Entries from Expedition Dispatches

Greetings from Antarctica. Today went about ten times smoother and easier than any previous attempt at getting onto the "last" continent. Our logistics company (ALE) gave a call at the civilized hour of 6:30 AM and advised us to put on our boots and check out of our rooms. We ate breakfast, got on a bus, cruised to the airport, breezed through security and boarded our transport plane. The Ilyushin 76 went "wheels up" at 9:30 AM and we were on our way. Just ahead of the 2:15 PM landing we got busy putting on warm clothes and glacier glasses. The Russian crew brought the big plane in for the smoothest landing on an ice runway that the world has ever known. A few minutes later we were standing out on the Union Glacier in brilliant sunshine and a brisk breeze, marveling at the new world and at the amazing machine we'd just flown in. We were chauffeured back to camp in deluxe 4 wheel drive vans with giant tires. A series of informative and essential briefings and feedings were attended over the following few hours. The ALE staff took excellent care of us and Seth Waterfall and I felt we were attending a great reunion as we met all of the friends we've come to expect to see in the odd corners of the globe. Weather was perfect around camp as we set up our tents. There was the faintest of breezes and a big bright sun. The plan is for our team to get on a Twin Otter sometime tomorrow morning for a flight to Vinson. The sun isn't setting tonight but the team will get tired anyway at some point, despite all the excitement at this new place and quiet conversations going on in a dozen different languages around camp. We do need rest. Tomorrow is another huge day. Best Regards, RMI Guide Dave Hahn

On The Map

Hello Everyone, A last day of packing and prepping in Punta. We got our gear weighed and carted off to go in the hold of the Ilyushin 76 transport plane that will soon take us to Antarctica. David Rootes, one of the directors of ALE -our logistics company- gave a great slideshow and briefing to get our team excited and informed for a trip to the Ice. We reviewed environmental concerns and procedures for minimizing our impact on the continent. And we heard that Vinson, the mountain we are bound for, is presently giving the first climbers of the season a very hard time with persistent and powerful winds. Far from being discouraged, we came away energized and determined. Determined to have one more great dinner out on the town. Tomorrow we fly (if we are lucky) RMI Guide Dave Hahn

Hello RMI Family! Yes...I know, our first Aconcagua team photo certainly doesn't look like a mountaineering expedition. But you have to start somewhere. And you might as well start out in style. The entire team made it into Mendoza with all our mountaineering gear. Today was a busy day for Geoff and I. Between airport pickups we did some food shopping for fresh vegetables, fruit and a little filet mignon. We had our team meeting where we discussed gear, food and what lies ahead. However, for now...it is time to enjoy Mendoza. The land of spectacular food and amazing wine. Stay tuned and we will continue to provide updates of how much fun we are having. RMI Guides JJ Justman & Geoff Schellens

This is Seth checking in from Punta Arenas. The team has all arrived safe and sound. We have also managed to arrive with all of our luggage! Thank goodness. We spent the day getting to know each other and prepping for the journey onto the ice. We will be getting our final briefing with ALE in the morning and hopefully flying to Antarctica within the next few days. As for now we are enjoying the wonderful restaurants in Punta. We will update everyone tomorrow with the plan. RMI Guide Seth Waterfall

Hey everyone, this is JJ Justman with the Mexico Adventure team. We are happy to report that we are back at basecamp here on Orizaba. The mountain today, Orizaba, said no. It's always a little bit unfortunate. It's always a bummer when you don't summit. But we made it to within about 1,500 feet of the summit. Actually made it a good way on the glacier but we had rock hard, bulletproof ice. It's something I've never seen here before and pretty rare on all the mountains I've been on. We could hardly even penetrate our crampons. It was that firm. So my gut was telling me the obvious. Orizaba said no to reaching the top. It's something I never really share with my team before a summit climb, but I did have to let them know that while we were on Ixta, here on Orizaba, that same day unfortunately, a climber who was non-guided, slipped and fell. And she did not make it. So when you hear things like that, and you have the conditions that we had, it's a pretty easy decision to make. Even though it's disappointing not reaching the top, we are back down safe and sound and you know what, we can come back when Orizaba is in better shape, better conditions and give her another shot, but the team is real happy. We made the summit of Ixta, and that definitely still has us smiling and we're definitely glad to be down here. So we're gonna pack up camp and head back down to Dr. Reyes' and we'll have a good meal down there and definitely have a celebration. So thanks for tuning in. Everyone here says hello and we will hopefully see you on the mountain. Bye. RMI Guide JJ Justman

