Entries from Expedition Dispatches
Posted by: Peter Whittaker, Jess Matthews
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Ecuador
Elevation: 9,000'
After a long day of travel yesterday, we were re-energized this morning when we stepped outside the hotel to deep blue skies, brilliant equatorial sun, and temps in the mid 70s all at over 9,000’ here in Quito. We made our way high and low through the city excited to experience the colorful culture, friendly locals, and empanadas! We then ventured to the outskirts of Quito where we visited the site that gave the country its name - the equator! And since there’s never a bad time to snack, we hunted down a produce stand and stuffed ourselves with oritos, delicious sweet baby bananas widely grown here in Ecuador, and was soon followed by a delicious team dinner at an Ecuadorian restaurant. No, no one’s ordered guinea pig...yet.
What a great way to acclimatize for a 19,000 foot volcano!
RMI Guides Peter Whittaker, Jess Matthews and Team
Posted by: JM Gorum, Hannah Smith, Avery Parrinello
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Aconcagua
Elevation: 13,800'
The team was up before the sun hit camp for breakfast this morning. We filled our bellies with pancakes and eggs, and hoped that our bodies would turn those tasty morsels into uphill momentum. It seems like it worked, because everyone did an excellent job on today’s carry.
The carry to Camp One ends up being one of the longest days of the climb, second only to summit day. It is also our first day climbing above basecamp, and our first day with heavy packs. It is our first opportunity to really test ourselves on the mountain. Everyone passed the test with flying colors. We climbed to Camp One at 16,200 ft (that’s 2,400ft above basecamp), cached a bunch of food and gear, and hung out for about 45 minutes. There was not a cloud in the sky. The wind was blowing, but not maliciously. A calm day by Aconcagua standards.
What goes up must come down, and eventually we drew ourselves from our sunny perch to descend back to basecamp. The team did well on the ascent, but I am actually more impressed, and more excited, about how well they descended the mountain today. We moved back to basecamp in under two hours, everyone was under control, and everyone had energy left in the tank. People were even laughing, which doesn’t often happen during a descent of any portion of this mountain.
Tomorrow we’ve got a rest day. We’re going to eat a lot of food (gotta lock in those gains), probably nap a lot, and maybe eat some more food. Hasta mañana.
RMI Guides JM Gorum, Hannah Smith, and Avery Parrinello
On The Map
Posted by: JM Gorum, Hannah Smith, Avery Parrinello
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Aconcagua
Elevation: 13,800'
We had breakfast at nine today, our latest of the trip. A casual start to a casual day here at 13,800 feet. Pancakes, eggs, and sausage were on the menu, and we ate until they stopped bringing food. After breakfast, we only had two more items on the agenda. The first of those items was organizing for our carry tomorrow. It didn’t take too long to divvy up group gear. Everyone will carry some amount of group food, fuel, or kitchen equipment tomorrow. This crew was surprisingly eager to grab their respective loads and get packed up, so we were done with task number two by early afternoon.
Task number three, dinner, wouldn’t be until 7, so we all had some time to kill. Lucky for us, basecamp is full of spectacles. Today’s spectacle was provided by an unfortunate member of another team. This particular person was using the bathroom, a common enough event here at basecamp. The uncommon part was that he dropped his phone into the pit toilet. The even more uncommon part was that he recovered it. Using a variety of garden tools and good old fashioned ingenuity, he was able to lift his device from the deepest, darkest depths that exist within walking distance of basecamp. In doing so, he provided entertainment for everyone nearby, and before we knew it, dinner was upon us.
Steak, potatoes, and some wine for good luck capped off the evening. With our final task of the day completed, we are now headed to bed. We’ll get up earlier tomorrow. We’ve got some actual work to do now.
