Entries By mark tucker
Posted by: Alex Van Steen, Mark Tucker
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Carstensz Pyramid
Hello from Timika, Indonesia!
It's Sara McGahan, I'm 17 years old, and you may remember me from 2011's Mt. Everest Expedition! I'm now climbing with RMI Carstensz Pyramid team.
Today was spent preparing for the expedition ahead of us. We have organized gear, shopped for food, and protected everything in waterproof sacks or trash bags. This climb seems so different from any others I've done; For most of our expedition we will be hiking through a hot, humid rainforest with expected rain showers almost hourly. We must plan that everything will get wet, but we are trying to do what we can to prevent it from getting completely soaked.
The culture here is also so different from anywhere else I've been in the world. There are many parts of West Papua which are still undiscovered. Some tribes have only been in contact with Westerners since the 1970's, and even now the people are still rooted in the customs and traditions of their ancestors. It is normal for some people to walk around with little to no clothing on, except perhaps for a grass skirt for the women and some shells for the men.
Personally, I am fascinated by the culture here and so excited to further experience it.
While it's easy to type this in a nice hotel with internet and buffet breakfasts, this seems like a one in a lifetime experience that I can't wait to begin. The terrain will be difficult both physically and mentally, but everyone in our team seems well prepared for the challenge and enthused for the adventure that awaits.
We are catching a 6 am flight tomorrow to Sugapa and then headed into the jungle. That's all from Timika!
Sara McGahan
On The Map
Posted by: Alex Van Steen, Mark Tucker
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Carstensz Pyramid
Hello from the Carstensz Pyramid team,
What a way to start an expedition. Mountain climbers surf Bali!
Fresh red snapper for lunch and solid 3 foot swell for dessert.
I love my job!
We head to the airport at midnight tonight for a 2 am flight to the town of Timika on the Island of New Guinea.
The whole team and all bags are here and ready.
Everyone is looking forward to the rest of this adventure.
RMI Guide Mark Tucker
On The Map
Bill,Sara & Kayie,
Lots of Luck, Hope the wheather is suitable and most important stay safe.
XXOO,
Aunt Marie
Posted by: Marie McGahan on 7/4/2012 at 6:46 pm
So happy to be able to follow you all on this blog! Please be safe!!! We love you’ll!
Posted by: lisa mcgahan on 6/27/2012 at 2:56 am
Posted by: Dave Hahn, Melissa Arnot, Mark Tucker
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Everest
Elevation: 17,575'
Update 2:45 pm Nepali time:
Dave Hahn, Melissa Arnot and team are 20 minutes from camp, so they are safely through the Khumbu Icefall!
I will still keep track of the Sherpa team that is still higher up on the mountain. They need to go back up to Camp 1 either tomorrow or the next day for final loads off the mountain. Until everyone is clear of the upper mountain, I will be here in communication with the Sherpa team. What a Climb!
RMI Guide and Everest Basecamp Manager Mark Tucker
Mark,
Thanks so much for all the updates and a hearty congrats to you, Dave, Melissa, and your team! You may not remember, Mark, but my wife and I met you on Everest 2010 and most recently coming down the Mweka Route on all of our last day on Kili last August. We enjoyed chatting with you.
Best,
Brandon & Kristine Chalk
Posted by: Brandon Chalk on 5/29/2012 at 2:36 pm
Great news! Thanks for the update.
Posted by: jeff d on 5/28/2012 at 4:18 am
Posted by: Dave Hahn, Melissa Arnot, Mark Tucker
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Everest
Elevation: 17,575'
Things are looking good for the team. The wait should prove itself worth it, the weather window and the overall health of the team is like having the pole position at the Indy 500. An early breakfast, and six plus hours of climbing should put the team at Camp 2 tomorrow.
We enjoyed a great pizza dinner send off tonight. Some last minute packing, and early to bed.
Go team go!
RMI Guide & Everest Basecamp Manager Mark Tucker
On The Map
Happy Bithday Mark.
Be safe, but hurry up and summit. Surf is up and the Black Ball is coming. Are you in for Father’s Day Golf?
