12:45 pm PT
Billy called the RMI Office from Camp Cholera: Everyone is safe and sound. We will stay here tonight and descend to Plaza Argentina tomorrow afternoon.
Thank you for all the blog comments and congratulations!
8:48 am PT
Hey there, it's Billy Nugent of the team El equipo de dos Guillermos, checking in from the summit of Aconcagua. I'm up here right now with six climbers and three guides, 22,800-something feet. So what do you guys think? [Team cheers!] As you can tell a happy but tired bunch. Everyone is doing extremely well. We are definitely winded up here at extremely high altitude. We'll give you guys a jingle when we are headed back into our high camp at Plaza Cholera.
Other shout-outs. [Brief loss of transmission]
Carter, Walker, and mom I love you guys so much. Thank you for everything.
Erica, Thurston, Bella, Brent, Ally, Christian, everyone. We made it! Hurrah!
Hey guys, it's Lindsay, I made it. Thank you so much for the support and love. Love you guys. See you when I get back.
Tanya, Benjamin, and Abby- love you and I'll see you all soon.
Kathy, Kelsey, Eric, Ailie- I love you. I'm on the top of Aconcagua- woohoo! Jerry and Rhonda, John and Kathy- thanks for the support. I'll be seeing you soon.
Babs and Phil- much love from Katrina.
That's all I got unless Haas has something. I love you mom and dad [from Billy Haas].
Sorry mom and dad, love you guys too. Signing out. We'll call you from high camp.
RMI Guide Billy Nugent
RMI Guide Billy Nugent and team call in from the Aconcagua summit!
RMI Guide Casey Grom sent us some photos of their Cayambe summit. 100% of the team reached the top!!! The team is currently on their descent and will celebrate at the Chilcabamba Eco Lodge this evening. Stay tuned to hear from Casey as he recounts their summit day.
Today we took the place of the mules and shouldered our first heavy packs of the trip. Our goal was to get as much of our food, fuel, and equipment uphill as possible, so that when we move to Aconcagua's Camp 1, our loads are reasonable. We succeeded at that goal in fine form, and now everything is ready for us to make the next step uphill to 16,000' the day after tomorrow.
We woke up to the helicopter over our heads, shuttling propane tanks, building materials, and the full toilet cans in and out of camp. A pretty expensive alarm clock! We ate breakfast, and then quickly got ready to depart so that we could minimize the amount of time that we were in the true heat of the day. The group moved really well today, even on the final 600-foot scree slope, where the uphill track disappeared and every step sent you sliding backwards. We left our gear at camp and then turned to descend. The same slope that was so heinous on the way up, had people hooting and yelling as we skied back down. We were back in time for an afternoon siesta, and to feel safe from the rain clouds that had started to build and were threatening. Though we heard some rumbles of thunder this afternoon, the clouds stayed away and we stayed dry. On the schedule for tomorrow is another rest day, one last chance to enjoy the comforts of base camp before we head up to higher elevations.
Thanks for reading,
RMI Guides Pete Van Deventer, Alex Barber, Juampi, and team
Hola from Ecuador!
All is well here on the equator. Saturday we spent a few hour at the massive Otavalo outdoor market where the team practiced their bartering skills with the locals. Buy the number of bags people had in their arms, they must have done a good job.
We then headed up to the hut on Cayambe to drop off our gear and add a little to our acclimatization. Normally we like to spend the night at the hut, but due to a hut remodel and new park management, we opted on staying in the town of Cayambe at a wonderful Hacienda call San Luis. Everyone enjoyed the day and the warmth of the fires that were awaiting us in our rooms.
Today the team headed back up to the hut and went on a short hike, then returned to the hut for a little training. We have had our dinner and discussed the climb here on Cayambe and everything seems in order. Hopefully the weather will hold and we'll have a good climb tomorrow.
That's all for now. We'll check in tomorrow post-climb
RMI Guide Casey Grom and crew
Hey everybody. It's Billy calling in from Camp Cholera at19,600 feet here on the side of Aconcagua. We're all settled into camp and melting snow, filling water bottles right now. We are looking forward to dinner and early to bed tonight. Hopefully take a crack at the summit tomorrow. Right now the weather is partly cloudy and just a gentle breeze. Things are pretty nice, other than the fact that camp is bone, bone dry. We have to hike almost 20 minutes out of camp to fill garbage bags full of snow and bring them back just to fill water bottles. Other than that nuisance, things are going well, the teams in great spirits and hopefully that weather forecast holds true and we have a perfect day tomorrow. We'll check in again during the day and let you know how it's going. All for now, bye.
RMI Guide Billy Nugent
RMI Guide Billy Nugent calls in from Aconcagua High Camp.
