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Posted by: Mike King, Jess Wedel, Mike Bennett
Categories: Expedition Dispatches North Cascades
Elevation: 10, 781'
RMI Guide Mike King and the Mt. Baker Coleman - Deming July 16 - 18 reached the summit of Mt. Baker just before 9 am today. Mike reported cloudy skies below 8,000' but it was clear above as they made their way to the top. All the big peaks were visible as "islands" coming through the marine layer clouds. The team will return to camp for a final night on the mountain. Tomorrow they will break camp, descend to the trailhead and complete their program.
Nice work team!
Posted by: Avery Parrinello, Jack Delaney, Liam Weed
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Alaska Mt. McKinley
Elevation: 7,800'
Sunday, June 18, 2022
Dun-dunana-dun-dun-dunnn (Imperial March music...please use your imagination)
We continued our migration down glacier from 14 Camp to the airstrip. Instead of a Flying V, we are in a Tromping I, roped together as always but this time it is very obvious as to why. The Kahiltna Glacier has melted down and broken up significantly since our last crossing. Weaving left and right, searching high and low for snow bridges that looked like they would support our weight. We finally make it the base of Ski Hill and decide to call it a day. The heat of the day has started to weaken the already soft snow and low and behold who do we see on the horizon??! It’s an RMI team headed uphill! Andy Bond and crew have just arrived at Camp 1. So we decide to spend the night with them to both let the snow and our bonds of friendship strengthen! Ends up there are mutual friends not only amongst the guides but also the teams! Let us rejoice! Tomorrow in the wee early hours of the morning we shall resume our march with refrozen snow and renewed strength in our quads.
We have the downhill mentality and the end is in sight (figuratively)!
Cheers,
RMI Guides Avery Parrinello, Jack Delaney, Liam Weed and the team
Posted by: Nikki Champion, Taylor Bickford, Emma Lyddan
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Alaska Mt. McKinley
Elevation: 14,200'
Saturday June 4, 2022 6:22pm PT
Today we have our first birthday of the trip! Happy Birthday Cris! To celebrate we woke up early to a speedy breakfast of Honey Nut Cheerios. We planned to walk at 8:30 am, but with such cold temperatures this morning we pushed that back and hour and stayed warm in our tents. Once the sun finally hit 14,000’ camp around 9:30 am we began our journey towards the fixed lines. Running through all the gambit of temperatures we made it to the top of the fixed lines, at 16,200', where we decided to cache our personal and group food for the day. After taking a snack, and water break we made our way back downhill. We rolled back into 14,000’ camp, where it is now lightly snowing, and crawled into our tents.
Tonight, will be a mellow evening of Ramen, and prepping for a few much needed days of rest at 14 camp. The team did great, and we are set up well!
RMI Guides Nikki, Taylor, Emma, and Team!
Following your every move on this big mountain. We are with you all in spirit. Be safe. Stay strong…and try to stay warm. You’ve got this! Happy Birthday, Cris.
Posted by: The Wilhelms on 6/6/2022 at 5:34 am
July 11, 2022 - Huaraz to BC: The team loaded up the bus from the hotel this morning and after about an hour through pleasantly rough and rocky roads arrived at Pashpa. Here we loaded up our burros with duffels, food, climbing gear, and base camp infrastructure then promptly began our 4-hour trek up the Ishinca Valley. Through high grassy knolls, green forests, and boulder fields leftover from glaciers many millennia ago, we reached our basecamp at just over 14,000.’ Ishinca Base Camp is quite the spot. Surrounded by steep rocky walls with the mighty Tocllaraju sitting in front as a majestic skyline at just under 6,000m (19,797ft).
After we got our tents set up and moved in, we enjoyed a delicious meal of fresh caught trout and potatoes, prepared by our wonderful camp cook Emilio and his assistant Romel. With tired eyes and full bellies, we happily crawled into our sleeping bags and drifted off to the sound of babbling glacial stream
July 12, 2022 - BC Training Day: Today we slept in and let the warmth of the sun wake us up. After a breakfast of omelets, we began working on some rope skills and practice with knots and hitches. We took advantage of good weather and did another acclimatization hike after lunch up the moraine to Laguna Milluacocha. Along the way we saw views of Ranrapalca and our objective Urus Este. We were welcomed back with some afternoon tea and popcorn. Not a bad day living at 14,000’
July 13, 2022 - Snow School: We left basecamp early this morning to head up 2,000’ to the toe of the Ishinca glacier to get some more acclimatization in before we attempt our summit bid of Ishinca tomorrow. There we practiced cramponing, roped travel, anchor building, and crevasse rescue at 16,000’. It was back to basecamp for an afternoon of rest and an early dinner of Lomo Saltado before bed. Tomorrow (tonight will come early) …
RMI Guides Alan Davis, Emma Lyddan & Team
So happy you and the team made this trek! Looking forward to your stories and photos.
