We are here at the Dik Dik hotel and enjoying it. The team made quick work of the 4,000 foot descent this morning, arriving at the gate well before noon. We had a brief customary departure sign out with the park service, a lunch stop along the way. When we arrived at the hotel, a welcome song greeted us upon our arrival. Then a hot shower to wash away some gathered mountain product, but it couldn't rid us of a whole bunch of memories made while on the climb. Some of the team has been reunited with loved ones, how about a grandma and grandpa joining us here in Africa. How cool is that? While the rest of the team is jealous, we have to carry on and look forward to a reunion when we get back home.
Tomorrow starts the safari part of our program here. We are getting ready to bid farewell to one of the team who leaves for the airport tonight so as to not miss the start of the fall quarter. Is the summer really coming to a close? Better get out while you can!
RMI Guide Mark Tucker & Team
Jennifer and I were just telling our kids that we knew someone who reached the summit of Mt Everest. We looked you up and are glad to see you are still climbing. It has been many years since the Hostar days.
Take Care,
Chris & Jennifer McInerney (Hertzberg)
Posted by: Chris McInerney on 10/23/2014 at 8:37 pm
You look great! Congratulations!
Mark, we’re sorry we missed your call again. We love you.
Mother & Daddy
First and foremost, we are safely off of Mt. Elbrus, and back in Kislovodsk!
The last 36 hours have gone by in a rush to be sure. We woke yesterday to very light winds and clear skies all around us for the first time in several days. All indications were that it was a perfect summit day, so we rallied the troops, crammed down breakfast, and readied our summit kits for a big day. By 8:45, it was time to rope up and start walking. The first section of the climbing route follows the natural contours of the bowl between summits (Mt Elbrus has two summits, the west about 40 ft higher than the east) to the saddle that splits them. We found nice, firm cramponing conditions on the wind buffed snow, and the team moved very well. After three hours we had gained the saddle and our climbing route merged with that of the South side. As we climbed a steep pitch out of the saddle we passed many teams already descending. Seven hundred feet brought us to the summit ridge, a broad, flat stretch that leads to the very tippy top. Here the wind increased, reddening our cheeks and causing us to pull up our buffs and tuck deeper into our hoods. After five hours of steady climbing, our rope teams made the final steps to the top of Europe. Jeff had 5 summits of Mt. Elbrus under his belt, and despite the wind, this one was the warmest and nicest by far. After ample time for photographs and enjoying the moment, we bid adieu to the summit and headed for camp. The wind quickly died, but the cumulus clouds that were beginning to rise in all directions caught our attention. It was a short trip to retrace our tracks to camp, and once there, a poll of the group showed unanimous support for packing everything and continuing to Camp 1. Despite tired legs, thirsty throats and hungry bellies, none wanted to endure any incoming weather at Lenz Rocks. So with a bit more suffering. We descended another 3,000 feet to the relative comfort of Camp 1, ate dinner and called it a big day well done.
This morning we packed all of our gear one last time, and descended the trail, with wildflowers and views aplenty to base camp. Just like clockwork (not always the case here in Russia) the WAS vans that carry us to and from base camp rolled in just a few moments after us. We hurriedly packed our duffles and jumped inside as the drivers became more agitated about the prospect of rain. We made the river crossing and up the steepest, slickest section of road before the rain, quickly turning to hail (a fitting send off from the mountain).
The drive went smoothly, as eyelids took turns closing, and we now find ourselves back in Kislovodsk, showered, and ready for a big meal. It was a bit bittersweet to drive away from the mountain, or biggest objective now complete, but our trip is not over: we have tomorrow to explore this Caucus region town before heading on to St. Petersburg to enjoy the rich history and all that it has to offer. We'll continue to update you on our adventures. Thanks for reading,
RMI Guides Pete Van Deventer, Jeff Martin, and team
The Four Day Summit Climb teams led by RMI Guides Mike Walter and Zeb Blais were unable to summit Mt. Rainier this morning, poor weather forced the groups to turn around at the bottom of Disappointment Cleaver. The teams tried to wait out the weather and left Camp Muir later than normal but the ran and wet snow still forced them to abort their summit attempt of Mt. Rainier. The teams will begin their descent from Camp Muir around 8:30 am en route to Paradise.
The Expedition Skills Seminar - Emmons led by RMI Guide Geoff Schellens was unable to make their summit attempt today due to poor weather conditions.
so thankful to our guides, who got me to Muir safely through a lightning and thunderstorm, to my sisters for their support, and to my fellow climbers, who were inspiring and a pleasure to climb with. Here’s to better weather next time!
Posted by: Linda on 8/15/2014 at 9:19 am
I was one of the climbers and am glad our guides elected to let us go out and “poke our nose in” the inclement weather and actually get a little upper-mountain climbing experience rather than remaining huddled at Muir. Better luck next time… There WILL be a next time :o)
The Mt. Elbrus North Side team reached the summit of Mt. Elbrus at 2 pm local time on August 12th. The team had good weather for their summit attempt. After taking photos and soaking in the views they descended to their high camp, broke down camp and descended to Camp 1. The team will spend their final night on the mountain tonight and make their way to the trail head tomorrow for a ride back to Kislovodsk.
Congratulations to the Mt. Elbrus North Side Team!
Hello from Mweka Camp on Kilimanjaro!