Hello RMI Blog, This is JJ Justman. We are done resting and relaxing in the town of Puebla, and are now at our camp on Orizaba at 14,000’. A nice little spot everyone is guiding out our tents making sure they do not blow away in the wind. We do have a little bit of a breeze, but the weather is beautiful. They are calling for a bit of a cold front tonight so it might be chilly, but we are planning on waking up early and going for the summit of Orizaba tomorrow morning, most likely at 2 o’clock in the morning we will be walking on out. The team is doing great, we are well rested, well fed, and we are looking forward to see what Orizaba has to offer. Stay tuned we will give you a call tomorrow to let you know how everyone is doing. Everyone on the team says, “Hello!” RMI Guide JJ Justman & Team

Its not just about climbing mountains. Mountain adventures, especially international adventures, provide an opportunity to experience the whole enchilada. Seeing that we are in Mexico...no pun intended. And speaking of enchiladas and Mexico...today the team spent the day enjoying the local culture of Puebla. Everyone made the summit of Ixta yesterday. And everyone deserved a great day of rest, which mainly included enjoying the authentic cuisine of Puebla. I always said, "you've never eaten Mexican food, until you've eaten in Puebla". For breakfast we enjoyed scrambled eggs covered in mole sauce. For lunch we devoured tacos pastor. And now, we are preparing for dinner at one of Puebla's famous restaurants, where we will sample all of the mole sauces that have made this region famous. No, it's not all about climbing. However, tomorrow the team is looking forward to our next mountaineering objective... Pico de Orizaba. Stay tuned... RMI Guide JJ Justman

Hello RMI blog. This is JJ Justman. I am extremely happy to report that the entire team, 100%, got up Ixta this morning! We actually had an early day. We were on the summit early enough to watch the sunrise. We had just a gorgeous day to climb. Everyone's doing very, very well. Just was one heck of a team to climb. Lot of fun and I can't say enough great things about this group. So we are back at camp, we're going to get some hot drinks and then we're going to pack up camp. And we'll be heading to Puebla this evening. So we're certainly tired, we need a little hydration, a little food, but everyone is doing great. And I would like to pass the phone over to one of our team members they'd like to say something to those of you who are following our blog. Hey guys. This is TA Loeffler calling. Had an amazing morning climbing Ixta this morning with JJ and company. This climb, when you put together the two days of climbing with big loads to high camp and then getting up to the summit. Boy did we see a gorgeous sunrise! Popo in front, sending off a plume. And it's pretty surreal to get to the top of the 7th highest peak in North America. And I'm just really proud of everyone on the team. Hello to everyone out there in RMI land and it's great to share a summit with RMI once again. RMI Guide JJ Justman

On The Map

Hello everyone this is JJ Justman with the RMI Mexican Volcanoes adventure team. We are very happy to report that the entire team is up at high camp on Ixta. We are now at 15,300'. It's a long day carrying heavy packs to get up here, but it is definitely well worth it. I'm looking towards the summit right now. We just have a couple thousand feet to go. So we're getting our tents secured down and guyed out. And we're also working on a little bit of a hot drink as well as a dinner for this evening, which is gonna include some homemade sausage with a little bit of Ramen soup, and cheese quesadillas. Stay tuned tomorrow. I'll definitely give a call in. The weather right now is beautiful. We're keeping our fingers crossed that it's going to remain the same and wish us luck and we'll touch base hopefully with some great news tomorrow. Everyone's doing great and they all say hello. Bye. RMI Guide JJ Justman

On The Map

Hello everyone following the RMI blog. This is the Mexican Volcanoes adventure checking in for the day. Our team made it up here. We are officially on Ixta. We're at the lower hut, had a good day getting up. The weather is absolutely beautiful. Good view of Popo, which is a little bit of a smoking volcano right now in the distance. And a great view of Ixta, which is our objective for the next couple of days. But in the mean time, our group is packing gear and getting everything set. We looked at the tents, everything's in order. So now my job is cut out for me. We're going to do a little bit of cooking here and feed the team. For starters, we're going to go with a tortilla soup, but before that we have a little bit of chips and homemade salsa. And then for our main course, we're having a little carne asada. That was a special recipe given to me by RMI Guide, Dan Windham. Looking forward to making a good dinner tonight, getting our bellies full. We're at 13,000' right now so we are officially acclimatizing. So we're going to have a good evening down here on the lower slopes of Ixta and then tomorrow we are going to move up to High Camp on Ixta. We'll check back in and let you know how everything's going, but all is well. Thanks for following along and we will touch back with all of you tomorrow. Take care. Bye. RMI Guide JJ Justman