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Posted by: Solveig Waterfall, Zeb Blais
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mount Rainier
Elevation: 14,410'
Our Four Day Summit Climb led by RMI Guide Solveig Waterfall reached the summit of Mt. Rainier early this morning. The cloud covering made for a beautiful sunrise today. The teams have started their descent and are en route back to Camp Muir.
RMI Guide Zeb Blais and the Expedition Skills Seminar – Emmons team also reached the summit of Mt. Rainier via the Emmons Route. The team will descend the route back to Camp Schurman, spend another day training and will return to Rainier Basecamp tomorrow.
Congratulations to today's teams.
Posted by: Linden Mallory
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Elbrus Southside
We spent the day visiting the heart of Moscow today, walking through places familiar from a lifetime of hearing their names but only witnessing for the first time - Red Square, Kremlin, Bolshoy...
We left the hotel this morning and crossed the two bridges spanning the Moscow River and walked along the walls of the Kremlin until we reached Red Square. After wandering through the area for a bit we met our Tour Guide, Nina, for a tour of the city. In fluent English tinted by a distinct Russian accent, she spent the next three hours recounting stories, history, and significances of the many places we bounced between. First walking around St. Basil's Cathedral, the ornately decorated church on the south side of Red Square, we then passed through the GUM Department Store, the beautiful former Soviet State Store now turned luxury shopping mall. Between the stores full of familiar Western brands - Levi's, Prada, Jaques Cartier - she also recounted her personal experiences transitioning from Communist Russia to life in Moscow today, explaining the differences in food choices to retirement.
Across from the Bolshoy theater we descended into Moscow's subway system, hopping trains between several of the impressively ornate underground stations, many covered with mosaics, frescos, and hanging crystal chandeliers, before emerging into the sunlight back at the entrance to the Kremlin. We then walked beneath the thick red brick walls into the center of the Kremlin, passing throughout the churches and monuments in the heart of the Russian Government.
By late afternoon we returned to the hotel and spent a few hours of down time before dinner, trying to shake the last of the jet lag. Tomorrow we leave Moscow and fly to the foothills of the Caucasus Mountains to reach the foot of Mt. Elbrus. The team enjoyed Moscow and we are excited to head into the mountains and begin the climbing.
We will check in tomorrow from our hotel in the Baksan Valley.
RMI Guide Linden Mallory
Posted by: Billy Nugent, Geoff Schellens
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mt. McKinley
Elevation: 14,200'
Today saw pretty much constant snow all day long. Fortunately, the winds have remained calm and our crew was able to back-carry today despite the precipitation and stay right on schedule. We are now sitting pretty at 14,200' with all of our provisions and fuel. The weather is supposed to remain a little bit squirrelly through tomorrow which will coincide nicely with a well-deserved rest day. We spent most of the afternoon after the back-carry chilling in the posh and sport eating. Good times. The crew is in good spirits and pumped for the climbing ahead!
RMI Guide Billy Nugent
Hope your rest day was filled with sleep, laughs, and food. Stay well, think of you all the time and each step you take gets you closer and closer. Roger Hector sends his best and is so darn proud of YOU Elizabeth.As always hugs and love. Mom & Dad
Posted by: Maureen Bartron on 5/27/2012 at 9:34 am
just FYI for those at home—you know that these aren’t specifically photos from this trip or this team. the guides only have sat phones, not an internet connection!
these are just generic pictures of the sections they are currently on…
Posted by: Mchael on 5/27/2012 at 7:43 am
Posted by: Jeff Martin
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Vinson Massif
Greetings from Punta Arenas,
Our second Vinson trip of the season is officially underway. Our small but adventurous group arrived yesterday in the beautiful port city of Punta Arenas. This small southern Chilean town sits right on the Straight of Magellan and is the jumping off point for our flight to Antarctica.
Today, we had our pre-trip briefing with our outfitter ALE to go over all the details about our flight and to review some of the protocols for visiting Antarctica. "Vast, large, and remote" is how Peter McDowell, one of the owners of ALE and the person giving today's orientation, described it. He then showed a slide with the US (the lower 48) overlaid on top of Antarctica. Even with the US, there was still a whole lot of land mass showing.
After the team meeting we began to unpack and then re-pack everything for the flight to Union Glacier. With the final equipment check complete, the bags were weighed and transported to the airport to be loaded on the plane. It is now a waiting game. The forecast is showing an improving trend and with any luck, the team will be able to fly out tomorrow as planned and meet RMI Guide Dave Hahn who is waiting for them at Union Glacier.
Today is beautiful here and we are now off to do a little exploring and then on to dinner. We'll check in tomorrow to let you know about the flight status.
