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Hey everyone this is Billy checking in and letting you know that we are back down at high camp after a really successful summit day with near perfect weather. The crew is exhausted but in good spirits. Tomorrow we are going to pack up camp here at 17,000’ and beat feet for the airstrip. Hopefully we will get to the airstrip on Sunday and be able to fly. That is all weather dependent of course. So we will check in when we get to base camp.
Ciao,
RMI Guide Billy Nugent
It is 1:30 AM, the sun is still shining brightly out and I've just crawled in the tent. It has been a long day -in lots of good ways. Once the sun runs into the western rib of Vinson at around 3 AM, we don't get it again until 11:30. That is the downside of being so close in to the massive west wall of Vinson, but there are upsides. We get an incredible view of this 2,000 meter face of rock and snow with its three immense ice strreams tumbling downward in the slowest of motion. We climbed the northern end of the wall today, carrying a load of supplies up a thousnd meters or so to high camp. A snowstorm had been forecast, but instead we got nothing but intense sun and a giant blue sky. It was literally the perect day for climbing in Antarctica. Most of our day was spent working up a long section of fixed rope. Before we'd gone very far up the steep snow we were treated to unlimited views out to the west. Ice, ice and more ice... Way out to the horizon where it usually gets tough to tell the divide between Earth and sky. It took us six and a half hours to get up to high camp, which we reached at 8 pm (we don't do early starts in such a cold place when camp is in shadow) and we were back down at low camp again by 10:30. Dinner was a welcome chance to sit around and talk over the roar of our stoves. It does take hours to melt all of the snow we require for water after such a long day out.
Tomorrow we may move up to high camp, or we may rest for a day... It depends on how strong the gang looks at our 11:30 breakfast, and on whether that snowstorm finds us.
We had a great acclimatization hike today at the Ecological Reserve Pasachoa, an ancient volcano which now hosts a cloud forest ecosystem. We hiked up to 12,300', and everyone did great. The weather was nice today, and it was great to stretch our legs and work our lungs a little bit. The altitude of this hike will serve us well, as tomorrow we're off to the climbing refugio at the Ilinizas, where we'll hopefully gain an altitude of over 15,000'. Then we're off to a Hacienda on the flanks of our first climbing destination, Cotopaxi.
This evening we enjoyed fine Ecuadorian cuisine on before leaving Quito; adventurous palates even tried the Ecuadorian delicacy of fried guinea pig (cuy) and the locally fermented corn drink called chicha. We're all enjoying the culture of Ecuador and the conveniences of Quito. But we're also very anxious to head for the mountains and leave the city behind. Tomorrow we'll do just that.
We'll keep you up to date on our adventures.
It sounds pretty romantic, and lots of people envy my job. And, I must admit, I'm pretty happy with what I do for a living, and count my blessings every day. But working as an expedition photographer is not always a piece of cake. This goes for me shooting stills, as well as Gerry Moffatt, Kent Harvey, and John Griber shooting our video footage. While I cannot speak exactly for them, I can give an idea of what my days on the hill are like.
Being a photographer on an expedition does not really put you into a special category. There are no chairlifts or trams waiting for us; we must climb the mountain just like anyone else, acclimating, moving up and down, and capturing images along the way.
Along with the standard equipment all of us - Ed, Peter, Melissa, Dave, Seth - carry on the hill, I also have my photo equipment. I've always been a Nikon shooter, and this is my 6th Everest expedition using Nikon gear. So in my pack is a Nikon D300 camera, chosen for its superior image quality complemented by reasonable size and weight. In addition to the D300 body, I have a handful of lenses: a Nikon 18-200mm, Nikon 50mm, Sigma 10-20mm, and a Nikon 80-200. This selection gives me a fantastic range while keeping the weight reasonable. I also bring along my Nikon SB-800 flash unit and an SC-28 remote cord for filling in faces and dark areas in this contrasty environment. Oh, and of course, extra batteries, cleaning supplies, a variety of filters, and a tripod.
