Hi from Puebla! It's just after 11 p.m. and we just got back from dinner. It was a long and great day. We woke up this morning before 2 a.m. and started climbing just after 3. The night was cool and crisp but windless which was really great for us. Everyone on the team was very motivated to climb and we made good progress up to the top of the Ayoloco Glacier. From there the good weather continued and just over 4 hours after starting we were standing on top of Ixta. It was a beautiful day for climbing. The walk down went very smooth. We had a light breeze on the lower mountain (that's the big weather story for us so far!) and when we got to the trail head we were greeted with tortas, cervesas and refrescos. Now we're all set up for a rest day in Puebla tomorrow.
RMI Guide Seth Waterfall
Billy here, checking in from Camp 2 at over 18,000' on Aconcagua! The rumored winds did indeed materialize today but they also came with perfectly clear skies and were thus not enough of a hindrance to keep us stuck at Camp 1. Our team looked awesome on our move today with everybody moving well and climbing strong despite the elevation, big loads, and the gusting breeze. We've set up shop here at Chopper Camp (although nobody seems to call it that since they cleaned up all the wreckage that used to be strewn about camp) and are enjoying a sunny afternoon. Today's move only took 2 hours and 45 minutes, which speaks for this team's strength and bodes well for summit day.
More as it develops... Wulpseeya!
RMI Guide Billy Nugent
Your Dad and I wanted to say how proud we are of you. Everyone we brag to are in awe of you accomplishments.
Kisses and Hugs on Valentine’s Day (hee hee). Love and God’s Blessings to your group, Mom and Dad
Posted by: Kathleen on 2/14/2013 at 11:54 am
Just a walk in the park. Billy is making yall sound like a bunch of climbing badasses, no doubt it’s true. Congrats on making it to Camp 2.
The team is currently exploring Otovalo, the market town near the base of Cayambe. The sea of brightly colored goods in the town square is a fantastic place for a little cultural souvenir shopping. After our outing, we will head towards our next climbing objective, Cayambe. With a positive trend in the weather, it seems as though all the crossed fingers up North have made a difference. Keep it up amigos and we will check in from the hut!
RMI Guide Jake Beren
Day 2 greeted us with clear skies and beautiful views of the upper mountain. The day starts with "morning tea" delivered to our tents at 6:30 followed by a medium tub of warm washing water. The team did great getting ready and we made it out of camp right at 8 am. Today is one of the shorter legs being just under three miles all total, however we ascended a little over 2,000' getting to camp. We stopped about half way for the nice sit-down lunch that our staff had ran ahead and prepared. Clearly we are being spoiled! But this is vacation after all.
It took a little over six hours to get to Camp 2. Its called Shira Camp because it sits atop the massive Shira Plateau at just over 12,200' and overlooks the Great Rift Valley below.
Everyone is doing well and are looking forward to a good night's sleep.
Hakuna matata!
RMI Guide Casey Grom and crew
Larry S - Glad the climb is going so well. Continued good wishes to you and the team. Mom
Posted by: Gerri Seaton on 2/14/2013 at 8:33 am
Larry—your call was very clear from up on the Mt. The flowers are beautiful, you made my day and once again you are my champion! A safe journey to you and all.
Deb
Hey guys this is Seth. We're all on top of Ixta! All seven climbers and three guides made it. Beautiful weather. Had a great day. Here's the big cheer. [Team cheers!] We'll give a shout when we're back down safe and sound at high camp.
RMI Guide Seth Waterfall
Wow you met your goal!!!you must be on top of the world. We are thrilled for you Ryan. You are truly amazing.
Praying for you and the team..
Love you,
Proud mom&dad;
Posted by: nancy mccalley on 2/13/2013 at 9:22 pm
Congratulations to the entire team and guides for your summiting. I’m especially proud of Brandon, and I know this has been an awesome experience for him.
Greetings from high camp on Ixta! We had a great day on the trail. My day started a bit earlier than the rest of the team as I came up to camp to drop off some water early in the morning. The rest of the group enjoyed bacon and eggs for breakfast before starting their hike at 9:30am. It was very warm and there wasn't a cloud in the sky for most of the day but we had a nice breeze to keep us from getting too hot.
We just finished with dinner and now everyone's getting their gear organized for tonight's we climb! Hopefully the next time we check in it will be from the summit.
RMI Guide Seth Waterfall
The rain was borderline torrential in Quito last night, but as we got closer to our acclimatization hike, it let up for us. We had a great hike today, topping out on Cerro Fuya Fuya at over 14,000 feet! The team again did a great job climbing up this mountain and making the most of our time up high. Tomorrow we will head to Otovalo and do a little exploration of the market town. Afterwards it's up to the Cayambe hut! So far so good down here.
RMI Guide Jake Beren
We caught our first views of Kilimanjaro today while on our two-hour drive to the park gate. Looming in the distance it was almost mistaken as a cloud. We spent about an hour getting checked in and all of our gear weighed. All in all there are 55 porters, guides, cooks, waiters and camp crew bringing our group total to 66. The majority of folks are porters who are carrying much of our gear, fresh food and most importantly fresh ground coffee!
The first day always feels like the toughest as we try to get into the swing of things and find our legs under us. The team did great today and made good time from about 6000' up to 10,000' in about six miles. It took a little over five hours and thankfully didn't rain on us. We have just finished a well cooked meal with curried vegetables, fried chicken breast, potatoes and a nice slice of cake for dessert. Bellies are full and everyone is in their tent getting ready for some well deserved sleep.
RMI Guide Casey Grom and crew
Here for I am to be writing from resting day the third in Camp 1. But seriously, we are resting comfortably here at Camp 1 passing the time jamming Talking Heads, reading, and drinking maté. Most of us are actively working to keep the altitude and tent time from scrambling our brains. The team is understandably a bit restless hanging out with such good weather but managing nonetheless. Rumor has it that there may be a bit of wind tomorrow but nothing that should shut us down on our planned move to Camp 2. As we head higher and higher the reality of a summit bid is getting closer and closer. More to report after we push camp uphill to Camp 2 tomorrow!
RMI Guide Billy Nugent
13,000! That's our sleeping elevation tonight at the Altzimoni hut. We started the day with the best breakfast in Mexico at the Mission Tlaxcala. Then we drove back to the west and around Ixta, with a few pit stops along the way. Once we reached the town of Amecameca we loaded up on water and drove to the Altzimoni hut. After getting settled the group headed out for a light hike. After that we made dinner and now everyone is tucked in their bunks and getting ready to move to high camp tomorrow. We will check back in from there.
RMI Guide Seth Waterfall
Hi!! We are so excited for you.I am glad I finally found your blog. We love you and pray for you and the team everyday. Especially at night wondering if you are warm.
All our love,
Mom&Dad;
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Your Dad and I wanted to say how proud we are of you. Everyone we brag to are in awe of you accomplishments.
Kisses and Hugs on Valentine’s Day (hee hee). Love and God’s Blessings to your group, Mom and Dad
Posted by: Kathleen on 2/14/2013 at 11:54 am
Just a walk in the park. Billy is making yall sound like a bunch of climbing badasses, no doubt it’s true. Congrats on making it to Camp 2.
Posted by: Nathaniel on 2/13/2013 at 4:58 pm
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