Well just like the Dude, Mother Nature abided (for the most part) we woke up to clear skies still air and sunshine, everything was saying go. So we did. We’re trying to hit a weather window on Sunday that looks gooood for summiting and so we chose to skip the carry up the fixed lines and give it a go in one shot.
Holy F**king Shit it was hard, but we made it. Heavy loads, steep slopes and 3000+ feet of gain with packs that could moonlight as ship anchors, we climbed to Vinson High Camp.
So absolutely proud that we were able to make it up here in such style and I’ll save you the nitty gritty for your climber to regale you with later. We take a well deserved rest day tomorrow (or today, it’s 3am) and will gear up for our summit push Sunday.
Good Evening!
We are all doing great here at the Piedra Grande Hut at the base of El Pico de Orizaba. After a bumpy and dusty 4x4 drive, we arrived today around 3:30. Up next was setting up tents and getting our gear together so we could all settle in and enjoy a delicious pasta and garlic bread dinner before tucking in for the night.
It's cold here at 14,000', and everyone is settled in for the night. We had beautiful weather on our climb of Ixta and also on our rest day, but here at camp we are in the clouds and we've been receiving mixed precipitation types of rain, snow, graupel, and hail. Cross your fingers this system moves out and allows us a shot at the summit!
RMI Guide Solveig Waterfall and the Team
We wouldn’t recommend trying to reach the hut by car. The road is very rough, and especially in wet conditions, can be extremely muddy. Clearance is an issue on the road, so a 4x4 vehicle would be a necessity.
Posted by: RMI Team on 11/3/2016 at 12:08 pm
Hi,
I was wondering if it is possible to make it up to the Piedra Grande hut by car. I have been on plenty of 4x4 roads in a car and am a pretty experienced 4x4 driver, so just being a 4x4 road doesn’t tell me too much. Just curious if a car is even possible, doesn’t matter how well I know how to drive if the car cant clear certain sections. Your advice is greatly appreciated. Thanks
Hey Everyone –
This is JJ and Steve with Team #1. Guess where we are? No, we are not sitting by the pool in Mendoza. We are on the summit of Aconcagua. The entire team is up here right now. They did a really great job. This is my 19th summit of Aconcagua and I have to tell you this, is the most beautiful day I have ever seen up here. But hey, you have heard enough from me. I am going to pass the phone around, so hopefully this will work. Some folks want to hi and etc to some people back at home. So here we go.
[Listen to audio]
Alright, so hopefully that work and we didn’t get cut out. This is Team #1 on the summit of Aconcagua. A beautiful day up here. We have a little more work to do. But I can’t tell you how great of team this was. What do you say team [Cheers]. We are tired. But we are going down hill, so that is the good news.
Chao from the summit,
RMI Guide JJ Justman
RMI Guide JJ Justman and the team call in from the summit of Aconcagua.
Congrats Matt! Sounded a bit winded though, need to train harder. Jimmy, Ross and I really appreciated the shout out ;).
Posted by: Michael Beck on 12/29/2014 at 9:17 am
There is a difference between interest and commitment. When you are interested in doing something, you do it only when it’s convenient. When you are committed to something, you accept no excuses; only results.
Ecuador Adventure - Day 2:
Today the gang got their first taste of real altitude with an acclimatization hike and scramble on slopes just above the western edge of the city. After a quick breakfast we hopped a few taxis over to the Teleférico, Spanish for gondola, and rode it up high out of town. Blue skies and clear views were an uncommon treat for us and the top of the gondola revealed Cayambe in the north, Antisana to the east, and Cotopaxi and Chimborazo to the south. From there we started moving up the slopes of Pichincha, the volcano closest to Quito. We even had a chance to spy a couple of condors gliding below us and then riding thermals high, high above. These are rarely seen birds with wingspans as large as 3 m, quite the treat. Anyway, after a few hours of hiking and a little scrambling here and there we found ourselves on the summit enjoying 360-degree views of Quito and the caldera. The mountain we climbed was called Rucu Pichincha meaning the old part of the volcano, and we were catching views of the Guagua Pichincha, the baby volcano. We snapped some photos from the peak (4,697 m) and then made short work of the descent. Our acclimatization hikes will continue tomorrow but we are gonna hit the road and leave Quito headed north.
