Wednesday, June 4, 2014 4:53 PDT
The morning came with no wind and optimal cool temps for our travels. After an oatmeal breakfast, the team packed for our quickest departure from camp yet. Our crew is strong and made great time during our climb, stopping at our cache to retrieve a handful of items from the surface, adding just a microscopic load for the final push into our new home for the next few days.
We plan to continue to fortify our camp by adding wind walls to our million dollar Posh house! The Posh house will serve as our kitchen,living, and dining room, bringing some comfort from the chill of the evening and protection from the blasting solar energy of the sun.
Currently, we are hiding from the sun's torture and looking forward to a big dinner of tortellini with bacon and sun dried tomatoes. Tonight we will get a long night's rest, and a leisurely breakfast tomorrow will lead us into a short back carry to retrieve the rest of our equipment!
We're keeping our fingers crossed for RMI Guide Brent Okita and his team above us - as of last night's radio check-in, they were planning to go for the top today. If the weather up high is anything like it is at our new camp, they stand a good shot. But for us, the name of the game is rest, recover, and prepare for the work ahead.
Cheers for now,
RMI Guides Tyler Jones, Garrett Stevens, Bryan Hendrick, and team
We are following your progress. Good Weather & Good Luck! Going to Raleigh to see & hear Oz.
Posted by: Fred & Donna on 6/5/2014 at 5:46 pm
Hi Paul! We didn’t want you to be the only “camper” (haha) not getting “mail” from home this trip. So enjoy your adventure and safe travels! Love Ronda, Alex, Meeka and Max (the toad catcher!!!)
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
I don't know how the Ngorongoro Crater can be beat but Tarangire National Park may have done just that. What an incredible day!
Having gotten some much needed souvenir shopping done on the way to the park we arrived before lunch time and decided to put some miles in before stopping to eat. In the first 3 miles we saw so much game that we had to turn back to eat at the designated picnic stop by the entrance.
With our fill of zebra, wildebeest, impala, giraffes, elephants and more, all at less than a stone's throw away, we went on the search for a lion. Did we ever score, thanks to our safari guides/drivers. Lions hanging in the grass were nothing compared to seeing two hanging out on a tree limb. This was followed up by seeing a young male who was busy digesting his kill from the morning that we passed by earlier. Then, miraculously, we came upon a leopard lounging in a tree, surveilling her area hoping for dinner to walk by. This was a first for me, and we were all quite excited about it.
Then, it was a long 1 1/2 hr drive to our lodge in the park. When we finally got there, we were amazed at just how incredible this place was. Not only super posh, but as we sipped on drinks on the patio listening to the manager explain about life at his safari lodge in the park, we had elephants. Impala and several other species of game walking past the lodge in plain sight. Then, in our ''rooms' we found 5-star accommodations waiting for us. I think we're all in awe!
Now, later, I'll just say that dinner was perfect, and I didn't get jumped by a lion on the way back to my quarters
This morning RMI Guides Dave Hahn and Alex Halliday led their teams to the top of Mt. Rainier! The weather is cloudy and smoky from some wildfires up north. The team began their descent from the crater rim at 9:25 a.m.
Congrats! I heard the ladder crossing was out the day before..assuming it has been repaired now? Gaining the cleaver is not too difficult now? Im planning a climb tomorrow.
Posted by: Isaiah R on 8/1/2021 at 10:40 pm
I’m so thankful for experienced guides who monitored conditions diligently and kept in communication about the bridge status. Congrats to all!!
Hello. This is Eric Frank calling from the summit of Mt. Khuiten in Mongolia. It's 9:30 in the morning and I'm happy to report that this is our third summit of the week and everyone made it to the top of Khuiten. We are having a pretty wonderful day. We're going to head down from here to our high camp and continue on to base camp later this afternoon. We are looking forward to a round of feasting and a good night's sleep tonight. Thanks for following along. We'll check in soon. Bye.
RMI Guide Eric Frank
RMI Guide Eric Frank calls in from the Mt. Khuiten summit!
This is Gabi and the RMI Aconcagua expedition checking in from Camp 1.
This morning we left the comfort of Aconcagua Basecamp and started to head up at 10am. The team did a great job climbing today, it took us 4 1/2 hours to reach the camp. We enjoyed another sunny day. The cold winds on the Andes started to pick up, not too strong yet, but forecast is calling for 75 mph at the top for tomorrow. We will see how hard is blowing here tomorrow morning and we will decide if we do the carry to Camp 2. Our plans B and C for tomorrow are to carry just to the col between Aconcagua and Ameghino (half way to camp 2) or we'll use one of the weather days if winds are extremely strong. We'll be sending dispatches from the new comfort of Camp 1.
I am passing the keyboard to Garrett, and he will give you the score of the stoke meter.
By popular request we are instituting a daily stoke meter, to share with the world the level of excitement the team is currently feeling. We'll be using a numeric scale that corresponds to a specific level of stoke, defined as follows: 0-2= no stoke. 3-5= semi-stoke. 6-8= stoked. 9-10= TOTALLY STOKED! Today's stoke meter is a healthy 6, which is pretty nice after the climb.
Stay tuned for more updates from the team!
RMI Guides Gabriel Barral and Garrett Stevens
Illness is the enemy of every climber. You have trained countless hours and are in the best shape of your life, but if you start a climb already sick, the climb you were prepared for can become infinitely harder. Health on an expedition starts before the climb, before the team meets, and before the marathon of travel to get to your destination. Start your trip healthy by making sure you are thinking about your health and your immune system several weeks before your trip even starts!
