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After waiting all morning for the rain to stop and the clouds to lift we made our summit attempt. The clouds towered around us as we climbed up the glacier in the sun, getting a good look at Mt. Shuksan's snow-covered summit pyramid. Mother Nature had other plans for us as we approached 7,600’ the clouds closed in around us creating white-out conditions and forcing us to follow our footsteps back to camp.
RMI Guide Alex Halliday
Posted by: Dustin Wittmier
Categories: Expedition Dispatches North Cascades
Yesterday our team made a strong summit attempt of Sahale Mountain in poor conditions. We reached 8,100' on the Quien Sabe Glacier following a morning of low visibility as well as increasing rain and wind. With a deteriorating weather forecast we decided not to cross a tricky bergschrund, which would have put us in a difficult place considering the soggy snow conditions. We returned to camp wet, but in high spirits knowing we gave it our best go. The entire team did an excellent job and are looking forward to sunny summits in the future!
RMI Guide Dustin Wittmier
Posted by: Adam Knoff, Walter Hailes
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mount Rainier
Elevation: 11,200'
The Expedition Skills Seminar - Muir Team along with RMI Guides Adam Knoff and Walter Hailes had a successful week of training on Mt. Rainier. The team spent the week learning crevasse rescue, setting snow and ice anchors, route finding, avalance training, and many other alpine climbing techniques. The team was able to take several walks above Camp Muir, but the winter like weather kept the from the summit. The team is on the descent and will be back at Ashford Basecamp in the early afternoon today.
Congratulations to today's team!
RMI Guide Mike Walter and Team are checking in with the RMI office as they prepare for their summit bid on Cotopaxi:
June 25, 2014 5:38am PT
We enjoyed a relaxing rest day at the Hacienda Chilcabamba. Today we will head into Cotopaxi National Park and prepare for our summit bid. We'll be in touch!
June 28, 2014 - 3:01pm PT
We we're treated to good views of Cotopaxi and five condors as we drove into the National Park. We are at the hut now, going for the summit tonight.We'll be in touch soon!
Stay Tuned!
Glad to hear you’re all well and rested. Sending love and support! Go team go! One foot in front of the other all the way to the top! Can’t wait for the updates!
Posted by: Lizzie on 6/25/2014 at 4:47 pm
Glad to hear from you! I was getting worried.
Posted by: Kris on 6/25/2014 at 4:34 pm
June 7, 2014 - 6:49 pm PT
...and the players are ready! Hello from our cloudy camp at 11,000. The team had a productive morning rising to a cold clear day! We started the day with a classic mountain breakfast of instant grits with a side of pop tarts. We know it's not likely many would approve but for us it hit the spot and was the fuel we needed on a breezy, cold morning lugging our cache loads all the way to our next camp at 14,200 ft.
This was our first day of more technical climbing - we've been referring to the mountain behind us as the long heavy approach. The rope teams climbed with crampons and ice axes up Motorcycle Hill around to the famous Squirrel Hill. Lore has it that one early expedition had a furry stowaway on board that jumped from a member's pack at a break on this stretch of mountain, resulting in the long-standing name "Squirrel Hill."
After this section we made great time up to and around Windy Corner, which gave us a taste of some icy breezes as we crested over into the sun. The remaining stretch of glacier went quickly, and we were dropping our kit into yet another snow hole before noon. The group climbed flawlessly as we were back to our tents at 11,200' before we knew it. Now we're resting and preparing for tomorrow's move up to our fourth camp,the highest so far. Don't touch that dial, we'll be back with an update tomorrow!
RMI Guides Garrett, Tyler, Bryan, and the team
On The Map
Great job Jake! You are well prepared for what lies ahead! Wish we knew what color your coat is, it’s hard to pick you out in the photos! Love Mom
Posted by: Diane on 6/8/2014 at 4:39 pm
Congratulations Paul !!
You finally get to see the view from the 14,000 ft. camp. Pretty amazing, isn’t it. Sounds like the weather has been preety decent for you guys. I hope it stays that way so you don’t get stuck hunkering down at 14k or 17k.
