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Hello world,
We woke up to crystal clear skies last night, which hasn’t been the norm this season here in the
Cordillera Blanca. But this beautiful night so happened to coincide with our climb of Pisco...just our luck! It was a really long day to say the least. It’s a tricky walk for the first several hours just to reach the glacier; up and over the moraine, across a boulder covered rock glacier, and up steep trail and slabs, all done in the dark. The stars were out which made for some wonderful views at breaks. A few more hours of dark while ascending snow and ice and the we finally saw some sun...which proved to be one of those classic Cordillera Blanca sunrises that are hard to describe. Just spectacular! A few more hours and we found ourselves just under 19,000’, on the summit of Pisco. We were above a thick cloud deck and the highest peaks of the Range were penetrating the clouds all around us. It was a special moment for this team who put in a lot of hard work and dedication into their climbing adventure in Peru. We stayed on top and soaked it all in for almost an hour before we walked down into the clouds for a long retreat back to Base Camp. All in all, 12.5 hours, Base Camp to Summit to Base Camp. We took the afternoon to get super tranquilo, as tomorrow, our journey back to civilization begins.
RMI Guide Robby Young, Alfie, William and Team ‘Fuerte’
Weather ultimately dictates everything on these long expeditions and there's certainly no exception for our
Team. Our agenda had us moving to Camp 2 this morning but we awoke to 40 mph winds and gusts of up to 60 mph here at Camp 1! Alas! You win again
Aconcagua! Spirits remain high though as our forecasts call for more cooperating winds starting tomorrow and extending into early next week. So today we rest and prepare ourselves for the move to Camp 2 tomorrow. Best regards from all of us at Aconcagua's Camp 1.
RMI Guide Steve Gately
Hi all,
Well we lucked out with the weather yesterday and made the summit of
Mt Shuksan. If you had asked me our chances of climbing yesterday morning I would have said not good. The sky was very dark with heavy clouds hanging all around the summit, but as we started climbing they seemed to dissipate. Kirk and Harry did a great job despite being a bit nervous about the rock climbing necessary for the summit pyramid. We left our camp at around 7:30 AM and found ourselves smiling on the summit by 12:30. All in all a great day.
Today we are resting and recovering during the intermittent rain showers and will hopefully get some more training in when we can.
That's all for now,
RMI Guide
Geoff Schellens and Team
The Four Day Summit Climbs led by
RMI Guides JJ Justman and Garrett Stevens reached the summit this morning at 6:40 a.m. They reported partly cloudy skies, 35 mph winds, and freezing level around 10,000'. The climbers ventured over to
Columbia Crest, the highest point in Washington, before beginning their descent at 7:50 a.m.
Congratulations to the climbers!
Tuesday, July 2, 2013
We had a little bit of a false start here this morning. We woke at 5.30 to clear conditions, and lower winds up above. Altogether, it was a great looking scene, albeit cold; the coldest temps we have seen all trip. We ate a hasty breakfast, and packed camp to move to 17,000'. As we started to walk, clouds began to build, and the winds on the
Buttress were rising too. At the base of the fixed lines, we decided that today wasn't the day to make our move, and we retreated back to 14,200' to reset camp. A day like today is tough, but we made the right decision, and everyone is in good spirits. We're hoping that tomorrow morning provides a better opportunity!
Until then, best from Alaska.
RMI Guides Pete, Geoff, Robby, and team
On The Map
We're back from Cotopaxi now, relaxing and enjoying warm showers, delicious food, and soft beds at the Hacienda La Cienega. We attempted to summit Cotopaxi this morning, but did not reach the summit due to a ferocious storm that blew in. We woke around midnight to a beautiful starry night. After breakfast and hot drinks, we set out on our climb around 1:00 am. A couple of clouds had started to form by then, but we still enjoyed nice weather for the start of our climb. Ascending the slopes above the climbing hut, everyone was doing well, and it sure seemed as if we had a great day for climbing.
