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
Greetings friends, relatives, loves ones, roommates, neighbors, acquaintances, enemies, stalkers, etc. We've made it safely up to a crowded Camp 2 (Guanacos Campo, Chopper Camp) and settled into our tents. The move from Camp 1 was largely uneventful except for partly cloudy skies which made for rapid, drastic temperature changes... Freeze or fry, as they say, never comfortable. We moved extremely well despite the slightly funky weather and big loads and were greeted by the many Camp 2 inhabitants. We actually had to use our snow shovel and a borrowed McCloud to grade out new tent platforms in the dirt. Moving earth turned out to be quite a bit more taxing than the actual climbing! Anyway, we are all here feeling the altitude a bit but doing well nonetheless. Tomorrow's plan is largely dependent on the weather forecast we get tonight, wish us luck and good favor with Mother Nature!
All for now,
RMI Guide Billy Nugent
Climbing a mountain like Denali is different than smaller peaks. On shorter trips to lower altitudes, climbers can push to their physical and mental limits, with slightly less potential consequences. Here, though, it's imperative that climbers be at their peak strength, and that they are mentally prepared for the challenges of the cold, the altitude, and the difficulty of the route. With those considerations as well as a less than ideal weather forecast, we decided to take a rest day at 14,200' today. While the team performed well on yesterday's carry, we all could benefit from some more chilling and sport eating.
So we started our day late, with a bodacious breakfast of egg, bacon, and cheese burritos with salsa and hot sauce. Hot coffee rounded out our top-flight mountain café experience. The team is currently resting in the tents and working through excess lunch food, playing cards and reading. So we sit and wait in a state of relaxed anticipation, ready to spring into action as soon as we have ideal weather. Send us your vibes for more sunny, calm days!
Until tomorrow,
Tyler Jones, Garett Stevens, Erik Endert & the crew
Ty - Seeing if you can bring me back one of those breakfast burritos you wrote about. They sound delicious. Good luck to you and your team. Be safe and have fun. Bryce T.
Posted by: Bryce on 6/17/2011 at 10:33 am
DEAREST BEN, A VERY HAPPY FATHER’S DAY TO YOU AND
ALL PAPAS IN YOUR TEAM. HEARD FROM BEREN THAT YOU ARE
MOVING TOWARDS 17,000’ CAMP. CONGRATS, SUMMIT ALMOST
THERE. LOVE TO YOU AND ALL YOUR TEAMMATES.
Our guest house in Namche was packed to the gills with other trekkers and climbers last night. But as it was our third night in the same place, we felt pretty much like we owned the place anyway. We packed away the chapattis, the "thak tok soup", and the "chicken chilly" (yes it is spelled that way), as if we'd been living above 11,000 feet for weeks. Erica pretty much won the eating contest by knocking back a plate of veggie chow mein, two boiled eggs AND macaroni and cheese. The kid can eat... and that is a good thing, since that particular skill, or the lack thereof, has made a huge difference in climber success at altitude over the years. Some folks wither away as they go higher. The reasons aren't complicated; we all burn calories faster up high since everything is more work in the thin air, and of course life in a cold place tends to burn extra calories anyway. One of the troubles with simply eating more to compensate is that most people don't feel like doing it. The human gut gets overwhelmed fast when the blood it depends on is poorly oxygenated. So eating becomes a chore and -this being a trip full of mountain guides- we tend to nag each other a lot to do our chores. Erica has discovered that the path of least resistance is to say "Yes please" when the momo plate comes around again. (Perhaps it helps that Melissa bet her a fancy Kathmandu dinner post-trip that she wouldn't be able to maintain her weight for the next sixty days).
