Entries By hannah smith
Posted by: Billy Nugent, Hannah Smith
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Aconcagua
Elevation: 13,800'
Apologies, but I don't have much exciting information to report... We are enjoying a calm and partly cloudy rest day here at Plaza Argentina and tonight will be our final night in Basecamp before we make our move up to Camp 1 tomorrow. We've been enjoying the good food here as things will change higher up on the mountain. For breakfast we ate deliciously cheesy, ooey gooey, egg, onion, green pepper, and pancetta breakfast burritos courtesy of Hannah's expert level burrito rolling skills and a nice spread of pizzas for lunch. No doubt one last big dinner this evening will cap off the extravagant meals until the climbing is done and we are safely back in basecamp. We are spending the afternoon doing laundry, listening to music, reading, and making our final gear preparations. Tomorrow should be an exciting day.
Will check in next time from Camp 1!
RMI Guide Billy Nugent
Posted by: Billy Nugent, Hannah Smith
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Aconcagua
Elevation: 13,800'
We're back from our first foray above Basecamp where we carried a load of food, fuel, and cold weather gear and cached it at over 16,000' in Aconcagua Camp 1. Some of the loosest scree fields and difficult footing on our entire route challenged us today but the team pulled through with good style. Our performance today bodes well for our chances higher on the mountain with the team staying on pace and efficiently navigating the tricky terrain. We started out around 9:30 am and were back in Basecamp before 4 PM which made for a full day but still left us time for a nap before dinner. The kitchen staff knew we were working hard today and rewarded us with a hearty dinner of steak and potatoes. Now it's off to bed with a full belly and no major plans for tomorrow...
RMI Guide Billy Nugent
Good luck Brian and the entire team! You got this! Deborah
Posted by: Deborah beggan on 1/21/2017 at 8:26 am
No milk noodles?!?!?!?!!! You
Posted by: Maude Lebowski on 1/20/2017 at 11:24 pm
Posted by: Billy Nugent, Hannah Smith
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Aconcagua
Elevation: 13,800'
January 19, 2017
Checking in from Plaza Argentina at 4,200m on another beautiful day here in the central Andes. Our team enjoyed some tasty breakfast burritos this morning and then passed our checkup with the basecamp doctors. We are settled in nicely and the team is feeling strong and even slept well despite yesterday's sharp increase in altitude. We'll spend this afternoon arranging our group and personal gear for tomorrow's carry up to Aconcagua Camp 1. Not much else to report for now... We'll check in again tomorrow after our first foray onto the upper mountain.
RMI Guide Billy Nugent
January 18, 2017
We've arrived! After an early a.m. and brisk river crossing on the back of a mule our team made our way up the Relinchos Valley smoothly and steadily. We climbed the 3,000' into Plaza Argentina (Basecamp) with a little hard breathing but were otherwise unhindered by any real difficulties. Clear skies and amazing views of the mountain were a treat and a hearty welcome from the Griselda, Anita, and Juan, the Grajales Basecamp staff, was icing on the cake. After some refreshments and setting up of camp we are settling in for a tasty dinner tonight and a well deserved rest day tomorrow. Sleeping our first night at nearly 14,000' might not be the most comfortable but with time our bodies will adjust to the new altitude and hopefully start in to building our foundation of acclimatization for our climb.
All for now,
Billy
January 17, 2017
Hola from Casa de Piedra! Last night we enjoyed an amazing asado prepared by our herrieros complete with salad plenty of steak and of course wine at our first trekking camp. After a beautiful night out under the stars our team woke to the rustling of mules and crawled out of our sleeping bags in the early dawn light. A quick trail breakfast and some coffee or tea warmed us up and we hit the trail. We moved extremely well and made short time on our move up through the Vacas Valley and were even treated to our first views of the peak. Tonight's dinner wasn't quite as grand as last night's but it'll do. Early to bed tonight in preparation for tomorrow's very early rise... We we all looking forward to making into Basecamp tomorrow afternoon but one more day on the trail and about 3,000' of vertical gain remain in our way. I'll check in tomorrow and let you know how it went.
