Hola from Ecuador!
Today the team left the busy city of Quito and headed north to the much smaller and far more rural town of Otavalo. We were hoping to do a acclimatization hike on a small mountain called Fuya Fuya, but due to a little rain, thunder and lightning, we opted for a little acclimatization while eating pizza! And based on what happened to all the pizza, it was a huge success.
It was an enjoyable drive along the Pan-American highway through the Ecuadorian countryside. We passed many farms magically perched on hillsides and what seemed to be endless rose plantations. We spent the remainder of the afternoon playing cards, reading, taking naps and a review of all the gear we'll need for our upcoming climb. We are currently relaxing in the comfort of La Casa Sol.
Everyone is doing great and looking forward to tomorrow's adventure.
RMI Guide Casey Grom and crew.
Summit Day is a wrap! We started our day with a midnight wakeup and a lite 'breakfast' of cakes and cookies. Everyone was ready quickly and we hit the trail at 12:45. The moonless night gave us great stargazing as we ascended the many twists and turns of the summit route and while there was no wind it was very chilly before sunrise. As we neared the crater rim a crescent moon, Venus and Mercury all came up just before the sun. That was a spectacular sight. Everyone went on to Uhuru Peak (19,340') where we had several waves of summit photos. The descent of the summit cone was as smooth as can be and everyone was back in camp before 10 AM.
Now we have reached Mweka, our last camp on Kilimanjaro. The team did great coming down in what turned out to be tough conditions. Sunny skies gave way to thunder showers as soon as we left Barafu. This turned the trail slick with mud and wet stones but everyone just buckled down and dispatched with the task of getting down. We made good time and have just finished a great lunch in camp.
Tomorrow we hit the trail for the final leg of our trip. We will drop down to the national park gate, check out, and head back to the Dik Dik Hotel for the night. Everyone is looking forward to starting the next phase of our adventure... safari!
RMI Guide Seth Waterfall
RMI Guide Seth Waterfall checks in from High Camp after the group returns from the summit of Kilimanjaro.
Yay, Roger! You did it! What an amazing accomplishment! We are so thrilled for you and can’t wait to heard your mountain climbing stories. Hope the next part of your adventure is relaxing and unforgettable! Safe travels
Posted by: Susan on 8/25/2014 at 2:44 pm
What a spectacular adventure!!! Thanks you Seth and the entire team for helping us reach the summit in record time! Congratulations to the Team!!!
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!
Brent Okita, Leon Davis and Teams made it to the summit of Mt. Rainier today with clear skies, light winds, and a very beautiful morning.
The started their descent from the summit at 8:00 a.m.
Congratulations summit climbs!
Seth Burns and Team had a great three days on Mt. Baker. The team practiced mountaineering skills just outside of camp and climbed the Easton Glacier under bluebird skies reaching the 10,781' summit early this morning.
Being on Denali often requires an exercise in patience. After working hard to set ourselves up for success, moving to 11,000' Camp and carrying to just below 14,000' Camp, we’ve spent the last few days weathering the inevitable storms the Alaska range brings. Eating good, resting and sharing laughs has carried us through the weather days, with the hope of soon shouldering our heavy packs and moving further up the mountain to establish camp at 14,000'. Until then we will see what the mountain has to offer us and continue to settle into our life on Denali. Tune in next time.
I understand Will has joined this team for the rest of the climb. Hope you have great weather for the rest of your expedition. I can only imagine the views. We will be following your progress.
Posted by: Bill Lefler on 5/25/2024 at 2:14 pm
Hey Dustin and Team! Hopefully Denali is just showing you Mother Nature is in charge , just for the experience , then Perfect weather to move up hill!!!
Farmer Dave
This is Zeb checking in from Plaza Argentina, Aconcagua Basecamp. We arrived today after trekking up from Casa de Piedra. We had a great New Year's last night where we celebrated with an asado and some nice bubbly. Today's hike went really well and everyone is in camp resting and feeling good. We have a full day of rest tomorrow and then we plan on carrying to Camp 1. We'll check in again soon. Thanks for following.
