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RMI Guides Win Whittaker and Andy Bond led their ALA Climbing Teams to the summit of Mt. Rainier this morning. Win reported cold and windy conditions which means the teams won't stay on the summit for long. They will be returning to Camp Muir for a quick stop before continuing their descent to Camp Muir.
Congratulations to today's ALA Climbers!
Wednesday, June 27, 2018 - 10:11 PM PT
Hey from 14K. We got an excellent day for moving up. When the 6 AM alarm went off down at 11,000', we peered out to see clear skies and no signs of wind. We pounced on the opportunity, hitting the trail at 9 AM. Hannah Smith led the charge today, bringing the team expeditiously up Motorcycle Hill, The Squirrel Hills and then the Polo Field. Just like when we carried, it began to cloud up as we approached Windy Corner and to snow as we went around. We moved right on past our cache site, which appears to be resisting the ravages of the ravens (we buried it deep in the snow). Hannah got us into camp at 14,000' in a very respectable 5 hours and 45 minutes. The tents went up fast and easy and about the time we’d completed setup, the snow quit. As we ate dinner, the clouds melted away and when we emerged from our deluxe dining shelter, we were treated to new and spectacular views in every direction. Foraker and Hunter, the other two giants of the Alaska Range were visible -for the first time- in all their glory. But it was the view of Denali, rising straight up in front of us for a vertical mile and more that took our breath away. Our world is now bound on the left by the West Buttress and on the right by the West Rib... which covers a lot of fascinating and historic... and slightly intimidating terrain. Just before bedtime, we listened to the weather outlook, broadcast via radio from Basecamp and more importantly to the trivia question for the night. Did you know that there are 21 bears for every human in Alaska?
Best Regards
RMI Guide Dave Hahn
On The Map
Wednesday, June 27, 2018 - 8:39 pm PT
As mountaineers, we tend to take things one day at a time. It just so happens that this was one of the best climbing days ever.
After an early start, we climbed into the gorgeous sunshine that we have not had enough of this trip. The views of the glaciers below and the rocky ridge we were ascending made for stunning photos and memories we will not soon forget! We are pretty sure that
Joe Horiskey scheduled a fly-by and wing wave from a F-35 fighter jet just as we topped out on the fixed line! Spectacular!!!
We are currently residing at
17k Camp in the late evening sunshine. This camp stays particularly sunny since there is not much above us to block the Alaskan midnight sun.
Our plan is to go to the summit tomorrow if the mountain allows us! I think the mountain may owe us a good weather summit day after all the Super Crew has been through so far. We will see if
Denali agrees!?
RMI Guide Mike Haugen & Super Crew 6
On The Map
Good evening from "infinite skies land"!
It is quite amazing to enjoy the deepness of the night we're having right now. The clouds have moved away and moon lit ridges reign above us, giving us a sense of smallness amongst these Andean fluted snow walls. All of it wouldn't be as overwhelmingly haunting, if it wasn't because of the task we have in store for us. But having carried to our first camp today, and witnessed those very walls get smaller with our progress uphill, makes us feel that the power of the mountains is on our side. And so, we had a great day reaching the 5,000m mark and dropping half of the equipment we'll use to venture even higher, and eventually, to climb to the top.
It's now been four days of activity, and we're ready to go to bed and welcome a well earned rest day at dawn. Although, it is worth mentioning that, we sure could keep going as there is no challenge that can't be fueled by our cook Emilio's food; tonight, meat and carrot soup, followed by breaded chicken breast filled with cheese and ham, accompanied by french fries... Yes, we're here right now climbing
Alpamayo!
RMI Guide Elias de Andres Martos
This morning the
Mt. Rainier Five Day Summit Climb teams, led by
Pete Van Deventer and
JM Gorum, reached the summit. They reported 10 mph winds and a thin cap, but otherwise a nice day. They are currently descending back to Camp Muir and will return to Ashford Base Camp this afternoon.
Tuesday, June 26, 2018 - 10:58 PM PT
Ahhhh. We made it to a much deserved rest day. It kept on snowing lightly through the night with some restless breezes playing through in the morning, but we didn’t care much what it did. We slept in and did a long, slow, yummy bagel breakfast in our comfortable dining tent. The day was a mix of napping, reading, and visiting with other climbers. We watched a handful of neighboring teams pick up and move to
14,000' Camp, although it looked as though they’d have to deal with higher winds on the way. Weather got gradually better through the day and by evening it was just calm, sunny and nice. At dinner we went through plans for our own big move up to 14,000' Camp tomorrow.
Best Regards
RMI Guide Dave Hahn
On The Map
Tuesday, June 26, 2018 - 8:54 PM PT
Rest days are the best days! We slept harrrd after our long day of climbing yesterday. When we finally began rustling around we enjoyed a very leisurely pancake brunch and our whole team laughed and chatted with renewed energy. The afternoon was filled with napping, organizing, stretching, snacking, and enjoying the sunshine. Yes, you read that correctly, sunshine! We finally had a full day with no precipitation! It wasn’t exactly beach weather, but we soaked it up nonetheless, and the day moved at just the perfect pace.
Spirits are high and bellies are full- and every member of the Super Crew would like to send a very warm thank you to Carol Clark for her excellent baked goods! They somehow held up very well in Craig’s pack and he was generous enough (or his pack was heavy enough
On The Map
Hello from
Alpamayo Base Camp. We finished our approach to the mountain on an almost rainy day, but the clouds decided to respect us, as now, right before dinner, skies are open and we're enjoying a nice evening.
Alpamayo, Quiraraju, Paron,
Artesonraju... only a few of these "Andean Giants" that we're able to contemplate from our tents. We're about to enjoy another dinner from our cook Emilio; vegetable soup from his very own garden as first course, and it seems that grilled fresh trout with natural mashed potato and rice with cilantro are on the menu... Yep, living large here!
More to come tomorrow.
Cheers,
RMI Guide Elías de Andres Martos and team
The
Kautz Seminar, led by
Steve Gately, was on top of Mt. Rainier at 9:45 a.m. The team is working their way back to their camp where they will stay another night and descend from the mountain tomorrow.
Congratulations to our Seminar team!
After a relaxing stay at the hacienda Chilcabamba, we are all packed up and heading for
Cotopaxi, the stunning 19,347’ stratovolcano that is our main climbing objective. We will drive a dirt road that winds through Cotopaxi National Park to an altitude above 15,000’. A 45-minute hike will lead to the climbers’ hut, which sits near the toe of the glacier just shy of 16,000’. The goal of today is to arrive at such high altitude accommodations feeling good, resting, and adjusting to the altitude. Tomorrow we will hike to the Glacier and review the climbing techniques we will employ on the climb the following morning.
RMI Guide Mike Walter
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Still so happy for you, Frosty! I hope the afterglow of a safe and successful summit is still lingering for you.
Posted by: Sarah Brown on 6/29/2018 at 5:01 pm
Amy and team YOU DID IT!!!!
Cheers, from Duluth, MN
(We toasted you at Bent Paddle tonight at the REI Women and the Outdoors event in Duluth)
Posted by: Deanna on 6/28/2018 at 6:04 pm
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