Billy
Good luck team. Make it happen!
Art Muir
Posted by: Art Muir on 1/20/2017 at 6:17 pm
Best of Luck to you Billy and the team!
Posted by: Dave Kestel on 1/20/2017 at 3:42 am
January 16, 2017
Assuming there won't be a satellite signal this evening (Pampa de Leñas is in a tight valley) I'm writing to let everyone know we enjoyed our last night and morning in civilization. We are hitting the trail without a hitch this morning and are looking forward to a safe and successful expedition... we'll check in again from Casa de Piedra in a couple days!
Ciao!
RMI Guide Billy Nugent
January 15, 2017
Whew... a hectic day today. An early rise helped us get ahead of the curve on a slightly convoluted permit process that we couldn´t have navigated so efficiently without the assistance of our friend Nico and outfitter at Grajales Expeditions. We spent the rest of the morning tying up loose ends, checked out of the hotel, and loaded up into the van for our transfer out to Penitentes. The four hour drive went by quickly and we were treated to amazing views of the Andes along the way. We unloaded at the Grajales packing facility and checked in to our hotel for what will be our last night in a real bed for quite a while. The rest of the afternoon and evening was spent getting our personal and group loads ready for the mule team that will carry all of our heavy gear into Aconcagua Basecamp. We´re excited to leave the tedious details of packing behind and hit the trail tomorrow morning. Fingers crossed for good weather on the trail and a smooth trek into Basecamp...
RMI Guide Billy Nugent
I hope the stars at Lenas deliver. Enjoy the big skies.
Posted by: Maude Lebowski on 1/17/2017 at 6:07 pm
Posted by: Billy Nugent, Hannah Smith
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Aconcagua
Hola de Mendoza!
Here´s the first installation of what will hopefully be daily updates on the progress of our Aconcagua expedition. Despite a few hiccups in transit all of our crew has arrived along with all of our bags, which is a bit of a miracle considering the number of travelers and the number of connections that all of those bags and travelers needed to make. Everybody is settling in nicely here in Mendoza and enjoying the hot and sunny weather. We had a meet and greet this afternoon in the hotel where the team members got acquainted and where we were also able to give a brief orientation to the program. A gear check and a few errands brought us into our first team dinner where the team got to enjoy their first taste of the famous Argentine beef. The gang is a bit travel-weary and we have a busy day tomorrow so that´ll be all for tonight. We´ll check in again tomorrow evening after the dust settles from what will surely be a busy day getting out of the city and readying to hit the trail.
RMI Guide Billy Nugent
Hannah, Billy and Team:
Good luck and climb high. Wish we were with you, perhaps next year.
Your fans,
Tom and Farmer Dave, August 23 Rainier Summit Team.
Posted by: Tom Salata on 1/15/2017 at 2:07 pm
Posted by: Mark Tucker, Hannah Smith
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mexico
AMO MEXICO
These climbing expeditions are so much more than putting one foot in front of the other for hours on end. It really is fun and exciting pushing yourself way beyond what you think is your limit. Such a great mental boost and refreshing perspective you return home with that your friends, family and co-workers always benefit from the zest for life you exude. A few hour drive, seamless check in and the team is on the way home. We all not only climbed the third tallest mountain in North America, but were true ambassadors. Thank you team for representing the USA with great poise. Have I told you guys what a great job you did!
RMI Guide Mark Tucker
Thank you to the whole team! Special appreciation to Mark and Hannah along with the local guides. We couldn’t have done it without all of you. It was a wonderful trip and experience of a lifetime.
Posted by: Sierra on 11/14/2016 at 5:21 am
A big and successful day for the RMI Mexico team. A fifteen-hour summit day on Pico de Orizaba. We woke up to perfect weather. Right out of the gate it is steep. No new snow at 14,000' so it was dirt and rock to start. After about an hour we entered a crazy area called the labyrinth. Such exciting terrain winding through gully after gully with mixed moderate climbing. We put on the crampons as the snow got firmer adding to the fun and excitement of the climb. Still dark with the beautiful moon we arrived at the base of the glacier. Ropes, ice axe and all the other toys that a prudent mountaineer hauls up hill were part of the next phase. Long and pretty darn steep at that point. Snow conditions were perfect and not much wind. As the sun rose, imagine the shadow cast on the surface of the Earth by this monolithic monster of a volcano. What a sight. Keeps me coming back for more. The team did an outstanding job up and down. The team is sleepy but still lots to do here at the historic old soap factory, which is our digs for the night.
