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Mt.Rainier: Winter Seminar Update

February 5, 2013

Posted by: Adam Knoff, JJ Justman

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mount Rainier

Elevation: 10,080'

Our team made it to Camp Muir! It was a long, arduous day but everyone put their heads down, gritted their teeth and made it to 10,000 feet in great style. The action continues! Despite a little bit of weather to keep us cool we are having a lot of fun training in the snow. RMI Guide JJ Justman

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CONGRATS!!!!!!!! :) be safe!!! have fun!

Posted by: candi on 2/6/2013 at 6:33 am

It’s about time! ;) Congrats to you all!!! Next step: rocking awesome summit bid. Keep your spirits up and remember how truly awesome this journey is for each and every single one of you. Tim: xxxooo! Make it happen!

Posted by: Tim's Little Woman on 2/6/2013 at 6:04 am

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Ecuador’s Volcanoes: The Team Readies for Cayambe Summit Bid

December 16, 2012

Posted by: Eric Frank, Casey Grom

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Ecuador

Elevation: 15,300'

Hello, this is Eric Frank and the Ecuador crew checking in from climber's hut here on Cayambe at 15,300'. The sun's just gone down and we had a pretty restful day. We slept late this morning, had a big breakfast, and then climbed for about an hour and a half to get up to the toe of the glacier. We trained for a couple hours, talked about the climb and then came back to have a big dinner. We're hoping to be in bed in the next thirty minutes. And we'll be getting up in the middle of the night to make our attempt to climb Cayambe. So check back tomorrow, hopefully will be giving a call down sometime in the mid morning to early afternoon to let everyone know how things are going. Have a great night. RMI Guide Eric Frank

RMI Guide Eric Frank checks in from Cayambe.

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Looks like Kristen and Chris made it. It looks beautiful. Glad to see everyone is OK. Love to all and stay safe.

Posted by: SaSa on 12/17/2012 at 8:30 pm

Hi Scott & Kelly,
looks like you have a great team and leader to take on the summit. I am so glad the weather has been good. Excited to see the pics from the summit. Keep on treking…
Keith

Posted by: Keith Kite on 12/17/2012 at 6:37 am

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Mt. McKinley: Hahn & Team Carry to 16,200’

July 9, 2013

Posted by: Dave Hahn, Zeb Blais

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mt. McKinley

Elevation: 16,200'

Monday, July 8, 2013 One of our better weather days of the trip. That said, it is snowing good and hard now at our 14,200 ft camp, but that isn't so important (yet). It was clear and calm this morning when we were interested in starting our carry up onto the West Buttress of Denali. By far, this was our coldest morning. We were guessing it was -10F or thereabouts. We started climbing at a quarter to 10 this morning in bright sunshine. The route goes uphill in a hurry out of 14 camp and we made steady progress toward the "fixed ropes". This steep and intimidating section of the climb was tough, as expected. Hard ice, 45 degree angles, unrelentingly uphill and airy feeling... but it was also spectacular when one was able to look up from the hard work for a moment to see the lower Kahiltna Glacier or Foraker across the way or the clean granite of Denali all around us. We reached the ridge crest (16,200 ft) at 2 PM and took a welcome break, gazing down at the Peters Glacier and the Northwest Buttress on the "other" side of our perch. Thus we broke Max's altitude record, which was momentous. But his was the only one to fall as our other climbers had previously topped mountains like Kilimanjaro and Aconcagua. All noted that 16,200 on Denali felt a little different than similar heights on other mountains. We cached our supplies and descended in gathering cloud and murk. We'd reached 14 camp by 4:30 and took a few hours to kick back and drink water before dinner. Tomorrow is a rest day, and a welcome one after four hard days of moving and acclimating to uncomfortable new altitudes. Best Regards, RMI Guide Dave Hahn

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Way to go guys! Sounds like conquering the headwall is an accomplishment all in itself. Something to celebrate in the POSH with your melted ice cocktails!!
Enjoy your very much deserved rest day, saving some energy and positive mental fortitude for the next leg.
Thanks Dave for describing the day so vividly!

Posted by: judychristofferson on 7/9/2013 at 11:08 am

Wow, Max! We are so impressed. Take care, climb safely and we are praying for good weather. Love, Grandma & Grandpa

Posted by: Bill & Caryl Reese on 7/9/2013 at 9:18 am

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Mt. McKinley: Jones and team move to 11 camp

June 2, 2013

Posted by: Tyler Jones

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mt. McKinley

Elevation: 11,200'

