Well, we've had so much fun here at 14 Camp that we spent another day here, although hopefully our last. The weather cleared overnight and the temperatures dropped while we were in the tents since the clouds were no longer offering a bit of insulation. It was very cold around camp this morning as we waited for the sun to hit us. With things warming up we walked across the plateau of Genet Basin where 14 Camp sits to a rock outcropping on the southeastern side known as "The Edge of the World." There the mountain side falls away more than 6,000' to the Northeast Fork of the Kahiltna Glacier below. We peeked over the edge there, appreciating the first truly clear views below us that we've had yet. We stared out over the lower Kahiltna where we were traveling our first few days of the climb. Mt Hunter and Foraker rose proudly above the glacier below. It was a spectacular view.
The weather remained nice so the team took a little hike above 14 Camp, stretching the legs after a few sedentary days here before returning to camp to finish preparing our gear for tomorrow's move to high camp. We are rested and ready to head up to high camp to make our summit bid. The weather appears to be improving and we are all keeping our fingers crossed - we'll let you know how it goes tomorrow.
Thanks for all the blog comments and 4th of July wishes, we appreciate hearing from everyone, the team sends their best to everyone at home.
RMI Guide Linden Mallory
The weather sounds great. Hope you were able to move on up. It must be so exciting!!! We are excited for you. Good luck as you continue your adventure.
Posted by: Lorraine and John on 7/6/2011 at 1:56 pm
Great to hear the weather is improving! Onward to the summit! Go team!
We woke up early to beautiful skies. Even though the sun never set, it was low enough to cast an orange glow on the large moon that hung over the Kahiltna Glacier. A five o'clock departure ensured solid glacier travel as we headed up to 10,100' to cache some of our gear. We plan to reunite with this gear when we do a ''back carry'' after we establish a camp at 11,000'. After 6 hours of climbing up to our cache and then back down to 7,800' camp, we spent the rest of the day resting and hydrating. We enjoyed some great conversation over Elias' amazing mountain quesadillas before heading to bed.
Happy Father's Day to all of our dads!
RMI Guide Mike Haugen
P.S. Mrs. Chu, Patrick aced his finals! We are so proud!
Hi everybody I am Elias´s brother, I am writting from Spain.I just would like to said Good luck to all of you! And please be carefull, there are a lot of danger at every step!
enjoy!
Posted by: JORGE DE ANDRES on 6/30/2011 at 1:54 pm
Happy Father’s Day to you all! I’m SO sorry I missed your call, I would have loved to hear the sound of your voice live (the message was nice though). We are all missing you and sending you lots of love. love, best daughter (hehe, the whole team is going to think your family is crazy!)
The team continues to wait for good weather before beginning our summit push. Right now our forecast is pointing towards a possible window some time in the May 23rd to 27th range. It's about what we expected when beginning our trip and so far our forecaster has been pretty much right on.
Today there is a lull in the winds up high and a few teams are possibly going for the summit today. We wish them the best of luck.
It's a tricky game judging the best window for the summit. Right now the Jet Stream is split to the north and south of the region. That doesn't mean that the summit conditions will be ideal but a small, fast team may be able to get to the summit. The better bet for us is to wait for more stable conditions to greater ensure that we can summit safely.
So for now we're still in a holding pattern. But we've got plenty of good food and we're enjoying our time here at Basecamp before we head back up the mountain.
Camp 1 couldn't have been quieter last night. There wasn't a puff of wind to rattle the tent fabric. No dogs barking, no trucks shifting gears, no loud parties and no roosters crowing when our 5 o'clock alarm went off. Breakfast took about an hour...not because we read newspapers...but more because our little propane canisters barely want to burn when they are cold. So we put our boots on with our sleeping bags on our laps, and we put coffee powder in our cups, and stared at a pot of icy water waiting for a puff of steam. After a few hot drinks, some cereal and a little pre-cooked bacon... it isn't so hard to throw open the tent doors and greet the day. I watched the mere hint of a cloud cap play around Lhotse summit, in an otherwise clear sky as we stuffed our packs.
Today was basically our...tag team...day. Those up the hill were dropping down while we were moving up to take control of the heights.
As planned, Peter Whittaker came through first so that he and I might have a few minutes face-to-face in order to figure out the timing of our various pushes for the mountaintop. My team of Ang Kaji, Kent, Seth and Erica marched out of Camp 1 at 7 a.m., leaving me to my meetings and the small chore of knocking down our tents for safekeeping.
Peter strapped his helmet on and dropped down towards basecamp. Ed Viesturs and John Griber weren't far behind. As I packed up the last tent and stepped into my crampons, I saw Gerry, Melissa, Lambabu and a handful of sherpas bringing up the rear in their strategic withdrawal to basecamp. We chatted for a few minutes as the sun finally found Camp 1.
A half hour later, I was cruising up the middle of the Western Cwm alone - feeling pretty good about the day and my strength...when I heard familiar voices in panic on my radio. I stopped and turned around...now sickeningly aware of an avalanche roaring somewhere down valley...out of my sight. I barged in on the radio - trying to get some clear accounting for where the slide was hitting and who was involved. Others closer and with a view began to do the same, and I shut up. I told myself I could run to the scene - the popcorn in the lower half of the icefall - in 45 minutes, but that would be for some worst case scenario that I hoped would not come to pass. I stood in the Cwm waiting through the tedious process of various teams taking attendance on the radio. My mind kept darting back to the morning in 2006, when my own radio attendance efforts came up short, and I realized I lost a friend to the Icefall. This time the headcounts came out right. It was a near miss and too close a call, but everybody was all right. I continued my walk to ABC, still intent on catching my gang. I still felt healthy and hopeful...but I didn't feel nearly as bulletproof or in control anymore. With vast walls of ice and rock surrounding me, in the world's greatest cathedral, I missed my strong, humble friend Phinjo. I'd trade a thousand pretty mountains so see his smile again...but it doesn't work that way.
