The crew moved up to Chopper Camp. It's currently dumping up here, with the forecast calling for 4-6" of accumulation. Tomorrow's plans call for a quick carry to Plaza Cholera (high camp) which means we're getting close to pulling the trigger on our summit assault. We need some cooperation from the weather but it looks like we're going to get a good window in the upcoming days!
Stoke meter is climbing (with the barometer)!
RMI Guide Billy Nugent and the gang.
Tell Papa(Steve)that we love him and can’t wait to see him. Love, his grandbabies.
Posted by: Sierra and Kira Curtis on 2/11/2011 at 8:25 am
Enjoy the rest days. When the hots are up, go get um…fill up with all the great oatmeal and pasta your guide prepare for you. Summit day is a bit long, but well worth the effort when you step onto the top. Git-er-done team two!!! Hey Pete…hope you’re enjoying #2…remember…only one trip up to the summit this time!!!
It is always amazing to reflect on how long it takes for anyone to dream and prepare for any large mountain, especially for one as remote as the Vinson Massif. For some that time can be measured in decades. For today we can reflect as we decend from high camp. We started from over 12,000' elevation down the fixed lines, past Camp 1 where we pick up our sleds, all the way to Vinson Base Camp. From there we flew back to Union Glacier Camp. Once we got off the ski plane we got confirmation that after dinner we are going to board our Boeing 757 to Punta Arenas tonight. Meaning we get to go from negative thirty something to nice hotel temperatures. What a change in settings.
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
Happy Fourth!!! But actually our sixth day on the mountain and our first rest day. If it hadn't been proclaimed a rest day in advance, it would have become one anyway, but we'd have labeled it a storm day. Light, but continuous snow fell and we were seldom granted views of the sky, the sun or the mountains. Winds were aimless but persistent, making it a fine day for tenting. The team got up with the sun -or at least when the sun came out from behind the West Buttress at 9:15 AM and ducked behind clouds. Breakfast was held in the POSH and consisted of salmon, bagels, cream cheese and hot drinks. Conversation ranged from whales to polar bears and royal families. Cards were played, books were read and iPod movies were watched. Everyone seems to be acclimatizing well -which was the goal in resting here at 11,000 before the hoped for move to 14,200. While camp had seemed quite busy two days ago, it now seems quiet with just three other teams -all on similar schedules, give or take a day or two. Together we represent the end of the guided climbing season on Denali.
Our team, although pleasantly diverse and international in composition is proud to be celebrating the fourth by climbing the America's highest peak. Although today we are climbing it from a predominantly seated position.
Best Regards,
RMI Guide Dave Hahn
Mark,enjoy following your climb. Stay safe, healthy and enjoy the experience. I admire you for your dedication and courage. Hope the weather clears for you - and best of luck to you and the entire climbing crew.
Posted by: Bob B on 7/5/2012 at 6:48 pm
The team seems to be making solid progress!!! We are watching/waiting for your updates to this blog. This is exciting for us mortals to witness!!!
Dobre Veycher,
The morning again broke perfectly clear, only a faint trace of wind and blowing snow visible on the summit of Elbrus. After a leisurely breakfast we decided a little adventure and relaxation was in order so we headed back down to the top of the tram where we hopped a ride back down to Azau. Taking a couple of hours at lower altitude we enjoyed a quick shower, the chance to shoot a quick email home, and a fantastic order of french fries. It was a spontaneous little side trip and a welcome treat before the climb.
Returning to the mountain we went on a short hike to stretch our legs and then spent the rest of the afternoon preparing our gear for the morning and resting. Tomorrow we will wake up early for our summit bid, planning on returning to the Barrels by midafternoon.
The weather remains unchanged and the group is feeling strong and excited for our climb tomorrow. We will check in after the climb and let you know how it goes.
