The Four Day Summit Climb July 22 - 25 led by RMI Guides Billy Nugent and Elias de Andres Martos reached the summit of Mt. Rainier today. The team's reported great conditions, beautiful sunshine and light winds on top of Columbia Crest today.
The Expedition Skills Seminar - Emmons led by Tyler Reid also reached the summit this morning. They had a spectacular climb and were spending some time on the summit before starting their descent. The team will spend their final night on the mountain at Camp Schurman and complete their walk out to the trail head tomorrow.
RMI Guide Jake Beren and his team reached the summit of Mt. Shuksan in Washington's North Cascades today. The team ascended via the Fisher Chimneys route.
Congratulations to today's summit teams!
Mike Walter called and checked in on Friday night at about 9:50 p.m. There were some clouds and winds on the upper mountain so the team decided to take a rest day at 17,000' camp. They have had nice weather at camp and a good rest. Mike reported an awesome forecast for today with sunny skies and light winds, so they plan to make their summit attempt. The team is excited and ready to go.
Good Luck Team!
DZ and Team hope weather holds and you have an excellent summit, be safe. Remember Raindeer Sausage the Road House and Summit Burgers/Beers at the West Rib when back down in Talkeetna.
John V.
Posted by: John on 6/30/2012 at 12:49 pm
Glad to read the weather is co-operating for a summit
attempt. I’ve been keeping everyone updated here at MMC. Dr.P sends his best wishes to #1. Be safe.
Today's plans called for our first foray onto the mountain above basecamp. After a quick breakfast the crew got busy organizing loads of both personal and group gear, food for nearly 12 days, and a couple of gallons of fuel. We then set out for Camp 1 climbing along a lateral moraine, crossing a glacial remnant, and finally ascending a long scree slope (brutally loose) into the camp at over 16,000'. We put a cache together, took a nap in the sun, and then cruised back down to Plaza Argentina. All in all, we spent a little less than 7 hours in the field and the team performed exceptionally well. The guys were really excited to finally get down to the nitty gritty of climbing this thing.
Tired but happy in Plaza Argentina,
RMI Guides Billy Nugent, Leon Davis, and the gang.
Go “Old man” William! We want to hear that you’ve conquered Aconcagua ... and miss you at tennis! For the others, make certain to help out this old guy- if he needs it!
xxx
Paul and Margie
Posted by: Paul Taylor on 2/13/2012 at 6:23 pm
The view from above the base camp is remarkable. From what I’ve seen of thepictures, the team is in for quite a scenic reward upon reaching the summit. Keep your eyes set on the top! Best to all.
After a big day of work getting half our kit to the 14,200ft camp, the team is enjoying a much deserved rest day in our plush camp at 11,000'. Our breakfast of bagels, cream cheese and bacon was a wonderful way to start the day, and the mostly clear skies and lots of sun are making the day quite pleasant for swapping jokes and stories around camp. The agenda for the day is more eating, drinking and resting, with an eye towards packing up and moving higher tomorrow.
Days like today are the reason many of us come to the mountains: to spend quality time with friends old and new, be present in the moment, and have an unforgettable experience in one of the most incredible places on the planet. Even though thoughts tend to trend towards the summit on beautiful days, we're happy to just be here, soaking in all the glory that Alaska has to offer. Thanks for following our progress and cheers for now!
RMI Guide Tyler Jones
The winds and snow moved out for us today and we got to enjoy some sun and warmth in camp. We could still see winds moving quickly at times up above us on the west buttress, but it was nice to have pleasant conditions for a bit. We took the opportunity to build some truly monumental walls to protect against an expected wind event tomorrow, then refreshed and practiced our fixed line travel to prep for when the weather and conditions let us go higher.
Tomorrow is almost certainly a tent bound day, but the trend looks good for us going into next week. For now, we're happy to be acclimating and getting strong at 14,000', and to be within striking distance of our objective.
Go, Cram, Go! Do it for the CZ. Wishing you good luck and safe travels.
Posted by: Z (Simsbury) on 5/30/2021 at 9:46 am
It seems that there are several teams @ 14, 000 camp 3. You started out I believe, as 2nd team. do you have to wait for team one to go to the peak first? Either way God speed.
Posted by: Carter Thoenes on 5/29/2021 at 12:24 pm
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
Antarctica didn't let us go easily. It was 1:00 AM when we saw the definitively-Russian Ilyushin lumbering through the Antarctic sky. The temperature was some 20 below, and the 30 knot winds made it feel much, much colder, ripping heat from exposed flesh with efficiency. But, for a huge jet landing on a strip of blue ice, a strong headwind is a nice thing, helping to slow the giant bird down.
With a delicate landing that defied its massive bulk, the Ilyushin touched down to many a camera-shutter click and loud cheer. After days of delay, strikes, broken parts, and other issues, we were all ready to move onward. After unloading many tons of Jet A aviation fuel in 55 gallon drums, the ALE team called us all to board. A few moments later, doors were closed, engines spun up, and the pilots lifted us off the runway as smoothly as they had landed; it was hard to tell we had even gone airborne. While on the flight down we all were wired with excitement and slept but little, this flight was the inverse: tired from days of climbing, we all quickly succumbed to the late hour and fell asleep. In hindsight, the bit of wine and beer we had at Union before leaving might have helped a wee bit, too.
