Hello from the Garabashi Hut at 12,000 feet!
Elbrus Team 2 is officially on the mountain and we are doing great. After getting settled in we went for a nice hike up to 13,200 feet. Elbrus was out in all its glory and we enjoyed the incredible alp'esque views.
RMI Guide JJ Justman
Hello from Kilimanjaro!
Today the team woke to mostly clear skies, but the clouds in the distance told us we shouldn't linger long. So after a nice breakfast with fresh fruits and scrambled eggs we hit the trail headed uphill. We climbed up the rocky ridge that leads to the Shira Plateau making good time, stopping only to take breaks and let the endless line of porters pass as they easily made their way up with their loads carefully balanced their heads. It is astonishing how easy they made it look!
Our gracious crew had sprinted ahead to have camp waiting for us and it was a welcome site after hiking for just over 4 hours. We arrived in time for a hot lunch and thankfully, just before those clouds started to sprinkle on us.
Everyone is doing great, especially since we are all warm and dry in our camp.
RMI Guide Casey Grom and Crew
RMI Guide Brent Okita with the Four Day Summit Climb along with RMI Guide Mike Uchal and the Five Day Summit Climb were approaching Columbia Crest, the highest point on Mt. Rainier, at 7:00 am. Brent reported light winds and clear skies on a beautiful morning. The teams will spend some time on the summit before beginning their descent. We look forward to seeing the teams back in Ashford this afternoon.
Congratulations Climbers!
Yippee - TRULY, a mountain-top experience! I’m happy for you This is my third attempt to send you a comment. Barbara very generously posted my name on her
comment. I’m trying once more to do it correctly. Love Mom in Tigard
Posted by: Helen MacDonald on 7/30/2015 at 1:31 am
Congratulations Ruth and Martin!!!! We would love to see a photo soon !!!! Love, Cathy and Gopal
Posted by: Catherine Shrestha on 7/29/2015 at 2:16 pm
This morning we woke to coffee in bed and blue skies above. We had a leisurely morning, after breakfast we napped in the sun and slowly packed our bags. At mid day we had a delicious lunch and spent some more time packing and digesting before hoisting our packs and heading up to Moraine Camp. Everyone did a fantastic job getting up here. Shortly after we moved into the tents our porters arrived with tea and dinner, these guys are amazing! We are now enjoying the alpine glow on some of the surrounding peaks of the Cordillera Blanca before turning in for the night.
The team is doing great and very excited to be making up hill progress again.
Thanks for following along with us.
RMI Guide Geoff Schellens and the Alpamayo team
So far the “hike” sounds like one of those glamping vacations. Step it up guys! John-I hope you enjoyed the glacier bathing. I once jumped into a glacier lake near Lone Pine. My heart stopped for a few seconds. I thought of you almost every step of the 3200 steps I took tonight in the stairwell. You probably have a better view. I can’t wait to see your pictures. Tante
Jambo from Kilimanjaro everyone!
Today we let behind the comforts of the Dik Dik Lodge and set off for Kilimanjaro. We had a early breakfast then hit the road headed to the southwest side of Kilimanjaro where we'll be climbing the Machame route, also known as the Whiskey route because of its "intoxicating views". We arrived at the gate after two hours of driving through the beautiful rural countryside where we met up with the 40+ porters that will be helping us on this journey. We weighed all the gear, checked in with the park and hit the trail shortly after 11. It was a nice cool overcast day here in Kili which made for very enjoyable hiking temperatures. It took about 5 hours of hiking in the thick sub-tropical forest to reach our first camp which sits around 10'000ft. Once at camp we got things settled, then sat down to some much deserved tea and popcorn that our staff had prepared for us. A wonderful dinner followed shortly after that and we have all now climbed into our tents and are all looking forward to a good nights sleep.
Everyone is doing great.
RMI Guide Casey Grom and Crew
The Four Day Summit Climb led by RMI Guide Tyler Reid reached the summit of Mt. Rainier this morning. While on the summit, the team enjoyed pretty nice weather including moderate winds from the North and warming temperatures. The team has started their descent back to Camp Muir where they will rest and repack before continuing down to Paradise. We look forward to seeing back at BaseCamp in Ashford later this afternoon.
On the Emmons Glacier route of Mt. Rainier, RMI Guide Mike Walter led the Expedition Skills Seminar - Emmons to the summit as well. Mike and the team will spend their final night on the mountain at Camp Schurman before descending and returning to Ashford tomorrow.
Congratulations!
The Mt. Elbrus team had an amazing day hiking on Peak Cheget. It was sunny all day...don't take our word for it...check out the video!!!
RMI Guide JJ Justman
Today's blog is brought to you by the team:
July 27, 2015: Peru, South America with a group of Americans...
Our rest day today proved to bring out the restlessness in these children (yes, us). Promptly following coffee in bed and a two course breakfast, the team took to sun bathing. Once the Vitamin D production quotas were met for the day, the team selected their bathing suits and headed for the lake! A quick 20 minute hike led us to the alpine lake and picturesque view. Testosterone quickly kicked in when the team hit the rocky beach and noticed the glacier that was feeding ice into the lake. It took mere minutes for the team to jump in. Robert took a little convincing but peer pressure won the day. After an unforgettable day of bonding, we all feel blessed to have each other's company and grateful to be sharing this experience in such a majestic place. What happens on the mountain...gets posted to the blog.
Oh yea, almost forgot, we rode icebergs in a glacial lake! Who else can say they did that in July?!
RMI Guide Geoff Schellens and Team
Did someone say iceberg lettuce? Sorry, I couldn’t resist the produce pun John. Sounds like an amazing place and a truly memorable experience. Continue to enjoy and be safe! - Kim R.
Posted by: Kim Reddin on 7/28/2015 at 5:23 pm
Stenderup!!! What did you do with the WG Market update? I can’t find it!!! ... just kidding .. :)
Hope you are doing well and having fun! The Gowdy clan is pulling for you and praying for safety for you and the whole team. All the best brother! - Luke
Hello everyone and welcome to RMI's third Kilimanjaro's trip of the season -
The team arrived late last night after our very long and tiring flights from the U.S. We were greeted by the wonderful staff from the Dik Dik lodge with warm smiles and a little champagne to toast our arrival.
After a short and quiet ride to our lodge we had a quick dinner then headed off to bed to catch up on some much needed sleep.
The team met this morning at breakfast with fresh fruits, homemade bread and jam, and plenty of good Tanzanian coffee.
We then got together for a formal round of introductions and a overview of the upcoming adventure. We discussed our plan for the climb and made sure everyone has all the necessary gear to keep us safe and warm on Kilimanjaro.
We then took a short break and went for a stroll on the beautiful grounds hoping to catch sight of some of the monkeys that often visit. Then we did a little packing and caught up on a little more sleep to help get adjusted to the big time difference.
We finished the evening with an amazing 5 course meal with great conversations, and everyone is squared away and looking forward to hitting the trail tomorrow as well as getting a little exercise.
RMI Guide Casey Grom
Our team left the hustle and bustle of Moscow early this morning and made our way to the mountains. We had a long day of flying and driving to get here and we are excited to be in the Baksan Valley at the base of Mt. Elbrus. Everyone is in great spirits so we are going to just relax thus evening and listen to the thunderstorms roll on through. Tomorrow is another day and sun or no sun...it's great to be in the mountains!
RMI Guide JJ Justman
Hi Brian,
Love the blog and the photos/videos. Keep having fun and we will keep following your progress. We all love you!
Posted by: molly and mom on 7/29/2015 at 9:50 pm
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