Sunday, June 16, 2013
We woke this morning to another unbelievable day at 17,200' camp on Mt. McKinley. The sun was shining, there was no wind blowing, and folks were comfortable in soft shell coats eating their grits and Pop Tarts. If you don't have a frame of reference for how unbelievable that kind of weather is, it's more typical for people to be wrapped in every puffy coat and pant that they brought to the high camp, while the wind threatens to blow you right off the mountain. Needless to say, we were psyched.
We started walking down the buttress route soon after breakfast, and make excellent time across the knife-edge, exposed walking from camp to the top of the fixed lines. A short, technical descent down the lines had us all sweating by the time we reached the bottom, and we stripped down to base layers for the moderate descent back to our cache at 14,200'.
After we grabbed all the group food and gear, we loaded heavy packs and headed down in the scorching sun towards our old stomping grounds at 11,000'. We arrived in calm, clear skies, and we quickly got up tents and got out of the sun. We're drinking a ton of water, looking forward to the group food fry of leftover cheeses, meats, and breads this evening, and getting ready for the 3am launch down the glacier tomorrow morning. Hopefully we'll have the weather to fly back to showers, greasy burgers, and cold beer tomorrow.
Until then, stay tuned for the latest and greatest from the team!
Hasta luego,
RMI Guides Tyler Jones, Garrett Stevens and the sore but happy team
Both summit climb groups led by Dave Hahn and Billy Nugent were leaving the top of the summit at 7:35 a.m. They had a beautiful climb this morning with sunny and clear skies, and moderate wind. They are back to Camp Muir and will descend to Paradise early afternoon.
Our weather changed a bit for the worse today, but not before we were able to get our work (and play) accomplished up on the West Buttress. As we started stoves a little before 8 AM, there was already an upper cloud layer above the mountain and a fairly thick blanket below. But there was no sign of wind on the upper ridges so we felt pretty comfortable in gearing up to climb after breakfast. Two hours of steady uphill trudging got us to the slightly more interesting terrain of the bergschrund and the headwall above. We latched onto the fixed ropes and made our way up the 45 degree slopes. Conditions were excellent as there were staircase-quality footsteps in the steep snow. We topped the ropes in good time and it was obvious that everyone was game for going higher, but as we rested at 16,200' it began to snow and so we buried the supplies we were carrying (to protect the food from greedy ravens) and we beat feet back down to 14,200'. We weren't away more than six hours for the round trip but even so it was a significant effort and we were proud of our accomplishments. Three or four of the team broke personal altitude records. We rested away the remainder of the day as snow showers came and went. Tomorrow is a rest day for our team anyway, so we don't mind if a little unsettled weather plays through... but just a little. We are already getting excited for a move up to high camp.
RMI Guide Dave Hahn
Hi Geoff, Jeff and I have been e-mailing back and forth on how your trip is going. It`s been a tough go for your team but Mike Walters#1-RMI team from May 2nd is Following you and good luck as you seek your peak. Can`t wait to hear the stories. Good luck Ken Young
PS GO BRUINS
Posted by: Ken Young on 7/11/2011 at 4:36 pm
Frank,
What an accomplishment! Truly awesome and inspiring. See you soon!
There are two distinct sounds that jar me away from the day to day life at Basecamp and instantly remind me of the sobering landscape in which we are living. The first starts as a low grumble, like a distant roll of thunder moving up the valley, then turns to a deep guttural roar that shakes through camp. It is as if the mountains themselves are groaning under the weight of their icy loads and they shift to ease their burdens. At the head of the Khumbu valley and surrounded by a full 270 degrees soaring peaks, Basecamp is ringed by steep flanks of rock, ice, and snow. The panorama surrounding Basecamp is stunning as some of the world's highest peaks rear up directly above. Beginning with the hanging glaciers flowing from Pumori's almost perfect conical summit, and stretching over Lingtren, Cholatse, Lho La Pass, Everests' West Ridge, the Khumbu Icefall, and Nuptse's impressive West Face, the Himalayas dwarf Basecamp. And from these faces comes the deep groans. It is the sound of falling ice and rock as the glaciers hanging high on the mountains above calve off, sending tons upon tons of ice crashing down the faces below. From Basecamp the first distant grumble echoes across the valley, growing in intensity as the falling chunks gain speed, breaking apart as they hit the mountain sides and dispersing into fine clouds of billowing ice crystals. These clouds of ice blast across the valley floor, like the smoke from a canon as it discharges its deadly load, billowing up in boiling white curtains that rushes through Basecamp.
