RMI Expeditions Blog
RMI Guide Pete Van Deventer checked in from Camp Muir at 6:45 am. The
Four Day Summit Climb team was forced to turn around at Ingraham Flats due to deteriorating weather. They experienced gusty winds, drifting snow and heavy precipitation. Camp Muir had a small accumulation of snow throughout the morning.
The
Expedition Skills Seminar - Kautz led by Elias de Andres Martos checked in from their high camp. The team was expecting to make their summit attempt today but we unable to do so due to the poor weather. The team experienced a very stormy night with consistent winds.
The Four Day Summit climb will return to Rainier BaseCamp later today. The Expedition Skills Seminar - Kautz will continue their training and spend another night on the mountain. They will return tomorrow afternoon.
June 16, 2014 - 8:03 pm PT
We arrived at our
11,000' camp in the late afternoon today. Our plan was to leave early this morning to head up here, but the weather was pretty terrible. White out conditions and strong winds kept us in the tent all morning. Just after noon, the weather started to get a bit better and we got word that the conditions were better higher up. We heard a couple of planes that take people on scenic tours overhead, so our suspicions of clear skies above were confirmed. We packed up our camp in record time and headed uphill. The conditions grew steadily better the higher we went and the traveling was actually pleasant.
We arrived in camp way earlier than we predicted as our team has been very steady and strong as we travel up the mountain. We built a storm fortified camp and are just finishing up a well earned meal.
Our plan for tomorrow is to do a back carry. This means that we will go back down to dig up our 10,000' cache and bring those supplies up to our new camp. We will hopefully have the weather to complete this task early so that we can rest up for our days at higher altitudes.
RMI Guide Mike Haugen and RMI Team "The Ocho"
On The Map
June 16, 2015 - 6:07 pm PT
Snow, wind, sun... Repeat. That's been the story of our day today with rapidly changing weather that seems to change every twenty or so minutes. Despite the moderate weather our team was able to descend to the cache at 9,600' in a total whiteout, retrieve it, and climb our way by Braille back to our
camp at 11. For a lot of our guys it was their first experience in not so perfect weather so it served as good training for the inevitably bad weather we'll endure higher up. Even though it was a little crummy, we made short work of the back-carry and are settling back in with a planned rest day on the docket for tomorrow.
Also wanted to make a brief shout out to all the dads out there... Sorry I forgot to mention it yesterday but out here you lose track of what day it is at all. Happy belated Father's Day!
More news as our saga unfolds,
RMI Guide Billy Nugent
On The Map
Editor’s Note: This "pulse check," adapted from the end of John Colver’s Fit To Climb Program, a sixteen-week Mt. Rainier training program, is a general check-in two weeks before the climb.
You really can’t build any more fitness less than two weeks before the climb. The other side of that point is there really is the potential to squander the benefits you’ve worked for by doing too much in the coming weeks and arriving to the climb thoroughly exhausted. For some people, the crux of the training is managing the reduced amount of effort and intensity. In a very similar way to being stuck on a mountain waiting for a storm to pass, this reduced workload may test your patience, but you have to recognize that to overdo it now would be akin to stepping out into the storm. There is just no point.
Roughly speaking, the training intensity and volume are reduced by 50% in the coming days. Some ways to manage the additional downtime can be reviewing your gear, reading about the climb, watching a movie or catching up with friends and family. The last few weeks of training are busy and your climb is coming up at the end of next week. It’s time to relax.
Given that your climb is coming up very soon, this week’s and next week’s preparation really blend into each other. As you look ahead at your schedule for the next ten days, bear in mind that it’s perfectly fine to juggle around the days to suit your needs. Another important thing to bear in mind is that it’s certainly okay to skip training days. The goal from now onwards is rest and preparation. The climb is the event that all the training has been leading up to. Most people are going to be a little nervous. If your nerves are getting the best of you, now is a good time to start actively practicing relaxation and anxiety management skills. My frank observation is that no matter what concerns or doubts come up between the start and the end of this week, the right thing to do in almost every case is to relax and focus on the next hour. You will need all of your energy to climb this mountain and you should feel confident that the training you have will afford you the opportunity to reach the summit of
Mount Rainier.
There are, however, many things that cannot be controlled, weather and snow conditions being the biggest factors. It is easy to worry about both of these things, but I can promise you as a guide I learned not to worry about those things until the time is actually right. The determination of whether to continue or turn back is always a calculated decision made in the moment, and this is one of the fascinations of the challenge. A climbing team can have a hundred percent perfect weather forecast and if there’s a slight air pressure change two hours from the summit, this can result in white-out conditions and winds so high that turning around is the only reasonable option. It is also true that many successful climbs start out in poor visibility and inclement weather which dissipates as the team climbs higher. No one knows what the conditions will be like on your summit day and this is why the gear list contains clothing and equipment for all conditions. What you can count on is the knowledge that no matter how many times your guide has walked out of Camp Muir in the middle of the night, she or he does not forget what it was it is like the first time. Try and suspend thinking about what is happening above the clouds; I say this with absolute assurance, you will be supported by a
world-class guide team.
On this note, many people report that the experience of being part of a team is one of the most memorable aspects of the climb. Being connected by carabiners and a thin nylon rope is certainly a bonding experience. The famous French guide and writer Gaston Rébuffat often spoke of the “Brotherhood of the Rope” to symbolize the connectedness of everyone on the team. It’s an amazing experience to share the mountains with like-minded climbers!
