Hey Everybody, This is Casey Grom checking in from the Everest Base Camp Trek and Island Peak Climb. Just wanted let you know that everything's going great here in the Kumbu. After having an incredible day at Base Camp, the team descended yesterday through a little bit of snow all the way down to Pheriche. It's about 12 miles and it took our group a little over 7 hours, so quite a long day on our feet, but everyone did great! Everyone certainly enjoyed the drop in altitude and the thicker air. It was only 14,000 feet, but everyone could feel the difference. Everyone is doing great and last night we ran into two of RMI's finest Jeff "JJ" Justman and of course Dave Hahn who are leading our Mt. Everest climb this season. It was great to see those guys and touch base and wish luck to those guys and the climbing crew that is with them.
After getting a good night's rest, the team got out this morning and had relatively early breakfast. The trekking group headed back to Namche. The Island Peak team and myself headed up the adjacent valley and are relaxing here at Chukung. It was bit of a sad day saying goodbye to our friends that we spent so many great days with, but I am sure those guys are doing great now down in Namche enjoying the warm air, cell service and WiFi. Unfortunately for us, we won't have cell service or WiFI here in Chukung as there has been some issue with the receivers. Anyways, we're headed up the valley a little further and expect to be at Island Peak Base Camp tomorrow. We'll try to check in via satellite phone we can get reception up there.
Thanks a lot. We'll talk soon.
RMI Guide Casey Grom
The Four Day Summit Climb teams led by RMI Guides Billy Nugent and Lindsay Mann reached the crater rim of Mt. Rainier around 7:30 am. Billy reported clear, cold and breezy conditions overnight, now the winds have calmed, the sun is shining and they are enjoying the views. They will spend some time on the summit before starting their descent.
Congratulations to today's Summit Climb Teams.
Congrats to Ken Lawler and the rest of the group on the summit! So sad I could not join you for this, but very happy for you. Sounds as if you had great weather!
Hola desde Huaraz!
Greetings from the Peruvian Switzerland, where the team has just arrived!!! After everyone's flights made it timely around midnight yesterday in Lima, we all met for breakfast this morning. Shortly after a formal meeting and introductions of team members and the program, we all, filled with excitement, loaded the bus with climbing duffle bags and got on the road.
We made it to our hotel "Club Andino" right on time for dinner and to meet our outfiter Peter and local guide Carlos, who will accompany us in our Ishinca Valley adventure. We're moving to a well deserved night of sleep as we speak... lots of miles in the last 48h for everyone!
Tomorrow we have a short hike planned to "Laguna Churup" in the morning to start acclimatization and some logistic arrangements in the afternoon. We will be checking in again at the end of the day.
Best regards from Peru,
RMI Guides Elias de Andres Martos, Robby Young & Team
The Four Day Climb June 30 - 3 July led by RMI Guides Will Ambler and George Hedreen reached the summit of Mt. Rainier this morning. They enjoyed some time in the crater before starting their descent around 7 am. Will reported sunny skies and light winds. The teams will return to Camp Muir for a short break and repack, then continue the final 4.5 miles down to Paradise. They will conclude their adventure this afternoon with a celebration at Rainier BaseCamp.
The team slept in this morning after a long day climbing to 16,400' yesterday. With our cache in place we are now just waiting for the right weather window. Unfortunately the forecast is calling for a strong low pressure system to move through the area starting this evening through possibly Tuesday. The system is expected to bring high winds and heavy snowfall. The weather up until now has been spectacular so I suppose we can handle a few days of rest. That's all for now. Thanks for following along.
RMI Guide Steve Gately
The Four Day Climb led by RMI Guides Mike King and Nick Scott reached 11,900' today on Mt. Rainier before route conditions forced them to turn. Mike reported clear and calm skies on the upper mountain with a marine layer coming in and out at 8,500'. They plan to depart Camp Muir, and be back at Rainier Basecamp early this afternoon.
Congratulations to today's team!
The Four Day Summit Climb team led by RMI Guides Mike King and Chase Nelson reached Ingraham Flats today. High winds and a cloud cap kept the team from the summit, but they were able to get a bit of climbing in as they made their to the flats. The team will be starting their descent and be back at Rainier Basecamp in the early afternoon.
Congratulations Team!
This was a short, but significant day for the Kilimanjaro team. We climbed the great Barranco Wall. Things started out pretty clear and sunny down at camp, and we got great views of the massive and steep walls of Kibo above. The glaciers and frozen waterfalls all looked tenuously attached to the mountain and stuck out in stark contrast to our desert-like surroundings a mile below. We waited until 9:45 AM to give the army of hard-working porters first shot at the narrow ledges of Barranco and then we began working our own way up. Our local guide team, led by capable and calm Freddy, shepherded us from ledge to ledge, making sure we always knew where the next good solid handhold was. We made steady progress and soon topped out on the wall, 750 steep vertical feet above our starting point. It only took a couple more hours then of traversing several valleys to reach Karanga Camp at 13,160 ft. We got in just in time as it began to rain and even snow a bit shortly after our arrival. We'll see if it is just the normal afternoon buildup of moisture, or some more significant shift in the weather.
Best Regards,
RMI Guide Dave Hahn
Aaah, the rest day. El equipo de dos Guillermos is sun bathing, snacking on turkey jerky and guacamole, and letting our minds and legs recover from the carry yesterday. The team is in great spirits today, and since we have some extra time, we thought we'd have every climber give their own little shout out! Here it goes:
Glen: Mi carino. Te quiero. Abrozos y besos.
Lindsay: I'm feeling great and miss you all! Guess which limerick was mine?
Gerald: Missing me yet lol. Missing you! Charlotte, good luck Saturday.
Lucy: I miss you all and love you all so much. Walker, have you heard?!
Floyd: Feelin' great. Working hard at resting and sitting still. Tanya, hope you're feeling better. Miss you all and see you soon!
Corell: Feeling fine, weather is nice. Miss you all! Hope the hunting trip was good and the Eagle Scout manual is progressing. Thurston, remember to study! Love to everyone.
RMI Guide Billy Nugent & Team
What a treat to get personal notes with today’s update. I’m recovering, and the kids and I wish you all the best on the rest of your journey. XOXO
Posted by: Tanya on 1/23/2015 at 3:58 pm
Corell - Thurston stayed in Arkansas and got a job at Mack’s Prairie Wings selling AR-15s. Says he has found his true calling in life. I am going to sit in for him on his Eagle board and try to do his homework, though the math may be challenging. We just had long addition and subtraction when I went to school. Those ice formations in the picture look really cool - like terra cotta warriors of penguins, or midgets in the Klan, right? Love you!!!!!!!!!
A sunny morning greeted us on our way to high camp on Ixta today. We have our fingers crossed that the weather holds for our summit bid tomorrow morning .
The team is packed up and fired up to climb - Wish us luck!
RMI Guides Zeb, Robby and team
Hi Tim and Jim!
Hope the weather held up, looking forward to hearing about your adventures. It is 11 degrees here in Minnesota, you aren’t missing much! Hope to talk to you soon, have a great climb!
Love, The Kerans
Posted by: Connie on 11/12/2014 at 2:59 pm
Hola, Janet and the team!
It looks like the “Weather Gods” are blessing you all this week.
Congrats! You did it o team!
Posted by: MaryAlice on 9/5/2014 at 7:46 pm
Congrats to Ken Lawler and the rest of the group on the summit! So sad I could not join you for this, but very happy for you. Sounds as if you had great weather!
Posted by: Matt DeVoll on 9/5/2014 at 5:06 pm
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