Entries from Expedition Dispatches
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Categories: Expedition Dispatches Vinson Massif
Antarctica didn't let us go easily. It was 1:00 AM when we saw the definitively-Russian Ilyushin lumbering through the Antarctic sky. The temperature was some 20 below, and the 30 knot winds made it feel much, much colder, ripping heat from exposed flesh with efficiency. But, for a huge jet landing on a strip of blue ice, a strong headwind is a nice thing, helping to slow the giant bird down.
With a delicate landing that defied its massive bulk, the Ilyushin touched down to many a camera-shutter click and loud cheer. After days of delay, strikes, broken parts, and other issues, we were all ready to move onward. After unloading many tons of Jet A aviation fuel in 55 gallon drums, the ALE team called us all to board. A few moments later, doors were closed, engines spun up, and the pilots lifted us off the runway as smoothly as they had landed; it was hard to tell we had even gone airborne. While on the flight down we all were wired with excitement and slept but little, this flight was the inverse: tired from days of climbing, we all quickly succumbed to the late hour and fell asleep. In hindsight, the bit of wine and beer we had at Union before leaving might have helped a wee bit, too.
At 7:00 AM, another masterful landing thumped us down on the tarmac in Punta Arenas. As we exited the hulking Ilyushin, we could all smell it and see it: Green things. Trees, plants, animals. Life. After 3 weeks on the ice - in a land of intense beauty, but almost completely devoid of life - it was a welcome sight. The idea of a bed rather than a Thermarest, and walls instead of nylon, wasn't bad either. So, we quickly headed to to the hotel.
It always amazes me how quickly we transition in these modern times. It wasn't that long ago that expeditions wound down slowly, and reintegration into "normal" life took time. The body, and more importantly the mind, was granted simply through logistics the luxury of moving from the stark mental and physical environment of the expedition back to the frenetic pace of life in a slow manner. Today, it's anything but slow. Just hours ago we sat on a glacier on the bottom of the world, climbing mountains and routes which had never seen humans. And, now, just hours later, I'm on the internet in a hotel amidst a bustling city, and the rest of my team is on an airplane, well on their way to home, family, life. Amazing, and hard to digest.
Like the departure, the return home is something of a bittersweet affair. Certainly, in the words of Big Head Todd, "more sweet than bitter", but still a challenge. We who go to the mountains generally do so for a reason. It feeds us. It grounds us. It makes us thrive. The simplicity of the mountain life is wholly engaging, and leaving it is tough. But, to simply remain would be avoidance, escapism. And, perhaps, make the love of the mountains moot, for without black we cannot have white. It is only by leaving home that we realize how fortunate we are, and for some of us it is only by living the mountain life - and then leaving it for a time - that we remember to value it and apply its lessons and teachings to our lives back home.
As I sit here in Punta, backing up gigabytes of images, listening to CNN, and watching ships bob in the nearby harbor, this all rushes through my mind. I am excited beyond words to get home. It's been far too long since I've hugged my children and my wife, and patted my dog's head. I long to answer my daughter's questions, to hear about her day, and listen to my son say her name - a new trick he developed during my absence. But, I also know that, before long, the flood of emails and deadlines and bills and housework and the frenetic pace of modern life will threaten to overwhelm. It is then, I hope, that my mind will harken back to the austere simplicity of Antarctic life. I hope I will be able to conjure up the invigorating lessons of the high peaks, my mountain mind speaking to me through the fog of modern life: "You're but a small part of a big machine. Be humble. Hug your family. Be thankful. Smile.
Relax...Focus on what's important in life, the fundamentals, for soon you'll be back again in the mountains.
-Jake Norton
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Categories: Expedition Dispatches Aconcagua
We had a great hike down to Pampa de Las Leñas. A little rain on the way but has changed to blue skies. The team is doing well and is excited to celebrate our last night in the mountains with an Argentine-style barbecue. We'll check in tomorrow from Mendoza!
RMI Guide Gabriel Barral & the Aconcagua team
Hope you are enjoying Mendoza with your 2 xtr days,
excited to hear the details.
Posted by: Fred & Jan on 1/27/2011 at 8:21 am
Keith. . .
Glad you made it. . . on a side note, you’re “on-call” when you return and while I’m skiing next week.
Kamran sends his love, and since it snowed 1 inch today, he of course stayed home. I am piss!
