RMI Expeditions Blog

Aconcagua: Nugent & Team Carry to Camp 2

February 11, 2013

Posted by: Billy Nugent, Mike King

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Aconcagua

Elevation: 16,200'

More sun today with light winds and nearly perfect temperatures made for a great carry up to Camp 2. Our group is starting to work like that proverbial well-oiled machine with solid efforts the last couple days moving and pushing carries up the mountain. Our foray took us above 18,000' which was an altitude record for many and certainly the highest anybody in the group had carried a heavy load. We enjoyed a "picnic" with beautiful new views up at Camp 2 while we built up our cache of food and fuel in a nook among the rocks. And after hanging for an hour or so we made short work of our descent back to Camp 1. All in all we were on the go for only 3.5 hours and about 4.5 hours round trip. The team is feeling strong, motivated, and ready for the hard work ahead! RMI Guide Billy Nugent

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Ecuador Volcanoes: Beren & Team Hike to Top of Rucu Pichincha

February 11, 2013

Posted by: Jake Beren, Ben Liken

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Ecuador

Elevation: 15,696'

What a day! After breakfast the rain let up for a bit and we boarded the teleferico for a ride up to 13,200 feet. Nice way to travel. We caught a quick glance at Cotopaxi before the clouds rolled in and enjoyed perfect walking temperatures up to the ridge of the extinct volcano Rucu Pichincha. With a weather window to work with, we roped up and climbed to the summit, everyone standing tall at 15,700 feet above the sea. The team did great and we even managed to get down to the trail before the rain came in. The rain stayed with us until we got back to town, but everyone's spirits remained high and now we are relaxing before dinner. Tomorrow we leave Quito and head for even higher ground. Wish us luck! RMI Guide Jake Beren

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Leave a Comment For the Team (2)

Hi Mark, we are glad to see you with your team. We hope you will continue to have a good trip and we will follow your adventure via this blog!!

Posted by: Wally Rappe on 2/13/2013 at 5:58 pm

Looks like you are doing well and should I say, even “rested”. hope you are keeping a log so we can hear all about the climb. Push your limits!!! jL

Posted by: John Lind SR on 2/13/2013 at 4:18 pm

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Mountaineering Training | Fit To Climb: Week 2

February 11, 2013

Posted by:

Categories: Mountaineering Fitness & Training

Congratulations on last week’s training, you are off to a great start! How does your body feel after seven practice sessions of the Daily Dozen? The purpose of this week’s training is to continue to practice the Daily Dozen and to add a weekend hike to round things out. Choose an easy or moderate goal for the first hike. This is the end of the adaptation phase. Next week is the beginning of the foundation phase. Fit to Climb: Week 2 Schedule

DAY	WORKOUT	TOTAL TIME	DIFFICULTY
1	Daily Dozen	12 min.	Recovery
2	Daily Dozen + 40 Minute Hike	52 min.	Medium
3	Daily Dozen / Rest	12 min.	Recovery
4	Daily Dozen + 40 Minute Hike	52 min.	Medium
5	Daily Dozen / Rest	12 min.	Recovery
6	Daily Dozen + 2 Hour Hike	132 min.	Medium
7	Rest	-	Recovery
	Total	4 hrs 44 mins

- John Colver Have a question? See the Fit To Climb FAQ for explanations of specific exercises and general pointers to help you through the Fit To Climb Program. 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, and is working on his second book, Fit to Climb - a 16 week Mount Rainier Fitness Program.

Leave a Comment For the Team (2)

I’d like to see the next few weeks of the training program. I realize that there are no shortcuts to the top, but I had been doing 30 to 60 minute hikes with a 45 lb pack for months before starting the Fit to Climb program, and need to speed up a few weeks to meet my climbing date.