-Larry Seaton
Posted by: Larry Seaton on 6/8/2014 at 1:13 pm
Posted by: Billy Nugent, Walter Hailes, Katrina Bloemsma
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Aconcagua
Elevation: 16,200'
We are continuing to plod our way slowly but steadily up this mountain. Our team woke to beautiful blue skies this morning and took advantage of the good weather by putting in another cache up at our Camp 2, which also goes by the names "Guanacos Camp 3," and "Chopper Camp." No matter what you call it, it sits at over 18k' and is one of the last spots with running water as you ascend. We made short work of the carry, climbing the 2,000' or so in 3 stretches and made even shorter work of the descent back to Camp 1. The skies clouded up this afternoon so we got to enjoy some comfortable napping temps in the tents. We spent the rest of the day eating napples, reading, and listening to tunes. Rumors of deteriorating weather have us pondering our next move but our plans call for another rest and acclimatization day.
We'll see what Mother Nature has in store for us,
RMI Guide Billy Nugent
David and I are thinking about you, Meredith. Be save and have a wonderful climb. Love to you.
Posted by: Tracye Wear on 1/14/2014 at 7:08 pm
Nugent, when you hit the casino after your climb make sure to look for a guy wearing a Ferrari tshirt. In the mean time hide your knife from the gouchos!
Posted by: EDGE on 1/14/2014 at 9:56 am
Posted by: Casey Grom, Solveig Waterfall
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Ecuador
Elevation: 16,000'
After almost two days of rest at the lovely Chilcabamba the team is feeling refreshed and excited for Cotopaxi. We had a leisurely breakfast and then finished our packing before loading up the van and heading uphill to reach the parking lot that allows us easy access to the mountain. The parking lot sits at about 15,000' and the climbers hut is just about a 1,000' above that. Our timing was perfect today as we hiked to the hut just after a small snow squall and shortly before the weather came back in. Lucky for us!
Our plan tonight is to get up around 11pm again and hopefully be climbing shortly after midnight. I'm expecting the climb take us around 7 hours if all goes according to plan.
Keep your phones nearby tomorrow morning. A lucky winner will make a summit phone call if the weather allows.
Wish us luck
RMI Guide Casey Grom and team
On The Map
God’s speed! Safe climbing!
Love you Brian M
Posted by: Duane Mycroft on 12/19/2013 at 5:20 am
Jambo!
RAIN, rain, rain. Then we began to get ready in our nice dry tents, and emerged to a cool cloudy beautiful day. If you didn't have ear plugs in you may have missed a little shut eye but the whole team had a great night and a wonderful hike up here to the Shira Camp. Not often can you enjoy the awesome waterfalls that only run during storm time. We were fortunate to enjoy perfect conditions into camp and arrive to a great hot lunch and sunshine.
We are looking at the white, white, summit of Kilimanjaro above so plenty of excitement ahead. We are planning to have the team throw an extra layer in our kit based upon current conditions.
So many trips in the past with team members having some challenges at this point and some calling this their high point but no issues with this team of mountaineers so far. Such a pleasure for a guide to have a team that has done their home work. Mid term tomorrow, final exam just around the corner. Here I go to study up, dispatch ya later.
Cheers
RMI Guide Mark Tucker
On The Map
Good show everyone! I’m folowing the climb because of Steve Evans, my neighbor and friend - so a special “good luck” with all his camera gear and battery life! I’m totally impressed with all of you and this effort!
Posted by: Paul Basta on 2/16/2011 at 3:41 pm
Posted by:
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Everest
What a difference a day or two can make. The team walked out of Namche and down through the farms and fields of Phak Ding the other morning. In short order, we'd gone from snow, ice and rock to wheat, barley and happy little kids in school uniforms crowding the trails. Erica Dohring and I took the standard six hours to cover the walk from Namche to Lukla under mostly cloudy skies. Compared to the Lhotse Face or the Khumbu Icefall, the stroll to Lukla is not terribly difficult...but sure enough, it ends with uphill just when most tired Everest enthusiasts would prefer for it to be downhill. Through good luck, we didn't get a downpour until we were in the Lukla suburbs and heading for the inn. Our gang was assembled in a spacious and warm dining room, already shuffling cards and drinking tea and settling in for the "airstrip hang" that begins and ends so many of the climbs we frequent. That is the point at which you've done all that you can do with your legs and it is now up to weather and pilots to figure out the rest. I believe our team was ready for the hang to take days since the post-cyclone pattern seemed a lot like pre-monsoon already (translation: clouds giving way to clouds) Pilots in these mountainous regions are known to favor visibility and smart passengers don't quibble with that preference.
