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Huge icefall last night off of the nearby peak called Pumori. Named by Mallory in 1921 it means sister or Daughter peak. This mountain is rarely climbed, at over 7,000 meters, it being very steep and with no way to the top without exposing yourself to loads of hanging hazards.
A perfectly clear and calm evening turned into a wild scene as I peaked out of my tent after such a rude awakening by the loud crack, as what I can only imagine were millions of tons of ice being pulverized into powder as it hits the rock and ice surface after its 1,500-foot freefall. Being so bright out with so much moon, it was pretty fun to watch this huge dust cloud come barreling at us. Just as it hit my tent I closed the flap and listened to the rattle and knew why in the morning we had this layer of snow covering our camp.
Dave, Sara, Bill and myself just returned from a hike up to Pumori Camp 1, which sits at 18,600'. And no, we were not exposing ourselves to the hazards I just mentioned, those are farther up the mountain. What we did expose ourselves to were some of the best views of Everest you can imagine. I will let Dave's pictures do the talking.
Linden, who climbed Island Peak this week, just now arrived at Basecamp, so the team is now all here.
Cheers,
RMI Guide Mark Tucker
Posted by: Jake Beren, Steve Gately, Megan Budge
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mt. McKinley
Elevation: 14,200'
We woke up in the wee hours of this morning, hopeful to see our summit window open up. The weather, however, had a different idea. As the skies became cloudier and the snow began to come down, we decided that another slow morning was in order. We gorged ourselves on bagels and plenty of bacon while we sipped our coffee. The afternoon was filled with lots of rest. We are steeling ourselves for a move up to 17k tomorrow, if the weather forecast holds true. Everyone is doing well and looking forward to the chance to move closer to our summit goal. Thanks for keeping up with the team!
We will check in tomorrow, hopefully from our new camp at 17k!
RMI Guide Jake Beren & Team
Che-che I miss you!
Please post pictures of you sipping whiskey at 17,000 feet.
-e
Posted by: erin on 6/14/2017 at 9:31 am
Stephen
You can do it
Many prayers and a lotsof guardian angels ( especially grandma and grandma/ my grandson the Dr) are with you
Do me a favor no more escapes for awhile
I need to recoup
So proud of what you accomplished
Posted by: Mom and Dad zabinski on 6/14/2017 at 6:48 am
Posted by: JJ Justman, Kel Rossiter
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mount Rainier
Elevation: Summit
The Four Day Summit Climb teams led by JJ Justman and Kel Rossiter reached the Summit of Mt. Rainier today. JJ reported good, but cold weather with calm winds. The teams are enjoying the views from the top and will make their way back to Camp Muir shortly.
Congratulations to today's teams.
A most excellent trip! We gelled as a team early and JJ, Josh and Gilbert were awesome. Look forward to climbing with you guys again. No one legged midgets though, please.
MP
Posted by: MIKE PROBSTFELD on 6/25/2012 at 8:38 am
Thanks to JJ, Josh and Gilbert for a great & fun trip and JP for getting the whole shootin match organized! Great way to start the summer of 2012
TVH
Posted by: Thomas Harmon on 6/24/2012 at 9:15 pm
Merry Christmas One & All! We are enjoying the day relaxing at the Guanacos Camp on Aconcagua, resting before our last move to Camp 3 and summit push. There is a big of weather up high, but camp is sunny and pleasant. If things clear up tomorrow, then up we go! Cross your fingers for us dear friends!
Thing of all you lowlanders today and can't want to reconnect when we descend.
Enjoy the holidays amigos!
RMI Guide Jake Beren
On The Map
Good luck team!! Thinking of y’all from the U.S. Merry Christmas!
Posted by: Dan Judy on 12/26/2011 at 12:43 pm
mom/kim,
i love you thinking of you I’m proud of you
Sophi
Posted by: sophia on 12/26/2011 at 12:09 pm
Congratulations to Casey Grom and our Liberty Ridge Climb!
Nine and 1/2 hour ascent from high camp and they will descend to Camp Schurman tonight. The team is pretty tired, but great climb and beautiful weather on top!
Posted by: Brent Okita, Leon Davis, Lindsay Mann
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mt. McKinley
Elevation: 17,200'
Well, we're still here at 17,200', day 7 up here and no summit in sight. In my 22 years of doing this I've never stayed here over seven days. I guess there's a first for everything.
But the team is still strong and committed to tagging the summit despite our little weather delays. And it's still only day 17 for us, so we're still well within our time frame for these trip.
This morning was nasty, so we relaxed in our tents until 11:00am and had the brunch that has become all too familiar these days. At that time the wind and snow abated somewhat and I entertained for the first time doing an evening climb of sorts. With a bit of a cloud cap over the summit conditions were not ideal, but we had been having some rather consistent clearing in the afternoon and evenings, and with daylight throughout the evening, late starts are not unheard of.
