Entries from Expedition Dispatches
Today is a tough one to put into words. Amazingly bitter sweet is the only honest way I can aptly describe the team's fruit basket of emotions after the outcome of today's Antisana summit attempt.
When the alarm again went off at 10:30 pm, this time in a grassy pasture three miles removed from the base of the mountain, I couldn't help but cringe. It was only when I flopped out of the tent that my spirits lifted. It was perfect out! A full moon illuminated Ecuador's most elusive glaciated summit and from what we saw the day before, things looked promising. To lay it out, our climbing team was comprised of four team members and three guides. Two of our team members went back to the states early due to illness and three more decided to forego the climb to focus more on the skills side of this program. Don't forget, we have the highest mountain yet to come.
We ate a small breakfast and did our best to make sure those still sleeping were adequately bothered by the climbers heading off with no sleep. A 30-minute jeep ride brought us to the start of the moraine and 60 minutes later we were putting crampons on to begin heading up the glacier. I had to put moon screen on so not to burn my cheeks, it was that bright.
Six hours of the most beautiful, engaging and aesthetic mountain climbing I've ever done in Ecuador landed us on a nice flat spot just as the sun was rising. The moon was still full and the alpenglow was incredible. The bitter was about to balance the sweet. Five-hundred feet below what we thought was an inevitable successful summit was a crevasse running the entire width of the glacier. Farit asked if we could jump across and I told him we didn't practice that skill yet. He shrugged and said "ok". Our sweet hopes for a proud summit were instantly dashed. So goes the unpredictable nature of mountain climbing.
After returning to camp where the rest of the team was practicing skills, a rapid pack up ensued and it was into the magic bus and off to a beautiful hacienda resting almost on the foothills of Cotopaxi itself. Hot showers, cervesas and clean beds were a welcomed reward to get us psyched for what's to come. Our third and final mountain awaits tomorrow. No matter the outcome, knowing the trip is coming to a close will also be bitter sweet. Shaun and Nichole, we miss you.
RMI Guide Adam Knoff
Posted by: Mike King
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Aconcagua
We got down off the mountain yesterday, after a fairly quick hike out from Pampa de Leñas in the cool shade of an early morning. The team moved well, quickly pushing through the last remaining miles towards internal combustion and cold beverages. After checking out with the guardaparques, we grabbed a bite to eat in Penitentes, hopped into our transport, and settled in for the trip back to Mendoza.
Once back in the city, a round of hot showers was in order. After that, we headed down to one of my favorite restaurants here, El Patio Azul de Jesus Maria, where the team feasted on various cuts of meat, enjoyed delicious Malbec, and reminisced about our excellent adventure. The camaraderie and friendship was abundant, and was the perfect complement to our meal.
You know, sometimes you have to step back from a thing to grasp its true measure...and this trip certainly qualifies. While we were fortunate enough to climb onto the summit of the mountain, the real value was not necessarily that point in time or space. Rather, it is the journey we shared over the last three weeks, the sunrises and sunsets witnessed, the in-the-moment focus required to cross rivers and snowy trails, the laughter and human connections made over grilled steak and pots of ramen. While we may part company in a few short days, these memories and shared experiences will continue to give us immeasurable satisfaction, and allow us to return to our lives with new vision and appreciation.
Thanks for following our journey. May it be food for the soul!
RMI Guide Garrett Stevens
Beautiful sentiment.
Posted by: Ken on 1/17/2014 at 6:37 pm
Posted by: Billy Nugent, Katrina Bloemsma, Walter Hailes
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Aconcagua
Elevation: 18,000'
Today marked the passing of yet another rest day. We hung out at Camp 2 along with many others; Katrina counted more than 67 tents in camp today. We sat the day out watching all sorts of crazy weather over the course of the day: Intense sun/heat, chilly breezes, pelting graupel and hail, puking snow, and continual thunder and lightning all afternoon... Pretty exciting. It seems the horde of other climbers have a very similar strategy to us. Our team is well-rested and ready to move up to Plaza Cólera (our high Camp 3) in what looks to be marginal weather tomorrow putting us in position to take a crack at the summit in better weather on Saturday. A strong wind event is forecasted to begin ramping up with moderate winds on Sunday and over 60 mph winds forecasted for Monday. Hopefully we can nail it but it certainly has been a bit of a chess match with the mountain and the weather.
Wish us luck as we roll out on our summit push over the next two days,
RMI Guides Billy, Walt, Katrina, and the Whole Gang!
Scott - Good luck on making the summit on the first try. Be well! Dad & Mom
Posted by: Ralph on 1/17/2014 at 2:24 pm
Following this blog feels akin to watching classic Hitchcock. The suspense!
