Entries from Locations
Posted by: JM Gorum, Hannah Smith, Avery Parrinello
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Aconcagua
Elevation: 18,000'
It was another windy night last night. Most people didn’t sleep much, and the winds haven’t calmed any appreciable degree now that the sun is out. This was in the forecast, and we knew we would have to hunker down in order to be in position for our potential summit window. After today, things are supposed to improve, which is good because we’re running out of spare tent guy lines.
Everyone is still mentally stable, although by the end of the day we will all be tired of sitting in our shaking, rattling tents. Not much else to report today. We’re just eating, drinking, reading, and waiting. Our course of action tomorrow depends on the forecast. The plan is to take another day here before moving up to High Camp, but we will see if the weather forces our hand in one direction or another.
RMI Guides JM Hannah and Avery
On The Map
Posted by: JM Gorum, Hannah Smith, Avery Parrinello
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Aconcagua
Elevation: 18,000'
We didn’t get much sleep last night due to 40 mph winds ripping through camp. If 40 mph doesn’t sound that bad, try this: next time you’re riding in a car, stick your head out the window when you hit 40. Now imagine your whole body is hanging out the window. Now imagine it’s 15 degrees. Now imagine that instead of a car made of aluminum, glass, and steel, you’re inside of a tent made of nylon. It’s not great, but we endured the night no worse for the wear.
After our blustery overnight, we started the morning slowly, keeping an eye on the ridge above camp. The wind seemed to be dying down, and eventually it reached a level that we thought was appropriate for moving uphill. We broke down our home at Camp One, and headed uphill around noon. It turned out to be a beautiful sunny day, but not without a consistent breeze. After about three and a half hours we pulled into our new neighborhood, set up camp, and began the time honored expedition tradition of straight chillin’. Mac and cheese for dinner, some sunset photos, and then off to bed for this crew. Tomorrow we’ll take another rest day, and then we will see what kind of weather the mountain gives us.
RMI Guides JM Gorum, Hannah Smith, Avery Parrinello
On The Map
Great job, everyone! I’m so impressed!! Wishing you all a restful, only slightly breezy rest day.
Posted by: Kim Ford on 1/8/2019 at 8:06 pm
Hello Everyone -
Today the team left behind the comforts of our beautiful lodge and have made our way to the mountain towards the start of the climb. Starting shortly before 8am we drove along the rural country side for two hours to reach the Kilimanjaro National Park entrance. Most of the area surrounding Kilimanjaro has been cultivated and primarily used for coffee production and for a variety of other agriculture needs, but there are still some areas that have been untouched and resemble more of a savannah that Tanzania is known for. The base of Kilimanjaro is heavily forested and resembles more of a jungle or cloud forest. Traditionally it has supported a large part of the banana production for this area.
Once we arrived at the gate we had all of our gear weighed and divided into loads for our porters to carry before hitting the trail. Once everything was in order we started our climb slowly making our way up the winding trail. The team hiked for a little over 6 hours to reach our camp for the night. Everyone did great and enjoyed finally getting some much needed exercise.
After settling into camp the team was served a nice warm meal and then headed off to bed for a nice full night of rest.
RMI Guide Casey Grom and the Kili crew
On The Map
Posted by: Casey Grom
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Kilimanjaro
Casey Grom here checking in with RMI's first 2019 Kilimanjaro Climb!
All is well here in Tanzania and most of the team arrived late last night after some very long flights. It was a short and uneventful ride to our Lodge that is nestled in between Arusha and Moshi and not so far from the base of Kilimanjaro. The team had a quick dinner and headed for bed as the time change has us all feeling just a little off and pretty tired after all the traveling.
Today we had a leisurely morning with our official meeting at 10, where we did a round of introductions and then discussed the upcoming program for the days ahead.
We spent the remainder of the day getting our gear packed up, exploring the grounds of our Lodge, which is incredibly peaceful and has monkeys and Dik Dik running around. See for yourself.
We wrapped up the evening with another delicious meal and plenty of friendly conversations. Everyone is doing well and excited to hit the trail tomorrow and get a little bit of exercise.
RMI Guide Casey Grom and the Kili crew!
Go Kris and Catherine! Enjoy your awesome adventure!!!
John H
Manager, Atlanta Base Camp
Posted by: John H on 1/8/2019 at 9:19 am
Have a great adventure and enjoy every breathless moment of beauty.
Cant wait to hear about your adventure!
Faith
Posted by: Faith Fischer-Whaley on 1/8/2019 at 5:44 am
Posted by: Peter Whittaker, Jess Matthews
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Ecuador
Elevation: 12,000'
Our hopes for sunrise photos of Cotopaxi were dashed when we woke to a layer of low clouds blanketing the hillside. The upside was additional sleep and a leisurely start to the day with pancakes and coffee. Our mission for the day was some active rest after sleeping at a new altitude of almost 12,000’. Inspired by our caffeine intake, several of us jumped on the backs of a few horses. Fortunately, no injuries and no feelings hurt. Nacho, our Ecuadorian friend and guide, has been sharing his country with us the past couple days. We went on a cruise in his high country backyard and were introduced to some of his equine friends. Never really taken a rest break before with a small herd of horses. After we banked 1,500’ feet of vertical, tagging almost 13,000’, we once again finished the day with an equatorial downpour.
RMI Guide Jess Matthews
Posted by: JM Gorum, Hannah Smith, Avery Parrinello
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Aconcagua
Elevation: 16,200'
If today hadn’t been a rest day, it would have been a weather day. I have never seen snow so far down the valley before. It snowed well below basecamp, and almost to the Vacas River, where we were trying not to overheat in shorts just a few days ago. It looks like we’re in the clear as far as more precipitation goes, but it is still quite cold. I would say it’s Denali cold. Despite the mountains best efforts, we still managed a filling brunch of hash browns and cheesy eggs. I call it brunch because that sounds hip, but really it was just too windy and cold to cook breakfast any earlier.
