RMI Expeditions Blog
Hi all
Joy, Jim, and I are enjoying a restful day here at the lower bivy camp (6,200') on
Mt. Shuksan. We have accomplished some training in between showers, spirits are high and everyone is having a good time. Forced tent time is notorious on any long climb and such skills as "sport eating" and "competitive napping" are worth being good at, and we have practiced both today. We are hoping for better weather tomorrow for more training and to move camp higher on the mountain.
Thanks to everyone for checking in.
RMI Guide Geoff Schellens
Hello again everyone,
We have finally made it off of
Mt. Kilimanjaro and are safely back at the wonderful Dik Dik Lodge.
After a much needed night of sleep we woke up this morning, packed up all of our stuff and headed down hill one last time. We ended our journey by saying good bye to all of the amazing porters and mountain staff that made this journey possible.
Everyone is now freshly showered and smelling good again, thankfully, and are just sitting down to our celebration dinner.
RMI Guide Casey Grom and crew
Poor foot care on a climb can make a mountain out of a molehill and even the smallest blisters or foot pains can become a challenge over the course of a trip. Here are a few things to keep in mind about your feet as you head into the hills:
Fit: It's all about setting yourself up for success and that starts with choosing the right footwear. In addition to the technical specifications of a boot, make sure that the boot fits
your foot well. See Whittaker Mountaineering’s
Guide to Mountain Footwear for a helpful guide to picking the right boot.
Even the most carefully chosen boots often require a little adjustment. Take them out and walk around. Sometimes you'll need to adjust the lacing tightness in certain spots or change the footbed to get that perfect fit for you.
If you're renting a boot for the climb take plenty of time to find the
right fit. Bring the socks you plan on climbing in to try on with your boots and walk around a bit to make sure they feel comfortable.
Foot Care & Prevention: The easiest way to deal with blisters on a climb is to never get them in the first place. Use your training hikes to find the best lacing and tightness of your boot and the best sock combination for you. Remember not to lace your boots too tightly - blisters are created by friction and a very tightly laced boot, especially a rigid mountaineering boot, can create extra friction on your feet.
Keep an eye on your feet and treat hot spots immediately. It's easy to stop for a few minutes and make quick adjustments or fixes instead of letting them develop into blisters. Stick some moleskin or second skin over the affected area to reduce the friction. Duct tape works pretty well in a pinch too. If possible, try and identify the issue and fix it so it doesn't reoccur: is your boot laced too tightly? Did a fold develop on your sock?
When you reach camp, give your feet a break. Change out of your socks and put on a fresh pair. If you have camp shoes, slip those on. Your feet will appreciate it.
Treatment: If you do develop blisters, treat them as soon as possible so that they do not become worse. This means draining the blister, applying some antibiotic ointment to prevent infection, then covering it with a sterile dressing. Depending on where the blister is on your foot and how big it is, you may need to add a foam "donut" to create some space above the blistered area and give it a better chance of recovering.
If you are prone to foot problems, be proactive and use your training hikes to identify the best way to take care of your feet. The book
Fixing Your Feet is a great resource for climbers and athletes and provides some excellent advice for a range of foot problems.
Foot care is a subtle art: it's certainly not the most exciting topic but if you’ve taken the time to address it, it can make a big difference on the climb.
The
Four Day Summit Climbs August 23 - 26 led by
RMI Guides Jake Beren & Leon Davis reached the summit of Mt. Rainier this morning. Jake reported light - moderate winds with 50 meters of visibility and some-what cold conditions. The teams began their descent from the crater rim around 8 am PT. The teams will descend to Camp Muir for a short break before continuing down to Paradise this afternoon.
Congratulations to today's summit climb teams!
46 years ago, August 24, 1967, I began my first summit climb of
Mt. Rainier. I was a paying customer. The cost was $25, which included a One-Day Climbing School. Nevertheless, as many have, I contacted the Guide Service (it wasn’t
RMI yet) and pleaded my case to avoid the training and lessen the price. I pointed out I had backpacked earlier in the summer and encountered snow, which I successfully negotiated. Alas, the manager informed me I needed the
Climbing School, but proposed I carry a load of food to Camp Muir to work out the cost. Terrific! John Anderson drew a rudimentary map of the ‘route’ to Muir one Saturday morning at Paradise in early July and my only question was “how many round trips?” (I was totally serious). His deadpan reply was that one ought to do it. My trip to Muir is another story for another time. I managed to deliver the supplies and participated in Climbing School the following day.
The evening of August 23, 1967, some neighbors from Lakewood dropped me off at Paradise. My folks had provided money for a hot dog at the snack bar, but a room in the Inn was out of the question. Not a problem, so I headed to the Inn to kill the evening before finding a suitable campsite. Employee Talent Shows were a nightly occurrence at Paradise Inn in the good old days. The hotel management hired people oftentimes based primarily on musical or other talent. At the conclusion of the show a juke box was cranked up, and employees and guests alike hit the dance floor for a couple of hours. I was content to watch. At 10:00PM I donned my waiting pack (a wooden frame Trapper Nelson) and walked up the Skyline Trail a short distance above Paradise Inn. There I settled in beneath a cluster of sub-alpine fir and spent the night.
