Today we made the move further up the mountain. The winds rattled the tents through the night. By the morning, they eased up. After sorting some logistics, we made our way up the mountain getting closer to our final goal, the tippy top.
The team did a fantastic job, making good time to the camp.
I knew it was going to be a good day because as I went to the bathroom, I saw a fox. Foxes have been a good omen for me on big mountains like Denali. I'm sure it will be one here too. This is my fourth trip seeing a fox on this mountain. Any who, we are keeping an eye on the winds as we get in position for our move to high camp and summit bid. We are looking at going for the top on Monday. Tomorrow, we are going to carry some gear to high camp and acclimatize.
To those reading, please ask mother nature to cool her jets with the wind and allow us a calm next few days. For now, we shall be lulled to sleep by the sound of tents flapping in the wind.
Hey Hannah! I am sending my Best wishes for calm winds sunny skies and the strength of a 100 bulls to you and your team as you head to the summit!!
Farmer Dave
Posted by: Dave Kestel on 1/20/2023 at 8:17 am
Bummer, Rob! But,I am guessing as we discussed if you are not 100%, then you have to step aside, Still a bummer.
Our Four and Five Day Summit Climbs led by RMI Guides Mike Haugen and Garret Stevens were just leaving the crater rim at 7:19 am. The teams have had a blue bird morning with clear skies, great views and light winds. We expect the teams back at Rainier Base Camp this afternoon.
Congratulations to Today's Teams!
Hello from Mweka Camp,
We did it! The entire team made it to Uhuru Peak, the Roof of Africa, this morning at 7:30 am. But there were no gimmes today, we fought hard for every step. What started out as fairly decent weather when we woke up, quickly changed as we were about two hours into our climb. At first, it began snowing lightly, but the higher we climbed, the harder the snow fell. The trail was completely covered by the time we reached 18,000'. By Stella Point, the crater rim, it was blowing about 30 mph and 4-6 inches of snow had fallen. Definitely not your typical summit day. Despite the challenges of the weather, the team did great today.
We left camp at 12:50 am and were on top at 7:30 am. We only spent about 10 minutes at the summit sign, and then it was time to get back down. The fresh snow made for an interesting descent, and new snow had fallen all the way back to high camp.
After changing out of our summit gear, we re-packed our duffels and headed down to Mweka Camp, 5000' below us. We arrived in camp just before 5:00 PM, and our 17-hour day is now over. We are all tried, but in great spirits and looking forward to a good night's rest.
Best regards,
RMI Guide Jeff Martin
When the road gets tough, the tough get going! We bow to your efforts and successes! Enjoy the first of your celebrations and the rest of your journey!
Love,
R&C
The Expedition Skills Seminar - Muir is on our third day of the program and our second day on the mountain. After a great day of training at Rainier BaseCamp on Sunday, we spent most of the day yesterday getting up to Camp Muir and today we are launching into our training. The weather has been great so far and it's supposed to hold for the week. We're psyched for that. Here's a pic of Senior Guide Lindsay Mann teaching ice axe arrest.
We'll check in again soon.
RMI Guide Seth Waterfall
Michelle we are all so very proud of you and the rest of the team.
Please know that we’re keeping you in our prayers. Glad to hear the weather is good.
May God keep you all safe!!
These are busy days at basecamp. The trail into camp is still quite full with trekkers, porters and yak trains. Most, although not all, climbers have now reached base, and the Puja poles with their colorful webs of prayer flags now form an intersecting canopy over the entire area. Each morning, teams of Sherpas are heading up into the Icefall carrying loads and a few teams have their members sleeping up at Camps 1 and 2 already.
I'm not in a big hurry to get through the Icefall with Erica just yet. The route, although complete when I checked it out the other day, could still stand to be tracked in and improved somewhat. And I'd just as soon have my seventeen-year-old client as ready as possible when we go through to Camp 1 for the first time. So our plan has been to keep training and acclimating ... which, it turns out, is not a bad way to pass the time in this place. Yesterday, while half-a-dozen of the team made the early start and tagged C1, Erica and I got a full night's sleep, ate a fine breakfast, and then set out for a good day of walking. We made our way down to Gorak Shep, banged a right turn up into the hills, and began to climb Kalapathar. The weather was perfect throughout most of the day and our views were unlimited and improving as we climbed. We could look back to the peaks that had lined our path on the trek in, with Thamserku, Kangtega, and Ama Dablam in the distance. Tawoche, Cholatse, Nuptse and Pumori were big and beautiful a little closer in. To the east, Lingtren, Changtse and a big, dark, high pyramid by the name of Everest were stunning. From the top, Erica and I could see the South Col and part of the Lhotse Face. I was surprised when a Slovenian climber near Kalapathar's summit recognized me from the time in 1997 when we were alongside one another on Vinson in Antarctica. But such meetings are not uncommon here.
We cruised on down to Gorak Shep for a drink and a rest at the outdoor tables, chatting with trekkers while watching a few soaring birds. We rallied for the hike back up to basecamp and compared notes there with Ed Viesturs, who'd gone for the same circuit a bit earlier in the day.
