We left Moscow early this morning, leaving the city's quiet streets behind for the forest of pine that surround Moscow's Domodevo Airport. The calm morning was broken as soon as we arrived at the airport, with travelers packing the main terminal trying to check-in for their flights. With plenty of time to navigate the crowds, we found our check in counter and meandered through the serpentine line to the front, doing our best to keep our towering carts of climbing gear from toppling over on the unsuspecting passerby. Despite the complete language barrier checking in for our flight was smooth and easy and before long we were climbing the steps into our neon green 737 for the flight to Mineralnye Vody.
The two and a half hour flight took us from Moscow south across the farmland of central Russia to the foothills of the Caucasus. Thankfully all of our bags appeared on the carousel in Mineralnye Vody and we shouldered our duffel bags and navigated the chaotic parking lot outside to our van (conveniently parked, we all noted, in the farthest possible point from the door of the baggage claim). After cramming all of our duffel bags and 9 passengers into the narrow van, we took off down the highway bound for the mountains.
The drive from Mineralnye Vody to the village of Cheget in the Baksan Valley with the base of Mt. Elbrus took about 3.5 hours and brought us from the busy agricultural centers near the airport deep into the heart of the Caucasus. In the small towns on the way to the mountain we passed little markets and stores spilling out onto the streets, dozens of errant cows lounging in the roadway, and a tungsten mine and former factory used in the Soviet Space Program, long since shut down and now in the process of being reclaimed by the forest.The recent rains in the area still left thick clouds hanging throughout the peaks when we reached the little ski town of Cheget. We have yet to catch a view of the high Caucasus or Mt. Elbrus, but the clouds started to thin as we finished dinner and we are hopeful that the views will prove more rewarding tomorrow on our acclimatization hike.
We are staying in a small ski lodge at the base of the Cheget ski resort, where we will be until Wednesday. The rooms are comfortable and the food hearty. We are all very pleased to be in the mountains and looking forward to our hike tomorrow.
RMI Guide Linden Mallory
Hello friends and family of Rainier Mountaineering. This is J.J. Justman really happy to report that our entire team is on the summit of Mt. Elbrus as we speak at 18,510’. We had a great day today. We actually started out pretty iffy weather, there were a lot of clouds, winds, sleet, snow and rain but it parted ways. We started out about 3 in the morning and wouldn’t you know it, we toughed it out, we are in a little bit of a white out. We wish we could have better photos but we are on top.
Everyone wants to say hello to friend and family back home. I’d like to definitely give a shout out to the folks back at RMI: Autumn, Sarah, Melissa, Lacey and Casey for helping to get this trip started the right way. Definitely helps me focus on what I need to focus on and that was making sure our team was acclimatized and having fun. What do you say guys, are you having a fun time? [Cheers in background].
So, we are a little tired and we still have a little bit of work to do so we are going to start heading down hill. Chaio from Russia.
That was Vladimir our co-guide along here with me, it was great climbing with him. We will have some photos and videos for all of you of our terrific summit day. We will send them tomorrow when we descend to the village of Cheget at the base of Mt. Elbrus.
RMI Guide J.J. Justman
RMI Guide JJ Justman calls in from the summit of Mt. Elbrus.
The Four Day Summit Climb July 6 - 9 teams reached the summit of Mt. Rainier around 7 a.m. PT led by RMI Guides Pete Van Deventer and Tyler Reid.
Clear skies and beautiful sunshine today around Mt. Rainier National Park.
Congratulations to today's summit teams!
Plenty of snow came down overnight and throughout the day. The team did a great job getting out in the night to dig out tents, despite the mean winds that made the morning a bit rough. By about 10 AM though, winds were lessening and we were able to have a group breakfast in the rebuilt POSH tent. Walking even a few steps out of camp, one was generally up to mid-thigh in the new snow... meaning we didn't walk out of camp much. We let it snow. We rested. We read. We chatted. We passed time and then we ate dinner. The eight o'clock weather forecast was eagerly anticipated and it actually gave some reason for optimism this time. We were told that the snows would fade this evening and that tomorrow (Monday) wouldn't be half bad. And that is good. We need a day that includes a bit of sun to settle the avalanche hazard surrounding us.