By the time we got to around 17,000', the weather changed dramatically; the cloudy sky above soon turned into a cloud that engulfed us. Winds were blowing in the 30-40 mph range, and we were coated in rime ice as we ascended. We reached an elevation of ~17,800' where we were able to take shelter in a natural ice cave formed by a crevasse. The team was climbing strong, given the challenging conditions-the wind made it challenging to keep our balance as we ascended. Even though the team was climbing well, I made the decision to turn around because of safety concerns; steep, icy slopes at these altitudes are no place for a mistake. The summit of Cotopaxi will always be here for us to attempt again, but you don't get a second chance with safety.
We all descended safely to the climbing hut where we arrived covered in ice. After a couple hours of warming up and rehydrating, we descended to meet our vehicles and headed for a hot shower! We climbed roughly half way to the summit of Cotopaxi before the weather turned us around. We are all happy and rested now down at the lower altitude of our hacienda (still 10,000'!). Tomorrow we will drive north and head to the Hacienda Guachala. Everyone is healthy and happy, and did well fighting through the challenging weather.
After a final long day of walking we at last reached the end of the road today, arriving back at Lukla by late afternoon. With clear skies greeting us this morning we left Namche and dropped down the steep and dusty Namche Hill to the banks of the Dudh Kosi. Retracing our first days of walking several weeks ago, we wound our way along the river, through villages and fields of wheat and barley. With many miles under our feet already, and the altitude finally on our side, we made good time, quickly covering the miles between Namche and Lukla. The final hour was spent climbing the long but gentle ascent back into Lukla, arriving tired but happy, we sat down to a treat of apple struddel at our favorite bakery here in celebration of completing the trek.
The clouds have settled in on Lukla but a good forecast is issued for tomorrow. With luck we will hope on our plane first thing in the morning and be back in Kathmandu shortly thereafter!
6:30 pm August 18th
Around 12:30 today, our entire team stood on top of Mt. Shuksan. Today the weather was mostly cloudy, but we were rewarded with a break in the clouds on our descent. Tomorrow morning we will pack up camp and head into town to celebrate. Congrats to the team!
RMI guide Sam Hoffman, Hannah Blum, and Brooks Ordway-Smith
We’ve begun!! After so much anticipation and travel and preparation, today we finally started walking. Getting from Rivertrees to the Machame Gate of the National Park all went smoothly, as did the final steps of getting permitted for the climb. We began walking at 11 AM, following Freddy, one of our local guides, through cloud and light mist. The day was spent winding through big trees, at first in a rain forest. Over the course of six hours the trees got smaller and things got drier as we eventually climbed through the clouds into sunshine. At 10,000 ft we strolled into a perfectly constructed camp and moved right in. We even got a brief view of Kibo, Kilimanjaro’s central peak, just before the sun went down and the full moon rose. Our team was excited to sit down to a great dinner and then just as excited to hit the sleeping bags--folks are still feeling the jet lag of shifting all those time zones in short order. But somehow it is better to be feeling it in a camp under the stars, partway up a beautiful mountain.
Best,
Dave Hahn
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Kilimanjaro Climb and Safari August 5, 2025
We got a lot done today. Things started out crystal clear at 15,600 ft in Gokyo this morning. We started walking at our customary 8:00 am. At first we strolled along one glowing turquoise lake after another, then we got moving down steeper descents along a charging, churning river. It got really big when we reached the terminus of the Ngozumpa Glacier. The steep sided valley got bigger and bigger. We had “new” mountains to look at on all sides. Despite the rugged and confining valley, we’d occasionally come across hidden side valleys with vivid green yak pastures and a few tea houses. We took advantage of one of those houses to simply sit outside and sip tea for a relaxing 45 minutes. Then it was back to work, dropping altitude. We rolled into 13,200 ft Dhole and settled into the welcoming Alpine Lodge after about four hours travel. High altitude was wonderful and exciting…but none of us mind being a little lower. Eating is easier, sleeping is easier…almost everything is easier. The afternoon clouded up--again--and so it wasn’t hard to just take it easy after our big walk.
Best Regards,
RMI Guide Dave Hahn
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What a wonderful read = can see the stars in the clear mountain air and the calm of the then broken by first light = so well written thank you for sharing God Bless
Posted by: Bobby Brown on 7/28/2019 at 8:12 pm
Congratulations to the whole team for an amazing climb! And thanks to Robby, William and Alfie for getting the team out and back successfully and safely!
Posted by: Barbara W on 7/27/2019 at 12:57 pm
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