So, we set out for the summit knowing full well that if we encountered worsening weather we'd simply turn back. The important thing for us was to get in some walking to maintain out strength, acclimatization, and mental health.
The route that we had punched in the day before was gone, so we had to plow through 1-2' of snow to establish the route. Luckily the snow was quite stable and allowed us to reach almost 18,000' before I made the tough call to turn back in the face of some increasing winds and certainly not improving conditions.
But, we had reestablished the route and gotten in a little exercise. And everyone had climbed well! We'll be ready when the weather gods finally allow us to climb.
Back at camp over dinner we discussed just how long we might stay here at 17,200' waiting for our opportunity. Wednesday seemed like a date that would be reasonable to make our last day here. We have food and fuel to go beyond then, but for those of you wondering when your loved one will be coming back, I would say a few days after that would be reasonable. That being said, we do have some on the team that are willing to stay on beyond then. And for them, I guess I'd have to say that I too would be willing to stick around.
But... Let's not go there quite yet.
Kristen would like to wish Billy a happy birthday. And Gary would like to send Angela hugs and kisses from 17,200' camp.
All for now. Thanks for reading our dispatches!
RMI Guides Brent, Leon , Lindsay and the rest of the team
On The Map
Kristin, We are rooting for all of you !...keep us posted…..safe travels…..Debbie, Rich, Sean and Jen
Posted by: Debbie Collins on 6/11/2012 at 10:56 am
Brent and Kristen, keep it up! You’re being thought of by many down here at sea level.
Posted by: Bob Maher on 6/10/2012 at 8:13 pm
Posted by: Dave Hahn
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Vinson Massif
Fine days are known to be rare in Torres Del Paine National Park. We enjoyed one today, start to finish. It was an agreed upon "free day" in which our team members were advised to use the time as they wished. Most team members went hiking since the weather was so beautiful and since we´d done so much travel by airplane and automobile in the last week. The hike of the day was around 10 kilometers, one way, gaining over 700 meters in altitude. This brought many of the team to a viewpoint looking straight onto the Torres -giant granite towers, looming over a picturesque alpine glacier and lake. The path led through wonderful forests and ultimately up through big jumbles of rock. Plenty of Andean Condors could be seen circling on thermals, waiting for hikers to stumble. The gang will meet up in the Hotel Torres bar and restaurant this evening to compare notes on the day and to begin to refocus on Antarctica. We´ll use tomorrow to return to Punta Arenas and will resume gearing up for the Ice.
Best Regards,
RMI Guide Dave Hahn
Both Four Day Summit Climb teams made it to the Summit of Mt. Rainier today. Lead guides Jason Thompson and Andres Marin reported beautiful weather with light winds of about 0 – 8mph and plenty of SUNSHNE. The teams were in light gloves and two clothing layers, as they climbed. They are now en route back to Camp Muir and we expect them back at RMI Basecamp in Ashford this afternoon.
Today is the first day of summer and the longest day of the year…get out and enjoy!
Hi Jon, Following your journey and as nervous as your mother. Have fun but most important be safe
JoAnn
Posted by: JoAnn Ingram on 6/21/2012 at 4:51 pm
Hi Jon! Yes ... it’s your Mama. I hope you are having an AMAZING journey. Please be safe and smart, as I know you will. I miss you so much and will breathe when you are back in Knoxville! Love you so much!
Posted by: Paige Conley-Smith on 6/21/2012 at 9:16 am
Arriving back into Everest Base Camp yesterday afternoon after twelve days of absence was a homecoming of sorts for me - in days since I was last here with our Everest Base Camp Trek and Island Peak team the community here at Everest Base Camp has come alive with the buzz of climbing expeditions that are now settled in. The trails that pick their way between the piles moraine, ice ponds, and clusters of tents, quite faint a few weeks ago, are wearing in and strings upon strings of prayer flags now emanate from the camps, strung up during each expedition's puja ceremony. When I diverged off the main trail that passes through Base Camp and walked into RMI's Camp, I was warmly greeted by our Expedition Team; after several days of quietly walking back into Base Camp by myself I was thrilled to rejoin the Expedition and catch up with everyone . Sitting around our dining tent in the evening we raised our steaming cups of tea and hot drinks to finally having the whole team together and our climb underway.
Clear skies greeted us this morning for our rest day and as the sun crept slowly across the valley we brewed up a fresh pot of coffee and pulled the chairs out of the dining tent to sit and watch the morning light gradually awaken Base Camp. Several teams nearby held their pujas today and the slow sound of the lama's beating drum could be heard across Base Camp while we sat there. With no other objective than to relax and recover from the days of training and walking, we enjoyed a calm morning. The early breeze that blew through Base Camp when we first awoke soon died and the sun quickly warmed up camp. While the rest of us were more intrepid, Tuck was even brave enough to stroll around Camp in shorts for a few hours. With it so warm out it was a perfect opportunity for each of us to grab a wash. After several days of walking back up the dusty trails of the Khumbu, the hot water and steam that filled the shower tent felt wonderful. Very rarely does putting on fresh clothes feel so luxurious.
