We're back! Hi everyone, sorry, we have been back at high camp for an hour but we have been going gonzo on the snow melting. Needless to say, after a 12-hour day, our team is thirsty!
We all want to thank everyone who followed us during our expedition. It was really great to see and hear the support and I contribute that to everyone on the team reaching the Aconcagua summit.
We will post a couple of blogs on our way out but I wanted to send a quick note letting everyone know we are tired but doing great! Tomorrow we head down to Base Camp.
RMI Guide JJ Justman
We enjoyed great weather on Cotopaxi this morning which enabled the team to go 2 for 2! To help describe the beauty of our surroundings today, I hope you enjoy the photos in our blog post... Our ascent took just under seven hours in nearly calm but frigid conditions. As the dawn began to break we were unfortunately climbing on the shaded side of the mountain and felt no relief from the cold until we were kissed by the sun on the summit. Despite the cold morning 6 of our 8 climbers persevered to enjoy the glorious sunrise from the top. A strong team on the way up doesn't always mean a strong team on the way down. Lucky for us, everyone descended exceptionally well and we found ourselves back at the Refugio drinking coffee by 10 am after a 2:30 descent! Anyway, the gang is back in Quito safe and sound, resting up for a celebratory dinner this evening before we all hustle back to our real lives. It's been tons of fun, thanks for following along!
Godspeed.
RMI Guide Billy Nugent
Hey everyone, this is JJ Justman, I have an incredible news story coming to you live on the summit of Aconcagua. Hey everyone. Everyone on Team 3 made the summit of Aconcagua at 1:30 (ART) this afternoon. 100%! The team did just absolutely fantastic. Team give a shout out to everyone back at home. [Cheers from the team!] I'll tell you its always a tough day getting up here, but the rewards are great. Beautiful day climbing. We are the only ones on the summit of Aconcagua right now. There is a little bit of wind so hopefully I'm not yelling too loud, but definitely want to let you guys know that everyone did great, everyone's safe and sound. We're gonna take a few hero shots and then we're gonna start heading down hill. Thanks for following a long. We will touch base with you when we get back to high camp. Everyone's doing great. Everyone says hello to family and friends. Take care from the summit of Aconcagua.
Congratulations to Tom Shilson! Your guess of 1:23 is the winning summit time. An RMI t-shirt and hat is on its way to you!
RMI Guide JJ Justman
We're all checked in at the Hotel Colonial in Puebla. If you're counting, that's less than 10 hours after standing on the summit of Ixta!
We got up this morning at 2:30AM under clear skies and no moon. The view of the city lights from Amecameca to Mexico City was really cool. The guys made quick work of getting ready and we started just after 3:30. The talus field leading up to the Ayaloco glacier was our first challenge but my guiding partner Alejandro stepped up with local knowledge on the ever-shifting route. He plotted the course to the toe of the glacier without issue. After a quick transition to crampons we dispatched with the climb up the Ayaloco. Once we crested the ridge the wind whipped up and it was parka time for most of us. Our only hold up of the day came after we had put the crampons back in the pack to walk the 'Arista del Sol'. We hit an unexpected section of ice a few hundred feet below the summit plateau and had to transition back to the spikes. Other than that it was smooth sailing for us right to the summit. The wind calmed to a light breeze for our pictures up top and we found a sheltered spot for a nice long break just below the summit.
The way down to high camp was completed in three stretches and to my surprise there was very little grumbling as we down climbed the talus. Kudos boys. Having made such good time on the climb we were able to enjoy some extra breaks on the walk down from high camp. The icing on the cake was when we were met by our super-driver, Rogelio, with tortas, chips, sodas and cervesas back at the trail head.
He tortas were good but they're just the tip of the iceberg for we are in Puebla, home of many delicious foods. The team is waiting for me, it's dinner time!
RMI Guide Seth Waterfall
Well, well, well! Here we are! High Camp at 19,600 feet. And let me tell ya, it is great to be here in the thin air. It's like I tell my climbers, "The higher we go, the better we feel!" And even though it goes against physiology at altitude, I believe the mental mantra is working. Everyone is feeling great!
Tomorrow is summit day. We have a great forecast and we are keeping our fingers crossed. Most likely we will have light winds and some clouds building late afternoon. It is looking like a beautiful day. With that said, I have a challenge for you RMI blog enthusiasts, and make sure you share this challenge with as many folks you know.
