Entries from Expedition Dispatches
...And hello again from "Arwaycoccha" Camp, aka BC, for climbers. We just returned from
Moraine Camp, where we went this morning for a carry and acclimatization hike. Covering the 800m of elevation, that rise straight up from camp, was nothing out of the ordinary for the team. Hardware, fuel and some food is already waiting for us when we start the move towards the top. We have been able to ditch the weather the last couple days, and only hope we can continue to do so, unless the Gods of Meteorology do it for us, and we can start to move under clear skies. We're going to start our "chilling" program for the next 40 hours; we'll let you know how that goes.
RMI Guide Elías de Andres Martos and team
Jambo everyone!
Things are going well and the team is doing great here on
Kilimanjaro.
Today the team had a leisurely start as we wanted the sun to warm us up before our only semi-technical part of the climb. The trail out of camp starts off relatively mellow and then quickly ramps up as we ascend the great Barranco Wall. It's truthfully not as intimidating as it looks, but when does a thousand-foot cliff ever look easy. Thankfully the route winds its way up the cliff through ramps and small rock steps and eventually on to easier terrain. Everyone did a great job of taking it easy and I actually think they all enjoyed the challenge we had. We took a break on top of the wall to enjoy the views then slowly made our way to the next camp here above the Karanga Valley.
It was a relatively short day for us as this will be our last camp before we move up to our high camp tomorrow.
We are spending the remainder of the day relaxing and enjoying the royal treatment by our gracious staff here on
Kili.
As usual we've had a trivia challenge that one lucky winner will receive a satellite phone call from the summit. It won't happen until we reach the summit, but that's not too far away. I'll let everyone know when that might happen on tomorrow's dispatch. So stay tuned!
RMI Guide Casey Grom and crew
On The Map
Team
Russia is ready! This morning we spent a good part of the day reviewing various mountaineering skills such as ice axe arrest, cramponing and rope travel. Everyone is doing really well and we are all getting excited for our summit day.
Tomorrow is looking good so we are getting ready for an early departure from camp. Stay tuned and with a little luck our next dispatch will be from the
highest mountain in Europe!
RMI Guide JJ Justman
On The Map
The
Mount Rainier Summit Climb, led by
Mike Walter, and the Expedition Skills Seminar – Paradise, led by
Leon Davis, crested the crater rim at 7:06 a.m. The teams reported a beautiful day with 10 mph winds. After spending over an hour on the summit, they began their descent.
Congratulations to today's teams!
A conservation area and a World Heritage site,
Ngorongoro Crater, a large volcanic caldera is recognized by one private organization as one of the Seven Natural Wonders of Africa- the unparalleled beauty of one of the world's most unchanged wildlife sanctuaries.
Teams Top Ten for today-
*Infant elephants in a large group doing their thing
*Hippos in the pool doing their thing
*Our 4th of the Big 5 the infamous black rhino
*Serval cat walking along side us for as long as we liked seeing prey on point
*Zebra cuddling with head on bum of other
*First sighting of ostriches in the wild
*The tiny vibrant colored sunbird in contrast with the Kori Bustard the worlds heaviest flying bird
*Our great local staff of drivers ability to pick game out of the bush
*A warthog that must have been to beauty parlor with beautiful swept back hair and double tusks
*Elephant in a tussle trumpeting as we leave the viewing area hearing them for a while after
RMI Guide Mark Tucker
Greetings from BC; the international
RMI Alpamayo Team (a German, a Brazilian, 2 Americans, a Peruvian, and the one who writes, the Spaniard) has arrived to what will be our center of operations from now on. Tents are already up and we're currently enjoying a cup of tea while contemplating wonders of geology, such as Artesonraju, Quitaraju, and of course, Alpamayo. Everyone is doing really well, and hiked to this camp quicker than this guide remembers. We'll continue to enjoy today, before a very likely carry to Moraine Camp tomorrow. Stay tuned for more!
RMI Guide
Elías deAndres Martos and Team.
Hello from Africa everyone
Today the team woke to a beautifully clear sky above the valley clouds, and it was a warm day as we made our way from camp directly into the sun and heading straight at Kilimanjaro. Once again we made good time across the
Shira Plateau stopping for breaks and that endless line of porters headed to our next camp.
As we headed uphill everyone was astonished at the beauty of Kilimanjaro and the remnant glaciers still hanging on. Our climb took us up and over a landmark called Lava Tower which sits at just under 15,000ft and lays beneath the massive and steep southern breach wall. As usual we stopped to enjoy the wonderful view and then slowly made our way back down into Barranco Valley. The trail weaves its way between rocky outcrops, giant groundsels and the massive, yet strange Senecio trees that look like something out of a Dr. Seuss book.
We are currently relaxing in our camp which has amazing views not only of Kilimanjaro but also of the valley below us. It's indeed my favorite camp of the trip.
Dinner will be ready soon, so that's all for today.
All is well!
RMI Guide Casey Grom and crew
On The Map
RMI Guides Brent Okita and Mike King lead their Four Day Summit Climbs to the top of Mt. Rainier this morning. Brent reported nice conditions with a bit of wind on the summit.
Both teams began their descent from the crater rim a little after 7 am. They will return to Camp Muir and then continue their descent to Paradise. We look forward to seeing the teams at Rainier BaseCamp this afternoon.
Congratulations to today's
Summit Climb teams.
Today was a good but tough day for our team on
Mt. Elbrus. We enjoyed a great night's rest at camp along with a hearty breakfast this morning. After several cups of coffee we geared up and headed up towards 15,000 feet to acclimatize.
As we neared Pastuhkova Rocks the wind kicked in and the once clear, unobstructed view of Elbrus became shrouded in clouds and heavy wind. Our team gritted their teeth and displayed great strength as we reached the rocks.
We are now back down in camp where things are a little calmer and sunnier. Tomorrow we will review some more mountaineering techniques before we take on a summit attempt.
RMI Guide JJ Justman
On The Map
Good evening from Icchiccocha (small lake), where we're camped for the night, on our way to
Alpamayo Basecamp. We did bypass Llamacorral, the standard camp, and continued another couple kilometers up valley... and the reality is that this group is looking really good!!! So continuing on, and secluding ourselves from the different groups who are sharing the trail along this section of the astonishing Santa Cruz trek, wasn't an issue. The cute note of the day, was the two dogs, beautiful but homeless puppies, who followed us all the way to camp, and are currently guarding our donkey pack. That's it for the day, we will be checking in tomorrow from Basecamp.
RMI Guide Elías de Andres Martos and team
K—Told ya I would post!!!!....Ok I like BC, much easier to pronounce and remember. What’s up with the weather? Missed your call, but I will have a phone near me at 2 PM ET. Any good pics or is the cloud coverage tough? I know, you need a weatherman to send you a pic!!!! Be safe and have fun!!!! M
Posted by: Michael on 7/17/2015 at 7:00 pm
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