Posted by: Mike Forsyth on 5/23/2017 at 1:00 pm

Ayman,

Great question. If you are limited by terrain, you can use a treadmill on an incline as a tool. I would suggest trying to find a variety of activities though to keep you motivated. Other options could include stadium stairs (lots of laps) or lots of laps of a small hill. We’ve heard of folks training with lots of laps of old garbage dumps, road embankments, etc. A treadmill on an incline will help build the muscles that you use to step uphill, but every step is nearly the same. By getting off of the treadmill and outside, grass or any off pavement terrain will make each step different, building your balance muscles as well. Also, it’s important not to forget about the downhill: half the climb will be downhill, which is a different set of muscles, and the treadmill doesn’t do a lot for those. Good luck!

Posted by: RMI Team on 11/3/2016 at 12:05 pm

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Kilimanjaro: Grom & Team Begin with a Visit to a Local School

February 11, 2013

Posted by: Casey Grom

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Kilimanjaro

The team is all here and our adventure starts tomorrow! Today we rested from the long flights and prepared our gear for the climb. We took a short ride into Arusha, did a little shopping and visited the school that Clement's (our driver) children attend. Some of the team members brought gifts and candy that we handed out to the kids. Plenty of smiles there! Everyone is doing well, a little nervous as usual! But ready to stretch the legs tomorrow. RMI Guide Casey Grom and crew

Leave a Comment For the Team (2)

Hey, Holley! You look awesome! We miss you! Have fun and come back safe and soon!

Posted by: Amy Craft on 2/13/2013 at 9:07 am

You all look fabulous and like pros!!!! So glad your first day went well!!!!! Love ya, Leslie

Posted by: Leslie DeCillis on 2/12/2013 at 8:36 pm

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Mexico Volcanoes: Waterfall & Team Acclimatize at La Malinche

February 11, 2013

Posted by: Seth Waterfall, Solveig Waterfall

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mexico

Elevation: 14,636'

Hola! We're at La Malinche. Everything was pretty smooth getting out of the city this morning and we had great views of Ixta on the drive. Once we checked into out cabins at La Malinche we went for a great hike to acclimatize. 3.7 miles and about 3,500 feet up to a prominent ridge on the mountain. After a few pics we reversed course and headed toward the dinner bell. We'll check in again tomorrow. RMI Guide Seth Waterfall

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Leave a Comment For the Team (2)

You’ve all worked hard for this. You guys can do it!!!

Posted by: Julie Grooms on 2/12/2013 at 1:05 pm

Good luck guys. Take it all in!

Posted by: Jamie McShane on 2/11/2013 at 7:01 pm

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Ecuador’s Volcanoes: Team Explores Quito

February 10, 2013

Posted by: Ben Liken, Jake Beren

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Ecuador

Buenos Dias from Ecuador! The team arrived last night ahead of schedule, with all our gear and we hit the town running today. After a team meeting this morning, we loaded up on coffee and breakfast and took a short drive to the equator to perform a few experiments. After some testing we were able to verify the precise location of the Middle of the World and head to lunch. Post traditional Equadorian food, we returned to the Southern Hemisphere to explore the Old Town of Quito. We were able to get some great views of the city from the ramparts of the Basilica before an afternoon lightning storm encouraged our descent. The Guilded Church, Presidential Palace and Virgin of Quito followed and we returned to the hotel for some rest before a gear check and dinner. Off to a great start down here! RMI Guides Jake Beren & Ben Liken

Leave a Comment For the Team (2)

Congrats to the team for a successful climb today, complete with a Carunculated Caracara sighting! Very cool bird! Keep up the good work!

Posted by: Caroline on 2/11/2013 at 2:36 pm

Me too—sending good thoughts to my hubs and friends on this adventure. Keep us posted!

Posted by: Christina on 2/11/2013 at 9:26 am

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Aconcagua: Nugent & Team Move to Camp 1

February 10, 2013

Posted by: Billy Nugent, Mike King

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Aconcagua

Elevation: 16,200'

We woke again today to completely clear and beautiful skies, and seemingly perfect weather for our move out of basecamp and up on the mountain. The gang packed up quickly and were ready to march in short order. Anticipation has been building for a long time and everyone was ready to get the show on the road. We moved well and enjoyed a nice breeze that actually helped temper the heat of the sun. After about 4 1/2 hours of climbing we were setting up tents on the upper bench of Camp 1 (16,700') and heading down for a super short back carry to retrieve our cache. As we were getting settled the wind was coming in and out and eventually it started snowing. The whole camp and surrounding cliffs got a beautiful dusting of 2 or 3 inches of snow. The squall eventually died down and I'm hoping for a calm rest of the evening... RMI Guide Billy Nugent

