Hello. This is the Peru Seminar calling in from our high Camp on Copa. We are going to bed. It's 6:30 pm local time and we are hoping to give you guys a call tomorrow from the summit. It's been a little bit of a taxing climb this year. Much drier year than others, but we managed to get up to camp. We hope to have a good climb tomorrow. Stay tuned.
RMI Guide Elias de Andres Martos
RMI Guide Elias de Andres Martos calls in from Copa High Camp.
Sometimes the stars just align, and they did for our climbing team on Cayambe this morning. Yesterday we traveled from Otavalo to the town of Cayambe where we transferred from a bus to four-wheel drive vehicles. A beautiful drive up into the Cayambe-Coca National Park soon became a unique cultural experience as the 4x4s were stymied by wildly rutted and muddy roads en route to the climbers’ hut. We got out of the vehicles and began harvesting “paja”, or tall straw-like grass from the roadside to through onto the road for added traction. After about 45 minutes all three of our vehicles made it through the troublesome areas and we continued on to the climbing hut at 4600m. Light rain turned to blue skies and we got some great views of the next day’s objective. We were cautiously optimistic about the changing weather pattern for Cayambe (we had seen Cayambe from various peaks over the previous week, and it always looked windy and stormy).
I woke up this morning (actually last night at 10:30pm) and checked the weather. I was psyched to see a starry night without a single cloud in the sky, and very little wind. We ate a light breakfast, packed up, and left the hut at 12:15am. It took us about an hour to approach the toe of the glacier where we donned crampons and iced axes. We ascended moderate slopes up the Hermosa Glacier, avoiding the heavily crevassed peripheries. After tackling the Bergshrund and ascending a short pitch of steep ice, we found ourselves on the summit eight hours after we set out from the hut. Stunning views of the high peaks of Ecuador greeted us: Cotopaxi, Chimborazo, Antisana, and the Illinizas, all stood tall, unobstructed by clouds. The descent went smoothly and three hours later we were back at the climbers’ hut. The clouds kept threatening to cover up Cayambe on our descent, but they held off until the last 20 minutes before we hit the hut.
After an early wake-up call and a long day in the mountains, we are now settled in to our home for the night, Guachala, the oldest hacienda in Ecuador with history back to the 16th century. Our team will head back to Quito tomorrow for a celebratory dinner and our last night together in Ecuador.
RMI Guide Mike Walter
The Expedition Skills Seminar - Emmons team led by RMI Guide Mike King reached the summit of Mt. Rainier via the Emmons Route early this morning. Mike reported clear skies an great climbing. The team will be descending back to Camp Schurman and spend the remainder of the week training before returning to Rainier Basecamp Thursday afternoon.
Congratulations to the Emmons Team!
Wow folks!! Great job!!! Happy that it was a successful climb, and all are set for a safe return!! Rebecca, so proud of you for reaching your goals!!! Whoot Whoot!!!
Posted by: Kim Dean on 7/6/2016 at 6:08 pm
Way to go everyone! Special shout out to Rebecca! So proud of you!!!!
The Four Day Summit Climb Teams led by RMI Guides Jake Beren and Paul Rachele reached the summit of Mt. Rainier early this morning. Jake reported a "super beautiful" day with light winds, and a cloud layer at about 8,000'. The teams have started their descent and will be back at Rainier Basecamp this afternoon.
Congratulations to today's teams!
Grateful for your expertise in guiding us to the top. Quite a 50th Birthday for Scott! Happy Birthday again Jen! Congrats to all of team “B” (we deserve an A).
Our team has arrived on Mt. Elbrus. It was a beautiful day and every time I ride the tram up to camp I think, "Geez, I wish Mt. Rainier had one of these"! After we arrived the team took an acclimatization hike to 13,680 feet. We got a taste of thin air and then we headed back down to 12,600ft for an incredible lunch. Some of the team are enjoying the cafe just below our camp while others are relaxing. Yes!! This is the life! Tomorrow, stay tuned, our plan is to acclimatize to 15,000 feet give or take.
