The weather could not have been better last night and early today. Right now it is snowing lightly. It can sure help to have stable weather conditions for any night at 21,300' and a major bonus to have calm weather for the first night of many at that altitude. The word from above is that the team did well during the night. So well in fact, that Dave was able to rally the team early this morning for a 7:30 a.m. departure and climb to just below the Lhotse Face. That section took about an hour and forty-five minutes. We would call that part of the day, the approach to the climb. Above where they stopped is a continuous steep climb to get up to Camp 3, which sits at 23,900' more or less. Dave reports that since we have been having daily snow, the conditions on the face have improved. What we saw in the earlier part of the month was blue ice on most of the face.
The previous dry winter has created a big gap between the lower angle slopes and the steep face, which is referred to as a bergshrund. If it were a wet winter with lots of snowfall, that gap could be filled in with snow making crossing much easier. At the last meeting of the teams, we decided to send up a ladder to be placed in that area if it seemed like it would help the climbers get on to the steep section. More progress was made by the fixing team above Camp 3. Sounds like the ropes are set to Camp 4, which is the South Col (26,000'), our final camp before the summit push. More work will be needed to improve the ropes from Camp 2 to the South Col but that is huge to have the initial set in place. Dave, Sara, Bill, and Linden plan on getting on the face tomorrow. This will be a taste of steep climbing at extreme altitude.
The team is right on track and fired up!
Till next time,
RMI Guide Mark Tucker
SAYSEE!!! just wanted to say hi and tell you that i love you more than anything! and keep pushing and fighting and everything will be worth it in the end. you are so amazing for doing all that you are doing and i am so proud of you! we all miss you here and can’t wait to see you but for now we are here cheering you on! i think about you everyday and how incredible this is. know that you are in our prayers and you inspire me so much, it’s incredible! i really do love you more than you know- to heaven and back! you’re the greatest sara rose. -emma
Posted by: Emma Payne on 5/1/2011 at 5:37 pm
Hi Linden! Helped deliver my sissys baby 1 day old, in Georgia near the Tornado! Would rather be climbing in Nepal EXCEPT FOR HIS CUTE LITTLE FACE! GOING VERTICAL
We are back from our acclimatization to 15,165 feet on Mt. Elbrus. The team got a closer look at the route. And more importantly, they were able to work out some of the nervous jitters that come from the unknown.
Today's climbing up to Pastuhkova Rocks is very similar to the climbing we will face on summit day. The slopes aren't flat but they are also not overly steep. Nice and relaxed is how I'd define them...just like our team.
Speaking of our team, they are doing fantastic. Everyone is working well together which should make summit day safer, more successful and more fun.
We are back at our camp relaxing in the sunshine. Tomorrow is our rest day. However, we will check in and give you an update on what the weather has in store for us on our summit day, which should be Saturday.
RMI Guide J.J. Justman
Hi Keri Bear and Allen! The big day is around the corner. Will be with you and your group, sending prayers and positive thoughts! Keri, be safe, have fun and take in “the moment” for your accomplishment! Summit Day…............YEA!!! Love, Mama xoxo
Posted by: Rosemary Wallin on 7/27/2012 at 7:55 am
What a day!
A team meeting over breakfast followed by our park service orientation was just the beginning. The real work started at the hanger of our flight service, K2 Aviation. It was here that the tedium of going thru our gear, both personal and group stuff will pay off hugely when we get to the mountain and are stuck with the equipment we've chosen. REI has yet to set up shop on the Kahiltna Glacier.
As we wind down the day a great meal sits in our bellies and we look forward to a final night luxuriating in a real bed where a hot shower and toilet lie but a few carpeted paces away. Tomorrow will be different!
With luck we'll be flying onto the glacier at 9:00am to start our trip... One that we have all been working so hard and dreaming about for so long. And we start it as a group of individuals already well on our way to being a team of climbers and, more importantly, friends.
I know that we're all excited to get under way. I know too that I'm excited to climb with this very impressive group.
Well, all for now from the cozy little town of Talkeetna.
RMI Guide Brent Okita
Today was a big day! Our first official rest day of the trip. After a few long hard pushes, we decided to sleep in and take the entire day to recover, and prep for the big carry tomorrow. We woke with the sun, and had a few rounds of breakfast burritos. After a leisurely breakfast, the remainder of the day was spent resting, recovering, reading and napping. Just before dinner we reviewed a bit of cramponing and ice axe techniques to prepare for the terrain above 11k Camp, and then rolled into an early dinner. Tomorrow we'll make our way towards 14k Camp to cache some food, and gear before returning to 11k Camp.