Posted by: Brian E on 1/26/2011 at 12:29 pm
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Categories: Expedition Dispatches Ecuador
Saludos de Ecuador,
Our team hiked to the climbing hut on the Illiniza volcanoes today. The weather treated us well and afforded us great views of Cotopaxi and the Illinizas, north and south. The hike was enjoyable and everyone is feeling great. Right now we're relaxing at the climbers' hut, drinking tea and chewing the fat. Tomorrow morning we'll get an early start and climb the 'normal route' on Illiniza Norte, which has some sections of 3rd class scrambling. Then we will descend the 'scree route' and continue on to our waiting vehicles. I'll check in again tomorrow evening when we're at the hacienda, Chilcabamba.
Hasta manana...
RMI Guide Mike Walter and crew
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Categories: Expedition Dispatches Ecuador
We spent our team’s first full day in Ecuador climbing Rucu Pichincha, an extinct ~15,500 foot volcano just west of Quito. The approach to this climb is via a gondola that took us to ~13,500’, on the flanks of Rucu. Hiking for a couple hours put us up by the summit ridge. The weather was good—cloudy but dry and just cool enough to be comfortable for climbing. A few hundred feet of 3rd class scrambling got us to the summit. Any easy scramble back down and a relaxing hike back to the gondola wrapped up our first acclimatization climb.
After a nice dinner at the Magic Bean restaurant, we all retired to our rooms to rest and pack for the next leg of our trip: climbing Iliniza Norte. Everyone is doing well, and we’ll check back in tomorrow evening.
What do you do in Antarctica when you want to kill time? you eat, sleep, read, play games, write in your journal and.... do first ascents. Not a bad program, isn't it?
After a great breakfast of french toasts and beautiful lunch, I headed out with Nick, Victor's client, to do one more line on the north face of Mount Russman. It takes about 30mins down the now well travelled ski track to the base of the face. There, we trade skis for crampons and poles for ice aces. Victor followed behind with the Union Glacier camp head chef, Gavin.
Today's line was a mix of steep snow and steeper ice with wild mushroom formations stacked on top of each other. The climbing was smooth and we moved quickly through this untouched terrain. As we neared the top, huge cornices were towering overhead and the terrain was steeper than what it had seemed like from the bottom. We topped out 2hours after leaving our skis. We radioed in to camp to notify them of our success on the route and to let them know that we were headed straight back to camp. It's requirement and we need to communicate with camp on a regular basis while out in the field.
This was Gavin's first first ascent, just like it had been for Richard Parks a few days ago. So, he got to name the route. He offered a few names, but the one that stuck with "Route du Jour". It was a perfect fit for a chef and also because this is realy what it is like: we wake up in the morning and wonder which route is going to get plummed that day, much like a chef decides on what menu he is going to prepare.
We just got news that we are likely not flying tomorrow night. So, there might be more "Route du Jour" to come!
We are back at Basecamp!
The group woke early to sunny skies, and some small snow drifts at 19,600'. A quick breakfast and time to break camp and pack, and we were on our way downhill. The group moved very well, and just under 5 hours later we were walking into Basecamp ahead of some weather that was chasing us. While we sat in the cook tent drinking tea and coffee, the skies opened with snow and gusty winds.
We have just finished an incredible dinner of Argentine steak and Malbec (at 14000 ft!). The group is well fed, happy for the thicker air, and headed to bed. Tomorrow, our packs again get lighter as the mules give us a hand with our loads. We will walk to our first camp (Pampa de Leñas) for a barbecue and sleep, before a last few hours to the trailhead, and transport to Mendoza! We'll be in touch tomorrow. Thanks for reading,
RMI Guide Gabriel Barral and Team
Hi Dad!
Sounds like you guys had a great trip, glad you made it back safely!
love,
Kayla
Posted by: Kayla Eland on 1/25/2011 at 12:04 pm
What a wonderful experience for all of you.
Wishing you safe travels again tomorrow. :)
Posted by: Judy H. on 1/23/2011 at 7:32 pm
The team did a great job, not just on the climb to the summit, but also on the descent back to high camp.
Now everybody is very tired, but I think that after a big portion of Ramen the stoke meter will mark a 11! (It's one bigger isn't?!)
