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
Hey all,
This is the Aconcagua crew checking in from Base Camp. It's been a beautiful rest day here with crystal blue skies most of the morning. It was a great day to sit outside, enjoy the sun, and visit with other teams here. Several folks were even warm enough to take showers via nalgene bottles.
It hasn't been all play though, as each team member had to sort through gear and decide what is going to make the move with us and what will stay here at base camp. It's an important task, since from here on out, every extra thing we bring adds weight to our packs. We will enjoy a last gourmet dinner from our outfitter, Grajales, before our big move to Camp 1 tomorrow. As I write, clouds are building, and it looks like we may get a touch of snow to brighten the landscape tonight.
All the best, and we'll check in from 16,000' tomorrow!
Ciao,
RMI Guides Pete, Gabi, Gilbert, and team
Hi Jeff & team, I look forward to reading the blog everyday, sounds all good from here. I’ll bet you are getting to know one another & know who you’re on the mtn w/keep the postive feedback coming. I hope you are sleeping well,I could just picture you taking a shower from you water bottle. Love always, take care mum
Everybody made it to Alaska just fine with just one not-so-minor hiccup. One duffel never showed up and had one of us spending the afternoon at REI replacing missing items. As luck would have it, we got a call from a climber in Talkeetna who had picked it up at the airport by mistake. With that behind us we were ready for a beer and turned in after our big travel day.
Today we were busy getting the incredible amount of gear needed for this adventure ready for our flight in the morning. Everyone is excited about getting started. Me too, even after all these years.
More to come soon...
RMI Guide Brent Okita
From Expedition Dispatches, to interviews, to new records set by RMI Guides, see what the this year's top 10 most popular posts on the RMI Blog!
10. RMI GUIDE SETH WATERFALL RECEIVES VALUABLE AVY 3 TRAINING
I’ve just returned to Washington after taking part in a six day Avalanche Level 3 course in Jackson, WY. ‘Avy 3’ is the highest level of formal avalanche training in the US. It is a professional level course designed for Guides, Ski Patrollers and other avalanche forecasters. Read more...9. MOUNTAINEERING TRAINING | NUTRITION FOR MOUNTAINEERING TRAINING
Mountain Climbing has a high requirement for energy. Quality nutrition is a key component of training success. In this conversation with Registered Dietician Sally Hara of Kirkland, Washington, I had a chance to ask some of the questions which often come up in training for mountaineering. Read More...8. MT. EVEREST EXPEDITION: RMI TEAM REACHES SUMMIT!
On Saturday, May 26th at 9:31 a.m. Nepali time the RMI 2012 Mt. Everest Expedition reached the summit! RMI Guides Dave Hahn and Melissa Arnot led the team of climbers to the summit of Mt. Everest at 29,035’. Read More...7. MT. EVEREST EXPEDITION: REST DAY AT ABC
Our team enjoyed a rest day at Camp 2 (ABC) today. Their plan is to head for Camp 3 tomorrow.
This really is the start of the Mt. Everest summit push in my eyes. How the next two days go, can have real impact on the summit day. Read More...6. MT EVEREST EXPEDITION: DAVE HAHN AND TEAM AT CAMP 3 ON LHOTSE FACE
Hello from Everest Base Camp,
I spoke with Dave and Melissa at Camp 3 and WOW did they sound great!
The climbing team left Camp 2 early this morning under perfect conditions. Read More...5. RMI GUIDE KATIE BONO RECOUNTS MT. RAINIER SPEED ASCENT
I first thought of doing a speed ascent on Rainier late in the summer of 2011. I started guiding with RMI that summer and spent plenty of time that year carrying heavy loads up the Muir snowfield as quickly as possible. I come from a cross-country ski racing background and I raced professionally for the Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation, the Rossignol Factory Team, and Dartmouth College before that. Read More...4. MOUNTAINEERING TRAINING | SETTING A BASELINE: EVALUATING YOUR CURRENT FITNESS
To begin a conditioning plan for mountaineering, first establish the baseline of your current fitness level. This baseline allows you to compare your current strengths to what you’ll need on the climb. With this, we can compose a training plan that builds steady improvement between now and the day you set off for the mountains. Read More...3. LOU WHITTAKER INTERVIEW
RMI Founder Lou Whittaker was interviewed last month by the Magic Valley Newspaper in Twin Falls, ID. Lou took some time off from skiing in Sun Valley to sit down and talk about his lifetime of climbing. Read More...2. MOUNTAINEERING TRAINING | INTERVAL TRAINING
Interval Training is a training technique employed in many endurance sports. It refers to a training session where periods of high intensity effort, followed by rest, are repeated during a training session. Read More...1. RMI GUIDE KATIE BONO MAKES SPEED ASCENT
Katie Bono climbs Mount Rainier in 4 hours, 58 minutes on July 24, 2012.
