Entries By pete van deventer
We had a great first day in
Moscow. It started with a short walk to the heart of Russia - Red Square and the Kremlin. First up was Lenin's Tomb. It is sort of an eerie experience seeing an embalmed man who has been dead for so many years, but definitely worth it. The trick is to move just slow enough through the viewing room that you do not get the guards' attention and be told to move ahead. After exiting the tomb, we met up with our tour guide who lead us on a grand tour through Saint Basil's Cathedral, the GUM, Red Square, and finally the Kremlin. The day was certainly a mini history lesson of the czars and rulers of Russia, and of wars and power struggles, and Moscow has been around for almost a 1000 years so it gets a little complicated.
After the tour of the Kremlin and feeling like we were close to information overload, we started our walk back to the hotel for a little down time. We are back from dinner now and heading to bed so that we can leave early in the morning for our flight to our next town - Kislovodsk. We'll check in once we get settled there.
Best,
RMI Guides Jeff Martin and Pete Van Deventer
Greetings from Moscow,
The team arrived in Moscow today and our Russian adventure has officially begun!
There are no more trips to the store to buy that last minute item that you think you might need to bring just in case, no more chances to clear off your desk of the last few remaining to-do items. It is go time. We are headed for
Mt. Elbrus.
But before we fly south, we are going to explore Moscow tomorrow and all it's amazing sights. And we will get a big dose of Russian culture, food and history along the way. The perfect introduction to this country.
RMI Guides
Jeff Martin and
Pete Van Deventer
The
Four Day Summit Climb teams July 26 - 29, 2014 led by
RMI Guides Pete Van Deventer and Walter Hailes reached the summit of Mt. Rainier at 6:45 a.m with climbers from Wilderness Ventures. The teams reported light winds and great route conditions. They started their descent from the crater rim around 7:45 am. The teams will return to Camp Muir and then continue to Paradise later this afternoon.
Congratulations to today's Summit Climb Teams!
Both the Four and Five Day
Mt. Rainier Summit Climb teams tagged the top! RMI Guides
Mike Haugen and
Pete Van Deventer reported a sleet/snow mix and moderate winds. At 8:45 a.m. they radioed basecamp to say they are beginning their descent.
RMI Guide
Peter Whittaker and the
Four Day Summit Climb team reached the summit of Mt. Rainier this morning around 5:20 am. The team is making their descent back to Camp Muir and enjoying a light wind. We look forward to seeing them in Ashford this afternoon.
The
Expedition Skills Seminar – Emmons led by RMI Guide
Pete Van Deventer reached the summit of Mt. Rainier around 7:00 am. Pete reports clear skies on the summit and 15 mph winds. He says it is fairly warm and a really nice day to climb. The team is enjoying some time at Columbia Crest and will begin their descent to Camp Schurman around 8:00 am.
Congratulations to today's climbers!
RMI Guide Tyler Jones radioed at 7 am with his Four Day Summit Climb on their descent after reaching the summit of Mt. Rainier earlier this morning. Tyler reported moderate winds and a cloud cap on the summit. As the teams descended they were reaching the base of the clouds. The second Four Day Summit Climb team led by Geoff Schellens was also descending with Tyler.
The
Expedition Skills Seminar - Emmons led by RMI Guide Pete Van Deventer reached the crater rim around 7:30 am. The team was going to spend to a few minutes on top before starting their descent. They will return to Camp Schurman for their final night on the mountain.
Congratulations to today's teams!
RMI Guide Pete Van Deventer checked in from Camp Muir at 6:45 am. The
Four Day Summit Climb team was forced to turn around at Ingraham Flats due to deteriorating weather. They experienced gusty winds, drifting snow and heavy precipitation. Camp Muir had a small accumulation of snow throughout the morning.
The
Expedition Skills Seminar - Kautz led by Elias de Andres Martos checked in from their high camp. The team was expecting to make their summit attempt today but we unable to do so due to the poor weather. The team experienced a very stormy night with consistent winds.
The Four Day Summit climb will return to Rainier BaseCamp later today. The Expedition Skills Seminar - Kautz will continue their training and spend another night on the mountain. They will return tomorrow afternoon.
Our
Four Day Summit Climb Teams Led by RMI Guides
Tyler Reid and
Pete Van Deventer were turned at 12,600’ due to weather. The team climbed into a cap and reported low visibility, cold temperatures, snow showers a couple of inches of accumulation and light to moderate winds. The teams are en route Back to Camp Muir and will be back at Rainier Basecamp early this afternoon.
Congratulations to Today's Teams.
June 2, 2014 - 11:16 pm PT
With things looking up for us, we got up early and packed camp this morning. With full packs and a lot of excitement to be moving again, we headed once more up towards the head wall and the
fixed lines. We were not by any means the only group with this idea though and a train formed pretty quickly. As we worked our way up the lines in traffic the wind started to pick up, at first just occasional gusts that swirled through the basin, then becoming steadier, stronger, and carrying snow with them. By the time we reached the col at 16,200' conditions had deteriorated significantly. It was a frustrating decision, but this was the type of weather that was too much for us to continue on in, and we decided quickly to turn back down the fixed lines to 14,000' camp, out of the winds.
Once camp was reset, we had a tough team meeting over dinner. We've invested a lot of time, energy, and sacrifice into this endeavor, both on the mountain and all of the preparation and training, but we've been here for a long time, and it's time to think about heading down. Everyone agreed that tomorrow, we will pack camp again, but this time will turn our boots downhill and head for the airstrip, home, and families. The team has worked so hard, and come together so well, and it's a disappointment for all, but with any luck we'll be at the airstrip tomorrow, and fly in the evening or next morning.
Thanks for reading, and we'll see everybody soon.
Best,
RMI Guides Pete, Robby, Josh, and team
On The Map
Sunday, June 1, 2014 11:34 pm PT
The best laid plans are always subject to change. Our first view out of the tent this morning was of blue sky, but when we turned our gaze towards the summit, we found a large lenticular cloud spinning over the mountain, with jets of snow shooting up into the sky. Needless to say, we spent another day in camp. Our prospects look good for tomorrow, with a favorable forecast of high pressure for the next several days. We've said this before, and some are wondering how much longer we can wait; the team made the decision today that Tuesday would be our definitive up/down day. On the plus side, a slew of independent climbers made the
jump to 17,000' today despite the winds, so that should alleviate some of the congestion tomorrow.
We redecorated our posh tent today with a sun painted in Gatorade, a hockey player's face (looking towards the Stanley Cup), and the quote "we're doin' it". Spirits are still high despite the waiting, and we have a lot of hope that tomorrow will deliver for us. For now: off to bed to rest up for the fixed lines and West Buttress tomorrow!
RMI Guides
Pete Van Deventer,
Robby Young,
Josh Maggard, and team
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Catherine, So proud of you and your taking on this wonderful adventure. Can’t wait to hear more about it.
Love, Poppy & Grandma
Posted by: Bill & Barbara Rack on 7/30/2014 at 8:06 pm
So proud of you!! 6:45am??? What’s up with that?? I miss you lots and can’t wait to see you so you can give me all the scoop on the trip. I love you!!
Posted by: Aunt Tina on 7/30/2014 at 9:10 am
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