Posted by: Kent Tucker on 5/21/2012 at 9:08 am
HAPPY BIRTHDAY MARK!
Dalton, Nicole, and Hailey all went through cllege graduation ceramonies this weekend.
Boy, you are getting old!
Have a snow cone on me.
Posted by: Craig Tucker on 5/20/2012 at 7:58 pm
Way to go Team!
Last night we had a team of five Sherpa depart from Camp 2 at 11: 30 pm en route to the South Col. They reached the South Col in just under eight hours. A few of them were also able to make a carry to Camp 3. They encountered some high winds and did an amazing job, getting most of the oxygen bottles, tents and supporting equipment to Camp 2 for the first time this season. And here they are back at Base Camp already. These guys are tough!
The rest of the team did some local hiking to keep up the fitness. Teams continue to work on the upper mountain but have not placed any new rope above the Col as of yet. The route fixing group has decided to wait a few days based on forecasts of strong winds in the near future.
RMI Guide and Everest Base Camp Manager Mark Tucker
Tent life continues. Zippers make my doors, frost wakes me in the morning as it rains down when I move about in my little constricted space. No complaints here, just a bit of longing for those creature comforts I appreciate for at least a week when I return home, till I once again settle in on expecting those niceties to be at my beck and call. We have been getting some snow showers, so don't forget to shake the toilet tent before entering or there is a good chance of getting a pile and I mean pile of snow down the back of your coat prior to entry. Definitely avoid this scenario, take my word that those three or so minutes of melt freeze down the back is no fun. Thank goodness for all the miracle fabrics from First Ascent, rest assured warmth is just around the corner.We have the cush life here at base camp compared to trips like Denali or what is soon to come for the team on the upper mountain here at Everest.
The team went for a nice hike to Kala Patar today. A nearby ridge hike with beautiful views of the upper part of Everest. We are too near the base to see the upper mountain form here. Lam Babu and Pasang made a trip up to
Camp 2 to check in on how things are holding up. Last thing you want is a big surprise when you arrive at an upper camp on a move day. He reports everything is in good shape. Sounds like there will be a push toward Camp 4 and the South Col tomorrow. A strong team will put the needed ropes in place to allow for safe travels to the final camp before the summit push.
We will have a meeting with Lam Babu tomorrow and will go over the whats and whens to keep this expedition moving forward. Not yet the summit push but we are getting closer everyday. These rest days and upper mountain tactics have proven effective in the past. As the route gets better and the weather continues to improve so do our attitudes.The excitement of the summit is helping carry the minds and bodies of this terrific group of climbers
onward and upward.
All's well at Everest Base Camp,
RMI Guide Mark Tucker
On The Map
Glad to hear it’s been snowing a bit. Hope the weather improves for you guys
Zachary Zaitzeff
Posted by: zachary zaitzeff on 5/7/2012 at 5:56 pm
Be patient and stay strong…it will all work out as it should. We are all pulling for the teams to have safe summits. Thank you so much for the updates, we really enjoy sharing in your adventures on the mountain.
Posted by: D. Arnot on 5/7/2012 at 8:59 am
Posted by: Melissa Arnot, Mark Tucker, Dave Hahn
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Everest
Elevation: 21,300'
Happy Anniversary to the first American Summit team on Mt. Everest!
That climb happened forty-nine years ago today. Thanks to all the teams of the past for the valuable insight on how to climb this mountain as safe and smart as possible.
Dave Hahn and the RMI team remained at Camp 2 (ABC) for another night. All is well up there as they adjust slowly to these extreme altitudes. Conditions on the upper mountain are rough with the jet stream still over top and limited tracks in the upper route for now. Dave is the master at making the best use of their time up high and when they return to Base Camp I'm sure they will be ready for some rest down here in the thick air of 17,575'.
We are now in the meat of the Mt. Everest climbing season. There are teams all over the mountain and everybody is at a little different stage in their schedule to get themselves ready for the summit. The cooperation between the teams this year has been fantastic and the resolve and commitment to work together is outstanding. It is a small community here and everybody pulling together is making for a very enjoyable season.
