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Mt. Everest Expedition: Sara Recounts the Puja Ceremony

April 11, 2011

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Categories: Expedition Dispatches Everest

Elevation: 17,575'

Hi from Everest Basecamp. Five days ago our expedition arrived at Basecamp. Many days before we arrived, our team of Sherpas were up here preparing our campsite, setting up tents, and putting up the Puja altar. Once the Puja altar was constructed, the next order of business was to pick the day on which the Puja ceremony would be performed. The actual day the Puja is performed on is just as important as the Puja, and April 9th was the day that was selected for our team. The actual Puja ceremony takes about two hours. Two Buddhist monks sit in front of the altar, and chant and sing religious poems and songs, while the rest of the team gathers around listening. We place our climbing gear and food around the altar so that it can be blessed by the Buddhist monks, and since we are on a glacier, mats were also laid out so that everyone could sit comfortably. Tea and coffee were served to everyone throughout the ceremony. Towards the end of the Puja, Buddhist prayer flags are draped from the top of the Puja altar to every corner of our camp (which is quite large.) An American flag was raised from the top along with a RMI flag, and a Taos, New Mexico flag (which is the home of Dave Hahn). My dad even put a Baltustrol golf club patch on the altar, which is probably the first time that has ever been displayed at Everest Basecamp. The end of the ceremony was marked when tsampa is thrown into the air and spread on everyone's faces and hair for good luck. Although I still can see some of the tsampa on my clothing, we hope this means we will have a lot of luck when we are higher up on the mountain. Food and drinks were passed around to all, and then it became a party where Sherpas, porters, and even the medical doctors from the clinic next door began to show up. Cans of Everest beer, coke, and sprite were shared and snickers bars, mars bars, cakes, and pastries were served. There were about 30+ birds flying around trying to eat some of the delicious food. The Puja ceremony really meant a lot to our Sherpas. It is performed every time an expedition attempts to climb a large mountain in the Himalaya, and the beautiful Puja alter remains standing throughout the whole expedition. As I sit here on the morning of April 11th in our communications tent looking out onto Nuptse, two of our climbing Sherpas and Dave have just reached Camp One. Two more of our Sherpa Team have also reached Camp 2 this morning. In the days that follow, we will continue to focus on our acclimatization and training to make sure we are ready to go up to Camp 1. Sara McGahan

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Enjoy Tibet while you guys are still there! It’s a beautiful place and I wish I had enjoyed everything while I was still there. Hope everything’s going well!

Posted by: JonathanL on 4/14/2011 at 6:04 am

Great Job Bill McGahan and Sara Rose McGahan (as Adam and Owen now refer to you guys :))! What an awesome adventure!

Posted by: izzy on 4/12/2011 at 12:34 pm

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Mexico Volcanoes: Waterfall & Team Summit Pico de Orizaba!

February 16, 2013

Posted by: Seth Waterfall, Solveig Waterfall

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mexico

Elevation: 18,701'

Hey this is Seth calling from el Pico de Orizaba, third tallest peak in North America and tallest in Mexico. We had a long but beautiful climb, great weather and we are hanging out in great conditions on the summit. We'll check in again when we get back to Piedra Grande. That's it. That's all. RMI Guide Seth Waterfall

RMI Guide Seth Waterfall calls from the el Pico de Orizaba summit!

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congratulations to the climbing team and their guides on the climbing and summiting of the two mountains in Mexico. I sure wish I was a few years younger as I would have enjoyed those climbs also. Cant wait to see the pictures and hear the stories about your trip.

Posted by: Warren Larson on 3/10/2013 at 1:48 pm

Congratulations!!!!! Have a safe trip back.

Posted by: julie grooms on 2/16/2013 at 9:05 pm

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Aconcagua Expedition: Wilhelm & Team Arrive at Basecamp

January 26, 2022

Posted by: James Bealer, Luke Wilhelm, David Price

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Aconcagua

Elevation: 14,400'

The sun got a little brighter for us today, as we moved up to Plaza de Mulas. One only needed to look up from the trail to realize the unique contrast of the environment we were in. Dusty desert gave way to ice covered peaks, appearing to rocket upwards in an attempt to reach outer space. After a long day on the trail, we were greeted with good food and shade.

