Today we made our first steps towards Alpamayo. After an early start from Huaraz we drove north for about three hours with the entire Cordillera Blanca Range glistening in the morning light. Truly spectacular. After reaching Cashapampa, we disembarked from our van, met our cook and helped load the donkey with our gear for the trip. Finally the whole expedition starts. Excitement was high as we began our approach to base camp. The first hour and a half of the hike was up steep switchbacked terrain after which it mellowed and became a gradual meandering trail up the Santa Cruse Valley. Our camp tonight is called Llama Corral, 12,300 feet, and about halfway up the valley. Tomorrow we should reach base camp by early afternoon.
The team is doing very well, everyone is climbing strong, staying healthy, and excited for what's to come.
Thanks for following along with us!
RMI Guide Geoff Schellens and the Alpamayo team
I’m glad you guys are doing well…. However, I would like like to hear more about the DONKEY!!! PHOTO PLEASE!
HAVE FUN…STAY SAFE!!! Sending lots of love and WARM WISHES from the 100 degree San Joaquin valley!
Posted by: Patty Stenderup on 7/25/2015 at 3:46 pm
Jambo from Africa everyone!
We have had an exciting last two days as we made our way to Tarangire National Park, known for their abundance of elephants, and we weren't disappointed.
Yesterday we spent about four hours driving through the park which is mostly a savannah with a river running through it. We saw hundreds of elephants and more giraffes than I've ever seen, and plenty of other wildlife too.
We spent the night out in the African bush in a remote tented camp called Kakoti that overlooks Tarangire Park.
We arrived to watch the beautiful sunset one last time and then enjoyed yet another wonderful meal.
Today we finished our safari with a drive back through Tarangire where some of the team caught a glimpse of a leopard as it crossed the road before it disappeared again. There were plenty of elephants again and everyone enjoyed our last day as we made our way back to the Dik Dik Lodge before quick showers and then it was off to the airport.
Thanks for following!
RMI Guide Casey Grom and crew
Summit!
The Mount Rainier Summit Climb teams, led by Dave Hahn and Tyler Reid, were leaving the crater rim at 7:30 this morning. Dave reported great conditions: clear and sunny, with light winds.
Mike King and the Expedition Skills Seminar - Emmons are returning to Base Camp today after a successful summit via the Emmons Glacier.
it was a real priviledge to get to know, sweat, hike, and rope together. Thank you Emmons team and expecially guides for making it worth it! allen (contact me any time)
Posted by: allen musil on 7/26/2015 at 11:10 am
Congratulations!!! Must have been an awesome sight at the top of the mountain!
We are back at the comfort of lower elevations, the meals of our cook Emilio, and the safety of the Andean meadow in which it sits. Our summit climb yesterday was incredible; mainly because of the climbing ability of our climbers, (providing the fastest and most efficient one this guide has had) but also because the weather, conditions and surroundings. We had the mountain to ourselves, which contributed too. This morning, we had to drag our feet out of Camp 2, since a whiteout engulfed us upon waking up. The weather gave us a break and without hesitation, we started our descent to BC. We know we're not done till we dismount our horses tomorrow at the trailhead, but our sense of accomplishment makes us believe so; we have climbed, arguably and according to many, the most beautiful mountain in the world. We're going now to rest that thought in the warmth of the first night not on the glacier in a few days, and let you know all about it tomorrow from our hotel.
RMI Guide Elias de Andres Martos
We’re very proud of you all! Congratulations on your successful climb! Dixie, Scott and Tucker
Posted by: Dixie on 7/25/2015 at 5:38 am
Fatima, Great to hear that you had a memorable experience and such good conditions on summit day on such an unusually beautiful mountain. That (and the 450m ice-climb) will make it special! Take care on the return journey.
Peter
Posted by: Peter Williamson on 7/24/2015 at 3:57 pm
This morning we woke up around 7:00 gathered for a delicious breakfast with lots of coffee and packed a small day pack. Today's mission: a short acclimatization hike just outside of Huaraz. Shortly after breakfast we loaded in to the shuttle and drove about 40 minutes out of town to the trailhead at just over 12,000 feet. Starting out in the rolling foothills were stunning snow-capped peaks looming above us. We couldn't contain our excitement and began hiking too fast. Quickly we realized our error and settled into a reasonable pace. A few hours later we found ourselves at the beautiful Laguna Churup, 14,000 feet, where Don and Jesse promptly went swimming. We relaxed by the amazing alpine lake eating lunch and taking photos before descending back to our shuttle. This afternoon we will rest at our hotel, do a little shopping in town and enjoy another delicious dinner before hitting the trail tomorrow.
