Our team reached the summit of Iliniza Norte at 6 pm yesterday evening. It was a beautiful afternoon, so upon arrival at the hut we decided to just go for it. We were rewarded with a lovely sunset at the summit, one of the nicer ones most of us have ever seen.
Back at the hut, we sat down for a hot meal and although it was quite tasty, Emma and I spent some time forcing people to eat. A long few days of acclimatizing is catching up with everyone, but you have to eat! The main objective lies ahead.
We are now in route to Antisana Basecamp, where we will spend two nights and hopefully be standing on top of the fourth highest peak in Ecuador less than 48 hours from now!
Wednesday, June 19, 2019 - 11:42 PM PT
Things started out quiet and cloudy in Talkeetna today, continuing what had been a string of manky weather. We met at the venerable Roadhouse for breakfast and the opening strategy session for our Denali Expedition. Fortified with strong coffee, the team moved on to the nearby Talkeetna Ranger Station of the National Park Service for our mandatory pre-climb orientation and briefing. We were honored to have Roger Robinson himself give our slideshow and discussion on safety and environmental policies. Roger is in the fortieth and final year of a phenomenal and heroic career with the NPS on Denali. By the time we headed out to the airstrip to pack and organize gear at the K2 Aviation hangar, the clouds were on the run and blue sky and strong sunshine were breaking out everywhere. We conducted a thorough gear check and packing session through the afternoon, culminating in a weigh-in to get everything tagged and set for loading on the beautiful DeHaviland Ski Otters parked on Talkeetna’s tarmac. Our 11 person team -7 climbers and 4 guides- got together at The West Rib pub for dinner on the patio as cottonwood buds floated like thick snowflakes in the sunshine. Most of the team wandered on down to the banks of the Susitna River to check out Denali, shining 50 miles to the west and crowding the sky. Then it was back to the hotel to tidy loose ends and get a final night in a bed. Tomorrow looks mighty good for getting started.
Best Regards
RMI Guide Dave Hahn
Today we got a casual start in Penitentes, there is a lull in the season where no other groups started the trek to base camp. Our Team enjoyed overcast skies and a generous breeze on our hike to Las Lenas. We admired the bountiful shades of red, orange and brown that make up the rocky terrain. Five hours of hiking brought us to Camp and we enjoyed the warmth and solitude this camp provides. Our mule drivers got the coals started for the famous Las Lenas asado and before long we were eating grilled meats and vegetables, telling stories from past trips and previous lives. It’s always a surprise how ten miles of walking over softball-sized rocks can be forgotten with good company, delicious food and a little red wine. This camp is a spectacular place to sleep under the stars. The Milky Way runs straight down the valley and the Southern Cross is where you would expect it to be. No ambient light for hundreds of miles. When you wake in the middle of the night and look up, you get the sense you're an insignificant animal on a blue marble that’s being shot across the galaxy. Context and perspective is readily challenged in this valley. Tomorrow we continue our trek to Casa de Piedra, the Team is doing great and sends their love back home. Thanks for following along.
RMI Guide Mike King
Hello again from 12,000' in Russia!
Things are good here and the team is excited for tonight! We did a little prep work for tomorrow by reviewing a few climb techniques and then rested the remainder of the day. Our cook, Dasha, has done a great job of filling our bellies with plenty of good ol' home cooked Russian food. We had a thorough discussion about tonight's climb and everyone is packed up and ready. Hopefully the weather continues to hold. we'll be waking up shortly after 1 a.m. and after a quick breakfast we'll hop on the snowcat to give us a bump a little further up the mountain. This will shorten our climb a little and increase our chance of reaching the highest point in Europe.
We had a trivia challenge today and one lucky winner will get to make a satellite phone call from the summit. So everyone following along, keep your phones handy, you just might receive a call. I'm expecting us to reach the summit around 10 a.m. here, in same time zone as Moscow.
Keep your fingers crossed for us!
RMI Guide Casey Grom and team
Cumbre! Today we successfully summited Cayambe, our first big objective of this seminar.
We woke up this morning (last night?) at 11PM and were greeted with the closest thing to ideal climbing conditions: clear skies, no wind, and cool temperatures. Whatever sacrifices were made to the weather gods last night clearly worked out for us!
After a quick breakfast in the hut, we geared up, turned on the headlamps, and began our long day of climbing. We started our climb with about an hour of scrambling over rocky terrain, making our way to the toe of the glacier. Once there, we donned our crampons, ice axes and climbing ropes to begin the technical climbing. Unlike most mountaineering routes in the United States that utilize many switchbacks to ease the pain of ascending steep slopes, the route on Cayambe is fairly direct, cutting straight up "the gut" of the slopes. You gain altitude quicker, but the climbing is bit more strenuous.
Our team persevered, however, and as we neared the summit ridge, we were ready to tackle the crux of this climb: a steep, exposed traverse through a maze of seracs and crevasses. Although the traverse is relatively short, gaining roughly 200 feet of vertical elevation, managing that type of terrain at 18,800' above sea level is never easy. This team handled it in good style, though, and we gained the summit ridge just after sunrise this morning, giving us stunning views of Antisana, Cotopaxi, and Chimborazo as we walked the final 15 minutes along the ridge to the summit of Cayambe.
