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Posts from 06/2012

Mt. McKinley: Knoff and Team Move to 11,000’

Posted by: Adam Knoff | June 24, 2012
Categories: *Expedition Dispatches *Mount McKinley
Elevation: 11,200'

Today presented our team with it’s first real challenge.  Early this morning mother nature decide that leaving the weather window wide open was making things a bit to easy for us.  She knew we had plans to move to 11,000 feet so early this morning the wind started blowing, the temps dropped and the world resembled the inside of a ping pong ball.  For a while we were actually debating staying put.  That thought lasted as long as a Luke warm cup of coffee and two hours later we were all heading toward camp 3.  Despite the weather this team performed like a well oiled machine.  We arrived at 11,000 feet in great style and pounded out a great camp.  I am most impressed by everyone’s strength and charisma. 

Talk to you all tomorrow.
RMI Guide Adam Knoff

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Ecuador’s Volcanoes: Nugent & Team Ready for Summit Attempt

Posted by: Billy Nugent | June 24, 2012
Categories: *Expedition Dispatches *Ecuador
Elevation: 15,300'

Hey, everybody this is Billy calling and checking in from Ecuador on the Ecuador’s Volcanoes trip.  The crew woke up yesterday morning at the Hosteria San Luis, where we enjoyed some really nice facilites after our hike on Cero Fuya Fuya.  We went to the famous Andean Market in Otavalo where the crew got a chance to see all the local handicrafts and eat some crazy foods, all the cool stuff that’s for sale on a super busy Saturday market.  It was a real treat that we were there on a Saturday.

Then we geared up and headed up to the hut on Cayambe.  The road was in super bad condition.  So, we ended up having to run laps with the 4x4 thru some deep mud while the rest of the crew was walking along the way.  Vans couldn’t get within 10 km of the refugio. 

But everybody is up here right now.  We are taking a rest day.  We did a bit of training and we are hanging out.  Hopefully getting geared up for a summit attempt tonight.  The weather has been super awful all day.  Lots of clouds, blowing snow, lots of wind and everything around us is covered with ice and rime
Currently the weather is improving so we are keeping our fingers crossed for tonight and we’ll take our first crack at a big volcano.

So, we’ll call and check in tomorrow and let you know how it goes. 

Signing off for now,
RMI Guide Billy Nugent

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Mt. McKinley: Jake Beren & Team - Expedition Ends

Posted by: Jake Beren, Elias de Andres Martos, Thomas Greene | June 24, 2012
Categories: *Expedition Dispatches *Mount McKinley
Elevation: 348'

A few hours ago we were sitting on the glacier, Heartbreak Hill already a fading memory. Now we are back in Talkeetna, showered and fed and reconnecting with life off of the mountain. Our final day’s walk was truly magnificent, with the light of the solstice in full effect as we marched downhill into thicker and thicker air, gaining strength as we went despite the accumulation of many days of work and little sleep. Waiting a few hours for a flight in the warm sun in the stillness of the Southeast Fork took the title as my best airport experience ever.

Once again we are all happy and healthy, glad to return to everyone back home safely and with an excellent time with friends on The Great One.

RMI Guide Jake Beren

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Mt. Rainier: June 24th Update

Posted by: Jason Thompson | June 24, 2012
Categories: *Expedition Dispatches *Mount Rainier
Elevation: 10,500'

The Four Day Summit Climb led by RMI Guide Jason Thompson was forced to turn around this morning due to deteriorating weather conditions. The teams reached a height of 10,500’ before making the decision to turn back. The team is expected to arrive back at Ashford Base Camp by early afternoon for hot coffee and a slide show presentation about RMI’s Alaska Seminar. There is an open invitation for the slide show if you happen to be in town!

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Mt. McKinley: Walter & Team Cache Above the Fixed Lines

Posted by: Mike Walter | June 23, 2012
Categories: *Expedition Dispatches *Mount McKinley
Elevation: 14,200'

We’re all in our sleeping bags after a good day of climbing. We carried a cache of supplies to 16,800’, just below Washburn’s Thumb. Everyone did well on their first foray up the fixed lines, and then further climbing up the ridge of the West Buttress. We will be taking a rest day tomorrow, and hopefully be heading up to high camp soon thereafter.

A weak weather system looks to be approaching for the next few days, which is fine with us; we’ll be resting, acclimating, and getting strong for the (hopefully) good weather to follow. We are in position now, and ready to head up to higher ground whenever the weather allows.

We will be in touch again tomorrow.

