Entries from Expedition Dispatches

Aconcagua: Justman & Team Try to Carry to Camp 2, Turned by Weather

January 21, 2014

Posted by: JJ Justman, Mike King, Steve Gately

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Aconcagua

Elevation: 16,200'

Blustery, breezy, gusty. These are all words that describe Camp One and Aconcagua as a whole right now. We are in full Viento Blanco mode right now. The white wind. The team tried to do a carry to Camp Two but the winds kept knocking us off our feet. I'm positive we could have pushed through it but we have time and there is no reason to risk someone getting hurt. So we turned around and are taking a rest day with the sun shining through the tents listening to the freight train of wind above us. Everyone is doing well and we are keeping our fingers crossed for better weather so we can carry to 18,000'. RMI Guide JJ Justman

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Leave a Comment For the Team (2)

Diane and others, rock on!
Love the blog, what day is summit planned for?
Safe climbing, take and post some nightime astrophotography shots if you can, would love to see clear skies starfields wide image with DLSR.

Posted by: Mike Rosinski on 1/22/2014 at 12:55 pm

remember Grasshopper….all things worth having require much work to obtain. work hard with your team

Posted by: Mark Eason on 1/22/2014 at 11:12 am

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Aconcagua: Nugent & Team at Pampa de las Lenas for the Night

January 20, 2014

Posted by: Billy Nugent, Walter Hailes, Katrina Bloemsma

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Aconcagua

Elevation: 9,000'

Hey everybody out there in RMI adventure blog land. Billy here, I'm checking in with our group from Pampa de las Lenas after our walk down from Base Camp today. Hot and sunny, lots of river crossings, sore feet but some of the mule drivers are cooking up a steak asado dinner for us tonight, and then we'll hit the sack. Tomorrow we'll continue our walk out of the Vacas Valley and hit the road, and then head back to Mendoza. So the next check in, we'll be saying hello from the hotel in Mendoza. And that's all for now. RMI Guide Billy Nugent

Billy Nugent calls in from Pampa de las Lenas.

Aconcagua: Nugent & Team Return to Base Camp

January 20, 2014

Posted by: Billy Nugent, Katrina Bloemsma, Walter Hailes

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Aconcagua

Elevation: 13,800'

Hey everybody, This is Billy. I’m back at Base Camp with the whole crew. We are all a little bit bummed out but happy to be back down at least with the thicker air here and looking forward to a home cooked meal tonight from the Grajales staff. It was a tough day up there yesterday and we spent most of the day today with heavy, heavy walk down. But everybody’s in good spirits for the most part and we’ll check in again later on as we walk out from Aconcagua. RMI Guide Billy Nugent

RMI Guide Billy Nugent checks in from Aconcagua Base Camp on their descent.

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Leave a Comment For the Team (2)

Wow, I can’t even imagine the adventure you have had. Glad everyone is back. Oh, the stories you will share.

Posted by: Debbie on 1/21/2014 at 3:05 am

Dawn & Len,we are happy to hear all are back at base camp safe. What an incredible adventure you and your team have had! A huge thank you to your guides for making what had to have been an extremely difficult decision to turn around when you were so close. We are looking forward to hearing more when you get home. Mom & Dad.

Posted by: Sue on 1/20/2014 at 7:51 pm

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Aconcagua: Justman & Team Move to Camp 1

January 20, 2014

Posted by: JJ Justman, Mike King, Steve Gately

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Aconcagua

Elevation: 16,600'

There I was, putting one foot in front of the other, over and over and over again. I knew what everyone was thinking. Who's going to the Super Bowl!! And thanks to one of our team members little go go gadgets, his wife texted the final scores. Go Seahawks! Go Broncos! Who cares, Green Bay isn't in it. The team packed up base camp and moved outta base camp. On move days the packs are always heavier loaded with tents and kitchen gear. Everyone did fantastic and we are now settled into our new home at 16,600 feet on Aconcagua. We just finished with some hot soup. It's like I always say, you have to put money in the bank. We used up some good energy getting here and you have to replenish and put energy back in to keep the bank account at a million bucks. Speaking of a million bucks, anyone want to place some bets on the Super Bowl!? RMI Guide JJ Justman

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Leave a Comment For the Team (2)

Keeping pushing forward, dad (Lew Smith)! I know you are doing awesome! So proud of you!!!

