Entries from Expedition Dispatches
Posted by: Walter Hailes, Jessie Poquerusse
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mexico
Elevation: 17,340'
Wednesday, January 24, 2018
Todos han cumbreado (everybody summited)! The group was a bit apprehensive last night as the clouds were dancing in and around camp, but we woke up at 1am to mostly clear skies and made our bid for the top of Ixtaccihuatl in 6mph, -4C weather - doesn’t get much better than that. The sun rose right as we began our final ascent stretch, shedding dramatic light on the Martian like landscape with Popocateptl puffing volcanic smoke in the background. We all celebrated on top under the sun and above a thick undercast. Upon return to high camp we swiftly packed up and made our way back down in a graupel storm before reaching our van, celebrating (again) over beers and sandwiches, and making the drive to our hot showers and warm food in Puebla.
Tired and happy,
RMI Guides Jessie, Walter & the team
On The Map
Posted by: Mike King, Jenny Konway, Nick Scott
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Aconcagua
Elevation: 10,550'
After a calm night under the stars the Team woke and began breaking camp. We had approximately nine miles to cover, mostly rolling terrain and the Vacas Valley continues to widen. Today was a little cooler then yesterday but honestly the song remained the same. This camp isn't remarkable except for the old stone building built into a giant erratic boulder, which is the namesake. Everyone is trying to beat the heat, some in their tents and some down by the river.
We got to see Aconcagua for the first time and there is a lot of snow up high. Tomorrow we will arrive at Aconcagua Base Camp, there the climb begins in earnest.
RMI Guide Mike King
On The Map
Posted by: Mark Tucker, Hannah Smith, Avery Parrinello
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Aconcagua
Elevation: 18,000'
Today we woke to a windy, chilly morning at Camp 2 on Aconcagua. Snow swirls danced down the mountain and through camp as we waited for our water to boil. We enjoyed hot cups of Starbucks Vias and sugary bowls of Cinnamon Toast Crunch for breakfast. Today we rested to let our bodies adjust to our new altitude. The afternoons activity consisted of a casual stroll uphill, getting a glance at our path to camp 3. The tippy top looks cold and windy as we look towards the summit. Fingers crossed Mother Nature gives us a warmer window for our summit bid. For now, we will focus on taking care of ourselves and enjoying the beautiful views.
RMI Guide Mark Tucker and team
On The Map
Fingers crossed for better weather this go round. Looks beautiful!
Posted by: Ashley on 1/25/2018 at 6:02 am
Hey, everybody this is Casey Grom checking in again from here on Kilimanjaro. We wanted to let everybody know we woke to a beautiful clear sky and had an incredibly nice breakfast in our camp this morning. Our route ascends a ridge line and then as we just get out of the trees the route veers to the north and we make our way towards what's called the Shira Plateau created by a very long ago eruption. It took us about 4 1/2 hours to get up here. It was sunny all day and the team did great. The trail was a little busy because there are quite a few folks climbing this route with us, but we did really well. We spent the remainder of the day hanging out and our giant dining tent being catered to here in Africa. We just wrapped up dinner. The sky is full of beautiful stars and the team is headed off for bed and looking to get a good night's rest before getting up in the morning and going for another walk. I will check in again tomorrow. No cell service today, but should have it tomorrow, so hopefully we'll get some fresh photos up for everybody back home. Thanks for following.
RMI Guide Casey Grom
RMI Guide Casey Grom calls in from Shira Camp on Kilimanjaro.
