June 20, 2014 - 7:14 am PT
Three O Clock PM Talkeetna time. The kids in orange vests that load and unload the planes we were to fly in asked if it was okay to unload the 2,700 pounds of gear weighing down the aircrafts still grounded by ugly mountain weather near Mt. McKinley. Sure we all said. By this time the thought of messing around with gear just to pass the time seemed like a safe plan. The flying conditions were reported to be bad all day so the perceived notion that we would fly at all was dwindling. The forecast for the next few days looked worse so I knew unloading those planes was the best move we could have made. Not more than 20 minutes after our climbing outfits came off and we were literally heading into town for a beer, base camp called, said conditions looked good and if anyone was ready, load 'em up ASAP and get them in! So, off with the jeans and tennies, on with boots and a mild-hurried panic and onto the plane. Forty-five minutes later we were on the glacier! Yeeee haaaa.
Everyone is buzzing with good energy and the days to come. Wish us luck on our move to Camp One.
RMI Guide Adam Knoff
June 15, 2014 - 11:57 pm PT
We celebrated Father's Day on Mt. McKinley with a move from 11 Camp to 14 Camp. The team did a super solid job getting up here with enough gas to build a good camp just before the weather came in. It sure feels good to be in position to move a bit higher after a day of rest and training tomorrow. Now it's off to bed to enjoy a good night's rest after a big day in the mountains.
Thanks to all the Poppas out there, we love you.
RMI Guide Jake Beren
Chris, we are so happy you made it to the next height. We hope that the weather will behave itself and you can move forward. Stay safe and warm! Love mom & dad
Posted by: Elizabeth Koerner on 6/17/2014 at 6:19 am
Back in the Lower 48. Thinking of you all… Glad you’re doing well! We went fishing and kayaking in Glacier Bay and sightseeing in Denali Park. We’re rooting for you all… Stay strong, be safe, and have an absolute blast!
June 9, 2014 - 9:52 pm PT
The team remained at 7,800' on Mt. McKinley and chalked it up to a weather day. Apparently they spent the day composing poetry. A copy of their work is below:
We're below Ski Hill
Snowing, blowing, eating here
Hope to move up soon!
Cheers from 7800,
Katie, Leon, Jake, and Crew
RMI Guides Jake Beren, Leon Davis & Katie Bono
How about posting a group picture with the guides in front?
I want to see all you mountain climbers.
Posted by: scott's mom on 6/11/2014 at 1:11 pm
Curious about what you all do all day waiting for the snow to blow over ? Wishing you sunshine all the way to the top! Missing you Scotter Potter!
Love, mom
May 25, 2014 - 11:56 pm PT
We took full advantage of our rest day today, eating a big brunch of egg, bacon, and veggie quesadillas (there is a recurring theme here involving our meals). The storm that was forecast for last night and today didn't materialize, so it was a great day for chatting in the posh, catching some sun, and catching up on journals and reading. Everyone's legs appreciated the recovery from yesterday's big effort.
The forecasts going forward are pretty scattered, and aren't really painting a clear picture, so at this point we're in standby mode, waiting for our weather window to present itself. We'll see when that happens, but until then, we are living really comfortably at 14 camp. We'll be in touch with more news tomorrow.
RMI Guides Pete, Robby, and Josh
This was a great day for staying put. That said, it sounded like everything outside our little tents was moving around. The forecast called for snow and wind - the reality was exactly that. I was wide-awake at 5:40 a.m., listening to what sounded like a 20-minute train derailment: an avalanche pouring off Everest's Southwest face. Several times I zipped down the tent door, only to see that we were still in the milky midst of the turbulent powder cloud thrown off by the slide. I knew the actual debris couldn't possibly hit ABC - but it was a reminder to me that it wouldn't be a day for wandering around. The decision had been made the night before that our expedition business would be put on hold. No Sherpas shuttling supplies or camera memory cards-no members going on upper mountain "hikes" in a whiteout.