We successfully made our way down, and we are now relaxing at the oldest hacienda in Ecuador, giving our bodies a chance to recover as we prepare to move tomorrow to the base camp of Antisana, our second objective of this trip. I'm sure the entire team is looking forward to a good night's sleep tonight!
Until tomorrow,
RMI Guides Nick Hunt and Steve Gately, and the rest of the Ecuador team
Good evening from the entire team at Camp 1!
We woke up to a dust of new snow and clouds this morning at Depot Camp (ABC). Soon after breakfast, we could tell the cloud layer was thin, the winds non existent, and the precipitation receding. Executing our plan of moving upwards was unquestionable. Covering known ground now to Camp 1 posed less of a challenge than the first time last week, and the team moved efficiently uphill. We reached our now well established camp shortly after 2 pm, followed by our Sherpa team, who was coming directly from Base Camp. We're all now in our tents, with full bellies, tired legs and great spirits. Tomorrow we'll start setting eyes towards Camp 2, we'll keep you posted, as we'll be dependent on the evolution of the snow that is starting to come down, as the sun set over the ridge.
Good night everyone!
RMI Guides Elias de Andres Martos, Adam Knoff & Robby Young
Sunday June 14th 8:20 pm PT
Hello, this is RMI Guide, Eric Frank, calling in from Alaska. I'm at the Balcony Camp on the Upper West Rib, here at 16,900 feet. Our team climbed up here today from our 14,000-foot camp. We're doing great. It is about 7:20 PM, Alaska time. We have tents up and we are settling into dinner. It's beautiful evening out here. We can see several hundred miles from our vantage all throughout the Alaska Range and into the tundra to the north, so we're doing well. We anticipate great weather tomorrow.
RMI Guide Eric Frank
I am glad to see that our prayers cleared the weather for you. May God be with you all during your climb. I can not wait until I am able to climb this mountain sometime in the next couple of years or so.
Thanks
Posted by: Kevin Stone on 6/16/2015 at 8:16 am
Kim- it’s me again- just wanted to give you a heads up that dad has been waiting for you on the summit- so act totally surprised when you see him- he brought a stuffed colobus monkey with him so you won’t be able to miss him!
Xoxoxo
Lora
Thursday, June 4, 2015 6:45pm PST
The snow is still falling and the winds continue to blow here at 11k camp. This morning, the Upper West Rib team woke to another six inches of accumulation and drifts ranging from mid-calf to mid-thigh. We quickly shoveled our camp back into shape, then lingered over breakfast bagels for several hours while we discussed potential future schedules.
Overall the team is doing an excellent job of staying busy and motivated while utilizing these imposed rest days. Between bouts of shoveling, we are able to sneak in hours of reading, naps and movie watching. Once the weather improves we will be strong and ready to cruise uphill.
RMI Guide Geoff Schellens
Hi Kim - Re: the “hours of reading, naps and movie watching?!” Seems I’ve been “training” for this trip my whole life without even knowing it. I’m signing up for the next one!
-michael
Posted by: Michael on 6/5/2015 at 4:27 pm
We are in Atlanta. Hope you guys get to start moving soon! Sophia’s haircut is great. Love momma
May 16, 2016, 5:26 pm PT
Winds overnight at our 11,200' camp were quite formidable, but our camp survived well due to our team's hard work in building walls in the previous days.
By this morning, the winds abated somewhat at camp, so we rose early and fired stoves. We were hoping that we would be able to climb to Windy Corner at 13,600' to place a cache of supplies for up higher. Unfortunately, it wasn't our day and the winds continued through most of the day.
Instead we spent the morning adding more snow blocks to our camp for further wind protection. Everyone is doing well and in good spirits. We'll try again tomorrow to get our cache up high. That's all for now.
RMI Guide Mike Walter and team
Chris and team,
Glad to hear your reinforcing that snow wall…Dad and I can only imagine how tough the weather conditions your enduring. We will continue to think good thoughts and prayers…hope the winds calm some so you can start the next phase of your journey.
We enjoy these updates so much…thank you.
Mom and Dad
Posted by: Dave & Melissa on 5/17/2015 at 8:56 am
Got the blog info from LaNette this morning. Will follow your progress. God bless.
December 2, 2014 - 6:08 pm
Today the team said goodbye to the hustle and bustle of Quito and headed south early in the morning. Once outside the city we made our way through the rural countryside and headed for our next acclimatizing hike on the Illiniza's. They are the remnants of an old volcano that erupted long ago and left two nearly twin peaks. Our goal was not to climb them, but reach the saddle that separates the two beautiful mountains. The team made good time up to the saddle where we took a short break in the climbers hut and had some well deserved hot tea. After our short break we made our way back down the mountain to our waiting bus and quickly headed to the wonderful Chilcabamba hacienda. The team made good use of the hot showers and enjoyed sporting around in the ponchos provided by the hacienda. We wrapped up the evening with a wonderful meal, plenty of good stories, and one amazing view of Cotopaxi.
Everyone is doing great and enjoying the Ecuadorean hospitality.
RMI Guide Casey Grom and crew
That is Awesome Dustin and Team!! Thank you for sharing those incredible pictures! Breath Deep!!!!
Posted by: Dave Kestel on 11/3/2023 at 4:21 am
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