The mountain time is coming to a close. We managed to get everything stuffed into, tied to the side, or strapped under our packs and split freedom the moraine camp this morning. Loads were heavy, but we were moving with gravity, and we made it to base camp nice and quickly. It's only been a week up high, but after a week if rocks and glacier, the green of plants down low looks like it was done in technicolor. Base camp comes with perks: pizzas, caucasian pies, and cold fantas, cokes, and beers. We took the afternoon to sort gear back into duffels to be better set up for our coming flights, soak feet in the mineral springs, and enjoy a last bit of the mountain. The vans will be here in the morning for us and before we know it, we'll be back in town.
The trip is not over though. Still to come, adventures in Kislovodsk and St. Petersburg.
RMI Guides Pete, Mike, and team we're psyched to be done with boots
Bags are packed and the Everest team is ready! We have been busy with last minute sewing and labeling of food and gear for each camp. Checked re-checked. All systems are go. Weather has been a bit tough right now, but the forecast is good for the planned summit day. A couple of showers to help with soon to be shared tents. All good.
Sad to report the Khumbu Country Club golf course is now closed for the season. The fairways are a bit to hollow and wet. We still have our horseshoe pit in great shape, and guess who had a double ringer to end the game today?
Up early tomorrow, let the summit bid begin!
RMI Guide and Everest Basecamp Manager Mark Tucker
Back in Internet range today. We spent the last two days in Lobuche at a little over 16,000 ft. We had an easy day yesterday, taking a short but scenic walk along the moraine of the Khumbu Glacier and touring the Italian research pyramid a few minutes from Lobuche. Today we are moving to Everest Base Camp. It is a stunningly beautiful day as we sit at our halfway point in Gorak Shep.
Best Regards,
RMI Guide Dave Hahn
We are back at Camp Uno after a spectacular carry to Camp 2. The weather was quite pleasant and the team chewed up the few thousand feet with a load to prepare ourselves to move higher tomorrow. Once at Camp 2, we enjoyed the new views as the northern side of Aconcagua came into view. You sure can see a long way from 18,000 feet on a clear day!
Wish us good luck on the weather front for the next few days, if these conditions persist we will be in great shape to keep moving higher.
RMI Guide Jake Beren
Keep going #1. Thinking of you every day. Enjoy the views man.
Posted by: Jon on 12/30/2012 at 4:10 pm
Stay strong Josh. we love hearing all of the updates and are saying a few prayers that the weather continues to be favorable for the ascent to the summit
Posted by: Matt and Jazmin on 12/30/2012 at 5:34 am
Hello again from Ecuador. Today we are greeted with a beautifully, clear sky and amazing views of Cayambe looming far above us. We packed up all of our climbing gear, and loaded up the vehicles and headed into the town of Otavalo. Otavalo is home to one of the largest open-air markets in all of South America. The team spent about 2 hours shopping and trying out our bargaining skills with the locals. From the sounds of it, some of us did better than others. After town we started our two-hour drive through the beautiful countryside of Cayambe. The road slowly climbs up the ridge line that allows us access to this massive mountain. Due to the tough conditions of the road, we hiked the last little bit, which helped out with our acclimatization process. We are currently relaxing in the Cayambe's climbers hut at about 15,300' that overlooks a lot of the many glaciers here. The team is doing great and everyone's ready to go to bed after an enjoyable dinner of pasta, vegetables and chicken. To top it all off, we were treated to an amazing sunset tonight that reminded me of the sunsets in central Oregon. Buenes noches and we look forward to checking in with you guys tomorrow. Have a good night.
RMI Guide Casey Grom
7:55 a.m. - JJ Justman and the Four Day Summit Climb reached the Mt. Rainier summit! The weather was better than he had expected when the team started their ascent this morning. They are spending a little time on top and will begin their descent shortly. Congratulations team!
The Expedition Skills Seminar - Kautz led by Mike Haugen starts their four days on the mountain today. Good luck to them as they train and make a summit bid on the Kautz Route.
"No one knew who they were. . . or what they were doing. . ."
But with help from our archeologist guide, Jorge, we got a fascinating glimpse of the ancient city of Teotihuacan. Exploring the Avenue of the Dead and the Pyramids of the Sun and Moon it was remarkable to imagine that these dry ruins once supported the bulk of central Mexico's commerce and over 120,000 people. The city is actually built on top of multiple variations of previous cities that were covered and preserved. Quite a tour of an amazing site where you could spend lifetimes unlocking the secrets buried beneath the volcanic rock.