Till next time,

RMI Guide Luke Wilhelm

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Hope y’all are getting plenty of rest and are gently stoking the fire within you for the adventure ahead.

Dad, to six years of recovery and hard work! You are a bad A! Proud of you! We are with you each step of the way!

Rest Easy,

Kelly

Posted by: Kelly on 1/27/2022 at 6:48 pm

So excited to hear about your trip - we are following along hoping for good weather and good companions along the trail. Give us some colors and feelings in your emails so we get the full view from up there in the thin air. Good Luck and be safe. N. and P.

Posted by: Sandy and Dick on 1/27/2022 at 10:53 am

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Mt. Everest: Dress Rehearsal through the Khumbu Icefall

April 17, 2014

Posted by: JJ Justman, Dave Hahn, Billy Nugent, Mark Tucker

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Everest

Elevation: 17,575'

Today was an exciting day! The entire team did a "live" rehearsal. What does that mean? Well...the team awoke at 3AM and slid on stiff boots and warm clothing, had a quick but nutritious breakfast and then began climbing the icefall with our headlamps lighting the way. Climbing in the Khumbu Icefall is impossible to describe. It is impossible to relay what it's like through photos and videos. However, the best I can say is it is simply spectacular! Giant blocks of ice tower above as you bob and weave, slice and dice your way through the giant maze. The entire team did absolutely great! This "dry run" of going through half of the icefall inspires confidence so the next time we get up at 3AM we will all be ready and rearing to go through the entire icefall and occupy Camp One at 20,000 feet. For now however, we are all happy and content after another great lunch with culinary masterpieces allowing us to fully recover. Next, a little tent time to rest these weary bones. RMI Guide JJ Justman

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Nicole and team. We are so thankful that you and the team are safe and praying for the missing climbers.Your family are all sending you strngth and love. We love you so much Nicole, please take care of yourself. Spoke to dad, brothers, cousins, and we are praying for your safety. Aunt Mimi is with me now. Your loving Aunt Ginny

Posted by: ginny marasco on 4/18/2014 at 11:59 am

Nicole Lobiondo: Wonderful to hear you are all safe and staying confident. You are in great hands and praying for you all. You got this! Love, Nicole

Posted by: Nicole Howard on 4/18/2014 at 6:50 am

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Denali Expedition: Frank & Team Continue to Wait out the Weather

May 30, 2021

Posted by: Eric Frank, James Bealer, Jack Delaney

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mt. McKinley

Elevation: 14,000'

Saturday, May 29, 2021 - 11:35 pm PT

Sleeping in was mandatory this morning as we waited for the sun to hit camp. Rest was the name of the game today as a storm laid siege on the mountain. Wind battered the tents with occasional snow as we all practiced the art of not getting bored. We had a delicious and grand dinner which devolved into (surprisingly well informed) debates on which Disney characters were best. The weather will hopefully improve tomorrow and we’ll be able to get up and stretch our legs.

RMI Guide Eric Frank

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Such an exciting adventure. Go NORM! Looking forward to seeing more photos and hearing your stories. Stay safe, my cousin. :)
Kathy

Posted by: Kathy Leslie on 6/1/2021 at 4:40 pm

Ptaying you all up and down and sunny no storms, sure-footedness. Love to Norm, from Uncle Kaz too

Posted by: Old aunt Karen on 6/1/2021 at 9:10 am

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RMI Guides Seth Waterfall, Tyler Jones & Andy Bond’s Summit and Ski Descent!

April 28, 2011

Posted by:

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mount Rainier

Elevation: 14,410'