RMI Guide Zeb Blais
RMI Guide Zeb Blais calls in from Plaza Argentina.
The sun is setting, and the sky is a brilliant shade of red as we sit down to dinner. What a day it has been! The scenery during our hike into Llama Corral (11,500') today was nothing short of amazing. Tower cliffs and a mountain stream provided a great backdrop for plants ranging from cactus to meadow flowers. A thoroughly enjoyable walk.
Thanks to everyone who is following along.
Mike, Scott and RMI Guide Eric Frank
June 14, 2014 - 10:44 pm PT
Checking in from 9,600'! All is well up here, despite a very hot day cooking in the microwave. A breezy and chilly morning made for a brisk break of camp this morning but it eventually gave way to stillness and a low level cloud clinging to the glacier. With full humidity and scorching temperatures we poured sweat despite stripping down to just our base layers. By the end of the day, a nice breeze greeted us as we neared Kahiltna Pass and put in our camp. We enjoyed the evening with a good meal outside and are all crawled in waiting for tomorrow and our planned move up to 11,000'.
More as the situation develops,
RMI Guide Billy Nugent
Happy Father’s day dad!! I am so proud of you and so inspired by you. I keep bragging about you to all my 20-something friends just to make sure they know how cool my dad is!! I miss you, keep pushing, and I love you!!
Sitting at over 14,000' on the west side of the mountain it takes the sun awhile to reach camp in the morning, so when we got up this morning it was cold, cold, cold. We hurriedly wolfed down breakfast and loaded up our packs with supplies for our cache, all the while hopping back and forth from one foot to the other trying to generate whatever body heat we could. By 8:30 we headed out of camp. Below us the entire lower Kahiltna Glacier came into view as we climbed higher, stretching for dozens of miles through the peaks of the Alaska Range. Above unfortunately wasn't quite so clear and a bank of clouds swirled over the summit of Denali.
We climbed straight up the side of the West Buttress above 14 Camp, soon reaching an ice bulge at 15,500' known as The Eyebrow. From there the route steepens to 50 degrees or so for the final 700' of climbing to reach the ridge line of the West Buttress itself. This section is set with fixed ropes to help protect climbers on the exposed terrain. After a quick break we set out up the fixed lines, soon setting into a comfortable routine as we worked our way up the face, sliding our ascenders up the ropes as we climbed. Before long we topped out of the fixed ropes onto the ridge, stopping at 16,200' on a beautiful but exposed ridgeline, both sides rolling away several thousand feet. By now the clouds which started higher on the mountain had settled down around us, occasionally parting to reveal 14 Camp below us to the south and the Peters Glacier to our north.
We cached our small load of supplies there before turning around and heading back down the fixed lines and continuing on into camp. The team climbed well today, making good time and figuring out the intricacies of fixed lines travel easily. With our cache of gear established on the Buttress we are planning on taking a rest day tomorrow before heading up to high camp for our summit bid should the weather allow. We are all looking forward to some down time tomorrow and are excited to be preparing for the summit push.
RMI Guide Linden Mallory
Hey Frank Marini,
We are all at a BBQ at Norms house for Michelles bday and we have been looking at your blog. It is so amazing! We are so proud of you! You are in our prayers…be safe, above all enjoy yourself.
Christie and everyone at your brothers house!
Posted by: Christie wissinger on 7/3/2011 at 6:46 pm
Looking east at magic hour on Mt Blanc, waiting for the sun to rise on the East to salute your bday!!!! Happy 4th - may it find you close to the top of North America.
Safe ascent and descent - fireworks for the whole em!!! Cheers to the Firecracker!
Posted by: mallory fam at camp molly in cham on 7/3/2011 at 1:41 pm
Go Team! Wishing all a safe and successful climb.
Go Doug- be safe and climb with grace…is that all you’ve got!:)
Love, Belladonna
Posted by: Donna on 12/14/2014 at 8:25 am
Hey team, I hope you had a wonderful day. Send us updates when you can. Go Dale!!
Love, Erin
Posted by: Erin C on 12/13/2014 at 11:00 pm
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