After a solid day training up here at around 16,500' on Cotopaxi, we are bedding down for a night's sleep as best we can this evening. We are going to wake up here in a bit and go for a climb. The weather has been in and out so we need everybody back home to cross their fingers for a good weather pattern for us. And with any luck we will be calling you from the top tomorrow. So, I guess that's all. I'll talk to you tomorrow.
RMI Guide Jake Beren
RMI Guide Jake Beren checks in from the hut on Cotopaxi.
Our team made it to Camp Muir!
It was a long, arduous day but everyone put their heads down, gritted their teeth and made it to 10,000 feet in great style.
The action continues! Despite a little bit of weather to keep us cool we are having a lot of fun training in the snow.
RMI Guide JJ Justman
It’s about time! ;) Congrats to you all!!! Next step: rocking awesome summit bid. Keep your spirits up and remember how truly awesome this journey is for each and every single one of you. Tim: xxxooo! Make it happen!
Posted by: Tim's Little Woman on 2/6/2013 at 6:04 am
What a whirlwind! Yesterday we were standing at almost 23,000 feet, and this evening we're back at Aconcagua Base Camp. It's a big day descending all the way, and our loads just get bigger as we pick up food and gear cached at each camp. It makes it easier knowing that we're headed to a delicious steak dinner ( better than the way in even!). Tomorrow we're back to light loads, light shoes, and getting miles under our feet. Hopefully we see Billy and team along the way. We'll be in touch!
RMI Guide Pete Van Deventer
We visited Lake Manyara National Park today. It sits about 75 east of Arusha and boarders the Great Rift escarpment.
It is known for its tree climbing lions and it didn't disappoint either. We saw lions, elephants, giraffes, hippos, gazelles, zebras, wort hogs, wildebeest, baboons, and plenty of other animals too. It was a great day of relaxing and everyone enjoyed the beautiful day. We even ran into the infamous Dave Hahn too.
Enjoying the good life!
RMI Guide Casey Grom
Another passage from the annals of RMI Aconcagua #5 history:
Today was decidedly less hot and subsequently much more enjoyable than yesterday. Our intrepid crew rose early and made short work of our journey from Pampa de Leñas to our second camp on the approach at Casa de Piedras. Sunny skies and a nice breeze kept our spirits high as we cruised through the enormous Vacas Valley. Right as we were arriving in camp we spotted Pete Van Deventer's crew headed down from their successful summit bid. They were looking tired and skinny but super-psyched on their accomplishment and the fact that they were headed for the barn. We gave them high-fives and settled in to build our camp. We too are in good spirits, moving well, and excited to make it to Basecamp tomorrow at Plaza Argentina.
Hasta pronto,
RMI Guide Billy Nugent and the rest of the gang.
Greetings from 16,000' on Cotopaxi! This is the Ecuador Cotopaxi Express climb calling to check in. We are up at the hut relaxing, drinking some tea, and acclimatizing. We're getting ready to do a little bit of training tomorrow but for right now we are just bumping ourselves up a little higher into the atmosphere and we'll hang out and acclimatize for a bit before doing some training tomorrow and get ready for our attempt at the top the day after. So all is well up here; it’s snowing lightly but we anticipate it clearing out just in time for us.
RMI Guide Jake Beren & Team
Back to civilization and freshly showered!
We have returned from the mountain and are doing great. It's been a long day but we smell clean and our bellies are full after another wonderful meal from the Dik Dik staff.
Everyone is looking forward to the safari tomorrow.
RMI Guide Casey Grom and crew
Greetings from Pampa de Leñas! Our team enjoyed one last night in a bed and awoke this morning to beautiful sunny skies. Seemingly, a great day to begin our long journey. The team thus far has been exceptionally well organized and we were able to enjoy a relatively stress free morning putting the finishing touches on our packing and stashing a bunch of city clothes in the Grajales packing facility. We caught a quick ride over to the trailhead at Punta de Vacas and after checking in with the guardaparques began our journey. Relatively calm winds and scorching temperatures in the nineties caught us all a little off guard and forced us to stop frequently and soak our clothes in the river to cool off! Even after a complete soaking, our shirts were dried off completely in ten minutes! Well, despite the heat we persevered and even made good time into our first camp.
More info to come as our expedition develops,
RMI Guide Billy Nugent
RMI's Expedition Skill Seminar - Winter is a go! And the first thing we are doing is the 1st principal of Leave No Trace...plan and prepare. Adam Knoff and I are busy with the team organizing and packing gear, practicing knots and hitches, and teaching various self rescue techniques all in the comfort of RMI BaseCamp in Ashford.
We have a decent forecast and our hope is to make a big push up to Camp Muir tomorrow. Will we summit? How high will we get in the frigid snows of Rainier? Stay tuned to find out.
One thing is for sure, we will be having fun while going through advanced training for big mountain climbing.
RMI Guide JJ Justman
Tim and Frank, my super-charged awesome inspirations: come home safe and happy and with lots of good pics. Can’t wait to hear all of your fun stories and see your smiling faces. We are all so proud, and love and miss you guys tons. HIGH FIVE!!! XXOO
We are all back at the tents after a beautiful summit day on Aconcagua! The weather was even better than forecasted, with no wind, clear skies, and warm temps. This let us leave a bit later, just as the sun was rising, and we enjoyed its warmth for the whole day. I personally have never had better conditions on the summit than today: just a light fleece, no gloves, and a vista that stretched for hundreds of miles in all directions. Congratulations to the team for a huge effort, and standing on the roof of South America. The guides would like to thank the whole team for such a successful and fun trip. Tomorrow we descend back to base camp, and get ready for the trek out and a return to Mendoza.
Cheers
RMI Guides Pete, Leon, Mike, and the climbers
More pics!
Posted by: Duane Zavadil on 2/6/2013 at 2:10 pm
Wishing you guys the best, looking forward to summit report B-Safe.
Posted by: Jay Rocha on 2/6/2013 at 7:13 am
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