We caught our first real views of the mountain this morning when we emerged from the Barrels. The clouds were low in the valley below us, and above Mt. Elbrus rose clearly in the morning light. We could see the entire first portion of the route and high above, several teams were visible traversing into the saddle between the two summits of Mt. Elbrus.
We set out on our acclimatization hike shortly after breakfast. The cold night temperatures left the snow still frozen firmly, giving our crampons good purchase. We retraced our route from yesterday, quickly passing our high point and gaining elevation. By late morning the clouds returned and we climbed in a fog bank, occasional rock outcroppings appearing out of the mist ahead and gradually disappearing below us. By the time we reached around 14,400' - the same height as Mt. Rainier - a cold breeze picked up and we climbed the remaining portion in our jackets with the hoods pulled closely to protect us from the wind.
We reached Pastuhkova Rocks, at 15,100', and dropped our packs, resting in the thin air of today's high point before returning to the hut for a late lunch. The team climbed well today, negotiating the altitude and varying weather conditions well. It was a long day on our feet and we are looking forward to a mellow day tomorrow to brush up on some of the final training we still need to cover and get in a restful afternoon before our planned summit bid on Saturday.
RMI Guide Linden Mallory
This is Adam calling from Kahiltna Basecamp. We’re back and everyone is safe and sound, but our adventure isn’t over yet. Weather permitting we will fly off today, but at this point of the trip we defer to the expertise of the Alaskan bush pilot. The weather here is cloudy, with fog banks creeping in and out of base camp. The pilots must have perfect visibility in order to safely land here, so all we can do is sit and wait. It’s funny how much the weather dictates all movement on Mt McKinley; airplanes and climbers both! Yesterday was my 36th birthday and what a great place to celebrate life! Though everyone is looking forward to reuniting with family and friends, our climb of the Upper West Rib and reaching the summit of Mt McKinley is something we’ll always remember with pride.
If the planes get in, this will be our final dispatch. Otherwise, I’ll keep you posted on how we’re entertaining ourselves and dreaming of things we all take for granted in civilization!
RMI Guide Adam Knoff
Congratulations! Felicitaciones! to all 5 plus pilot when he will be there to pick you up.
Here in Grand Junction we are very happy that you are back. :-) :-) :-):-)
Posted by: Patricia Corduban on 6/12/2011 at 1:16 pm
This morning (or night, depending on your point of view), the intrepid Team Blackberry/iPhone, awoke to darn near perfect climbing conditions and decided to give the old lady a shot. Our high camp had positioned us perfectly for a good shot at topping out on the first of our big volcanoes for this trip. We left under dark skies, high above the town lights of Amecameca and Chalco far below us. We walked steadily through the rocky glacial debris at the base of the Ayoloco Glacier, skirting the previous night's accumulated hail and gaining the ridge just before first light. Once on the ridge we bundled up because even though in Mexico it can still get cold in the wind at 17,000 feet. From the ridge we handled our new challenge of cold temps until gaining the true summit of Ixtaccihuatl as the sun broke over the horizon, illuminating our next adventure, Pico de Orizaba. After a few photos and some summit celebrations, we steeled ourselves for the descent back to our high camp and the homemade soup of Rogelio's (our trusted driver) wife, waiting for us at the trailhead. Easing our way back into wheeled transport, we stuck to the backroads, avoiding the weekend traffic and checking in to our hotel in the zona historica of the colonial city of Puebla. Tonight we will feast and enjoy a good night's sleep at relatively low elevations, using tomorrow to explore the city and recuperate for Pico de Orizaba, the highest mountain in Mexico.
The Expedition Skills Seminar – Emmons team turned at high break on their summit attempt today due to high winds. RMI Guide Pete Van Deventer reported steady winds of 50 MPH. The team is back at Camp Schurman, 9,440’, high camp on the Emmons Glacier where they will spend the night. The seminar team will finish their expedition skills training before descending in the morning.
Snow pitter pattering on the tents lulled us to sleep before disappearing as our alarms rang out. Midnight came far too fast, but the snow had stopped and the clouds lifted.
The first mornings are a little hectic trying to find our groove, our routine in packing up. But with some yummy bagels topped with cream cheese and lox to fuel us, we were ready to take on the day. Our cache buried, sleds loaded, and legs ready, we hit the trail.
Luckily, the first part is downhill, a nice ease into the heavy loads. We will have to climb this hill at the end but that's for another day. The Kahiltna glacier is impressively large with giant crevasses. This glacier goes for 36 miles, and we are going to walk the beginning of it. Several hours of walking brought us to our camp. We made swift work of flattening some spots and setting up.
The afternoon was filled with warm naps, music, and reading. Everyone is enjoying all the naps and snacks. The snow danced its way back in and has been the sound of the evening. We are hoping it quits once again in time for us to begin our walk tomorrow. This trip is all about flexibility so we shall see what tomorrow brings. For now, it's off to bed to stay dry and warm.
