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Almost one in the morning now. It has been a long, but very fine day. We took off from Punta Arenas just after ten AM. The flight -in airline seats within the cargo hold of the IL76- was smooth as anything. It took about 4.5 hours to get down to
Union Glacier. By then we were wearing plenty of clothing in anticipation of setting foot on Antarctica. Sure enough, it was cold and windy at the ice runway, although it was also brilliant, sunny and beautiful. We caught a ride over to camp in a modified big wheel van. As is normal, there wasn't much wind blowing at all in Union Camp and so it was quite pleasant to sit outside talking. We peeled off our down coats and mingled with the camp staff and the other climbers and adventurers in camp. It took a bit of time for all of the cargo to come off the big plane and be transported to camp, but not long after being reunited with our gear, we were loading it into a ski equipped Twin Otter for the ride out to Vinson Base. The team took plenty of pictures of the ride through the Ellsworth Mountains. Our second perfect landing of the day put us exactly where we wanted to be... At 7000 ft on the Branscomb Glacier, at the foot of Mount Vinson. There were no clouds to hide the spectacular peaks and glaciers surrounding us. We had plenty to do in getting a camp established and gear and food sorted, but of course the sun just kept beaming down after midnight, so we kept at it until all were fed and in bed. It isn't going to get dark tonight, but soon the sun will duck behind the mountain and it will get cold. So we'll sign off for now and check in again tomorrow... today.... whatever.
Best Regards
RMI Guide Dave Hahn
On The Map
May 18, 2015, 11:16 pm PT
Hello from beautiful 14 camp!
We arrived today under sunny skies and warm temps with light winds that gusted a bit higher as we rounded the aptly named
Windy Corner.
The move took us just under 5.5 hours and everyone climbed strong and then worked extremely hard building a solid camp here in Genet Basin. Tomorrow our plan is to return to our cache at 13,600, retrieve the rest of our food and fuel, and fully set up shop here in our new location.
The views from camp are spectacular and we all enjoyed a delicious dinner of lentils and rice while familiarizing ourselves with the incredible scenery.
Our team wants to say thank you to everyone who left comments on our blog. We received them this morning and the boost in morale helped propel us into camp today!
Here are a few personal messages from the team members! Keep the positive energy coming our way!
Thanks for following along!
RMI Guide Solveig Waterfall
Hey, Christy, Phillip, gabe, Annie, things going well. Sure miss all of u. Can't wait to see u. Hoping to summit next week or so. Love u all, Brian.
To all my family and friends, thanks for cheering us on! It's quite the adventure, the views are incredible. We're staying safe and I'm proud of what we've achieved so far. Can't wait to go further! Dan
Dear fam and friends, thanks for following this wild adventure. Getting chilly as we venture up higher. Looking to hit the summit within this next week.
Love you fam, go Rangers!!
To all friends and loved ones following our progress Thnk you for the posts allis well at 14 camp love you all! Kearney Sagehorn
Love hearing all the support! For my fellow Bison, I am flying the guidon at every camp and hope to take it to the summit. "Move out the Way!!" For the family, your in my thoughts constantly and look forward to getting back home safely. Brooke, give the boys a hug and kiss for me. I love you all!
- Chris
On The Map
RMI's 2015
Denali climbing season has started. Our team is assembled in Talkeetna and is preparing for our expedition. Yesterday we started with our National Park Service orientation, and then spent the bulk of the day packing...double and triple checking every last detail of equipment for our trip.
Now that we are packed and ready, we are hoping to fly in to Base Camp on the Kahiltna Glacier today. We are about to head down to K2 Aviation to load out gear onto the single propeller airplanes that will fly us into the Alaska Range. We will keep you updated on our expedition's status.
