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Posted by: Hannah Smith, Devin Guffey, Erika Birkeland
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mt. McKinley
Elevation: 11,000'
Wednesday, May 24, 2023 - 10:2 pm PT
Hello readers,
Today we took a rest day. We watched teams pack up as the clouds rolled in and out and snow trickled down. All day snow has pitter pattered against our tents. For most of the day we were engulfed by all white. Teams rolled in from below and from above bundled up and looking a little weathered. The hope is to move tomorrow but the forecast isn't looking the most promising. It would not make sense to journey through snow, wind, and single digit temps to set up a brand new camp. If the weather improves and holds we will move up, otherwise we will weather this storm here at 11,000' Camp. Send all the good weather vibes our way!
Goodnight all,
RMI Guides Hannah, Devin, Erika, and Team
Posted by: Dustin Wittmier, Lauren Macklin
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mexico
Elevation: 7,000'
With dust in our eyes (it hasn’t snowed here since early January) and a dream in our hearts (no matter how dirty and tired we are, we all continue wanting it), we awoke at 12:45am this morning to climb Iztaccíhuatl (Ixta). Actually, we were all awake around 10:45pm to overhear the saga of two of our climbers trying to get a mouse out of their tent. Either way, these alpine starts always seem to come a touch too early.
Our day started with a sleepy ascent of “The Knees” section of the route. Once atop “The Knees”, there was a moderate wind that stuck around all day. Most of us wore parkas for nearly the entire climb; it was chilly but beautifully clear. Once the sun came up, we could clearly pick out skyscrapers in downtown Mexico City, which is unassumingly, the fifth largest city in the world.
The group powered through cold, wind and dust and everyone who made the attempt today also reached the summit! Congrats to this bus full of climbers who will enjoy their well-deserved Tacos Arabe in Puebla this evening.
BEAUTIFUL sky, those clouds omg! hope yall are enjoying some of the most well-earned tacos on the planet right now :D may all your future rests be mouse-free and your summits be as gorgeous as this one!
Posted by: Corey on 2/16/2023 at 7:54 am
Hey Dustin! Thank you for all the updates! Brings back such cool memories! All the Best to yopu and your team for your next climb !!!
Farmer Dave
Posted by: Dave Kestel on 2/16/2023 at 3:48 am
Posted by: Hannah Smith, Ben Luedtke, Daniel May
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Aconcagua
We woke in our beds ready to start the day. We ate breakfast, grabbed our duffels, and loaded the van. A quick 45 minute drive (there was air breaking being done by all) brought us to Penitentes. We weighed our duffels for the mules and reloaded the van to bring to the trailhead. The team made quick work of today's hike. Lulls of no breeze made for a hot walk but when the wind did hit it it was the best feeling. A couple rest breaks and some frogger with another team got us to camp. To say we are roughing it would be a lie. We enjoyed melon and nuts for a snack at a picnic table waiting for our mule team to arrive. For dinner was Carne Asada, chorizo, potatoes, cabbage salad, bread and wine. No complaints over here. Things will get tougher, but not just yet. Tomorrow is another day hiking along the Vacas River. Weather was good today and hopefully good tomorrow.
Good night all,
RMI Guides Hannah, Ben, Dan and team
Posted by: JT Schmitt, Alan Davis, Kiira Antenucci
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Alaska Mt. McKinley
Elevation: 348'
Thursday, June 3, 2021 - 11:37 am PT
We woke up early this morning to try to get the first flight slot out this morning, and optimistically we got our boots on and loaded up the planes. Unfortunately, as things often happen in Alaska, we got turned around just as we were entering the Alaska Range due to low visibility. We are now back in Talkeetna anxiously awaiting our next opportunity to fly. Stay tuned.
Steve and Alan (and everyone else), here’s to some bluebirds in your immediate future. Hope you’re enjoying your hangar hangout time!
Posted by: John Schampel on 6/4/2021 at 7:00 pm
Jack and Nick, no matter what, you look cool!
Posted by: Barb and John The Parents on 6/4/2021 at 3:06 pm
Posted by: Pete Van Deventer, Andy Bond
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mount Rainier
Elevation: 14,410'
WTG dad! So proud! Can’t wait to see pictures!
Posted by: Jennifer C Hitz on 9/8/2019 at 5:00 pm
Good job, Proud of you!
Posted by: Bobby & Kristi on 9/8/2019 at 12:53 pm
Posted by:
Categories: Mountaineering Fitness & Training
Building an endurance base takes more than just long easy-paced workouts. Long workouts create the muscular efficiency to deal with long miles, but moderate intensity intervals and steady state workouts are important for building a solid endurance circulatory system that, in concert with your long workouts, makes up your endurance base. A great aspect of steady state training is that you can incorporate it in a variety of training mediums: running, mountain biking, road biking, swimming, rowing, or hiking.