RMI Guide Jeff Martin
Posted by: Dave Hahn, Solveig Waterfall
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mt. McKinley
Elevation: 348'
I'd intended to wake the climbing team at 2 AM for their final day on Denali, but folks were snoring so hard at that hour that it seemed kinder to wait until three. Besides, our camp at 7,800' on the Kahiltna Glacier was blanketed with cloud and I didn't figure the snow surface had frozen up. But at three, the clouds began to flee and the snow got crusty, making sled-pulling and crevasse-crossing vastly easier and safer. We ate a hot breakfast, knocked down the tents and hit the trail at 5:15. There actually was a trail since a West Rib team had gone out the evening before, plowing an easy-to-follow groove in what had then been soft snow. After weeks of telling the team how tricky it could be to get through the lower glacier in mid-July, I was almost embarrassed that our task had become so simple. As we cruised along in the early morning shadows it was something of a surprise to realize that we were finding better bridges and fewer open crevasses than on our way in. The constant snowstorms that kept us from climbing high had greatly improved conditions down low. We made it to the Southeast Fork in just a couple of hours and began a slow walk up "Heartbreak Hill". The last of the clouds seemed to evaporate, leaving us in bright sunshine and giving us excellent views of Mount Hunter and Mount Foraker. By 9:30 AM we were unclipping our carabiners and shaking hands at the "upper strip". Since it was the first clear day over the Alaska Range in some time and there was a lot of flying to be done, we had to wait our turn for a pickup. But waiting was pretty easy in such wonderful conditions... we rolled out sleeping pads and napped, threw snowballs, and nibbled at the last delicacies in what -until then- had been our carefully rationed lunch food. K2 Aviation landed two beautiful DeHaviland Otters at precisely 4 PM. Fifteen minutes later we slid down the runway and off the mountain that had been our home for 19 days.
The flight out in perfect summer weather -our first of the trip- was spectacular. A million shades of green dazzled our eyes as we left the mountains and neared Talkeetna. Then it was a few frenzied hours of drying and sorting gear in the hot sunshine. With the chores done, we got to the pleasant and easy hours of celebrating over a fine dinner at the West Rib Pub. And finally there was the obligatory visit to The Fairview where open mike night was already in progress. Our Norwegian teammate, Frode, took the stage and had the big stuffed animal heads rocking off the walls with his thundering rendition of Hootchie Cootchie Man. And that was how our Denali climb ended... Without a summit, but with a lot of laughter and twelve new friends.
Best Regards,
RMI Guide Dave Hahn
On The Map
Dave Hahn, thank you for the wonderful updates! I could almost hear the “peft, peft, peft” of the team’s steps in the snow. But thank you most of all for guiding the team home safely!
Posted by: Monica on 7/19/2012 at 2:41 pm
Hmmm…
Safe journey, safe homecoming.
Thank you for your posts. This last one
was pretty as a painting.
SOUL, Denise:.
Posted by: denise:, on 7/19/2012 at 7:49 am
We left the hotel well before sunrise this morning, driving through the nearly deserted streets of Kathmandu to the domestic airport. We hauled all of our gear through the narrow entryway and into the terminal, found our flight to Lukla, and as the sun rose just before 7am we were already taking our seats in the plane. Yesterday afternoon's clouds and light rain dissipated overnight and the morning sun shone through clear skies - perfect flying weather. We buckled our seat belts tight, took the cotton balls offered by the flight attendant and crammed them into our ears, and then took off from Kathmandu. True to their name, the STOL (Short Take Off Landing) airplanes we fly in get airborne in a matter of a few hundred meters and we were soon flying above the outskirts of Kathmandu and over the hills of the Terai - the middle section of Nepal and the foothills of the Himalaya. Flying east we had incredible views of the Himalayas out of the side of the plane and we spent the entire flight staring through the windows at the countryside below and the mountains hanging in the distance.
The flight was amazingly smooth, hardly a spot of turbulence - uncommon for flights around mountains of this size, and we soon banked a hard turn to the north and descended into the Khumbu Valley. The airport at Lukla is a short strip of tarmac noticeably slanted and the landings there are always...exciting. The approach takes the flight directly at the hillside until the entire mountain fills the view through the cockpit window and then in the span of several football fields the planes go from airborne to stopped. The pilots pulled off the smoothest landing I have ever had in Lukla and within minutes we were stepping off of the plane and onto the footpaths of Lukla.
Needing a little bit of time to get all of our gear from the flights we sat down in a tea-house near the airport and had breakfast, tea and coffee before hitting the trail.
