After going to bed last night to the sound of heavy rain and hail, we were unsure what we would find this morning. Waking up to blue skies and warm weather was a pleasant surprise. Once the team had finished breakfast, we set about the arduous process of sorting through gear to carry uphill. Up until now mules have carried our gear, so weight was not a concern. Folding chairs, speaker boxes, cotton clothes, hardback books...anything was fair game. Now that we are carrying the gear on our backs, loads needed to be cut to a minimum and luxury items were left behind.
With the packs trimmed to a reasonable size we made the two-hour climb up to our camp at 16,200'. Currently the team is resting and looking forward to moving up again tomorrow.
RMI Guide Eric Frank and the Alpamayo team
July 6, 2014 - 11:00 am PT
Adam Knoff called the office with great news: The team reached the summit of Mount McKinley at 7:00pm last night! Everyone is doing great and very happy. They are packing up high camp and plan to head down to 14K camp to visit with Dave Hahn and team, then may continue on to 11,000’. Their plan is to be at Basecamp tomorrow.
RMI Guide Adam Knoff
Summit! The Mount Rainier Four Day Summit Climb, led by Solveig Waterfall, reached the summit this morning. The weather was very warm and winds were between 15 and 30 mph. The team began their descent from the crater rim just before 7 a.m.
Jay - Yay!!! I showed off your pictures today at work!! I cannot wait to hear all about your adventure. XOXO
Posted by: Lisa on 7/7/2014 at 12:52 pm
Solveig, Billy, and Nick! Thank you for the great adventure and your friendly yet superb professional support in reaching our goal to stay on the top of Mt. Rainier! It was unforgettable experience! My daughter Zina and I enjoyed every bit of it!
Hi everyone! Today our team enjoyed a beautiful day sightseeing in Moscow. We had a phenomenal city tour focusing on the intense history of The Red Square, the many gorgeous cathedrals and of course The Kremlin. Every time I visit I learn more and more about this fascinating country!
Enjoy the slide show of some of the highlights of today's adventure!
RMI Guide JJ Justman
July 5, 2014 - 10:18 pm PT
We gladly used another perfect day to move up from 11,000 to 14,000 ft. We managed to get as far as Windy Corner enjoying cool, morning conditions, but there is no way to sugarcoat the walking weather for the final ninety minutes into camp, the sun was intense, the air was still and the climbers were plain old hot. That said, it was tough for anybody to complain too much at the combination of great weather and sweet route conditions. We've kept our streak alive, nine days and half a mountain without having to step over an open crevasse. All were interested and a touch apprehensive to see a raven hopping around our 13,500 ft cache as we approached. He or she hadn't had any luck in getting to this one though, and we took a moment to pack down the five foot deep snow covering the buried treasure -one more time. We'll retrieve that food and gear tomorrow if all goes well.
It was fun "catching up" to the other climbing teams at 14K, although we haven't really as they are a day or two ahead of us now and are closer to moving up than we are. Also great to follow the progress of the only other RMI team on the mountain via radio today as Adam Knoff and crew hit the jackpot for stable weather for a summit bid.
Best Regards,
RMI Guide Dave Hahn
July 5, 2014 - 5:05 pm PT
Adam called and reported that they were on their way up to the summit, just below the Football Field with all climbers doing well. Yesterday was a great move day for them, and they continue to enjoy good weather, with blue skies and 20mph winds.
RMI Guide Adam Knoff
mark skinner….keeping a eye on your adventure…stop by the cottage to warm up on your way back to NY…looks like fun….good luck and stay safe….kenny norris
Posted by: kenny norris on 7/6/2014 at 7:36 am
Hoping all went well on the summit bid and that you could enjoy some spectacular Alaskan views from the top. Best Wishes to all!
Peter
Posted by: Peter Williamson on 7/6/2014 at 5:14 am
Okay! First off...ARGENTINA...ARGENTINA...ARGENTINA!!! Yes, yes, the first 2014 RMI Mount Elbrus expedition is underway. Everyone arrived, everyone is cool, everyone's bags arrived, we are all going on a gorgeous city tour tomorrow of the Red Square and The Kremlin...but C'mon man! Argentina beat Belgium to enter the semi finals!
I can't wait to produce a video of tomorrow's city tour. Moscow is a beautiful place with beautiful people rich in history and culture. Stay tuned! But for now...for all my brothers and sisters in Argentina...Te Amo!!!
RMI Guide JJ Justman
After four days of hard work, the Alpamayo team is taking a much deserved rest day. Coincidentally, the weather is marginal today and the constant patter of hail pelts our tents as we read or nap. All in all things are good and everyone is happy. We plan to rest for most of the afternoon, then practice some rope skills an get packed before dinner.
Happy belated Fourth of July everyone! We are so focused on the tasks at hand, that none of us realized it was the fourth until late in the day yesterday. Signing off from Alapamayo Basecamp.
RMI Guide Eric Frank
Our team is safely back in Quito, reacquainting ourselves to city life. We had a great trip here in Ecuador; we enjoyed the country and culture, the delicious cuisine, and the friendly Andean people. We also enjoyed a safe and successful climb of Cotopaxi.
Our trip is coming to a close now. We will get together this evening for a celebration dinner before we part ways and travel in different directions. It has been a pleasure to spend time in the mountains with this group of climbers.
Saludos…
RMI Guide Mike Walter
July 4, 2014 - 11:34 pm PT
In observance of Independence Day, we rested at 11,000 feet. Having put in a pretty full seven days of work and in the hopes of maximizing our acclimatization before making the big jump to 14,000', it seemed smart to take it easy in this beautiful place on a magnificent day. So breakfast was at a leisurely pace once the sun made it around the West Buttress at 9:15. We put a bunch of meat into fry pans over camp stoves for a-mid afternoon simulated barbecue. For fireworks, we watched the sun blaze brilliantly in the Alaskan summer sky. The team is excited for the move to 14K tomorrow.
Best Regards,
RMI Guide Dave Hahn
Go KB and the rest of the team!! The view from the armchair is great!
Posted by: Geoff Clark on 7/5/2014 at 6:02 pm
Dave, Always enjoy your climbing blogs. Good luck and safe climbing to you and your group. (Jeff Olson of Whittaker/Viesturs climb turned Hahn/Tucker).
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Hope you have a great trip! That mountain is gorgeous. Enjoy!
Posted by: John on 7/7/2014 at 3:46 pm
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