A steady state workout encompasses a sustained period of hard effort, paced just under what you would consider your race pace or the maximum pace that you can sustain for a given distance. Sustained efforts between twenty minutes and an hour and fifteen minutes have been shown to be most effective for this type of training. There is an obvious difference in pace between a twenty-minute effort and an hour plus effort: the goal is to sustain the pace that you start the workout at all the way until the end of the workout. The pace is typically about 10% less than your maximum effort over a similar time period. You can use a variety of methods to measure your pace and success of the workout: heart rate monitors, your minutes per mile, or for those with more experience, basing your pace on perceived effort or feel, are all effective methods. Though the pace is below your maximum effort, this workout is uncomfortable, and one of the biggest challenges is to stay with the workout mentally and maintain the pace throughout without letting the pace drop. This mental component is also great training for climbers, since this is exactly the mental toughness that you need in the midst of a tough stretch of terrain.
Note: As the intensity of your workouts increase, the importance of a quality warm-up and cool-down cannot be overstated. This is a really important aspect for preventing injuries.
Steady state workouts provide a couple of key training objectives. Accomplished over several months as part of an endurance building block, these workouts increase cardiac output (the amount of blood pumped by the heart), decrease resting heart rate, and increase lactate threshold. To increase cardiac output, your body is stimulated to increase the capillary network that delivers oxygenated blood to your muscles, to increase the capacity of existing capillaries, and to increase your blood volume. These factors help your circulatory system to deliver oxygen and nutrients to your muscles and remove waste products. An increase in your lactate threshold indicates that your body is able to remove lactate efficiently at higher levels of effort, so that you can exercise harder and longer before fatiguing. Finally, a drop in resting heart rate indicates that your heart is operating more efficiently, delivering blood to your muscles with less effort.
The training gains from incorporating steady state training into your routine will help you push longer and harder in the mountains, and the ability to move more blood that contains more oxygen will do nothing but help with the effects of altitude as well! These are difficult workouts, but keep your head in the game and push hard all the way through the end and you’ll be amazed at your endurance gains!
_____
Questions? Comments? Share your thoughts here on the RMI Blog!
Hello Jon! I am actually looking for training information for Mt. Rainier, next June, 2019. I came across your comment posted in January of 2018, re: Mt. Kilimanjaro. My son’s girlfriend and her aunt just completed Kilimanjaro!! There were a couple 53 and approx. 55 year old women on this climb; including my son’s gf’s aunt! It was challenging; but they did it! I think you can access the notes from the climb. Go for it! I am looking to get strong and ready for Mt. Rainier next June; I will be 61, I totally understand your questions! :-) Hope you got to move forward on this, and either have since completed Mt. Kilimanjaro, or will soon!
Posted by: Shelby Schneider on 9/19/2018 at 5:55 pm
I am a previous customer of RMI, having climbed Rainier a few years ago.
I am interested in the Kili trek.
What is the average age of the group, typically?
I will be 64 in August.
I dont want to travel half way around the world and spend all that $$$$ and not complete the mission! I dont want to be the guy ‘holding up the expedition’ so to speak.
What is your feeling about the trek vs. my age
PS: I am in good physical condition, and work out daily.
Thanks
Posted by: Jon Mitovich on 1/18/2018 at 1:28 pm
Posted by: Tyler Jones, Geoff Schellens
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mt. McKinley
Congrats to the team! I can’t wait to hear more about the trip and see more pictures. Love you Jake and hope to see you soon
Posted by: Bonnie Garfield on 6/24/2014 at 8:33 am
Tyler, Garrett and Geoff….well done and thank you from all of the John Stenderup family. The RMI experience for John included weather adversity and other circumstances that will be life long lessons for all of your teams. Your superb training enabled some to summit and prevented possible disaster for others. I, and I hope John also, will forever retain “the summit is for the ego and the journey is for the soul” incantation. Thank you. Best Regards, Kent Stenderup
Posted by: Kent Stenderup on 6/23/2014 at 10:13 pm
Posted by: JJ Justman, Mike King, Steve Gately
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Aconcagua
Elevation: 16,200'
On The Map
Fingers crossed for good weather to Camp 3 and beyond. I hope to catch you in Mendoza on the 2nd with a bag of Starbucks. Charlotte wishes Team 6 well.
Posted by: Elsie on 1/23/2014 at 5:07 pm
Well done, Dad (Lew Smith)!!! Keep kicking butt and taking names! Well done to the entire team as well, this is wonderful news!!! Keep the awesome photos coming, we are all pulling for ya!
Love ya,
Kyle
Posted by: Kyle A. Smith on 1/23/2014 at 8:35 am
Posted by: Billy Nugent, Walter Hailes, Katrina Bloemsma
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Aconcagua
We are all thinking about you and send our love and prayers for a safe climb! Erle, Erle, Donald, Djr. and John
Posted by: Erle Broughton on 1/12/2015 at 11:41 am
Posted by: Seth Waterfall
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Kilimanjaro
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
Hey Hannah! I am sending all the good weather vibes you and Team Tata need to climb high!!! All the best!!!
Farmer Dave
Posted by: Dave Kestel on 5/26/2023 at 3:04 am
Sending you all the good weather magic ✨ So proud enjoy every minute!
Posted by: Allie Bonnom on 5/25/2023 at 4:23 pm
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