Horizontal in the tent is the place to be. We had a nice 15 hour stroll today and reached the summit of Kilimanjaro. We must be crazy huh? The reward in the end makes it all worth it and then some. We descended to Mweka Camp, 10,000', to our final camp and last night on the mountain. We shared another fine dinner and enjoyed each other's company until folks were starting to fall asleep in their chairs. Other than some sore muscles, the whole team is doing great. The climb went so well that I better warn all of you back home that this crew is ready for more.
In the morning we will take a short 3 hour to the Mweka gate where our ride will be waiting to transfer us back to the Dik Dik resort. It is just starting to rain on the tent right now, but we are tucked in warm and dry until morning.
RMI Guide Mark Tucker & Team
Hope you took some sweet selfies at the top, Connor!!!
Posted by: Laura (from work) on 8/14/2014 at 4:02 am
John, we hope you were able to enjoy all aspects of your journey and it sounds like the weather held out long enough to get a spectacular view. Enjoy the Safari and hopefully you aren’t getting too wet coming down from the mountain. Love, Katie, Liam and Aidan
Posted by: Katie Brown-Steinke on 8/13/2014 at 6:56 am
RMI Teams reached the summit of Mt. Rainier this morning. RMI Guide Brent Okita led the Four Day Summit Climb and Eric Frank led the Five Day Summit Climb team. The teams began their descent from the crater rim at 7 am and reported light winds and a bit of a cloud cap. The teams will return to Camp Muir and then continue down to Paradise. We look forward to seeing them back at Rainier BaseCamp later today.
Congratulations to today's Summit Climb Teams!
You did it!!! I love you and we are all so proud of you! You are awesome!!!
Posted by: Bobbie Jo on 8/12/2014 at 8:06 pm
Daddy! YoU did it! I am so proud of going after a dream and actually living it! You are such a great example. I love you daddy and I cannot wait to hear all about it! Xoxo Mari Jo
Jambo! Jambo! Mark Tucker calling you from the Roof of Africa. With incredible timing we stood on top the moment the sun rose. We had the top pretty much to ourselves. And I've got everybody here with me and couldn't ditch them. We're all standing up here on the summit of Kilimanjaro and everybody is doing great. We are finishing up with the photos. It's a little bit chilly a little bit breezy but we are all nice and comfy based upon our precision like accuracy with our clothing. All is well and I'll check in back at low camp. You can rest easy, everybody is looking strong, everybody is tight and together, a great climbing team. So we're all doing well. I'll check in later.
RMI Guide Mark Tucker
RMI Guide Mark Tucker checks in from the summit of Mt. Kilimanjaro
Hello from Camp 2 on Mt. Elbrus,
Our plan for today was to wake up early to get a head start and try to get to Camp 2 before the potential afternoon weather moved in. Well, this morning was not like the last three mornings. It was snowing pretty hard at camp, so we once again had a weather delay. This time though, our delay worked. By 9:30 the snow had stopped and most of the clouds had dissipated and we could actually see the twin summits. We were walking shortly after and made it to camp with beautiful weather. The clouds that did remain worked with the sun to create a perfect solar oven. The walk up was very hot and there was literally no escaping the heat until we reached camp.
We set up camp in the lower Lenz Rocks, 3000' above Camp 1. Fortunately, the weather cooperated while we established a camp that was ready for the windy reputation of Lenz Rocks.
If the weather continues to improve, tomorrow should be our summit day. We are all packed and the team is strong, healthy, and ready for our attempt.
We are now tucked into our tents just as the sun is setting over the western flanks of the mountain. The views just get better and better.
RMI Guides Jeff Martin and Pete Van Deventer and the Northside Team
RMI Guide JJ Justman led the Four Day Summit Climb Team to the summit of Mt. Rainier early this morning. The team reported beautiful weather and great route conditions. The team was climbing to raise money for Washington's National Park Fund, what a great way to honor our National Parks.
Congratulations Team!
Thanks RMI team for your leadership, training, and providing a great, safe, adventure.
Posted by: Robert Jones on 8/27/2014 at 9:21 pm
I had an amazing time! Huge thank you and big hugs to JJ, Christina, and Alex for getting us to the top safely and for the training, experience and stories you provided us.
We had a nice relaxed departure from Karanga camp this morning. After just a few short hours on the trail we found our selves at our high camp on Mt. Kilimanjaro, Barafu Camp. We are moving well today and the same steady tight team pulled into camp. We already emptied our packs and adjusted the load to ready for our summit attempt tonight.
We have our food packed for the summit and enjoyed a hot lunch at camp. We are relaxing this afternoon and taking a rest before an early dinner. After dinner we will try to get a few hours of sleep before our midnight wake up call and game on! The weather continues to stay nice, just a few low clouds now and again but no complaints here. The local support staff has yet to miss a beat and we really appreciate the help. Go team Go. Will try and call you from the top.
RMI Guide Mark Tucker
Hi Mark!
We missed your call—sorry. And it didn’t work when we tried to call you back. This experience sounds wonderful. We’re happy for you and we love you.
Mother & Daddy
Posted by: Maury & Eviemail Address * on 8/11/2014 at 4:20 pm
We are looking forward to seeing your celebration pics from the summit! Stay safe and enjoy!
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Hey Tucker,
Jennifer and I were just telling our kids that we knew someone who reached the summit of Mt Everest. We looked you up and are glad to see you are still climbing. It has been many years since the Hostar days.
Take Care,
Chris & Jennifer McInerney (Hertzberg)
Posted by: Chris McInerney on 10/23/2014 at 8:37 pm
You look great! Congratulations!
Mark, we’re sorry we missed your call again. We love you.
Mother & Daddy
Posted by: Maury & Evie on 8/13/2014 at 7:09 pm
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