My gang was due for an ABC rest day in any event, but lack of morning sun and abundant frost shaking from tent ceilings kept us all deep in our sleeping bags this morning. Pathetic as it may sound, we were too lazy to even get up and begin resting.
Once up and about, we were granted breaks in the cloud that allowed us to dry our gear and view the mayhem up on the heights. Huge ribbons of snow and cloud tore back and forth across the mountain faces and circled us. The Niagara Falls noise of it all eventually became accepted background to our head tunes and reading.
Not much thought was given to an Everest summit today. Our radio traffic with BC just confirmed that the rest of the team was wisely pushing back climbing plans. It can be difficult deciding whether marginal weather should dictate climbing plans. Thankfully, that is no longer a problem. Real Himalayan storms don't invite calculation and outfoxing. Rather, it is an obvious time for patience, for rehydration, for resting and recharging,,, and the tying down of loose objects.
A half dozen of us managed to rally before the sun this morning -aided by flasks of milk tea and milk coffee- in order to get out for hikes and first-light photos. As usual, yesterday had finished cloudy and mysterious- making the morning's clear sky and unlimited visibility seem special. Already at 5:45 AM, Cho Oyu was in full sun, while the ten neighbors which had earlier seemed equal to it remained in shadow. The world's sixth highest peak was perhaps twenty miles to the North and reminding us just how lofty 8200 meters really is. Walking onto the ridge separating Pheriche from its sister city Dingboche we could see Makalu, the fifth highest mountain, some distance to the East. And of course, Lhotse, the fourth highest in the world was pretty close at hand and appeared brutally difficult from the side we were looking at. Being too close to the 25,000 ft. Nuptse wall, we couldn't see Mount Everest behind it, but we will get around that in a few days. Ama Dablam and Tawoche caught the sun in their time, along with Kangtega and Thamserku. And finally, the sun was on our little hiking team and we stripped off a few layers to enjoy the warmth.
The ridges around Pheriche offer great hiking and we were happy to stretch our legs and work our lungs in the thin air. We each strive to hit that delicate balance between rest and exercise which is crucial to proper acclimatization. Some of our team got up to 16,000 ft and even 17,000 ft today, while others just took it easy around "town". Pheriche is a collection of maybe eight tea houses, a few farms, some yak pasturing lands and the Himalayan Rescue Association's clinic. Thirty minutes away, over in Dingboche, they have a few more teahouses and yes, you guessed it, one more last, last, last chance at internet. It is basically the same system that we tapped into in Thyangboche and Namche, utilizing a series of reflector dishes to bring the web into some otherwise remote places. Of course, the farther one goes up the valley, the higher the price. Word was that it cost about 1200 Rupees per hour this morning in Dingboche, which with the exchange rate around 76 Rupees to the dollar makes it... oh I don't know... we are too high for math now. Let's say that it probably makes the web in Dingboche about the same price as in the less user-friendly American airports. The key difference might be that they grow a fair number of potatoes in Dingboche.
Cokes and Snickers bars cost more up at this higher end of the valley... really the end of the normal settlements... but that is only to be expected since we are getting a daily look at how tough it is to porter such loads to Pheriche and beyond. Most of us are still happy to indulge in some expensive snacks and drinks though. It isn't so strange to observe that the longer we are out , the more we crave familiar junk food -while craving money slightly less. Back from the hikes, we mostly spent time mingling with other climbers and trekkers, strategizing, book reading and napping through chunks of the afternoon. Erica, Ed Dohring and I attended a fine talk on altitude illness given by one of the docs at the HRA clinic next door. We like to think we know a fair bit about such things, but it never hurts to hear a good overview again, and to meet the good people (in this case Tracy and Madeline) who volunteer their doctoring skills for weeks on end at the HRA clinic.
All are feeling reasonably well and with any luck, we'll all be loping along to Lobuche tomorrow.
