Entries By geoff schellens

This morning you could feel the energy in the air. Everyone is very excited to be moving up hill again. Immediately after breakfast Dan, Paul, and Olga began packing and were done by 9:30, despite the plan to leave BC after lunch. So we all enjoyed a little more relaxation time until lunch was served around noon. Unfortunately the tasty pasta ended up sitting heavy in our bellies so we waited a bit more before shouldering our packs. As we picked our way through the boulder field we settled into a comfortable pace and in just over two hours we found ourselves at Moraine Camp, 16,200'. Everyone is doing great and glad to be making upward progress again. We are all tucked in for the evening, getting some good rest before we move up to high camp tomorrow. Thanks for following along. RMI Guide Geoff Schellens

Well today was a very relaxing day in base camp here on Alpamayo. We slept in until 8, drank lots of coffee with bacon and eggs, and then did some laundry and lounged in the sun. Around mid day we made the arduous 20 minute stroke to the nearby lake for some more chilling. A couple of the team were brave enough to go for a dip in the beautiful alpine lake, there is a glacier pouring into the water at the far side. After they warmed up on the sunny rocks we wandered back to camp for lunch and then a siesta in the afternoon. We have now just finished another amazing dinner and we are heading to bed soon for some rest before our move to Moraine Camp tomorrow. Though the rest day was well deserved everyone is very excited to be heading up hill again. Thanks for following along on our incredible expedition in the beautiful cordillera Blanca here in Peru. RMI Guide Geoff Schellens

Good evening, the Alpamayo teams had a great day today starting with coffee in our tents and then an outstanding breakfast of eggs toast and oat meal. We then casually packed up some gear to carry up to Moraine Camp and began hiking just after 10am. The light breeze kept the hike comfortable as the team made good time to 16,000' where we cached our climbing gear and supplies for our climb. We relaxed here for a bit and soaked in the amazing views of the Cordillera Blanca before descending back to BC. We were greeted back in camp by tea, soup and a great lunch followed by a siesta. Then this evening we ate another incredible dinner of soup, potatoes and chicken and a beautifully presented cake. Our cook, Hilario, is truly a master in his element. After our three-course meal we relaxed and watched a movie on the iPad before retiring to our tents for bed. Everyone is doing very well and spirits are high. Tomorrow we take a well deserved rest day after three days of solid effort. That's all for now. RMI Guide Geoff Schellens

After a very good night sleep we woke shortly after the sun kissed our tents and had an elegant breakfast of coffee, quinoa porridge, pancakes, and toast. Once we had had our fill we packed up camp, and started off for the day's hike. A light breeze kept the temps comfortable as we continued up the Santa Cruz Valley this morning. Shortly before noon we broke off the main trail and headed up a series of switchbacks to gain the high valley where base camp was waiting for us. Here we also caught our first glimpse of Alpamayo. We arrived into BC and settled into our tents and relaxed for the afternoon before tea time and then dinner. Our cook Hilario, is fantastic, every meal is better than the last, the team is becoming spoiled. It will be a sad day when we have to eat our freeze-dried dinners. Everyone is doing great, staying healthy and happy. Thanks for following along, more tomorrow. RMI Guide Geoff Schellens

We woke up earlier than we would have liked this morning and met for breakfast at 6:30 after putting the finishing touches on our packing. At 7:00 the van arrived and we loaded up and hit the road. By 10:30 we arrived at Cashapampa, the town at the trail head of the Santa Cruz Valley, unloaded the van, shuffled gear around and helped corral the donkeys to be loaded. Just after 11:00 we started up the trail, weaving through the narrow canyon for a bit before climbing up to more open, pleasant, terrain further up valley. Our donkeys passed us just before 5:00 PM and in half an hour more we found our camp at Llama Corral. Our cook, was already hard at work making an outstanding dinner for us. That's all for now, tomorrow we will make our way up to BC. RMI Guide Geoff Schellens

This morning we gathered for breakfast, drank our fill of coffee, and then hopped on our van for a 45 minute bumpy ride out of Huaraz. Once at our trail head we dawned our light packs and began hiking. Soon the rolling grass hills gave way to steeper rock steps and eventually Laguna Churup. Laguna Churup is a stunning alpine lake at 14,200' with fantastic views of the central Cordillera Blanca. Under perfectly blue skies and a light wind we had lunch and soon everyone stretched out on the rocks for a little nap. After a little siesta we started our descent back to the TH and then on to the hotel. The whole team did a great job today, I had to rein them in a few times as the excitement cranked up the pace. We are resting and doing some shopping this afternoon before dinner. Spirits are high and we are all excited to get on the trail tomorrow. Thanks for following along, RMI Guide Geoff Schellens & Team

Our RMI Alpamayo July 19th team has arrived. Late last and into the wee hours of the morning the team arrived in Lima and headed for our hotel. We met for breakfast and then loaded our van and began our 8 hour journey to Huaraz. We were all sound asleep before the van had left the busy streets of Lima. We traveled north along to coast for four hours before stopping for lunch. In the afternoon we started climbing up the narrow mountain road and eventually descended into the town of Huaraz. Huaraz is like the Chamonix of Peru, this beautiful town is at 10,000' and offers some amazing views of the central Cordillera Blanca. After settling into our very nice hotel we met our local guide, William, who showed us around the town and soon found ourselves at the Cafe Andino, the climbers Mecca in Huaraz, so we stopped in for dinner. We are all still tired and jet lagged so we are heading to bed early. Tomorrow we will go for a nice day hike to stretch the legs a bit. Everyone is doing great and the excitement is high. Thanks for following along. RMI Guide Geoff Schellens

RMI Guide Geoff Schellens led the Four Day Summit Climb team to the summit of Mt. Rainier this morning. While on the summit, Geoff reported cold and windy weather with clear skies. The team began their descent around 7:30 a.m. and will return to Ashford later this afternoon. Way to climb!

June 18, 2016 - 7:51 pm PT We woke up this morning at 3:00 AM to a wet snow fall on the lower Kahiltna Glacier. I personally stayed up all morning waiting for it to taper off. Finally at 6 we decided to push to the runway and see if we could get a flight out today. After a couple hours of walking we turned the corner and started up the Southeast Fork, aka Heartbreak Hill. At this point we heard some planes began landing and with the shear excitement of beer and burgers we made our way up to the landing strip. The weather was in and out so we didn't all get flights out immediately but throughout the early afternoon we all got off the glacier and flew back to Talkeetna. We are currently having dinner at the West Rib and preparing for a big night of celebration. RMI Guide Geoff Schellens

RMI Guide Geoff Schellens and Team called at 2:25 pm PST to let us know they have flown off of the mountain and expect to land in Talkeetna shortly. Congratulations Team!