We wiled away the afternoon, looking out on the rainy strip of tarmac without much angst over schedules...it being our belief that the team duffels were still buried in basecamp snowbanks anyway and that onward travel without some change in that status was going to be limited. Lam Babu burst the duffel-induced-lassitude around dinner when he announced that he'd received word from Tendi that all of the loads had actually left basecamp as of that very afternoon. We went to sleep in Lukla once more believing that it was possible to get a little lucky on weather. And sure enough, yesterday morning came around sparkly and clear...so much so that during breakfast we watched four planes buzz in and out on the tilted strip. Lukla airport is something similar to a sinking aircraft carrier. There is just room enough for a short-takeoff-and-landing plane to touch down at the lowest end at full speed, flying upward...reverse prop pitch in a rush of air and noise... Jam down the speed to nothing and then quickly taxi into a little corner at the top of the apron so as to get the heck out of the way of the next plane. The aircraft tend to land and takeoff in waves of three and four at a time, every two hours or so (allowing a Katmandu roundtrip) and our scheduled flight was to be part of the second round. Clouds showed up and gathered on the peaks and began to fill the valleys...but not enough to spoil our day. Our flight went off without a hitch or a hiccup and by 11 AM we were checking into hotels in big and dusty Katmandu.
Haircuts, shaves, neck massages, showers, internet, taxi-rides, telephones, televisions...it all came flooding back, just like that. At least a version of it all came back...Katmandu amenities are not exactly the modern comforts that we are spoiled with at home, but they are very welcome, none-the-less. We won't actually head for the international airports without the aforementioned duffels and those -we hope- are on animal backs approaching the Lukla outskirts right now...but then they are subject to the same delays as people (cargo planes don't do any better in mountain-filled clouds) In any case, we expect to be on bigger (less weather-dependent) airplanes in a few days time, winging it over the Pacific. The climb is over. The team still has a few fun get-togethers, including a big dinner with the Sherpa staff this evening, but for the most part now, we go back to being on our own.
There is souvenir shopping and tourism (yesterday happened to be the 56th anniversary of Tenzing Norgay and Sir Edmund Hillary's summit...there were festivities and observances), but then there is also just plain easy hotel lounging. We've all got tons of catching up to do on current events and email. Personally I don't mind the slow pace of waiting for duffels...it isn't simply that the past 10 weeks of Everest climbing were hectic and charged with danger and the fear of failure, it is usually the 10 weeks before that as well, when Everest hangs in the future and must be constantly and vigorously prepared for. By contrast, this after-Everest-and-before-home-limbo-period is quiet and slow-paced. The monkey is off the back for a little while...the rat has been fed, etc. etc.
It may be time to go back and read up on the Everest experiences of the teams that surrounded us for the past season...or to peruse even our own accounts (now that it all can be put in some perspective). Such study and reflection may give us closure...-or possibly aggravation- one never knows...but it will be time to wrap up our thoughts on Everest 2009 in any case. We've all got other mountains -of one sort or another- to climb in the near future.
My hope is that in sharing our trip via text, photos and video, we've given an honest and entertaining glimpse of a place and experience that enthralls us. Having accomplished our personal goals of challenging a big, dangerous and magnificent mountain while keeping safe and coming down as friends, I also hope that we've succeeded in our "business" of demonstrating conclusively that Eddie Bauer is back in the expedition game... to stay.
Thanks very much for following the trip through to its end and for the many thoughtful and friendly comments that have been passed our way.
Summit! The Four Day Team enjoyed beautiful weather and some time in the crater this morning. They began their descent from the crater rim a little before 8 AM. The guides reported very little wind and a beautiful day on the mountain. Once back at Camp Muir the teams will take a short break before continuing down to Paradise and eventually to Rainier BaseCamp.
Congratulations to today's climbers!
No small feat. Congratulations team!
Posted by: G Han on 8/13/2019 at 9:33 am
Summiteers made a good call today, live to climb another day.
Posted by: Willy on 5/17/2019 at 5:02 pm
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