Hi RMI,
We gathered with about 30 other climbers this morning for our pre-trip briefing with ALE. Mike Sharp, one of the owners, gave a very detailed presentation about what is going to happen over the next few days. As you might imagine, logistics for getting to the "bottom of the world" are complex. Even though we have already traveled thousands of miles to get to Punta Arenas, we have about 2,000 more miles to fly and two different airplane types to go before we get to Vinson Basecamp. Covering everything from flight plans to arial maps of Union Glacier and the climbing route to ways for dealing with the extreme cold, it is critical information to know before we fly out of here and land in the middle of Antarctica.
After the meeting, we weighed our bags and sent them off to the airplane so they can be loaded and ready for our flight.
Weather permitting, we are planning for an early flight tomorrow, with the airport transfer scheduled for 7:00 am. Next dispatch will hopefully be from Union Glacier.
All the best,
RMI Guide Jeff Martin
This is Seth checking in from the shores of Lake Manyara. We have officially started our safari! We had a nice morning at the hotel. Then said goodbye to Matt, who is headed home, and drove out to the edge of the Great Rift Valley. Once in the national park we started our game viewing with what Eddie calls 'bamboons'. We've also seen elephants, water buffalo, giraffes and many others. It's a great warm up for our visit to Ngorongoro crater tomorrow.
RMI Guide Seth Waterfall
Hi Tamara-
I’m so excited for you! Have fun and be safe!
Jo
Posted by: Jo Guscott on 8/9/2012 at 7:09 pm
Hi Tamara and Jerry,
Glad to see that you and the team are relaxing after your climbing adventure. Tamara, that’s a great shot of you and the elephant. We’re looking forward to seeing your photos.
RMI Guide Lael Butler and a custom client team reached the summit of Mt. Baker via the North Ridge Route—a legendary alpine climb featuring steep ice, exposed ridgelines, and unforgettable views.
Despite some clouds and light winds, the team crushed a two-day push to the top, navigating multiple pitches of alpine ice and snow with skill and determination.
Huge congrats to the climber and guide for an epic ascent of one of the Northwest’s most iconic routes!
Hello, this is Jake and team on the top of Pico de Orizaba under an absolutely beautiful sky today. It's a little stormy around us, but it's blue above us. And we had just about perfect conditions today on the way. So we are super happy, everyone did very well and we're at the halfway mark. So we'll give you a shout when we get down, and let you know how everything went. For right now, I'm super proud of the team. Everyone did well and the halfway mark has been reached. So take care everybody. Talk to you later.
RMI Guide Jake Beren
RMI Guide Jake Beren checks in from the summit of Pico de Orizaba, Mexico.
Thunderstorms rolled into the Baksan Valley last night as we ate dinner, temporarily cutting the power, but again the morning broke clear, with a few scattered clouds dispersed across the sky. We packed up our bags and left our hotel, climbing onto the first tram of the morning with all of our gear for the mountain. Two tram rides and another rickety single seat chairlift later we reached the toe of the glacier.
Perched along a fin of rock jutting uphill into the glacier sits the Garabashi Huts, also known as the Barrel Huts. Consisting of several massive fuel barrels retrofitted into bunk rooms and painted in the colors of the Russian flag, the collection is a bit odd looking compared to the alpine huts most of us are used to. But when the winds start to blow nothing could be more inviting up here.
After setting in we headed out for a small acclimatization hike, climbing up the glacier a ways, getting ourselves back in the habit of walking on snow and giving our bodies good exposure to still higher elevations. Above us Elbrus' twin summits danced in and out of the clouds whirling around them.
Returning to the huts for lunch, we watched the clouds descend down the mountain, growing ever darker and occasionally spitting rain on us as the afternoon progressed. But by early evening they once again dispersed and the skies have cleared, giving us gorgeous views across the Caucasus into Georgia, the peaks illuminated in evening light.
Tomorrow we will head out on a more substantial acclimatization hike before returning to rest at the Barrels. We will check in tomorrow night.
Another day, another incredible Tanzanian National Park. Today we visited Tarangire... A system of rivers, swamps and savannas that host a mind-blowing number of elephants, zebras, wildebeest, gazelles, giraffes and just about every other East African animal you can think of. We were particularly interested in the big cats today. As luck would have it, we spied a cheetah, a lioness up a tree, and finally a big and beautiful leopard in an Acacia tree at sunset. The elephants of Tarangire were everywhere and their signs of passage were everywhere else. We could see where they'd been scraping bark from the giant baobab trees in search of moisture, and flat out destroying smaller trees in other places. In terms of bird-life, we saw everything from an African Fish Eagle (eerily similar to an American Bald Eagle) to the ubiquitous superb starlings with their incandescent colors. It was just getting dark when Joseph and Clement brought our Landcruisers in to Kikoti, a hotel of screened in cabins with a luxurious and open-planned center dining room and bar just to one side of the national park. This will be our last evening together and our last out in the wild, but we look forward to a final day's journey back through the park and "home" to Arusha.
Best Regards,
RMI Guide Dave Hahn
This morning we woke up early, broke camp and flew off the Kahiltna Glacier. We are now enjoying a nice meal at the West Rib Pub. The group is doing fantastic and we all looking forward to a warm shower. All and all and incredible time with everyone.
Thank you all for the fantastic time!!!!
RMI Guide Andres Marin
After our unsuccessful attempt climbing Radio Tower due avalanche conditions, we spent our last day hiking to the first camp on Denali. We all had the opportunity to pull sleds and go for a long glacier hike. The group enjoyed the views and exercise that took to get there. We finished our day climbing up Heartbreak Hill back to Denali Base Camp. All and all a fantastic day.
Tomorrow we will be packing our camp and be flying at noon back to Talkeetna.
RMI Guide Andres Marin
The RMI Everest Expedition is on track! Three super Sherpa went from Base Camp to Camp 2. En route they stopped at Camp 1 to offer some help to the team and carried the radio and electrical equipment up to Camp 2. After arriving at Camp 2, they put the puzzle together and bingo, loud and clear communication between Basecamp and Camp 2. A few days ago they carried a couple of community loads of climbing gear, and a strong team of upper mountain route workers placed anchors and rope up the Lhotse Face. With the team now nesting at Camp 2 and feeling good, it makes for another great day here on Mount Everest. It did snow a couple of inches last night, but a beautiful day with just enough wind to whip the loose snow around making for wild views. A little maintenance on the floors of the dining and communication tents today is routine when living on a moving glacier.
RMI Guide Mark Tucker
The Five Day Climb June 28 - 2 July led by RMI Guides Jack Delaney and Sam Marjerison reached the summit of Mt. Rainier this morning on a beautiful day. The teams enjoyed some time on the summit before beginning their descent from the crater rim around 9 am. The climbers will return to Camp Muir for their second night on the mountain and enjoy the views and their accomplishment. Tomorrow the teams will descend the remaining 4,500' to Paradise.
Hi Tamara-
I’m so excited for you! Have fun and be safe!
Jo
Posted by: Jo Guscott on 8/9/2012 at 7:09 pm
Hi Tamara and Jerry,
Glad to see that you and the team are relaxing after your climbing adventure. Tamara, that’s a great shot of you and the elephant. We’re looking forward to seeing your photos.
xoxo,
Marty and Ron
Posted by: Marty & Ron on 8/9/2012 at 6:27 pm
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