RMI Guide Mike Walter
On The Map
The team got together several times today to eat, drink and discuss the trek and climb to come. We enjoyed the comfortable calm, immaculately cared-for gardens but at other times, got out into the hustle and bustle of Kathmandu streets to run errands. We were pleased that our bascamp manager,
Mark Tucker, was able to fly into Lukla to begin working his way toward base, some 35 to 40 miles distant. Most worked to get bags properly packed and organized for an early start in the morning. As team leader, I was asked to stop by the legendary Elizabeth Hawley's home office for my yearly interview as to the makeup of our team. Miss Hawley has kept track of climbing in Nepal and Tibet for more than fifty years and has known every famous and want-to-be-famous climber along the way.
Jet lag remains a big challenge for the team, but our hope is that walking out in the fresh air of the Khumbu Valley will begin to work magic on us.
Fingers crossed for clear weather and smooth flying in the morning.
RMI Guide Dave Hahn
Christmas Day was a little different for us this year than the usual gift giving and big meal with the family. We moved into our new home for the next several days,
Plaza Argentina, our base camp. After a great three-course dinner of soup, lasagna, and rich dessert, we discussed some of our holiday traditions including fondue donuts and chocolate coins.
We miss you all back at home and hope you had as happy a Christmas as we have had.
RMI Guide Walter Hailes
On The Map
At 6:45 am the Four Day
Summit Climb teams led by
RMI Guides Brent Okita and Mike King were approaching the summit of Mt. Rainier, Columbia Crest. Brent reported a beautiful day with a slight cloud ceiling above them. The teams will enjoy the views from the top and then descent to Camp Muir for a short break before continuing down to Paradise this afternoon.
We look forward to seeing the teams at Rainier BaseCamp later today.
May 24, 2014 - 11:24 pm
Patience. Climbers looking to come to the big mountains of the world often focus mostly on
physical training. I need the strength to climb this steep section, the strength to get to the top. What about the strength to wait out weather for a few days, a week,12 days!? Patience is a crucial component of the mental strength needed to not only succeed in the worlds great ranges but stay safe and return home. Luckily we have a great team that seems to understand this model and is doing a fantastic job of staying patient.
Today was actually a gorgeous day, blue skies and variable wind. So you might be asking yourself why are we still at 14,000'?. The problem here is that one great day does us very little good. We need 2-3 days of good weather. One good day to get to 17,000' camp, one good day to summit and one last good day to descend. With our forecast calling for extremely high winds and 1-2 feet of snow tomorrow, moving to a very exposed 17,000' camp would be foolish. So Alas! We must stay patient, hopeful and in good spirits, and it would appear we have just the team for the job. Plus I hear building snowmen is great for acclimatization!
All the best from
RMI Guides Steve, Mike, Solveig and team!
On The Map
Our Mt. Baker August 4 - 6 Climb led by RMI Guide Avery Stolte reached the summit via the Easton Glacier yesterday. The teams enjoyed a nice cloud cover which provided cool temperatures. They enjoyed a clear day with views of Mt. Rainier and the Olympic mountains from their vantage point. After reaching the summit, they returned to camp for their second and final night on the mountain. Today the descended to the trailhead and concluded their adventure.
Nice work team!
PC: Avery Stolte
The Four Day Climb August 10 - 13 led by RMI Guide Hannah Smith reached the summit of Mt. Rainier this morning. The team reported sunny skies with a light breeze and a very nice morning. The teams started their descent from the crater rim around 6:15 am. Once back at Camp Muir, they will repack and continue their descent to Paradise.
Nice work today team!
RMI Guide Bryan Mazaika and the
Expedition Skills Seminar - Emmons July 12 - 17 reached the summit of Mt. Rainier this morning around 8:20 AM. It's a beautiful day on the mountain and the team enjoyed some time in the crater rim before starting their descent. The team will return to Camp Schurman for their final night on the mountain. Tomorrow, after some additional training, the team will break camp, return to the trail and make their way back to Rainier BaseCamp in Ashford.
Congratulation to the Emmons Seminar Team!
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Best of Luck to you Dave and your team, hopefully the sun shines bright for the climb
Posted by: Dave on 11/28/2016 at 3:15 am
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