Sorry folks this is gonna be short. Our Aconcagua team is great and we are settling into high camp at 19,600 feet. There's a lot of work for the guides so we gotta run. Tomorrow is looking good for a summit attempt so wish us luck!!
RMI Guide JJ Justman
January 17, 2015 - 8:25 pm PT
Hey, this is Seth checking in from the summit of Kilimanjaro! We are on the Roof of Africa. We had a great day, just clear skies and no wind was the story. A little bit chilly. Also, not very people on the route, so we actually were on top by ourselves for a solid 10 or 15 minutes before the next group came up, which is a total treat and a first for me. Everybody is feeling great, feels like we want to get back down to some thicker air. We are gonna head on down right now. Actually everyone has ditched me and I'm going to go catch up. That's it. We'll check in from high camp when we get back down. All is well in Africa.
11:32 pm PT
Hey, this is Seth checking in again. We have all returned back to high camp, safe and sound, although all are a little bit tired. We are going spend some time packing up, get some food on board and then we're going to head to our last camp for this Kili climb. Should be down there sometime mid-afternoon and then tomorrow we'll be walking off the mountain. That's it for us. We'll check in again tomorrow.
RMI Guide Seth Waterfall
RMI Guide Seth Waterfall calling in from the Kilimanjaro summit.
Seth checking in once the team is at high camp after Kilimanjaro summit.
Congratulations to the whole team, especially to my awesome daughter, Ryan!! I have no doubt that new friendships have resulted from the teamwork needed for everyone to summit. I am in awe of each one of you. Great job everyone. You guys definitely rock!
Posted by: Shirley on 1/18/2015 at 2:24 pm
Congratulations to the team!! You did it! Looks beautiful. What an accomplishment. Matt hope you took lots of pictures!! Stay safe.
Posted by: Barb McAllister on 1/18/2015 at 12:52 pm
Hello RMI blog groupies! Guess what?! Team 4 is resting at Camp Two at 18,000 feet on Aconcagua! Exciting huh! After a casual morning the team talked about preparations for summit day on the 19th. We talked about what color long johns were in fashion for 2015...lime green and how to use the buff headwear in various ways...Steve's favorite...tube top!
Jenny on our team took on Adam in a new game created called Rockcci ball...don't ask, simple things confuse me. We went for a casual walk to stretch the legs and get the blood flowing. We are ready to move to high camp and the team is ready!
Let's Get it On!!!
RMI Guide JJ Justman
We are thrilled to report that today's challenging climb of Cotopaxi, elevation 19,348 feet, was a complete success! Things started off a bit shifty when more than twenty climbers and guides all prepared to begin climbing the glacier at the same time. The opening three hours of this climb are extremely steep and without any relief. Our team's strong and steady pace uphill proved their readiness both with skill and acclimatization. Despite some lessening of the slope angle, I would say this mountain takes the cake for difficulty. After an hour or so the crowds spread out and all we had to do was climb. The weather changed two or three times from steady snow fall to cold and windy to picture perfect. We could not have asked for a better day! This was truly ending on a good note.
We then packed up at Tambopaxi, ate a great lunch at an amazing road side pizza place and are now rushing for the showers at the Ancient and haunted Hosteria of La Cienega. We need to get some sleep because there is a big day of football ahead when we head back to Quito.
GO PACKERS!
RMI Guide Adam Knoff
Resting today... We are all enjoying a pleasant afternoon up here at Plaza Argentina. Our two principal goals for today are letting our bodies rest up from the work we've done over the past three days and continue that acclimatization process, and to prep and pack our gear, food, and fuel for tomorrow's planned carry up to Camp 1. The team is again in good spirits and enjoying the day. We'll check in again tomorrow and let you know how our first true push up the mountain went...
RMI Guide Billy Nugent
It has been another great day on Kilimanjaro. The weather has been fantastic and the crew has been getting stronger as we have climbed higher. I've been telling the team that this mountain can be cold but I don't think they believe me any more.
We are at high camp now which gives us about 12 hours to rest and fuel up for the summit push. Our crew has selected a great camp site with nice tent sites and that will really help us relax before the climb.
I will check in again from the summit if all goes well!
RMI Guide Seth Waterfall
I hope your summit day is all that you wish for!! Anxiously anticipating the summit update!!
Posted by: Shirley on 1/18/2015 at 7:54 am
We are sitting in Amsterdam waiting to board our flight to Kilimanjaro - sending best wishes for a successful climb - can’t wait to see you soon! Go SPS!!! Go Daddy!!
Angela, Nicholas and Madison
Posted by: Angela Chapman on 1/18/2015 at 12:37 am
Greetings from the beautiful Eco Lodge of Tambopaxi, located inside of Cotopaxi National Park. We are all resting nicely despite our elevation being well above 12,000 feet. In the ten days we have been in Ecuador, eight of them have been spent living or climbing above 14,000 feet so despite this lodge being higher than any staffed tourist joint in the US, we are all feeling dandy. It is amazing how after three days away from civilization the internet can trump even a shower. But now that we all got our fix, 19,400-foot Cotopaxi is taking center stage in our heads and out the window.