A big thank you to our stellar RMI Guides for their hard work yesterday maintaining and improving the route. The climb marks the 250th time RMI Guide Casey Grom has reached the summit of Mt. Rainier. Congratulations Casey we are priviledged to work with such an accomplished and great guide. We hope your 250th summit was a memorable one!
Greetings from Arusha Tanzania,
Our adventure has begun! The team arrived last night at Kilimanjaro International Airport and we headed directly to the Dik Dik Hotel. It's a welcome relief to go from our long flights to a delicious meal and a soft bed.
No early risers in this crew, so it was a nice relaxing start to our day. After breakfast we started talking about the details of the days ahead and to sort through our gear to get ready for our departure. With our gear packed and weighed, we took a nice walk down to a nearby town to stretch our legs and to check out the area.
Tomorrow we have an early departure for the Machame Gate where we will begin our trek. With our travel days behind us, it is time to start walking! We'll check in tomorrow from the mountain.
Till then ....
RMI Guide Jeff Martin and The Simba Sita (The Simba Six)
Great job! Knew u could do it even with the old geezer Bob. Just kidding. We are proud of both you.
Posted by: M and K on 2/16/2012 at 3:10 pm
Hi Hegmans!!! We are so proud of you!!! Glad to see ODU representing in the picture:) Good luck and make it to the top so you can bore us with stories about it for years to come!! We love you! Jodi, Jackson, and Max
Posted by: Jodi, Jackson, and Max on 2/16/2012 at 6:53 am
It was cloudy overhead this morning, threatening another pulse of snow. We'd enjoyed yesterday's calm sunshine and hoped for one more day of the same, but that didn't seem likely. The snow held off nicely for our Puja ceremony though and we even got a couple hours of sunshine. The climbing Lama had made his way up from Pangboche for the event... Ours was the first in camp other than the one for the Icefall Doctors (who have been hard at work building the climbing route for the past two weeks already). We sat and listened to the prayers and chants as our Sherpa team attended to all of the mechanics of the ceremony, distributing offerings and building the prayer mast with colorful flags radiating out in five directions. The idea is that we want the blessing of the gods before we put any of our team at risk on the mountain. Having watched a gargantuan avalanche come down over the icefall around seven this morning, we all hoped the gods were paying attention to our pleading. The Puja finishes with everybody throwing tsampa (barley flour) up to the heavens and then in a gesture of friendship and camaraderie, spreading the remaining tsampa on the cheeks and noses of one's fellow climbers. We all wished each other good luck and careful climbing and then toasted with beer, coca cola, whiskey, rakshi and chang (it wasn't a requirement that any individual have each and every one of those... we are at 17,500 ft and it really doesn't take much sipping to feel an amplified effect).
After lunch, we walked out onto the lower section of the Khumbu Glacier to stretch our legs and explore as the storm moved in. We were able to walk on frozen streams and watercourses beneath great towers of gleaming ice. It was snowing good and hard by the time we got back to camp, but now -in early evening- that snow has quit although cloud still hangs low and plentiful around us.
Best Regards,
RMI Guide Dave Hahn
Miss you all terribly. Glad Avalanche is down off icefall before you boys head up. JJ was right, Erin and I made a beeline to the pizza place in Katmandu. They had a strike in the country the next day so when we took off on the plane it was strange to see no cars (almost) on the streets. Warm here in Doha. Warm thoughts to all of you. Xoxo
Posted by: Bonny Rogers on 4/7/2015 at 10:50 pm
HW: What a beautiful ceremony and important day! We love reading all the details in Dave’s blog. Hope the tent life is treating you well. All the best! -FX
On a perfect weather day, the Expeditions Skills Seminar - Muir team called in from the top of Mt. Rainier! RMI Guides Brent Okita and JJ Justman were happy to report 100% of the team reached the summit this morning! After spending some time reveling in the views and taking photos, the team began their descent at 9:30 a.m.
This marks RMI's last Mt. Rainier program for the 2012 season. Congratulations to all the summit climbers this season that we have had the pleasure of guiding to the highest point in Washington state!
A climber from Mark Tucker's Kilimanjaro Climb, Mike Wyatt, composed the following poem about his summit day.
BLUE SNOW by Mike Wyatt
The air is cold, burns the lungs deep – Wish I was in bed fast asleep.
Obsidian night – Black as a raven feather.
Buttery crescent moon shepherds in good weather.
Heavy limbs fight the rocky slope – Trekkers tied by an invisible rope.
