RMI Expeditions Blog
Hello from Casa de Piedra at 11,000 feet. The team had another great day trekking under an Argentinian sky. Speaking of sky we have had a little bit of precipitation. The clouds engulfed Aconcagua so we were unable to get a glimpse of the mountain. Hopefully tomorrow! Everyone is feeling fantastic by the way. We send shouts out to family and friends. Tomorrow... Base Camp!
RMI Guides JJ Justman and JM Gorum
On The Map
Posted by: Seth Waterfall
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Kilimanjaro
Hello from the Dik Dik Hotel. We are all off the mountain and enjoying a fun evening recounting our adventure.
We awoke early this morning and were treated to a pancake breakfast with fresh fruit and coffee. After that we had a really fun closing ceremony with the Dik Dik staff.
There was a small matter of a three-hour hike to the park gate but it was enjoyable and there was no rain!
We were all pretty happy to get a hot shower after a week of camping and now everyone is looking forward to sleeping on a bed!
Tomorrow we start our safari at Lake Manyara and we will be staying at the Plantation Lodge. I'll check in again from there.
RMI Guide Seth Waterfall
Hi this is Seth checking in from our last camp on Kilimanjaro. We are all down from the summit safe and sound.
We had a great climb that started off with a pretty good snow storm for Tanzania and ended with clear skies on top. Everyone made it to Uhuru Peak as well which was great. That makes 100% success for my two trips this season.
After the summit we had sunny skies back to high camp where we had a late breakfast and a brief rest. Following that we made our way down the notoriously steep Mweka descent trail to our final camp.
Of course we had a few rain showers get to us on the way down. That has just been the nature of Kili this season but we are all dry in our tents and planning on an early dinner.
Tomorrow we will head out in the morning and expect to be back at the Dik Dik hotel by early afternoon. Our safari starts the next morning!
RMI Guide Seth Waterfall
RMI Guide Seth Waterfall calls in from the summit of Kilimanjaro.
On The Map
Congratulations, Seth and climbers. Clean sweep to start the year!! Have a great safari.
Posted by: Derek Fuller on 1/31/2016 at 10:46 am
Congrats team and Seth!
Posted by: Mike Riley on 1/31/2016 at 10:24 am
Posted by: JJ Justman, JM Gorum
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Aconcagua
Its about that time. Our Aconcagua team is ready to hit the trail. We have our duffel bags ready for the mules and light backpacks ready to be slung over our shoulders. Needless to say, the team is anxious to get moving. Tonight will bring us to Lenas camp where we will enjoy hanging out with the cowboys eating steak and sleeping under the stars.
RMI Guides JJ Justman and JM Gorum
On The Map
Greg and Jr. Looks amazing. Stay safe and have a great time. Your buddy Eric
Posted by: Eric Estebanez on 2/2/2016 at 6:00 pm
Gregory have fun!
Wishing everyone a safe and successful climb.
Josie (Gregory’s mom)
Posted by: Josie on 1/31/2016 at 7:11 pm
Posted by: JJ Justman, JM Gorum
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Aconcagua
Team Aconcagua reporting for duty! The gang is here and we are ready to get the show on the road. Yesterday we spent the day relaxing and enjoying the wonderful city of Mendoza. Today, we are securing permits, heading to Penitentes where we will finalize our packing and then...we will relax and enjoy more great food. Stay tuned as the team advances towards base camp.
RMI Guides JJ Justman and JM Gorum
Gregory & Greg Waltz, we are tracking you guys. Good luck, now is when the sacrifices pay off.
Posted by: Eduardo de Aragon on 1/31/2016 at 9:18 am
Signing in from Waynesville Dispatch. How’s my man Vigneau doing. Has he stayed in shape over the winter????
Posted by: Eric morrison on 1/30/2016 at 8:05 pm
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Jambo! We have just pulled into High Camp. Our tent sites are on the low side of camp so I'm calling the elevation 14,900'. The group did great again today. We have all been moving as one cohesive unit which will make the climb tonight go really smooth.
Our weather has taken a turn for the better with a clear night last night and an absolutely perfect morning. The team got a great view of the upper slopes of Kili at breakfast this morning and it looked so good they said, "If it was a President it would be Baber-ham Lincoln."
They really thought that joke was funny, I think it's the altitude kicking in.
We are up here with plenty of time to rest, fuel up and prepare for the long climb to the summit tonight. The next time I check in will be from up top so wish us luck!
RMI Guide Seth Waterfall
On The Map
Good afternoon from Kilimanjaro. The group is all doing good after a really strong showing on the trail today. We are at Karanga Valley which sits at 13,100ft and is our last camp before high camp.
