Hello from Karanga Camp!
Barranco Wall fails to stop RMI team from getting closer to the summit! We slowed our departure from camp in hopes of missing rush hour on the wall. No view of the top but nice temperature because of the clouds. Four hours later here we are at Karanga Camp at 13,000-feet plus. Snacks on the way to a hot lunch at camp. Lunch consisted of spaghetti and tomato sauce, which was a big hit. With the team eating and drinking as needed, it helps fuel us and keep our strength up as we move closer to summit day. A nice short climb today and tomorrow will get us ready for the summit climb tomorrow night.
We are looking down at the sea of clouds below, which is not unusual for the lower regions. Another great reason to be up here! Darn the luck missing out on the upper mountain views, so we continue to enjoy the incredible geological features we pass as we go. During the descent into the Karanga Valley you pass this 60-foot overhanging cave that I know I could atleast get a few moves on. Another time, we have a mountain to climb! It's so nice that none of our gear is wet from the rain, and our packs and boots are working well. It sure helps make the climb a bit more manageable. Nice easy afternoon with stories a-flying, reading , and taking in the views.
RMI Guide Mark Tucker
This is Rusty from Jeff Martins group, the Team that just climbed the big hill before you guys. All I can say is get ready for the big day and listen to your guide he knows his stuff. Wish I was back on the Mountain! You have an amazing summit day ahead of you. One foot in front of the other…don’t stop.
The Four Day Summit Climb July 30 - 2 August led by Mike Walter reached the summit of Mt. Rainier this morning! The team reported light winds and a beautiful day of climbing. They began their descent from the crater rim around 7:30 a.m. en route to Camp Muir. They will return to Paradise and Ashford BaseCamp later this afternoon.
The Expedition Skills Seminar - Emmons July 29 - 3 August led by Dan Windham was standing on the summit at 3:00 p.m. with 15 mph winds. They will descend to Camp Schurman for the night, pack up camp in the morning and be back in Ashford tomorrow afternoon.
Congratulations to today's Summit Teams!
A plastic jar of moonshine was brought out to the cheers of the 60-70 climbers lounging about, usually draped across some part of their gear. It was drained quickly.
Earlier in the morning the skies looked dismal for planes to fly in, but as the morning progressed the weather outlook followed suit. And sure enough, another flight service got in using their ILF equipment to be able to take off and land in the fog of Talkeetna, something no other Denali plane has. So we watch expectantly for K2, our flight service to get into action soon. After a number of flights by TAT and another service we heard that K2 had turned back, not willing to risk flying into the clouds around the glacier near the airstrip. Our faith that our ride home is coming fades and frustration mounts while watching TAT customers get flown out for well over an hour. And now, a thick ground fog has enveloped the airstrip here on the SE fork of the Kahiltna Glacier. It's 4:30 and my generally optimistic outlook is certainly not what is was a few hours earlier.
But I've seen this story develop in the past. Many times I've been on the winning side of the situation, looking at climbers awaiting rides while I was on my way to a hot shower and cold beer. But today that is not the case. And it's not the fault of the pilot who turned back either. He simply refused to take the chance the other pilots did - the chance of crashing the plane with me and my group on board. So, we wait...
A couple of climbers entertain us with some blues ukulele and harmonica. Ipods are out, as are books that have yet to be finished, as we all try to relax and will the fog away. Thoughts of dinner in Talkeetna are being replaced with thoughts of putting tents back up. But, we still have plenty of time. So we wait, as do you, for our return home.
In the meantime, the flavor of moonshine lingers softly on my palate, leaving me wanting...something more.
RMI Guide Brent Okita
Brent, sorry to hear that the weather keeps you guys, as well as a pilot, stranded. Tell the rest of the team that I have a 5 pack of beers waiting for them in Talkeetna. -Steve
Posted by: Steve Vierling on 6/3/2011 at 11:24 pm
Hi Zac! I hope you are taking advantage of the time to read. The girls are so excited to see you I don’t think they’ll give you a second of free time when you get home. We just arrived at my mom’s house, so give us a call there when you get access to your cell phone. Miss you like crazy. Love, M, T & B
Hey everybody this is Peter Whittaker up on top with the whole First Ascent/RMI team. We are on top of Mt. Vinson it’s 5 p.m. It’s about 31, 32 below zero and the wind is blowing about 18 - 20 knots. It’s beautiful up here clear, low clouds and bitter, bitter cold.
We are going to try and push a picture out tonight when we get back to high camp and you’ll see we are all frosted up. But we are happy, we are on top. Give a yell you guys…
We’ve done it. A beautiful day, a little brisk and we are going to put the phone away and head on out of here.