The second sound is so sudden that I often question whether I heard it at all. It is a quick and sudden, loud, sharp crack. It passes through camp like a bolt of lightening, often leaving me clutching my morning cup of coffee, a bit startled and shaken. The Khumbu Glacier, upon whose edges Basecamp sits, flows in an incessant icy march downward from the peaks above, continually adjusting and repositioning itself. With water this results in a continuous flow, but with ice, it is a jerky, spontaneous, and unpredictable dance downward. The ice reaches the point where it can no longer bear the tension and in a loud crack it readjusts itself, however imperceptibly to the casual observer. These creaks and cracks that run through the ice underfoot can be muffled, occurring deep in the ice below, or alarmingly loud, their vibrations running through the ice and startlingly me from sleep. However harmless they are in retrospect, they never fail to startle, always causing me to pause and look around. The bustle of activity that makes up Basecamp can distract from the reality of the place. It is a short-lived settlement on a continually shifting sea of ice and rock. Five months ago, when I came to Basecamp during the waning days of November to establish RMI's Basecamp location for the First Ascent Expedition, the site I stood on was almost undistinguishable from the other parts of the glacier. A few flat stones positioned a bit too precisely to be random, a couple of icy shelves suspiciously sized to fit a tent, a half collapsed rock wall, were the only clues to the excitement and activity the place had seen six months before, and would see again soon. Instead of the gathering of nylon tents I see around me now, Basecamp was a frozen desert. Dunes of ice strewn with a blanket of rocks, like a stormy sea whose waves were frozen in the midst of a tempest.
Yet now, the same place is a hub of activity, a village of clusters of brightly colored tents, connected by narrow paths, continually flattened by the boots of climbers and the hooves of yaks that pass along them. Above hang strings upon strings of prayer flags fluttering in the winds. Their bright colors never cease to mesmerize me, breaking apart the drab palette of grays and whites that surround us. Friends and other expedition members stop by to say hello, and the days pass, settling into a routine that borders on normality. Despite falling into the habit of day to day tasks at Basecamp, the distant roars of the mountain sides and the loud cracks that race through Basecamp instantly remind me of the reality of this place, of the immense size and power of the mountains at whose feet we live. Soon, all of this activity will retract back down the glacier, back down the valley and disperse across the world. The stormy frozen sea will continue to buck and roll and gradually the ice will reclaim its shape, leaving few clues of its recent past. The deep roar of ice fall high on the mountain sides and the sharp cracks of the ice itself will echo across an empty landscape of ice and stone.
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.
The “carry” operation. And the tents: do the hikers set them up on arriving at camp? Are tents up there for the snowy summer season? How are they warmed?
What was served for dinner?
At 17,000 altitude when do the first rays of sun reach the tents? Do other peaks block the rays? Nobody gets ‘sunburnt in their beds’ as counselors warn campers in the Rockies (ask Lisa about that adage)
Posted by: Renate Fernandez on 1/5/2023 at 6:50 pm
BIG is done! Here in Lukla and enjoying the thick air and relatively warm temperatures. Long day from Namche to here, all is well. Good day weather wise and lots to view. Beautiful blooming fruit trees that were not at that stage on the way in. Amazing what new sites you see from the opposite direction. We took our time, tried to take in as much of the region as we could and still get us to our home for the night before dark. It was nice to stop and see the children, out and about having fun and a joy to observe the everyday live of the Sherpa people. They have always been such a friendly folk and it held true on this trip as well. Two of our favorite people of the Khumbu, Karma and Mingma part of our local staff that helped make this such a successful trip, left us after dinner. Safe journey to them and thanks so much. Pemba will stay with us till the early flight tomorrow morning. It's been a blast. Till next time. Get out while you can.