Despite our objective of rest, we still had a bit of business to attend to in preparing our gear for our upcoming days of climbing. In the afternoon we spent a few hours sorting our gear and preparing for our first rotation to Camp 1 that will take place soon. After packing our warm layers, down suits, and the small necessities we will need up there, Tuck opened up the Base Camp stores for us to go "shopping" for our meals and snacks that we will need during the rotation. Much like the aisles of a grocery store, but on a far smaller but still no less impressive scale given our setting, Tuck opened up the barrels and boxes of dried fruits, salamis, cheeses, granola bars, candy bars, cookies, crackers, trail mix, freeze dried meals, hot drinks, and soups that we have here. Grabbing a zip lock bag in lieu of a shopping basket, we picked our way through selecting the items that we want to eat during the rotation. Bill jumped for the Fig Newtons and a bag of Trader Joe's Banana Chips and I spied some smoked salmon, cheese, and crackers, also grabbing a couple of handfuls of the bite size candy bars that are my weakness when sitting around the tent. Before long we had all of our snacks and meals portioned out and packed up for the move.
With the afternoon clouds rolling in and the temperatures returning to their normal chilly level, Tuck retired the shorts for a puffy coat in time to host a couple of climbers to a few holes of glacier golf around camp and a round of horseshoes. The horseshoes game came down to a nail biter one point game but thanks to some last minute technique tips from Tuck I managed to hit the winning point, ensuring our victory but sadly disappointing our guests. Nothing a fresh brewed pot of coffee and some cookies couldn't smooth over before they were soon calling for a rematch.
We are about to sit down to our first Burrito Night of the trip, an occasion that Tuck was kind enough to wait for me to arrive here at Base Camp before serving. After close to three weeks of dining in teahouses my stomach is growling just thinking about the tortillas, fresh cheddar, and salsa. Since first working with our expedition cook Kumar in 2009, it has been a very fun experience to show him some of the western meals that we enjoy cooking and I have now given up making nachos at home as I cannot make them as remotely enjoyable as his.
Tomorrow we are getting up early for our first true foray into the Icefall, hoping to climb up to an area midway through known as the Football Field. In addition to giving us additional exposure to higher elevations above Base Camp and building our acclimatization, it is an important step for our team in putting our training and equipment into action in the lower stretches of the Icefall and preparing us for our move through it up to Camp 1 in a few days. We are feeling well rested after today and looking forward to tomorrow's climb.
RMI Guide Linden Mallory
I’ll be folowing your every step to the top. Good luck and sure steps.
Posted by: b lee mallory on 4/19/2011 at 7:40 am
Linden, good luck on the climb. We will be watching from our warm computers…
Posted by: John F. on 4/18/2011 at 5:14 am
Posted by: Mike Haugen, Jenny Konway, Grayson Swingle
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mt. McKinley
Elevation: 7,300'
We left 14,000' Camp this morning on a mission. We were going to make it to Kathiltna Basecamp. We packed up our heavy packs and sleds and headed downhill. The weather was just right for our long haul. We had a nice breeze all day that kept us from cooking on the sometimes brutally hot lower glacier.
We worked our way well over 10 miles of glacier and finally found our way to a deserted Basecamp and airstrip.
Since it was too late for the ski planes to come and pick us up, we hunkered down, set up camp, and ate a nice dinner. We even found a couple of beers in our cache. I wonder how those got there?
RMI Guide Mike Haugen and Team Siete
On The Map
Welcome Home…almost.
Love Mom and Zeppelin
Posted by: Kristi Kennelly on 7/7/2019 at 9:46 am
Hi, Bill. I liked your post about how this is giving you time to connect with your daughter, Ms. Ship in the Night, Soon to Grow Up and Away. We went hiking almost every weekend and summer vacation when I was growing up, and as Dave (my “little” brother) can attest to, it is an amazing and wonderful memory, one of the purest and most magical things you can give her—time together. Good luck on your climb! Say hi to David (I know, Dave to everyone else…but—glad you caught his essential Dave-ness. One foot in front of the other—you are in very good hands).
Posted by: Carolyn Hahn on 4/24/2011 at 3:42 pm
Love the blog and pictures!! I’ve read books about Everst but it is amazing to experience through your team. Bill we need your signature, and I thought it would be great to get it when you are crossing a ladder in the Icefall. Have a great time and hats off to Sara.
Posted by: Kathy on 4/18/2011 at 5:05 am
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