Entries from Expedition Dispatches
Greetings from the Ishinca Valley!
And so it begins! After three days of prepping our bodies and our bags in the hustle and bustle of Huaraz City, we’ve finally made our move to the mountains. We made our way by bus to the small village of Pashpa, where we met our donkey drivers and their crew of willing steeds. We loaded up our animals, affectionately thanked them in advance for their work, and began our hike up the Ishinca Valley with light loads and high hopes. After a little over three hours of moving, we arrived at
Ishinca Base Camp, nestled in a steep valley here at 14,400’. We made quick work of camp setup in the grassy meadows and before we knew it, we were feasting on chicken soup and fresh lake trout! Fresh fish at 14,000’...oh boy, what a treat! That’s how we roll down here in the Cordillera Blanca. Tomorrow, acclimatization continues. We’ll start working on some technical rope skills, and likely eat like royalty once again. We’ll let you know how it goes! Until then, hasta manana!
RMI Guide Robby Young and the well-fed ESS-Peru team
Wednesday, July 4, 2018 - 9:14 AM PT
And we came out! We finished our trek and arrived into Cashapampa, where we unloaded donkeys, grabbed a drink and celebrated that once more, the mountains provided adventure, challenge and the unexpected. But more so, that we're safe, back and ready to plan the next adventure.
Thanks for following!
RMI Guide Elias de Andres Martos
RMI Guide Bryan Mazaika led his
Five Day Summit Climb June 30 - 4 July to the summit of Mt. Rainier this morning. Bryan reported light winds and partly sunny skies as the team was on the summit. They were able to enjoy some time in the crater rim before beginning their descent to Camp Muir. After a stop at Muir to repack the team will continue down to Paradise. We look forward to seeing them at Rainier BaseCamp later today.
Congratulations to the Five Day Summit Climb team!
The
Four Day Summit Climb July 1 - 4 reached the summit of Mt. Rainier this morning led by
RMI Guide Casey Grom. Light winds and partly sunny skies greeted the team this morning. They were able to enjoy some time in the summit crater before starting their descent.
Congratulations to today's team!
Tuesday, July 3, 2018 - 9:52 PM PT
We could see forever this morning, and then it got better. The high clouds were gone, the low clouds were gone and the middle clouds were gone. We were up at six and walking by 8:45 in the cool shadow of the South Peak. By noon we’d topped out the fixed ropes and were starting up along the phenomenal crest of the
West Buttress. We never got anything stronger than gentle breezes, despite our exposed position. There were a few big smiles as the gang came up past Washburn’s Thumb and began to flirt with 17,000 feet. We pulled into the 17,200 ft camp in mid afternoon, six hours after leaving our Camp at 14,000'. Building camp was hard in the rarefied air, but we got it done and sat down to a six PM dinner in our newest snow dining room. We talked about how a summit day might work tomorrow and how to prepare tonight. We will need to get a little bit lucky on the weather, and everybody will need a good night’s rest... but then if it all works out, we’ll be ready to take advantage. Light, high clouds have taken over the western sky, but the sun is still powering through at 8:45 PM and we can see rivers, tundra, mountains, glaciers and planet Earth for hundreds of miles.
Best Regards
RMI Guide Dave Hahn
On The Map
Tuesday, July 3, 2018 - 7:43 PM PT
Greetings!
Today we set our sights even higher than the day before. The team’s goal; Laguna Churup at 14,600’. We took a quick bus ride this morning after a Hotel Andino coffee fiesta, and before we knew it, we were staring at the crystal clear blue and green waters of Churup, gazing up the steep moraines at the first glaciers of the trip. The scene at Laguna Churup is surreal, and we spent a good amount of time soaking it in, and letting our bodies register the new altitude record for our trip. A quick descent led to an afternoon of packing, resting, eating, and Huaraz City-living. We capped off our acclimatization days with yet another exquisite dinner here at Hotel Andino! We even had the chance to catch up with ElÃas de Andres Martos and team upon their return from Alpamayo. Tomorrow, the climbing begins as we make our approach into the Ishinca Valley, and build our Base Camp at 14,500’. The comforts of city-life will soon be in the rear view, but the joys of the alpine will soon follow. Until then, thanks for following.
RMI Guides Robby, Alan, William, and team Lomo Saltado
RMI Guide JM Gorum called to let us know that the
Expedition Skills Seminar - Emmons Team were on the summit of Mt. Rainier. The team put their week of training to work and climb via the Emmons Route on Mt. Rainier. JM reported cold and windy temperatures, but a great climbing route. The team is on their descent back to Camp Schurman where where they will spend the night before hiking out tomorrow.
Congratulations to Today's Team.
Monday, July 2, 2018 - 10:17 PM PT
A fine summer’s day in the Alaska Range. The gang slept late today, but when we emerged, the views were amazing. We could see clear down to Mt Spurr and the Tordrillos. Some clouds were still playing around the
South Peak of Denali and it appeared to be a little windy up that way, but as we had a slow and yummy pancake breakfast, nobody had complaints about the weather at 14,000' Camp. This rest day was just as relaxing as we could have hoped for. Even so, we weren’t totally relaxed... everyone is getting keyed up for the summit bid now. We prepared for moving up tomorrow and we hydrated, rested, ate, read and sorted gear (again). We’ll see what kind of morning we get tomorrow.
Best Regards
RMI Guide Dave Hahn
On The Map
RMI Guide Andy Bond and the
Four Day Summit Climb June 30 - 3 July team were reaching the summit of Mt. Rainier just before 7 AM today with 100% of their team. Andy reported clear skies and steady winds around 25 mph as they reached the crater rim.
Greetings from Icchi Coccha.
We're on our way out, camped at our same first camp on the way in... Since we were heading out earlier, it took a bit more logistics to organize our "donkey train". But these awesome guys made it happen for us and came with short notice. It's amazing how things work in these places, with no written contract, just a verbal agreement, and a satphone call to a distant neighbor of our cellphone-less mule driver, human sense is the common norm. "Someone needs me, I must assist" they must think. And a two-day journey uphill becomes a sprint so they can bring us back to our commodities.
We left midday instead of early morning and decided to keep soaking in the greatness of the
Andes, since pushing it all the way out with our late departure, would have us arriving late. So, here we are, enjoying another great meal from our cook Emilio, breathing thicker air, and witnessing the mountains getting bigger above us, as we descend.
We look forward to a shower and clean clothes tomorrow, to catch up on emails, to a meal in a restaurant and to a room with clean sheets... but surely, and despite the "no summit" this year, the magnitude and majesty of these peaks will always be greater than any mundane human desire.
RMI Guide ElÃas de Andres Martos and team
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Congratulations Brittain and the rest of your team for successfully making it to the top of Mt. Rainer.
We had our fingers crossed the whole time with the weather. How lucky to have light winds and to have
time at the crater rim.
Way to go team! Make it down safely.
Thank you Bryan for your hard work and being their guide.
Congratulations again.
Maria Mason
PS I’m Brittain’s Mom.
Posted by: Maria Mason on 7/4/2018 at 10:27 am
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