a great deal of planning for food and equipment. Those are the things that get you into trouble - running out of food and fuel, and the decision making, when to move and not to move. Beyond that, the climber has to be in condition. You get cold and tired and very hungry and very exhausted, and you have to be able to push yourself.''
Still going up
The next climb for Johnson and Frantz will be Aconcagua in Argentina, which at 22,831 feet is the tallest mountain in South America.
``We feel at our level of climbing that it's doable,'' Frantz said. ``It will offer an opportunity to go to Chile and experience the beauty down there. You always walk away with something from an experience like that. Aconcagua will offer us something new, something surprising.''
After that, they have higher goals.
``Everyone's got their wish list of mountains,'' Johnson said. ``The ultimate for us will be going to the Himilayas, then choosing a pretty mountain or a grand one like one of the 14 8,000-meter peaks. We're talking 26,000 feet and higher. The Himilayas involve a lot of time and money, so that's down the road.''
Frantz and Johnson definitely are willing to spend both time and money to go 23 days without taking a bath or changing underwear. The view from the top is worth it for them.
``We must have some sort of learning deficit,'' Frantz said. ``That's the only explanation for that. Part of that is the adventure associated with climbing. You get to see things you've never seen before. People enjoy sitting in their armchairs and looking at it on television. But you can't really understand it unless you do it.''
by CNB