We were up, breakfasted and on the trail out of Namche by 7:30 AM. For the first hour or so, we wound our way along on a traverse across a steep hillside. Far below us, the Dudh Khosi was making plenty of noise as the waters crashed through continuous and ridiculous rapids. Far above one could watch eagles and hawks soaring -provided that one didn't look up for so long that one walked off the edge and fell down to the Dudh Khosi. The trail was busy with yak trains coming and going. This was actually our first dealing with true Yaks as they don't generally live below Namche. We've so far seen plenty of dzokials carrying loads -and while dzokial is not an acceptable scrabble word, it is none-the-less a sturdy animal representing the cross between a low-land cow and a high altitude Yak. Now it is mostly yaks carrying loads to and from Everest Basecamp. They are strong, sure-footed, surprisingly feisty and a little tough to pass when they want the whole trail to themselves.
By 10 AM we'd descended a few hundred meters back down to the Dudh Khosi and found our place in the sun. We sat at the tables outside a couple of teahouses drinking milk-coffee, milk-tea and hot lemon. This rest break was a nice time to collect our various camera teams, to make a head count, to people-watch (we watched Ed Viesturs head out at flank speed for his workout on the big hill to Thyangboche) and to eat another plate or two of fried rice. Eventually, we pried ourselves out of our comfortable sidewalk cafes and got busy on the hot and dusty trail going up to Thyangboche. The hillside was mostly covered in pine and rhododendron forests but there were also enough clearings to get a dose of strong sun. Typically, the day had begun clear and bright but was clouding up some as we approached noon. Thyangboche Hill, like a lot of the hills in this part of the world, goes on forever, but our entire group made it up the thing in about 90 minutes. Then it was time for another sit-down for snacks on the majestic hilltop. The place is famous for its elaborate and somber monastery, but also these days for having another last-chance internet café which Peter Whittaker took advantage of to connect once again with his family. We'd begun our hilltop break with views of Ama Dablam, Kangtega, Lhotse and Everest but after a couple more milk-teas the clouds won their battle and concealed everything.
Now wrapped up in cozy First Ascent jackets and sweaters, the whole gang trouped on down the shady side of the Thyangboche Hill through a thick rhododendron forest to Deboche... our home for the next two nights.
Our climbing team has assembled under a full moon in Mexico City. Some bags are on the relaxed program and will eventually find their way to our possession. Our rooms are situated with grand views of the Zocalo in the Centro Historico of the capital city. Across the way, the Presidential palace. To the left, the Cathedral Metropolitan. In the middle, a 100ft faux Christmas tree and an ice skating rink the size of two hockey rinks. After a meeting in the hotel lobby, we headed down Ave 5 de Mayo, up Motolina, and further down Ave. Tacuba to the famed Cafe Tacuba. As we ate, traditional Mexican musicians serenaded us with folk songs on their string ensemble.
With full bellies we will hit the sack as we prepare to head out of this beautiful, historic, 25 million strong capital to La Malinche for a great acclimatization hike. We'll check in tomorrow!
Day three of our trek to base camp began with an alpine start, getting up before sunrise. After breaking camp and a quick breakfast we were at our first, of two, river crossings just as the sun was rising. The glacier-cold water caused a sudden shock to the senses, making it painful and difficult to continue crossing. As the water got up to our knees, the painful cold made it impossible to move our legs, and we needed the encouragement of our fearless guides to get us across.
After that we were wide awake and ready to leave the Vacas valley and spend the day hiking up the Ralenchos valley. Not long after the river crossing we soon got our first glimpse of the size and grandeur of Aconcagua. After hiking up the narrow valley, safely getting through a few exposed sections above the river, and our last river crossing, the valley opened up to high desert plains dotted with large boulders and low thorny bushes.
A few times throughout the day, we had to move out of the way of the stedfast burros carrying gear to and from base camp. Mostly following the path, some would misbehave and try to go another direction, requiring the gauchos to yell and whistle to get them back in line.
After making it to base camp, we were greeted by the wonderful Grajales staff. We all sat down in the dome tent where we eat, and were brought fresh fruit, sodas, and we made coffee and yerba mate (a local highly-caffeinated tea that guide Ben introduced us to). This was followed by a delicious lunch of pan-fried pork belly, potato salad, zucchini, and cup of fruit for dessert.