The Nisqually Glacier is the most easily viewed of all the glaciers on Mt. Rainier. Facing the Paradise Visitor Center, it runs four miles from the 14,410-foot summit down to about 4,500 feet in the Nisqually Valley. At about 12,500 feet the ice forms a giant cliff where the glacier breaks apart over a large rocky step and smashes itself back together 1,000 feet below. Usually unskiable, the heavy snows this winter have filled in one side of the cliff and a continuous line appeared, begging to be skied. My friends Tyler Jones, Andy Bond and I had a random convergence in the Northwest after being on separate agendas for the winter. Tyler had been ski-guiding in La Grave, France, Andy spends his winters in British Columbia, and I had just returned from a trip to Haines, AK. Andy had recently been bombarding me with emails about how the ski conditions on Rainier were about to 'go off' so we all met up in Ashford, WA, to wait for some good weather. After a few days in town, the necessary conditions stacked in our favor, and we took the opportunity to pull off a big line on Rainier. In the Northwest, a full winter of storms on an endless conveyor belt had been pounding the mountain with snow. Now, with an approaching high pressure system, we had a few days of guaranteed sunny weather. So on Thursday, April 22, we left Paradise in a snow storm hoping that the forecast would pan out as advertised and once at Camp Muir the weather would break. Typically we could each do the trip to Muir without the aid of GPS in any conditions. We have over 200 summits of Rainier between the three of us. But this year every landmark is covered in snow, making navigation impossible without the aid of electronics. A quick consult with the GPS was all we needed to find our way to Muir. Once there, we packed into the tiny RMI hut that normally sleeps two. Poor Andy had to sleep on three coolers; it was either that or the snowy floor. The weather was pretty cold most of the night so there was no rush for us to start climbing until the sun came up. To our surprise there was another party climbing that day. They had left about an hour ahead of us and it was nice to follow their track for the first part of the day. We climbed up towards the Gibraltar Ledges route. This gave us a great vantage point of our desired ski route and I was able to take some pics in case we needed to use them as a quick-reference guide on the descent. Once we caught up to the other party, we took our turn breaking trail towards the summit. Conditions were great and we were able to make quick progress to the top. Our total climbing time from Camp Muir was four hours on the dot. Not bad for carrying skis on our backs! On top we spent some time checking out the different aspects of the mountain and taking photos of the gargoyle-like features of rime-ice; created as water vapor from the recent storm cycle beat against the mountain, freezing instantly. The wind was howling, so soon after, we clicked into our skis and started downhill towards the top of the ice cliff. The upper part of the mountain skied nicely. Rainier is like a big dome and the upper reaches aren't extremely steep and the snow was firm but edge-able. Once we dropped about 1,000 feet, however, the slope angle increased dramatically and the snow became even more firm. At 13,000' we could see directly down the glacier to the top of the ice cliff. From here we were committed, and any slip could result in a long slide off the cliff. Precise, controlled ski turns were necessary and we skied one at a time in pitches to keep an eye on each other. The line through the ice cliff was fairly straight forward. We trended gradually right, through an ever narrowing gap between big rock cliffs and the edge of the ice. The snow conditions steadily improved as we dropped lower on the mountain. In total we skied about 3,500 feet of terrain in what we considered a "no-fall" zone. The stress of all the exposure relented bit-by-bit as we descended, and by the time we exited the ice cliff section we were relaxed enough to fully enjoy the pitch out from under the cliff. We then threaded our way out of the large amphitheater formed by the ice cliff and through a myriad of crevasses onto the benign slopes of the Muir Snowfield. There were several groups of skiers there enjoying the fresh powder and sun. We stopped to chat before continuing on our way and they congratulated us on our journey. The snow was so good from here that we decided to drop below the elevation of the parking lot all of the way to the Nisqually Bridge at 3,500 feet. We knew that this could mean a long wait for a hitch hike back to the car but the day was going too well to worry about that. Plus, the lure of getting the longest ski run in the 'Lower 48' on top of a new route on Rainier was too much to resist. I think we waited for a total of 15 seconds before a really nice guy from Fort Lewis Army Base gave me a ride back to Paradise to get my car. Our luck was good all day!

Aconcagua: All Smiles After Climb To Camp 2

January 31, 2022

Posted by: James Bealer, Luke Wilhelm, David Price

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Aconcagua

Elevation: 18,300'

We huffed and puffed our way up to Camp 2 today, which sits at 18,300 feet. The team did a great job with the move! Arriving at camp this afternoon, everyone felt a major sense of accomplishment. Ear to ear smiles, and hugs all around! Our hard work today will be rewarded with a much deserved day of rest tomorrow. We have now situated ourselves perfectly for a summit attempt in the coming days.

Till next time,

RMI Guide Luke Wilhelm and team

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I have wonder and excitement for you on what it must feel like for this to be accomplished. What a life changing event for you. I am so excited for you all. Keep going! Love you Tim!
Teri

Posted by: Teri Derr on 2/1/2022 at 8:43 am

Richie, you da man! I’m super proud of you for pursing your life passions and adventuring to new epic heights. I’ve been reading the blogs and it sounds like you’re surrounded by amazing human beings with enormous hearts. Keep blazing upward! GO TEAM!!!

