Entries from Expedition Dispatches
We awoke in Campo Colera to clear blue skies and light winds this morning, ready for the big pack down back to Plaza Argentina. Within a few short hours we were packed up, ready to roll and heading downhill. There's nothing like using gravity to ones advantage, and the crew did just that throughout the day.
Unfortunately we did have to recover all the gear we cached along the way, so our packs got heavier and heavier as we descended. By the time we got to Plaza Argentina, though, the weight didn't matter, and we bellied right up to waiting juice, crackers, olives, and cake bites as soon as the packs hit the ground.
Despite being tired from the past couple of days of work, the crew is doing well and still has the energy for yet another spirited round of hearts. Everyone sends their love and thanks for following along! Until tomorrow.,,
RMI Guide Garrett Stevens
Posted by: JJ Justman, Mike King, Steve Gately
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Aconcagua
Elevation: 9,000'
The gang is all here! It certainly has been an adventure already for half of our team. However, we are all ready to go. For the other part of the team we had a great day in Penitentes, which is a small ski area.
We had our first glance of Aconcagua as we took a 4-hour hike up to 10,000 feet. It's a beautiful view of the south face of Aconcagua. The team finished packing our duffels for the mules and we are ready to walk!
RMI Guide JJ Justman
On The Map
Posted by: Walter Hailes, Katrina Bloemsma, Billy Nugent
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Aconcagua
Elevation: 16,200'
We said our bittersweet goodbyes to the good life at Plaza Argentina this morning as we headed up on the mountain to begin our climb. No more steak or lasagna dinners but it sure feels good to be finally doing this! The team climbed extremely well and made even better time up to Camp 1 than we did on our carry a couple of days ago. Everybody is a bit tired but in good spirits... Looking forward to a good night's sleep and another work day tomorrow as we try and push a load of supplies further up the mountain.
Also wanted to make a shout out to Garrett's team, who made the summit today! Nice work guys...
Buenas noches de campo 1,
RMI Guide Billy Nugent
On The Map
Posted by: JJ Justman, Steve Gately, Mike King
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Aconcagua
Well...I've always said, "the hardest part of any expedition is just getting to the mountain". And that certainly is the case for my second team here on Aconcagua.
We have everything from missing bags to missing half of the team. Well, they're not missing just really late due to Tormento de Estados Unidos 2014!
However, all the team members are in Argentina. Half the team is in Penitentes and the other half is in Mendoza. We will all join up tomorrow and begin the journey.
We want to congratulate the recent team under Garrett Stevens on their recent summit. We are at 100% expedition success. I feel a trend coming on.
Stay tuned for another exciting adventure with me, Mike "the lion" King and Steve "fresh outta da" Gately.
RMI Guides JJ Justman, Mike King & Steve Gately
Lets get this party started!!!
Posted by: Josh Barnes on 1/13/2014 at 9:32 pm
Wishing Diane, Randy and Denise better travels in the Andes then the trip down from Detroit and Miami along with marvelous weather. I hope Michigan and Utah gets all of the snow and cold weather instead of hitting your adventure!
Take care!
Bonnie
Posted by: Bonnie Janssen on 1/13/2014 at 8:31 am
Our Ecuador Skills Seminar certainly began with its challenges. Missing bags, canceled flights and the works tested us early but once in the mountains things began to fall into place. The clouds held their releases for what seemed to be a private dry spell solely for us on both Pichincha and Fuya Fuya. On the way up to Cayambe, it was raining from the turn off to the parking area. When it was time to pack our bags and walk to the hut, the faucet turned off. On top of weather luck, our local guides Jaime and Diego secured the only working hut on the mountain. All of the large mountain huts we are used to staying in are under major construction. Three other teams are here to climb and they are all in tents. Only the best for us!
This hut helps tremendously with meals, packing and relaxing. Which we are all doing now after a great hike up to the glacier for some basic review of mountaineering skills. Again the weather was perfect and we have had stunning views of the upper mountain and lower valleys the entire time. Excitement is building for our alpine start tonight. Most people would cringe at waking up at midnight but when a mountain like Cayambe looms above, it's hard to even get to sleep.
Wish us well.
RMI Guides Adam Knoff and Nick Hunt
On The Map
You have the World Geography classes at North Knox Junior Senior High School cheering you on!! Way to go Shannon and Team Ecuador!!
Posted by: Jill Doades on 1/14/2014 at 11:18 am
Great job handling the early challenges, guy. Now on to the fun stuff! Looking forward to hearing from you along the way and remember to be safe. Go team Ecuador!
Posted by: Greg Hunt on 1/14/2014 at 8:58 am
Well hopefully you got the voice dispatch as well...today was a successful summit day for the crew here on Aconcagua! We woke to clear, dark skies and cool temperatures, for moving well before the sun was up, and were underway with a fairly large cadre of other summit hopefuls.
The sun cracked the horizon as we passed 20,000', casting Aconcagua's immense shadow towards the west and creating some sublime photo opportunities. Steady climbing up through cold winds gave way to still air and a soft-shell summit push, and the crew stepped onto the summit plateau around 1:30pm local time. We sat on top for about an hour, then began the long descent back to camp.
