RMI Expeditions Blog
12:30 p.m. PST : RMI Guide Geoff Schellens just called into RMI to let everyone know the team reached the summit of
Mt. Shuksan at 9,127'! Geoff Reported that the sky was dark and cloudy with a few sprinkles, but the rocks were relatively dry. The team has started their descent and will report when they are back their base camp. The have another day of training planned before heading out of the North Cascade Range on Friday.
Congratulations Team!
Hello everyone or as they say here in
Africa, Jambo,
The gang is finally all here after their long flights. Today we had our official team meeting where we did a round of introductions and had an overview of the Kilimanjaro program, shared a few stories and discussed all the gear needed for this adventure. Most of us spent the rest of the day relaxing here at the peaceful Dik Dik Lodge or snuck off for a quick nap to help adjust the nearly 12hr time difference. And just so everyone back home knows, we are about a 1/2 day ahead of you. Everyone seems excited and ready to go and we finished the evening off with another delicious 5 course meal.
Stay tuned,
RMI Guide
Casey Grom and Crew
Seth here. We're all checked in for our
flights to St. Petersburg. Today is our transfer day so there's not much to report. Everyone met up for coffee in the morning and the group had a down day while Pete and I cleaned and dried the tents and other gear. We'll be taking a red-eye to St. Pete's tonight and then we'll start touring the city tomorrow afternoon.
RMI Guide Seth Waterfall
RMI Guide Billy Nugent led the Four Day Summit Climb to the top of
Disappointment Cleaver this morning before encountering strong winds, low visibility, and precipitation. The teams have safely returned to Camp Muir and are getting ready to descend back to Paradise. We are excited to welcome the teams back in Ashford early this afternoon.
September 3, 2013 AM
Hi all! Kirk, Harry, and I had a very nice hike into the low bivy site on
Mt. Shuksan yesterday; partly cloudy, but completely dry. Last night we had a few light showers and then it opened up on us this morning around 8 - 9 a.m. It has given us a little reprieve but is now starting to rain again. We're relaxing in tents and hoping for another break this afternoon so we can get some training in. Everyone is in good spirits despite the weather and some wet boots from this mornings rain storm. Thanks for checking in!
September 3, 2013 PM
Our hopes came true! The weather broke this afternoon and we were able to get outside and get some training in. We're taking a break right now but will head back out and take advantage of the dry weather and train some more. The forecasts predicts decent weather for tomorrow so we may try to climb. I'll keep you posted on our that goes. We'll check in again tomorrow!
RMI Guide Geoff Schellens
Checking in from
Kisklovodsk! We managed to get out of Mt. Elbrus Base Camp today even though the roads were a bit slippery. The weather had a bit more in store for us as we all awoke to thunder and rain early this morning. After breakfast we waited out the soggy conditions and with just a bit of delay we loaded the 4x4's and made the trip back to town. After a well deserved shower we met up for a great dinner. The next stop for us is St. Petersburg which should be great!
RMI Guide Seth Waterfall
The
Four Day Summit Climbs August 31 - 3 September were unable to reach the summit of Mt. Rainier this morning.
RMI Guides Brent Okita & Zeb Blais reported poor visibility and increased winds and precipitation as the teams reached the top of Disappointment Cleaver (12,300'). The teams made the decision to turn around at that point and return to Camp Muir. The teams were able to relax at Camp Muir before starting their descent to Paradise. We look forward to meeting the groups at Rainier BaseCamp later this morning.
Hi, this is Seth. We're all back down at basecamp. It was a bummer to walk down today without the summit but that's the way it goes sometimes. Everyone was in good spirits even though we didn't top out.
The weather has just not cooperated with us for a summit bid. We were never able to reach high camp and that forced us to try to go for the top from
Camp 1. Even then the winds pushed us back after just a few hours.
Like I said, that's the way it goes sometimes. The important thing is that we've all descended safe and sound. We have some great stories that is for sure.
RMI Guide Seth Waterfall
On The Map
Coming off of a big climb or expedition often leads to the question, “What’s next?” The first priority is to take time to
rest and recover. Any adventure in the mountains is a big physical and mental effort, and recovery time is valuable. Some light activity to stretch the legs can be a good idea but it's not always beneficial to jump back into intense workouts right away. In order to come back stronger, you need to recover first. Recovery time not only helps you physically recuperate but also gives you a mental break. When you do return to your training, you can do so with renewed motivation and excitement.
After a few good nights of sleep, take a moment to reflect on your past training and the climb itself: what worked in your training? What didn’t? What were you surprised about in the climb and how can you prepare better in the future? Take the extra minute to dig into this a bit, identify some key takeaways, and note these down.
For example, a few weeks after coming home with my tail between my legs from my first expedition to a remote peak in the Andes, I realized that while I felt aerobically strong throughout the climb, it took only a slight increase in pace or pack weight to send my exertion level through the roof. Additionally, the loose rocks of the lower mountain, fields of penitentes, and hard ice of the route were challenging to move across in a fluid manner, constantly testing my balance and ultimately wearing me out after a long day. In my training following the expedition, I focused on incorporating more interval training to increase my anaerobic threshold and to give me a larger aerobic capacity. I also incorporated more balance exercises into my gym routines, aimed at improving my ability to climb comfortably and efficiently despite the uncertainties of the terrain. On my next expedition, I was amazed at how much I gained by focusing on my weaknesses in my training.
With these area of focus noted, consider what you want to do next. If you’re eager to get back in the mountains, where do you want to go and what are the appropriate steps to get you there? Maybe it's to climb
Mt. Rainier by way of another route? Are your sights set on 18,000’ or 19,000’ peaks like those in
Mexico or
Ecuador? Perhaps it’s the goal of climbing one of the
Seven Summits like
Aconcagua or
McKinley?
After identifying your goal, do a little digging into what that climb looks like and what physical efforts are needed. What are the defining characteristics of the climb in terms of altitude, length, weight of pack, and technical skills? What kind of training do you need to focus on in order to tackle those challenges? Multi-week expeditions like Aconcagua or Denali require different preparation than a climb of several days like the North Cascades, Mexico, or Ecuador.
Take a look at your takeaways from your last climb and compare them with the challenges of your next climb. If it's a long expedition with heavy packs, maybe you need to build your aerobic strength and endurance to handle the extended exertion of the climb. If it's a shorter trip, perhaps it's improving your overall aerobic capacity while also increasing your strength and flexibility to meet the needs of the climb.
Completing these mental exercises helps bring your training path into focus. Continue to be
strategic in your training, and it's not a bad idea to build
benchmarks along the way to keep track of your progress.
Most of all, keep having fun. As climbers, it’s not just the summit day that generates the passion and excitement for us (although that’s often the most recognizable aspect to others), it’s the entire process of dreaming of a climb, working hard to plan and prepare for it, realizing it as you set foot on the mountain, and relishing in the memories afterwards.
________
Linden Mallory is a senior guide at RMI Expeditions.
Questions? Comments? Share your thoughts here on the
RMI Blog!
The
Four Day Summit Climb led by RMI Guides
Elias de Andres Martos and
Leon Davis were unable to reach the summit of Mt. Rainier this morning. The teams returned to Camp Muir at 7:45 am from their high point of 12,700'. While at Camp Muir the teams will gear up for their descent to Paradise; we look forward to greeting them when they arrive back at Rainier Basecamp later today.
Congratulations! Can’t wait to hear about your adventure. Always.
Posted by: Beth on 9/4/2013 at 5:59 pm
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