Sunday, June 2, 2013 Today we woke to a splitter red sky, the most beautiful morning of our trip. As the saying goes, though: red sky in morning, climbers take warning! The weather continues to cloud up and a few snow flakes have fallen between breaks in the clouds. This change is rather abstract compared to the last few week of very high pressure over the region. With an early start the team climbed well for 5 hrs. We now find ourselves enjoying some well earned down time back in the tents eating, drinking, sleeping and chatting. Most importantly hiding from the seemingly gorilla strength sun rays in our new home at 11k. Tomorrow we plan to sleep in, have a deluxe breakfast, and retrieve our luggage just a short way down the hill. Each of our team members want to say hi to family and friends; we are doing great and love you all! We'll check in after our grocery shoppe and petrol refill. RMI Guides Tyler Jones and Garrett Stevens

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Leave a Comment For the Team (2)

DJ - Looking good - good chance for summit soon - go for it guy but stay safe - Love Mom & Dad

Posted by: norm uhlir on 6/3/2013 at 8:29 pm

Jessica,

From your hubby. Hope you all had a good rest day. Look forward to reading more. Safe climb!

Until the next post. Hector

Posted by: Hector Valle on 6/3/2013 at 7:16 pm

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Ecuador’s Volcanoes: Team’s Arrival & First Day in Quito

December 13, 2012

Posted by: Eric Frank, Casey Grom

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Ecuador

Elevation: 9,350'

Hello everyone. After a day of long flights, our team arrived in Quito last night and moved into the Hotel Mercure Alameda to rest and recover. This morning the team indulged in a great breakfast including various local fruits and dishes. After a quick orientation meeting, we headed out for a city tour and visit to the Equator. Warm weather and a sunny day made our time walking around the city enjoyable. We were able to visit Independence Plaza, the Jesuit church La Compania, and the Virgin of Quito - a 100+ foot statue with gorgeous views overlooking the city. Seated at 9,350 feet, the air in Quito is thin, especially for those of us coming from sea level. The city tour, in addition to exposing us to some of the best sights in Quito, gave us a chance to stretch our legs and aid in the acclimatization process. The time that we spend here is building the base to increase our chances of success later in the trip. We spent the afternoon exploring the Equatorial line and phenomenon associated with it. We watched basins of water, only a dozen feet apart, swirl opposite directions on each side of the line and learned when the indigenous people first discovered their location. After taking a few hour siesta, the team met for our first dinner to round out the day. The conversation and laughter at our table made it feel like a group of old friends, who will only grow closer in the coming days. RMI Guide Casey Grom

Ecuador Seminar: Knoff & Team Prepare for Summit of Cotopaxi

January 15, 2020

Posted by: Adam Knoff, Dustin Wittmier

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Ecuador

Elevation: 16,000'

Hola from 16,000 ft on the northern flanks of Ecuador’s most famous mountain, Cotopaxi. We apologize for not sending a dispatch yesterday because we were so excited to get here, we simply forgot. I assure all of you faithful followers the effects of altitude on memory are minimal, I just forget things naturally.

Once moved in last night we endured a very restless evening because apparently the workers knew we were coming and couldn’t stop painting, pounding, dragging and talking well into the night. So this morning we drank our coffee, packed our bags and headed to the glacier for some skills training unrelated to our climb. The weather is a vast improvement over the weather on Cayambe and all the teams that climbed last night made it to the top.

Not it is 4:30 pm and the hut is busting with tourists and climbers hoping to attempt tonight as well. Everyone is in good spirits and excited to climb! We all feel our chances are good.

Stay tuned for tomorrow’s dispatch.

RMI Guide Adam Knoff

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Wishing the best climb to the Knoff led team. Mom

Posted by: Jane Knoff on 1/16/2020 at 12:30 pm

Team Knoff -
You are in the best of hands with your guide team!
Keep the “rest step” in sync and you’ll be on the summit in no time! And remember to breathe… Ahhhhh….
Most importantly, support each other and make it a trip of a lifetime, because it’s exactly that!
Cheers-
Tom
PS - Adam, I’ll be with Davis on Orizaba in a few days. RMI is the best!

Posted by: Tom Mulvey on 1/15/2020 at 10:20 pm

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Mt. Rainier: Four Day Climbs Reach the Summit

June 30, 2019

Posted by: Walter Hailes, Chris Ebeling

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mount Rainier

Elevation: 14,410'

RMI Guides Walter Hailes and Chris Ebeling and the Four Day Climbs reached the summit of Mt. Rainier around 7:30 AM. The teams climbed through the clouds before the sun broke through shortly before the summit. Walter reported 15 mph winds and cold temps. The teams will spend some time on the summit celebrating before beginning their descent to Camp Muir. We look forward to seeing them back at BaseCamp in Ashford this afternoon. Congratulations Climbers!

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Nice job! Can’t wait to hear all about it!

Posted by: Hilary Gehman & Matt Smith on 7/1/2019 at 6:50 pm

Congratulations! We’re happy you have this experience and we’re looking forward to your stories.

