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Categories: Expedition Dispatches Ecuador
Last night we stayed in Ecuador's oldest hacienda, Guachala. After a good night's sleep, we traveled north to Otavalo. Currently we're enjoying a few hours in the world famous market, shopping for souvenirs and experiencing the indigenous culture. After lunch we'll drive up to the climbers' hut on Cayambe. The weather is beautiful right now, with a light breeze keeping it cool.
With any luck, we'll awake around midnight and summit Cayambe a little after sunrise. Then we're back to Quito for a final celebration dinner together before everyone heads back to the states. I'll touch base tomorrow to let you know how our climb went.
The juniper and incense were lit; the smoke was going up to the gods, the prayer flags were waving. I buckled the chinstrap on my helmet, stuffed my big down parka and threw my pack on my back. It was just light enough, at 5 a.m. on the button- that I could turn off my headlight to look around at my partners. Erica was ready, her harness was done up correctly and her pack looked nice and neat. Kent had his gear good to go as well; Seth was coming up from his tent, looking loaded for bear. We were about 12 seconds from walking toward the Khumbu Icefall and Camp I. But then I saw Tendi talking urgently into his radio as he walked toward me. He paused, looked up and told me -with that classic slashing motion of the finger across the throat- "Icefall is finished."
There'd been a collapse somewhere up high on the route. My gut tightened as I then asked Tendi if anybody was trapped or injured. He talked into the radio a bit more in the Nepali which I surely should understand after so many years spent in Nepal... but sadly do not. Tendi finished and translated, "Nobody was in the collapse as far as we know... all of our team is safe, but the Sherpas have all turned around. They can't get through." I then looked up at the dots spread out along the route in the dim pre-dawn light. Sure enough, most of the dots were now moving the wrong way... or at least the dots with radios.
We took off our packs and loosened our helmets. It was an odd moment, emotionally. We were keyed up to go climbing; to take on some risk and discomfort... and now it was clear that the morning wouldn't involve either, so there was relief. But there was also disappointment. We each wanted to get an important mission accomplished. I felt like laughing at the situation as I undid my harness. I'd spent the last half hour wolfing down sugary porridge and strong coffee... I was wide-awake and jacked up. And now all there was to do with all that energy was gaze out at another spectacularly beautiful morning coming on. Kent Harvey didn't waste a second; he started shooting sunrise shots and counting himself lucky to be up to see it all. In fact, thirty minutes later I looked at Kent next to his tripod and he still had his helmet on. He was capturing everything and fully captivated himself.
I told Erica not to worry about the last minute change to our schedule. She has been on some big mountains; she does know that these things happen. I just wanted her to see it all the way I do, in a positive light. A day's delay doesn't hurt us in any way... unless of course we should spend that day fretting. There is no sense fretting. A collapse in the Icefall is beyond our control, like a lot of things that might happen on a big mountain. I always figure that if some feature in the Khumbu needs to come crashing down, then by all means it should come crashing down -when nobody is under or on it. Get it over with. And the Icefall Doctors are great at cobbling together alternative routes. They'll just need a day, most likely. And we really can rest on this day, now that we are all prepared, packed and ready. We'll be stronger and more ready tomorrow.
At 8 a.m., Linden Mallory got through to ABC on the radio, informing Peter Whittaker and his team of the "closed" route below them. As expected, this information did nothing to dampen their enthusiasm for their own plans well above the trouble zone. Peter and Ed Viesturs were setting out to help pioneer the route to the base of the Lhotse Face. There are usually some crevasses to be probed out, marked and avoided in this uppermost part of the Khumbu Glacier. If they are successful at getting a safe set of tracks up to the "Bergschrund" (the giant crevasse separating the live ice of the moderately angled glacier from the static ice of the steep Lhotse Face) then it will be a big help to the teams of Sherpas intent on fixing rope on the Face in the coming days. Melissa Arnot had gotten an early start out of Camp I and had reached ABC without any apparent difficulty shortly after the 8 a.m. call.
The trip goes on. Take #2 for us tomorrow... the alarm is already set for 4 a.m.
Good evening everybody! Today we awoke well rested and ready to enjoy a full day of intense lounging. It wasn't all sunshine, we needed to sort all of our group gear and get ready for our carry day tomorrow. Then we had to report for duty and get checked out by the Basecamp Doctor. Don't worry,we've all had plenty of Dulce de leche treats and the doc says we're all in tip top shape. We spent the rest of the day taking in the beautiful views at Basecamp, had another incredible dinner served by Grajales, and are ready to see what all the hype is about up at Camp 1.
RMI Guide Ben Luedtke
Posted by: Dave Hahn, Dominic Cifelli, Matt McEttrick
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Alaska Mt. McKinley
Elevation: 11,200'
Saturday, June 26, 2021 - 10:40 pm PT
The bad weather hadn't finished, but we made our break for 11K Camp just the same. What is Denali without some wandering in whiteouts?
It took about four hours and that put us into 11K at 3PM. So nice to see our friends in Mike Walter's group. We dug in right next door to them. Still light snow falling and a lot of cloud, but we are delighted to have different scenery when we can see it. Tomorrow we'll go back down to retrieve loads.
Hello Dave Hahn. Matt McEttrick & company:
While you are at 11K with deep snow & cold on Denali;
The weather conditions are quite different in the Lower Forty Eight!
In the west including CA, WA and OR temperatures are flirting with
100 degrees F. For the next few days in Boston Ma temperatures
will be in the 90 to 100 degree range! Much of the US has similar
conditions,
Our best to all! Joe & Marion McEttrick
Posted by: Joseph P McEttrick on 6/27/2021 at 8:11 pm
Today we returned to Lonquimay for redemption! Our team summited in perfect weather with views of eight volcanoes to the north and south. Skiing conditions off the top were perfection. Now we are getting ready for one of the most important events of this trip: Sergio’s famous asado.