Posted by: Joey Collazo on 2/1/2022 at 5:55 am

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Mt Rainier: Expedition Skills Seminar Technical Training at Muir

June 7, 2012

Posted by: JJ Justman

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mount Rainier

Elevation: 10,080'

Today we are training at Camp Muir. The weather is not cooperating with our training, but we are having fun teaching and using advanced techniques for our very advanced clientele. It is very winter like here at Camp Muir a lot of snow and a lot of wind. Our last session will be navigation, and that will come in handy tomorrow getting down the Muir Snowfield. JJ, Dan & the Expedition Team

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Guys had a great time, so much so I’m booking for Mexico. I want to make sure JJ brings the fat finger ascender just for me…

Posted by: Louis on 6/11/2012 at 2:31 pm

We had a fantastic time learning mountaineering skills and hanging out in the hut at Camp Muir. What a great group of clients and guides! Thanks to JJ, Dan, Tim, Katey, and Alex for teaching us so much. You took a newbie and got me well started on a great obsess,er,uh, hobby! Thanks to Nick for suggesting the trip, and every body for keeping it fun. I hope Zeek’s goose grows her feathers back in time for the next trip!

Posted by: Jim on 6/10/2012 at 3:18 pm

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Vinson Massif: Hahn & Team Cache Gear at 11,800’

November 30, 2021

Posted by: Dave Hahn

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Vinson Massif

Elevation: 9,300'

Mission accomplished. For today, that is. We had fine weather today, sunny and calm (but you might be surprised to see how much clothing and gear we still put on for sunny and calm conditions). We made a carry up the steep and nasty part of Mt Vinson… the fixed ropes, and put a cache of supplies at 11,800 ft. before returning to our 9,300 ft camp. By intention, we stopped about an hour short of 12,500 ft High Camp. To go up and back is a lot of work, but we hope it is the kind of work that will help with our acclimatization, making us stronger and safer when we go up there for real. The fixed rope section is a continuously steep and firm snow slope which definitely gets your attention as a physical challenge. We normally get up it in three hour long pulls with some dicey rest breaks thrown in on precarious ledges. The views are otherworldly… with ice stretching to the western horizon and then blending with the sky, and jagged peaks of rock and ice increasingly visible to our north. We were out a little more than seven hours, returning to Low Camp at 9 PM. The strong evening sun kept us comfy in our dining tent for a 10:15 supper. Rumor has it that winds may increase on the upper mountain tomorrow. We shall see.

Best Regards,

RMI Guide Dave Hahn

Mexico’s Volcanoes: King & Team Ascend to High Camp on Ixta, Ready for Summit Attempt

November 9, 2021

Posted by: Mike King, Dominic Cifelli

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mexico

Elevation: 15,400'

We had a casual start to the day. Our hike took us to 15,400’ on Ixta where we have camp set up for the night. Our plan is to rest a little bit after the hard effort of carrying heavy packs and still adjusting to these higher elevations. This evening we will do some gear and skills refreshers. There are some ravens squawking over head and the sun feels good on the tents. Tonight we will ascend the “knees” of Ixta and gain the long and circuitous ridge line and hopefully be on the summit around sunrise. Spirits are high and everyone is healthy and enjoying having the heavy packs off their backs.

RMI Guide Mike King

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Most Popular Entries

Mt. Everest Expedition: Sara Recounts the Puja Ceremony

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Mexico Volcanoes: Waterfall & Team Summit Pico de Orizaba!

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Aconcagua Expedition: Wilhelm & Team Arrive at Basecamp

Mt. Everest: Dress Rehearsal through the Khumbu Icefall

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Denali Expedition: Frank & Team Continue to Wait out the Weather

RMI Guides Seth Waterfall, Tyler Jones & Andy Bond’s Summit and Ski Descent!

Aconcagua: All Smiles After Climb To Camp 2

Mt Rainier: Expedition Skills Seminar Technical Training at Muir

Vinson Massif: Hahn & Team Cache Gear at 11,800’

Mexico’s Volcanoes: King & Team Ascend to High Camp on Ixta, Ready for Summit Attempt

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