Hey everybody, this is Casey from RMI checking in from the Cotopaxi Express Ascent. We are currently on the summit of Cotopaxi with everyone! We are 100% today. It was a tough climb and took just over 7 and a half hours. A little bit of new snow, definitely some slow going. Everyone did fantastic. Not too much of a view right now. We're actually up here in the clouds and can’t really see much other than our little faces. Everybody is doing well. Our plan is to take a few photos up here and then start back to the hut. We will check in a little later on today.
RMI Guide Casey Grom
RMI Guide Casey Grom calls from the summit of Cotopaxi!
Congrats Everyone, I am not a big fan of climbing but I was excited to watch you ascend to the Summit and learned that it is truly a team sport. Good work and enjoy the next day relaxing. Love you, Billy C
Hello everybody back home, this is Casey Grom checking in from the RMI Cotopaxi trip. We wanted to let you know that we're all here just below 16000’ at the Cotopaxi hut. We had a nice morning, a great breakfast with some eggs, cereal and yogurt and a nice relaxing start to the day. We went for a short walk, about 45 minutes, up to where we could access the glacier. We spent about 2 hours reviewing some of the techniques that are going to be applicable for tonight's climb.
Everyone seems to be doing great. The weather's been a bit in and out today, some snow and a little bit of light rain. And currently we are kind of socked in a cloud but not much precipitation. The team has just finished dinner and we had a little pre- summit climb chat. Everyone is off to bed right now. So, our plan is to try to get up and leave about 12:30 and hopefully will reach the summit just after sunrise. If we get the opportunity we will try to give a call from the summit. And if not, we will certainly give a call as soon as we return back to the hut. Thanks for following, and we will talk to you guys later on.
RMI Guide Casey Grom
RMI Guide Casey Grom checks in from 16,000' on Cotopaxi.
Another day drifting in the Vinson Basecamp milk bottle, surrounded by whiteness. Except it was fun. The RMI team competed in a snow sculpture contest with the New Zealand team and the German Team today. TA built a Canadian living room replica, complete with couch, fireplace, TV and maple leaf. Then she joined Mindy and I in constructing a team of sled dogs pulling a sled and a towering and imposing Amundson, arriving at the Pole. We'll concede that he was so massive that his dog team appeared to be composed of puppies, rabbits and squirrels. The German guide, Reigner, built an impressive titanic replica. Vlado made snow angels inside his tent. After dinner the ALE staff judged the artwork and found each and every climber to be deserving of a cold beverage. Twenty of us, from 11 countries, sat in the basecamp headquarters tent for that beverage and a fine custard desert and received the good news that the ALE Twin Otters had just departed South Pole bound for Union Glacier. If our weather shapes up by morning, things could start happening fast. Or not. We shall see.
Best Regards
RMI Guide Dave Hahn
The mules are loaded and the team is ready to go. Today we start the adventure on Aconcagua with our approach up the Vacas valley. Clear skies, pleasant temps and a healthy team all sound like a great way to begin an expedition. Talk to ya'll from the mountain.
RMI Guide Jake Beren
Go Katie and Adam! I hope you are having an amazing time!
Posted by: Jenna on 12/16/2011 at 5:04 pm
Great climb!! You are always heros in our eyes. Wish we could be with you (well, at least Rosston and I). Good luck on the balance of your trip. We look forward to your tales and pictures.
Love,
Steve, Judy & Rosston
Posted by: steve sherlock on 12/16/2011 at 11:44 am
Not so much to report today besides a good brunch and a fine dinner. Thick fog and cloud blanketed Vinson basecamp for much of the day. This made things predictably cool outside the tents and it was difficult to walk anywhere without feeling a touch of vertigo in the all-encompassing white-out. No news about the availability of aircraft either. Obviously not an urgent matter with the clouds glued into the Branscomb Glacier. Still, Vlado, TA, Mindy and I all enjoyed the day and will always remember where we were for the South Pole centennial.
Best Regards,
RMI Guide Dave Hahn
Following you closly Vlado, thanks to Dave’s exelent reporting. Amazing,amazing, father is watching over you and we all are very proud of your achievments.
Stay safe for the rest of the expedition.
Cheers Maria, Lumir a Patrick
Posted by: Maria on 12/15/2011 at 10:34 am
So proud of you Mindy. thinking about you everyday and your achievement. Can’t wait to see all the glorious pictures. You stay safe and know you are in our thoughts. Missing you - but happy you are enjoying the challenge and sights. Love, Suz xoxo
Posted by: suzanne de maio on 12/15/2011 at 5:59 am
Hello everybody back home, this is Casey Grom checking in from the Cotopaxi Express Ascent. Today we left the busy city of Quito and traded in for a little rustic countryside visit. We did a short acclimatization hike on the Illinizas where we reached just over 15,500’. Everybody did fantastic and we even got to use our gore-tex jackets with fresh snow falling on us today. We have since descended and have retreated to the Hacienda Chilcabamba where we have just finished a delicious meal and great conversation. Everyone seems to be doing really well and everyone's relaxing right now inside. We are looking forward to some clear skies tomorrow and a nice view of Cotopaxi.
