Journey to Casa de Piedra.
Our crew made great time today on our march from Pampa de Leñas to our second trekking camp at Casa de Piedra. We had significantly cooler temps today and some welcome cloud cover (albeit with a few sprinkles) which made for a much more pleasant walk than yesterday. The crew is starting to find the rhythm of the mountain and also finding a good synergy among the teammates. We are all having fun and even enjoying some interesting people.
Good times! Headed for Aconcagua Basecamp tomorrow...
Talk soon.
RMI Guide Billy Nugent
Glad you will reach base camp tomorrow. Hope photos will be forthcoming! Laura and I are reading the Inferno and enjoying Lidia’s class. Jim says, “GO Corell!” Love to you, Cindy
Posted by: Cindy Mabry on 1/16/2015 at 7:40 pm
Glad you are on the trail. Hope all is well so far. The boys and I are off to Arkansas tomorrow. There has been a huge thaw, so we might be hunting in t-shirts. Alee came to town tonight, so who knows if Philip will make the plane! Love you!! Thurston
January 14, 2015
Hola de Pampa de Leñas! Today our team made our first moves in the mountains in great style by ticking off the first stretch on our three day journey to Plaza Argentina, our basecamp. The trail was hot and dusty but we enjoyed a nice breeze from time to time and incredible views that made the heat bearable. After setting up our camp we had the good fortune to greet another RMI expedition as they arrived in camp returning from a successful summit bid a few days ago. Big congrats to Zeb and his crew! We all got to share an asado last night complete with grilled beef tenderloin and vino which was quite a treat. The herrieros (mule drivers) cooked for us over an open fire... Pretty classy backcountry living. We're thankfully not on the ramen noodle program yet, it was nice to hold that off another day. Anyway, all is well and tomorrow calls for another day of walking up the Vacas Valley... We'll check in and let you know how it goes.
All for now,
RMI Guides Billy Nugent, Katrina Bloemsma, and Billy Haas
The last few days have been a whirlwind. Just three days ago we stood on the top of Aconcagua, the highest peak outside of Asia.
We pushed hard to get down to the land of thick air, fresh food and running water. Last night we celebrated at our last camp of the expedition with a huge feast of carne asada, fresh tomato salad a little vino tinto and everyone's stories and jokes.
Tonight we're really back in civilization. Freshly showered and dressed up, we're headed to sample some of Mendoza's renowned cuisine.
For now we'll leave you with a shot from the summit. Cheers!
RMI Guide Zeb Blais and team
Summit of Antisana! Adam Knoff and team called in to let us know they were at Antisana's Basecamp after a successful summit. They had great route conditions clear skies, stars and a beautiful moonrise. The climb was engaging with steep headwalls and crevasse crossings. The team did a fantastic job. At about 17,000ft the winds picked up and temperatures dropped enveloping the summit in a cloud layer. As the team started their descent, they broke out of the clouds. They are breaking down camp and will be taking a short walk back to the bus, which will take them to Chilcabamba Eco Lodge where the team will have well-deserved rest for the night.
RMI Guide Adam Knoff
The main weather concern here on Aconcagua during the Summer is the wind. A typical day almost always produces blue skies. Every couple of weeks a system will roll through and produce some cloud cover and a little precipitation, but it's quite rare to have layered cloud decks and boiling fog out of the valleys.
This morning though we had quite a nice change of scenery! Clouds had moved in overnight bringing along some moisture that glazed our camp in a layer of frost. At about 7:15am when the sun would normally hit our tents, heating them up and forcing us outside, we had cloud layers more typical of our native state of Washington. The layers were weak and broken. The sun beginning to burn them off produced pockets in which the sunlight could make its way through. From Camp I you have a beautiful view East down the Relinchos Valley where the evaporating cloud layers were putting on a tremendous light show. A nice treat on a mountain that routinely gives you blue skies and high winds!
The team today will rest and prepare themselves for our move to Camp II. Everyone is excited to move up. Getting to Camp II means that, if the weather cooperates, we will have one more rest day and then move to Camp III to attempt the summit. There's finally a light at the end of the tunnel! But before we get too far ahead of ourselves, as with any expedition, you have to live in the now, and now we take care of ourselves. Eating, drinking, resting. Sounds luxurious, yea? Haha almost. Climbers always underestimate just how boring the rest day can be and how it can easily become anything but relaxing. Luckily our team is doing great with just about every aspect of expedition life, so if you were looking for some drama you might want to look at another blog!