My personal M.O. on all expeditions has always been to disrupt the flow of climbing as little as possible while shooting. Certainly there are times when the environment and risk enable me to set up shots and choreograph the scene. But, more often than not, my style is to catch what I can by moving ahead of the climbers and capturing them in real time, in real situations. (You can imagine trying to ask climbers in the Khumbu Icefall to stop for a few minutes under tons of tilting seracs while I compose a shot - not even nice to contemplate!) This style, while my preference, creates some challenges, as I am in a constant game of leapfrog, setting up a shot, shooting, repacking my gear, and shuffling ahead as fast as possible to get ahead of the climbers and find the next spot for a good image. Not easy, but it is an added challenge I strangely relish.
The other challenge with expedition photography is the need to be constantly thinking, looking around at the terrain with a creative angle, trying to find a new perspective on the environment at hand. While this terrain is so spectacular that pointing and shooting often works, the nut for me to crack is how to find a new perspective, how to tell a different story in a single frame and show what perhaps has not been shown before. This requires constant attention to the task at hand, for moments missed may never come again. But, again, this is a cerebral game which adds depth and enjoyment to the climbing at hand.
When looking at the end of the day, I must admit I long a bit for the days of film. Way back then, in the late 1990s, we'd shoot film during the day, pack it away after sunset, and the day was done- but, no longer. Digital, despite its great benefits, has caused quite a bit more work for us photographers. When the day is done, I now take my compact flash cards into our production tent, fire up my solid-state Asus laptop, download my images onto a hard drive, make a backup copy on another drive, and then edit the day's work. Select images are spotted for dust and blemishes, captioned, resized, saved to a thumb drive, and handed over to our field producer, Cherie Silvera, for transfer via satellite phone with the day's text and video dispatch.
It all makes for a long day, to say the least, but, I wouldn't change a thing about it. I love the honor of capturing the amazing people on our team and the stunning environment, and the chance to share those images and moments with a greater audience. It was, many years ago, images by Ansel Adams, Galen Rowell, Barry Bishop, and other greats of mountain photography that first inspired me to tread in the mountain realm. Their images shared with me a place I could scarcely imagine, bringing a new world to my doorstep in Topsfield, Massachusetts. It was through their lenses that a passion was discovered and ignited within me, and my one hope as I photograph our team and our climb is that I may share that same sense of wonder and enjoyment that hit me long ago.
Enjoy the images, and climb on, wherever your trail may lead...
Posted by: Mike Walter, Avery Parrinello, Luke Wilhelm
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mt. McKinley
Elevation: 11,000'
Thursday, May 20, 2021 - 9:30 pm PT
We spent another day sitting out the wind and snow at 11,000' Camp. We killed time playing trivia for hours in the cook tent. We will continue to patiently wait for the best weather window to move up to our 14,000' Camp. Thanks for following along!
June 14, 2014 - 11:34 pm PT
Today our team enjoyed a well earned rest day here at 11 Camp. Over a leisurely breakfast we took some time and shared the blog responses. Everyone loved hearing from friends and family back home, thanks for the love everyone!
After breakfast we got down to the real business, napping and building an awesome snowman. All in all a productive day in the mountains. Tomorrow if the weather holds we'll try and move to 14 Camp.
George would like to wish Elaine a Happy Birthday and Jessica a big congrats on her graduation. The team thanks them for letting us have him today.
"Hi umma, sarangtie, muattelatte."
RMI Guide Jake Beren
On The Map
Jake, Leon, Dawn and Jared. Wish I was with the Raconcagua team. I miss those bagel, cream cheese and bacon breakfast sandwiches. Climb strong and good luck! Miss you guys. ,MAV
Posted by: MAV on 6/16/2014 at 9:00 am
Hey Jorge !! I’m pulling for you. Climb hard and be even harder.
Stay calm and Albariño on. Looking forward to hearing all the stories someday.
Posted by: Dan Singhisen on 6/16/2014 at 8:03 am
Today was a beautiful day here on Aconcagua, with clear blue skies and lots of sunshine for our carry up to Camp One. We had quite a bit of wind here in base camp last night and were worried that we might be walking up into the teeth of it today, but the weather gods smiled on us instead.
We were walking just as the sun came into camp, and were able to make steady progress through the broken and rocky morainal slopes above us. Soon enough we came to the heinous scree slope that guards the bench of Camp One, and the team made short work of the last few hundred feet.