RMI Guide Katie Bono completed a car-to-car speed ascent of the classic Disappointment Cleaver route. Her effort is significant not only because it sets the female speed record but also because it adds a female presence to a list which had been exclusively male dominated. Read More...
A forest fire burning lower in the valley gave the skies a light haze this morning over Namche and we could catch glimpses of the smoke rising from the valley sides further down as we left our teahouse. It was warm as we walked out of Namche and descended the hill to the valley floor but by the time we reached the bottom, clouds crept up the valley to block out the sun. As we crossed the suspension bridge above the river the first few droplets of rain began to fall. Soon the rain was falling in force and thunder echoed in the mountains above, and the smoke from the fire began to dissipate. We walked through the villages below Namche, crossing back and forth across the river on suspension bridges, while the rain came and went. Before long thunder was rolling through with hardly a pause between claps and we sought refuge in the nearest shelter we could find, piling into a tiny shack on the side of the trail already full of porters also seeking refuge.
Sitting crammed in the one room building, we sipped some tea heated up on a fire nearby as the thunder and lightning passed over us and faded away higher up the valley. Once all we could hear was a light rain pattering on the roof we set out on the trail again, picking our way down the trail as we skirted the small streams and puddles forming in our path. We made steady progress back down the valley, finally pausing in the village of Phakding for lunch. The rain kept coming down and we sat around the stove in the teahouse doing our best to dry out as we ate lunch. When we set out and the rain was letting up; with every step we made closer to Lukla the clouds seemed to rise equally as well. Soon we could see the fresh snow covering the base of the peaks above and all of the fields around shone a brilliant green with the arrival of spring in the lower Khumbu Valley. The cherry trees, rhododendron, and piries janponica trees were all in full bloom - pink, red, and white flowers dotted the trees bordering the fields and we kept pausing to take it all in.
By late afternoon we climbed the final rocky steps of the trail and walked into Lukla. We found our teahouse and shed our packs and damp gear, finally reaching the end of the trail. We are happy to be warm and dry again after the many hours of walking in the rain today and if the weather cooperates and the clouds continue to lift we hope to catch an early morning flight back to Kathmandu tomorrow. It is a bit strange not to have more trail to cover tomorrow but we are excited to get back to Kathmandu and keeping our fingers crossed for clear skies so we can fly out!
RMI Guide Linden Mallory
The Four Day Summit Climb teams led by RMI Guides Win Whittaker and Elias de Andres Martos reached the summit of Mt. Rainier this morning. Win reported hazy skies and a light wind. The teams are on their descent from the summit en route to Camp Muir. Once at Camp Muir the climbers will repack their gear and continue their descent to Paradise. Today's climbers have spent the last several months raising money for The American Lung Association in Washington's Climb for Clean Air.
Congratulations to the climbers for their efforts of fundraising, training and climbing!
Today began with a very difficult decision. Should we eat a full breakfast of cereal and fig bars? Or should we just coffee and charge down hill to the cache where a supreme breakfast awaited? Well the team decided, drink coffee, get cache and then have a relaxing brunch feast. What meal could be so enticing that we would exert ourselves on a retrieval mission with only caffeine running through our veins? Well glad you asked! It was breakfast burritos. Specifically pepper, onion, hashbrowns, eggs, Beecher’s cheese and MOOSE meat burritos. So yes, it was worth the wait. The rest of the day was a mix of napping, snacking, chatting, stretching, reading and card playing. It was an ideal day. Tomorrow we’re heading uphill to cache around 13,000' and along the way we’ll experience a series of classic Denali features! You’ll have to wait for the next update to learn all about them, oooh what a cliff hanger!
