Entries from Expedition Dispatches
Thursday, July 5, 2018 10:25 PM PST
Today was better weather than we expected -after a snowy and blowy night- it was crystal clear and calm at camp when the sun hit, there was a sea of clouds below. But the winds were blowing up on
Denali Pass and the South Peak until early afternoon which discouraged us from giving it a go. We’ve got reason to believe that tomorrow -Friday- will be our day. We chalked up another 17,000' rest day and hope that the extra time up high has made us more ready for success. We’re definitely feeling a little more like our old selves now compared to when we first rolled into 17k.
A short walk from camp to the big drop off and we can look down on the empty camp at 14,000'. The last groups of the season are here now and looking to take their shot tomorrow too.
Best Regards,
RMI Guide Dave Hahn
Thursday, July 5, 2018 - 6:12 PM PT
Hello!
Your favorite
Expedition Skills - Perú team here, getting into sleeping bags after a beautiful day here at Ishinca Base Camp. We slept in this morning, and enjoyed omelettes and strong Peruvian coffee before we set out to review and learn some important knots and hitches for our upcoming climbs. The afternoon brought some cloud cover, but we had a chance to get out and stretch the legs for an hour on a hike above our camp. Pretty soon, the unthinkable happened here in the dry season in the Cordillera Blanca; it snowed! Luckily, our plan was to rest tent-side all afternoon anyway, and the sound of snow and rain lulled us to sleep for a well deserved siesta. After a delectable caramelized onion, chicken and rice dish, we are back in the tents, resting up for our big day up to the Ishinca Glacier for some on-snow skills tomorrow. We’ll hit yet another high point at 16,200’ if all goes according to plan. Wish us luck!
Best,
RMI Guides Robby, Alan, William, and crew
The
Expedition Skills Seminar - Kautz, led by
RMI Guide Pete Van Deventer, just radioed from the Mt. Rainier summit. It is a clear day with some winds gusting to around 30 mph. The team will descend to their high camp and then continue down the mountain tomorrow to celebrate here at Rainier Basecamp.
Congratulations to the Kautz Seminar crew!
The
Four Day Summit Climb July 2 - 5, 2018 reached the summit of Mt. Rainier this morning just before 6:30 AM PT led by
RMI Guides Brent Okita and
Chase Nelson. The teams reported steady winds of 25-30 mph throughout their ascent. They were able to spend some time on the summit enjoying the blue skies and sunshine this morning and began their descent from the crater rim around 7:30 AM PT. They will continue their descent to Paradise later this afternoon and we look forward to seeing them at Rainier BaseCamp later today.
Congratulations to today's Summit Climb teams!
Wednesday, July 4, 2018 - 11:09 PM PT
The sun hit at seven. There were high clouds and some of the signs of the storm forecast to move in at the end of the day. We hoped to get lucky by sneaking the summit in before that storm. With that in mind we breakfasted and geared up... but not too quickly as we were still watching the weather. At 10:15 we made the move and left camp... at precisely the moment that three other guided teams left their own camps. The resulting traffic jam as the teams hit the steep and tricky first pitches of the “autobahn” combined with rapidly deteriorating weather had us turning back to camp before noon. We set to building walls around the tents and catching up on rest and hydration. The storm did hit... there were a few nervy hours in the evening trying to account for the teams that had gone onward and upward. All turned out ok in the end and we are secure in our fortress at
17,000' Camp. We’ll climb when the weather improves.
Best Regards
RMI Guide Dave Hahn
On The Map
Greetings from the Ishinca Valley!
And so it begins! After three days of prepping our bodies and our bags in the hustle and bustle of Huaraz City, we’ve finally made our move to the mountains. We made our way by bus to the small village of Pashpa, where we met our donkey drivers and their crew of willing steeds. We loaded up our animals, affectionately thanked them in advance for their work, and began our hike up the Ishinca Valley with light loads and high hopes. After a little over three hours of moving, we arrived at
Ishinca Base Camp, nestled in a steep valley here at 14,400’. We made quick work of camp setup in the grassy meadows and before we knew it, we were feasting on chicken soup and fresh lake trout! Fresh fish at 14,000’...oh boy, what a treat! That’s how we roll down here in the Cordillera Blanca. Tomorrow, acclimatization continues. We’ll start working on some technical rope skills, and likely eat like royalty once again. We’ll let you know how it goes! Until then, hasta manana!
RMI Guide Robby Young and the well-fed ESS-Peru team
Wednesday, July 4, 2018 - 9:14 AM PT
And we came out! We finished our trek and arrived into Cashapampa, where we unloaded donkeys, grabbed a drink and celebrated that once more, the mountains provided adventure, challenge and the unexpected. But more so, that we're safe, back and ready to plan the next adventure.
Thanks for following!
RMI Guide Elias de Andres Martos
RMI Guide Bryan Mazaika led his
Five Day Summit Climb June 30 - 4 July to the summit of Mt. Rainier this morning. Bryan reported light winds and partly sunny skies as the team was on the summit. They were able to enjoy some time in the crater rim before beginning their descent to Camp Muir. After a stop at Muir to repack the team will continue down to Paradise. We look forward to seeing them at Rainier BaseCamp later today.
Congratulations to the Five Day Summit Climb team!
The
Four Day Summit Climb July 1 - 4 reached the summit of Mt. Rainier this morning led by
RMI Guide Casey Grom. Light winds and partly sunny skies greeted the team this morning. They were able to enjoy some time in the summit crater before starting their descent.
Congratulations to today's team!
Tuesday, July 3, 2018 - 9:52 PM PT
We could see forever this morning, and then it got better. The high clouds were gone, the low clouds were gone and the middle clouds were gone. We were up at six and walking by 8:45 in the cool shadow of the South Peak. By noon we’d topped out the fixed ropes and were starting up along the phenomenal crest of the
West Buttress. We never got anything stronger than gentle breezes, despite our exposed position. There were a few big smiles as the gang came up past Washburn’s Thumb and began to flirt with 17,000 feet. We pulled into the 17,200 ft camp in mid afternoon, six hours after leaving our Camp at 14,000'. Building camp was hard in the rarefied air, but we got it done and sat down to a six PM dinner in our newest snow dining room. We talked about how a summit day might work tomorrow and how to prepare tonight. We will need to get a little bit lucky on the weather, and everybody will need a good night’s rest... but then if it all works out, we’ll be ready to take advantage. Light, high clouds have taken over the western sky, but the sun is still powering through at 8:45 PM and we can see rivers, tundra, mountains, glaciers and planet Earth for hundreds of miles.
Best Regards
RMI Guide Dave Hahn
On The Map
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I’m hoping by the time I write this comment that you already summited on Friday. However, I’m no stranger to these climbs and understand she could take a few more days if conditions dictate…. All the best Tom. God Speed brother!
Posted by: Darcy on 7/6/2018 at 10:57 pm
Happy 50th birthday Scott!
Posted by: Michelle Coffey on 7/6/2018 at 6:54 pm
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