RMI Guide Mike Walter

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McKinley Expedition: Knoff & Team Carry to 11,000’

Posted by: Adam Knoff | June 23, 2012
Categories: *Expedition Dispatches *Mount McKinley
Elevation: 9,800'

It is apparent the two previous days of hauling full loads weighing more than a small horse has already made our team stronger.  Yesterday we all felt a bit nackered but ten solid hours of sleep was most revitalizing.

This morning the alarm went off at 6:00 am and we woke to clear skies and cold temps.  The ever constant roar of our stoves means coffee is close providing the needed impetus to crawl out of warm bags and into cold boots.

We then made a smooth carry to 11,000 feet, the sight of our next camp.  With a full afternoon to rest, the team is now learning the invaluable skill of killing time.

RMI Guide Adam Knoff

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Mt. Rainier: June 23rd Update

Posted by: Geoff Schellens, Paul Maier | June 23, 2012
Categories: *Expedition Dispatches *Mount Rainier
Elevation: 12,500'

The Four Day Summit Climbs led by RMI Guides Paul Maier and Geoff Schellens were forced to turn around this morning due to deteriorating weather conditions.
The teams reached the top of Disappointment Cleaver at 12,500’ before making the decision to turn back.

We look forward to seeing them back at Rainier BaseCamp this afternoon.

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Mt. McKinley: Walter & Team Visit the Edge of the World

Posted by: Mike Walter | June 22, 2012
Categories: *Expedition Dispatches *Mount McKinley
Elevation: 14,200'

Hello again from 14,200’ on Denali! The weather was beautiful today, and we enjoyed it by taking a nice short hike out to the Edge of The World, a spectacular viewpoint near our camp. Then we reviewed and practiced fixed line travel with our ascenders. The rest of the day was spent lounging around, eating, napping, listening to music, and telling lies. We enjoyed a hearty dinner of black bean and chicken quesadillas, and now we’re all getting horizontal and settling in for the night. We are planning to carry some supplies up high tomorrow, in preparation for moving up to high camp later in the week for our summit bid. Everyone is doing quite well adjusting to the 14,200’ altitude of our camp, and I expect that we will all do well climbing higher tomorrow. Of course we have the luxury of returning to our comfortable camp at 14k tomorrow night for a good night’s sleep.

That’s all for now. We’ll be in touch again tomorrow night after our carry. Thanks for all the great comments on the blog. Keep them coming!

RMI Guide Mike Walter

On The Map

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Ecuador: Billy Nugent & Team Acclimate in Ecuador

Posted by: Billy Nugent | June 22, 2012
Categories: *Expedition Dispatches *Ecuador
Elevation: 14,000'

Another casual morning… We ate some breakfast, checked out of the Mercure (our hotel) around 8 am or so, loaded up the van and Jaime’s truck, then hit the road. Heading north on the PanAmerican Highway, we left Quito and passed through the town of Otavalo, famous for it’s large open air market. Eventually we turned off the highway and headed up into the countryside on our approach to Cerro Fuya Fuya. After many kilometers of driving on a cobblestone road up into the mountains we reached Laguna Mojanda and the base of Fuya Fuya. The lake is actually a giant caldera filled with water (think Crater Lake in OR) and made for a great backdrop to our second training hike. A couple hours of hiking and scrambling brought us to the summit at well over 14,000’. We enjoyed clear and sweeping views from la cumbre of the two valleys below in addition to the big Laguna. After a quick break on top we beat feet for the cars to try and out pace some menacing clouds. Everyone was feeling great.

After another short trip in the van we arrived at the beautiful Hosteria San Luis. Talk about traveling in style, there are beautiful gardens, stables,  classic colonial architecture, a pool, and a pond. The gang is settling in and enjoying the last bit of luxury before heading up to the climber’s refugio on Cayambe.

I’ll call and check in tomorrow night from the refugio,

RMI Guide Billy Nugent

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Mt. McKinley: Knoff & Team March Up Ski Hill

Posted by: Adam Knoff, Mike Uchal, Zeb Blais | June 22, 2012
Categories: *Expedition Dispatches *Mount McKinley
Elevation: 9,800'

Hello to all from the June 19 Denali expedition.  If the saying “make hay while the sun shines” applies to mountaineering, this team could feed a lot of cows.

I am thrilled with our team dynamic and progress. Yesterday we ate breakfast, got ready and were blessed with clear conditions at base camp.  K2 Aviation worked hard to get us all on the glacier which allowed us to pack up and move out.  We arrived at the base of Ski Hill by dinner.

Today we woke to perfect weather and the team again showed great enthusiasm to get moving.  By 6:45 a.m. we were marching up Ski Hill with full loads.  We arrived at 9,800 feet by 11:30 and are now enjoying a steamy afternoon sun bathing.  Stay tuned for tomorrow’s next episode.  This is Adam Knoff signing off.

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