Dawn on Saturday, August 24th, promised a perfect day for the trek to Camp Muir. Guide Service headquarters was located in the basement of the Visitor Center (the flying saucer) and there I met the other clients and our two guides, Tony Andersen and John Rutter. There were five clients, including myself. I can’t remember details about the trip to Muir, other than I positioned myself in line directly behind the ‘cabin girl’ headed up to cook for the guides. There was no client Bunkhouse, instead the guides on each trip would pitch and strike White Stag car-camping tents (the guides headquartered in the tiny, rock Cook Shack). Dinner was provided as part of the fee: beef stew & mashed potatoes (from #10 cans), as well as breakfast when we awoke to climb (#10 can peaches). Even a sleeping bag was supplied (I had no concern of when it may have been cleaned last).
Summit day took 12 hours round trip: nine hours up and three hours down. There were three ladders to cross on the Ingraham Glacier. We left Muir at midnight and about half-way across the Cowlitz Glacier, I realized I’d left my gloves in camp. No big deal; I would tough it out. On a side note, it goes without saying we weren’t wearing helmets, beacons, harnesses or headlamp (we carried flashlights), or even gaiters. I wore wool army pants, my ‘parka’ was a Navy pea coat (heavy wool), and we were tied directly into the 150’ goldline rope with a bowline on a coil or bowline on a bight.
Above the first rest break, we negotiated the ladders and traversed north onto
Disappointment Cleaver. My hands were pretty damn cold (the guides hadn’t noticed my predicament) as we ascended the spine of the Cleaver. On top of DC we took our second rest break and lo and behold, one person decided to call it quits. Before resuming the ascent I screwed up my courage and asked the person staying behind if I could by any chance borrow his gloves… of course I could!
High on the summit dome I was really starting to run out of gas, and we were still more than an hour from the crater. Could I/Should I drop out?! John Rutter’s emphatic answer was a resounding NO! I kept plugging. Now the rim was in sight, and slowly getting closer. But then… what the hell?! Instead of halting for a much needed break we didn’t so much as pause, traversed through the rocks, dropped into the crater and crossed. Sign the book. Un-tie and reach Columbia Crest. Hero shot. The weather was perfect. It was 9:00AM, Sunday, August 25, 1967.
Occasionally over the years I have wondered if I blocked our descent from memory; was it that much an ordeal?! I recall very little, other than being incredibly thirsty. In retrospect, we took some wrong turns on the DC (
Disappointment Cleaver), which necessitated backtracking uphill (killer). At Muir we were plied with Kool-Aid. The descent to Paradise took forever, but at the parking lot I was one happy, exhausted 16-year-old.
I didn’t play organized sports in high school; I grew up with parents who hated camping (but enjoyed road trips and appreciated National Parks); to suggest I wasn’t particularly studious is a gross understatement; but I had just discovered something I loved, that would stay with me for the rest of my life: climbing. Over the next winter I bothered Lou incessantly about becoming an Apprentice Guide (I even applied for work at Paradise Inn, but evidently lacked a requisite talent). At some point (maybe just to put me off),
Lou and/or John Anderson said to show up at Paradise in June, and see if there was work. I did; there was; and, there still is!
RMI Guide Joe Horiskey
Photo Captions:
August 25th, 1967 - Joe Horiskey, age 16, on the Mt. Rainier summit. Mt. St. Helens, pre-1980 eruption, in the background.
1968 - Jim Whittaker, Joe Horiskey, and Lou Whittaker on Mt. Rainier. Joe's first year working for the guide service, which became RMI the following year.
We're in
Kislovodsk! Today we made it one step closer to the mountain. We had an early start in Moscow and then caught a 2 hour and 15 minute flight to Mineralnye Vody. From there it was just an hour drive to the city of
Kislovodsk where our hotel is. Once we checked into the hotel, everyone sorted their gear while
Pete and I went to a supermarket. We picked up some fresh food for basecamp. We'll be getting an early start tomorrow for the 4x4 road to camp.
Here's a shot from the awesome pizza place we went to for dinner.
RMI Guide Seth Waterfall
Hi all,
Had a great first day on the
Mt. Shuksan 6-day Denali Prep course. Jim and Joy showed up prepared and ready to go. After a gear check, and another cup of coffee, we headed out of town to the Shannon Ridge trail head. We started up the trail with sun on our shoulders, laughing about the 30% chance of rain. After a couple hours hiking we left the trees behind and enjoyed great views of Mt. Baker. With these views, however, also came the end of our laughter as we noticed dark clouds approaching. Though we did get a light rain in the last 1/2 hour before getting to the low bivy camp site, we had a great day. Jim and Joy are in good spirits and staying dry in there tent, currently discussing dinner options. We'll see what the weather gods have in store for us tomorrow.
RMI Guide Geoff Schellens
The Four Day Summit Climbs led by
RMI Guides JJ Justman and Garrett Stevens reached the summit this morning at 6:40 a.m. They reported partly cloudy skies, 35 mph winds, and freezing level around 10,000'. The climbers ventured over to
Columbia Crest, the highest point in Washington, before beginning their descent at 7:50 a.m.
Congratulations to the climbers!
At 2:45 a.m. PST,
Casey Grom and team were all standing on the "
Roof of Africa!" As seen in the photo sent below, the weather was bluebird skies and everyone looks extremely happy. The team has descended from the summit and will continue down to
Mweka Camp at 10,000' today.
Congratulations to the team!
On The Map
August 24th at 8:35 pm PST
18,000ft + and still going strong! A beautiful sunrise graced us this morning.
August 24th at 6:25 pm PST
17,000ft and doing well. It's a little breezy but not too cold.
RMI Guide Casey Grom and crew
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Thanks for the updates. As Joy well knows I like to follow her hikes and treks when possible.
Thinking of you all each day.
Posted by: Jann on 8/27/2013 at 9:34 am
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