Sending positive thoughts your way for favorable conditions, focused minds, and strong bodies.
Posted by: Geoff on 1/16/2014 at 10:16 pm
Posted by: JJ Justman, Mike King, Steve Gately
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Aconcagua
Elevation: 13,800'
We have arrived at base camp! Our team is in full effect chilling. We had a beautiful last day trekking up the Relinchos Valley, and guess what!? The Old Spice worked! We had a family of guanacos checking us out as we filled up water bottles at a nearby stream.
The cowboys that have graciously helped us waved goodbye as they rode past. Aconcagua was out for most of the day as we walked in. The team is doing great and it's so nice to unload all our gear without having to pack it all up for the mules. Now, we get to rest and relax at 13,800 feet.
RMI Guide JJ Justman & Team
? Blind-folded Donkey’s. You guys must all be pretty confident if you hired blind jackasses to hlp the team!
Posted by: Sandy reierson on 1/18/2014 at 9:25 am
Way to go Team 6! Waiting for very cool photos of Lew Smith on top of Aconcagua
Posted by: Rob Pierson on 1/17/2014 at 6:12 pm
It's hard to believe our trip is already half over! We have seen some incredible places and have had the opportunity to climb three peaks so far: one big mountain and a couple of smaller peaks. Along the way, the team has really come together and has definitely gotten in to the "groove" of expedition climbing. It's great to see everyone working together to set up camps, take care of chores, and take care of each other.
Today was a technical skills training day. We slept in until 7 am, then loaded in to a couple of 4x4 vehicles and began an exciting off-road drive to the base of Antisana. An hour or so of hiking brought us to the toe of the glacier, where we donned our crampons and ice axes for the hike to our training area for the day. Today's topics were crevasse rescue, rappelling, and fixed line travel.
After a few quick demonstrations, everyone had time to practice the various skills at a number of different stations. As guides, our job was easy today! Everyone was helping each other master the techniques and all we had to do was stay out of the way and watch the magic happen! It was great to see folks working as a team and to see everyone so eager to learn and help out.
Back at base camp, it's almost 7 pm now and everyone is tucked away in their tents. Half of our team is going to wake up in just a few hours for a summit bid; the other half has opted instead for another day of rest and technical skills practice, giving themselves the best odds on Cotopaxi in a few days.
That's all for now! Wish our summit team well tonight as they head up for the first ever RMI attempt at Antisana!
RMI Guide Nick Hunt
Best of luck, be safe and stay warm. Love Dad.
Posted by: Nick Boekenoogen on 1/16/2014 at 8:30 pm
Good luck everyone. Hope both teams see the top. Take care!
Posted by: Greg Hunt on 1/16/2014 at 6:29 pm
Posted by: Billy Nugent, Walter Hailes, Katrina Bloemsma
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Aconcagua
Elevation: 18,000'
Greetings friends, relatives, loves ones, roommates, neighbors, acquaintances, enemies, stalkers, etc. We've made it safely up to a crowded Camp 2 (Guanacos Campo, Chopper Camp) and settled into our tents. The move from Camp 1 was largely uneventful except for partly cloudy skies which made for rapid, drastic temperature changes... Freeze or fry, as they say, never comfortable. We moved extremely well despite the slightly funky weather and big loads and were greeted by the many Camp 2 inhabitants. We actually had to use our snow shovel and a borrowed McCloud to grade out new tent platforms in the dirt. Moving earth turned out to be quite a bit more taxing than the actual climbing! Anyway, we are all here feeling the altitude a bit but doing well nonetheless. Tomorrow's plan is largely dependent on the weather forecast we get tonight, wish us luck and good favor with Mother Nature!
All for now,
RMI Guide Billy Nugent
On The Map
Hope the weather is good tomorrow Dawn & Len . We are following every step of the way - good luck to all.
Posted by: sue Menduk on 1/16/2014 at 5:11 am
Hi Jeff we are watching your progress, many well wishers from work and family. We miss you and love you Debbie, Andrew and Madison
Posted by: Debbie on 1/15/2014 at 7:23 pm
Posted by: JJ Justman, Mike King, Steve Gately
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Aconcagua
Elevation: 10,550'
The team is at Casa de Piedra, which in Spanish means... house of...Piedra. It was another gorgeous day of trekking in the Vacas Valley. Everyone is doing great and we are excited to be one step closer to base camp. For me it's always fun to hear and see the expressions on people's faces as they truly appreciate how beautiful it is here.
We had a condor sighting, which is rare in the towering mountains. However, the elusive guanaco is nowhere to see. I'm pretty sure if I put on some Old Spice it will attract some for the team. Stay tuned!!
