Good evening from Shishapangma Base Camp! What a day... beautiful blue skies, no winds and a bright sun seemed like the prize we were awarded for yesterday's journey on not-such-fun conditions. A somewhat restless night (it was our first of many nights at 5,600m) gave way to excitement building up as our Sherpa team started to get our puja altar together for a nice morning ceremony. Climbing in the Himalaya without an offering or asking permission to the divine, is considered a sacrilege. The rest of the day was dedicated to getting acquainted at Base Camp, organizing gear, and receiving the second yak load (we have so much gear, that some of our kit had to wait yesterday.) We're heading to dinner as we speak. Tomorrow we're taking a walk to the so called "crampon point" or Depot Camp, in order to cache some gear and continue to build on our acclimatization process. Everyone is doing well, and eager to start climbing!
RMI Guide Elias de Andres Martos
Hi, this is Eric Frank calling from the summit of Mount Shuksan. We had a cold and windy, but enjoyable, morning climbing up here today. It is gorgeous! We can see into southern Canada, over the city of Vancouver, out at Mount Baker, and even down all the way to Mount Rainier. We feel pretty fortunate to have the views that we have today. We will talk to everyone soon.
RMI Guide Eric Frank
RMI Guide Eric Frank calls in from the Mount Shuksan summit.
The Mt. Rainier Summit Climb, led by RMI Guides Dave Hahn and Nick Hunt, made a successful summit at around 7:30 this morning. Dave reported cold conditions with 10mph winds blowing from the north. With favorable weather, the teams were able to spend an hour on the summit prior to starting their descent.
This week’s Expedition Skills Seminar - Muir headed up the snowfield this morning. They will spend the week learning many expedition skills and finishing with a summit bid later in the week.
And we're at base camp!
Long day we had today through the plains of Tibet, but it was worth it. After two days acclimating at Driver's Camp, and the preceding three days driving across this vast land, being finally at Shishapangma Base Camp seems like an accomplishment already... And we haven't even started!!! At any rate, the 12 miles over 17,000ft we covered provided incredible views of rustic terrain, but also some headaches and a fight against grapple at mid day. An inch of snow coveted camp upon our arrival, and the light of the moon reflecting on the now cloud free slopes of Shishapangma, seems to also light our desire to climb.
Everyone is in bed now, enjoying a well deserved rest. We're having our puja tomorrow, and we'll dedicate to rest and get used to the new elevation.
Stay tuned,
RMI Guide ElÃas and team
September 11, 2016 - 11:06 am PT
Summit day or I should say night was greeted with clear and breezy weather. It all begins around midnight and as we climbed for a few hours the cold had set in and we were layered in most the clothing we'd brought. When the sun rose, we were at the crater rim looking up to see the high point, Uhuru Peak, across from us and part way around the rim. Down behind us we could see the monster of a mountain we had just climbed. We made it to the summit and hung out there taking pics and enjoying the scenery. I tell all my climbers, it's not the summit, but the journey that is the reward. And I believe that to be true. But the feeling of reaching the summit is sure the cherry on top and this one was no exception. It's a gift and we were all thrilled to have the time to take in the view and our own accomplishments. It was a great effort by all, as we left the crater rim and made the descent to our last mountain camp, Mweka at 10,000'. Sleep tonight was earned. It's now 24 hours since I last closed my eyes. All is well. Good night.
RMI Guide Mark Tucker
The Four Day Summit Climb September 8 - 11, 2016 were unable to reach the summit of Mt. Rainier this morning due to windy conditions. RMI Guides Billy Nugent and Katrina Bloemsma made the decision to turn their teams around at 13,700' as the extremely high winds made it unsafe for the groups to continue. They began their descent from their high point at 7:30 am en route to Camp Muir. After they rest and repack they will continue to Paradise and be transferred to Rainier Base Camp.
Hello, hello this is Mark Tucker checking in from the Roof of Africa. We have a great summit team up here, they did a great job. We are going to get a few more photos. Today is 9:11 and we wanted to reach out and dedicate this climb to all of those lost. I would also like to make a special mention. We had one of our Dik Dik Staff not be able to make this climb, Salvatory. He was on the summit with me on my last time about a month ago, and he is truly missed. We are all doing well. We're going to get a few more shots and we're going to head on down and get low. Thanks for checking in, we will be in touch.
Congratulations to the Kilimanjaro team!
RMI Guide Mark Tucker calls from the summit of Kilimanjaro.
Here’s a message from Ginny (Paula’s sister) to the Barrs:
Hi Paula,
Just a few thoughts from the people back home that love you the most. Austin sends his congratulations and wishes you luck on your way down, and that he loves you and has been thinking about you. He is a little jealous and Kili is on his list. I am sure it is!! Brian says congratulations and good luck and he is hoping you have fun with the rest of the trip. Your oldest says you owe him $170. I (Ginny) want you to know that I love you, I am proud of you, and I miss you. I can’t wait to hear all the details over a few drinks.
Ginny
Posted by: judy christofferson on 9/11/2016 at 10:10 am
The expansive extent of the Tibetan Plateau dominated our conversation during our approach drive from Lhasa. Today, we put boots on the ground and had the pleasure of experiencing this beautiful wide open space first-hand. An active 'rest' day here at Base Camp started with a 2-hour hike up to the top of a neighboring 17,400' "hill" in order to stimulate our muscles and help coax our acclimatization process along. We spent the afternoon sharing life lessons and enjoying each other's company in the dining tent over an unending supply of coffee, tea, and grilled Nepalese meat snacks. On an expedition of this length and this altitude, our rest days prove just as important as the climbing itself. Tomorrow, we plan to load another 1000 kilos of gear onto yaks and make our way to Advanced Base Camp at 19,400'. 'Progress' as we say. The crew is pumped, and enjoying the beginnings of true expedition life. Until tomorrow.
RMI Guides Robby, Adam, Elias, and your Shishapangma team.
PS- Go Blue, beat UCF.
RMI Guides Casey Grom and Steve Gately led their Four Day Summit Climb September 7 - 10, 2016 teams to the summit of Mt. Rainier this morning. Steve reported clear skies with 20 mph winds and fairly cold temperatures. The climbing route remains in great shape. The teams enjoyed some time in the crater before starting their descent. Both teams will return to Camp Muir for a short rest and to repack their gear before continuing down to Paradise. We look forward to celebrating with them at Rainier BaseCamp this afternoon.
Congratulations to today's Summit Climb teams!
We enjoyed another nice evening here on Kilimanjaro and the good weather continued today as we approached Barafu Camp, our High Camp. The team climbed well as we made the ascent from Karanga Camp to Barafu at 15,000'. Clouds were rolling in and out this afternoon while we were busy making lunches and double checking our kits for the summit push ahead. After dinner we will climb into our tents and hope to get a few hours of sleep before we are awaken at midnight and start our push to the summit of Kilimanjaro. Wish us luck!
RMI Guide Mark Tucker
Can’t wait to hear about the ceremony. Well, for sure, you “aren’t in Kansas anymore”!!
Posted by: Betty (Art's sister) on 9/13/2016 at 5:07 am
Go, Galina, go!
Happy Acclimatization to all of the team members!
Posted by: Zhanar on 9/13/2016 at 2:27 am
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