Alright that’s the word from on top of the bottom of the world.
We’ll shoot a call later on maybe from camp.
First Ascent, RMI and Eddie Bauer over and out.
The Expedition Skills Seminar - Kautz team led by RMI Guide Andy Bond reached the summit of Mt. Rainier at 10:45 am today via the classic and challenging Kautz Route. The team climbed above the clouds through knee and waste deep snow and navigated four ice pitches in the Kautz Ice Chute to reach the summit. They will spend the remainder of their time on the mountain honing their expedition skills, and plan to descend Friday.
May 20, 2014 - 8:29 pm PT
We are closing in on Talkeetna enjoying the unseasonably warm weather, being driven by our shuttle driver Louisa. It's nice to finally be all together and underway after so much anticipation and preparation.
No lost luggage or late planes. Now all we need to accomplish is to unload our gear at the hanger, check into our wonderfully quirky hotel run by our friends Pam and Al, before heading out for a bite and a beer or two.
If first impressions mean anything, I think were going to have a good time on this expedition.
Cheers!
RMI Guide Brent Okita
Hey everyone this is JJ Justman with Team Two on Aconcagua. I believe you all heard through my last dispatch that we were on the summit of Aconcagua. I just want to report that everyone is safe and sound. We are here at high camp. Our work is not yet, at least not for the guides. We are busy getting water and snow melting to get everyone rehydrated and refueled. We had a long day, probably had to say that it was one of my toughest climbs in regards to the weather. It was cold and windy and just took a lot out of us. The team did an absolutely fantastic job! I’m really proud of everyone they did a great job climbing and we are really happy to be back at camp.
We are going to be heading back to Base Camp tomorrow. That’s a big day of carrying heavy loads. We do have some porters coming up to help out, which is good. We will touch base tomorrow when we get back into Base Camp. We will get into some of those nice luxuries that we have been missing for the past week or so. Thanks for following along everyone, we will touch base tomorrow.
Bye Bye!
Hey, hey, hey it's RMI Aconcagua Team 2 on the way! What a gorgeous day to make our final journey into Basecamp. We had a thrilling mule ride to get us across the Vacas River and then it was smooth sailing into camp.
A lot can be told of how our climbers are doing as they near 14,000 feet. And they are doing great! Every one of them. Now in Basecamp we are setting up our new home and simply relaxing. We earned it. Tomorrow we will have a rest day. So stay tuned for Leah and JJ's secret quesadilla recipe!
RMI Guide JJ Justman
Cindee— Hope you’re getting acclimated, resting, and enjoying the view! Since you’ve been out a few days, thought you and the group would appreciate some light news from this week. For starters, Robin Wright (Princess Bride actress) just got engaged to boyfriend Ben Foster… Donations have exceeded $100,000 to help a NY blind man keep the guide dog who rescued him from a potentially fatal subway fall….Former NBA star Dennis Rodman arrived in North Korea on Thursday to meet leader Kim Jong Un and finish plans to bring 12 ex-NBA players to Pyongyang for a January exhibition for the leader’s birthday….. and Justin Bieber says he’s “retiring” (yay!). How’s that for an update? Hope you have a great weekend!
Hugs, Rebekah
Posted by: Rebekah Mitchell on 12/20/2013 at 3:51 pm
KK—Mules, stars,hiking and mexican food? You’re living the dream, my friend. Lots of luck to you and your fellow team members. Will continue watching your trek. Love ya.
Sunday, June 16th, 2013
Holy cow we made it up! Leaving early, we passed RMI 4 at the base of the fixed lines, high fiving as we continued our climb. The team did a remarkable job making it to high camp in fine time. The West Buttress proper is the most fun part of the route and earns the namesake title. We cruised up to our cache at the base of Washburn's Thumb and barely slowed down with the extra weight. Arriving at camp didn't even require a coat once we stopped. The weather is perfect now and all we need is one more day and I'm sure the team will make it to the top. We are ready to outchill weather if it comes, but hopefully we can get one more day of this fantastic weather. Send us all good weather vibes if you please and we will check in tomorrow.
RMI Guide Jake Beren
.jpg)
This is Rusty from Jeff Martins group, the Team that just climbed the big hill before you guys. All I can say is get ready for the big day and listen to your guide he knows his stuff. Wish I was back on the Mountain! You have an amazing summit day ahead of you. One foot in front of the other…don’t stop.
Posted by: Rusty Griner on 8/12/2011 at 6:25 pm
View All Comments