On The Map

Mexico Volcanoes: Waterfall & Team Arrive in Mexico City

February 9, 2013

Posted by: Seth Waterfall, Solveig Waterfall

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mexico

Buenos Días! Everyone has arrived on time in Mexico City and most importantly we've got all our gear. We had our first team meeting at the hotel where we got to know each other a bit and went over the basics of the next nine days. After that we braved the large crowd outside that has gathered for a free concert in the Zocalo. It sure feels like the biggest city in the world tonight. We had a great dinner just down the street at Café Tacuba, complete with a mariachi band. A few of the guys are checking out the concert while the rest of us are back in the hotel. We're headed for the mountains bright and early tomorrow to start our acclimatization. RMI Guide Seth Waterfall

Leave a Comment For the Team (2)

Go Brandon!

Posted by: Sue Duncan on 2/10/2013 at 8:53 pm

Good job Branden Grooms. Enjoy Enjoy I’ll take a kilo of carne asada (sp) and some fried cheese.

Posted by: Herb Duncan on 2/10/2013 at 8:47 pm

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Aconcagua: Nugent & Team Rest Day at Plaza Argentina

February 9, 2013

Posted by: Billy Nugent, Mike King

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Aconcagua

Elevation: 13,800'

We're spending today resting and acclimatizing at Plaza Argentina under a beautiful sunny sky. We slept in, ate some bacon, egg, and cheese breakfast burritos, drank maté, and are hanging out. This will be our last night here at basecamp before we head up on the mountain. The weather (as far as we've heard, anyway) is supposed to hold and should make for a nice move up to Camp 1 tomorrow. We'll check in tomorrow night and let you know how it went... RMI Guide Billy Nugent

On The Map

Leave a Comment For the Team (2)

What a spectacular journey! Enjoy your climb and be safe! Love and prayers to Rei and the entire team!

From Taipei,
Grace and Eric

Posted by: Grace and Eric on 2/11/2013 at 8:51 am

Good luck all… wishing you good weather and a safe climb! And to Ryan Waters… very proud of you for daring to DO, instead of merely dreaming it. Climb on!

Posted by: Todd Waters on 2/10/2013 at 5:57 pm

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Aconcagua: Nugent & Team Carry to Camp 1

February 8, 2013

Posted by: Billy Nugent, Mike King

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Aconcagua

Elevation: 13,800'

Today's weather report: not so good. We woke up this morning here at Plaza Argentina in a cloud with it steadily dropping gloppy snow. The prospect of a successful carry up to Camp 1 was looking dismal but we decided to get up and fire the stoves anyway. Over the course of breakfast and our morning coffee the weather began to improve and by 10 am we were looking at some continuing light precip but nothing that would hold us back. The team rallied, geared up, and hit the trail. With a six-hour round trip effort we were able to put in a sizable cache of food, fuel, and cold weather gear up at Camp 1 (16,200'). The team performed well despite unstable scree and our first real taste of carrying big loads at high altitude. Ciao, RMI Guide Billy Nugent

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RMI Expeditions Blog

Aconcagua: Nugent & Team Carry to Camp 2

On The Map

Ecuador Volcanoes: Beren & Team Hike to Top of Rucu Pichincha

On The Map

Mountaineering Training | Fit To Climb: Week 2

Kilimanjaro: Grom & Team Begin with a Visit to a Local School

Mexico Volcanoes: Waterfall & Team Acclimatize at La Malinche

On The Map

Ecuador’s Volcanoes: Team Explores Quito

Aconcagua: Nugent & Team Move to Camp 1

On The Map

Mexico Volcanoes: Waterfall & Team Arrive in Mexico City

Aconcagua: Nugent & Team Rest Day at Plaza Argentina

On The Map

Aconcagua: Nugent & Team Carry to Camp 1

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