Hello from Camp 2 on Mt. Elbrus,
Our plan for today was to wake up early to get a head start and try to get to Camp 2 before the potential afternoon weather moved in. Well, this morning was not like the last three mornings. It was snowing pretty hard at camp, so we once again had a weather delay. This time though, our delay worked. By 9:30 the snow had stopped and most of the clouds had dissipated and we could actually see the twin summits. We were walking shortly after and made it to camp with beautiful weather. The clouds that did remain worked with the sun to create a perfect solar oven. The walk up was very hot and there was literally no escaping the heat until we reached camp.
We set up camp in the lower Lenz Rocks, 3000' above Camp 1. Fortunately, the weather cooperated while we established a camp that was ready for the windy reputation of Lenz Rocks.
If the weather continues to improve, tomorrow should be our summit day. We are all packed and the team is strong, healthy, and ready for our attempt.
We are now tucked into our tents just as the sun is setting over the western flanks of the mountain. The views just get better and better.
RMI Guides Jeff Martin and Pete Van Deventer and the Northside Team
Jambo!
We set new altitude records for many team members today when reaching 14,750' on Kilimanjaro!
Too often climbers seem to decide how they are going to feel at a certain altitude in advance. Today the team climbed steady and before we knew it we were standing at 14,750' and everyone was feeling great.
From about 13,000' to the high point there was about 4 to 6 inches of snow. We were fortunate to stay dry as we hiked up the Shira Platuea to our new camp at Barranco but once in camp the rains began. The rain has stopped now, we are all in good shape and getting ready for a hot dinner.
Cheers,
RMI Guide Mark Tucker
Right out of camp we were faced with the only significant technical obstacle for this climb. This hurdle is the great Barranco Wall, which rises about 1,000 feet and looks as intimidating as it sounds. Thankfully, there is a narrow trail that weaves its way up the wall and all the way to the top. Most of it feels like steep hiking, but there are a few places that require the use of our hands to help us climb up.
The team made incredible time and we were rewarded with tea and cookies on top. We took an extra long break to take in the amazing views of the ice laden south face of Kilimanjaro above and green valleys below.
The team continued our hike for a few more hours up and down before reaching our end point.
All in all, it took only about four hours for us to get to our next camp called Karanga, named for the big and beautiful valley which it overlooks.
We enjoyed a restful afternoon - taking naps and playing cards to the sound of rain on our tents, made more sweet by the fact that we were inside and staying dry.
We had some new information about the steep snow slope on the “knees” route upon arrival at La Joya. The slope had not got any new snow and was a firm ice sheet. Having been there last fall I decided that we should come up with a new plan to acclimate our group in preparation for Orizaba. Our local guide Alan had mentioned that climbers had been descending the Ayoloco route. For context the Ayoloco glacier was declared “dead” in 2018. Our guides had used this route to climb Ixta until 2011ish. We decided that if the Ayoloco was descendable then it must be ascendable.
We set off yesterday into a dry and tall grassland filled with large sporadic pine trees, small lizards currying underfoot at 13000’. We picked our way up a “trail” not frequently used. Our high camp was 1000’ lower than the Refugio on the “knees” route but more pristine. We had a running water source nearby which doesn’t exist higher up.
Our team wound its way across Ixta’s middle slopes at midnight with the night lights of Mexico City showing the way. After a circuitous climb of the area formally known as the Ayoloco, we were on the summit at 5 am. Taking in the dawn colors before dropping into the once bountiful Ayoloco valley the team rallied like they have all trip.
The descent to La Joya aggrieved knees and toes but there’s no motivation like a hot shower, cold drink and rest day. We are in Puebla for a rest day and will repack for our Pico de Orizaba attempt on Saturday. Thanks for following along.
Today we left the low elevation sanctuary of Mendoza and began our trip into the mountains. Our first stop? The town of Penitentes where we began the process of packing all of our gear and food for the length of our expedition. Not a small feat by any means. After the bags were packed and weighed for the mules, we enjoyed our last group dinner inside a permanent structure for the next two weeks. Tomorrow our trek to basecamp begins and along with it, our adventure.
We did get a peek at Kilimanjaro this morning before breakfast. The glaciers and icefields were seemingly hanging at impossible angles on Kibo’s flanks. But since -at Machame Camp- we were just in the top layer of a sea of clouds, the views didn’t last too long before we were within the soup again. Nieman introduced our Barking Zebra staff after breakfast -we are supported by fifty men- and then we were treated to a couple of songs as everybody danced and clapped along.