After scratching the surface of the 2000 year old city we took a tour of a local obsidian factory where the volcanic glass is hand carved into traditional Aztec figures and masks as well as meticulously crafted silver jewelery.
By this point in our day it was time for lunch and after a very short drive we sat down to another great meal before travelling to our home for the next few days, La Malintzi. Here we will accclimatize and prepare for our attempt of Pico de Orizaba.
RMI Guide Jake Beren
Thursday, August 15, 2019 - 8:32 PM PT
We are out of the mountains! It took a little extra time to make it happen. One of the vans apparently broke down on the way to get us, necessitating a return to Kislovodsk for another vehicle, and a few hour delay. The WAS van eventually showed up at base camp and unloaded its inhabitants and gear, and we proceeded to pack the back full with duffels. The river had risen, so rather than be in the van for the crossing, we walked across the nearby fields, crossed the river on a small bridge, and met the van on the far side. The four wheel drive road is always exciting as we sway back and forth with the ruts, and was made even more so by the uncanny resemblance of our vehicle to a clown car with everyone inside.
Though we arrived late to Kislovodsk, we got a delicious dinner at a Georgian restaurant on the central pedestrian mall. Tomorrow we transition back to big city mode, making our way to St. Petersburg.
RMI Guides Pete Van Deventer, Mike Uchal, and team hurry up and wait
Hello from 3800 Assault Camp (as our Russian friends call it). Since we were reunited with all of our gear yesterday and had some time to contemplate the piles, today was the perfect day to once again bump up a portion of that gear to our next camp at Lenz Rocks (about 15k). We woke to brilliant azure skies and cooler temps: perfect climbing weather. By 9 am we were donning harnesses and crampons, and clipping in to the climbing rope for the first time of the trip. The terrain below Lenz was our first snow climbing of the trip, and the conditions were perfect for cramponing. The group moved very well through the first stretch, but it began to feel like we were racing the weather a bit. First, a few errant clouds drifted across our climbing route on a light breeze, temporarily reducing our visibility. Then, just as we neared our destination, there was a distant rumble of thunder. At Lenz we didn't rush with our cache, using the time at a new altitude to help our acclimatization, but we didn't linger either. With our gear stored, we headed down into very low visibility and a couple of more distant rumbles. We moved very well downhill with light packs and some motivation, ultimately beating the weather to camp. Not long after we were tucked into tents snacking, the first flash of lightning alerted us that the storm had arrived. We sat, counting the seconds between flashes and cracks, listening to the tattoo of hail and graupel on the tent walls. By dinner time things had calmed down, and we ate dessert while watching spectacular colors play on the clouds as the sun set. We are hoping that our luck with the weather continues, and that tomorrow will give us the opportunity to move camp once again. We'll be in touch tomorrow.
RMI Guide Pete Van Deventer, Jeff Martin, and Crew
Hello again everyone.
Just one more day to go before we reach our goal of Basecamp! Today we arrived in Gorak Shep, the original Base camp that early expeditions used. Being that this is the last stop before the normal BC it is rather small, only about 4 tea houses here. Originally we were planning on climbing Kala Patar this evening, but due to reoccurring stomach issues and clouds rolling in we have opted for a morning ascent. The standard weather is clear in the morning and clouds in the afternoons, so hopefully it will continue to be the same.
Just so everyone back home knows, I have spoken to a few doctors about the issues (just mainly upset stomachs) and they have informed us that there have been many trekkers with similar symptoms this season.
Everyone is still smiling, just not all day long.
We are looking forward to Base Camp!
RMI Guide Casey Grom and crew
Elsie and Casey, wishing I was with you guys even with the little stomach challenges…be safe. Go Team..
Posted by: Fletch on 4/2/2013 at 4:59 am
Stomach issues still haven’t cleared up? I’m praying that all of you will be well and back to normal soon. At least the weather seems to be cooperating. Good luck on getting to base camp!
Great job Marcky-poo! Cant wait to have you back at my place. Miss you and love you!
Posted by: Lindsey on 8/15/2019 at 10:09 am
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