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Posted by: Eric Frank
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mount Rainier
Posted by: Jack Delaney, Mike Bennett
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Alaska Seminar
Elevation: 4,500'
Sunday, May 7, 2023, 10:01 pm PT
Be very quiet…we’re hunting for crevasses!
Today we took our skills out into the wild, to test ourselves against the Ruth Glacier. No we didn’t walk around until someone fell in, we instead wandered through the maze of crevasses looking for the perfect one to safely lower someone into and haul them out of. The intricacies and difficulties of crevasse rescue don’t fully translate practicing on flat ground. Our biggest challenge was finding a crevasse that wasn’t drifted full of snow from the last storm and subsequent winds. After a lot of weaving and winding through the broken edge of the Ruth we finally found one that was a little more open than the rest. We sent RMI guide Mike Bennet in as our guinea pig to see if the snow floor could be collapsed and our crevasse deepened. Surprisingly the snow floor was deep and solid, so we made due with the 25 feet of snow wall we had available. The team performed admirably and even dialed in a second crevasse rescue system known as the “Drop C”. By midafternoon the sky was blue and the sun was hot and the team had completed training. We spent the rest of the afternoon lounging and organizing
for our move to high camp tomorrow!
Beunos noches,
RMI Guides Jack, Mike and the team
Posted by: Dave Hahn, Dominic Cifelli, Tatum Whatford, Seth Burns
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mt. McKinley
Elevation: 14,000'
Monday, July 4, 2022 - 9:46 pm PT
We woke to a calm but cloudy morning at 17,200'. There was light snow falling -some of the first snowflakes we’ve had on this trip. It wasn’t too hard to be out in it for packing though. We got it all done and got walking at noon. Many careful steps were taken along the crest of the West Buttress in the clouds. We got a little surprise when we started down the fixed lines at 16,200. There was an actual squall with snow blowing in our faces as we delicately stepped down and across crevasses. Things eased as we got to 14,000' at 3 PM and re-established camp. We then had a quiet afternoon and evening of resting, relaxing and eating, with everybody making mention of how much easier life at 14,000' was compared to 17,000'.
Tomorrow we’ll hope the clouds go elsewhere as we get down to 11,000' and get set for the big walk out the lower glacier.
Best Regards
Posted by: Peter Whittaker, Jess Matthews
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Ecuador
Elevation: 9,000'
For Lindsay Mann: Wow! congrats to you and all your team members. Bestwishes to reach the summit and return. Love Gt and GN
Posted by: nick and Tllie Medvid on 5/26/2012 at 11:46 pm
Posted by: Mike Haugen, Jenny Konway, Grayson Swingle
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mt. McKinley
Elevation: 17,200'
On The Map
I miss us baby! Please come back in one piece!
Posted by: Mackinzie on 7/2/2019 at 12:45 pm
I’m sending you all wishes for a safe and comfortable ascent ....go team go!!
Ask Meghan if she brought a celebratory bottle of red wine in her camelback!!
xoxo Lisa
Posted by: Lisa Miller on 7/1/2019 at 3:59 pm
On The Map
Elizabeth and team, so happy to hear all is well and you are getting higher and higher.. Stay focused, eat lots, rest and enjoy the beauty and each other.
Miss you and our emails. Emily’s concert was fantastic. Love you tons. Mom
Posted by: Maureen Bartron on 5/23/2012 at 8:22 am
Hi dad, it’s the last day of school. We bought an iPad and downloaded lots of games. We are having an end of the year party on Thursday, right after the last day of school. I love you and miss you. Stay safe.
-Laura
Posted by: Laura on 5/23/2012 at 7:22 am
Today was a day we have all been hoping for. No alarm clocks, no rush to load the small mountain of duffles in the bus and internet all morning.
By the whipping crack of 1pm we had pacticed cravasse rescue, drank a gallon of coffee and packed our mountain bags.
A short bus ride up a road bumpy enough to make our seats feel like vibrating massage chairs, landed us at 15,200 feet. A 40 minute cruise took us to the Jose Ribas refugio on the flanks of Cotopaxi. We can definitely feel the 16,000 foot altitude. But after Cayambe we are all well prepared. We even have the privilege of waking up "tomorrow" because our alarm clocks won't ring until one minute past midnight. Wish us well as we are once again a full team with Maria's knee feeling much better.
Climb on!!
On The Map
thinking of with every step, Vlado. enjoy the vistas at the top!
Posted by: Maria on 12/11/2011 at 10:13 am
Good luck on making it up to the summit tomorrow!
Posted by: TRACY OWENS on 12/10/2011 at 10:36 pm
Hi all!
I’m trying again to post. Sunshine and crevasse rescue. What a day. Enjoy your trip!
Susan
Posted by: Susan on 5/8/2023 at 9:35 pm
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