Entries from Expedition Dispatches
Morning at Low Camp is a tough, tough thing. The sun doesn't hit camp until about 11:15 AM and until then, things are mighty cold in the shadow of
Vinson. It isn't dark at night, since the sun doesn't go below the horizon, but when it goes behind the mountain we burrow pretty deeply into our down sleeping bags.
We rolled out this morning to find a lot more cloud than we expected. But there didn't seem to be any wind blowing on the high peaks and so we geared up to do our carry to
high camp. We set out bright and early at 1:45 PM. It started snowing lightly as we approached the fixed ropes, but it wasn't particularly cold. The rope sections were a workout, for sure. We climbed continuously steep snow slopes that averaged about 35 degrees for hour after hour. Leaving the ropes we still had a final hour and a half of glacier climbing to reach high camp. All in all it took us about 6 and a half hours to get there. Views weren't unlimited since the cloud and intermittent snows stayed with us, but we got glimpses of the giant mountains around us. We cached supplies at high camp (12,300 ft) and then skedaddled on down reaching our tents and some good strong sunshine at 10:30 PM. Dinner and hot drinks finished the day. A fine and hard day of climbing, we all agreed. Now we look forward to a rest day at low camp.
Best Regards,
RMI Guide Dave Hahn
On The Map
Hello RMI blog followers. I wish we had something really really exciting to report. I guess the biggest thing is the entire team smells like peppermint. You see, our Dr. Bronners soap is made with organic peppermint, good for the environment. With the winds picking up we all took showers and broke down our Cabela's shower tent.
With team fresh and clean we spent the rest of the day triple checking our food and gear that we will carry up the mountain. Our route on
Aconcagua will utilize three camps. So you can imagine, we need a good amount of food, fuel and personal gear. So tomorrow we begin the process of acclimatizing and caching gear higher up the mountain.
On a health note, the entire team has high oxygen saturation levels, which is fantastic. We are all acclimatizing very well. The forecast is for stronger winds, which I like...you might as well get the bad weather out of the way down low.
Stay tuned and we will let all of you know how our carry to
16,200 feet goes. For now, this is JJ saying ciao from 14,000'.
RMI Guide JJ Justman
Moving up the mountain, bit by bit. We seemed to make pretty quick work of the move from
Vinson Base to Camp One today. It didn't hurt that we had another day of perfect, sunny and calm weather. The team seems to be getting into the swing of things now and the climbing seems easy and familiar... marching along low angled glacier carrying heavy packs and hauling sleds full of gear and supplies. But now, having established camp at 9,300 ft on the
Branscomb Glacier, the approach is over and tomorrow the climb begins. If all goes well we'll tackle the steep fixed rope section and try to make a carry to high camp.
Best Regards,
RMI Guide Dave Hahn
On The Map
Base Camp accomplished. We have arrived! The day started out El Gaucho style as we saddled up our mules and crossed the Vacas River. I mean... C'mon, that water was polar ice cold. Especially at 7:30 in the morning.
After the teams John Wayne moment we enjoyed our final day of trekking. The last day into
Base Camp ascends steeply at first until it gently rolls out to a gradual uphill. We even caught sight of two guanacos, which resemble a llama but actually have roots to the camel family.
After arriving in camp we got busy relaxing. At 14,000 feet we all deserve to just kick back, relax and enjoy. We set up our shower tent and rinsed off the dust before we had another exquisite Argentine meal. Everyone is feeling well and we are acclimatizing perfectly.
Tomorrow is a well deserved day of rest. Stay tuned!
RMI Guide JJ Justman
On The Map
Hello from
Vinson Base camp where the winds are calm and the midnight sun is in full force. Today was our first full day of climbing! We carried food and fuel mostly and cached it at camp one.
The sun doesn't really go down here but when it goes behind the mountain it gets very cold. Due to that we have had to alter our days slightly to take advantage of the warmer times. It's a little bit of an adjustment but it seems to have suited the group just fine. Everyone did an awesome job today and if all goes well we'll be moving our camp up the mountain tomorrow.
RMI Guide Seth Waterfall
On The Map
Another great day! Sometimes I am hesitant at writing these blogs. I am lying here in my sleeping bag under the stars watching a meteor shower. And I know some of you are sitting at your desks staring out the window dreaming of adventure. So please live vicariously through us!
The team had a great day. We woke up and had croissants, coffee and Argentinian scrambled eggs. You cannot trek for five hours on an empty stomach. The scenery on the second day gets more spectacular in the Vacas Valley.
However, our journey in the Vacas is over at 11,000 feet. Tomorrow we turn left and trek up the Relinchos Valley towards
Plaza Argentina, our Base Camp at 14,000 feet.
The entire team is doing great and we are filled up on grilled chicken, which we had this evening. Tomorrow we will describe the community of Plaza Argentina which will be home for many days as we continue to properly acclimatize.
RMI Guide JJ Justman
On The Map
Another important milestone, easily achieved. We woke at Union Glacier in perfect weather, ate our breakfast and boarded two ski equipped Twin Otter airplanes bound for
Vinson Basecamp. Our flight through the Ellsworth Mountains was memorable as we passed hundreds of sharp and dramatic glaciated peaks. A big right turn brought us into the valley of the Branscomb Glacier at the foot of Mount Vinson. We landed while flying up a hill at a little over 7000 ft elevation. The entire team set to work dragging duffels and building Basecamp. We spent this perfect weather day reviewing roped climbing techniques and getting settled in. An afternoon hike served to stretch legs and jog memories of mountaineering difficulties and pleasures. We ate dinner in our newly built dining tent under the blazing evening sun, forgetting that the air temperature was likely hovering around zero degrees Fahrenheit. We enjoyed seeing the climbers from the previous round on Vinson come into camp pleased with their summit of the mountain just yesterday and relieved to find airplanes waiting to take them away today.
Best Regards,
RMI Guide Dave Hahn
On The Map
Hello everyone, this is Team 1 on Aconcagua. Well, not just yet. Today the team left the comfort of civilization and we hit the dusty trail towards base camp of
Aconcagua.
The trek in is amazing. You are surrounded by giant mountain cliffs, a roaring river and occasionally a soaring condor. With light packs we enjoyed the warm weather while tanning our pasty legs.
After a picnic lunch by the Vacas River we arrived at our first trekking camp at 9500 feet. If anyone can guess the name of this camp I will personally carry your pack next year into
Aconcagua's base camp!
The team is doing great! This evening we enjoyed hanging out with the Cowboys who work with our mules and gear to get into base. We enjoyed an authentic asado steak dinner cooked over an open fire, topped off with an avocado tomato salad.
Life is good in the mountains!
RMI Guide JJ Justman
On The Map
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
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James, What an endeavor! Hope the mountain stays friendly for your expedition. Be safe and healthy, and good luck! This your cousin from San Francisco.
Posted by: Linda (Shin) Sager on 12/11/2012 at 8:29 am
Julie-Prayers your way as you attempt the summit. You can do it! Kara & Cindy
Posted by: Kara on 12/10/2012 at 10:00 pm
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