Hey Nick this is totally awesome. I’m so glad to be able to follow this blog. Y’all be careful and know we are rooting for you. Can’t wait to see you in September and hear all about this trip from you. Love you and please be safe.
Posted by: Aunt Lesa and Uncle Blake on 6/15/2022 at 11:52 am
John and I are reading this blog and rooting for you Nick! I know you’ve been training for and looking forward to this adventure. You can do this! Now it’s up to Mother Nature to cooperate and give you good climbing weather. Love Ant Christie
Posted by: Christie Guydish on 6/12/2022 at 3:04 pm
The Four Day Climb August 18 - 21 reached the summit of Mt. Rainier on a windy morning. RMI Guides Brent Okita and Joe Hoch and the summit climb teams spent a short amount of time at the crater as the winds are increasing. They will continue their descent to Paradise and return to Rainier BaseCamp this afternoon.
Congratulations to today's climbers!
Yesterday's clouds drifted away in the night. We woke to crystal clear skies over Phakding and unimpeded views of giant snow-covered mountains. After a fine breakfast, the gang was on the trail just after 8:30 AM. Although I'd warned over and over that the trail would be busy with trekkers, porters and pack animals, we had it pretty much to ourselves. The trail wound up and down along the constant whitewater of the Dudh Khosi. We strolled through pine forests and picturesque farmland at the bottom of a deep gorge. We entered Sagarmatha National Park and stopped for lunch in the small village of Jorsalle, sitting outside in the sunshine. Then it was all business, up through the big trees and the big hills leading to Namche Bazaar. A new suspension bridge had been built at the foot of the big hill, taking us hundreds of feet in the air across the gorge. The team went at the final hill with gusto, taking a break partway up to enjoy the first distant glimpses of Mount Everest.
We rolled into Namche and our home for the next three nights at about 2:30 PM, leaving plenty of time for naps, shopping and internet.
Best Regards,
RMI Guide Dave Hahn & Team
Lee, Travis, and Norm . . . we are fascinated by the posts, information, and photos. Enjoy the experience!
Posted by: Kevin on 3/28/2014 at 10:58 am
Nicole, This looks to be an amazing journey so far, and it is only the beginning. I am so happy for you that you are fulfilling your dream. Be safe every day and enjoy every minute. I miss you very much.
Love your #1 fan, forever. Mike.
Day one of our safari brought us to Lake Manyara, known for its famous pink flamingos and tree climbing lions. It took us about two hours to get there from our hotel. The drive took us through the vast open plains of Africa inhabited mostly by the Maasai people. Once in the park we rolled the tops of our land-cruisers back and drove through while standing up. It's currently the dry season and the lake was mostly gone for now, but we saw many animals- elephants, water bucks, Thompson giselles, impalas, dik diks, zebras, giraffes, wildebeest, and too many birds to name. No big cats today but hopefully tomorrow we'll see plenty.
Everyone enjoyed the day and we are currently resting at the fabulous Plantation Lodge. See for yourself. We will be headed out early tomorrow to try and beat the heat and catch the animals at breakfast, so to speak.
It's off to bed for now,
RMI Guide Casey Grom and crew
Hi Everyone,
The team did a great job again on the short hike up to our high camp. It's been a long journey but everyone is in good spirits and we are all excited about tonight's climb.Our plan is to wake at midnight, have a quick breakfast and then be walking by 1am. If all goes according to plan then we hope to be on the summit just after sunrise.We will spend the next few hours resting, preparing our gear and hopefully getting a little sleep too.
The climb will break down into one hour stretches with 10-15 min. breaks between each hour. Our pace will be slow but steady with lots of breathing as we ascend to "The Roof of Africa" 19'340ft above sea level. We'll do our best and will try to call from the summit.
Wish us luck!
RMI Guide Casey Grom and Crew
Things didn't look all that promising when the team woke up this morning. The clear skies we lit the stoves under were gone and we were solidly in a thick cloud. Often when climbing you have to go check it out and at the end of our first hour Cayambe was entirely visible. A waning half moon illuminated the upper mountain and the snow was perfect cramponing. With barely a breeze, you couldn't ask for a better day to climb. The team worked hard today, earning the top in great style and enjoying the views of the other Ecuadorian volcanoes poking out of the clouds. We could even see Cotopaxi, our next objective.
Good job everyone and enjoy tomorrow's rest.
RMI Guide Jake Beren
Congratulations! Felicitaciones! to all 5 plus pilot when he will be there to pick you up.
Here in Grand Junction we are very happy that you are back. :-) :-) :-):-)
Posted by: Patricia Corduban on 6/12/2011 at 1:16 pm
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