On The Map
Posted by: Mike King, Jenny Konway, Nick Scott
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Aconcagua
Elevation: 9,000'
We spent the day walking up the Vacas Valley, the terrain is rocky and filled with various shades of red, brown and greens. Due to heavy snow fall up high and the rain showers lower down the happy desert plants are blooming with yellows and purples. The Team is doing great despite some really hot sections today. We'll spend the remainder of the afternoon relaxing in the cool breeze, watching a fox inquire about camp and eat the most amazing Argentinean asado (BBQ for those who don't speak Spanish). The meat and cooking display by the Mule Drivers has become legendary. Guides wax poetic about the "scent of Leñas" that fills your clothing for days, weeks or even years to come. Ruth Chris doesn't even compare to the quality of steak cooked and served near the soot stained brick building...muy authentico! Listen to the song "Big Rock Candy Mountain", really listen to the lyrics and you'll only get a glimpse of how sleeping under the stars at Leñas is. Milky Way dust for nights on end. Until tomorrow.
RMI Guide Mike King
On The Map
We are still watching you trek here at Anna McDonald School in Manhattan! Stay safe, it looks crazy!
Posted by: Christina on 2/1/2018 at 12:32 pm
And I thought you were eating freeze dried food and bars. Glad to hear you are dining well. We miss you (especially Rocket) and love you Papa.
Posted by: Rebecca Wallace on 1/24/2018 at 4:15 pm
Posted by: Walter Hailes, Jessie Poquerusse
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mexico
Elevation: 15,000'
Hola, we are checking in from above the marine layer here at about 15,000ft, just below the Refugio de los Cien on the Southern flank of Ixta. We woke up early this morning and after a breakfast of champions slowly but steadily logged the vertical feet from our Altzomoni hut up to here. The day started hot, sunny, and steep, but everyone just kept their nose to the grindstone. Light clouds rolled in around noon though and cooled the air and our efforts, until we reached our final steep ascent to the base of the very aptly named Arista del Sol ridge. We set up camp which now looks like our little village above the clouds, chatted summit day over a spicy alpine dinner, and are back in our sleeping bags ready for our early start tomorrow. Folks are feeling good and excited to get up high!
RMI Guides Walter Hailes, Jessie Poquerusse and the team
On The Map
Love reading these updates! This adventure sounds amazing! Keep up the hard work!
Posted by: Mende Potkay on 1/24/2018 at 1:44 pm
Posted by: Mark Tucker, Hannah Smith, Avery Parrinello
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Aconcagua
Elevation: 18,000'
We awoke this morning from the heat in our tents, the sun was shining and the winds had died. Eager to move higher, we packed up our home for the past three nights at Camp 1. With heavy packs we set off confidently, knowing we had already covered the ground between camps two days ago. After four hours of steady rest steps we reached Camp 2. We dug out the cache and set up camp with the efficiency of an experienced team. We moved into our tents just in time to hide out from a sudden snow storm. Our whole team can proudly report feeling healthy at this new elevation.
RMI Guide Mark Tucker
On The Map
Woohoo! Hats off to the whole bunch on an excellent climb so far!!
Posted by: Diane on 1/24/2018 at 7:20 am
Happy Birthday Greg - a birthday you will always remember! Lots of love and best wishes to everyone for a great climb. xxx
Posted by: Kate on 1/23/2018 at 10:38 pm
Hi everybody. This is Casey Grom checking from the Kilimanjaro trip. Just wanted to let you know that all is going well here in Tanzania. We made about an hour and a half drive to the base of Kilimanjaro. Once we arrived at the gate, it took a little while to get all our gear sorted and weighed and allotted to the porters that we're going to have helping us on this climb. It took about an hour waiting there and getting registered and taking care of all our permits and stuff. We then were able to hit the trail. We left at about 11 a.m. and we walked literally right from the park gates right into the thick forest that surrounds the base of Kilimanjaro. We spent the entire day thankfully protected from the sun, in the trees and nice cool weather. We made it to camp with just a few sprinkles of rain falling on us. Now that we're here up at about 10,000 feet, the sky is clear and it's a beautiful evening and the team is doing great. Our plan is to get a good night's sleep here, and then hopefully get up early in the morning and punch out just above the tree line and up onto Shira Plateau. All is well; the team is doing great and we're off to bed. We'll check in and hopefully tomorrow I'll be able to get my cellphone to connect and get a few photos out to you guys. Alright, that's it for now. Thanks for following.