Lots of work ahead and many more amazing photos to be taken. Hold on - summit time is just around the corner because it's the month of MAY!
Happy May Day!
RMI Guide Mark Tucker
RMI Guide Dave Hahn checks in from ABC (21,300 ft)
On The Map
Posted by: Dave Hahn, Melissa Arnot, Mark Tucker
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Everest
Elevation: 17,575'
Hello,
It is a beautiful day at Everest Base Camp. The climbing team and I did a nice glacier walk out from Base Camp. Just enough to stretch the legs and stop at the internet cafe en-route. There has been lots of packing and loads distributed to the Sherpa team who will help carry gear up to Camp 2 tomorrow. The rest days here at Base Camp have been good for the climbing team members and it looks like tomorrow they will begin their next rotation up high. We had two members of our Sherpa Team, Lam Babu and Yubaraju, that spent last night at Camp 2. They reported that everything is ready for the climbing team to inhabit this upper camp.
So, our plan is a 3:30 am breakfast, with requests of eggs, rice porridge, cold cereal and some hot drinks. The team should then be walking out of camp at 4:00 am headed for Camp 2.
We are hoping for good weather and for everyone in the team to feel strong as they climb higher tomorrow.
We will keep you posted.
RMI Guide Mark Tucker
On The Map
Gearing up for the Camp 2 move. I took some time with Kumar and Lam to check electrical equipment including a base-type radio communication station. All is in good order now, we will see how it goes over the next while. Cold and altitude are always tough on that equipment let alone the moving from camp to camp always has takes some toll. Our Sherpa team is hard at work at Camp 2 and a couple will stay the night to get it ready for Dave and crew to move up soon.
Where is the mocha? Photos from my Internet location out in the middle of the glacier. It's not Starbucks but the view can't be beat. A bit of a hassle to get there but compared to what we had as cell service in the past, this is great. We still use the satellite communication for many things, but the price is a lot more. Back in 1990 the sat phone was a good size suite case. The price per minute was 20 to 30 dollars. At least some things have gotten cheaper. The cell towers in Gorak Shep have been pretty reliable as of late and it is so nice to be able to stay in touch with all of you on a consistent basis. With that in mind, fret not if we miss a dispatch here and there, just blame it on tough circumstances that prevail now and again.
RMI Guide Mark Tucker
RMI invested with a local solar outfitter a few years back, and as you can see by the picture we are charged up! At the start of this season we used a generator to jump start the batteries, but since then its been all sun. On cloudy days we have to be a bit careful on how much power we use from the bank of six good-sized car-type batteries but usually plenty of juice. Without it, tough to send out this dispatch and even the best generators are too loud.
The other photo is of one of our star players here at Base Camp, Raju, who is at the watering hole of choice for now. The staff makes lots of trips to this spot daily with five-gallon plastic jugs to keep us full of that most important beverage. As the glacier moves throughout the season, so will we and the watering hole. With all of the human impact over the years we will boil all of the drinking water. Not yet there with the solar so we do use kerosene for cooking here at Base Camp. We have a most wonderful on-demand gas-powered shower tent that we try and not overuse, which you can imagine on a warm day is so fantastic it is hard to convey. A bit different nowadays since my first trip to Everest in 1990. It was 72 days between showers. Hey, we did what we could, but that first shower was a good one!
Dave Hahn is at Camp 1 and a link to his audio dispatch is below.
That's all for today from RMI's Everest Expedition.
RMI Guide Mark Tucker
Dave Hahn checks in from Camp 1
Be following this blog Dave. Me Knee’s doing better than the other one now. My heart a bit better as well, at a big conference with lots of loving friends. And with you on your hill. Be safe & warm Bro. See you when you get home.
Posted by: Carl Gilmore on 4/26/2012 at 2:52 am
Hi Sara, wow that sounds interesting! Have fun!
Posted by: Candace Keach on 7/1/2012 at 4:02 am
Sara! I am so excited to follow your blog! I wish you and the team all the best :) Have fun! Can’t wait to hear all about it as you go!
Much Love,
The Girl Talk Team
Posted by: Maryashley Whitaker on 6/29/2012 at 7:10 am
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