Most Popular Entries
Posted by: Eric Frank, Caleb Ladue
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Bolivia
Thursday, June 16, 2022 8:42 pm PT
Hello all,
The team made quick work getting ready this morning so we were the first out of camp. A quick warmup of mellow, flattish terrain gives way to a steep slope called motorcycle hill. And what did we do on this hill? We motored on up it. After a quick break we then encountered squirrel hill. Some of the sleds got a little squirrelly but pulled through. The polo fields give a break from so much uphill but still require us to bring our best game. A not so windy windy corner gave way to a holey section that might be a little sporty crossing at the end of the trip. After a few hours of walking we made it to our cache site. Once some snacks were consumed we reversed our steps and headed back to camp. The team, once again, showed they came prepared to climb Denali and are crushing. Tomorrow we will enjoy a rest before we make our move to 14k camp. Everyone is ready for a new home and to be closer to our goal. For tonight, it's time to catch up on Stranger Things.
Goodnight,
RMI Guide Hannah Smith and Team
Welcome to day one of the February, Expedition Skills Seminar - Ecuador. From this day forward, you as the blog follower will be stuck to the edge of your seat for the next two weeks, waiting with more anticipation than those waiting for the next episode of Yellowstone. You will hear harrowing tales of long bus rides, lots of food and drink and perhaps some occasional mountain climbing.
Today however, the excitement was kept to a minimum with a brief orientation in the hotel lobby with all team members present, followed by a four hour city tour covering the equator to the north then back to the old town of Quito in the south.
I would say our most adventurous moments came during our visit to the Mitad Del Mumdo, or center of the world, where eggs mysteriously balance on nails if one posses the proper mojo and strange gravitational forces affect raised arms if hailing the sun god. No one seamed possessed by evil spirits so my first impression is every one should climb well.
Beyond that the city blessed us with good weather, good views and nice people. After the tour our weary travelers retired for a quick nap before our first of many group dinners.
Tomorrow we will venture into the mountains for the first time stretching our legs and lungs while quickly breaking the 15,000 foot ceiling on the active volcano, Pichincha Rucu, 5 miles from our hotel. Stay tuned for that report.
Until then, watch some Yellowstone.
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
Posted by: Andy Bond, Grayson Swingle, Ben Luedtke
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mt. McKinley
Elevation: 11,200'
Tuesday, June 21, 2022 - 8:49 pm PT
The weather couldn’t make up its mind today- it was cold, it was hot, it was sunny, it was cloudy, it was clear, it was snowy, it was windy, and it was still. It literally couldn’t make up its mind from minute to minute. This of course necessitated putting on and taking off layers, putting on sunscreen, and opening and closing the vestibules. Our heads are still spinning.
Today was what we called a reverse carry day which means we headed down hill to retrieve our cache from 10,000' and hoofed it back up the hill to camp. Andy called this a rest day. His idea of a rest day is a little demented in my opinion. On the Appalachian trail, we would have called this a Nero day (translation- nearly a zero day).
We also prepped for tomorrow by deciding what we are going to carry up to 14,000' Camp for caching. The strategy is to split our load so no one day is heavier than the other.
Camp life today involved consuming large volumes of food while we still have an appetite which also means we don’t have to carry it. Many of us are finding out that we packed way too much food and are excited when anybody is willing to eat some of it. We also tossed around some deep questions like -if you could go back in any period of history when would it be? My answer was the future, specifically the day we summit this massive mountain. You may have also heard that one member of our team is carrying a hula hoop up the mountain. After a little research project from our followers, we learned that if our team member is successful in hula hooping for 30 seconds on the summit, they will break the record for the highest hula hooping. The current record is on Kilimanjaro at 19,300'. Stayed tuned.
RMI Climber Mary-Beth
David & Mary Marker you two continue to become some of my favorite humans after that research (no surprise since you are the reason why one of my absolute favorite human’s exists).
Steve - of course YOU would take something that could lead to you breaking a world record (which I’m certain you’ll succeed at doing). So go get that summit then celebrate with your hula hoop and then continue onto goal #1. :)
Posted by: Melanee Strootman on 6/23/2022 at 8:26 am
Keep it rolling Hydeco!