Lukla sits several days walk from the nearest road head and only footpaths connect all of the villages up here - there isn't an automobile for dozens of miles in any direction. All transportation takes place on the stone lined trails, carried by animals or on your back. It is a far cry from the chaotic traffic jams of Kathmandu and a welcome relief to hear no horns or engines. Leaving Lukla, which sits about 1500' above the valley floor, we made a long, gradual traverse down to the Dudh Kosi river. The trail passes through fields of recently planted crops of cabbage, carrots, potatoes, wheat, and other vegetables and between the stone walls of small villages dotted along the way. Every so often the trail splits around giant boulders carved with Buddhist prayers or wraps around the stupas and prayer wheels.
For fear of falling into romanticism too easily, I'll simply say that it is a beautiful walk with sights and sounds to be seen in every direction. Hanging above it all are the giant snow covered peaks of the Himalaya. At 15,000 - 20,000' they are minor mountains compared to their neighbors to the north, but seen from the valley floor far below they are impressive. We walked for several hours through the fields and villages, crossing occasional suspension bridges across side rivers.
By mid-afternoon we reached the village of Phakding and settled into our tea-house. Sitting right along the edge of the Dudh Kosi River - which means Milk River due to its milky blue color from the glacial sediment it carries - our tea-house is tucked away in a quiet spot with views up and down the valley. We spent the rest of the afternoon sitting in the sun in the grassy terraces in front of our rooms before the mountain's shadows brought the evening chill. We sat down in the dining room around the wood burning stove and had an excellent first meal in the Khumbu, enjoying some delicious momos - the local dumplings.
Tomorrow we head further up the valley to Namche Bazaar, the cultural and economic center of the region. The team is in great spirits.
Everyone is feeling healthy and well and we are all very excited to at last be on the trail.
RMI Guide Linden Mallory
On The Map
Hey Jane—love the top by the way!! I bet this is alot more fun than Avon!!??
Posted by: Bonnie Pringle on 3/18/2012 at 1:40 pm
Way to go Bowman!!!! I am so proud of you—still cannot believe you are doing this!!!!!
Posted by: Bonnie Pringle on 3/18/2012 at 1:33 pm
Posted by:
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Vinson Massif
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The RMI Expedition to Vinson Massif began January 1, 2011 as the team members and guides departed the U.S. in route to Punta Arenas, Chile. The team is led by led by RMI Guides Peter Whittaker, Ed Viesturs, Seth Waterfall and Caroline George.
Today they met with staff from Antarctic Logistics & Expeditions for an orientation about life on the ice. The itinerary is for the group to fly to Antarctica tomorrow but it looks like the weather is good and thus the team is readying for a departure as early as this evening (10 pm Chilean time).
The big Ilyushin 76 has been loaded with gear, food and supplies. Everything the team will need for their ascent of Vinson Massif.
If the weather remains good down on the ice, the team may be in the air in just a few hours!
Led by RMI Guides Mike Walter and Matias Francis the Mt. Baker - North Ridge team reached the summit of Mt. Baker yesterday. The team enjoyed a variety of weather on the climb, including rain once they got back to Hogsback Camp after their summit attempt.
Posted by: Avery Parrinello, Kiira Antenucci, Erika Birkeland, David Shuer
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mount Rainier
Elevation: 13,500'
The Emmons Seminar August 1 - 6, 2021 made their summit attempt today after several days of training and climbing on the mountain. Leaving Camp Schurman the team climbed to 13,500' before deciding to turn back due to difficult route conditions and fatigue. The team returned to Camp Schurman this afternoon and will spend their final night on the mountain. Tomorrow they will continue their descent to the trailhead near White River Camp Ground and make the return drive to Ashford.
We hope you enjoyed your week of training and climbing on Mt. Rainier!
Posted by: Robby Young, Josh McDowell
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mount Rainier
Elevation: 14,410'
The Four Day Climb September 6 - 9 reached the summit of Mt. Rainier today with new snow and windy conditions led by RMI Guides Robby Young and Josh McDowell. The teams did not spend much time in the crater, just taking a short break to hydrate and snack before starting their descent to Camp Muir. The program will conclude this afternoon at Rainier BaseCamp with a celebration of today's accomplishments.
Congratulations to today's climbers!
Great job Katelyn and Fred! So happy to hear y’all got to make it to the top this time around. I hope you enjoyed the climb and aren’t too sore afterwards! Love y’all.
Be safe coming down and getting home!
Posted by: Hayden on 9/9/2019 at 11:13 am
Congratulations Dan & Dean!
Posted by: Denise on 7/31/2013 at 1:23 am
Congrats John and Dean! Looking forward to lots of pictures.
Posted by: Catherine on 7/30/2013 at 10:15 pm
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