Then it was time to get walking at 8:30 AM. Immediately out of camp, the trail got a little more difficult than what we’d encountered yesterday. The trail became a series of rock steps, like a giant stairmaster up through a corridor of giant heather that became a little less giant as we got higher. Eventually we ended up walking along a ridgeline above the clouds. We had great views of Kibo (Kilimanjaro’s central peak) and could look around as the vegetation changed with increasing altitude. Large white-necked ravens flew acrobatic and aerobatic maneuvers in the thermals around us. We began turning to the north and climbed a few small rock walls to get out to the Shira Plateau -west of Kibo. From this 13,000 ft high point for the day, we then had an easy walk down to our camp at 12,600 ft. It took us five hours on the trail, which meant we had most of the afternoon to lounge about in Shira Camp, getting used to the altitude, stocking up on food and water. The clouds came back over in late afternoon, depriving us of a much anticipated sunset, but when we came out of the dining tent after dinner, things had cleared and we had world class views of the night sky. The Southern Cross, the Milky Way, Jupiter and Saturn were all easily visible and making it tough to get inside our sleeping tents for the night.
Best Regards
RMI Guide Dave Hahn
Greetings from the Suiz Andina in Malalcahuello! Today was our first day with skis on our feet and it was a beautiful one. We rode the lifts at Corralco, a ski area on the lower flanks of Volcan Lonquimay, a training ground for the U.S. Ski Team. Spring snow conditions and the sun shining through ominous clouds made for an ideal day of remembering how to ski. The vibes are super positive in our crew and we're psyched for what's to come. Stay tuned...
Update 8:25 pm PT
Setting out into uncertain weather today with Volcan Lonquimay as our optimistic feeling objective, I wasn't convinced we were going to see the top. After three thousand feet of skinning we transitioned to climbing mode, and as cool as it feels to have skis on your back, whippet in hand, crampons on your boots...those skis make great sails in a gusty north wind. We climbed the direct route on Lonquimay and despite having to battle the elements on the way up - wind, diminishing visibility, pelting snow and rime ice coating us head to toe... with a take-it-one-step-at-a-time mentality we managed to ski from the cumbre (summit). It was sort of the opposite of a carefree descent requiring precision whiteout navigation and a few other guide tricks, but before we knew it we were back in Malalcahuello sipping on the legendary pisco sours at the Suiz Andina...well earned. Thanks Lonquimay!
RMI Guide Tyler Reid
Hello everybody this is Casey Grom checking in from the Everest Base Camp Trek. Just want to let everyone know that everything is going great here in the Khumbu Valley. Today we got up early and checked out of our hotel and headed to the local airport and caught our 7:45 flight, that went relatively well. It was a smooth flight all the way to the Lukla airport. It was a clear day and we had beautiful views of the Himalaya as we headed into the valley. And then we had a brief glimpse of Mt. Everest right before we touched down. We spent the next couple hours just gradually making our way down the valley. We ended our day, here in Phakding and we are relaxing in the tea house, having dinner and just enjoying the surroundings. The team is doing great. We are looking forward to getting some wi-fi tomorrow where we will be able to send a few pictures to let you know what the trip is looking like so far. Everyone is doing great and we will check in again tomorrow.
RMI Guide Casey Grom
It was another beautiful day here on Mt. Elbrus! We woke to clear skies, calm winds and a amazing view of the enormous Caucasus range. We had our standard breakfast of porridge, boiled eggs, assorted meats, cheeses and coffee.
Today was our planned acclimatization day and the team set shortly after 8:30 and hiked for about 3 hours uphill and reached about 15,000', which was a new record for some! Along the way we ran into former RMI guide Craig Van Hoy. It was nice seeing an old friend and chatting with other Americans. We enjoyed the views took a few photos and then headed back down to camp for another amazing hot lunch cooked up by Russia's finest, Albina! The remainder of the afternoon has been spent relaxing in camp, listening to the thunder outside and taking naps.
All is well and the team is looking forward to doing a little technical training and resting tomorrow.
RMI Guide Casey Grom and crew
I see you’re making great progress, Liz I know you’re having a great time! Could someone explain to me what porridge is? I can wikipidea it or I can dig deep in my chef roots, but can you have someone please explain!
June 8, 2014 - 9:19 pm PT
Today was a great day for resting and that is what we did. We awoke to some clouds and snow at our camp at 7,800' and decided to hunker down. Reviewing some knots and hitches filled the spaces between naps and we are raring to go tomorrow if the weather allows. It is snowing at present and with more snow in the forecast, we'll just have to wait and see.
RMI Guide Jake Berenn
Hi rob. I am praying for safety for you and team. I am so proud of you. Stay strong. Love you so much
Posted by: brendie on 8/12/2014 at 4:18 am
Climb strong Team Elbrus…..almost there…...
Posted by: LD Carani on 8/11/2014 at 8:47 pm
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