This is the RMI Aconcagua Expedition checking in from Camp 3 after a successful ascent to the top of Aconcagua (22841'-6962m)
A beautiful dark blue sky, lots of stars forming constellations such as the Cruz del Sur (southern cross) and a magnificent full moon were the kick off of our climb at 5:30am. The weather during the first 6 hours of our ascent was extremely good, no wind and temperatures on the sunny slopes were more than comfortable.
Once we started the final part of the ascent (the Canaleta) clouds moved in, but the temperatures kept getting warmer.
Unfortunately at the moment of our arrival on the summit it became covered by clouds, and we did not have the chance of enjoy the awesome 360 degrees view of the Andes, but this didn't stop the group from having the opportunity to let our emotions get out and celebrate.
We will check in tomorrow from the comfort of Base Camp Plaza Argentina.
Thanks to everybody out there for following our progress on the mountain and for sending all those kind messages.
Cheers,
Gabi and the RMI Aconcagua Expedition.
We will check in tomorrow from the comfort of Base Camp Plaza Argentina.
Thanks to everybody out there for following our progress on the mountain and for sending all those kind messages.
Cheers,
Gabi and the RMI Aconcagua Expedition.
Congratulations on making the summit dad!! The weather looked so amazing over there, can’t wait to see you when you get home!!
Love, Bart
Posted by: Bart Eland on 1/23/2011 at 4:50 pm
congratulations Sid ! We have all been tracking your progress and are excited for you that you all reached the summit ! Quite an impressive mountain I’m sure ! Great job ! The Fitzy cheering squad !
Posted by: Carol Eland on 1/23/2011 at 4:41 pm
Two nights ago, when I sent my last dispatch, we were all a bit deflated, having been told we'd most likely be sitting here at Union in bad weather for 4 more days. To our surprise, though, yesterday morning brought brilliant blue skies and the possibility of an Ilyushin flight in the evening.
As the day went on, it was clear the Ilyushin would be coming to take one load of passengers out to Punta Arenas. Included in that first flight would be Ed, Cindy, David, and Ben. The rest of us - Peter, Seth, Caroline, Kent, and I - would be on the next flight.
With ample sun and stunning peaks waiting outside camp, there was little option but to go climbing...for those of us not packing. Mount Rossman, a towering massif of snowy ridges and rocky buttresses, had lured many already with it's siren song. Unclimbed until last year, nearly every couloir and ridge on the multi-summit peak had seen a first ascent in the past 10 days. Caroline went off with Vic Saunders and some others for one of the few remaining unclimbed lines on the right side of the peak. Soon after, Seth blasted uphill, skis on his back, to make turns off the summit. Kent and I, after finishing up some production work, decided on another unclimbed line, a nice looking couloir climbing some 1500 feet up the peak.
For me, the joy of doing a first ascent, of setting the first tracks on a given route or peak, is not to be able to brag about it, but rather just the sheer adventure
of it, for you have no idea what lies ahead. Sure, Kent and I looked at the route from camp, saw that it looked continuous and snowy the whole way, and seemed to be steep enough to be fun, but not too steep. But, you never know. Would the snow be good? How about the rock quality where it seemed to pinch closed 1/2 way up? Ice screws? Pickets? Would there be the bullet-proof, blue ice we'd seen elsewhere, or just easy-going neve? While those questions could be intimidating, swirling in the back of the mind, they are, to me, the part that gets me going. It's the lack of knowledge, the feeling of some vestige of "true" adventure, which makes such an outing enticing.
In the end, Kent and I found a beautiful, aesthetic line following generally good snow up a 40-55 degree couloir for 1500 feet. The rope and gear we brought stayed in my pack, neither of us feeling the need for it with such good conditions. It was just fun climbing, some shooting by both of us, and an immensely enjoyable few hours on a new route on Mount Rossman. We called it "Ilyushin Fields" after the plane which, as we descended, dropped through a curtain of ice fog onto a blue ice runway, loaded 62 passengers, and swept them off to Punta.
Soon, we hope, we, too, will be in the air from Antarctica over the Drake Passage. But, if not, while some 20 first ascents have been ticked off around here in the past 2 weeks, there are still a lot of firsts left to do around Union Glacier. We won't be bored.