Posted by: Wayne and Louise Gehman on 7/1/2019 at 5:28 am

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Mt. Kilimanjaro: Tucker & Team Climb Barranco Wall, Arrive Karanga Camp

July 19, 2013

Posted by: Mark Tucker

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Kilimanjaro

Elevation: 13,160'

Hello, This is RMI Guide Mark Tucker checking in from the Karanga camp on Kilimanjaro, situated at about 13,160', or 4011 meters above sea level. We are looking so good. Having a gas - wish you guys were here. We have the most amazing night out. The moon is getting fuller and brighter as we speak. We are poised for our next push to the Barafu Camp tomorrow which will be our high camp. Things worked out very well today, we timed our selves perfectly for the ascent of the Barranco Wall, which is right out of camp, some step traverses, some ledges and face, several rock bands. Just really fun climbing. Everybody did great and we took some really nice hero photos. Then we did a traverse, only a couple miles today, and into this camp. And we're on the impressive south side of Kilimanjaro with the Diamond, Heim, Kersten, Decken Glaciers hanging right above us. It's quite a sight. So, the weather is holding and everyone on the team is healthy. They are definitely keeping our kitchen staff busy keeping those pots filled. No loss of appetite for this crew. We are doing so well in and we are psyched up. We had a bit of a summit talk today, passing along some information going over some tactics that will be useful in the near future. So all is well, and we will check in tomorrow.

RMI Guide Mark Tucker calls in from Karanga Camp, 13,160 ft, on Mt. Kilimanjaro

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Mt. McKinley: Van Deventer & Team Descend to 11,000’

July 8, 2013

Posted by: Pete Van Deventer, Geoff Schellens, Robby Young

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mt. McKinley

Elevation: 11,200'

Sunday, July 7, 2013 We are down in the thick air of 11k feet! We woke this morning to some snowfall, and generally wintry conditions, but nothing that we couldn't deal with, and in short order we had camp packed and were rolling down the buttress. We made a short stop at 14 to visit with Dave Hahn's team ( who were gracious enough to invite is into their posh and make us hot water) and pick up our cache. Another few hours brought us to the 11k camp, where we made our beds for the night. We plan to wake early and continue our descent down the Kahiltna, with the aim of being at the airstrip by mid morning! With luck, there will be a break in the clouds, and we will see the red planes of K2 dropping in to bring us back to Talkeetna! We'll let you know how that goes, but for now, it's early to bed for us! RMI Guides Pete, Geoff, Robby, and team

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Leave a Comment For the Team (2)

Hi team: My stepson is with Dave Hahn on the way up, and I’ve been reading your team’s posts also. Hope you got down, and got to fly out.

Posted by: Vicki on 7/10/2013 at 3:25 pm

Hola Guapo,
Viola just called me to tell me you were stuck” IN a glacier?” I HOPE NOT!....I’m hoping you meant : “stuck ON the glacier i.e.:mountain”. Did you forget our home number?
You have nothing scheduled at the office until the 22nd. Viola wanted me to let you know that. She said you would be home Thursday How is this possible?
Aywhoooo
Are you planing to take me away?...Far…....Far…...away? I hope so! If you can’t…make sure you pick up a box of Calgon at the supermercado before you come home! (Calgon take me way!!)
xxoo
Marion

Posted by: marion and maya on 7/9/2013 at 4:09 pm

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Aconcagua: Nugent & Team Carry to Camp 2

February 11, 2013

Posted by: Billy Nugent, Mike King

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Aconcagua

Elevation: 16,200'

More sun today with light winds and nearly perfect temperatures made for a great carry up to Camp 2. Our group is starting to work like that proverbial well-oiled machine with solid efforts the last couple days moving and pushing carries up the mountain. Our foray took us above 18,000' which was an altitude record for many and certainly the highest anybody in the group had carried a heavy load. We enjoyed a "picnic" with beautiful new views up at Camp 2 while we built up our cache of food and fuel in a nook among the rocks. And after hanging for an hour or so we made short work of our descent back to Camp 1. All in all we were on the go for only 3.5 hours and about 4.5 hours round trip. The team is feeling strong, motivated, and ready for the hard work ahead! RMI Guide Billy Nugent

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Most Popular Entries

Mt.Rainier: Winter Seminar Update

Ecuador’s Volcanoes: The Team Readies for Cayambe Summit Bid

Mt. McKinley: Hahn & Team Carry to 16,200’

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Mt. McKinley: Jones and team move to 11 camp

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Ecuador’s Volcanoes: Team’s Arrival & First Day in Quito

Ecuador Seminar: Knoff & Team Prepare for Summit of Cotopaxi

Mt. Rainier: Four Day Climbs Reach the Summit

Mt. Kilimanjaro: Tucker & Team Climb Barranco Wall, Arrive Karanga Camp

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Mt. McKinley: Van Deventer & Team Descend to 11,000’

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Aconcagua: Nugent & Team Carry to Camp 2

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