On this blog post click on the comment button and place your guess. What time (Argentina Time: ART) will our team summit Aconcagua tomorrow December 17th? Our team will be leaving high camp around 5 AM (ART).
Whoever gets the closest time will win an RMI t-shirt and baseball cap. Please include your email address along with your answer.
Again put your guess in the comment section of this blog posting only.
Wish us luck!!
RMI Guide JJ Justman
The time spent relaxing at Chilcabamba was wonderful but like all good things came to an end. Fortunately for us, there will be more excitement to come as our adventure continues. We are about to make our move up to the Jose Ribas Refugio on Cotopaxi (over 16,000') where we hope to get a little nap in before launching for the summit very early tomorrow morning. The weather pattern has been promising and with a little luck we will all be taking hero pics and exchanging high fives on the summit! But we're not counting our chickens before the eggs hatch, Cotopaxi is a big mountain and deserves respect. Wish us luck!
More on the alpine escapades of this intrepid group as our program continues... Stay with us!
RMI Guide Billy Nugent
6:21 a.m. from the summit of Ixtaccihuatl:
Hey this is Seth calling from the top of Ixta. I am up here with everybody. There is very little wind and it was a smooth climb. The team is taking a bunch of photos and enjoying the views. You can see all of the volcanoes today: Nevado de Toluca, Pico de Orizaba, La Malinche, Sierra Negra…and Popo is also out. It is a beautiful cloudless day with no wind. [lots of background cheering from the team] We will check in again from high camp later today.
Congratulations Team!
RMI Guide Seth Waterfall
Whew! After several strenuous days, the team has been relaxing at Chilcabama, a traditional Ecuadorian farmhouse. The surrounding countryside is beautiful, with a knockout view of Cotopaxi. Our day has been spent on exploratory walks, extensive eating, pestering the resident llama, and gazing at Cotopaxi through the hotel's spyglass. Tomorrow we head up to the Cotopaxi hut for our next summit bid. Wish us luck!
RMI Guides Billy Nugent, Katie Bono & Team
Yesterday we drove five hours south of Quito to Ecuador's highest mountain, Chimborazo. News from other local guides provided mixed information. We heard there was a bit of new snow on the route which contrary to popular belief actually makes the route safer. What we found was nothing of the sort. For many years the north side of Chimborazo has been melting making rockfall an increasing concern. Having a bad gut feeling I could not ignore, I spoke with the other guides and we decided climbing up with ten other climbers ahead of us was too risky on a route with substantial rock fall hazard. During the night two team members began having diarrhea and a guide threw up. I took this as a sign and began to reevaluate the situation. Over breakfast the guides laid out an alternative mountain that we felt would have a much better chance of success given the teams health and über challenging route on Chimborazo. A discussion was held and a difficult but good decision was made to abandon Chimborazo and go to Illiniza Sur. This will be a more technically challenging but safer and shorter climb. We are all a bit bummed to not be giving our main objective a shot but also psyched we are all still together. We leave the hostel tonight at eleven and will send word of the climb tomorrow. Stay tuned.
RMI Guide Adam Knoff
We are all watching your precarious adventures biting our nails from the coffee shop in Los Angeles. Worried sick that Clark will get a blister or lose his beauty sleep (he can’t afford to!). He said he was tired of walking the dog everyday but don’t you think this is a bit extreme, Clark?
Wishing you all safe passage home!
XO, from all of us here at sea level
Posted by: Ted Craig CJ on 1/16/2013 at 3:29 pm
Sorry to hear about the hardships but I had to go back to work today and that’s no fun either…haha I hope everyone feels better and you can all end the trip on a high note.
Hello from high camp on Ixta! Everyone did great today, the tents are up and I'm about to start cooking dinner.
This morning we got up at 6:30 and had bacon and eggs for breakfast. After packing our gear we got a ride from our driver to La Joya, which is where the trail starts. It took us five hours to reach high camp with the big packs but we have plenty of time to relax before we go to the summit.
Hopefully the next time I check in we'll be standing on top of Ixta!
RMI Guide Seth Waterfall
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Congrats Greg, I think your my hero now. Good job buddy, be safe.
Fin
Posted by: Rick finlay on 1/18/2013 at 10:39 am
So proud of you Cousin! Another one crossed off the list.
Love you and safe travels back down!
Holly
Posted by: Holly McHugh on 1/17/2013 at 10:13 pm
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