Everyone sends their best. All is well. Stay tuned!
RMI Guide Steve Gately
We’re thinking of you here and wishing you well. The clients are all impressed with your ambition. You go girl!
Posted by: Linda on 1/16/2015 at 7:34 am
Ok Sue, Jo & Robert,
R&R and then motor up to camp 2 then tag the top and that’s an order (so long as weather and safety cooperate)!! Holding positive thoughts for you kits and cats!
Posted by: Russ Frederickson on 1/16/2015 at 6:29 am
The team has arrived safe to our third camp. We are in the beautiful Barranco Valley. Today we set high points for everyone on the trip. We spent the morning climbing up to the 'Lava Tower' at 15,000' and then descended the trail to camp. We spent just under seven hours hiking today so the group is all a little tired. We should all sleep well tonight!
RMI Guide Seth Waterfall
Good evening, this is Adam Knoff at the Antisana Basecamp. It is 6:30 our time, which is the same as east coast time. Every one is tucked into bed after a long day of training on the glacier at the base of Antisana. The training was spectacular with crevasses and ice walls and many people ice climbed for the first time. We are now headed to bed with a wake up call roughly four hours from now at 10:30 PM. We have a long day ahead of us tomorrow and we anticipate an exciting climb. We've had views of the mountain all day and looks spectacular and we're very excited for the day to come and the climb to come tomorrow. We will keep you informed on how the climb goes and touch base tomorrow. Have a good evening. Bye.
RMI Guide Adam Knoff
RMI Guide Adam Knoff calls in from Antisana Basecamp.
Hey Everyone,
Today Team 4 did a carry to Camp Two at 18000 feet. However, we didn't stop there. We were all feeling so good that after we dropped our gear at camp we ventured higher to 19000 feet. The team did great and we are now back at Camp One where 16200 feet is beginning to feel like sea level. Tomorrow we will have a rest day to fully recover and assist in acclimatizing even better.
Thanks for following along!
RMI Guide JJ Justman & Team
David and Jenny
Hope everything is going well. I see the pictures on the blog. Keep warm and safe. Vaishu, Jai and Janita send their love
Vishnu
Posted by: vishnu on 1/14/2015 at 7:37 pm
Rob, Jo, and Sue,
Great work! I hope the weather has been cooperative, and that all of you are feeling well up there in the thin air. Heck, you’re up at jet altitudes, now! I’m sure there’s plenty of tea, powdered cow (good memory, Russ!), and maybe even fresh popcorn to keep your spirits up.
Greetings from the Kili team!
We are up above 12,000' at the Shira Plateau. It's not very crowded on the mountain and our camp is set nicely to the side of the main sites. The trail was a little slick today but not too muddy and the team handled it well. The weather was warm again so the five and a half hours we spent hiking was pleasant. The food has really been excellent so far and everyone has been really surprised at how good the whole operation is here on Kilimanjaro. We are all relaxing now before dinner and then we'll get fueled up for a big day tomorrow.
That's all for now.
RMI Guide Seth Waterfall & Team
Hola from Antisana Base Camp,
Here at base camp, elevation 14,400 feet, the view of the mountain, stars and surrounding landscape, as declared by the entire team is purely worth the price of admission. The team is feeling great and excited to be spending our first night in tents. The team was also psyched to break in our new base camp tent. An 8 person mini hotel perfect for dinner on cold evenings. We will be training tomorrow.
Adios for now!
RMI Guide Adam Knoff & Team
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Glad you will reach base camp tomorrow. Hope photos will be forthcoming! Laura and I are reading the Inferno and enjoying Lidia’s class. Jim says, “GO Corell!” Love to you, Cindy
Posted by: Cindy Mabry on 1/16/2015 at 7:40 pm
Glad you are on the trail. Hope all is well so far. The boys and I are off to Arkansas tomorrow. There has been a huge thaw, so we might be hunting in t-shirts. Alee came to town tonight, so who knows if Philip will make the plane! Love you!! Thurston
Posted by: Thurston Moore on 1/16/2015 at 5:54 pm
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