We then set up all our tents at our campsites, got settled in, and relaxed as we are getting used to the thin air of 13,800ft.
Base camp is even better than our prior two camps. In addition to the dome tents to eat and hang out in, bathrooms (which can be a challenge for some to get out of), solar-panel power to charge our electronics, and wifi that is faster than at home, there are showers! At 13,800ft!
This evening's dinner was exceptional as always!
Broccoli soup, steak, wine, and crepes (Myles did not have wine, Fionnuala).
We'll all sleep well tonight, now that everyone has their sleeping bags.
You know it’s getting real with a 50lb pack on your back and a glacier-melt river up to your knees. I also heard that Ben is willing to assist the porters with any additional gear needing to get to carried to the next camp.
Posted by: Ed DaPra on 1/18/2024 at 6:28 am
I love these posts! Thank you for keeping those of us who are with you in spirit in the loop and with all the detail. The river crossings sound so painfully cold. Now rest and recharge as you acclimate to the altitude. Buen Camino Mikayla!
Posted by: Michelle DeMers on 1/18/2024 at 5:11 am
Our last day in Namche dawned surprisingly clear and sunny. That was a little unexpected given how persistent the rain was yesterday afternoon and evening. We took full advantage after breakfast, trooping up to the Hilltop National Park Headquarters to see if the mountains were out. Indeed they were, and those of the team that hadn't yet gotten a look at the world's highest mountain were predictably in awe. Those of us that had seen it a few times were also in awe. New snow made the peaks radiant and sparkling in the strong sunshine. Conditions were so calm and pleasant where we stood that we were tempted to gaze for hours. But there was plenty to get done on our final day in the "Sherpa Capital". Our team enjoyed the museum exhibits at the Park Visitor Center and the nearby Sherpa Culture Museum. They shopped the climbing stores, markets, galleries and book stores along the small and winding avenues of Namche. They caught up on the web and friended each other on Facebook. They rested, drank water and got ready for going higher into the mountains in the coming days.
Best Regards,
RMI Guide Dave Hahn
Our crew is on our way to a big buffet breakfast and Ixtaccihuatl after our first day in the mountains.
Yesterday's acclimatization hike on La Malinche was a tough introduction to altitude. Dark clouds had gathered at the top as we started and we watched them closely as we pushed up into thinner air. With a short summit window, our entire group pushed hard and worked together to make the top. The weather gods smiled on us and clouds cleared briefly as we scrambled up the last bit of rock to the top.
After a few photos, it was time to get ourselves down to thick air and a warm dinner. La Cabana restaurant set out a generous spread for us and we ended our day with great food and full bellies.
We'll be checking in soon from Ixta.
Cheers from RMI Guides Zeb Blais, Robby Young and the crew!
The Mt. Rainier summit climbs, led by Walter Hailes and Solveig Waterfall, reached the summit this morning. They reported 15-20 mph winds and were descending through a light cap over the mountain. The teams began their descent at 7:30 a.m.
We've assembled in Tanzania for an ascent of Mount Kilimanjaro. More importantly, our baggage has accompanied us. All 10 climbers and their guide arrived safely at the tranquil Dik Dik Hotel on the outskirts of Arusha. We spent today organizing gear for the climb, meeting with our expedition staff and catching up on jet-lag-lost sleep. Starting early tomorrow, we'll climb aboard the fully loaded tricked out off-road-ready expedition vehicle and head for the hills. Conditions have been partly cloudy with comfortable temperatures and team members have been granted partial views of Kilimanjaro as reward for climbing the lofty water tower on the Dik Dik grounds.
We'll need to get walking tomorrow... The quality and quantity of excellent food served up in the dining room of the hotel will have us absolutely spoiled if we don't make a break for it.
Best Regards,
RMI Guide Dave Hahn
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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
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