As we came out from dinner and prepared camp for another night of storm, we were pleased to get a break. The sun appeared (briefly) and we were able to see the entire West Buttress and South Peak and even a splash of blue sky overhead. Perhaps it was the new snow covering everything or maybe it was because we hadn't had much scenery at all to look at lately, but we found the view to be breathtaking and brilliant.
Best Regards,
RMI Guide Dave Hahn
ive been thinking about how this whole pursuit of mountain tops ... and how in it (and elsewhere) you never leave yourself to waiting ... for anything ... except the snow, now, but you seem to have settled your piece with nature and i expect she’ll oblige and i suppose its less like waiting when you’ve keenly nestled yourself so high above sanity
perhaps this is one the moments when you ask yourself ‘why’ ? ... this seems unlikely to
... did i mention im envious of your adventure ?
Posted by: jessica on 7/10/2012 at 10:04 pm
Dr K
Should be another good workout in “thigh deep” powder going up. Our thoughts are with you. Good luck.
At 3:30 this morning I was startled awake by what I thought was the rumbling of a distant avalanche. Perhaps my mountain senses have an automatic alertness to these deep thunderous roars that will pull me from the deepest sleep. As I poked my head out of the tent door, I remembered where we are.
Two days ago I broke the news to the team that a serious storm was brewing and the risk of staying at high camp, in my opinion, outweighed the reward of a potential summit. Going for the top on Monday or Tuesday would put our total time there at eight or nine days, well beyond anyone's preference. So we packed camp with heavy hearts and set off on our descent.
We moved efficiently down to eleven thousand feet where we rested for six hours. The alarm went off at 5:00 am to no one's delight and we headed toward basecamp at 7:30. By 3:00 pm we were drinking MGD and relaxing in the sun. K2 aviation was optimistic about flying us off so morale, all things considered, was high. That was until one hour later the clouds moved in and it began to to snow. That was more than 24 hours ago.
Now as I write this at 4 pm on Sunday, we have received two feet of snow. Welcome to Mt. McKinley! We have all just come in for lunch after two solid hours stomping down the runway so if the storm does abate, planes might fly. This is all we hope for now, the high pitch sound of propellers and don't think twice about those avalanches in the distance.
This is Adam Knoff signing out.
Thnx to all for your comments & thoughts—it meant alot to us all up there.
Even though we didn’t summit, we all had an epic time—great guides, climbing buds & I know The West Rib & The Fairview Inn will not soon forget us that “last night” in Talkeetna.
For the record, I played & sang a couple of songs at “open mic tues”—DG & Uch witnessed the “trainwreck” the extra nite we stayed.
Again, what a time…and Joe H—the cache ate your snowshoes—it wasn’t Mike’s fault!
Tim
Posted by: tim mclaughlin on 7/12/2012 at 7:20 pm
Tim, glad to hear you are all well. Look forward to your return to Wenatchee. Bart
We spent the day visiting the heart of Moscow today, walking through places familiar from a lifetime of hearing their names but only witnessing for the first time - Red Square, Kremlin, Bolshoy...
We left the hotel this morning and crossed the two bridges spanning the Moscow River and walked along the walls of the Kremlin until we reached Red Square. After wandering through the area for a bit we met our Tour Guide, Nina, for a tour of the city. In fluent English tinted by a distinct Russian accent, she spent the next three hours recounting stories, history, and significances of the many places we bounced between. First walking around St. Basil's Cathedral, the ornately decorated church on the south side of Red Square, we then passed through the GUM Department Store, the beautiful former Soviet State Store now turned luxury shopping mall. Between the stores full of familiar Western brands - Levi's, Prada, Jaques Cartier - she also recounted her personal experiences transitioning from Communist Russia to life in Moscow today, explaining the differences in food choices to retirement.
