We had higher hopes for today. But no, we didn't go anywhere. It was stormy with a forecast for more, so we sat at Basecamp. The mountain was partially visible from time to time, but mostly it was socked in with a thick layer of cloud covering all but the bottom of the western face. As the afternoon wore on there was even a little wind right here in Basecamp (which is rare) but mostly it was just calm cool and cloudy. The team rode it out in the tents; reading, writing, talking, eating and sleeping. By evening the sun had broken free of the clouds that were piled up against the mountain and things got downright pleasant for a while. Fingers crossed for more pleasantries tomorrow.
Best Regards,
RMI Guide Dave Hahn
So, our team is now assembled at the Dik Dik Hotel in Tanzania, getting ready for our climb of Kilimanjaro. It is a long way from the US and sometimes mother nature makes getting where we want to go (out of Chicago in a windstorm) a bit more difficult. Nonetheless, we are all here and with most of our luggage......two of the team are missing bags. Our local staff has worked hard to assist us by making additional transfers to the airport to pick up our gear. We have it pretty good in the ol' USA, just some of the places we wish to visit are not at the same level of infrastructure and support we are used to. I look at it that we are a guest in their country and appreciate any help I can get. Bottom line two more equipment checks tonight and some late night packing. Then we will be good to go in the morning.
We celebrated two birthdays tonight with cake, candles, singing and presents. Not a bad place to celebrate! This is adventure travel at its best and tomorrow we start on the mountain.
It doesn't stand a chance against this team!
RMI Guide Mark Tucker
Hello points North, this is Jake on the summit of Pico de Orizaba with our team who did a great job today getting up in good style. We had awesome weather, light winds, warm, we are on the top looking into the crater right now. Enjoying some great views and really unbelievable day.
So thanks to everybody back home for all of the support and we will be calling you when we get down. Well, all right, that's it from the third highest point in North America.
Take care up there and we'll be seeing you soon.
RMI Guide Jake Beren
RMI Guide Jake Beren calls from the summit Pico de Orizaba
Hi there this is Seth checking in for the Mt. Elbrus Northside Expedition. Our friend the wind finally gave us a break today! At around 2 am the big gusts died off and by sunup everything was calm. Everyone was stoked to get up and finally get on the glacier. By 9:00 we were cramponed up and climbing. The route was great and JJ set a nice pace. We made it to our high camp in 4.5 hours. We dropped off some food, fuel and a little gear there and then boogied back down to Camp 1. If the weather allows we will move up to high camp tomorrow!
RMI Guide Seth Waterfall
Hey gang, this is Billy checking in with Geoff and Pete here. We're giving you guys a call from basecamp, Plaza Argentina, after a successful summit attempt yesterday. We spent a good part of the day today walking down from high camp at Plaza Cholera all the way down here to basecamp, just under 14,000 feet. Everybody is a great mood. We enjoyed an awesome meal of mashed potatoes and roasted chicken, courtesy of the great folks at Grajales, our outfitter. Right now we are just getting all of our mule loads prepared for the long walk to the road tomorrow. And should actually take all day tomorrow and a half of the next day before we're back to civilization. For all those you that are following along, this might be the last you’ll hear of us until we're back to Mendoza. And thanks for following along. And we'll talk to you all soon. Ciao.
RMI Guide Billy Nugent
We slept well in the Barrels last night, the paneled walls providing a surprising amount of insulation from the cold mountain night. The morning again dawned clear and after breakfast we headed out on our final acclimatization hike. The fact that our bodies are already growing stronger at this altitude was evidenced by our pace this morning as we made it to our high point of yesterday a bit faster and with far less effort.
We continued upwards, donning our crampons and picking our way across the rushing rivulets of surface water beginning to run down the glacier as temperatures warmed. By midday we reached our goal, an outcropping of rock at 15,300' or so. Above us stood the east summit of Elbrus towering another 3,000' higher. Below us stretched the massive rolling glaciers of the mountain, enveloping all sides of the mountain like an apron. It was a beautiful view and we were pleased to be up there.
