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Once again, we (the Sherpa team and guides) were ready to go up through the icefall on a recon mission. Once again we nipped it in the bud at three in the morning due to falling snow and cloaking clouds. The clouds were still thick as clam chowder when the team assembled for breakfast. That didn't stop us from gearing up and going for a walk in the new snow for an hour or so along the route to just where things get steep and serious at the base of the Khumbu Icefall. It was eerie and beautiful to have the giant towers and walls of ice drifting in and out of our view as we trudged quietly through the snow. Out in front in the whiteout, it was nearly impossible to tell anything as to whether the next step would be up or down or sideways, but we managed to find the route by braille in any case. The goal was to get some exercise and some more practice and -as much as anything- to occupy the mind in what could be construed as dull circumstances. There is still a blanket of snow over everything and so hiking Pumori's ridges (as we've done to reach both Pumori Camp One and Kalapathar) doesn't seem wise, what with shallow powder over uneven rock. We passed the afternoon playing games and monkeying around with internet/3G connectivity. Tomorrow, for sure... up and at 'em. Best Regards, RMI Guide Dave Hahn

On The Map

6/26/2012 4:00 pm Hey Everybody it’s Billy calling to check in from the Jose Ribas Refugio here on Cotopaxi (16,000’ ft). We elected to head up the hut early so we could give ourselves a full night and a little bit better of a chance of getting to the top because the weather has been so poor. So we are going to get up in the middle of the night tonight and hopefully these winds will die down a bit and the lenticular clouds will clear. If the weather is not very good we will attempt a day climb. So we will check in again tomorrow and let you know how things played out. 6/27/2012 7:00 am Hey Gang, it's Billy again. I'm calling to let you know that we got up in the middle of the night last night and it was blowing pretty hard so we decided to wait until the morning to see if we could attempt a day climb. We got up around 6 and we had a big lenticular cloud and pretty steady wind of 40 mph here at the hut. It is blowing a pretty consistent 50 mph just above where we are at right now. We are back into a holding pattern. So tonight will be our last chance to go climbing. We will head out into it unless it is just absolutely insanely awful. So wish us luck. Hopefully the winds will have died down and we will have chance to get out and do some climbing. We will check in again to let you know how things went.

On The Map

Hello from the Alaska Range, We departed Talkeetna this afternoon and the flight onto the glacier was spectacular, no one was disappointed. We quickly set up our camp on the SE fork of the Kahiltna Glacier and are beginning to adjust to glacier living. The weather is splendid. We are looking forward to beginning our training tomorrow and will let you know how it goes. RMI Guide Jason Thompson

On The Map

It was worth another predawn start to get into Ngorongoro Crater first thing in the morning. The animals are a bit more active in the cool morning than on a hot afternoon. We wanted action. The drive to the gate from Plantation Lodge was brief, but then the drive on rough roads up to the crater rim and along that rim was a good deal longer. It was slightly surreal as well because we did it in thick fog. We got under that cloud layer though as soon as we began our descent into the “crater” (which is really a caldera). At first there was some enthusiastic pointing at individual zebra and wildebeest… until our team realized there were thousands of zebra and wildebeest… not to mention gazelles and cape buffalo. 

Our guide Jacob made the sighting of the day, pointing out four lionesses. We watched them move and rest… but they were clearly hungry and making their moves with breakfast in mind. We were all watching when one of them charged a Grant’s Gazelle. The Gazelle was moving fast but the lioness had cut off his exit possibilities and took him down before our wide open eyes.  The other three big cats made their leisurely way over to enjoy a snack as we watched. It was a cool day in the crater, the clouds never really did go away. But that seemed to be fine conditions for viewing wildlife.  We saw everything from hyenas to hippos… lots of hippos. But we weren’t seeing rhinos.  They exist in Ngorongoro but they are notoriously shy.  Finally, we spotted a pair of black rhinos from the crater rim on our exit. Emmanuel, our guide found the pair with binoculars and we each ticked them of… making four of the “big five” down… elephants, lions, cape buffalo and rhinos. Just missing leopards.

On the crater rim we visited a Maasai village and saw some fine dancing and chanting, watched the men make fire and throw spears and then entered their small huts to try to understand what it really is like to hold on to traditional ways and means in a modern world.

