On August 19th the Mt. Baker Climb team led by RMI Guide Bailey Servais summited via the Easton Glacier route. After a successful summit the team spent one more night at Sandy Camp before descending the rest of the way back to the trailhead yesterday for the conclusion of their trip.
The Four Day Climb August 9-12 led by RMI Guides Casey Grom and Sam Hoffman reached the summit of Mt. Rainier today with all of their climbers. It's a beautiful bluebird day and the teams climbed strong. They started their descent from the crater rim around 7 am. Once back at Camp Muir they will take a quick break before continuing the remaining 4.5 miles to Paradise.
Today was our first day of safari and we headed west to visit the beautiful Lake Manyara. Lake Manyara is a brief stopping ground for many migratory animals and home to more than 300 different birds.
Everyone enjoyed the day cruising around in our safari vehicles with cold beverages in hand while seeing the animals up close and in their natural habitat.
We managed to see a few zebras, Impala and a tons of baboons, plus many elephants up close. The highlight was seeing a very large python high up in a tree canopy. It was an amazing introduction to the incredible diversity of wildlife that Tanzania has and the team is very excited to seeing more animals tomorrow.
We wrapped up the evening with a wonderful meal at our new lodge.
It was a windy, snowy day at 11,000' Camp. The kind that had us happy to linger in sleeping bags until late. Eventually we rose and put some energy into solidifying camp before we plowed through a bunch of hot breakfast burritos. Weather days are for spending in tents so we spent a fair amount of time horizontal, welcome after yesterday's effort. As the afternoon wore on we were ready for movement so we got to building some walls to deflect the wind and make life a bit more pleasant. Much like building with adult legos, made out of snow. So now we have quite a habitable spot, a good thing since this weather system may stick around for a few more days.
Hello-
Everyone has safely arrived here in Ecuador and are doing well after the long flights. We started our day with a team meeting where we did a round of introductions and discuss our upcoming program. Shortly after our meeting we headed out to explore this beautiful old city with our tour guide Edison. He took us to visit the basilica and the old part of town dating back to the 1600's. We made a stop atop a hill that overlooks the city called La Panacea, and took in the view of this long and narrow city of over 2 million.
We then made our way north to visit the equator which gives Ecuador it's name. There's a small museum there with a few interactive displays that amused us. But most importantly we stood on the equator itself!
After our brief visit we made our way back to our hotel in downtown Quito where we took a break before heading to dinner. The team opted for a place called the Magic Bean that's known for its tasty food and fresh juices.
Everyone is doing well and looking forward to getting a little exercise tomorrow.
RMI Guide Casey Grom and crew
Hello Everybody,
This is Casey Grom checking in from Everest Base Camp. Our team actually arrived yesterday after making the summit of Kala Patar. Unfortunately we were not able to get a satellite call to let everyone know that we had safely arrived here. Everyone here is doing fantastic!
We woke up this morning to pretty blustery weather, but our wonderful cook Kumar actually got our hot shower up and running here. So it is nice for everyone to get a nice hot shower and just relax. This afternoon we went for a short walk from out camp down the start of the glacier where the route through the Kumbu Ice Fall starts. That was a nice treat for everybody to get to walk down there and try and get an idea of where the route will go in.
Everyone is doing great; we are currently sitting down for dinner. Our game plan is to head back down to Pheriche and we should have cell service Wi-Fi once we get back down there. We are looking forward to getting back down there and will hopefully send pictures then.
Good Night Everybody!
RMI Guide Casey Grom and Crew
Hello from the Dik Dik Hotel,
We are off the mountain with a very successful climb behind us. We all went to bed pretty early last night after the long day of climbing, and fell asleep immediately. It was the kind of deep sleep that only comes after being up for almost 24 hours, being active for most of it, and finishing a goal that has been months in the making.
When we woke up, it was time to pack up camp one last time and head to the park gate. The team was ready to go by 7:45 and 2 1/2 hours later we were signing the registration book at the end of the trail.