It is quite a quick transition from mountain to mountain but the team's successful summit of Antisana, the first by any RMI team, is proving a strong motivator to push our tired legs upward one more time. Our legs won't be the only tired things because with the famous Cotopaxi hut closed for the time being, Tambopaxi sits a short 45 minutes away from the trail head, which in turn sits a short 45-minute hike from the mountain's normal starting point so our wake up call will casually be at 9:30pm. We expect a long night and day so resting now is crucial. We will be taking dinner in an hour then getting ready for our final mountain climb. We will report tomorrow with the outcome.
Wishing all of our families and friends the best. We miss you all and look forward to coming home soon.
RMI Guide Adam Knoff
We've made it to Basecamp! After three long days on the trail our team rolled on in to Plaza Argentina this afternoon in good style and in good spirits. And while we are all feeling the altitude a little bit we are no worse for the wear. We enjoyed some refreshments upon arrival from the great Grajales staff and proceeded to set up camp and get settled in after a little breather. We just finished a great meal of of soup, homemade lasagna (!!!), and flan for dessert and are getting ready to tuck ourselves in for the evening. Up at nearly 14K, it's a fair bit colder here than it was on our trek in, especially at night so we're finally putting some of our warm clothes to good use. Typically, the first night at a higher elevation can be a little uncomfortable so we'll see how everybody fares tonight. I'm sure there may be a few headaches in the group, but that's totally normal... Anyway, we're all still having fun and looking forward to a good rest day tomorrow.
All for now,
RMI Guide Billy Nugent
Occupation Camp Two is in full effect ladies and gents. Our Aconcagua team is thriving and jiving at 18,000 feet. It's the same old same old...eating, drinking soup, drinking mate, eating chocolate peanut butter cups and listening to opera. Yes! We have some class!
Our plan is to rest up here tomorrow before we move to high camp and the hope is to summit on the 19th. Keep your fingers crossed for continued good weather.
RMI Guide JJ Justman
Hey Sue, Jo & Robert & all,
Opera at 18K…..well….anything but Rap works I guess?
Now get up that hill!
Posted by: Russ Frederickson on 1/17/2015 at 7:53 am
Congrats all on making it to Camp 2. We will definitely be thinking of you on the 19th and hope that all have a successful summit. Giulia and I went to a great puppet show tonight called Exaltation of Larks. The puppets were amazingly lifelike…five elderly nursing home patients scaled to the size of three year olds, sitting in wheelchairs made out of crutches and stroller pieces. Maybe you had to be there, but it was amazing. Wishing you all good hiking weather. M/N
Yoga studios have popped up nearly everywhere it seems and are as common as gyms in many places. Combine that with all sorts of free online classes and podcasts, and yoga is an activity that is readily available to nearly everyone. There are numerous different styles which focus more heavily on different aspects of the practice, such as stretching, building core strength, or mental training. The combination of strength, stretching, and focus that yoga builds can hold a lot of benefits for athletes, but many do not include it in their training routines. Yoga has a place in your training routine as you prepare for your next climb.
It builds strength: Training for climbing often focuses on a handful of major muscle groups in the legs and core. We do squats for our quads, carry weight up stairs to build our quad and hamstring strength, and do sit-ups and other core exercises for balance and to help stabilize a pack. All of this training does a great job building the major muscle groups we need, but often leaves the surrounding smaller muscles underdeveloped and leads to imbalances that can ultimately lead to injury. Frequent and consistent yoga practice helps to develop those smaller muscle groups that are often left out, helping to balance out the body.
Many yoga poses have a strong focus on balance: Consistent yoga practice helps to develop increased balance and coordination. In climbing, good balance and coordination translate directly to more efficient movement, and ultimately to being able to climb for longer, at a more comfortable rate.
Yoga involves a lot of stretching and is a great way to increase your flexibility: Yoga improves joint and muscular flexibility, translating to greater range of motion, which in turn, yields an increase in performance. Increased range of motion also allows greater strength conditioning since the force can be exerted over a greater period. The increases in strength and performance ultimately lead to greater muscular efficiency, benefits which will certainly be felt on your next long summit day!
The Shavasana portion that usually concludes each class help you to develop mental control: Stretching and strength poses were originally included in the practice of yoga to prepare the mind and body for the meditation and mental training that follows. Developing the ability to calm your mind, quell your doubts, and focus on the task at hand makes climbing a much more enjoyable experience and will improve your success in the mountains.
The number and different types of yoga classes can be intimidating for someone exploring the practice of yoga. Shop around until you find a studio that you like, and explore the different classes they offer. Don’t be frustrated if you can’t do the poses at first; stick with it for a few weeks and you’ll make huge improvements in your practice and will see the benefits creep into the rest of your training.
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Questions? Comments? Share your thoughts here on the RMI Blog!
Okay - on the Stair Intervals and eventually the Stair 1, 2, 3, I am using the stairwell in a local 7 story building. The thing is that it takes less than two minutes for me to cover the seven flights. So, how do you handle that and still keep with intervals of 2 minutes of intense effort followed by a period of rest? If I repeat the stairs I have to descend which ends up being rest. Can you describe another pattern of effort and rest for such a situation? Thanks
Robert, Jo and the group,
May the winds be calm, the view magnificent and your goal reached! Can’t wait to share the adventure. Pat
Posted by: pat ward on 1/19/2015 at 8:28 am
Ok Sue,Jo & Robert and all,
Time to finish that big lump of rock, snow and ice off! Looking to soon view well produced summit photos and video…..
Posted by: Russ Frederickson on 1/19/2015 at 7:51 am
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