RMI Guides Eric Frank and Joe Hoch led their Four Day Climb June 2 - 5 to the summit of Mt. Rainier today. They reached the summit shortly after 7 am and reported clear skies and light winds. The teams will enjoy some time in the crater before starting their descent back to Camp Muir. After a short stop, they will continue down to Paradise and return to Rainier BaseCamp later this afternoon.
I’m so thankful to have met and climbed (to Muir) with this group of people. There was so much positivity and honesty amongst this group of strangers. It was inspiring to watch each person climb and battle their way to the summit and back. RMI’s guides are beyond impressive. The strength you all posses is incredible. To do what you do AND be personable AND lighthearted is truly a gift. I cant say enough about all the things you had to juggle to make this trip a success. Thank you to everyone for making this one of the greatest experiences of my life.
We open our mouths, to get the pressure breath out.
I'm not choking, how,
We are not joking, wow,
The time is now, breaks up,
Over, pow!
Snap back to reality,
Ope there goes vanity,
Ope was that rabbit? Beef stew,
It's that bad, but it's all that I got,
So I guess I'll just have it.
We know we've gotta get up and go,
It don't matter, we're dope,
We know that, and we're tired,
But not stagnant, we know,
When we go back to our mobile homes,
That's when we check on our snacks again,
Yo, I'm going choclatey.
Better go capture this moment and not let it pass us and,
We're gonna lose ourselves in the moment,
These moments, we own it,
And we'll never let them go.
If we only get one shot, we won't miss our chance to go,
This opportunity comes once in a lifetime,
Let's go."
All MC lyrics aside, this team truly is ready to go. We are ready to make one final push towards our ultimate goal of standing on the summit of Cerro Aconcagua. Here we are at 19,600 feet with our packs packed, our bellies full, and our excitement unable to be contained. Tomorrow's summit day will test us both physically and mentally, but we are ready to rise to the challenge and give it our all. I want to give a huge shoutout to all friends and family who have been following us on this journey. Stick with us a little longer as our biggest day is right in front of us. See you all tomorrow!
Hello again everyone,
We had a slower start today to allow the many porters to hit the ever-narrowing trail. Right out of camp we were faced with the only real technical obstacle on the climb. This hurdle is the great Barranco Wall, which rises about 1,000ft and looks as intimidating as it sounds. Thankfully there is a nice goat trail that weaves its way up and through the wall and all the way to the top. Most of it feels more like steep hiking, but there are a few places that require the use of our hands to help us climb up.
The team did a good job of moving steady and allowing a few porters through with their loads precariously balanced on their heads. Which was astonishing to see!
After reaching the top we took a nice break and enjoyed the amazing views of the ice-ladened south face and valleys below. The team continued our hike for a few more hours up and down through a few valleys before reaching camp.
All in all, it took only about four hours for us to reach our next camp called Karanga, named for the big and beautiful valley which it overlooks and the peanuts that are grown far below in the valley.
RMI Guide Casey Grom and crew
Molly! I’ve been sending the blog to everybody! We are all cheering you on and praying for your health and a successful summit. I know in my heart you will succeed! I love you and miss you!
Posted by: Christopher Nagy on 9/21/2019 at 4:19 am
Today we had a long day out of the Salkantay Valley and into the Inca Trail. We enjoyed our first sunny weather and warmed up as we descended into the archeological site of Paucarcancha. Our horseman left us at Wayllabamba and our porter team loaded up the supplies and took off in a healthy jog to show off how fit they are. We spent the next three hours hiking into a more dense forest and dogging the rain showers that have followed us since day one. We got into some Incan stairs and rocky trail. The Team is doing well and enjoying some rest in their tents. The trip has been amazing and we are all looking forward to the next few days as we get closer to Machu Picchu.
RMI Guide Mike King
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Sounds like you are moving up the mountain. Great start!! Love you Jay and Mary. Mom
Posted by: Susan Lampas on 6/21/2014 at 10:56 am
This is exciting news! We are thrilled to be able to follow this adventure. Good luck to everyone on the team and love to Mary and Jay. Dan and Diane
Posted by: diane roketenetz on 6/21/2014 at 7:41 am
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