Today was a “rest day,” which in Spanish apparently means “do your chores, pack your bag, unpack your bag, repack your bag, go for a hike up a steep hill and move rocks back and forth until you can hardly breathe.” And at 18,000 feet, just putting your shoes on can leave you breathless.
We did find some time for relaxation, however, with euchre, naps, confessions of past dating catastrophes, exchanging pro tips, and the best views we’ve had yet.
We also practiced making our camp look like we’re on a proper expedition rather than having a yard sale.
And we continued working on our hand tans.
Most importantly, we had time to ponder the important questions we’ve been debating over the last couple of days:
Why do mountain guides value a Coke more than the Hope diamond? And why do they carry only one trekking pole while we all carry two? What do they know that we don’t? And why won’t they tell us.
How much stuff can you squeeze into your sleeping bag at night so it doesn’t freeze?
How can 10 Brazilians take up so much space?
What did the Russian climber do with the other Russian climber’s body that night?
Do blue bags come in other colors … or would that be confusing? And why don’t they have scatalogical humor printed on them so you’d have something to read at night?
How can I get rid of all my extra food so I don’t have to carry it up … and then down … the rest of the mountain?
And why do they call this camp TWO, even though the sign says camp THREE and it’s actually our FIFTH camp?
In any event, as much as we miss the daily comforts of home, there is something liberating about simplifying your life down to the contents of a single backpack - a bed that packs down into a cubic foot, one pair of shoes (as uncomfortable as these mountain boots are), a single bowl, a single spoon, one shirt, one pair of pants and in many cases a single pair of underwear. No decisions about what to eat for dinner. No traffic. No TV. No politics. Just endless, unparalleled views and good company. Liberating.
Wish us luck.
RMI Guide Dominc Cifelli and Team
Postscript: What do you call a mountain guide without a girlfriend?
Hey, incredible team! We’re so proud of you for taking on this monumental challenge. Remember, few people dare to chase their goals with such determination, but you are doing just that.
As you conquer Aconcagua, know that you’re not just climbing a mountain – you’re proving to yourselves and to the world that dreams are worth chasing!
Keep pushing forward, and know that we’re cheering you on every step of the way!
-Sandra & Marion Champlain (Ben’s cousin & auntie)
Posted by: Sandra Champlain on 1/25/2024 at 6:23 am
Another big day on Safari. We began peacefully enough at Plantation Lodge under cloudy skies. First up after hitting the main road at 8:45, was a little stop for tourism and souvenir shopping. Then we dropped back down into the Great Rift Valley and checked out a Maasai village. The men and women showed us a few dance moves and we compared high jumping ability. They demonstrated how they start fire the old fashioned way and then they brought our team into their small dwellings to explain life in a traditional village. Our team picked up a few more keepsakes after a little bargaining and then we headed for Tarangire National Park. Something changed when we drove past the first giant Baobab trees. As if by magic, there was wildlife everywhere. We came to a waterhole and watched elephants, a giraffe, zebra, wildebeest, impala, great crowned cranes, and mongooses start slurping it up -all at the same time. Roaming the savannas and river valleys, we came across a big male lion sleeping off a big night -by the looks of things. Rambling along on a bouncy dirt road, Melanie scored the sighting of the day, pointing out a big male leopard on a tree branch perhaps 40 yards away. We watched the big fella rest a bit more and then scamper down the tree trunk and melt into the grass. We saw at least a hundred (if not two hundred) elephants of all shapes and size. Most were in family groups shading under trees, some were actively eating trees, one trunkful at a time. We saw a tower of giraffes, we saw a gazillion gazelles. There were lilac breasted rollers and white backed vultures. We didn’t roll into Balloon Camp until 6 PM, but the friendly staff was there waiting to take the team to their "tent cabins". They then escorted us (we are still deep within the park, there is no fence separating us from the wildlife) to the swimming pool and barbecue deck to watch the sun set. There was a roaring campfire and an excellent dinner under the stars for our last night together.
Best Regards,
RMI Guide Dave Hahn
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
The Four Day Climb June 17 - 20 was unable to reach the summit of Mt. Rainier this morning due to high winds and cold temperatures. RMI Guides Eric Frank and Pepper Dee and teams made an alpine start for the summit but turned back at approximately 11,900'. Once back at Camp Muir the teams will continue their descent to Paradise to conclude their trip.
Good evening from the Pika Glacier, on the Alaska Range! We had a great first day of activity today. We had a late afternoon flight in yesterday, and the pertinent camp building marathon. Today, with blue skies, we ventured down Glacier to the "Hobbit's Footstool" rock formation for practice; besides some rock climbing-cragging, we reviewed a lot the rope systems that we'll be implementing in the upcoming days. Everyone enjoyed their time on the glacier and rocks, but the hit today was definitely the steak dinner.
We're now headed to bed, waiting for a better day of fun on this incredible area of the Alaska Range!
Regards RMI Guide Elias and the Alpine Climbing Team.
It has been a difficult few days for our team members. Today all climbers descended safely to Depot Camp (Advanced Base Camp) where they will spend the night. They plan to descend to Base Camp tomorrow.
The RMI Office Team
The weather sounds great. Hope you were able to move on up. It must be so exciting!!! We are excited for you. Good luck as you continue your adventure.
Posted by: Lorraine and John on 7/6/2011 at 1:56 pm
Great to hear the weather is improving! Onward to the summit! Go team!
Posted by: cyndy andrus on 7/6/2011 at 8:20 am
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