Love ya,

Kyle

Posted by: Kyle A. Smith on 1/23/2014 at 8:50 am

Go Diane! from the Nissan TMG team

Posted by: Ed Nicholson on 1/22/2014 at 12:04 pm

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Mexico’s Volcanoes: Waterfall and Team Head for Ixta

January 20, 2014

Posted by: Geoff Schellens, Seth Waterfall

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mexico

Elevation: 12,000'

Good morning! We've moved on from La Malinche and are currently enjoying the best breakfast in Mexico at the Mission Tlaxcala. After breakfast we're headed for the village of Amecameca and then on to the base camp at Ixta. Our plan is to get an acclimatization hike in this afternoon and tomorrow head to high camp. RMI Guide Seth Waterfall

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Mexico: Waterfall & Team Acclimate on La Malinche

January 19, 2014

Posted by: Seth Waterfall, Geoff Schellens

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mexico

Elevation: 10,000'

Hey this is Seth checking in from La Malinche over here in Mexico. We just had a great day climbing up the mountain actually of La Malinche. We made it to just about 13,500' from our cabanas here at 10,000 feet. It was getting to be around 4:15 at that point so we turned around, descended back down here to 10,000' and just finished with a nice dinner and we're getting tucked in. There's actually TVs in the room here so we were able to pipe in the Seahawks-49ers game. We started a fire in the fireplace and we're gonna watch them. [Connection lost.] Tomorrow the team will depart La Malinche and drive toward Ixtaccihuatl's Altzomoni Hut. RMI Guide Seth Waterfall

RMI Guide Seth Waterfall calls in with a team update.

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Ecuador Seminar: RMI Guide Nick Hunt Recounts Cotopaxi Summit Day

January 19, 2014

Posted by: Adam Knoff, Nick Hunt

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Ecuador

Elevation: 19,348'

Cotopaxi summit! We woke up at 11pm to a breakfast of coffee, tea, oatmeal and bread. We finished our packing in the dark with the rest of the hut's inhabitants before beginning our 9-hour summit bid. We got off to a bit of a stressful start when we realized that someone from a different climbing group had accidentally taken Adam's climbing helmet, but we weren't going to let that get in the way of our climb. (The helmet was returned later in the afternoon, once we returned to the huts after the climb.) It was windy and snowy as we stepped outside around midnight, and that continued for the first hour during the hike up to the toe of the glacier. But soon after donning our crampons and ice axes, the weather mellowed out and the good luck we've been having with the weather on this trip continued for the rest of our ascent: the clouds cleared, the winds died down, and for the next 5 hours to the summit, the weather could only be described as mild and pleasant. At one point, we could see an active lightening storm beyond the lights of Quito and were grateful that we weren't experiencing the same. The initial climbing on the glacier was steep, but not too difficult. These moderate angles soon gave way to steeper slopes that had us rest-stepping our way up. The dry snow made traction difficult (even with our crampons), so as the terrain became more exposed, we had to kick hard with our feet to really gain purchase. An exhausting endeavor at 19k feet! In 6 hours and 15 minutes, we had made it to the top! The group's previous high altitude climbing on Cayambe and Antisana had definitely gotten us into shape for this climb. We moved well and as a team the entire way up! As we pulled on to the summit, the sun was just beginning to rise and we got a quick look into the summit crater. We didn't stay for long, though, since the winds picked up as we snapped our group photo. After 15 minutes up top, we began our descent. Not only was our group strong on the ascent, but we rocked our descent, too! Despite some rather high winds at times, knocking us around a bit on narrow ridges, we continued to move well and made it back to the hut in just under three hours. Back at the huts, we packed up our gear and descended to the parking lot, where we met up again with Victor and the magic bus. We were whisked away to La Cienega, a hotel that looks more "castle" than "hacienda", and after taking showers, we met up over dinner and a couple of games of Wits and Wagers, reflecting on our trip as a whole. Tomorrow we head back to Quito and begin our journey back home. See you soon! RMI Guide Nick Hunt

Leave a Comment For the Team (2)

Congrats Nick to you and the team!