Posted by: Clyde on 6/22/2022 at 9:54 am
Posted by: Tyler Reid
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Elbrus Ski
Posted by: Avery Parrinello, Hannah Smith
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Ecuador
Elevation: 18,100'
We awoke inside a thick cloud engulfing basecamp on Antisana. Optimistically we ate a quick breakfast, packed up and started the hike to the base of the glacier. After an hour we ascended through the thick cloud deck and emerged into a beautifully calm, starlight night. As we ascended, we quickly encountered complex and technical glacier travel. Many crevasses emerged that were not present two weeks ago on the last RMI climb. Also, we found many steep, firm slopes that had hardened to trap crust from recent snowfall. The team climbed excellently, overcoming one obstacle after another. Unfortunately, with the summit insight, we realized we had used up too much time to reach the top and defend safely. We were also concerned with snow and crevasse bridge conditions on the very unusually warm evening. We reached 18,100 feet on Antisana, a high point for many on the team. At sunrise we watched Cotopaxi erupting before descending.
We're now safely off the mountain and looking towards our final objective of our program, Chimborazo--the tallest volcano in Ecuador. We'll keep you posted as we continue to train and discover all that Ecuador has to offer.
RMI Guide Avery Parrinello and team
Posted by: JT Schmitt, Matias Francis, Jackson Breen
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Alaska Mt. McKinley
Elevation: 14,200'
Friday May 27, 2022 10:37pm PT
It was a beautiful day today at 14,000' camp. We slept in, ate breakfast burritos, then napped, read and ate some more.
After reviewing some more mountaineering skills, we ate more burritos for dinner. With the sunny skies, warm temperatures and the menu today, it almost felt like we were in Mexico.
Stay tuned for what we get up to tomorrow!
RMI Guide JT Schmitt and the Denali Team
Great progress so far! Hope you enjoy some well deserved R&R!
Posted by: Ramsay Bader on 5/29/2022 at 6:56 am
Go Team RMI - sending positive thoughts and wishes from Mount Washington NH!
Posted by: Jennifer Huntington on 5/29/2022 at 3:47 am
When 6:30 rolled around this morning, the clouds were all gone at Shira Camp. Kibo stood out clear as a bell and so did Meru, the 15,000 ft volcano to our west. There was still a sea of clouds down below, but they were well below our lofty 12,500 ft camp. We were walking uphill by 8:30, straight toward Kibo. It was an easy day for climbing with gentle breezes to keep us cool. The trail was easier than those we’ve experienced so far and we made good and steady progress. We reached the Lava Tower at around 12:30 PM and sat down at 15,200 ft for a leisurely lunch in the sun. Our nine climbers had each broken their personal altitude records. It was amazing to be so close under Kibo’s gigantic rock and ice faces. Finally we geared up and started walking down. We came gradually back into the zones where plants live and then it was wonderful to stroll down through the gardens of Barranco with Giant Senecios and lobelias and Heather. We made it to camp at 3:30 and ducked into the dining tent for coffee and popcorn. Coming into camp it was hard not to look over at the Barranco wall and wonder about tomorrow’s climb. But the beauty of Kibo at sunset and the amazing stars that came out a bit later helped to settle our minds on the present. We’ll worry about the wall tomorrow.
Best Regards
Wow you guys are doing great! You’re almost to the summit! You can do it! Love and prayers coming to you Steve, Lynn and Peter! Looking forward to hearing all about the trek!
Posted by: Ardy and Bob Schopf on 8/6/2022 at 3:12 pm
15,200! You’re feeling it now, I’m sure! Take it all in and stay strong…and hydrated!! Hoping for clear skies for you all.
Posted by: Rob Schopf on 8/6/2022 at 1:13 pm
Following your posts and wishing all a great climbing trip.
Posted by: Jane on 2/12/2022 at 5:26 pm
Stalking you online with happy memories of 2016 in Ecuador with Adam and team.
Posted by: Lindsay Newell on 2/10/2022 at 4:44 pm
View All Comments