We took a well deserved rest day today at Plaza Argentina. Though most woke early, everyone opted to stay in their sleeping bags until the sun hit the tents. Our long morning continued with a scrambled egg breakfast and some joke and story telling over coffee. We roused ourselves in the late morning to head to the camp doctor's building for our obligatory medical check. We are happy to report that everyone is as healthy as they look and we are all clear to keep climbing!
It wasn't all fun and games, as we all had to sort through the duffels that the mules have been carrying to organize our gear for our carry to Camp 1 tomorrow. Unfortunately, Base Camp is the end of the road for the mules, and from here on up we take over their job.
An afternoon siesta led into another delicious dinner, which led to a spectacular sunset that turned the whole sky a variety of red and purple shades. A large thunderhead that has been hanging to the east provided a canvas for the painting, and dusk is just now beginning to overtake the brilliant hues. We are lucky to be in such a beautiful place.
We'll let you know how the carry goes tomorrow. Hasta mañana,
RMI Guides Pete, Alex, Juan, and team
Pulse ox pressure breathing contest in the tent today... We are still here at Camp 2 taking our last rest before the circus begins tomorrow. We're enjoying good weather, which is a bit unnerving, resting on a perfect day... But the good forecast is supposed to hold for several days and this rest and acclimatization will make us that much stronger and safer on our summit push. We'll continue to check in as we can along the way but things are sure to be hectic as we're hoping to move to high camp at Plaza Cólera, summit, descend to Base Camp, and then head for the road without a break in the action over the next 5 days. Wish us luck...
RMI Guide Billy Nugent
We are so proud of you, Daddy!!!! You can do it! Remember we are looking up at the same stars together. We love the pictures and hearing all about your daily adventures. Sending big hugs and kisses every second. Xoxoxoxo!!!!
Hello again everyone!
Today the team left behind the hustle and bustle of Quito and headed just north of the Equator to the comfortable and quite rural countryside. Once outside the city the landscape quickly turns into rolling farm land with farms pitched on steep slopes and isolated eucalyptus forest. Along the way we stopped by a smaller mountain called Fuya Fuya where we stretched our legs on a acclimatization hike. Normally we like to reach the top of this mountain but cloudy skies and the occasional rain kept us off the steep and slippery upper slopes.
We are just on the outskirts of a town call Otavalo, which is known for its massive market and we are relaxing at a wonderful Hacienda called "La Casa Sol". The team is doing great and looking forward to a nice quiet night here.
RMI Guide Casey Grom and crew
We are settled in to our camp for the next several days in a situation that in mountain terms is very plush. We woke up early this morning to get our bags packed for the arryaros, and then prepared to cross the Vacas river. Some opted to brave the chilly temps, cold water, and multiple channels, rolling up their pant legs and wading right in. Others took the unique opportunity to ride a mule across. We all learned something new from our Norwegian teammate, who showed up with ultralight waders and cruised across without getting the least bit damp.
The sun was shining again today, but the increasing altitude and another welcome breeze kept things mostly comfortable. We saw more Guanacos today (the team no longer believes us when we tell them it's pretty rare), this time either playing or arguing with a game of king of the hill. As we came through the top of the Relinchos valley, we got our first really unobstructed views of Aconcagua and its sister peak Amegino. A dining tent, lemonade, and an assortment of peanuts, crackers, cheese, and olives greeted us when we walked into Plaza Argentina. With tents up, it was time for the afternoon siesta before a delicious chicken dinner prepared by Anita, the wonderful base camp cook. We're off to bed shortly, and after a lot of miles and hours the last three days, everyone is looking forward to a rest day tomorrow.
We send our best to everyone back home,
RMI Guides Pete, Juan, Alex, and crew
Wulp... Here we are settled in to camp up here at Aconcagua Camp 2 at over 18,000ft enjoying beautifully clear skies and a nice gentle breeze. Haas and Katrina are outside whipping up a tasty meal and hanging out with the team enjoying the afternoon. Not much else to report... The team is in great spirits and hoping for this great weather to hold!
Til tomorrow,
RMI Guide Billy Nugent
Glen, the scenery gets better as you guys climb higher and higher. We hope the weather holds good for your next two legs of the journey. At night, I bet the sky is beautiful and full of stars! Have a good rest then onward….
Posted by: John and Kathy Papile on 1/24/2015 at 8:11 am
Glen, mi amor, have you been doing some star gazing? I bet the stars are so beautiful. It snowed this morning in Texas and has been really cold. It’s been clearing this evening and the stars are bright. Miss you lots. Love, Katalina
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Hey Glen congratulations you made it! Fridolin
Posted by: Fridolin on 1/28/2015 at 2:52 pm
Gerald
Sorry just had to post… We are just so proud:))) sounds like an amazing team… can’t wait to hear about it all. Sleep well under the stars. Xx
Posted by: Aliki on 1/27/2015 at 4:47 pm
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