RMI Guides JM Gorum, Hannah Smith, Avery Parrinello
Posted by: JM Gorum, Hannah Smith, Avery Parrinello
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Aconcagua
Elevation: 13,800'
We got an early start this morning from Casa de Piedras. A quick breakfast of oatmeal, some sorting of gear, and we were moving by seven. It was another cloudless morning for us, and it was fairly chilly in the shade of morning. The first thing we had to do was cross the Vacas River. Usually we ride mules across to avoid the frigid waters in the early morning, but today things were moving a little slow, maybe a side effect of New Years celebration. Eventually everyone decided it wasn’t worth waiting, and we forged the mighty river on foot. This particular section was actually very manageable this year. A few of us took off our pants in anticipation of thigh deep water, but it turns out there was no need. It was about a foot and a half deep, and ten feet wide with a few braids. The most notable feature was the cold. There was ice on the edges of the channel, and the water caused painful numbing almost instantly. We took a moment on the other side to re-warm, laugh at ourselves, and put shoes back on, and we were off.
The rest of the day followed the same rhythm that we’ve grown accustomed to. Walk, drink, eat. We pulled into basecamp in the early afternoon, enjoyed some new luxuries, and set up our homes for the next few days. Tomorrow is our first rest day. We will spend it relaxing, rehydrating, and doing some planning for the days to come.
RMI Guides JM Gorum, Hannah Smmith, Avery Parrinello
On The Map
Posted by: JM Gorum, Hannah Smith, Avery Parrinello
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Aconcagua
Elevation: 10,550'
We’re starting to get into a rhythm here in Argentina. Break down camp, eat breakfast, walk, repeat. The team was very efficient this morning, allowing us to be the first ones out of Pampa de Leñas, and the first ones to Casa de Piedra. It’s not a race, but leaving early means we get to walk in the shade for about an hour and a half. Shade is a very scarce resource in these parts, and we’ll take all we can get. Arriving first to Piedra also means that we get our pick of the limited number of tent sites.
The mules arrived about five minutes after we did. We set up our tents, and were hiding from the sun by 2 pm. Siestas were had and snacks were eaten. A few folks braved the frigid waters of the Vacas river to combat the heat. We really had nothing on the agenda until dinner time. This particular chicken dinner has been called “the best chicken you’ll ever eat” by fellow RMI guide Mike King, and that man knows his chicken.
Seeing as it is New Year’s Eve, we enjoyed a little champagne and jovial celebration. Seeing as it was highly improbable that any of us made it to midnight, we decided that the new year started once the sun went behind the ridge above camp. So at about 9 pm we let out a hoot ‘n a holler as the sun disappeared, and called it a night. Everyone sends their best to everyone at home. Tomorrow we go to Aconcagua Base Camp.
Happy new year!
RMI Guides JM Gorum, Hannah Smith, and Avery Parrinello
On The Map
happy new year
Posted by: alice ridlen on 1/1/2019 at 4:06 pm
Posted by: JM Gorum, Hannah Smith, Avery Parrinello
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Aconcagua
Elevation: 9,000'
Well, the summit is still very far away, but we are headed in the right direction. We left Penitentes this morning at 10:30 am with perfect weather. Temperatures were warm but not scorching, and there was a nice breeze to keep things bearable. Everyone was excited to get some blood flowing after long travel days, and we made it to our camp at Pampa de Leñas in about four and a half hours. It always takes me a few days to adjust to the desert climate, but everyone else seems to be fitting right in. No sunburns, no blisters, just efficient movement through a giant valley.
The only snafu of the day occurred when a localized dirt tornado blew through camp and sucked one of our sleeping pads into the stratosphere. If it entered restricted airspace no one noticed, or no one cared. Against all odds, it fluttered back down to camp. A casual stroll and a quick inspection revealed that it was no worse for the wear.
We’re about to sit down for one of the best meals of the trip. A traditional Argentinian asado, with meats of all kinds cooked over an open flame. Then we’ll go to sleep under the stars, and continue the journey tomorrow.
RMI Guides JM Gorum, Hannah Smith, and Avery Parrinello
On The Map
Happy New Year team! Hope you have a fantastic trip up the mountain! Someone give Hannah a hug from her momma!
Posted by: Shannon Smith on 12/31/2018 at 10:03 am
Posted by: JM Gorum, Hannah Smith, Avery Parrinello
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Aconcagua
Elevation: 9,000'
Hello from Penitentes! Today we ate a nice breakfast at the hotel, and got an early morning start obtaining our climbing permits. It’s possible that one member of the team had to run around town and secure some important pieces of gear, but that’s par for the course. We ended up leaving Mendoza a little later than we had hoped due to some permit delays, but the team did an awesome job hustling once we got to Penitentes. We re-organized all of our gear so that the mules could better haul it, packed a lot of food and kitchen gear, and headed to dinner. Everyone is excited to start walking tomorrow. Once we hit the trail, things get much simpler. Whatever we have is what we have, and we just need to get from point A to point B. The team has done a great job leaping the logistical hurdles that mark the beginning of any long trip. Tomorrow we’ll check in from Pampa de Leñas.
