Entries from Expedition Dispatches
Greetings from Alpamayo BC!
We initiated our descent this morning from high camp and retraced our steps back out of the kingdom of the ice and into the warm confines of base camp. We are excited to savor lower altitude air and the amazing food of our cook. Our plan is to head out tomorrow and get into town in the evening. We are all super proud of our climb, yet looking forward to telling our accounts in person to our loved ones, so stay tuned for our arrival tomorrow into town!
RMI Guide Elias de Andres Martos and team
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Alpamayo team to Base Camp.
This morning we woke to a light wind and scattered clouds making for chilly start to the day. Lucky we had a hot breakfast and many cups of hot coffee and as we hit the trail we were quite happy with the cooler hiking weather. The team did great and as we climbed the switchbacks out of the Santa Cruz Valley we got our first glimpse of Alpamayo. By midday we had arrived to our Base Camp, unloaded the donkeys, and set up camp. This afternoon Elias and his team descended to BC after their successful summit yesterday, so we all hung out and told stories. We are all very happy to be settled into our new home for the next few days. Tomorrow we will carry a load of gear up to Moraine Camp in the morning and then rest and relax in the afternoon.
That's all for now.
Thanks for following along.
RMI Guide Geoff Schellens and the A Team
Posted by: Casey Grom
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Elbrus Southside
Our final night in St. Petersburg!
The team had a great last day here in Russia, with a visit to a beautiful church full of mosaics. We then visited the very famous Hermitage Museum, where we saw paintings and sculptures by many well-known artists including Rembrandt, Michelangelo and even Da Vinci.
We took a small break and wrapped up the day with a fantastic evening boat cruise to see this amazing city by water.
It's been a wonderful adventure here in Russia, but it's time to say our goodbyes and return to family and loved ones.
Thanks for following.
RMI Guide Casey Grom and crew
We had our first day up above ten thousand feet, and it couldn't have been much better. The weather was perfect, and the views were just as good. The wildflowers here are blooming, and with the breeze we had today, their smell filled the air. So we walked with postcard views and air that smelled like flowers, not bad.
We reached a nice spot around eleven thousand feet, took some photos, and made some new friends. We got our first good view of the route, and I would say folks have it just about memorized now. If the team fell short in any aspect today, it was in our ability to take a group photo. It's the thought that counts I suppose.
After a nice lunch back in town, we went through our gear, and packed everything in preparation for heading uphill. We are mountain bound tomorrow morning. Досвидания!
RMI Guide JM Gorum
On The Map
Today's Five Day Mount Rainier Climb, led by RMI Guide Mike Uchal, reached the summit in cold, clear, and windy conditions. The views were spectacular and the team is currently on their descent back to Camp Muir. We look forward to congratulating them back at Rainier Basecamp later this afternoon.
Congrats to the whole team! I felt lucky to have great guides, and I’m coming back next year in July. July is my favorite month.
Posted by: Yvonne Young on 7/20/2017 at 8:01 pm
I was blown away - literally and figuratively - by this experience. Thank you everyone for your words of encouragement. Our entire team pulled together - all 9 climbers and 3 guides - to make this an event of a lifetime for everyone on the hill. I feel a special closeness to each and every one of them. Who wants to do it again?!? Sign me up!
Posted by: Mary Ann Peterson on 7/20/2017 at 9:00 am
The Mt. Rainier Summit Climb, led by RMI Guide Mike Haugen, was 100% successful to the summit this morning! After topping out at 8:00 a.m., the team was able to enjoy over an hour taking in the views before starting their descent at 9:30 a.m.
Congratulations team!
Is the climb completed now?
Posted by: Diana Repanich on 7/18/2017 at 5:03 pm
Way to go Jim and Will!
Posted by: Lynne Dugaw on 7/18/2017 at 3:49 pm
After an early breakfast and some last minute packing we loaded up our shuttle and said good bye to Huaraz. We headed north out of town for over an hour before leaving the paved road for the washboard dirt road taking us east to the village of Casha Pampa. Here we unloaded our van and helped load the mules that will carry our mountain of gear into base camp for us. Now in the mid-morning sun we started our hike into the Santa Cruz Valley, the first hour and a half was dusty and hot but soon the dirt and rock gave way to beautiful rolling meadows. Beautiful streams trickled down from the surrounding hills and soon we began to see the tops of stunning snow-capped mountains emerging from above the valley walls. By late afternoon we reached our camp at Llama Coral where we set up tents, had a delicious dinner, and settled in for the night.
The team is doing very well and we are happy to be on the trail.
Thanks for following along.
RMI Guide Geoff Schellens and the A Team
Hola from C2...
And we did it!!! We climbed and summited today what's arguably one of the most beautiful mountains on Earth. Brian, Tom and James climbed in style the super direct line that after nine pitches of consistent 75 degrees on hard névé and ice takes you to the airy top shy of 20,000ft. We woke up at midnight to a beautiful night, and after breaking trail for half hour to the bergschrund, we found ourselves doing what we came to do; swinging our tools into the frozen element of this wall that is the SW Face of Alpamayo. Right at dawn we were straddling the summit and while tired, the sense of accomplishment was as big as the effort we put forth. We earned every feet of the climb by swinging and kicking and pulling and pushing... Now we are in bed, after having enjoyed another meal prepared two days ago by our cook, which we carried up to reheat in our camp stoves; fried rice with beef and fries... At 18,000ft, that feels like cheating when we see other teams eat freeze-dried food. Did we say we care about style points?
That's all for now, we will update you tomorrow of our plans for the last couple days.
RMI Guide Elías de Andres Martos and team
Posted by: Casey Grom
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Elbrus Southside
Saint Petersburg!!!
We traveled all day and have finally arrived in one of the most beautiful cities of Europe. Things went relatively smooth despite two van rides and two flights. We got checked into the hotel here and then ran out for a quick dinner followed by a short but scenic stroll.
Everyone is very excited to explore and see this city tomorrow.
RMI Guide Casey Grom and crew
July 16, 2017
Today we all woke up feeling good, had a very nice breakfast and sipped coffee before heading out on our acclimatization hike. At 8:00 William met us and we loaded into a shuttle for a 40-minute ride bumping through small villages to the trail head at 12,300'. We were all eager to stretch the legs and started out of the gates a little fast. Within minutes we settled into a pace more suited for our altitude. After two hours we found ourselves over looking Laguna Churup at 14,600'. With perfect weather we lounged on the granite slabs around the alpine lake occasionally dozing off in the mid day sun. Shortly after noon we started our descent back to the shuttle and then back into Huaraz. After grabbing a quick lunch in town we did a gear check and got our duffle bags packed for our launch tomorrow and then strolled back into town for a casual dinner. Everyone is doing great and we are all excited to hit the trail tomorrow.
Thanks for following along.
RMI Guide Geoff Schellens and the Alpamayo team
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To my dearest Steve Pastor, I’m so proud of you!! You are amazing! I feel absolutely honored that I received a phone call to find you made the summit. Mt. Elbrus summit!!! Great job to my crazy mountain climbing bestie and congratulations!! Love and Hugs, Andy
Thank you Mr. Grom for the wonderful experience you provided all these fantastic people! Congratulations to you and everyone with you!!
Sincerely,
Andy
Posted by: Andrea Houts on 7/18/2017 at 4:38 pm
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