Posted by: Cindy and Ken on 7/16/2014 at 4:24 pm
Great work Rees! Scenery looks stunning. Janet and Murray.
Posted by: Janet Pascoe on 7/16/2014 at 1:54 pm
Posted by: Dave Hahn, Zeb Blais, Mike King
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mt. McKinley
Elevation: 20,320'
Dave Hahn calls from the Mt. McKinley summit.
Dave Hahn calls in from Mt. McKinley's High Camp.
On The Map
Congratulations on an amazing summit day! We are thrilled for you that the weather was clear and you were able to enjoy what must be the most spectacular views in the world! We are so impressed by the whole team. Anders, your whole family and tons of friends send their love. And kudos to the rest of you, especially Anders’ young tent mate Max—pretty impressive feat at your young age!
Posted by: judy and randy on 7/15/2013 at 4:39 am
woohooo! congratulations on your summit of such a worthy mountain. looking forward to pics and the story.
Posted by: michelle on 7/14/2013 at 7:41 pm
Bill, Sara and team, This is the verse that popped out at me when thinking of you and your team. Ephesians 2:10 We are his creation, created in Christ Jesus for good works which God prepared ahead of time so that we should walk in them. What an amazing walk you are having. What a comfort to know all was planned, and who better to walk with? Praying for you, and enjoying reading and seeing all that you are doing. Janet Kresser
Posted by: Janet Kresser on 5/5/2011 at 7:37 am
We are a class of 5th graders in Taos that have been following the blogs as part of a social studies project. This new development made a really big impact on them when it was decided that Sara would go for the summit if possible, but that Bill would not.
Here are some thoughts that the students wanted me to try to share with Sara (their new hero) and Bill, and of course, Dave. As usual, the teacher disavows any knowledge of what might come out of her students’ mouths at any given moment…
- It’s good that he’s staying down because if he got hurt it could jeopardize everyone.
- It’s pretty brave of Sara to keep going without her dad. I hope they make it!
- I think that Sara is really strong and is doing her best. She’s always smiling in her pictures!
- It’s good that he’s not going, so now Sara doesn’t have to worry about her dad getting hurt.
- It isn’t worth the risk if he isn’t feeling up to it.
- Sara needs her dad on AND off the mountain. I am glad he’s staying safe.
- Even if he doesn’t go, I’m glad Sara’s going to try.
- Sara’s the awesomest climber in the world (except for Dave Hahn and a bunch of other old(er) people)!
- I think Bill is the bravest dad I have ever heard of. First of all, he’s up on Everest, which not a lotta people do. Then, he trusts his daughter and is there supporting her even if he can’t go himself. I think that’s very brave and I hope my dad would do the same for me to help me accomplish something I wanted to do.
Bottom line: Sara, you have a pint-sized fan club here in Taos cheering for you; Bill, I think they are ready to give you a “coolest dad on the planet” medal, and Dave, all of us send love and best wishes from home.
Posted by: Ms. E's Class on 5/5/2011 at 7:30 am
Posted by: Camille Leininger, Cal Smith, Jenny Konway, Henry Coppolillo, Daniel May, Lauren Macklin
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mount Rainier
Elevation: 14,410'
RMI Teams led by Casey Grom and Jenny Konway reached the summit of Mt. Rainier this morning. Scattered clouds and cold temperatures was the report from the upper mountain. The teams are navigating their way down Disappointment Cleaver and will return to Camp Muir. After a quick break, they will repack their gear and continue their descent to Paradise.
Congratulations to today's climbers!
Congratulations BB and DA!!
Posted by: Jonnyoro on 6/19/2021 at 1:34 pm
You did it! Congratulations!
Posted by: Jennifer MacArtney on 6/19/2021 at 9:55 am
Posted by: Pete Van Deventer, Mike Uchal
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Elbrus Northside
Elevation: 8,300'
On The Map
Posted by: Peter Whittaker, Jess Matthews
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Ecuador
Congratulations so glad all are safe.
Posted by: Donna C. Cameron on 7/17/2022 at 9:36 pm
Congratulations to the climbers and to the guides for reaching the top. Kuddos to you and your determination and perseverance.
Shout out to Ana and Rathan for taking up the challenge. Waiting to hear about the climb
Posted by: Shilpa on 7/17/2022 at 3:27 pm
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