The Mt. Rainier Summit Climb teams reached the summit! They topped out at 8:38 am on a pleasant weather day. The teams are currently working their way back to Camp Muir and we look forward to congratulating them this afternoon at Rainier Basecamp.
#hrmproud. You ladies are amazing! So happy for all of you, and I’m sure you are all exhilarated! Way to go beautiful, strong women!
Posted by: Vivienne Saunders on 9/30/2018 at 9:22 pm
Congratulations P and to all the other participants as well! What an unbelievable and unforgettable achievement. Well done, I’m super duper proud of you, goose x
A big hola from Mendoza! The team is assembled in this summery land, all bags ready to go and all our paperwork complete with crossed t's and dotted lower case j's. Now all that remains is to start this Aconcagua adventure by loading up and heading into the mountains. Tonight we will have our last meal at a proper table for a few days and start our walk in tomorrow. Wish us luck!
RMI Guides Jake Beren, Mike King and Steve Gately
Hola Mi Amigo Jake , excited for you guys looking to be a great trekk,
weather looks good. Enjoy each step as you go for a nice walk.
Keep an eye on Bill hes a trouble maker so ive heard. Looking forward to seeing some more post and pictures. Randy
Hello from Mt. McKinley.
We woke up early this morning to clear skies and no wind at 14k Camp. Elias and I got all dressed, left the tent, and took a look at the ridge at 17,000'. There were huge cloud plumes flowing over the ridge and spiraling into the sky; an obvious indicator of weather no bueno. Given the recent snows up high and the high winds, we decided to sit it out a day and give it a go tomorrow if weather cooperates. The forecast calls for improving weather trends, so we should be in position when it gets "nice". The weather did actually turn out to be pretty nice today, so no need to send Joe Horiskey any harassing emails!
We will check in again soon.
RMI Guide Mike Haugen
Thanks for all the blogs. Keep up the good work!! What a way to celebrate the 4th. Stay safe.
Posted by: Hickey family on 7/2/2011 at 2:38 pm
Elias, I was so sad to miss your call yesterday. Had the phone off for the Bravo concert. Hope you can try again before the plane leaves for Spain on Friday morning. Suerte con todo. Te echo de menos.
It was clear cold night, the stars shone like diamonds in the Andean sky. We awoke early in order to beat the heat of the day that was surely on its way with the rising of the sun. The days trek began with an icy cold crossing of a glacially cold stream. It was a painful but effective way to remove any last trace of sleepiness from the group.
Today is our greatest elevation gain of the trek to reach Plaza Argentina Basecamp. Gaining 3,600' of elevation is no joke when you’re starting from 10,000', but the team was well fed and ready to start the New Year right. We styled it. We enjoyed sunny skies, cool temps, and stunning vistas as we made our way up the Ralincos Valley and into Basecamp by midday.
We are playing dice & eating pizza. Some are napping and journaling. Regardless it’s been a good afternoon in the sun to dry out gear and tomorrow morning is a rest day.
Namaste everyone.
This morning we left our tea house in Phakding and headed up this stunning valley toward Namche Bazaar, which is the largest village in this famous valley. We hit the trail just after 8:00 along with quite a few other trekkers. Everyone did really well on the hike, and no one seemed to mind pausing often for the endless mules and Zopkeos (cross between a Yak and a cow) carrying loads headed up valley and basecamp as we made our up the trail. It was reasonably busy on the route with trekkers and climbers, but the traffic seem to flow pretty smoothly.
The team crossed a number of high suspension bridges without a problem, even with a light snow falling.
Overall it was a really enjoyable day as we climbed up to just over 11,200' where Namche sits.
RMI Guide Casey Grom and Base Camp crew
Way to go, Chad. You are finally fulfilling a lifetime dream. Looks like you are having fun with your new found friends. Rock on, buddy. Can’t wait to hear all about this fantastic venture.
Posted by: Warren Burgert on 3/22/2019 at 1:18 pm
Way to go Jayne and rob…watching you keeps us young !
Posted by: Ernie & Victoria on 3/19/2019 at 2:31 pm
June 24, 2014 - 8:12 pm PT
Today we encountered the second oxymoron of the trip. The first, albeit not mountain related was not seeing the sun in the longest day in the norther hemisphere, hence the sunless solstice. Today's oxymoron was more exciting, helpful and might I say unexpected. At 13,500 feet there is a crucial feature of Mt. McKinley's West Buttress Route that one must pass to gain access to Advanced Base Camp at 14,200 feet. This storied gateway is called Windy Corner. There have been many a harrowing epic here where sleds have been known to take flight like kites, ropes bend outward like giant crescent moons and rumor has it a climber was even flash frozen like a walking tuna when hit by a fridges gust. For us the corner was breathless!
Last night I had decided to make a carry of unneeded equipment and food up around windy corner because a snow storm is projected to pay a visit for the next few days. Despite having put our bodies to the test for the last four days without rest, this move seemed wise as to prepare the team to move up given our next nice weather day. Everyone's training has proven adequate and we are now in a great position for the days to come. We expect one or two more days here at 11,000 ft. Before making our next move. Everyone is happy and healthy.
Climb on.
RMI Guide Adam Knoff & Team
It is truly amazing what you have all accomplished so far. You’ve worked hard to earn your life “above the clouds”. Sending you strength as you dig deep on your journey to the top. Love to my guys - david, alex and evan and your new climbing family.
Hey, it’s Billy here checking in with our crew 100% on top of Cotopaxi. Enjoying another gorgeous day and another summit of an Ecuadorian Volcano! We have been taking probably hundreds of photos here on the top and we are going to gear up shortly and begin our descent. We will check in when again when we are down safe and sound, so wish us luck.
Ciao ciao!
RMI Guide Billy Nugent & Team
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
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.
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.
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#hrmproud. You ladies are amazing! So happy for all of you, and I’m sure you are all exhilarated! Way to go beautiful, strong women!
Posted by: Vivienne Saunders on 9/30/2018 at 9:22 pm
Congratulations P and to all the other participants as well! What an unbelievable and unforgettable achievement. Well done, I’m super duper proud of you, goose x
Posted by: Andrea on 9/30/2018 at 9:11 pm
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