Everyone is doing well and spirits are high. Thanks for following along with us on this amazing adventure!
RMI Guide Geoff Schellens
Our Four Day Summit Climb teams led by RMI Guides Peter Whittaker and Mike Uchal reached the summit of Mt. Rainier early this morning. The teams reported a perfect day of climbing with light winds and sunny skies.
RMI Guide Mike King and his Expeditions Skills Seminar team also reached the summit of Mt. Rainier via the Emmons Route this morning. They will descend back to Camp Schurman and spend some more time training on the mountain before returning to Rainier Basecamp tomorrow.
Congratulations to today's teams!
My son Ira & I summited with Mike Uchal & Steve on the 23rd! It was a great day, great experience and we had 9 great members of our team along with Mike & Steve.
James was in our training class, all 3, true professionals! First attempt & made it at 60 years young!
Hi all,
The whole team arrived in Lima late last night for our Alpamayo Expedition. We gathered for breakfast this morning at the hotel and excitement is running high. Shortly after breakfast we packed and loaded our van for the long drive to Huaraz. Huaraz is a beautiful town in the foothills of the Cordillera Blanca at 10,000' surrounded by stunning peaks. After arriving at our hotel we met our Peruvian guide, William, and discussed some logistics for the up coming days, spent some time relaxing, and had a fantastic dinner. Tomorrow we will go for a short hike before resting and packing for the approach.
Thanks for following along with us,
RMI Guide Geoff Schellens
* I meant to say: sending good vibes.. :)
Happy Sunday, guys.
God be with you!
Posted by: Luz on 7/26/2015 at 1:59 pm
How’s everything going up there? Sending god vibes and hopping to hear from you, guys.
Share your adventures :D..
Have a great Saturday.
Love you, Jesse.
We enjoyed our last evening in St. Petersburg with an early dinner and a boat cruise through the canals of this beautiful city.
Thanks to our group for a great climb of Mt. Elbrus and a wonderful adventure in Russia.
Until next time,
RMI Guide JJ Justman
Hi again, this is Elias it looks like the previous message got cut by the satellite reception. We are back at Camp, everything went pretty well. This team crushed it, they climbed 450 meters of really step ice on Alpamayo in less than five hours. They killed it. We are safely back at camp. Sorry we couldn't call from the top but if you have seen pictures of the mountain, there is only room for one person at a time so we couldn't call from there. This is pretty awesome. We want to thank everybody who has been cheering for us. We will keep you posted tomorrow from Base Camp, hopefully. We're going to chill tonight here at High Camp, because we had the entire mountain to ourselves. So there was no rush to leave early, we had a later start, enjoyed ourselves in the daylight. We are going to sleep here and then do the descent tomorrow. That's all for now and thanks again for following, and we will check in tomorrow from Base Camp prior to heading out the next day.
Take care, Bye.
RMI Guide Elias de Andres Martos
Hello once again everyone -
This was a marvelous day as we visited the famous Ngorongoro Crater, considered by some to be the 8th wonder of the world. We started early with hopes of catching more of the elusive wildlife.
Today we saw more zebras, Cape buffalo, wildebeest, giraffes than anyone expected, in fact at such close range that we could almost touch them. We also saw plenty of hyenas, ostrich, Impala and saw a few lions, hippos, elephants, and even managed to spot a couple of Rhinos off in the distance. Needless to say it was a wonderful day of well deserved safari.
We then wrapped up the day with a visit to a working Maasai village. The Maasai are the local nomadic people that have inhabited this area for more than a thousand years and still try to exist with their same way of life.
Finally we returned to the amazing Plantation lodge to relax and enjoy another wonderful meal.
All is well!
RMI Guide Casey Grom and crew
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I’m glad you guys are doing well…. However, I would like like to hear more about the DONKEY!!! PHOTO PLEASE!
HAVE FUN…STAY SAFE!!! Sending lots of love and WARM WISHES from the 100 degree San Joaquin valley!
Posted by: Patty Stenderup on 7/25/2015 at 3:46 pm
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