RMI Guide JJ Justman
Well done, dad (Lew Smith)! Keep going strong! We hope you are having a great time down there. Climb on!
Love you,
Kyle and Stephanie
Posted by: Kyle A. Smith on 1/17/2014 at 8:41 am
Good going Mom! Stuff is great at home….. don’t worry….
Posted by: Buddy on 1/15/2014 at 6:11 pm
Leaving Papallacta behind today wasn't easy. We only spent a single night there, relaxing our muscles in the natural hot springs, but I'm sure many of us were ready to call it home. Wifi, beds, good food, cozy cabins... But alas, we must move on and continue what we came out here to do. The glistening white slopes of Antisana are calling out to us!
Our day did began with some sad news, however. Two of our climbers made the difficult decision to head home early due to a debilitating illness. We will miss them on the rest of our journey and we hope for a speedy recovery once they get back.
On paper, today's objective was to establish base camp at Antisana. In practice, however, it felt like our objective was to eat as much food as possible! After packing our gear, we ate a hearty breakfast at our hacienda, complete with fresh fruit, cheese, eggs, and bread. We loaded our gear and headed down the road toward Antisana. En route we stopped at a beautiful eco-lodge nestled at the base of a rocky cliff, famous for its native condor population. There, before our breakfast really had a chance to digest, we sat down for a delicious four course lunch. In truth, most of us probably could've stopped eating after the appetizers, but our insistent hostess made sure we finished the full meal. From there, another thirty minutes of driving brought us to the field that we'll call home for the next few days.
We spent the evening setting up camp, practicing various knots, hitches and bends, and (you guessed it!) more eating! Now the night is coming to a close, and everyone is inside their tents, resting up for another full day of training tomorrow.
RMI Guide Adam Knoff
Today was a big day for the team. Our 9 a.m. launch saw us cruising down the Relinchos Valley in good style and at a good pace, with a little bit of swagger in our step. The first river crossing was enough to wake up the feet, and by the time we hit the bottom and started across the Vacas River we were in full stride.
After a nice foot/leg bath in the cold and swift Vacas River, we were on the good track that runs down and out the valley. It was a long hike, and while the scenery helped occupy some of the time, by the 9th hour most folks were ready for the welcome sight of Pampa de Leñas, our campsite for the night.
We arrived and promptly set up tents. Good thing, too, as a rain squall passed up the valley and forced our crew into the small stone shelter next to the guardaparque hut. The rain couldn't dampen our spirits or our appetites, though, and we feasted on fresh asado (beef grilled over wood coals) and vegetable salad, washed down with delicious red wine.
The expedition is almost over, and the laughter drifting out of the cramped little shelter told the tale of new friends made, challenging experiences shared, and a bond that has turned this group of strangers into a strong, cohesive team. We'll finish the last little hike tomorrow, head into town, and rejoin the ranks of the civilized folks. Thanks for watching our progress, and keep it tuned in for the last of our updates.
RMI Guide Garrett Stevens
So proud of you Stefan and all the team. Have enjoyed this blog so much. Knowing you have been safe and having a good trip has taken a lot of stress off everyone here at home. Can’t wait for you to get back so we can hear all the stories. See you soon friend.
Posted by: Martha on 1/15/2014 at 4:15 am
Posted by: JJ Justman, Mike King, Steve Gately
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Aconcagua
Elevation: 9,000'
Hello folks! It's JJ and the Aconcagua Team reporting live from Pampa de Las Lenas at 9,000 feet. It's phenomenal to finally hit the trail with the team. And what a team it is! We have brothers and sisters, old climbing buddies and now new friends.
We had a hot and blistery day trekking in the heat. Sunscreen and lip balm was in full effect. However now it is cloudy and we received a few drops of rain, which we welcomed with open arms. The guides are busy chopping fresh vegetables that we are going to grill along with a big slab of beef.
It's one of my favorite things...hanging out with the cowboys and the team. The cowboys like it when you ask questions and it's interesting to learn about their lifestyle. They work hard for it and it's nice to enjoy a great evening of food and their favorite drink...orange Tang.
RMI Guide JJ Justman
On The Map
Awesome photo! Great job, dad (Lew Smith)! Best of luck to you and the team! Climb smart, and climb on!
Love you!
Kyle
Posted by: Kyle A. Smith on 1/17/2014 at 8:43 am
Hey Denise, This is so cool! I love seeing your progress. Yahoo! Be Safe! Have the best time. Make snow angel for me when you get to the fluffy white stuff!
Sputter Dog says Hey!
Posted by: Mary Fox on 1/15/2014 at 9:22 am
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Dang!
Best of luck on your next attempt. You guys can do it! Go team Ecuador.
Posted by: Greg Hunt on 1/17/2014 at 10:07 am
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