May 17, 11:50 pm PT
Despite the forecasts that we have been getting the last few days, we woke to sunny skies and calm conditions. Everybody was excited to get the move to 11k done. Now that we are here, the first part of the challenge of McKinley is wrapped up. From here on out, we'll be done with the sleds and snowshoes until we head back for the airstrip.
The move only took a few hours, but we spent several more hours building snow walls and digging in. Right around dinner time the clouds moved in and it started to snow, about an inch in the last two hours. It looks like we'll wake to several more in the morning. The weather dovetails well with our overall plan however; we've had three hard days with big loads and tomorrow is the perfect time for our first full rest day. Our plan is to eat a fat breakfast, read some books, practice cramponing, prepare for a carry to 13k, and then eat a big dinner. Everybody is psyched with our progress even more so with the prospect of a mellow day. We'll let you know how it goes!
RMI Guides Pete Van Deventer, Robby Young, and Josh Maggard
So glad to hear you’re having some sunny skies! Happy trails!!
Posted by: Courtney Winston on 5/19/2014 at 8:05 am
Great to hear that the team is making such great progress every day, and congrats on completing this first arm of your journey. For Marko, a big warm hug. XOXO
Gina
A very dry snow started falling yesterday after we returned from our carry to 16,200' and continued throughout the night. When we finally emerged from the tents 6 - 8" of new snow covered camp. As we fired up the stoves for breakfast we dug out camp, clearing all of the snow from the tents, resetting the tent anchors, and pulling our backpacks and climbing gear out from beneath the surface.
With no plan but resting and sitting around camp today, we had a casual breakfast - cooking up a heaping amount of bacon and sitting inside the kitchen, talking about normal 4th of July weekend activities while we listened to the snow fall on the tent above. These rest days can be some of the more mentally difficult days of an expedition as there isn't much to do but sit idely and wait for our move. While they are important for our acclimatization and physical recovery, they are also a test in patience as we wait for the hours to go by. Thankfully the team is doing well and it has been welcome down time after a few big days back to back.
We occupied a few hours in the afternoon paring down our gear for high camp and fitting our overboots to our climbing boots and crampons in preparation for our summit bid. We're waiting to see what the weather brings us for tomorrow.
RMI Guide Linden Mallory
The weather cooperated today allowing us to finally take in the incredible views to be had on the Kahiltna glacier. Which was nice given that we opted to make a single carry up to our camp at 9600', and at least the views helped distract us from carrying loads that were heavy beyond belief. But we all made it to camp by mid afternoon, appreciative of the fact that this was to be our last single carry for the trip. From here on, we'll be making double carries, that is, making two trips to every camp we establish and carrying only half our loads at a time.
Tomorrow we'll be moving up to 11,200' and establishing camp there, but we'll leave a fair amount of our food, fuel and assorted other personal equipment not needed for the next couple of days here at 9,600'. We'll pick this gear up the day after tomorrow. This will allow us to spend longer acclimatizing at 11,200' in preparation for our move later in the week to 14,200' camp.
Leon, Maile and I were impressed by the group yet again as they took to the job of getting camp set up like pros. And this after a grueling day's climb. What a great team.
We are all looking forward to getting up to 11,200' tomorrow!
RMI Guide Brent Okita
Sounds like things are going well. Will keep my fingers crossed that the wind will die down. Lindo made it!!!! isn’t that great… Be safe and have fun xoxo mom
Today we awoke to partly cloudy skies and descent views of Kilimanjaro looming above. Amazing to see how much new snow is on the mountain since it’s been a pretty wet winter here.
Our morning routine has been waking around 6:30 and getting everything in our tents packed up before heading into our very spacious dining tent for quite the feast.
We hit the trail once again around 8am and hiked for an hour before taking our usual 15-minute break, then back on the trail for another hour. All total today we hiked for just over seven hours before reaching camp which is set up and ready for us. Eventually the clouds rolled in and obscured the mountain for the final few hours.
Along the way we passed around the famous and beautiful Lava Tower, reaching just over 15,000ft, setting new altitude records for some of the team. Everyone enjoyed the day and there was plenty of good conversations amongst the crew.
Thank you. These reports are terrific! After reading many books on Kili, I am following your daily reports with some back knowledge and getting excited for our August 1st trek! The Cascade and Olympic Mtns. give us plenty of opportunity to snowshoe and scramble in knarly conditions. Bring it!
The Expedition Skills Seminar - Emmons team reached the summit of Mt. Rainier this morning via the Emmons Glacier route. This team of all female RMI Guides and climbers left Ashford on Monday, July 17 after two days of training at BaseCamp and Paradise and drove to the White River Trail head. The team spent the last few days training and climbing on the route. This morning they began their summit attempt from Camp Schurman. After enjoying a bit of time on the summit they will descend to Camp Schurman for their final night on the mountain.
Congratulations to today's Emmons Seminar Team!
After a delicious breakfast at Dr Reye's historic soap factory bed and breakfast, our team is on our way home.