Now the team is fed, has full water bottles, and is tucked into tents for good long night of sleep. Tomorrow we'll start the long descent back into thick air, chasing down dreams of Malbec and beef. Thanks for all the positive wishes!
RMI Guide Garrett Stevens
RMI Guide Garrett Stevens calls from the Aconcagua summit!
On The Map
Congratulations Beng Hoe and rest of the team. Been following the blog daily. The voice dispatch was a nice touch! Enjoy the hike down and stay safe.
Posted by: Helen Lim on 1/13/2014 at 5:34 pm
Congratulations to David and the whole team on your great accomplishment! Have a safe trip down.
Posted by: Lori on 1/13/2014 at 1:22 pm
Today was a travel day, leaving Otavalo behind and heading up to our basecamp on Cayambe. We kicked the day off with another excellent breakfast at our hacienda before checking out and heading to the Otavalo street market. What an experience that was! Colorful textiles, aromatic foods, and handcrafted arts filled the crowded aisles, stretching as far as the eye could see. After loading up on souvenirs, we piled back into the "magic bus" (so named because of its wifi hotspot and epic Journey soundtrack) and headed up the dirt roads to Cayambe.
After passing a tourist bus stuck in the mud and waiting patiently for a large herd of cows to move out of the road, we pulled over about an hour's walk below the huts. There we left the bus behind and transitioned to walking the rest of the way, giving us one last chance to stretch our legs.
We met Diego, one of our local guides, at our hut and promptly moved in to our new abode. This hut redefines the alpine camping experience! Fireplace, fully stocked kitchen, dining hall... It was glamorous indeed! A home-cooked lasagna dinner and high-stakes board game rounded out the night.
Tonight we'll rest and head uphill tomorrow morning for a day of mountaineering skills practice. It's gettin' real!
RMI Guide Nick Hunt
On The Map
Well here we are, settled into our camp at 19,600'. We arrived earlier today and spent the afternoon getting our tents anchored, water going, hots made and dinner into our bellies. Ben cranked out a huge pot of ramen and mashed potatoes, which should provide ample fuel for tomorrow's push towards the summit.
The team is psyched and ready for the final leg of this incredible journey. We'll be up early and out for our summit attempt well before the sun comes up, so it's off to bed early. The patter of light snow on our tent walls is going to be tonight's lullaby, and hopefully the winds remain light. Keep sending the good wishes and stay tuned for tomorrow's update!
RMI Guide Garrett Stevens
On The Map
Posted by: Adam Knoff, Nick Hunt
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Ecuador
At last, we are ready to go! As of 6:30 this morning, all luggage and personnel were present and accounted for, just in time for our departure from Quito. After another hearty breakfast at our hotel, we checked out from our rooms and met up with Victor, our driver for the next few days. The pile of equipment in the hotel lobby was a sight to see, but we quickly transferred our gear to the bus and got under way. We had fun in Quito, but everyone was excited to leave the big city behind and get one step closer to our bigger climbs.
A couple hours on bumpy roads took us up to a beautiful alpine lake and the start of our second acclimatization hike. Our goal this afternoon was the summit of Cerro Fuya Fuya, a fantastic peak with a craggy finish, topping out just shy of 14,000 feet. We dodged another bullet with the weather, too! Despite a brief bout of rain showers during our morning drive, by the time we started uphill the rain had stopped and we even caught a few glimpses of blue sky!
After our descent from Fuya Fuya, we piled back in to the bus and drove to Otavalo and our hacienda for the evening, La Casa Sol. We spent the evening eating, drinking, and packing for our upcoming attempt at Cayambe, the first major peak of our trip. Tomorrow we'll visit the Otavalo market in the morning for some souvenir shopping and the drive to our Cayambe basecamp in the afternoon.
Spirits are high with this team and we're all having a great time! Stay tuned!
RMI Guide Nick Hunt
On The Map
Posted by: Billy Nugent, Walter Hailes, Katrina Bloemsma
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Aconcagua
Elevation: 13,800'
Another rest day here at Basecamp... Not much to report other than that the team is enjoying a beautiful day resting up after a longer day yesterday. The R & R down here at base is definitely going to pay dividends as we climb higher and higher. Tomorrow, if the good weather continues, will see our departure from base onto the upper mountain for good...
Talk tomorrow after our move to Camp 1!
RMI Guide Billy Nugent
When you have worn out your shoes, the strength of the shoe leather has passed into the fiber of your body. I measure your health by the number of shoes and hats and clothes you have worn out.
Posted by: Ralph W. on 1/12/2014 at 6:24 pm
Billy Nugent.. Be safe and enjoy the climb, always thinking about you! Love from all of us here on the ground! Pam, Jim Jack and Abby!
Posted by: Pam Wenzel on 1/11/2014 at 11:13 pm
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Hi Lew-
Look forward to hearing all about your trip. We are praying for you. Hope it is all you imagined it would be. Take care and God Bless!
John
Posted by: john walker on 1/16/2014 at 12:06 pm
Lew: Praying for a great climb for you brother! I’ll think and pray for you often. Can’t wait to see the pictures!
Mike H
Posted by: Mike Harvey on 1/16/2014 at 7:35 am
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