Today was generally a good rest day in basecamp, which means meetings for those of us who endeavor to figure out schedules and strategies and future meeting possibilities. Erica and I did bust out of camp for a fine walk in the lower glacier before lunch. I love getting out there to explore ... note that I normally refer to walking "in" the glacier near basecamp, whereas anywhere else in the world it would be normal to talk about climbing "on" a glacier. In this particular section of the Khumbu, which is devoid of snow cover, one walks up and down hidden gullies and waterways in the ice. I like to get out to easier walking on a medial moraine of rock and then to find a new way home through the ice with a different gully each time. This time I was able to show Erica a few old logs that had been used for crevasse bridges in the days before ladders. These, of course, had originally been placed up in the Icefall and had been carried down with the passage of decades. Even so, the logs still clearly bore the crampon scars of whichever famous climbers had scrambled across them.
After lunch, our camp was quiet with napping and a few board games. I joined Peter Whittaker, Jeff Martin and Linden Mallory for a short walk to Damian Benegas' camp, where an initial team-leader meeting had been called for. There was plenty of handshaking and backslapping among those gathered. All of the usual suspects of South Side Everest climbing, plus the former North Siders who've all given up on the Chinese restrictions on entrance to Tibet-The big players-IMG and HimEx, Adventure Consultants and Jagged Globe were there, along with Croatians, Russians, Kazakhs, Koreans, Irish, Spanish, Swiss and Canadians. Willie and Damian Benegas went over the group business with input from those assembled. We tried to figure out radio frequency overlaps and attempted to pool resources for rescues and rope fixing. The gang agreed to meet tomorrow to build a helipad to the west of camp. I helped myself to popcorn and pimento-stuffed green olives from the Benegas table while the big business was conducted and the hors d'oeuvres were sadly being overlooked. The olives were tasty and the meeting therefore a great and friendly success.
The Four Day Climb led by Dustin Wittmier and Dan May reached the summit early this morning. Dustin reported 30 mph winds and sun on the Summit. As the team has started their descent it has gotten quite hazy and clouds are rolling in.
There was still a big cloud cap on Denali this morning, but at 6AM the winds didn’t seem too bad. There were clouds in every other direction as well, but we were mostly looking up at the West Buttress as we ate breakfast and pondered a carry. It seemed worth a shot. We pulled the trigger and left camp just after 8 AM. It was colder this morning than it had been… not extremely cold, but colder than we’ve yet experienced on the trip. Our tracks -and anyone else’s- from yesterday were gone, so we had the added challenge of trail breaking in a few inches of new snow. Even so, we made steady progress upward. But the cloud cap made steady progress downward, so we were bound to come together. We were in murk and light but cold winds by the base of the fixed ropes. Which all made for a cold intro to climbing the steep, icy rope section. Thankfully, the winds were blowing from behind us and so we stepped into much needed calm at our destination, which was just perfectly in the lee and sheltered by the crest of the West Buttress. It was wonderful to hit our 16,200 ft target, but the clouds hid the grand views. We quickly cached supplies and geared up for a descent facing into the cool wind. A careful descent got us to 14,200 ft camp just as the sun came out there at 2:30 PM. The afternoon and evening were calm and easy with occasional snow showers. The storm is definitely easing, but of course they are predicting that another will follow. We’ll rest tomorrow in any case.
The Four Day Summit Climb Teams led by RMI Guides Casey Grom and Caleb Ladue were forced to turn around today above the top of Disappointment Cleaver due to route conditions. The teams will descend from Camp Muir and return to Paradise this morning.
The Expedition Skills Seminar – Emmons is soaking up the sun and setting up camp in Glacier Basin. The team is doing really well and everyone is excited to be on the mountain. There are clouds building so taking advantage of the sun is the number one priority for training this afternoon.
RMI Guide JJ Justman
We woke again today to completely clear and beautiful skies, and seemingly perfect weather for our move out of basecamp and up on the mountain. The gang packed up quickly and were ready to march in short order. Anticipation has been building for a long time and everyone was ready to get the show on the road. We moved well and enjoyed a nice breeze that actually helped temper the heat of the sun. After about 4 1/2 hours of climbing we were setting up tents on the upper bench of Camp 1 (16,700') and heading down for a super short back carry to retrieve our cache. As we were getting settled the wind was coming in and out and eventually it started snowing. The whole camp and surrounding cliffs got a beautiful dusting of 2 or 3 inches of snow. The squall eventually died down and I'm hoping for a calm rest of the evening...
RMI Guide Billy Nugent
Hey Hannah! I am sending my Best wishes for calm winds sunny skies and the strength of a 100 bulls to you and your team as you head to the summit!!
Farmer Dave
Posted by: Dave Kestel on 1/20/2023 at 8:17 am
Bummer, Rob! But,I am guessing as we discussed if you are not 100%, then you have to step aside, Still a bummer.
Posted by: Terry Reilly on 1/20/2023 at 5:06 am
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