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Our team took a well-deserved rest day in Puebla, sleeping in, enjoying the warm weather and soaking in the colorful city.
Folks explored, some finding fresh fruit stands, massages and local shops for souvenirs. Others relaxed and connected with loved ones back home, letting them know about the adventures so far. Tonight we filled up on traditional mole, discussed other climbing trips and swapped many stories.
Tomorrow we head off for our final objective. Orizaba!
RMI Guide Abby Westling
Posted by: Dustin Wittmier, Avery Parrinello
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Ecuador
The dry weather held out for us and we summitted Antisana at 6:30am yesterday. Clouds threatened in the distance, with a fantastic lightning show in the direction of the Pichincha Volcano. However, it was mostly calm and clear at Antisana, until the summit where wind and rime ice conditions convinced us to not hang too long.
Antisana is well-liked by climbers for it's challenge and aesthetic beauty. The mountain is heavily-crevassed with numerous seracs. The largest snow bridge we crossed yesterday stretched nearly 20 meters! The use of steep snow climbing techniques and running belays are required, especially in the final 1500 vertical feet of the ascent.
Climbers on this trip have now summitted the fourth (Antisana) and third (Cayambe) highest peaks in Ecuador. If future trips bring them back here, they have Cotopaxi and Chimborazo to round out the top four. But for now, Cotopaxi continues to erupt, so those plans will need to be on hold.
After the 11-hour day of climbing, we descended to camp, ate one final Locro de Papas (potato soup), packed up camp and made one last trip in 4x4s down to the bus. We said our goodbyes to the Ecuadorian guides who have taken care of us along the way and we rejoined Victor on his bus for the two-hour ride back to Quito. The afternoon was spent relaxing in the hotel and I'll say the cold plunge felt better than ever. Today, most folks head back to the United States to regale their families with stories from another successful climbing trip.
Thank you all for following along and consider joining us next year!
RMI Guide Dustin Wittmier
Thanks to Casey, Adam, Kel, and Gilbert for a great adventure!
Posted by: John Krueger on 5/22/2011 at 8:08 am
CONGRATS!!! So excited to see you all in a few weeks!!!
Posted by: Shannon on 5/19/2011 at 12:40 pm
Posted by: JT Schmitt, Matias Francis, Jackson Breen
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mt. McKinley
Elevation: 11,000'
Sunday, May 22, 2022 - 10:15 pm PT
Back carry day.
Today was a little more relaxed than the last few, although we still got up early to beat the heat. We walked downhill to retrieve our gear from our cache, with commanding views of Foraker and Crosson. We were back at 11,000ft Camp by 11 in the morning and spent the rest of the day eating pancakes and reviewing mountaineering skills.
Weather permitting we hope to cache as close to 14,000' camp as we can tomorrow!
Thanks for following along.
RMI Guides JT, Jackson, Matias and the RMI team
Woop woop! Awesome work everyone and lots of love to Sam and Clare!
Posted by: Caleb Huntington on 5/23/2022 at 1:39 pm
Amazing photos. And glad for the sunshine and great progress. Houstons are glued to the blog!
Posted by: AMY HOUSTON on 5/23/2022 at 9:38 am
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
Congratulations on a successful summit!
Posted by: Holly on 7/22/2019 at 2:40 am
Posted by: Christina Dale
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Everest BC Trek and Lobuche
Elevation: 16,175'
Way to go Sherry and Ed! Love following you all on your adventure. Absolutely amazing! Love you both!! xo Colleen & Will
Posted by: Colleen on 3/27/2019 at 9:15 pm
What an amazing adventure for you all. Let my sweetheart Robert know I’m following everything you post and I get all his pictures. Can’t wait to hear about absolutely everything. Be safe and enjoy every moment .
I miss you .
Love, Kelly
Posted by: Kelly Donovan on 3/26/2019 at 10:48 pm
Posted by: Mike Walter, Pete Van Deventer
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mt. McKinley
Elevation: 20,320'
On The Map
were are you guys? Hope you had a restful day. ET phone home!!!! Love bob Enjoy the time you have on the mountain. Love you tons mom xoxo (Maile)
Posted by: Ginny and bob on 5/29/2012 at 6:56 pm
Amazing accomplishment-kudos to you Mike and your team! Glad that you made it to the summit safely and with such pleasant weather! So glad your Mom forwarded the news to me.Always happy to hear about your endeavors. All the best to you and your group!
Aunt D
Posted by: Mike Walter and team on 5/29/2012 at 5:16 pm
Posted by: JT Schmitt, Matias Francis, Jackson Breen
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mt. McKinley
Elevation: 11,000'
Tuesday, May 24, 2022 - 7:42 pm PT
What a day it was today! We were able to cache at 13,500 ft. The winds were calm all day, and the clouds were only below us, which created a sense of floating through the sky as we carried out gear up the mountain.
Now we are back at 11,000' Camp, all safe and sound!!
RMI Guide JT Schmitt and the RMI team
Great to hear!! Sam you’re crushing it!!
Posted by: Ramsay Bader on 5/25/2022 at 8:30 pm
Great job everybody! Thinking of you every day and hoping you’re having a great climb. Love you Clare and Sam!
Posted by: Kathy Huntington on 5/25/2022 at 3:08 pm
Posted by: Christina Dale
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Everest BC Trek and Lobuche
Elevation: 11,300'
Brings a smile to me…
Posted by: Terri L. Jennings on 2/4/2023 at 7:30 am
Awesome Dustin! Really enjoyed following along!
Farmer Dave
Posted by: Dave Kestel on 2/3/2023 at 1:35 pm
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