Kinabalu: Mesilau - Low's Gully Expedition 2001

Kinabalu: Mesilau-Low's Gully Expedition 2001

Brent Raymond
Heather Calvert
Aaron Sheldon
Brandon Loudermilk

Brent Raymond, Coordinator
Having lived and worked in Sabah for a total of 6 months over 2 seasons and having completed 10 ascents of the mountain, Brent is well suited for coordinating an expedition of this nature. He has spent a total of 46 days on the mountain, half of which were spent exploring the summit plateaus and rock climbing. While working as the Outdoor Instructor / Mountaineering Coordinator at Outward Bound Sabah, he developed , marketed and instructed 2 staff training and 2 public courses in basic mountaineering and rock climbing skills.

Brent has been rock climbing and mountaineering for 8 years and has been working as an outdoor professional since 1994. Primarily involved in instructing extended wilderness expeditions (22-30 days), he has worked for Outward Bound in Canada, USA, Australia and Borneo and is currently an instructor at the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS) in the USA.

Future plans include certification as an Assistant Alpine Guide with the ACMG. He is also interested in leadership opportunities within the ACC.

Brent has climbed and mountaineered all over the world including Canada, USA, Scotland, Borneo, Australia and Peru.

Heather Calvert
Heather has 10 years of camping, canoeing and hiking experience to compliment her 2 years of rock climbing and mountaineering. She has coordinated several other expeditions including a 14 day wilderness hiking expedition to Baffin Island and most recently, a 14 day solo bike trip around Nova Scotia. In addition to a career as a mechanical engineer, Heather has climbed extensively in the Western USA and Canada including sport, traditional, alpine and ice climbing.

Heather's SE-Asian travels began in 1996 with a trip to Malaysia. Her experience there and knowledge of the Malay language is an asset in organising and implementing this overseas expedition.

Aaron Sheldon
Aaron earliest's memories are of hiking and backpacking with his parents - he seconded his first rock climb on his 8th birthday with his father! He still does many scrambles and alpine climbs with his father every year. From these early beginnings, Aaron has developed a deep love of wilderness adventure. Before moving back to Calgary in his early 20's, he skied, hiked and climbed with his father on every visit and, since his return, he has been intensely involved in mountaineering as both a participant and leader of alpine climbing trips for the Alpine Club of Canada (Calgary section).

Aaron's recent activities, include completing many climbs in the Canadian Rockies, University Wall (grade) on the Squamish Chief, Liberty Ridge on Mount Rainier and an attempt on the South Face of Washington Column (this was aborted due to day time temperatures in excess of 35^oC). He has climbed in many areas including The Canadian Rockies, Skaha, Lake Louise, Squamish, and Yosemite. Aaron is looking forward further exploring the Wapta and Columbia ice fields and the Kananaskis backcountry during his 6th season of ski mountaineering. In addition, he is works as a ski patroller at Fernie Alpine Resort with the CSPS (Canadian Ski Patrol Society) and completed courses in mountain leadership, avalanche safety and emergency medicine through the CSPS, and ACC.

Brandon Loudermilk
Brandon brings to the expedition over 15 years rock climbing and backcountry experience. He has climbed across North America, including Smith Rocks, Hueco Tanks, Yosemite, Toulumne, Joshua Tree, and Portero Chico. His mountaineering experience includes ascents of Mt. Shasta, Mt. Whitney, and Mt. Hood. Brandon has several first ascents under his belt in the 5.10 - 5.11 range as well as Megabyte a sporty, vertical 5.12b (Enchanted Rock, Texas 1990). Besides his extensive climbing experience, Brandon is an avid white water kayaker and long distance hiker. In 1994, he hiked 350+ miles of the Pacific Crest Trail from North to South in Oregon. In 1999, he hiked over 1,700+ continuous miles on the PCT for the length of California. Brandon is Red Cross emergency first aid certified, a native English speaker, and fluent in Spanish. When not out actually on an expedition, Brandon spends his time earning money and planning his next big venture, which currently includes climbing Pico de Orizaba (18,701í) and Iztaccihuatl (17,343í) in Mexico as well as a source-to-sea kayak trip down the Nile.