If at the end of next week, you stand on the summit of Mount Rainier, it will be because you put one foot in front of the other, over and over again, and met the challenge of climbing 9,000’ from the alpine meadows of Rainier’s foot to the glacier capped summit. Along the way, you will find synchronicity with your teammates. You will boost them when they are tired and they will do the same for you.
_________
John Colver is a longtime climber, former mountain guide, and certified personal trainer with the American Council of Exercise. Colver introduced outdoor fitness classes to athletic clubs throughout the greater Puget Sound region before creating his
adventX brand. Currently, adventX leads training programs in Seattle and Colver presents clinics on outdoor fitness at companies such as Microsoft, Boeing, the American Lung Association, and REI. Colver lives in Seattle.
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RMI Blog!
The
Four Day Summit Climb Team led by Casey Grom and the Five Day Summit Climb Team led by Zeb Blais reached the summit of Mt. Rainier at 8:00 am PT. The teams reported clear skies and good climbing conditions with some chilly temperatures. They were able to enjoy some time on top today and began their descent around 9:20 am. The teams will return to Camp Muir for a short break before continuing down to Paradise. We look forward to seeing them at Rainier BaseCamp later today.
Congratulations to today's Summit Climb Teams!
June 15, 2014 - 11:35 pm PT
Well, the weather keeps us down in from higher altitudes. Though a short window during this morning allowed us to venture out to one of the best view spots in all of the
Alaska Range, The Edge of The World. We took pictures and told stories as the clouds came in and out, enjoying the company and scenery. But we'd like to give some personal shout outs from each of the folks here, so keep reading:
Happy Father's Day Dad, Ken, and Frank! Love you guys! Nicole, Emma, and Baby Jake- love and miss you guys! Mom- I am warm and happy. You can sleep now :) all of my love! Aunt Marie and Uncle Kelly- thanks for the prayers! Houston Nicole, thanks for all of the comments! Wish you and Shaun were here. Have a great trip Wade! Thinking of everyone down there! -Jen
Hope all is well at home, can't wait to catch up. Hopin for good weather as the clock is ticking. Happy Father's Day a little late. The views are great as is the food. Missing my little lady a lot. See u all soon.
-jake
Hi Oz, I love you and miss you. So happy and proud to be your father. See you soon.
On this Father. Day at camp 14 I'm thinking of my father. When you were alive. you would say you didn't ever want to know when I climb McKinley. I'm so glad that you are my gaurding angel on this trip. Dave Johnson
Happy father's Dad and Tommy! To all the other dads in my family! Love you all. Ty
Happy Father's Day dad! Thinking of you from a frosty 14 camp, hope you're enjoying a sultry southern Sunday! Love, Garrett
RMI Guides Tyler Jones, Garrett Stevens & Bryan Hendrick
On The Map
June 15, 2014 - 11:57 pm PT
We celebrated Father's Day on
Mt. McKinley with a move from 11 Camp to 14 Camp. The team did a super solid job getting up here with enough gas to build a good camp just before the weather came in. It sure feels good to be in position to move a bit higher after a day of rest and training tomorrow. Now it's off to bed to enjoy a good night's rest after a big day in the mountains.
Thanks to all the Poppas out there, we love you.
RMI Guide Jake Beren
On The Map
June 15, 2014 - 10:31 pm PT
Greetings from Camp 3 at 11,000'... We enjoyed a sunny and warm wake up today while we packed for a quick move up to
11,000 ft on Mt. McKinley. After a few hours on the trail in mostly whiteout conditions we arrived and set to work digging and building platforms and walls to protect our tents and posh (dining tent). The weather has been coming in and out all day with sun breaks punctuating a generally cloudy day. It's actually begun snowing moderately as I write this... Anyway, we left a sizable cache of food and fuel buried down at 9,600' that we hope to retrieve tomorrow morning after sleeping in and enjoying a more substantial breakfast. Breaking camp every morning for the last 3 days has meant quickie breakfasts like oatmeal or granola. We also got to enjoy a visit with some of our comrades from higher on the mountain as they came through camp. Good vibes all around.
All for now,
RMI Guide Billy Nugent
On The Map
June 15, 2014 - 11:26 pm PT
We awoke this morning to blue skies and our excitement spiked. Unfortunately it quickly became apparent that this was only a trap door, the forecast is still looking poor for the next few days. We decided to stay put here at
14 camp, and by early afternoon the clouds and snow were back. The team is beginning to become discouraged and there is talk of heading down hill without a better weather forecast. That's all for now.
RMI Guide Eric Frank and the McKinley Upper West Rib Team
On The Map
June 15, 2014 - 7:37 pm
Greetings from 9,700' on Mt. McKinley. We woke up around three this morning, ate breakfast, and then packed up camp. We loaded up our backpacks and sleds and headed up to our next camp. We pushed hard for the early part of the morning so we could get to camp before the glacier got hot. It seems strange that we would be worried about the heat while climbing in the snowy mountains of Alaska. When the sun is out and the solar radiation is bouncing off of all of those white surfaces, it acts like an Easy Bake oven.
We put in a storm proof camp in a crevasse free zone and were tucked away by ten this morning. I suppose that begs the question about what we did the rest of the day.....hard work I assure you!
HAPPY FATHERS DAY to our wonderful dads!
RMI Guide Mike Haugen and Team
On The Map
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Wow you guys are rocking that mountain! I’m looking for your tracks on Google Earth…. ok not really. But WOW!
Posted by: James on 6/17/2014 at 8:06 pm
Encouragement to Bruce and Michael. Let me know if I have the right team.
Ron Holt
Posted by: Ron Holt on 6/17/2014 at 10:52 am
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