Entries from Expedition Dispatches
The
Mt. Rainier Summit Climb teams turned due to avalanche conditions, deteriorating weather and winds. A fair amount of new snow has occurred on the mountain with drifts up to one meter.
RMI Guides Casey Grom and Nick Hunt are currently descending from Camp Muir back to Paradise.
Last night at 6:30 in the evening, Team
Shishapangma was still on the move, descending a barely visible trail etched into the ancient glacial moraine by only a few dozen boots going up and down with hopes of establishing camps on the higher slopes of this snowy mass. Clearly this footpath changes each year after the passing of the monsoon rains so we were again proven how generous and selfless our Sherpa team is when Furba and Pemba Sherpa met us more than two miles from camp with warm drinks and happy smiles. We had been away from base camp for more than three days and they were eager to greet us. The remaining walk was in the dark guessing where the trail led which our Sherpas, with most things mountain related, were better at than us. We devoured dinner and shortly after sleep devoured us.
This morning, Sunday the 18th of September greeted us like most others have. The sun hits us at 7:30, the sounds of Aital and Purna our righteous cooks firing up the kitchen, echoing off the rocky hillside behind us, our neighbor's camp coming to life. But these common place things are now accompanied by a new set of sounds. A chorus of coughs, hacks, and other phlegm related guttural noises are reminding us constantly how the unforgiving altitude we are living at is tightening its grip. Life at base camp is the best we have but at 18,500 feet it is still a challenge. So we were all grateful that today the most difficult thing we needed to do was drink coffee, clean some clothes, and listen to the Mark Wilkins school of business.
Rest days are quickly becoming a hard earned and well deserved reward. The rotations coming up are only going to get higher, colder and longer so we will enjoy base camp as much as we can. Everyone is dreaming of home and wishing all following along lots of love.
RMI Guide Elias de Andres Martos
Good evening from Base Camp!
We just returned from Camp 1, all the way into
Shishapangma Base Camp. The day has been mellow by Himalayan standards, as the great distance to cover or the big elevations to save are just a part of the game that this team is facing with style.
We're heading into bed, looking forward to a couple days of rest while we let our bodies adapt to the new elevation reached.
Suva Rattri!
RMI Guide Elias de Andres Martos
RMI Guides Brent Okita and Paul Rachelle were unable to make a summit attempt with their
Four Day Summit Climb September 14 - 17 teams due to poor weather. A large system moved into the area last night bringing heavy rains. The teams are safe and dry at Camp Muir but will be starting down to Paradise later this morning.
We look forward to seeing them at Rainier BaseCamp today and we hope they enjoy participating in the events of the Rainier Mountain Festival.
Early adventure through
Tarangire as we made our way back to The Dik Dik Lodge. The team put a good dent In the waffle iron before we left the Kikoti property. It's those little things that really make a difference out in the bush and a good waffle can set the tone for a fine finish to an amazing Safari. How appropriate to see our little mascot, the Dik Dik, just before leaving the park, a touching send off if you ask me. Some gear shuffle, a shower and one last delicious dinner here at the lodge before the team starts making their way home. A few will visit Zanzabar, others a stop in Amsterdam. Overall a feeling of accomplishment rounded out with a nice sense of connection to the basic elements of nature are packaged nicely for the travel abroad. Sad to have it come to a close, excited to start yet another chapter in the book of life soon!
RMI Guide Mark Tucker
Namaste from Camp 1! A gelid evening is already in place here at 6,500m, but the warmth of our bags, the water boiled in the vestibule of the guides' tent, and camaraderie around, are definitely bringing up the adventure temperature.
We had a long day climbing to here, as crossing the penitentes field is no joke; a super involved section that gains you no elevation but puts your endurance to the test. But we made it and now is time to go to bed, all while contemplating the summit, and in closer proximity, the location of
Camp 2. "Suva Rattri"!!!
RMI Guide Elías de Andres Martos and Team
Today RMI Guide Billy Nugent and the
Mt. Shuksan team reached the summit! Climbing the Sulphide Glacier Route, the team's round-trip was eight hours and 40 minutes. The weather was sunny and not a breath of wind. After returning to camp, safe and sound, Billy was able to send us the photo below.
RMI Guide Billy Nugent
We had a few things to accomplish today so we set out early to shop the local markets. We found masks, bowls, knives, salad forks, necklaces, paintings, carvings made of soapstone, bone, ebony and rosewood. We also shopped for Tanzanite, the beautiful blue stone found only in this country. We visited a Masai village and took a grand tour of their community. Then made a stop for treats and drinks to enjoy while we traveled along. We entered
Tarangire National Park and encountered a large herd of wildebeests. We took a break and enjoyed a picnic lunch in the bush followed by a pleasant afternoon of driving the roads of this amazing park looking for more animals.
Tonight is our last night in Africa and we get to spend it at the beautiful Kikoti Tented Camp. I can hear some animals snorting just off my porch. There is a bright moon illuminating the night, I think I'll go check it out.
RMI Guide Mark Tucker
The
Expedition Skills Seminar - Muir reached the crater rim at 7:30 am.
RMI Guide Mike King reported no wind, a great route and a beautiful morning! With such amazing weather, the team stayed on the summit until 9:00 am and will check in once they are back to Camp Muir. They will stay one more night at Camp Muir and descend from the mountain tomorrow.
Good evening!
We're on the move to Camp 1, spending the night at
Depot Camp at the moment. It is hard to describe how small we feel, at the feet of this colossal peak, within a stone throw of its northwest glacier, flanked by huge penitentes of disproportionate dimensions, which we'll have to cross tomorrow. The winds stopped shortly after dinner, and the plumes from the summit disappeared, allowing us to get a glimpse of the top, right before we crawled into our sleeping bags.
Two of our Sherpa just came by, descending from setting up Camp 1 and reporting good snow conditions, while the other three will remain there for the night, hoping to reach Camp 2 tomorrow while we climb to Camp 1. The plan is to all sleep together at 1, and descend to Base Camp the following day. As you can imagine, with this first rotation, we're all in "game on" mode, and the anticipation is getting us semi-ecstatic.
More tomorrow from Camp 1,
RMI Guide Elías de Andres Martos and the Shishapangma crew
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Better Weatherluck Next Time!
Posted by: Stan Mikol on 9/22/2016 at 1:47 am
We both would like to thank the entire RMI team for your help throughout the climb in the challenging conditions and we feel that we have learned more from those few days with you than any other experience. We also loved hearing about your various climbs.
We had a great time meeting the rest of the climbers and sharing stories. Best of luck in their next endeavors!
We hope to be back next summer with better conditions and even more prepared. It’s defnitely not to be underestimated.
Thanks again
Kelly & Kieran
Posted by: Kelly and Kieran on 9/20/2016 at 10:17 am
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