More tomorrow!
RMI Guide Billy Nugent
Hello from Barranco Camp,
The team did great today, and everybody is feeling strong and healthy.
The unsettled weather continues for our third day on the mountain. Last night, the winds started to pick up after we arrived in camp and were still blowing when we woke up this morning. Fortunately, it was only winds today, as we stayed dry all day and the sun made a brief appearance when we got to camp.
We are definitely into our mountain routines, going to bed fairly early and waking up with enough time to pack, eat breakfast, and be walking by 8:00 am. That is exactly what happened this morning. With packs on we started the climb up the Shira Plateau. We climbed directly towards the mountain for the entire morning, slowly leaving behind all plant life as we got close to Lava Tower camp. It was the first time most of this group had been to 14,900' and everybody was grinning when we got to our high point. We had some lunch and took a little extra time to just let our bodies feel what it is like being at this altitude. Then we started our descent to Barranco camp, approximately 2000' below us. This was the first downhill section of the trip so far, and since half of this climb is spent descending, you have to be able to walk downhill efficiently. This group can definitely walk downhill. A couple hours later we were pulling into camp. The highlight of the the day, besides climbing to 14,900', was the last 15 minutes of walking before we reached camp. Giant Senecios line the trial on both sides and it such a unique plant, that you can't help to feel that you might be on a different planet. Especially as the clouds roll by blocking out everything around you except for these very strange looking trees.
Once in camp, it was time to get moved into our tents and relax for the afternoon. We are now all accustomed to the snacking and tea drinking that pretty much begins right after we get to camp and ends right before dinner.
Tomorrow we head up the Barranco Wall. It's hard to miss as it looms above us, but everyone is excited to be standing on top of it by mid-morning.
Best regards,
RMI Guide Jeff Martin & Team
Happy Valentine’s Day, Russ! Great job with the climb! And, Thanks for our lovely Valentines present! The Yorkies are pushing you up that mountain with all 8 paws…from Sausalito, CA! Attack that mountain! We love you, Jody, Belle & Bliss!
Posted by: Jody Frederickson on 2/14/2014 at 7:11 am
Hey Sarah, We are enjoying the posts and look forward to hearing all. Happy Valentines Day. Love Pf
Once more into the breach, dear friends. Today was a shorter hiking day, but I thought much more technically challenging. We ascended 2500 feet, ending up at tonight's camp sitting at 12,500'. The road to the camp was dusty and narrow. I personally found it difficult to maintain the pace of the group due to some stomach issues, but Eric, one of our 40 porters helped me out by carrying my sack for a spell. I'm happy to report that I feeling much better. The group is working very well together. Peter and Fatima brought a high end camera and are on charge of high end shots. Heidi and Jami are heading up the bunch and in charge of the "walking" photos. Heidi has dual duties, in that she has to give distance and altitude reports. Rosa is in charge of local PR with the porters. Rick, who wanted me to give a special shout out to his two girls at home, is in charge of culinary spicing. Kendyl and Dan are in charge of fact verification and chocolate supplies. Me, I'm comic relief. And Casey, he keeps us all in line and moving toward our goal. In short, all parties are necessary and I'm glad they are here.
Looking forward to tomorrow,
Dawn & The RMI Team
We sure are missing you but it’s great to be able to get updates while you’re gone and to see pictures. Little One is loving her daily letters (and also the surprise of seeing what color it will be)! She seems to enjoy the names of the places (words she’s never heard before of course) because she always repeats them back… too fun. :-) We love you - have fun and be safe!
Posted by: Tasha on 9/7/2013 at 7:42 am
So glad you are feeling better. You ever get sick so we did not prepare for sickness! Sounds like a great group. What a laugh Kendyl taking care of chocolate…we know how that will end up! All is great here, have a wonderful time. So happy to be able to keep up with you through this blog.
Love to all. m
It's just another day in the tents here on Mt. Elbrus. We've been getting snow since about 3am last night. Fortunately we have not had much wind so that has kept our sanity mostly intact.