RMI Guide Casey Grom
RMI Guide Casey Grom calls in from Kilimanjaro.
On The Map
Dean, it sounds like you and team are having an amazing adventure!
We are all thinking about you, and hoping you are having a great adventure!
Posted by: Dane Sitlinger on 1/24/2018 at 10:27 am
Muchas Gracias to everyone who followed our team as we set out to climb two of Ecuador's highest mountains.
The RMI Ecuador Volcanoes climbing adventure wrapped up yesterday back in the city we started in but our day was anything but ordinary. On Sunday morning we all packed up at Chilcabamba eco lodge after a great day's rest. From there we made our way up to the Jose Ribas Refuigo located at 16,000 feet on the northern slopes of Cotopaxi.
At 11 pm, our final day together began. We knew the weather on this giant volcano had not been good for at least three days so we were hoping by the time we arrived and settled in things would be improving. This hope was dashed even before we arrived at the hut. From the time we stepped off the bus to the time we put on our crampons and readied ourselves for the climb, nothing had changed. The winds blew a steady twenty with much higher gusts. Add on top of that a snow so wet I was calling it white rain, and you have yourself a pretty rough climbing day.
We all left the hut together at 1:30 am along with 25 other motivated but not necessarily optimistic climbers. 30 minutes into the climb we all resembled walking popsicles but our psych remained high. Things quickly began to deteriorate the higher we went. By 17,000 feet, the mountain had made our decision for us. There would be no summit attempt.
Other teams continued on past our retreating group but we saw them back in the hut a few hours later tired, cold and completely encased in ice. They gave the climb a valiant effort but no one came close to reaching the top. I'd like to think we made the smarter choice.
After our short attempt we phoned the magic bus and had Victor arrive early so we could escape the angry mountain. By 9 am were bound for Quito. Waking up at 11 pm always throws the body for a loop so a good lunch led into a nice siesta which then led into one of the most enjoyable final evenings I can remember.
Thanks to our beer loving Iowa boys, we found ourselves in the beautiful old town of Quito, drinking great locally crafted beer at Bandido's Brewery. The pizza was top notch, the setting unique and the beer superb. The company could not have been better. We told stories of our adventure and made plans for climbs to come. This journey could not have ended any better!
Thanks to everyone on the team for being so supportive, flexible and positive. From a guide's perspective we could not have asked for better!
Ecuador Volcanoes Out........
RMI Guide Adam Knoff
Posted by: Mike King, Jenny Konway, Nick Scott
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Aconcagua
Elevation: 9,000'
The Team is currently relaxing next to a fireplace worthy of GOT in a unique ski lodge in Los Penitentes. There isn't any winter snow here, so the area serves as an outfitting station for climbers getting ready to head into the park. We spent the afternoon packing and sorting gear for the mules. We'll continue sport eating our way through Argentina this evening and have a casual start in the AM. Our trek to base camp is up the Vacas Valley, an arid high desert landscape filled with rocks, shrubs, mules and rich colored soil that resembles a Bob Ross painting. Thanks for following along!
RMI Guide Mike King
Happy Climbing Auntie SANJ!
Just remember Eddie would go!
Posted by: Bubba and Belle on 1/24/2018 at 12:04 am
Woo hoo! Remember hills are your friend. Have fun and enjoy the journey Bob, Steve, and Kiwi.
Posted by: Mo on 1/23/2018 at 6:50 pm
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Keep up the good works guys. I enjoy looking at the blog everyday and seeing new progress. No worries Dave I’m keeping everyone posted at the gym. Your like a rockstar everyone keeps asking where your at on the mountain.
Posted by: Kevin Durbon on 1/26/2018 at 7:08 am
I also included Jericho but his name didn’t appear on last comment. Have a great day Dawn and team. Love, Dad and mom
Posted by: Lori Golding on 1/25/2018 at 9:28 am
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