At 7:00 AM, another masterful landing thumped us down on the tarmac in Punta Arenas. As we exited the hulking Ilyushin, we could all smell it and see it: Green things. Trees, plants, animals. Life. After 3 weeks on the ice - in a land of intense beauty, but almost completely devoid of life - it was a welcome sight. The idea of a bed rather than a Thermarest, and walls instead of nylon, wasn't bad either. So, we quickly headed to to the hotel.
It always amazes me how quickly we transition in these modern times. It wasn't that long ago that expeditions wound down slowly, and reintegration into "normal" life took time. The body, and more importantly the mind, was granted simply through logistics the luxury of moving from the stark mental and physical environment of the expedition back to the frenetic pace of life in a slow manner. Today, it's anything but slow. Just hours ago we sat on a glacier on the bottom of the world, climbing mountains and routes which had never seen humans. And, now, just hours later, I'm on the internet in a hotel amidst a bustling city, and the rest of my team is on an airplane, well on their way to home, family, life. Amazing, and hard to digest.
Like the departure, the return home is something of a bittersweet affair. Certainly, in the words of Big Head Todd, "more sweet than bitter", but still a challenge. We who go to the mountains generally do so for a reason. It feeds us. It grounds us. It makes us thrive. The simplicity of the mountain life is wholly engaging, and leaving it is tough. But, to simply remain would be avoidance, escapism. And, perhaps, make the love of the mountains moot, for without black we cannot have white. It is only by leaving home that we realize how fortunate we are, and for some of us it is only by living the mountain life - and then leaving it for a time - that we remember to value it and apply its lessons and teachings to our lives back home.
As I sit here in Punta, backing up gigabytes of images, listening to CNN, and watching ships bob in the nearby harbor, this all rushes through my mind. I am excited beyond words to get home. It's been far too long since I've hugged my children and my wife, and patted my dog's head. I long to answer my daughter's questions, to hear about her day, and listen to my son say her name - a new trick he developed during my absence. But, I also know that, before long, the flood of emails and deadlines and bills and housework and the frenetic pace of modern life will threaten to overwhelm. It is then, I hope, that my mind will harken back to the austere simplicity of Antarctic life. I hope I will be able to conjure up the invigorating lessons of the high peaks, my mountain mind speaking to me through the fog of modern life: "You're but a small part of a big machine. Be humble. Hug your family. Be thankful. Smile.
Relax...Focus on what's important in life, the fundamentals, for soon you'll be back again in the mountains.
-Jake Norton
We had a great climb of Cotopaxi yesterday, and everyone summitted! We took advantage of cool weather and firm snow conditions and were able to climb during the day yesterday, hiking only the approach to the glacier in the dark. The weather was great, with no wind all day. The team climbed very strongly up the steep slopes of Cotopaxi, and had enough gas left in the tank to enjoy the summit and climb safely back down to the climbers' hut in 10 1/2 hours round trip.
We had great views along the way, being able to see many of Ecuador's high peaks, including Cayambe, Antisana, the Illinizas, the Pichinchas, Cotocachi, Imbabura, and El Corazon, as well as the beautiful mosaic of Andean farmlands far below us.
We spent last night relaxing at the climbers' hut and descended to our waiting vehicles this morning. Now we are at the beautiful Hosteria La Cienega, enjoying hot showers, lower altitude, and the comforts of life off of the mountain.
Congrats to our team for a successful summit of Cotopaxi!
RMI Guide Mike Walter
Finally, we headed for the hills! A quick breakfast at San Luis and an easy checkout (not necessarily the norm) made for a smooth start to another busy day cruising around Ecuador. Right off the bat we headed for the Otavalo marketplace, world famous for its street food and local handicrafts. It being Saturday, the market frenzy was at a climax and the gang enjoyed a unique opportunity to experience Ecuadorian and more specially Otavalan culture. Not wanting to risk a potential intestinal disruption, we decided to grab lunch at the Cafe de la Vaca on our way over to Cayambe. After hiking for about an hour we arrived at the Refugio high on Cayambe's flank and settled in. Freshly baked pizzas for dinner were a welcome change to typical mountain food. Everybody is bracing for a rough first night above 15,000'. We'll check in tomorrow and let you know how the first night went.
All for now,
RMI Guide Billy Nugent
After a good trip up the Relinchos Valley yesterday, the team is enjoying a well-earned rest day here at Plaza Argentina. Our night of good rest rolled into a breakfast of eggs, fried ham, peppers and onions with coffee and hot chocolate, and was thoroughly enjoyed by everyone.
After giving the team time to digest, we all went over to the medical office and got the obligatory physical check-up. Everyone passed with flying colors, and we're now poised and ready for our carry up to Camp One tomorrow, situated at 16,200'.
While we're living at about 14,000 feet, everyone is feeling tip top and acclimating perfectly. We have beautiful weather and look forward to staging for the move higher on this beautiful mountain.
Keep sending the positive energy!
RMI Aconcagua Expedition and Guides JJ Justman, Garrett Stevens and Geoff Schellens
Congratulations Chris to you and the entire team. We are very proud of all of you.
Posted by: M&D on 7/26/2012 at 8:51 am
GO J! I am so proud!
Posted by: Brittany on 7/26/2012 at 2:06 am
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