Entries from Expedition Dispatches
Today we awoke to blue sky's and light wind, coffee in bed followed by a fantastic breakfast. After breaking camp we helped load the donkeys and continued hiking up the beautiful Santa Cruze valley. With every step more sunning mountain seemed to reveal themselves, truly an awe inspiring place. After a couple hours of hiking we turned north and climbed some switchbacks before sauntering into our Base Camp at 14,200'. We all got our first look at
Alpamayo, one of the most beautiful peaks I have ever seen. Shortly after arriving to our Base Camp lunch was served, soup and pasta, quite tasty. The rest of the afternoon was spent relaxing and bathing in the river.
The team is doing very well and we are all excited to be here.
Thanks for following along with us
RMI Guide Geoff Schellens and the Alpamayo team
Greetings from Huaraz!
The team finished the expedition yesterday, arriving safe and sound to the capital of the Ancash district of Peru, but also the capital of Andean climbing. Our descent to the trail head at
Cashapampa, with the help of horses, was an extraordinary experience. We took our time to enjoyed for the last time the views of the massively snow fluted peaks and turquoise lakes down valley. Right on time for a shower and a celebratory dinner, the arrival at the hotel marked the end of our climbing adventure. We'll spend the day today relaxing in Huaraz and enjoying a Pachamanca, typical Peruvian meal cooked underground, with our local guide and outfitter's family, before packing for tomorrow's departure to Lima and flights back home.
Thanks to all for following and cheering for this team during our climb! We just say bye now until next year's expedition, wishing best of luck to Geoff's Schellens' team, who's currently starting the 2nd RMI Alpamayo climb this season.
RMI Guide Elias de Andres Martos
The
Four Day Summit Climb led by
Brent Okita and
Peter Van Deventer did not reach the summit this morning. The teams left Camp Muir at about 1:00 am in full hard shell layers, but it was not match for the weather. The team made the decision to turn at Ingraham Flats. They will be departing Camp Muir at around 8:30 this morning and be back in Ashford in the early afternoon.
Congratulations to today's teams!
Today we made our first steps towards
Alpamayo. After an early start from Huaraz we drove north for about three hours with the entire Cordillera Blanca Range glistening in the morning light. Truly spectacular. After reaching Cashapampa, we disembarked from our van, met our cook and helped load the donkey with our gear for the trip. Finally the whole expedition starts. Excitement was high as we began our approach to base camp. The first hour and a half of the hike was up steep switchbacked terrain after which it mellowed and became a gradual meandering trail up the Santa Cruse Valley. Our camp tonight is called Llama Corral, 12,300 feet, and about halfway up the valley. Tomorrow we should reach base camp by early afternoon.
The team is doing very well, everyone is climbing strong, staying healthy, and excited for what's to come.
Thanks for following along with us!
RMI Guide Geoff Schellens and the Alpamayo team
Jambo from Africa everyone!
We have had an exciting last two days as we made our way to
Tarangire National Park, known for their abundance of elephants, and we weren't disappointed.
Yesterday we spent about four hours driving through the park which is mostly a savannah with a river running through it. We saw hundreds of elephants and more giraffes than I've ever seen, and plenty of other wildlife too.
We spent the night out in the African bush in a remote tented camp called Kakoti that overlooks
Tarangire Park.
We arrived to watch the beautiful sunset one last time and then enjoyed yet another wonderful meal.
Today we finished our safari with a drive back through Tarangire where some of the team caught a glimpse of a leopard as it crossed the road before it disappeared again. There were plenty of elephants again and everyone enjoyed our last day as we made our way back to the Dik Dik Lodge before quick showers and then it was off to the airport.
Thanks for following!
RMI Guide Casey Grom and crew
Summit!
The
Mount Rainier Summit Climb teams, led by
Dave Hahn and
Tyler Reid, were leaving the crater rim at 7:30 this morning. Dave reported great conditions: clear and sunny, with light winds.
Mike King and the Expedition Skills Seminar - Emmons are returning to Base Camp today after a successful summit via the Emmons Glacier.
We are back at the comfort of lower elevations, the meals of our cook Emilio, and the safety of the Andean meadow in which it sits. Our summit climb yesterday was incredible; mainly because of the climbing ability of our climbers, (providing the fastest and most efficient one this guide has had) but also because the weather, conditions and surroundings. We had the mountain to ourselves, which contributed too. This morning, we had to drag our feet out of
Camp 2, since a whiteout engulfed us upon waking up. The weather gave us a break and without hesitation, we started our descent to BC. We know we're not done till we dismount our horses tomorrow at the trailhead, but our sense of accomplishment makes us believe so; we have climbed, arguably and according to many, the most beautiful mountain in the world. We're going now to rest that thought in the warmth of the first night not on the glacier in a few days, and let you know all about it tomorrow from our hotel.
RMI Guide Elias de Andres Martos
This morning we woke up around 7:00 gathered for a delicious breakfast with lots of coffee and packed a small day pack. Today's mission: a short acclimatization hike just outside of
Huaraz. Shortly after breakfast we loaded in to the shuttle and drove about 40 minutes out of town to the trailhead at just over 12,000 feet. Starting out in the rolling foothills were stunning snow-capped peaks looming above us. We couldn't contain our excitement and began hiking too fast. Quickly we realized our error and settled into a reasonable pace. A few hours later we found ourselves at the beautiful
Laguna Churup, 14,000 feet, where Don and Jesse promptly went swimming. We relaxed by the amazing alpine lake eating lunch and taking photos before descending back to our shuttle. This afternoon we will rest at our hotel, do a little shopping in town and enjoy another delicious dinner before hitting the trail tomorrow.
Everyone is doing well and spirits are high. Thanks for following along with us on this amazing adventure!
RMI Guide Geoff Schellens
Our
Four Day Summit Climb teams led by RMI Guides
Peter Whittaker and
Mike Uchal reached the summit of Mt. Rainier early this morning. The teams reported a perfect day of climbing with light winds and sunny skies.
RMI Guide
Mike King and his Expeditions Skills Seminar team also reached the summit of Mt. Rainier via the Emmons Route this morning. They will descend back to
Camp Schurman and spend some more time training on the mountain before returning to Rainier Basecamp tomorrow.
Congratulations to today's teams!
Hi all,
The whole team arrived in Lima late last night for our
Alpamayo Expedition. We gathered for breakfast this morning at the hotel and excitement is running high. Shortly after breakfast we packed and loaded our van for the long drive to Huaraz. Huaraz is a beautiful town in the foothills of the Cordillera Blanca at 10,000' surrounded by stunning peaks. After arriving at our hotel we met our Peruvian guide, William, and discussed some logistics for the up coming days, spent some time relaxing, and had a fantastic dinner. Tomorrow we will go for a short hike before resting and packing for the approach.
Thanks for following along with us,
RMI Guide Geoff Schellens
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Giddy up Rob
Posted by: Jay on 7/26/2015 at 4:47 am
Donkeys? Unnecessary. Don’t you guys from the East Coast (VT and NY) know that the CA boys (Jesse and John) are going to get soft if you don’t work them. Load them up! Trudge on John.
Posted by: Kent Stenderup on 7/25/2015 at 10:28 pm
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