Thursday, July 3, 2014 - 3:01 PM PT
Howdy, ya'all from Alpamayo Basecamp.
Up here at 14,270' the air is a bit harder to breathe, but we are doing well and feeling strong. The hike today was a unique mix of open glacial plains and mossy paths through the woods which remind us of the land of the hobbits.
Currently the team is reading or napping in the tents to avoid the intense mid-day sun. We are all performing well and, weather permitting, plan to carry some gear up to a higher camp tomorrow.
RMI Guide Eric Frank
Thursday, July 2, 2014 – 4:43 PM PT
Yesterday our team experienced the unparalleled vistas of a clear sky at 16,200’ on Denali as we were finally handed a nearly perfect day. We loaded up three days of lunch and snack food plus a few personal items for our carry to the top of the fixed lines which crest Washburn’s Ridge—the most stimulating section of Denali’s West Buttress Route. The team did great learning how to jumar. All members of the St. Angelo family and Jay and Mary Lampas hit personal altitude records. Fatima did a great job breaking trail down the lines, literally paving the way for thirty other climbers on the same program as us.
The population of 14k camp has increased dramatically. What once was a camp that resembled a wide cow pasture with wandering wildlife now resembles a city with distinct neighborhoods on main thoroughfares. Just like a city, this can create traffic jams when multiple teams, all roped together, try to move around at the same time. This sudden influx of guided teams means we will need to wake up at 4 am, while the temperature here sits around 5 below, just to beat the crowds and avoid a bottleneck.
This afternoon we had a lengthy breakfast which leaned more along the lines of a leisurely brunch. We then took a beautiful stroll to an incredible precipice called the Edge of the World. Great weather allowed us more breathtaking views and inspired us for the hard days to come. Hopefully our next contact will be from high camp.
RMI Guide Adam Knoff
The sun is setting, and the sky is a brilliant shade of red as we sit down to dinner. What a day it has been! The scenery during our hike into Llama Corral (11,500') today was nothing short of amazing. Tower cliffs and a mountain stream provided a great backdrop for plants ranging from cactus to meadow flowers. A thoroughly enjoyable walk.
Thanks to everyone who is following along.
Mike, Scott and RMI Guide Eric Frank
Hello this is Elias, Robby & The Ishinca Valley team for the Peru Seminar,
We are established at our Base Camp here in the Ishinca Valley at 14,400’. Everybody made it OK here to Base Camp. We had a nice day hiking through beautiful landscape that allowed us to see some our future objectives. Right now we are retiring to bed after great day of hard work.
We will check in again soon!
Elias and The Peru Seminar Team checking in from the Ishinca Valley
Hi Kim, Have a great 4th of July!!!...I just hiked the 2 ridges at Radnor Lake & missed having you,Lora & Michael with me. Sophia Rose loves seeing the deer in the yard. I am sending you a big hug! The updates & photos are excellent on the RMI web site. The mountains of Peru look amazing! Stay well & travel safe!! Love, Dad
Posted by: shel on 7/4/2014 at 8:05 am
Hey Kim! Have a great 4th of July! We are thinking of you - Sophia loves catching fireflies! Love, momma
The Four Day Summit Climb Teams led by RMI Guides Seth Waterfall and Solveig Waterfall reached the summit of Mt. Rainier this morning. Seth reported clear skies above with moderate winds and cool temperature. There is a cloud deck below at approximately 7,500'. The teams began their descent from the crater rim at 7 am en route to Camp Muir. The teams will continue their descent to Paradise and we look forward to seeing them at Rainier BaseCamp later today.
Congratulations to today's teams!
Hello everyone!
Today has been a day of a little work and a lot of rest. We woke up to a delightful breakfast of bagels with cream cheese and bacon and after some casual conversation it was time to go retrieve our 10,000' cache. All was well except for a minor raven attack......thankfully the only casualty was a bag of ramen noodles. It was a 3 hour round trip and before long folks were back to relaxing and drinking glacier fresh water. Our plan for the rest of the day is to keep hydrating and get ready to carry a load to 13,500 ft tomorrow. Stay tuned as we continue our slow but steady climb up this giant pile of rock and ice.
RMI Guide Ben Liken
We had a very nice and relaxing stay at the Hacienda Chilcabamba, enjoying excellent food, great views of Cotopaxi, magnificent star gazing, and warmth from wood stoves.
Well fed and rested, now we're headed to the climbers' hut on Cotopaxi where we'll review climbing techniques and prepare for our summit bid. Hopefully the weather cooperates; so far it hasn't disappointed.
We'll check in again tomorrow to keep everyone up to date.
RMI Guide Mike Walter
RMI Guide Tyler Jones radioed at 7 am with his Four Day Summit Climb on their descent after reaching the summit of Mt. Rainier earlier this morning. Tyler reported moderate winds and a cloud cap on the summit. As the teams descended they were reaching the base of the clouds. The second Four Day Summit Climb team led by Geoff Schellens was also descending with Tyler.
The Expedition Skills Seminar - Emmons led by RMI Guide Pete Van Deventer reached the crater rim around 7:30 am. The team was going to spend to a few minutes on top before starting their descent. They will return to Camp Schurman for their final night on the mountain.
Congratulations to today's teams!
Good morning from Club Andino Hotel in Huaraz!
Well, here we are, loading the bus and onto the trailhead. A 1 1/2 hour drive and a 4 to 5 hour hike await for us today. In our minds, the Ishinca Valley Base Camp. Everybody is doing well, the minor headaches from arriving to Huaraz (10,000ft) are gone, and excietment is palpable in everyone.
We'll be checking again from our tents the next time. Best regards from Huaraz.
RMI Guide Elias de Andres Martos
July 2, 2014 - 12:09 am PT
Thank you for all of the blog comments. It is great to hear from everyone back home and it is always reinvigorating.
Today we got to sleep in and then scurried down to our cache above Windy Corner. It was nice to be reunited with our food, clean underwear and base layers that we left buried in the snow for a few days. We then spent the afternoon doing some kitchen redesign, fixed line training and more sorting of food.
Tomorrow is an exciting day! We will get to see some more challenging and exciting terrain-- carrying to the top of the fixed lines!
RMI Guide Adam Knoff and Team
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
Eric,
You’ve spent too much time on the Rio Grande and in Texas, obviously. Now you’re trying to talk like a Texan: “ya’ll”?!
Have fun.
Eric
Posted by: Eric Yollick on 7/3/2014 at 9:05 pm
Glad to get Mike’s call. Sounds like it’s God’s country. Go for it Hobbits! Via con Dios! - Pam
Posted by: Pam Proctor on 7/3/2014 at 5:56 pm
View All Comments