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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
The Mt. Baker Easton Glacier team led by RMI Guide Andy Bond reached the summit of Mt. Baker today. Andy reported beautiful weather and a fun route. The team is en route back to camp where they will spend the evening before descending tomorrow.
Congratulations Team!
Posted by: JM Gorum
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Elbrus Southside
Well, we had our fill of pizza, thick air, and dance remixes of American top 40 pop songs. We’re back on the mountain now, preparing for our summit attempt tonight. We just enjoyed dinner and a movie, chicken and couscous while watching a Russian overdubbed version of Twilight. The weather is better than it was last time we were here, but I wouldn’t say it’s remarkable. We can’t control what the weather does, but we can give it our best and see what happens.
Wish us luck tonight, and we’ll check in tomorrow!
RMI Guide JM Gorum & Team
Gorem,
You’ve had a successful summer of summits. Keep it up for Tyler and the others. Best wishes, and step safe!
Posted by: Susan Moore on 7/14/2019 at 12:47 pm
Hoping and praying conditions improve! Love you Tyler
Posted by: donna shearburn on 7/14/2019 at 6:26 am
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
On The Map
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
As in all expeditions weather always play a big part. Today we experienced a pretty big storm that will be on the radar for the next three days. The forecast is calling for 4 feet of total snow fall with winds up to 40 mph.
We spent the day learning basic knots and learning to take care of camp during a storm. The weather was a big part of today's lesson. It has snowed about a foot and is still snowing as I'm sending this dispatch.
We all are staying busy and dry and doing well. We'll see what happens over night. Will keep you posted.
RMI Guide Andres Marin
On The Map
The American Lung Association - Climb for Clean Air led by Jake Beren and our Four Day Summit Climb led by Andres Marin made it to the summit of Mt. Rainier today. The teams had cool temperatures with wind gusts from 35 – 40 mph. As the teams started their descent to Camp Muir winds started to calm and conditions were quite nice.
Congratulations to today's teams!
Jake, Gilbert & Mike called in from their 14,000' Camp. All is well and they will send another update soon.
Aaron, congrats, yipeee. mom and dad
Posted by: joanne Anderson on 6/20/2011 at 11:00 am
Is this the team Dave Welles is on? If so, tell him good luck (to the rest of the team, too!). Take good care of him! :)
Posted by: Dottie Martin on 6/19/2011 at 1:06 pm
Posted by:
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mt. McKinley
We have all arrived safely in Talkeetna and have settled in to our rooms in the Talkeetna motel. The team spent the evening telling stories and getting to know each other a little better. Since most of the team are already friends and have climbed together on other mountains it was mostly the guides that needed to get caught up with the back stories and inside jokes.
We will spend Wednesday checking in with the National Park Service Rangers, doing final gear checks, packing and enjoying the sunshine here in town. The weather forecast is promising for flying to the glacier tomorrow first thing on Thursday. We will check in again tomorrow as our adventure on Mt. McKinley begins.
.
Cheers from the whole team;
Andy, Ian, James, Tim, Steve, Mike, Pete and Walt
Have a great time. You know the mantra… “one piece”. :)
Posted by: Kimberly on 5/27/2011 at 2:00 am
Steve
Let me know what the top of North America is like. Have fun and be safe
Kevin W
Posted by: Kevin Witt on 5/26/2011 at 6:39 pm
Posted by:
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Elbrus Southside
One of St. Petersburg's many names is the City of White Nights, recognizing the few hours of darkness that descend on the city during the summer months. Perhaps it was the daylight or perhaps the change in time zones but it was a fitful night's sleep, deep rest intermixed with periods of wakefulness as the body struggled to adjust to a new sleep cycle. Thankfully, a good cup of coffee at breakfast chased the dregs of sleep away and we headed out to visit the city.
Just down the canal from our hotel stands St Isaac's Cathedral, one of the largest in Europe. We climbed the 207 steps up it's spiral staircase to the Colonnade, a walkway offering the best panoramic views of the city - to the port to the west, across the maze of roofs and streets to the south, and to the spires of the Admiralty and the Peter and Paul Fortress standing along the Neva to the north.
The beautiful morning made for nice walking along some of the city's 80 canals on our way to the Church of Spilled Blood, an ornately decorated onion domed church built upon the very cobblestones upon which Tsar Alexander II, the defeater of Napoleon, was killed. Wandering through the gardens and side streets, we made our way to the Hermitage, a collection of over 3 million pieces of artwork housed in 5 buildings that as former palaces of the Tsar's are works of art in themselves. Thanks to some "creative route-finding" we managed to avoid the throngs of visitors milling outside the entrance and were quickly walking amongst the grand ball rooms featuring an exhibition of dozens and dozens of Picassos. Hours, days, even weeks could be spent visiting the Hermitage (and only 5% of it's collection can be displayed), so we focused on seeing the highlights for us.
By late afternoon our days of traveling and site seeing began to catch up with us and we returned to the hotel for some rest. With evening drawing on and feeling a bit rejuvenated, we ended our day on the water, taking a boat through the city's canals and rivers, watching the sun set over the Neva river.
Tomorrow we leave St. Petersburg and trade the shores of the North Sea for the hills of the Caucasus, flying to the town of Mineralnye Vody on our way to Elbrus. We will check in tomorrow when we reach the foot of the mountain.
Hello from 12,300'
We slept in this morning and did not get up until the sun hit the tents - the morning's rays always bringing so much warmth. After breakfast, we dropped back down to our cache, and picked up the last of our remaining gear. We are now completely established at Camp 1!
It was a perfectly clear morning to start but the clouds starting rolling in a little early today and the threat of an afternoon snow storm loomed in distance. Fortunately, the storm never came and the clouds merely played over Elbrus' peaks, at times spreading downward in wind shaped whisps only to retreat again a few minutes later.
The team spent the rest of the afternoon training on the lower glacier, reviewing our ice axe and cramponing skills. We are headed to dinner to plan out and fuel up for our carry to Camp 2 tomorrrow.
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Stay vertical and enjoy the popcorn. It’s the best on earth.
Posted by: Jeff Tracy on 8/23/2019 at 4:18 am
Many thanks for news
have a good next step
best regards
Posted by: jean lambotte on 8/22/2019 at 11:35 pm
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