Cotopaxi summit! 100% of our climbing team reached the top of the beautiful 19,600' active volcano. We awoke at midnight to a clear and starry night, and started climbing at 1:30. A light breeze turned into a strong, cold wind that stayed with us most of the climb, but the skies remained clear and the climbing conditions were excellent. The wind eased on the summit, and we were treated to a beautiful morning with views of the surrounding peaks: the Ilinizas, Chimborazo, Antisana, and Cayambe, our next climbing destination.
We're all safely off the mountain, and enjoying the ammeneties at the Hacienda La Cienega. I'll touch base tomorrow with more, and hopefully some pictures. But right now there's a shower with my name on it.
There's not much new to report today. We're still at 14,000' Camp, waiting for an opportunity to head downhill to the airstrip. Unfortunately we're also still in a snow globe. Apparently it's totally socked in all the way to Talkeetna, with rain in town, so all of the planes are grounded a well. We've got plenty of food and fuel, and we're warm and dry in our camp. The forecast is grim, but we're not desperate, and we'll patiently await a change in the weather.
Hi! This is Solveig Waterfall checking in from our Cabana at the La Malitzi Resort at the base of La Malinche. We had a great acclimatization hike this afternoon and made it all the way to 13,000ft! Everyone did great and the weather held off nearly long enough. At the first sounds of thunder we began a hasty descent back to relative safety below tree line and then motored all the way back down to our cabins under heavy rainfall. Everyone is in great spirits after a delicious dinner and we are all cozied up drying out clothing and boots next to the fireplace enjoying the sounds of the continued rain and thunder. Quite the first day here in the mountains of Mexico!
Tomorrow we will travel to the Altzomoni hut near the base of Ixta and begin preparations for our first big climb. Crossing our fingers for an improvement in the weather!!
RMI Guides JJ Justman and Solveig Waterfall
Hello again everyone.
Today the team left behind the busy streets of Moscow and made our way south to Mt. Elbrus. It was mostly a travel day with a flight over the middle of Russia, which is predominately rural. It's very much like our own Midwest in that its mostly agriculturally-based terrain. We landed in Mineralnye Vody, which translates to mineral water in Russian, and is obviously known for its abundant natural springs.
From there we rode in our local outfitters van for about three and a half hours to Cheget, a small ski town in the winter that sits at the base of this big mountain. Along the way we passed endless sunflower fields and many Mosques. The area around Elbrus is predominately Muslim from its original Turkish roots. We finished the day with a wonderful traditional meal cooked by a few kind older ladies that live here. Everyone is doing great and ready to stretch their legs tomorrow.
RMI Guide Casey Grom and crew
Mark Tucker checking in from Barafu Camp. We are at the lower camp at about 15,000’ just under the southeast edge of the Kilimanjaro Summit. We have the jungle below and the top of the mountain above and a team that is rip-roaring and ready!
We put on a couple of miles today from the Karanga camp. The upper mountain is a bleak zone, but quite beautiful in its own way. We’re going to have a quick dinner and crawl into the tents for about five hours of rest to get us ready for an early a.m. departure. I am happy to report that we are 100% go power with this team. Everybody is getting pretty excited and doing really well. A couple of minor headaches but the overall health and well-being is very very good. We are ready the weather is cooperating we had to puffy clouds in the afternoon not unusual. Last night was beautiful so we are keeping our fingers crossed that we have one of the same. We have a pretty bright moon illuminating our trip so we are in pretty good shape.
Talk to you later,
RMI Guide Mark Tucker & Team
Tell Papa(Steve)that we love him and can’t wait to see him. Love, his grandbabies.
Posted by: Sierra and Kira Curtis on 2/11/2011 at 8:25 am
Enjoy the rest days. When the hots are up, go get um…fill up with all the great oatmeal and pasta your guide prepare for you. Summit day is a bit long, but well worth the effort when you step onto the top. Git-er-done team two!!! Hey Pete…hope you’re enjoying #2…remember…only one trip up to the summit this time!!!
Erin, team one member.
Posted by: Erin Snowden on 2/10/2011 at 5:01 pm
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