We were back at Plantation in plenty of time to enjoy the sunset, some excellent cocktails and a perfectly prepared and presented dinner.

Best Regards

RMI Guides Dave Hahn & Team

We made good time to Camp 1 at 16,300'. There were some clouds that kept the temps comfortable. Heavy snowfall began as we setup camp. The team got their cached items and ducked into the tents for a little rest before dinner. Tomorrow we will continue our ascent of Aconcagua with a carry of food & fuel to Camp 2 at 17,000'.

Fingers crossed that the snow stops tonight and winds do not get too high. We'll check in tomorrow after our carry.

Thanks for following along.

RMI Guide Mike King

The Four Day Summit Climbs led by RMI Guides Brent Okita and Walter Hailes reached the summit of Mt. Rainier this morning. Brent reported clear and warm conditions. The teams are enjoying some time on the summit. They will return to Camp Muir later this morning and then continue their descent to Paradise. We look forward to seeing them at Rainier BaseCamp this afternoon. Congratulations to today's Summit Climb Teams! Happy Independence Day!

Hello from the Dik Dik.  This is Seth with a quick check in letting you know this we are all off the mountain safe and sound.  We had a nice walk down from our last camp this morning and we're back at the hotel before 1pm.  After some well deserved showers we had a great celebratory dinner.  Now were all psyched up for our safari.  That's starts tomorrow with a visit to Lake Manyara.  We'll check in after our game drive. - RMI Guide Seth Waterfall

Hello from Pheriche! 14,042 feet but who's counting. After a nice dinner, the team is tucked away for the night. Lot's of hiking in all directions today. Nice to have such great Sherpa support to be able to offer many options. A few new altitude records for the team. Another day of perfect weather, and trail conditions in great shape. We are now above tree line, but lots of bushes still keep us thinking we are where life forms can survive. It is a rather tough environment to be in, we welcome these islands of paradise called tea houses. Plan is to take a rest day here tomorrow. Some day hikes and a bit of training for my crew that will go with me to Island Peak in the not so distant future. The surrounding peaks of Taboche (21,309') and Cholatse (20,784') always impress. Crazy to think that the real big ones are up this valley and around the corner. Looking so forward to reuniting with those views. RMI Guide Mark Tucker

On The Map

Woke up to clear blue skies (over the city anyway) psyched to get up into the hills and stretch the legs a bit. I met the gang down in the hotel restaurant and wasn't shocked to find they were also revved up for getting the trip started in earnest. After a quick bite to eat, we linked up with Jaime and jumped in some taxis headed for the Teleferico. This gondola took us up high above the city onto the slopes of Rucu Pichincha, one of two sister peaks on an active volcano. Quito's sprawl actually starts to climb up the flanks of the mountain and this proximity was bad news for the city in the 90's when the volcano belched a huge quantity of ash onto the metropolis. Well, with no signs of imminent eruption the team was able to climb from the top of the gondola at just above 13,000' to the summit at right around 15,400' in about 2.5 hours! Good stuff! Being able to move well on our first foray is a great indicator of the group's overall fitness. The climb was largely hiking on decent trail, but the last several hundred feet involved some really fun 4th class rock climbing. Everyone was feeling the elevation but moving and climbing incredibly well. The whole time we climbed we were followed by an awesome dog who even made the rock moves to the summit, my guess is that he was hoping to snag a few more of Jaime's chicharrones... The team managed a quick and efficient descent, downloaded the gondola, and hopped a van back to the hotel. After hustling around town to shag a few miscellaneous gear items, I took a nice siesta and met up with everyone for another team dinner. Good times. Tomorrow we head out of Quito and up for another training hike before starting our approach on Cotopaxi, more as it develops... RMI Guide Billy Nugent

On The Map

The objective for the day was Kahiltna Dome. We woke up early and quickly prepared. An hour's walk took us across the glacier to the first hill, and warm morning sun. Unfortunately several stretches into the climb we encountered challenging conditions and decided to head back to our camp at 9,500 ft. The team broke camp in an impressive hour and a half and then made the 9-mile trip back to basecamp. Throughout the walk back, we saw lenticular clouds forming hanging over peaks in the area. Despite the sunny weather, they let us know that keeping our Gore-tex in the top of our packs was a good idea. RMI Guide Jason Thompson

On The Map