Posted by: Greg Hunt on 1/20/2014 at 9:34 am

Awesome accomplishment and fantastic photos! Congratulations Shannon and the whole team!

Posted by: Mark on 1/19/2014 at 5:29 pm

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Aconcagua: Justman & Team’s Plan for Basecamp Rest Day

January 19, 2014

Posted by: JJ Justman, Mike King, Steve Gately

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Aconcagua

Elevation: 13,800'

We will spend the day taking showers in our Cabelas shower tent, ordering pizzas and perfecting the art of chillaxing. Finally, the sun is out in full effect so we are also charging phones and iPads. Tonight will be a marathon session of The Wire. Today's rest really isn't needed. Our team is doing great! However, at this altitude we can recover back to 110% before we move to Camp 1 at 16,600' tomorrow. Stay tuned and please keep posting comments! The team appreciates it. RMI Guide JJ Justman

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Leave a Comment For the Team (2)

Well done, dad (Lew Smith)! Get some good rest and prepare for the next stage. We love you!

Kyle

Posted by: Kyle A. Smith on 1/23/2014 at 8:53 am

Bissell, I am enjoying the blog and wish you the BEST!!!!! Keep healthy and safe travels, buen camino.

Posted by: Leslie on 1/20/2014 at 5:14 pm

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Mexico: Seth Waterfall & Team Arrive in Mexico City

January 18, 2014

Posted by: Seth Waterfall, Geoff Schellens

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mexico

Elevation: 7,300'

Buenas Tardes! The team is all here and excited to kick off the Mexico's Volcanoes trip. Everyone arrived today and we had our first team meeting in the evening. Some of the group went on to bed while the rest of us went out for a delicious Mexican dinner. We made an early night of it since tomorrow we hit the ground running and head for our first destination, La Malinche. RMI Guide Seth Waterfall

Leave a Comment For the Team (2)

So excited for all of you! Sending lots of good vibes and can’t wait to read all of your updates and see all of your pictures!

And p.s. I love you, Justin!!!

Posted by: Andrea Miers on 1/19/2014 at 8:56 pm

Looking forward to updates and more great pictures from your adventure!

Posted by: Brad & Lori Briggs on 1/19/2014 at 6:10 am

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Ecuador Seminar: Knoff & Team Summit Cotopaxi!

January 18, 2014

Posted by: Adam Knoff, Nick Hunt

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Ecuador

Elevation: 19,348'

This is Adam Knoff from the Ecuador Skills Seminar. I am happy to announce that we have successfully summitted Cotopaxi this morning on a glorious, calm day. People could say it was in great style. I am very proud of the team for their efforts as it took some fortitude to get up on a cold and windy day. The expedition seminar has concluded its climbing on the mountains and we are happy to be tucked in here at La Cienega and drinking cervezas and very comfortable. Everything is fabulous. We will touch base tomorrow. Gracias. Adios. RMI Guide Adam Knoff

RMI Guide Adam Knoff calls in after Cotopaxi summit.

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Entries from Expedition Dispatches

Aconcagua: Justman & Team Try to Carry to Camp 2, Turned by Weather

On The Map

Aconcagua: Nugent & Team at Pampa de las Lenas for the Night

Aconcagua: Nugent & Team Return to Base Camp

On The Map

Aconcagua: Justman & Team Move to Camp 1

On The Map

Mexico’s Volcanoes: Waterfall and Team Head for Ixta

On The Map

Mexico: Waterfall & Team Acclimate on La Malinche

On The Map

Ecuador Seminar: RMI Guide Nick Hunt Recounts Cotopaxi Summit Day

Aconcagua: Justman & Team’s Plan for Basecamp Rest Day

On The Map

Mexico: Seth Waterfall & Team Arrive in Mexico City

Ecuador Seminar: Knoff & Team Summit Cotopaxi!

On The Map

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