RMI Guide Mark Tucker
Hi Kara,
It looks like you have better weather then we have here in Cleveland.
Be safe and have fun.
I am sending you good thoughts.
Donna
Posted by: Donna on 4/7/2014 at 6:33 pm
So glad to see your smiling faces! The fact that you all are shopping is a great sign!!
All kidding aside,it sounds like this trip has had some very real challenges that you have conquered. Congratulations and a big warm hug to all of you. Can’t wait to hear about this trip. Thank YOU Mark, for supporting the team and keeping all the fans back in the US informed. Your pictures and your blog have been wonderful.
Jill Shepard
This is Dave Hahn Calling in from the Mt. Everest Climb. We are spending our second night here Deboche tonight. We weren’t able to send out email from here, that’s why you haven’t heard from us, but all is well. Today was our rest day here. What did was we hiked over to Tengboche and got our blessing from Lama Geshi, a blessing for attempting the mountain. That was a great time; we went out lunch in Tengboche afterward and came back here in the afternoon. Everybody is going really well.
Tomorrow it is our intention is to move up to Pheriche. We hope we will have email communication then.
Take care for now, Bye.
RMI Guides Dave Hahn, JJ Justman, Billy Nugent & Team
Spencer: It all looks so awesome. The nature, mountains, people, culture. I’m jealous of the sights and other rewards, but grateful that I’m not facing the work you’ll be putting in. We’re all thinking of you and pulling for you. We head to Tahoe tomorrow. Baby hill hikes compared to your little trek. Think about you many times every day. Positive energy and love being sent to you and the team in abundance. Love, dad
Posted by: Chet Pipkin on 4/1/2014 at 6:21 pm
James and team
Thanks for the great blog and video. It was great getting an “action scene”. Glad things are going so well.
The Five Day Summit Climb August 10 - 14 led by Solveig Waterfall and the Four Day Summit Climb August 11 - 14 led by Brent Okita reached the summit of Mt. Rainier this morning. The teams reported steady winds of 40 mph at the summit and a cloud cap that had descended on the mountain. The teams began their descent from the crater rim around 7:15 am. They will return to Camp Muir for a short break and then continue to Paradise this afternoon. We look forward to seeing them at Rainier BaseCamp later today.
Congratulations to today's summit climb teams!
Our Cotopaxi Express trip is under way! Today was the first official day of the trip, and we started it off with an introductory team meeting over breakfast. We spent the rest of the day enjoying an informative and educational City Tour of colonial Quito, visiting various churches and parks, the Presidential Palace and the Virgin of Quito (a large statue situated on a hill above Quito). Our local tour guide, Jorge, is very well versed in the history and culture of Ecuador, and we had great time seeing the city.
We also visited an ethnographic museum located on the equator, where we learned about the different indigenous cultures of Ecuador. We also got a photo of our team straddling the equator, some of us in the northern hemisphere and some of us in the southern hemisphere!
RMI Guide Mike Walter
The Expedition Skills Seminar team awoke at Muir with sunny skies. We spent the day training outside going over basic climbing skills.
Later this afternoon the weather rolled in and we retreated back into the comfort of our bunkhouse. There we continued training where the team safely learned self rescue out of a crevasse.
Tonight we will enjoy dinner, lecture on high altitude medicine and tell some tall tales along the way.
RMI Guide JJ Justman
way to go james! cant wait to see all your pics and hear all your stories!
Posted by: tina on 6/17/2013 at 7:04 pm
Hello Googoo and the rest of the climbers, our prayers are with you all, we are proud of you, keep it up and come back safe, love you, Areg
Posted by: Areg Abramian on 6/17/2013 at 6:29 am
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