We dropped our food, some equipment, and some gas for our launch towards the upper reaches of the mountain, and were headed down soon thereafter. All the luggage is currently awaiting our return, but tomorrow we'll take a hard-earned rest day. The team continues to climb strong, hydrate well, and eat hearty portions, which will pay dividends when we head up higher on this beautiful mountain.
Thanks for all the kind words, and keep your fingers crossed for continued good weather!
RMI Guides Garrett, Ben, and Nick
On The Map
Sorry I have been slacking. Was aiming for a daily hello from home. I missed sorry. Hope you guys are having a great trip. Can’t wait dr you to get back so we can hear all the stories. Happy hiking!
Posted by: Martha on 1/5/2014 at 1:19 pm
Safe climbing as the team gets closer to the summit!
Go team go!
Matilde
Posted by: matilde on 1/4/2014 at 6:14 am
We woke this morning to splitter weather and light winds in base camp, and knew that it was time to move. After breakfast we packed up all our luggage, lashed down the sleds, shouldered our pack and headed down Heartbreak Hill. This section of the climb is called Heartbreak Hill because of the fact that teams have to climb back uphill on the way out, but the slight downhill pitch makes for a good initial stretch of the legs for teams on the way up.
Our first few hours got us out and onto the main Kahiltna Glacier, surrounded by the majestic peaks of the central Alaska Range. Foraker, Crosson, Francis, Kahiltna Dome and Denali all towered over our group, giving us a sense of smallness in this vast icy wilderness. The early morning sun made the high east faces of Foraker and Crosson shine as if lit from within, and the views made our climbing truly unforgettable.
We pulled into our camp at 7800' just as the sun came out from behind Denali, and set up camp in some welcome sunshine. Within an hour we had our tents up and folks moved in to escape the intense UV that bounces around the glacier during the day. We've been resting in anticipation of an early carry tomorrow. Everyone climbed strong to camp, and group morale couldn't be any higher. We'll check back in with an update as we continue climbing.
RMI Guide Tyler Jones
On The Map
Hello JY! So excited for you and your team. Lifting all of you up in prayer. Thanks for letting us be a part of your journey!
Posted by: Nancy Rickerson on 6/7/2011 at 2:35 pm
Glad y’all are all together again and getting in some climbing. Stay warm and safe and have loads of fun!
Posted by: Barbarina Sprinkle on 6/6/2011 at 8:39 pm
Today we moved to 9,300' on Mt. McKinley. We had great weather on the trail. As we reached the top of Ski Hill it started to snow so we set up camp and hunkered in for the evening. We are all settled in and are resting for another great day tomorrow.
We will keep you posted on our progress.
RMI Guide Seth Waterfall
Today we woke up in the dark around 3 a.m. and ate a quick breakfast of hot rice porridge and coffee. Several team members took a rest day while the guides and Leif did a carrry through the ice fall to Camp One. As Casey, Seth and I had not been thru the ice fall this season (and this being my first trip to Everest!) we felt a preview of the route would be helpful. Loaded with a light pack including items to cache which would be needed for higher up on the mountain, we started out in the dark and joined the massive line of Sherpa. The route is kicked in well and and the ladders were minimal with several ten foot crevasse crossings being the largest span. A little over halfway thru the ice fall, the sun broke over the mountain and we were greeted with clear blue bird skies.
We arrived at Camp One (just over 20,000 ft.) at 7:30 in the morning and congratulated each other on a trip well done. Our Sherpa team did a great job with camp site selection and we drank, ate and cached our gear. A little after 8 a.m. we started back down the ice fall hopping crevasses, crossing ladders and doing two short rappels. We arrived back at Basecamp (17,500 ft.) just after 10 a.m. during the heat of the day and sat outside enjoying the warmth while rehydrating and gazing up at the ice fall.
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Best of luck to you all!
Happy Birthday Tom!
Posted by: Dennis Kinsey on 5/22/2021 at 7:24 am
Give Saint Rainier my love!!
Posted by: Tk Ito on 5/21/2021 at 10:00 pm
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