We tackled the Barranco Wall this morning and had a pretty smooth ascent up the steep slopes. We climbed it in exactly 1.5 hours which is what we were aiming for. When we were about 2/3 of the way up we could look back down on last night's camp which looked like a camp for ants. The rest of the way felt like a dance off with a bunch of ups and downs.
Everyone agreed that this was the most picturesque day so far.
We're all relaxing now before dinner and tomorrow we head up to Barafu Camp at 15,000ft. I'll check back in from there.
RMI Guide Seth Waterfall
On The Map
Hello! The team has moved camp once again and everyone is doing well. We had a long-ish (6.5 hour) day today and everyone handled it really well.
We left the Shira Plateau at 8:00 AM under cloudy skies. After a little bit we started to get some rain and I was sure we were going to get poured on all day but it tapered off after about 1/2 hour. The weather for the rest of the day was what I would call misty as we were in a cloud for the most part.
Our route climbed about 2500' from our camp at a gentle grade. Our high point was 14,900' at the base of a large lava tower. We grabbed lunch up there and the walked the steep downhill trail to our camp.
The team thought we might see some R.O.U.S.'s at one point on the way down but we did not.
We are all looking forward to another great dinner provided by the Dik Dik staff and then a good night's rest
That's all for now.
RMI Guide Seth Waterfall
On The Map
Yeah Meredith! Good luck and enjoy from your buddy in Boston
Posted by: Mike on 1/30/2016 at 5:56 am
I have to ask, what is a R.O.U.S.‘s? Great to hear your progress.
Posted by: Patti Sandow on 1/29/2016 at 12:54 am
Posted by: Casey Grom
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Ecuador
Hello again everyone
All is well here in Ecuador. Today the team spent the morning relaxing a bit and enjoying the beautiful surroundings and practicing some technical rope work that will hopefully come in handy tomorrow. Then a few folks went on a horseback ride while the rest of us relaxed around the hacienda. We wrapped the afternoon with a little more training and good conversations.
Our plan is to head to bed soon and get up around 5am to start our climb which is just a few miles down the road. If the weather continues we hope to summit and make our way back to Quito by mid to late afternoon.
It's sad to think our adventure is nearly over, but I am sure everyone is excited to return to their loved ones.
We'll check in again tomorrow. That's all for today.
RMI Guide Casey Grom and crew
Posted by: Billy Nugent, Katrina Bloemsma
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Aconcagua
Wow... All I can say is that it's been a crazy ride. Two days ago we were sitting tight up at Camp 2 waiting for the weather to open up and now we are down in Penitentes celebrating our escape from the wrath Aconcagua. We had decided to hold on a day or two longer and see if maybe the forecasts were wrong but alas, they were not. We made the decision to pull the plug and head down when the lowest wind speed predicted over the next 7 days was over 50 mph with several pulses up in the 70's. We woke on the morning we intended to descend to clear skies but moderate winds blowing snow and by the time we were able to pick up camp it had clouded over and the wind had intensified significantly. As we descended around and down the mountain the storm chased us all the way to Basecamp... There was no respite despite our descent into a portion of the mountain that is historically more protected. Our team was able to stick together and move well despite the challenging conditions. We were greeted warmly by the Basecamp staff upon our arrival back at Plaza Argentina. We enjoyed real chairs and a real meal (chicken Vesuvius) for the first time in over a week and then crashed hard. The next couple days we made our way down the Relinchos and Vacas Valleys and spent our last night out on the trail after devouring an amazing asado prepared by our mule drivers. We ate (beef, beef, beef!) and drank (vino, and even a little wild turkey) and went to bed happy and tired after a long couple of days. This morning we rose and walked the last of the Vacas to the road where we checked out with the park rangers and were greeted by our shuttle driver with beer and Fanta. Not a bad way to finish a long and tough expedition.
Next stop, Mendoza!
RMI Guides Billy Nugent, Katrina Bloemsma and Team
home sweet home
Posted by: kat branchflower on 1/29/2016 at 2:28 pm
What a journey ! At least you all got back safe and sound. Blowing gales here today also!
Love Diane and Paul
Posted by: Paul and Diane on 1/29/2016 at 2:00 am
JM : I am following your climb, enjoying the scenery. Enjoy, have fun and be safe.
Posted by: Floyd Tirey on 2/4/2016 at 12:14 pm
I expected the Rockies to be a little rockier than this…that John Denver is full of shit. Have a great time Greg…watch out for Bigfoot because I heard from a friend of mines dad that he lives there.
I miss you
Helen
Posted by: Helen Riddler on 2/3/2016 at 11:33 am
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