The entire team made it to Uhuru Peak on Kilimanjaro so each of us received the gold summit certificate from the National Park. After our celebration ceremony with our guides, camp staff, and porters, we loaded up and drove to our hotel. As soon as we got off the bus, it was time for that long awaited shower and clean clothes. The afternoon went by quickly as we unpacked all our mountain gear and shifted our focus on the packing for the next part of our adventure, a 4-day safari. We leave early tomorrow for Lake Manyara, the first stop on our safari.
We had no communications at Mweka camp last night and we were dying to know who won the Super Bowl. It wasn't until the gate when we found out that the Seahawks won it big. What a great news. Finally Seattle can claim a victory!
Best regards,
RMI Guide Jeff Martin
Conor, congratulations from all your ConMet buddies! Have fun on the next phase of your visit.
Posted by: John Hodge on 2/4/2014 at 8:07 am
Congratulations to all!! It’s been exciting to follow your progress through this blog and I’m hoping the updates will continue through the safari segment, too. Can’t wait to give you a celebratory hug in person, Barrie, but you have more adventures ahead before we see you here in Richmond. Enjoy the “high” you must be feeling even as you continue your travels at lower altitudes!!!
Debbie Trainer
Well, we're still at the 11,000' camp below the West Buttress. The temperatures dropped and the winds picked up considerably today as a cold storm system is affecting Alaska. Apparently, it's snowing in Anchorage; that's about 11,000' lower altitude than our camp. So yeah, it's cold here. But we're all doing well. Most of the day found us either in our sleeping bags in our tents, or in the cook tent, staying out of the wind and passing the time by reading, playing scrabble, and telling stories. We're hoping the winds abate tomorrow and we are able to move camp up to 14,200'. We'll keep you posted.
RMI Guide Mike Walter
Hello,
This is Mark Tucker checking in from Kilimanjaro. A group of happy climbers are crawling into their tents as I write this dispatch. It has been a long day, we have ascended more than 4,000', descended over 9,000' and stood as a team of nine climbers on the "Roof of Africa". Just another day in the office!
We left our High Camp, Barranco Camp, at 12:15 a.m. and were standing on top of Kilimanjaro, Uhuru Peak, 7:05 a.m. It was a great team effort and everyone did a good job.
Conditions on the mountain were perfect: light wind, clear skies and a team hungry for the top. All of the months of training and the good techniques learned over our many days of climbing were put to good use.
I am very proud of this team and am looking forward to more adventures with them.
For now, all we can think about is three more hours downhill tomorrow to reach the Mweka Gate and the drive to our hotel to a hot shower.
RMI Guide Mark Tucker
The team enjoyed a delicious dinner at the Hacienda San Luis. We're a colorful bunch of climbers, and the evening was filled with belly laughter.
After a good night's rest, we packed up our bags and headed north to visit the world famous Otavalo indigenous market. We are currently enjoying the market as I write this. Here you can buy all sorts of hand-made items, ranging from alpaca and sheep wool woven goods to wood carvings to jewelry to artwork. The whole experience is nearly overwhelming to the senses; vivid colors, a unique shopping experience, locals dressed in their traditional clothing, and a beautiful setting surrounded by the Andes all come together to make this an unforgettable experience.
After a few hours of enjoying the market, we will regroup for lunch and then make our way up to the climber's hut on Cayambe for the night. Tomorrow we will rest, acclimate to the altitude, and review climbing techniques like cramponing and ice axe arrest, in preparation for our summit bid.
RMI Guide Mike Walter
Great week at the beach. Hope you are staying warm, Courtney! We are thinking of you always. Love, mom
Posted by: Susan Allen on 12/14/2014 at 6:51 am
Diego (from Ecuador) says you have to try lechon or hornado if you get a chance!
Posted by: Liz Dean on 12/12/2014 at 12:28 pm
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