After brunch, most of the day was spent hiding from the weather. When the sun was out, we could be outside moving around, but otherwise we were snuggled up. We’re planning on moving to Camp Two tomorrow, but if the weather is the same we will most likely just stay here. If it’s cold here, it’s colder there, and we’re still getting plenty of good acclimating done at 16,200 feet. The team sends their best from their cozy sleeping bags.
RMI Guides JM Gorum, Hannah Smith and Avery Parrinello
Go Team!
You’re doing so great! I’m so proud of you (you know who you are)! You’ve worked so hard for this. We’re all watching and I believe in you!
Xo Your MP
Posted by: MP on 1/7/2019 at 5:48 pm
Posted by: Peter Whittaker, Jess Matthews
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Ecuador
Elevation: 15,100'
Sunday, January 6, 2019 - 7:30 pm PT
Another day, another volcano! We left the hustle and bustle of Quito this morning and eased into the beautiful, lush countryside of Ecuador. After a short drive to the base of Illinizas we parked at 12,800' and powered up to the hut at 15,100’. Beautiful weather on the ascent, not so much on the descent. Right as we reached the hut clouds began to swallow us up and we tucked inside for snacks and some hot tea. Shortly after, a cold rain gave us some extra motivation to get moving and it chased us downhill back to the trailhead. We wound our way back down the narrow (and bumpy!) cobblestone road along small family farms and pastures full of cows, llamas, horses and the occasional rogue pig. We threw it into park on the other side of the valley at Hacienda El Porvenir where we are tucked in for the night drying our gear in front of a crackling wood stove. Perfect. Hoping for clear skies in the morning and a front row sunrise view of Cotopaxi with coffee in hand. Buenas noches!
RMI Guides Peter Whittaker, Jess Matthews and Team
Posted by: JM Gorum, Hannah Smith, Avery Parrinello
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Aconcagua
Elevation: 16,200'
We got our first taste of weather today on the Stone Sentinel. It was pretty nice in the morning, with just a bit more breeze than we’ve been used to. We planned to be done with our carry and back at Camp 1 by the early afternoon to beat some forecasted weather. That forecast started to materialize as we climbed to 18,000 feet. We got slapped in the face a bit by the wind, and we were hit with some precipitation, but nothing we couldn’t suit up for and endure. We didn’t spend much time at Camp 2 today since there wasn’t much to see, and the weather wasn’t overly conducive to sunbathing.
Once again, everyone moved really well, up and down, and we were back at camp hiding from the wind by 1:30. The forecast called for snow this afternoon into tomorrow morning. I’ve never actually seen snow fall from the sky and stick to the ground in any appreciable amount here. It’s normally so dry and windy that all the snow just blows somewhere else. But, uh, it is sticking today. It is also blowing into every crevice of our tents, backpacks, and boots. Our trusty crocs are no longer appropriate footwear for lounging around camp. Thankfully we have a rest day tomorrow, so we should have plenty of time to de-snow everything. We’re all hunkered down and cozy for the night here at 16,200 feet. We’ll check in tomorrow, hopefully the sun will be out.
RMI Guides JM, Hannah & Avery
On The Map
Posted by: Peter Whittaker, Jess Matthews
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Ecuador
And boom. We went to over 14,000' today. To be honest, gondola-assisted, but we still logged a few thousand human-powered vert. Warm sun, mild temps, and a calm, steady breeze from the east kept things comfortable. Clouds slowly built throughout the day as we ascended, but never threatened anything more than the occasional chilly gust. The bright orange Chuquiragua flowers, also known as the “the flower of the climber” that grows at over 9,000 feet, were in bloom along the trail and grew thicker as we ascended. We’ll take it as a good omen! Satisfied with our solid effort, we snacked and took in the panoramic views of Quito over 5,000’ below us from our perch on the flanks of Pichincha before heading back downhill.
Our team is strong and deposited valuable funds into the Cotopaxi acclimatization account today. More to come tomorrow as we venture further south through the Avenue of the Volcanoes!
RMI Guides Peter Whittaker, Jess Matthews and Team
Posted by: JM Gorum, Hannah Smith, Avery Parrinello
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Aconcagua
Elevation: 16,200'
We had perfect weather for our move today. From the time we got out of our tents, to the time we arrived at 16,200 feet we had blue skies, warm temperatures, and just enough of a breeze to keep us from getting sweaty. Everyone did extremely well, and we were relaxing in our tents by 1:30 pm. I took a nap, so I assume everyone else did as well. The only hiccup of the day occurred later in the afternoon when we realized that two of our tents were in a bit of a damp neighborhood. We took twenty minutes to move them, and any wetness that might have occurred was avoided.
The sun goes behind a ridge pretty early here, and once that happens it gets pretty cold. We hung out in the shade for as long as we dared, which wasn’t very long, and have all retreated to our sleeping bags at this point. If everyone still feels good tomorrow morning, we’ll carry to Camp Two.
RMI Guides JM Gorum, Hannah Smith and Avery Parrinello
Previous Page
Next Page
-640x480.jpg)
-640x480.jpg)
Good luck to all the hikers! I hope the weather cooperates and all of you are able to reach the summit! Thinking of all of you daily! Go team Cory!!!!!
Posted by: Karen Prykull on 1/10/2019 at 3:45 am
Hope you get calm weather so you can reach the summit! Good luck team!
Posted by: Shannon Smith on 1/9/2019 at 4:16 pm
View All Comments