Retracing our steps, we descended back to the Barrels in time for an afternoon lunch before relaxing for the rest of the day. The weather once again turned unsettled in the afternoon, occasionally spitting rain and hail on us. A fairly consistent trend has emerged while we have been here - clear skies in the morning followed by light afternoon precipitation. It appears as though it will continue for the rest of the week, boding well for our planned summit bid the day after tomorrow - keep your fingers crossed!
A light hike and some rest is planned for tomorrow.
The Expedition Skills Seminar - Paradise August 8 - 13 team met last Tuesday at Rainier BaseCamp for their first day of Technical Skills training. On Wednesday, led by RMI Guides Ben Luedtke, Jackson Breen and Joey Manship they headed to Paradise and hiked to their first camp. The team spent the next several days learning and practicing glacier travel skills, crevasse rescue and expedition style climbing. Yesterday they bumped camp to 10,080' Camp Muir and with an alpine start this morning they reached the summit of Mt. Rainier. The team is safely back at Camp Muir where they will have a short break to repack and re-fuel for the remaining 4,500' down to Paradise. They will conclude their program with a celebration at Rainier BaseCamp this afternoon.
Cache and carry was the theme of the day; or more appropriately the reverse. We carried loads up Ski Hill to the Kahiltna pass and buried them in a cache, to be dug up on a later day. We did this to acclimate and make moving camp easier. The weather was hot, cold and windy; so typical for the mountains. We then loaded our sleds in our backpacks and looking like characters in a Mardi Gras parade tromped back down hill to some of Jack’s spicy Jambalaya. Check back tomorrow to see what kind of adventure or mischief we get into - same time, same channel. -
RMI Guides Casey Grom and Adam Knoff are leading our first Expedition Skills Seminar - Muir of the 2013 season. Today they are spending the day at Rainier Basecamp preparing for their next five days on Mt. Rainier. Team introductions, gear organizing, and technical training is on their agenda.
While the team was testing out their boots on a hike from Basecamp, they ran into Lou Whittaker, the man who started RMI 44 years ago! Some stories were told and photos were taken, then it was back to training.
The team is anxious to head up on the mountain tomorrow!
There was a wind blowing in the night at high camp. It was just a few miles per hour, but it was steady and we'd been exceedingly lucky in not having any wind for four days up high, so it was a worry. But a needless worry, since by morning it was gone. We ate, we packed and by ten in the morning we were walking downhill with great big packs. Everybody was thinking about getting those big packs down the steep fixed ropes... the last real obstacle to our safety, but we caught those ropes and slopes in perfect condition. They were still in shadow and the tracks of teams that had descended several days earlier were still in perfect condition and useful as stairs. We made it to our old digs at low camp in just a few hours, packed and repacked there and then plodded down the Branscomb Glacier toward Basecamp. Cresting the final hill, we saw two Twin Otter airplanes sitting patiently and waiting to take us away. This was a pleasant surprise as we hadn't really discussed an exit strategy yet with ALE, our logistics company. At Basecamp by four in the afternoon, we shuffled duffels and boarded the planes. Some of us were treated to a magnificent scenic flight as the pilot performed a mountain reconnaissance for future climbs on our way back to Union Glacier. The Twin spiraled around one Matterhorn after another and dove through tight v-shaped passes. A smooth landing at Union got us in just in time for dinner. A wonderful dinner, whilst sitting in chairs, with backs. True luxury. We caught up with fellow climbers from the mountain (who we hadn't seen for days) and with the wonderful staff at ALE. Life is considerably warmer and easier at Union Glacier, and the team is excited about being a step closer to home, but we're all still buzzing over the mountain that we lived on for the last nine days. And climbed.
Best Regards
RMI Guide Dave Hahn
HW: Great to know you are be step closer to home. Hope you will be ale to fly to Punta Arenas soon. We had a lot of fun at the birthday party. Love, -Fan
Posted by: Fan on 12/16/2012 at 6:22 pm
Sterling, The plane ride sounded like it might have been another highlight of this trip. We hope to see you New Years Day. Have a great trip home.
Posted by: Dave & Shirley on 12/16/2012 at 10:43 am
nice pic.
Posted by: michelle on 12/19/2012 at 9:30 pm
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