A little more on the Orizaba climb:
We arrived at the Piedra Grande Hut on Friday afternoon. After a brief walk to help our bodies get used to the thin air, we settled into camp. Robby and I cooked the best chicken tacos Orizaba has ever seen. Fresh tortillas, guacamole, sautéed onions and peppers, rotisserie chicken and limes made for a great pre-climb feast. After the taco feed, we tucked into our tents for a few hours of sleep.
When we woke, the thick cloud that had engulfed camp before bed had cleared. It was a beautiful night without even a breath of wind.
We climbed through a maze of rock known as the Labrynth to the Jamapa Glacier. At over 16,000' we donned crampons and ice axes and roped together to work towards Orizaba's stunning summit crater.
Rest stepping, crampon technique and pressure breathing were the cornerstones of success as our team made switchbacks across the peaks northeast face. Our entire team climbed well until we were on the summit celebrating a hard fought ascent.
We enjoyed perfect, warm weather on top. After we had captured some photos and soaked in the amazing view, it was time to tackle the other half of the climb : the descent.
In keeping with the style they showed on the ascent, the team descended with great form and attention to footwork. Without a hitch, our team made it back to Piedra Grande.
A few hours of packing and 4x4 riding led us to a tasty meal and celebration at the Reyes soap factory. Sharing stories and jokes with the team was a terrific way to end a great climb and a rewarding trip.
Thanks to everyone on the team for their huge efforts and great attitudes!
Until the next climb ~
RMI Guides Zeb Blais & Robby Young
Our final night in St. Petersburg!
The team had a great last day here in Russia, with a visit to several beautiful churches full of mosaic's. We then paid a visited the beautiful and very famous Hermitage Museum, were we saw paintings and sculptures by many well known artist including Picasso and Rembrandt, and countless treasures Russia has collected over the century's. We took a small break and wrapped up the day with a wonder evening boat cruise to see this amazing city by water.
It's been a amazing adventure here in Russia, but it's time to say our goodbyes and return to family and loved ones.
Thanks for following,
RMI Guide Casey Grom and the happy crew!
Thank you for the posts. It is great to be able to share in almost real time from half way round the world..Miami Florida. Gregory Waltz is our nephew,
June 28, 2014 - 10:27pm
Hey, it's Billy calling in from 17 Camp on Denali. Today was not summit day for us. We woke up to some inclement weather that's been steadily working all day with winds gusting near 70 miles an hour or so. We build up pretty solid, fortified camp and everyone's sitting tight and holding on. Winds from the storm are supposed to give way to nicer weather in the next couple of days so we're just sitting tight with our fingers crossed. We'll call and check in tomorrow, to let you know if we got up there. That's all for now.
Billy Nugent checking in from 17,200' Camp on Denali
Eric: 70mph winds…OUCH…flapping tent syndrome….use the ear bud skull cap combo to keep from going insane! Trust tomorrow things calm down. U.P.
Posted by: Paul on 6/26/2014 at 4:03 pm
Been checking the blog nonstop to see if you guys had made any progress! Not to worry, keeping our fingers crossed that the weather clears up and you will be able to make a successful summit bid! Keep up the great work! Miss you Dad and Michael! xoxo
For any of you soccer fans up there: the Men’s US soccer team advanced to the knockout round about an hour ago (despite a loss to Germany). #MURICA
Posted by: Katie Freedman on 6/26/2014 at 11:32 am
High winds kept our teams off of the summit of Mt. Rainier today. The team headed out early and reached an elevation of 11,600' but the winds were just too strong, so they returned safely to the shelter of Camp Muir. They will be leaving Camp Muir early and will be back down to Rainier Basecamp in the early afternoon.
Thursday, May 30, 2019 9:51 PM PT
Luck was on our side! We woke to clear skies and sunshine. And you know what sunshine means, we went and played in some crevasses. Psyched that the weather hadn't arrived yet, we hit the snowy trail and walked to a beautiful section of the glacier. Tall rocky peaks stood all around us. Their sides full of hanging glaciers. We were safe out of harm's way but could see their ominous appearance. We spent the day ice climbing out of the crevasse and practicing our rope ascending skills. Everyone did a fantastic job in both activities. By the end of the day the forecasted weather started to creep in on us. A light breeze pushed at our backs almost assisting us back to camp. The clouds have begun to lower and small flurries float around camp. It is one of our team members birthdays tomorrow, and he is wishing for good weather. Let's hope his birthday wish is granted and this forecasted snow storm stays away another day.
Goodnight all,
RMI Guide Hannah Smith and Team
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So glad to hear you’re having some sunny skies! Happy trails!!
Posted by: Courtney Winston on 5/19/2014 at 8:05 am
Great to hear that the team is making such great progress every day, and congrats on completing this first arm of your journey. For Marko, a big warm hug. XOXO
Gina
Posted by: gina badescu on 5/18/2014 at 9:50 am
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