Well that sounds like a Fantastic Day!! Cannot wait to hear what other gastro delicacies are in store! Michael! Know you are having a Blast! Sending lots of love to you and the Team! Go go GO!! Alicia xoxo
Posted by: Alicia Becker on 6/8/2022 at 7:39 am
Sounds like a delicious brunch and worth the wait. I am happy to hear the rest of the day was also lovely. I can’t wait to learn about the different classic Denali features. Thank you so much for these updates! Sending the entire team all the powerful vibes possible!
Ps- Heather Hart: your CBJD family misses you and are so super proud of you and what you have accomplished. xoxo
We all finally got off the glacier yesterday afternoon as our flight service, K2, did a wonderful job getting everyone out when conditions seemed like they might close in and shut down flights.
After a remarkable twelve days at 17,200', we are all skinny and inhaled large portions of meat, fish, and beer last night. I write this last dispatch as we are riding to the airport to return home to loved ones, and put this remarkable trip behind us.
Huge kudos go out to a very strong and committed team of climbers, and to two incredible guides, Leon Davis and Lindsay Mann, who worked so hard to make this trip safe and enjoyable, and who were there at the end when the climbing got really tough and the mountain could not have been harsher.
That's all for this year. I need to see my wife and play with the dog. And I'm sure the lawn needs mowing. Thanks for following us on this unprecedented trip. I'll be back next year for a shorter, and less exciting expedition.
RMI Guide Brent Okita
Congratulations to all of you. Amazing accomplishment!
Posted by: The Parella Family on 6/18/2012 at 5:41 am
12 Days At 17.2k has to be some kind of record! What tenacity & an epic climb.
I leave Tues for my turn—have to be honest, hope we’re not stuck up at high camp that long—but you all have paved the way.
TM
Posted by: Tim McLaughlin on 6/17/2012 at 10:26 pm
We awoke early in the morning to chilly temps and moderate winds. Our summit bid had begun! It took several hours of slogging uphill before the sun finally blessed us with its presence. The rest of the climb was warm and the summit itself was windless!
The descent was smooth and exhausting. Everyone is back in camp safe and sound. Tomorrow we begin to descend into thicker air.
RMI Guides Mike King, Dominic Cifelli, Jack Delaney and Team
Saturday, January 14, 2023 9:30 AM PT
The Team stood on the summit of Aconcagua at 22,841' today! All is well, and we will share more details of our climb when we get back to camp!
Good Job A! We’re so happy for you and Mike and the whole crew! I new you could do it! Love You! Uncle.
Posted by: Kim Peltier on 1/15/2023 at 9:11 am
Way to go team! Feeling proud and nostalgic as we watch this blog from Vermont. #LLLL. Hope you felt those vibes all the way to the top.
With love and admiration - the Wilhelms
Posted by: T and B from Vermont on 1/15/2023 at 6:40 am
We made the big move from 8,000 to 11,000 ft today. This was on mostly familiar terrain for us, of course. But the unfamiliar parts brought us into a whole new world. We set out at 5:30 AM from the base of Ski Hill in perfect conditions for mountain climbing. It was cool, shady and calm and the snow surface was frozen up nicely. We cruised right on past our food and fuel cache from yesterday and reached the head of the 46-mile long Kahiltna Glacier. What remained was a little steeper terrain on a feeder glacier, but we managed that hard work without any trouble and pulled into camp at 11 AM. Things had clouded up a little, which was a good thing, keeping the sun off us as we did the hard pull into camp. It was nice to be greeted by Andy Bond and his RMI team, enjoying their rest day at 11K. We set into the hard work of building a new camp at a new elevation. The clouds began to fade, and we were stunned at the beauty of our surroundings. Whereas the scenery from within the valleys has been great, now that we are getting up a little, we can start to see out. The glacial ice surrounding us is endlessly fascinating with giant walls and towers pitched at impossible angles. We napped away the intense sun that came with the afternoon. Dinner in a new camp with a new view was excellent.
Hi Jeff & team, I look forward to reading the blog everyday, sounds all good from here. I’ll bet you are getting to know one another & know who you’re on the mtn w/keep the postive feedback coming. I hope you are sleeping well,I could just picture you taking a shower from you water bottle. Love always, take care mum
Posted by: Norene Kimes on 1/15/2012 at 12:25 pm
Larry,
Hang in there, be safe and have fun!
Posted by: Holly Seaton on 1/14/2012 at 8:01 pm
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