That's all for now and we will check in again tomorrow.
RMI Guide Casey Grom
Hello everyone,
Our team has arrived in Mendoza excited and ready to start our Aconcagua adventure!
After finishing up our permits, grabbing the last minute supplies at the grocery store and gear shops, we are ready to head out of town. It is a beautiful day here in Mendoza and should make for a great drive to Penitentes where we will ready our gear for the mules and have one last night of Argentine cuisine before switching to the equally appealing mountain cuisine that will fuel our climb.
Tomorrow we will leave civilization for a few weeks and start the climb. Wish us luck everyone and stay tuned as we work our way up this beautiful mountain.
RMI Guides Jake Beren, Elias de Andres Martos, Geoff Schellens
The fog and low cloud came and went periodically at Vinson basecamp today. Most of the afternoon was sunny and pleasant and flyable... if one had an airplane. Ours have gone South. ALE has both Twin Otter ski planes down at the South Pole for the big celebration. Today -Dec. 14, 2011 (it is after midnight) marks one hundred years since Amundson reached the South Pole. A noble accomplishment, by any standard -and worth commemorating, but if given the choice I'd wager that Amundson would have tried to climb Vinson instead. Much more fun to be had out here in the big hills.
My team didn't fret a bit over the lack of aircraft. We were quite happy to sleep in and then sit for a two hour breakfast -bacon and eggs with lots of coffee and cocoa. Then there was time for siestas and snow-carving before a sumptuous dinner (same as last night -we liked it so much we did it again).
We'll likely be here a couple more days, which isn't a bad thing.
Best Regards,
RMI Guide Dave Hahn
This morning at high camp it was still sunny, but there was a persistent breeze which was on its way to becoming wind. Packing up was surprisingly difficult in this wind, we had to keep rewarming hands while breaking down tents, strapping on crampons, and threading climbing harnesses. We got out of there around 12:15 PM and made good time down to the fixed ropes. As expected, there was less wind on the steep mountainside but our descent was difficult for all of the normal reasons. Big packs, slippery snow and steep angles for long distances.
Life got a whole lot easier once we reached low camp, but by then we could see wind whipped cloud caps on all the summits again. It appeared as though we'd just used up all of the decent climbing weather and that we'd ducked down in the nick of time. We did a big shuffle of gear at low camp to switch over to sled-hauling once again. We then got going toward basecamp. The last of our big views were enjoyed at the big 90 degree westward turn of the Branscomb, then we plunged into cold and dense fog. We hit base camp at 6:30 PM and built another camp since it was obvious that airplanes wouldn't come fetch us in the current conditions. The first of what may be several victory dinners was held in our POSH tent. Quesadillas and cheese burgers, cooked to perfection, made life in the cloud just a little bit warmer and more hospitable.
Best Regards
RMI Guide Dave Hahn
Hola Everyone,
Today began much like yesterday. Breakfast in our newly remodeled hotel at 7:30 with the team preparing for the day's activities. But instead of taking a tour of Quito, we stayed close to home and headed ten minutes east of our hotel to the 15,500' Rucu Pinchincha volcano. This mountain gave Quito quite a scare in 1999 spewing large amounts of ash into the air which caused half of this enormous city to be evacuated. Nothing major came of the eruption. So today it is a prefect acclimatizing hike. Because it is only the team's second day in Ecuador, one might speculate that marching from 9,200' to 15,500' first thing might be a bit much. Not the case when a gondola zips you up the mountain side turning what should have been a two hour hike into a 10 minute cruise. We were a bit bummed to have thick cloud cover resting heavily in the valley but we lifted out of the mist at 13,000' and were allowed great summit views of both Cotopaxi and Cayambe, two of Ecuador's most impressive peaks.
Once on the move our team showed their enthusiasm and readiness to climb. Led by RMI's local Ecuadorian Guide Fredy Tipan, we all headed 2.5 miles up a well traveled trail making good time to the mountain's summit. Several members of the group broke personal altitude records. We spent 20 cool and cloudy minutes on top before returning to the cable car. With a rather late arrival back in town, it was decided that a late lunch would set everyone up nicely for a leisurely evening and some much needed rest. We are all looking forward to leaving the city and seeing more of this beautiful country tomorrow.
RMI Guide Adam Knoff
Great group and the pics are really beautiful!! Great job, keep working hard!! Charlie, I like your jacket!!!!
Posted by: simona fioravanti on 12/14/2011 at 5:58 am
It’s great to see you all on your hike. Thanks for sharing the photos and story. Best of luck on Cotopaxi! Do you see any airliners flying right over your heads?
Posted by: Charley Knauff on 12/13/2011 at 1:42 pm
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Congrats Everyone, I am not a big fan of climbing but I was excited to watch you ascend to the Summit and learned that it is truly a team sport. Good work and enjoy the next day relaxing. Love you, Billy C
Posted by: Sue Campbell on 12/17/2011 at 12:48 pm
Congratulations Michael! Stay safe!
Posted by: Betsy Moore on 12/16/2011 at 7:16 pm
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