-Jake Norton
This is day 6 at Union Glacier. The weather is stellar, not a cloud in the sky, the first plane out to Punta Arenas flew out last night and we just found out that we won't fly tonight because the Punta Arenas airport is out of....fuel! Hard to believe, but so it goes. People are chomping at the bit to fly out but I really can't complain. My time at and around Union Glacier has been really amazing. I have done three new routes in the past three days on Mount Russman. One was an easy but steep snow couloir to the summit of Mount Russman (1428m). I left camp after breakfast in a full on white out, cold temperatures and snowy weather, but after missing out on climbing a new peak the day before with Seth and Jake, I wanted to climb no matter what. We - Gordon and Simon (two British Army men we had met on Vinson) and I - skied the flat 3kms to the backside of Mount Russman roped up and left our skis at the base of the face. We couldn't see the peak but decide for a couloir and made it to the top. I wish I could have seen camp 3000 feet below but the clouds prevented us from enjoying the view. Yet, it was a beautiful day just for being on the summit of the most obvious and closest peak to camp.
Yesterday, we woke up to beautiful blue skies and warmer temperatures. Victor - my friend I did that first ascent with the first day at Union - was going up his 10th first ascent in two weeks and asked me if I would join him and guide Richard Parks, a famous British retired rugbyman who is trying to climb the seven summits and two poles in seven months. From camp, Mount Russman offers a plethora of steep snow and mixed lines and lots of the first ascents have gone down in the past two weeks, but there were still a few lines to plum. We headed for a V shaped line, which offered up to 65-degree snow and ice. It was Richard's first first ascent and I was so excited to guide him up it. He got to pick the route name: Gratitude. A beautiful name which describes perfectly how I also felt about climbing yet another new route in Antarctica and getting to be here all together with a great team and getting to hang out with amazing people. While I was climbing, Jake and Kent were also doing a first ascent on the same face and Seth skied from the summit, putting amazing tracks down the face, visible from camp.
It was colder this morning and when Victor, his client Nick and I headed for what could be our last climb here, we weren't sure we should start up the climb in such polar temperatures. As soon as the wind died, it was warm again and we made quick progress up the 300 meters of snow and ice to the start of the route. There, the route switches from rock to ice and back to rock and is the only line angling left across the steep north facing wall (read south facing in the northern hemisphere). The rock was of poor quality but the line was so nice: I only wished I had more of these readily accessible lines in my backyard. We named it Diagon Alley, which coincided with finishing my audiobook, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. We headed back down to camp hoping for the news that we would fly out. Hopefully we will fly tomorrow. Otherwise, there are many other lines awaiting first ascents to keep us busy for another few days.
This is Gabi and the RMI Aconcagua expedition checking in from Camp 3 (19600').
This morning we started at Camp 2 with an early breakfast. We started our ascent at 10:20 am and after 3 hours and 20 minutes of hard work we arrived at our high camp.
The weather this morning was awesome, no wind and warm temperatures (well, as warm as it could get at 18,000'). During the ascent clouds moved in and a cold breeze cooled us. At our arrival to Camp 3 a little bit of weather added some spice to our day. It snowed half a inch, but for a good 15 minutes it looked like it was going to keep snowing all night.
Current conditions are better. It is still cloudy, but it has stopped snowing and it looks like we are going to have a clear night. Our plan is to wake up early tomorrow morning (sometime between 3 and 5 am) and we will check the weather. If the weather is as the forecast is calling, we'll have breakfast and start our summit attempt !
Everybody is very excited for tomorrow and the stokemeter is very high (8) at Camp 3!
We'll be in touch tomorrow.
Cheers,
RMI Guide Gabriel Barral and the Aconcagua expedition
Everybody is very excited for tomorrow and the stokemeter is very high (8) at Camp 3!
We'll be in touch tomorrow.
Cheers,
RMI Guide Gabriel Barral and the Aconcagua expedition
Lisa: Mary and I have been following your daily progress and envying you every step of the way! When you read this you are most likely down from the summit. Congratulations on your accomplishment. We are anticipating seeing all your pictures.
Love, Jud and Mary
Posted by: Jud on 1/22/2011 at 10:54 am
Frere Jacque,
I am vicariously enjoying your grand adventure. See you at the top!
Posted by: Andy Lee on 1/22/2011 at 9:41 am
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Nice wrap up Jake. Well written. Be sure to shower before hugging your wife. pw
Posted by: peter whittaker on 1/30/2011 at 7:25 am
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