Remember to "taper" your training before the climb. Ease back on the hours and intensity of your workouts during the last week or two before your trip and make sure that you are rested, recovered, and ready to go. It’s always tempting to push the last few workouts, but doing so can lead to arriving tired and predisposed to getting sick before the climb begins.
Most climbing trips begin with an airline flight, whether across the U.S., or across the globe to South America, Nepal, and beyond. An airplane full of people from all over the world is a big test for your immune system, and it will need all the help you can give it. To keep your immune system strong, don’t forget to start hydrating a day or two before your flight as well. Airline cabins are often pressurized to higher altitudes than we are used to, and consequently, humidity in the cabin is also much lower than our normal environment. Good hydration before your flight will help get you through the flight in better shape. Lastly, don’t forget to get up and move around. A few hours of sitting in your airplane seat can leave your legs feeling stiff, sore, and perhaps swollen; not an ideal start to a climb!
Once you are back on the ground, try to adjust to your new environment. Often, the hardest part is adjusting to a new time zone. Do your best to adjust your routine to the local time right off: eat your meals at standard times and try to stay awake until a normal hour. Besides a time zone change, you may also be dealing with new and different foods. Right before your expedition isn’t the best time to be adventurous with your food. Be mindful of what you eat, especially when traveling abroad. Make sure that food, especially meat, is thoroughly cooked. Beware of fruits and vegetables that are unwashed, or have been washed with tap water. Soil and tap water in other areas can carry bacteria and viruses that our systems aren’t accustomed to dealing with. Along the same vein, be careful with drinks. Drink bottled water if in doubt, and ask for drinks to be made without ice (which is usually made from local tap water). Use bottled water to brush your teeth as well. If you are dying to spice it up and try the local delicacy, the time to do it is after the climb.
If you arrive feeling a bit off, don’t stress. Take the time to rest, recover from your travels, and refuel. This will make all the difference if you are balancing the line between getting sick and staying healthy. Vitamin-C supplements, Zinc, Echinacea, and innumerable other immune supplements are available. Bring your favorite, and use them prophylactically during your travels. Traveling can be the most stressful part of your climb. Once you are in the mountains, routine takes over and all of your training pays off!
Questions? Comments? Share your thoughts here on the RMI Blog!
Hello this is Jake checking in from Mexico.
We are at Piedra Grande, the hut on Pico de Orizaba. After a day of rest in Puebla, we took off for Tlachichuca early this morning. After meeting with Dr. Reyes at his family's climber hostile we took four wheel drive vehicles up to the hut. We are turning in early to prepare for our climb tonight. It is a little cloudy right now but other than that conditions are pretty good. The peak comes out now and again and we are hoping things clear out for our climb tomorrow.
Wish us luck! We will call in tomorrow.
RMI Guide Jake Beren
RMI Guide Jake Beren checks in from the climber's hut on Pico de Orizaba.
Yesterday we had a relaxing down day at the base of the mountain with on and off thunderstorms, walking exploration of the surrounding area, and coffee drinking. The day culminated in our celebration bbq dinner with our Russian guide Yuriy, master of ceremonies, pouring one vodka toast after another.
Today we’ve just arrived in St. Petersburg after a somewhat tedious journey through Russian domestic air travel. In my experience it’s usually pretty smooth sailing, but today that was not the case. I’ll spare you the details - it’s the same story as you’ve probably experienced in America. We made our flight and the whole team is psyched to be here.
RMI Guide Tyler Reid
Back down at 8,000 ft on the Kahiltna Glacier. We packed things up at 14K this morning with the usual mix of clouds and clearing. Nobody was looking upward any longer even though the peak was out. Our focus became getting down safely. We went into the clouds and murk as we came around Windy Corner. Walking in fresh powder with big packs and sleds was a challenge, but we were able to find the remains of a packed trail under the powder for much of the day. We took a good rest at 11k as we dug up our cache there and switched out crampons for snowshoes. Travel on the upper Kahiltna was much less complicated than the steep hills we began the journey with. We found excellent glacier conditions and even came out of the clouds a little below 10,000 ft. At the base of Ski Hill we set a quick camp, had dinner and dove in the tents for a few hours of rest. We'll give the glacier surface a chance to freeze up hard before we aim for the airstrip in the morning.
Best Regards,
RMI Guide Dave Hahn
Mark, well done to you and the entire team for this endurance test. Sometimes the weather wins in this business. Your team fortunately had the best leader out there to give it the best shot, and still get you back safely. Aconcagua on my radar, and would be proud to do that with you some time in the future. Bill
Posted by: Bill Hill on 7/18/2012 at 7:45 pm
Dr. K -
I guess this means we’ll get to see you in class next week! Sorry to hear the summit remains elusive, but that just means it would like to invite you back for another expedition :) May you have a safe journey back to the airstrip and to Santa Barbara, and we all look forward to seeing you next week.
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By popular request we are instituting a daily stoke meter, to share with the world the level of excitement the team is currently feeling. We'll be using a numeric scale that corresponds to a specific level of stoke, defined as follows: 0-2= no stoke. 3-5= semi-stoke. 6-8= stoked. 9-10= TOTALLY STOKED! Today's stoke meter is a healthy 6, which is pretty nice after the climb.
Stay tuned for more updates from the team!
RMI Guides Gabriel Barral and Garrett Stevens
We are following your progress. Good Weather & Good Luck! Going to Raleigh to see & hear Oz.
Posted by: Fred & Donna on 6/5/2014 at 5:46 pm
Hi Paul! We didn’t want you to be the only “camper” (haha) not getting “mail” from home this trip. So enjoy your adventure and safe travels! Love Ronda, Alex, Meeka and Max (the toad catcher!!!)
Posted by: Ronda Kinneberg on 6/5/2014 at 4:07 pm
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