RMI Guide JJ Justman
Wednesday, July 6, 2016 - 1:38 a.m. PDT
We were hoping for an accidental break in the weather today. Some morning blue sky or a little unplanned sunshine, but that didn't happen. It was cloudy at every level of the sky that we could see from our camp at 14,000ft. But we couldn't see much sign of wind. We ate breakfast and watched the weather, we got ourselves organized and watched the weather. Finally we decided to go for it... to try moving up to high camp at 17,000ft. We knew a couple of teams were coming down, which was important because we wanted to use the track they plowed through the deep snow. We didn't get much encouragement from the sky- it began to snow lightly, still we left 14K Camp a little before noon. It was tough climbing, as expected with all of the new snow, but our timing was pretty good for using the tracks hammered in by others. At 16,200ft, our high point of the other day, the weather was still a little sloppy, but the team was strong and enthusiastic, so we went on up the steep crest of the West Buttress. Normally climbers have to consciously avoid looking down the steep dropoffs under the crampons, but today, with all of the cloud shrouding the scenery, it wasn't a very airy feeling walking along the ridge. We got into 17K Camp around 7:00 in the evening in blessedly calm conditions and set in to the hard work of building a secure camp. The team is excited to have capitalized on a slim opportunity and excited to be so close to our goal now after two weeks of trying.
Best Regards,
RMI Guide Dave Hahn
And we arrived to Copa BC! A good 5 hour approach, brought us to the drainage if the Lajiacocha lake, at some 14,800ft. Some clouds are currently covering the skies, and we can tell snow falling up high, but spirits are high...we're on the mountains! Our cook is prepping our dinner, and the night is falling. Without going crazy, tomorrow we'll move to high camp. We'll be calling from there, all excited about our summit push!
RMI Guide Elias deAndres Martos and Team.
RMI Guide Geoff Schellens led the Four Day Summit Climb team to the summit of Mt. Rainier this morning. While on the summit, Geoff reported cold and windy weather with clear skies. The team began their descent around 7:30 a.m. and will return to Ashford later this afternoon.
Way to climb!
Thanks so much Geoff, Nikki, and Blake, and the rest of the team. Matt and I had a blast climbing with you all. Best of luck to everyone on your next mountain adventure!
M+M
Posted by: Meredith on 7/7/2016 at 12:44 pm
Thanks Geoff, Nikki and Blake. This was a great climb and an excellent experience overall :)
The Five Day Summit Climb led by RMI Guide Sid Pattison reached the summit of Mt. Rainier this morning. Sid reported cold, clear and breezy skies on the summit. The team began their descent at 7:30 a.m. We look forward to seeing them in Ashford later this afternoon.
Congratulations climbers!
So much for a lazy rest day yesterday. Instead, we jammed the day full of activities. We spent the morning enjoying the world famous Plaza de Ponchos market in Otavalo, where we had a few hours to roam the streets, haggling with vendors for the best price on many handmade craft goods, from alpaca blankets to paintings to jewelry. After regrouping for lunch we ventured out of the normal tourist confines and explored the local market. Here, locals sell fruits, vegetables, sides of beef, whole-cooked pig, you name it…the sounds, sights, and smells were all exotic and a unique cultural experience.
After returning to our hacienda, we made a quick turn around and went on a short hike to the Cascadas de Peguche, a beautiful waterfall near our hacienda. Ok, we managed to get some rest in also.
This morning we are starting with a leisurely breakfast and then we will head for the Cayambe climbers’ hut. In order to reach the hut we will have to transfer to four-wheel drive vehicles and travel far into the Cayambe-Coca Ecological Reserve. The climbers’ hut will be our home for tonight as we get ready for an early alpine start for our summit attempt on Cayambe. At nearly 19,000’, Cayambe will test our endurance, acclimatization, and climbing techniques. We will let you know how it goes. Hopefully we will return with photos of summit high-fives.
RMI Guide Mike Walter and team
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Good luck on the BIG summit today!
Posted by: Sandy Sawyer on 7/7/2016 at 5:59 am
Good luck and I hope you make the summit today!
Mike Mangano
Posted by: Mike mangano on 7/7/2016 at 3:44 am
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