Today the team woke to another perfect blue sky, light winds, and zero clouds in sight. We took advantage of the cooler morning temps to get breakfast eaten, get packed up, and head further up the Vacas valley towards our home for tonight at Casa de Piedras.
The early shade was a welcome relief from yesterday's sun, and for the first hour or so we moved smoothly uphill and further upstream. As the day stretched on, the sun came over the horizon in full force and we were soon wishing for the light breeze from yesterday.
Well, you definitely have to be careful what you wish for, because about halfway to our destination the wind got quite strong, with big gusts blowing huge clouds of dust and sand down the valley and into our faces. But this tough team just kept going, undeterred. If anything, spirits got higher as we moved together towards our goal, and smiles abounded (albeit a little gritty from the sand flying all around).
The crew got to test their tent erecting skills in strong winds, and were soon nestled into bomber shelter. We've been hydrating and hiding from the sun, ready for an early launch tomorrow up the Relinchos valley towards our base camp at 14,000'. Stay tuned for more!
RMI Guides Garrett, Nick, and Ben
Late yesterday evening we were treated to a spectacular moonrise over the Ama Dablam massif here in Pheriche. The very full moon bathed the surrounding peaks in a brilliant light, the glaciers glowing so strongly that after retreating inside I was obliged to pull my curtains closed to cast extra darkness into my little room. Luckily, the clear skies persisted through the night and we awoke to another crystal clear morning, with only the highest peaks sporting their jet stream plume of clouds far above us.
Leaving our bags in the teahouse, we set off up a small trail above Pheriche, climbing quickly we passed several stray yaks and decaying chortens as we climbed higher. With the weather staying clear and the team climbing strongly, we made good time up the ridgeline, soon gaining the summit of Nangkar Tshang, a rocky outcropping around 16,500' standing proudly above the confluence of the Imja Khola Valley - coming from Island Peak - and the Dudh Kosi Valley - coming from Everest. Along the way we had excellent views of our climbing destination, Island Peak, which we will return to in a few days after visiting Everest Base Camp. Standing by itself at the head of the valley at well over 20,000', the peak does indeed resemble an island, surrounded with a backdrop of some of the world's highest peaks including Nuptse, Lhotse, and Makalu.
After enjoying the views from the summit of Nangkar Tshang, we headed back down the trail, quickly losing the elevation that we worked so hard to gain. Before returning to Pheriche, we walked down to the the sister village of Dingboche, visiting a small building built high into the cliff face above the valley on our way. Returning to Pheriche, we returned in time to sit in on the HRA Clinic daily Altitude Talk, listening to Dr. Barb Jones from the US give us the latest briefings on altitude science and demonstrating the use of a Gamow Bag, or portable hyperbaric chamber, for us.
Tomorrow we climb higher towards Everest, bound for the small herding village of Lobuche, situated just past the terminus of the Khumbu Glacier. Communication from Lobuche is difficult but we will do our best to keep everyone up to date with our progress.
The Four Day Climb led by RMI Guides Pete Van Deventer and Leif Bergstrom made it to the top of Disappointment Cleaver today. Route conditions and warm weather made it unsafe for our larger team to continue onto the upper mountain. The Team is back at Camp Muir and will be descending to Paradise soon.
This is Zeb Blais and team checking in from our first camp on Mount Baker. We're gearing up to do a little training this afternoon, and then tuck in early to get to bed. We will make our summit push on the North Ridge tomorrow. We're crossing our fingers, hoping that the weather is going to hold out for us. If not, we have some great fall back plans, but until then we're doing some training and resting up.
RMI Guide Zeb Blais
RMI Guide Zeb Blais calls in from Hogsback Camp, Mt. Baker.
At their teacher’s request, the 7th grade class in Crystal River, FL, Skyped with RMI guides JJ Justman and Joe Horiskey for 60 minutes yesterday. We discussed mountain climbing in general, and fielded questions about Mt Everest in particular.
The class was doing a novel study of the book “Peak” by northwest author Roland Smith, which centers on a 14-year-old boy climbing Mt Everest. Their teacher, Sarah, had inquired by email whether RMI would be willing to Skype with her class. Of course the answer was a resounding “Yes!”
The students, obviously well-versed in their subject, asked pertinent questions on topics such as: the effects of altitude on the human body, requisites of food and gear for climbing Mt Everest, necessary climbing experience, and surviving for an extended period of time in potentially hostile terrain.
Being familiar with the tragedies which had befallen the mountain the past two consecutive years, the class was riveted to hear JJ’s first-hand account of actually being at Camp l last April 25 when the earthquake struck. He also presented video of his evacuation by helicopter to Base Camp.
One student asked how climbers deal with being separated from loved ones, friends and family, for extended periods of time. Another inquired about our “scariest moments” as mountain guides. But throughout, our message to the class emphasized safety, and while mountain climbing does involve accepting a certain amount of risk that is the case for many activities in life (sports, driving, etc).
Sarah noted at the conclusion of our presentation the kids’ favorite photo was of the abbreviated ‘runway’ in Lukla (at Tenzing-Hillary Airport)! JJ and I really enjoyed talking with Sarah’s class and look forward to similar presentations with hers and others in the future!
RMI Guide Joe Horiskey
Thank you for taking the time to extend our students’ learning. It was great hearing their excitement and discussions after you signed off. You did a great job connecting with them.
Posted by: Lori Casalvieri on 11/19/2015 at 3:15 pm
Namaste,
Mark Tucker sending you this update from Basecamp.