RMI Guide Tyler Reid
Posted by: Adam Knoff, Nick Hunt
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Ecuador
At last, we are ready to go! As of 6:30 this morning, all luggage and personnel were present and accounted for, just in time for our departure from Quito. After another hearty breakfast at our hotel, we checked out from our rooms and met up with Victor, our driver for the next few days. The pile of equipment in the hotel lobby was a sight to see, but we quickly transferred our gear to the bus and got under way. We had fun in Quito, but everyone was excited to leave the big city behind and get one step closer to our bigger climbs.
A couple hours on bumpy roads took us up to a beautiful alpine lake and the start of our second acclimatization hike. Our goal this afternoon was the summit of Cerro Fuya Fuya, a fantastic peak with a craggy finish, topping out just shy of 14,000 feet. We dodged another bullet with the weather, too! Despite a brief bout of rain showers during our morning drive, by the time we started uphill the rain had stopped and we even caught a few glimpses of blue sky!
After our descent from Fuya Fuya, we piled back in to the bus and drove to Otavalo and our hacienda for the evening, La Casa Sol. We spent the evening eating, drinking, and packing for our upcoming attempt at Cayambe, the first major peak of our trip. Tomorrow we'll visit the Otavalo market in the morning for some souvenir shopping and the drive to our Cayambe basecamp in the afternoon.
Spirits are high with this team and we're all having a great time! Stay tuned!
RMI Guide Nick Hunt
On The Map
Posted by: Seth Waterfall
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Kilimanjaro
We've started our safari with a great day. We got an early-ish start from the Dik Dik and headed out of town. On the way we stopped to pick up some stuff for the road. We made good time on some rough roads and through some construction zones. It's actually great to see the government investing in infrastructure here.
Once we got to Lake Manyara National Park we had an amazing lunch at a nice little picnic spot and then headed out on the game drive.
The drive was excellent! I've been convinced for years that the 'tree climbing lions' of Lake Manyara do not exist but today I was proven wrong. It was just a glimpse of the hind quarter of the lion but now I know they're real.
We're done with the game drive now and enjoying cocktail hour at the Plantation Lodge. It's a great change of pace from the mountain. Here's a pick of the grounds at the lodge. It's a beautiful spot to spend a couple of nights on safari.
RMI Guide Seth Waterfall and Team
This looks like a fancy place compared to the mountain. Enjoy. MA
Posted by: Mary Ann on 8/15/2013 at 7:35 pm
Sounds like you are ready for a relaxing time after the mountain. Will look up the places you are now so I can travel along with you Love you Mom
Posted by: cornelia miller on 8/15/2013 at 10:08 am
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Categories: Expedition Dispatches Elbrus Southside
Hello Everyone,
Casey here checking in from Moscow.
All is well and the team arrived yesterday evening. We had a quick meet and greet, then headed out for a bite to eat before calling it a night as everyone was feeling the jet lag.
Today we had a wonderful breakfast and then set off on today's adventure. We spent most of the morning in and around Russia's famous Red Square. We started off with a quick visit of Lenin's Tomb, then headed to the Kremlin for a few hours. Up next was a short subway ride to one of Moscow's many Cathedrals and then headed back to see the beautiful St. Basil's. Several team members did a little exploring on their own and others got a quick cat nap back at the hotel. We have just returned from a nice meal and are getting ready for bed again. Tomorrow we have an early departure and catch one more flight before we get to Elbrus.
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Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mexico
We made it to Piedra Grande!
After getting blasted by snow on Ixta and hearing grim reports of bad roads, we're pleasantly supprised to have a bit of good luck today. The sun came out this morning as we left Puebla and we were treated to an excellent view of El Pico de Orizaba as we aproached the village of Tlachichuca. After packing and a late breakfast we headed out in four wheel drive trucks, hoping to get at least half way to the hut at Piedra Grande. Fortunately we were able to get within a few miles and a truck with our gear made it to within 1.5 miles of the hut. We had sunny but cool weather as we hiked the road, which made for pleasant walking conditions. We have just finished dinner and we're all looking forward to roping up and trying for the summit tonight. I'll check in tomorrow. If all goes well, we'll be on the summit.
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Categories: Expedition Dispatches Ecuador
Buenos dias from Ecuador.
Yesterday we traveled into Cotopaxi National Park; en route to the climbers' hut we were lucky enough to see six Andean Condors! They were very close to the road and were defintely an impressive sight, with wingspans of more than 6 feet.
Upon arrival at the end of the road, we shouldered our packs and hike 45 minutes to the climbers' hut on Cotopaxi. The rest of the day was spent resting, eating, drinking, playing cards, and telling stories ...the time spent here, at nearly 16,000' will help us get used to the (even)thinner air that awaits above.
This morning we are getting ready to head out to the glacier, in order to stretch our legs and review ice axe and crampon skills. The weather is very nice and we're looking forward to our summit attempt tonight. We will likely leave the hut around 1:00 am, and hopfully we'll be on top at 6 ot 7. We'll be in touch, and I'll send pictures when we have access to the internet in a couple of days.
Hasta luego
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Hey Hannah, Wishing you and your Team strength and stamina and great weather moving up the mountain!
Farmer Dave
Posted by: Dave Kestel on 1/15/2023 at 9:22 am
Really enjoying reading about this grand adventure! Best wishes.
Posted by: Peter Darasz on 1/14/2023 at 5:45 am
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