The echo of fatigue resonates down the line – Fiery meteorite the color of red wine.
The air is cold, burns the lungs deep – Wish I was in bed fast asleep.
Blindly pushing forward, we pass another team – What is reality? What is a dream?
Summiteers from years past whisper in my ear – not give in, for the peak is near.
I chase the heels before me repeatedly catching my breath – One unconscious slip could mean injury or death.
Tangerine pink color accent the sky – It’s pure silent beauty is no lie.
The crater rim now in sight – Ebullient hikers descend in weary flight.
Icy dry wind burns my face – Tired scarred boots don’t leave a trace.
The air still cold burns the lungs deep – I’m glad I am not in bed fast asleep.
For the glacier’s blue snow is still cold, hard and deep.
We've enjoyed a very leisurely day here in Deboche, taking full advantage of our rest and acclimatization day. The morning broke clear and calm. From the windows of the tea-house we could see the summit of Everest and the surrounding peaks and we gazed out at the panorama of mountains over a breakfast of apple pancakes. After breakfast we grabbed a water bottle and few warm layers and walked through the rhododendrons of Deboche to the Buddhist Nunnery tucked inconspicuously off the trail on the other side of the village. We spent some time exploring their Gompa, with it's large prayer wheel and room for meditation and prayer all housed in a small compound.
We then climbed the hill back up the ridge top village of Tengboche, which we passed through yesterday, and continued further up it's ridge to a view point. Following a small path that see little travel, we passed dozens of long strings of prayer flags strung along the ridge, the five colors of the flags fluttering in the wind blowing up the valley, until we reached a small chorten. Below us the Tengboche Monastery stood on the ridge, surrounded by the skyline of sharp mountains stretching off in every direction. We relaxed up there, enjoying the views and the warm late morning sun while also taking advantage of the higher altitude to give our bodies some exposure to the new elevations before dropping down again.
Upon returning to Tengboche, we spent the rest of the afternoon at the cafe and bakery in the village, resting and reading while we passed the time. While there a trekker from Germany came in with a large gash on his head - while he was climbing the hill to Tengboche a passing yak herder threw a stone at one of his yaks to urge it on, however his aim was off and the rock hit the man squarely in the back of the head. Luckily for him, the doctor in our group sprang into action, quickly fixing him up and sending him on his way - relief and gratitude written clearly across his face.
The clouds settled in by later afternoon, covering the village in a thick fog that was punctuated only by the sound of the horns blowing from the Monastery announcing the afternoon prayers. We followed the monks into the large and ornately decorated prayer room at the center of the Monastery, framed around a statue of a sitting Buddha two stories tall. The monks settled into their blankets and poured steaming cups of tea while we found a seat along the edge of the room. Then a deep hum filled the chamber as they began to chant their prayers, each one accentuating a different syllable but beginning and ending each mantra in perfect unison.
Leaving the monastery we descended the fifteen minutes back to our tea-house and settled in around the fire while the clouds blew through the trees outside. It was a restful and enjoyable day, the ideal break from the hiking we've been doing before we head further up the valley to the village of Pheriche at 14,000' tomorrow. We have appreciated all of the comments and send our best to everyone at home.
RMI Guide Linden Mallory
Team,
Congrats! Sounds like everyone is doing very well. Amazing pictures and impressed w/ the ability to communicate so effectively.
All well here. I won’t tell you how warm it is, but Spring is in full bloom. Should be a beautiful Easter and everyone will be here—including Cookie.
Posted by: john on 3/21/2012 at 6:38 am
Getting great reports. Amazing how well the communications seem to flow. Congrats to all and good luck on next phase.
All is well here. I won’t tell you how warm it is, but Spring is in full bloom. Should be a pretty Easter w/ everyone home.
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SAYSEE!!! just wanted to say hi and tell you that i love you more than anything! and keep pushing and fighting and everything will be worth it in the end. you are so amazing for doing all that you are doing and i am so proud of you! we all miss you here and can’t wait to see you but for now we are here cheering you on! i think about you everyday and how incredible this is. know that you are in our prayers and you inspire me so much, it’s incredible! i really do love you more than you know- to heaven and back! you’re the greatest sara rose. -emma
Posted by: Emma Payne on 5/1/2011 at 5:37 pm
Hi Linden! Helped deliver my sissys baby 1 day old, in Georgia near the Tornado! Would rather be climbing in Nepal EXCEPT FOR HIS CUTE LITTLE FACE! GOING VERTICAL
Posted by: Hollyanne on 4/30/2011 at 10:30 am
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