RMI Guide Mark Tucker
RMI Guide Mark Tucker calls from the Orizaba summit!
On The Map
Buenos tardes!
Today we made the journey to Tlachichuca where the great Sr. Reyes lives. Sr. Reyes runs Servimont, the guide service we use to get to Piedra Grande by 4X4 trucks. The compound to which he runs his operation was once a soap factory. One of the drums used in the process to make the soap came from Philadelphia. But enough with the history lesson and back to the climbing. Once we arrived in Tlachichuca we were down to business, doing yet another gear shuffle. We packed our bags, ate a delicious lunch, and boarded the 4X4 trucks. A two-hour drive up a very bumpy and steep road brought us to Piedra Grande which sits at roughly 14,000'. We were in and out of the clouds while we pitched our tents and got settled in. Before eating dinner we had a refresher course of our skills for the climb. With fully tummies of probably the best rotisserie chicken we had ever had, we are off to get some shut eye before an early alpine start. Hopefully the next time you here from us we will be cal ling in from the summit.
Till then, good night to all,
RMI Guides Mark Tucker, Hannah Smith, and team
Looks awesome! Good luck, stay strong!
Posted by: Paul Lawrence on 11/14/2016 at 7:11 am
Good luck to all! I know you have it in ya dad!
Posted by: Kate denver on 11/12/2016 at 7:27 pm
Posted by: Mark Tucker, Hannah Smith
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mexico
Mole Mole Mole!
Hey all! Our rest day in Puebla was a day of choosing your own adventure. For some it started with a nostalgic breakfast at McDonalds. The team spent their day exploring all that Puebla had to offer from the beautiful and impressive cathedrals to strolling the Mercado el Parian to buying some souvenirs to drooling over climbing gear at Origenes Puebla. Bellies were filled plump full with authentic cuisines, most notably the delicious mole poblano. The team even gave fried crickets a try, to which the consensus was it tasted like popcorn. It has been a fun filled day, but now we are ready and psyched to hop aboard the bus and head to Tlachichuca where we will pack up for Piedre Grande on Orizaba.
Buenos noche,
RMI Guides Mark Tucker, Hannah Smith, and team
Posted by: Mark Tucker, Hannah Smith
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mexico
Hola mis amigos!
El equipo esta todo marcado...oh sorry wrong language. Hey all! The team is all checked in to the Hotel Colonial Puebla. Today started with an early wake up at 2:30am in hopes to go to the summit of Ixta, but was thwarted by relentless clouds, snow, and wind. After numerous checks out the vestibule for a break in the weather, we settled in for a casual morning of hot drinks and breakfast, followed by a break down of camp. Our hike out was among the clouds but still very beautiful and enjoyable. With a reshuffle of gear and farewells to our local guide Carlos, our two porters Daniel and Jose, and our favorite driver Rogelio, we loaded the bus. One bathroom break, a movie, and many bumps later, we arrived in Puebla. Tonight we will meet for another delicious dinner and tomorrow we will spend our day exploring Puebla and relaxing.
Hasta luego,
RMI Guides Mark Tucker, Hannah Smith, and Team
Sorry about that! Good luck dad!
Posted by: Kate on 11/11/2016 at 7:27 am
Sorry about that! Good luck dad!
Posted by: Kate on 11/11/2016 at 7:27 am
Hi Dad (Jim Love),
I hope your toes are feeling better and you are enjoying some of the scenery! Proud of you!
Love,
Heather
Posted by: Heather Love on 1/22/2017 at 6:17 pm
Happy Birthday early Alec. Be safe and have fun. Love always-Mom (Kim Schulz)
Posted by: Kim Schulz on 1/21/2017 at 9:43 am
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