RMI Guides JM, Hannah, and Avery
Happy New Year to the Gorum team!
Clay, we are receiving your Garmin notifications and we are monitoring your progress.
Aloha from Maui,
Love Dad
Posted by: Brent Wolfe on 1/1/2019 at 1:12 pm
wishing you all great success.
Posted by: Bill Bussey on 12/31/2018 at 8:13 am
Posted by: Mike King, Nick Scott, Gloria Roe
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Aconcagua
Elevation: 13,800'
Yesterday we spent the day at Plaza Argentina sorting gear for the mules and enjoying a quiet base camp before the post holiday rush. Today we woke to high winds at base camp and said our goodbyes to the Grajales staff and set out for the 15-mile walk to Pampa Las Lenas. As we retraced our steps from two weeks ago, we had a chance to consider what we had accomplished on this trip and add some closure to what could have been. We concluded the day with a traditional Argentine asado for dinner and plenty of laughs from the difference that two weeks had made on us physically and mentally as we ate alongside groups of fresh climbers just starting their trip. Tomorrow is a short three-hour walk to the park entrance and from there we’ll be in Mendoza to conclude our expedition. Thanks for following along.
RMI Guide Mike King
Gloria, you are AWESOME!!! We are ALWAYS so proud of you (and team) whether you make it to the top or not. We can’t wait to see more pictures. Dana says it’s exciting to live his climbing dreams vicariously through you. :-) BIG HUGS!!!!!!
Posted by: Susan and Dana on 12/30/2018 at 5:18 pm
Posted by: JM Gorum, Hannah Smith, Avery Parrinello
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Aconcagua
The team has arrived in Mendoza! Most of the luggage arrived as well, with a few straggling bags to be accounted for. After introductions and a quick orientation, we set off to complete our climbing permits and a gear check. Dinner was fantastic, and at eight pm we were the first ones in the restaurant. Traditionally, people eat much later in Argentina, but after long travel days we need some sleep. Tomorrow we leave the big city behind, and head to Penitentes. We are excited to get this trip rolling!
RMI Guides JM Gorum, Hannah Smith & Avery Parrinello
Good luck Gorum team!! Looking good Andrew and Nik!! Will be following along
Posted by: Ridhi and Arjun on 12/30/2018 at 1:59 pm
Best of Luck to all on Gorum Team!!!! Love Nik and Andrew!!!!
Masi
Posted by: Usha Katariya on 12/30/2018 at 11:40 am
Posted by: Dave Hahn
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Aconcagua
We flew out of Union Glacier at 3:30 AM the day after Christmas, arriving in Punta Arenas at 8 in the morning. Under ordinary circumstances, we’d have slept the day away and celebrated in the evening with a big dinner. But we’d enjoyed a fair number of big dinners at Union and my gang had families and lives to get back to. We showered in town and repacked, had a nice lunch and then headed for the airport again. Sure enough, we started saying goodbye to each other in airplane aisles and security lines and before long, the five of us were flying in different directions. We shared plenty on this expedition, and although we were ultimately in different places, I’m positive that we were still sharing exhaustion at the end of 36 hours of constant travel.
There was plenty of relief at being done, but there were also a thousand new memories of challenges met, storms and delays endured and of five steady companions who got through it all while still laughing and smiling and loving Antarctica.
Thanks for following our adventure.
RMI Guide Dave Hahn
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Смотри как стройные красавицы модельной внешности позируют перед камерой демонстрируя свои “прелести”.
Только самые страстные девушки
готовые на все. Кстати, у нас
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Posted by: Micheline on 4/13/2019 at 3:05 am
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It’s a long time to be in the the cold and wind. Keep focused, summit bid coming soon!
Posted by: Brent Wolfe on 1/6/2019 at 9:15 am
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