The snow began falling about the time we got into our sleeping bags last night. It didn't quit. When we poked heads out for a look-see around 3:30 AM, it was still piling up pretty good, and so there wasn't any consideration given for going ahead with the icefall plan for the day. Back to bed and wait and see, was the plan. It had snowed about a foot by breakfast. The gang assembled and we spent the day biding our time. We didn't have great conditions for walking with powder snow over uneven rock and ice. The clouds and flurries hung in all day. We could hear and occasionally see puja ceremonies going on at the camps around us. All-in-all it was a quiet day of waiting. We'll see what tomorrow brings.
Best Regards,
RMI Guide Dave Hahn
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
Sunday, June 23rd, 2013
Hello all,
We're checking in from 11k! We woke at a more reasonable hour this morning to a centimeter or so of new snow, and crystal blue skies. There was nothing to do but eat a big breakfast, crash our camp, and bounce to 11,000 feet. Just over two hours later we rolled into camp, psyched to finally be setting up shop for a few days. We dug a big kitchen, got the tents all bomb proof, and enjoyed an afternoon lounging in (or hiding from) the sun. With a full rest day tomorrow, it was a relaxed evening, and we spectated as the rangers skied a few laps above camp. The group's competitive personalities are coming out, and tomorrow we have scheduled a competitive napping event. We'll let you know who the winners are!
Until then,
Happily resting at 11k.
RMI Guides Pete, Geoff, Robby, et al.
Hi Wyatt! It’s been raining since you left! The pictures of the mountain look beautiful. We really enjoy reading what your group is doing from this blog. Take Care and stay safe and strong. Love ya, Mom and Dad
Posted by: Marian Evenson on 6/24/2013 at 5:10 pm
Hugo ,we wish you a nice and safe journey! Enjoy your ride !
From your brother , Luis Heitor .
Posted by: Luis Heitor Picchioni on 6/24/2013 at 10:26 am
Hello to all following the Ecuadorean skills seminar. As Casey mentioned yesterday, the wind gods in this neck of the woods, or jungle, seem to be a tad upset with Cayambe the last few days. Last night the gale rocked our hut, shaking windows and spraying dust onto our sleeping bags and equipment all through the bunk room. As I woke my concern shifted quickly not to dirt in my eyes but to Jan who will get his merit badge as the only one to have spent a night in a tent. I don't think too many of us were complaining though because the tent this morning looked very close to flying away. Unfortunately this same wind pattern continued throughout the morning making our projected second attempt at moving to high camp seem a bit detrimental to our actual summit attempt. As much as I wanted to give our team the experience of moving upward and making a high camp, discussions with Casey and Jamie helped me realize the effort needed to move up, pitch tents and get substantial rest was not advantageous to our climb tonight. What another day at the hut did allow us was more valuable training. The opening section to our route directly out of the hut offers impressive rock out croppings ideal for fixed rope travel and rappelling. After our outside time, that was certainly tested by the wind, we retreated back to the hut where we practiced rope coiling, knots and time killing activities. We are now preparing for an early dinner and retirement to our sleeping bags. We look forward to getting up early and gunning for the summit of the equator's highest point.
RMI Guide Adam Knoff
Our Four Day Summit Climb Teams led by Dave Hahn and Geoff Schellens reached the summit of Mt. Rainier early this morning. Dave and Geoff reported great conditions on the mountain with clear views all around. The teams have started their descent and are on en route to Camp Muir.
Mike Walter and team also reached the summit of Mt. Rainier via the Emmons Glacier route. The team reported beautiful weather. The have started their descent back to Camp Schurman.
Congratulations to today's teams!
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!
Hey, this is Seth calling from the Cotopaxi Express trip. We are up at the Jose Ribas hut at about 15,700 feet. Today we had a nice breakfast at the Chilcabamba Hacienda and after a relaxing time packing our stuff for the mountain we headed up into mix of sleet, clouds and high winds, We're all safely at the hut. We have to two nights here so hopefully the weather will clear up for us in a couple of days and we’ll get to punch it to the top. All's well here. We're having a great time. The hut is full of people from all over the world. Nothing but fun stuff. We’ll check in tomorrow. We hope everything is well back in the USA.
RMI Guide Seth Waterfall
RMI Guide Seth Waterfall checks in from the hut on Cotopaxi.
Glad to know that all of you are doing well, I will pray for good weather so you all can have a good summit day, we are thinking of you. Get home save, we miss you
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
Checking in from Camp 1 -
We made our move today from Basecamp to Camp 1. We got an early start this morning, and left camp at 8:45 am. Even though we had hiked most of the trail yesterday, the landscape is amazing. Looking out over the green foothills of Elbrus, with the ever changing light is a real treat. And the weather cooperated for us all day, with a few sprinkels as we finished the last stretch to camp. But just as we got moved into the tents, it began snowing very hard with some thunderstorms in the valley below. We are now resting, waiting for the storm to pass, and will begin dinner soon. Tomorrow we need to go back down about 800 feet to retrieve our cache that we left yesterday, and then back up to camp.
The group did an excellent job today, and everyone is healthy.
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PMR, like the beard, true mountain man look!!
Ken
Posted by: Ken Nelson on 4/13/2015 at 10:30 pm
Larry,
An oven, was that really an oven in JJ’s picture? Amazing…
Glad your getting some good food and company up there. Love you!
Posted by: Debbie Worden on 4/13/2015 at 8:58 pm
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