We are nearing the end of our trip now. With only a couple more days left before we need to be back in basecamp, we're trying to come up with a plan that could still put us on top without risking us missing our flights to St. Petersburg. What we're thinking of right now is a single push from Camp 1 to the summit and back tonight. That will allow us to descend to basecamp the following day. Barring that we may have to return home safe and sound but without the summit.
RMI Guide Seth Waterfall
Seth: A comment you taught me could be appropriate at this time: the three P’s, perserverance, patience and a positive attitude along with a bit of luck will get you there! Best on a safe climb!
Posted by: phil usher on 9/1/2013 at 6:33 pm
Choo and team,
Bit bummed to read about the weather stalling things but I’m sure you’re still making the most of it! Only a success if you make it up…and back down…so be safe!!! Fingers crossed and sending wishes/thoughts/prayers for it to open up and give you a chance if it is right!!!
Feliz Valentine's Day from all of us in Ecuador. We are at our hut on Cayambe. About to bed down for the night after a good day of training up here. And with any luck tonight, we will be giving Cayambe a shot. So wish us luck. And again, Happy Valentine's to everybody back home.
RMI Guide Jake Beren
RMI Guide Jake Beren checks in from Cayambe's High Hut.
Greetings from Ecuador!
Today was the first official day of our Ecuador Volcanoes trip. After an excellent breakfast at our hotel (which included fresh fruit and juices from the region, like papaya, pineapple, watermelon, and guanabana), we set off on a tour of Quito. Led by our local city guide and expert historian, Jorge, we traveled to the historic Old Town Quito. We toured the Basilica and other historic churches in the district, learning the history of their creation and their unique architectural styles. We also visited the Presidential Palace, Ecuador’s House of Congress, and Independence Square. Then the team headed up to the hill on the outskirts of Quito known as El Panecillo. Here, in addition to seeing the large statue of the Virgin of Quito, we were afforded a panoramic view of Quito.
The next stop on the trip was at a beautiful restaurant/hotel for lunch, where we all sampled classic Ecuadorian cuisine; the meal started with an empanada, then a potato/cheese/avocado soup known as locro de queso. The main course was Fritada, or fried pork, accompanied by corn, plantain, and potatoes. The meal finished off with a delicious homemade ice cream with a fruit sauce made of babaco and guanabana.
With full bellies, we headed north to visit an ethnographic museum located exactly on the equator, where we were able to stand with one foot in the northern hemisphere and one in the southern hemisphere!
The day concluded with a great dinner, lots of joking around, and laughter at the well-known Magic Bean restaurant. Tomorrow we will go on our first acclimatization hike to the volcano Rucu Pichincha.
Everyone is doing great and we all send a big “Hola” to everyone back home. I will be in touch tomorrow with pictures and an update of our hike.
RMI Guide Mike Walter
Hello everyone!
Billy here checking in for the rest of the crew after the first official day of our Denali expedition. Today's theme: attention to detail. Lots of packing- group gear, food, hardware, clothing systems, etc. etc. After a great orientation with the park service this afternoon the team tied up all the loose ends and we are officially ready to rock and roll. Tomorrow morning we are hoping to fly in to Kahiltna Base earlier rather later but that is contingent upon the winds. The weather should be clear but possibly a bit breezy. Regardless, the pilots at K2 seem optimistic about getting onto the mountain tomorrow.
Wish us luck!
Mike would also like to make a shout out to his grandfather. He's thinking of you.
RMI Guide Billy Nugent
Shane,
We wouldn’t recommend trying to reach the hut by car. The road is very rough, and especially in wet conditions, can be extremely muddy. Clearance is an issue on the road, so a 4x4 vehicle would be a necessity.
Posted by: RMI Team on 11/3/2016 at 12:08 pm
Hi,
I was wondering if it is possible to make it up to the Piedra Grande hut by car. I have been on plenty of 4x4 roads in a car and am a pretty experienced 4x4 driver, so just being a 4x4 road doesn’t tell me too much. Just curious if a car is even possible, doesn’t matter how well I know how to drive if the car cant clear certain sections. Your advice is greatly appreciated. Thanks
Posted by: Shane on 10/31/2016 at 11:25 am
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