Across from the Bolshoy theater we descended into Moscow's subway system, hopping trains between several of the impressively ornate underground stations, many covered with mosaics, frescos, and hanging crystal chandeliers, before emerging into the sunlight back at the entrance to the Kremlin. We then walked beneath the thick red brick walls into the center of the Kremlin, passing throughout the churches and monuments in the heart of the Russian Government.
By late afternoon we returned to the hotel and spent a few hours of down time before dinner, trying to shake the last of the jet lag. Tomorrow we leave Moscow and fly to the foothills of the Caucasus Mountains to reach the foot of Mt. Elbrus. The team enjoyed Moscow and we are excited to head into the mountains and begin the climbing.
We will check in tomorrow from our hotel in the Baksan Valley.
RMI Guide Linden Mallory
The Four Day Summit Climb teams led by Brent Okita and Andres Marin reached the summit this morning in beautiful skies… and strong winds. Brent said, “It’s windy but best day of the year so far.” Clouds started to form on the summit as the teams began their descent to Camp Muir.
Check out the Mt. Rainier live webcams on our website.
Mountain Guides can be a superstitious bunch. So as we did a little bit of training including rope travel, self arrest and cramponing in our second day of gorgeous weather. My superstitious side is coming out.
Tomorrow is our summit day on Elbrus and we are knocking on wood that the weather stays beautiful. But if I may ask all of you (because this worked for me before), please leave a comment on this post wishing our team luck. The more posts we get from you the better the weather will be. And that means great photos and video to share with all of you when we get safely down.
RMI Guide JJ Justman
The weather forecast was right on this time... A day of snow. It was a little bit like the inside of a milk bottle for most of the time. There were a few hours when the clouds were thinner and the sun's heat could be felt through the storm, but the snowflakes never quit falling. It was not going to be a climbing day for our team and so we turned it into a fine rest day. Solveig Waterfall taught an excellent course in avalanche beacon use. Tim Hardin and Cody Doolan built the mother of all snow kitchens. The team listened patiently to old guide stories and chatted over the current events we could pick up from the Anchorage FM stations. We had a few sessions of cutting snow blocks and building walls around the tents. Mostly this was done for exercise and to get warm, since as yet this particular storm hasn't come with the wind which would necessitate walls. We are happy for that and are somewhat resigned to another day or two of this same system.
Best,
RMI Guide Dave Hahn
Dear Cathy,I’m happy to hear that everybody is doing well even thought the weather is not colaborating. Just be pacient and careful and not to worry because you guys will make it to the top. Do not forget the pictures!!!
Posted by: Carmen Allen on 7/9/2012 at 2:28 pm
Cathy,
I enjoy reading the blog every morning. I hope the conditions will get better soon and you can move on! Alan and I need you for a long overdue ER meeting back here in San Diego!
Good luck to you and the team,
Gerhard
Adam Knoff called into the office just before 6PM. With a storm expected, the team was hoping to make it to basecamp in order to fly off in front of the storm. The weather didn't quite hold and it began to snow in the last hour upon reaching basecamp. The team's plan to unwind in Talkeetna has been thwarted until further notice.
Adam and team, was glad to read the posting that you were down to base camp. Sorry your summit hopes didn’t work out this time. Thanks for blogging and helping your mom not worry so much :). Hope to see or hear from you soon Adam. I hope you got out today? Love Kris
Posted by: Kris Bowditch on 7/9/2012 at 8:17 pm
Nels,
I know you are probably pissed about your current situation, but I can’t wait for you to be back on the grid! I miss you and I have so much to tell you! Stay safe and keep writing.
xoxo EB
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We’re glad you (and all your bags) made it to Cheget. Climb safely! We’ll keep checking in on the blog for updates.
Posted by: Kristin PIngree on 7/9/2012 at 11:28 pm
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