Our Sherpa team had great weather for their trip to Camp Two with a big hunk of supplies for the teams nest at that 21,500 ft camp. They started out at 4:00 am this morning and returned to basecamp for lunch, these guys are tough.
The climbing team had a great day with a number of them getting their first taste of the Icefall's terrain and ladders. They went up the lower part, out of objective danger and perfected the techniques required for what will be there job for the upcoming weeks. Another group went to the top of Kala Pattar, a nearby trekking peak, at over 18,000 ft summiting without supplemental oxygen.
I spent a bunch of calories with about 60 people from many of the teams working on making a helicopter pad out of a glacier. Chopping ice, throwing rocks and moving boulders at 17,500 ft is a great test to see just how acclimatized you are.
Tomorrow Jeff Martin will head down valley starting his journey home to Ashford, WA. Jeff, more than anyone, has made this expedition become what it is, a top notch program, and a team to be proud of. This being my eleventh Everest Expedition I can say with great insight that the effort he has put in the planning and execution of this enterprise is superb. I forced him out onto the lower glacier for a few holes of wiffel golf this evening, it being our Masters Tournament, he opened a can of you know what on me, next time maybe I will whip him. The team wishes him safe travels and a big THANK YOU!
Cheers
We had another great day here in Ecuador. Our day started early with a wonderful breakfast full of local fresh fruit, juices and breads. We left Quito and headed into the highlands of the Andes. First on our list was a hike on the Illinizas to further our acclimatization. We hiked for several hours to just over 15,000 (a new record for some). Though the weather did not allow for any amazing views it did provide us relief from the intense equatorial sun. After a quick lunch of soup and tea we headed back down to our van. An 1.5 hour drive through the beautiful rural countryside brought us to Chilcabamba. Chilcabamba is a beautiful hacienda located just outside of Cotopaxi, our first climbing objective. See Chilcabamba for yourself.
We had a wonderful dinner and good conversations to finish off the night. The entire team is doing great and we are anxious for tomorrow's adventure.
Though it's almost June, the temps this morning hit us like the coldest winter chill. When we first crawled out of the tents it looked like today would be the day. It was cold, but the winds were light in camp. Above, huge plumes of snow launched off of the upper elevation ridgelines, a clear visual of how hard the winds were blowing aloft, but with them coming out of the north, we hoped the mountain would provide shelter and that the warmth that came with the sun would tame the winds. Instead, the opposite happened. As we ate breakfast the winds steadily increased in camp to a small squall, injecting snow through any opening in tents or clothes. Word from higher up said 14,000' Camp was no better. So we got the message and settled in. They've calmed considerably since this afternoon and the forecast calls for them to continue to diminish, so we know we'll get our shot to move up. The group is doing really well with the weather hang. Rounds of gin rummy, kindles, and movies are keeping everyone occupied, as well as a quick wall building session to protect our bathroom tent. Someone mentioned working on content for the Denali calendar as well. Fingers and toes are crossed we get to go climbing tomorrow.
RMI Guides Pete, Matias, Chase, and team, brought to you by Alice in Chains
(Previous blogs brought to you by Outkast and The Scorpions)
Our night at Shira was calm and quiet and not terribly cold. There wasn’t much frost on the tents at 6:30 AM when we rolled out of bed. Mt Meru -our 15,000 ft volcanic neighbor to the West- was standing proudly on the horizon above low clouds. Kibo was cloud-free above us. After the usual deluxe breakfast, we set out around 8:15 for higher places. Walking was easier than yesterday as the altitude gain was more gradual and the terrain much more open and broad. The vegetation -at first- was like a high chaparral mesa in the American West, but as we climbed toward the base of Kibo, the vegetation played out to just a few simple grasses. Within a couple of hours, we’d broken altitude records for half the group as we passed 14,000 and ultimately 15,000 ft on our way to the “Lava Tower” at 15,200 ft. The upper sky stayed largely free of clouds as we reached our high point at the tower. Our fabulous staff had a picnic lunch waiting for us. We lounged about in the strong sunshine until 1 PM before throwing on packs again for the descent toward Barranco Camp.
There were a few steeper spots that required full attention on the walk down, but much of our afternoon was on easier grades that allowed for sightseeing. There were lava caves and waterfalls and groves of scenecios and lobelias. Up above was the gigantic and precipitous south face of Kibo with snow and ice fields clinging improbably to the mountain. Near 3 PM we cruised into another expertly constructed camp -this one at 13,000 ft below the Great Barranco Wall. Then we got into our familiar afternoon pattern, snack, drink water, nap, stare in wonder at the beauty around us. By nightfall, the stars above were outrageous and some of the lights from Moshi were showing through the clouds below to complete the magical scene.
Best Regards,
RMI Guide Dave Hahn & Team
Good morning! We've moved on from La Malinche and are currently enjoying the best breakfast in Mexico at the Mission Tlaxcala. After breakfast we're headed for the village of Amecameca and then on to the base camp at Ixta. Our plan is to get an acclimatization hike in this afternoon and tomorrow head to high camp.
RMI Guide Seth Waterfall
Taylor….we all wish we were back there with you. Can’t wait to see your photos…I hope Seth makes guacamole as well as JJ and Solveig!!! Climb on my friend!!
Posted by: Debbi LaPrevotte on 1/21/2014 at 4:44 am
Happy New Year G$! I love you and miss you and hope you are well.
Xo,
Barbarina
Posted by: Barbarina on 1/1/2014 at 10:43 am
Happy New Years on the mountain. You 3 climbed while we 4 went bowling. SPOT working well.
Keep going up
Skipper
Posted by: Skipper on 1/1/2014 at 9:56 am
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