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Posted by: Mike Haugen, Pepper Dee, Gloria Roe
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mt. McKinley
Elevation: 14,200'
June 24, 2017 10:36 pm PST
And today we rested. After our big move day yesterday we felt we deserved a day of kicking back and recovering. We made a point of emerging from our tents no earlier than 10 am and got the day started out right by consuming a mountain of pancakes. Kudos to Caleb for consuming the largest pancake of the morning! By 1 pm we were wrapping up the pancake party and as you may imagine, that long of a breakfast can really take it out of you .... So we rested a bit more. Once we felt we had properly digested we reviewed fixed line travel and running belays in preparation for our carry tomorrow. After practice for a few hours it was nearly time for dinner! Funny how time flies on a rest day. We had an early dinner of gourmet Ramen and before the sun could go down on us and give way to the chill of 14 Camp we headed to bed. Tomorrow we have our first go at the fixed lines!
Goodnight from 14!
Hasta Manana
RMI Guide Mike Haugen
The team here in Ecuador got their first taste of altitude today, on the hills that surround Quito. This morning we rode the teleferico to 13,000 feet and began our trek up Pichincha on the rutted trails that wind up to its rocky 15,000 ft summit. It was a day to pressure our bodies into absorbing the thin atmosphere and although the typical afternoon clouds obscured our view from the top, we were able to stretch our legs and lungs in the mountains.
This evening our team met with our Ecuadorian guide, Jaime, and he took us to a new Ecuadorian restaurant where we enjoyed a fantastic dinner of local cuisine. Tonight is our last night in Quito as we depart for the Illinizas early in the morning.
RMI Guide Leon Davis
On The Map
Go Team Leonard!!!! We are thinking about all of you and Good Luck taking on the Summit! Love to all, Donna & Girls
Posted by: Donna Leonard on 12/3/2014 at 4:24 pm
Our morning started with crystal clear views of the peak of Kibo (which contains Kilimanjaro's central crater). We were just above a sea of clouds, as we'd gotten used to yesterday afternoon. Our climb began just before 8 AM up the steady and gradual incline heading directly toward Kibo. We spent the day above "timberline" getting close up views of smaller desert shrubs and flowers. The upper sky began to cloud up, particularly as we approached our high point for the day at 15,200 ft. At this point we came around the castle-like "lava tower" and had to use our imaginations to visualize the steep escarpments above, cloaked in cloud. Those clouds let loose with snow showers as we began our descent toward the Barranco Valley. We quickly put on the weatherproof shells and marched downward through a mild blizzard. The showers let up as we reached the giant Senecios -the doctor Seuss themed trees that make Barranco so interesting. The team was in camp by about 3:15 PM. We were lucky enough to get some brief periods of sunshine as the afternoon progressed, allowing a chance to dry damp gear and as well to see the route for tomorrow up the Barranco Wall. We anticipate a calm night with some good and much needed rest at 13,030 ft above sea level.
Best Regards,
RMI Guide Dave Hahn
On The Map
Posted by:
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mt. McKinley
Wulp, here we are. Day three pinned down at 14,200' by winds up high on the buttress. Last night we weathered gusts in excess of 55mph but it hasn't trampled our spirits. The forecast is calling for a significant calming trend that looks like it might be our window for a summit attempt later this week. Anyhow, we've been enjoying the sun and are passing the day grazing in our tents. Tomorrow will certainly see some activity with the improving weather; most likely a carry to stock our high camp with some food and fuel. Wish us luck!
Signing off,
Hope the weather improves and you can keep climbing.
Drew, Delta misses you and ate Dad’s steak this week. She is clever. She pulled the steak out of the pyrex dish w/out even knocking it over. Poor Dad ended up w/ knockworst for dinner that had been in the freezer for 8 weeks. She is getting plenty of walks. Take care and enjoy!! Love you.
Posted by: Shirl on 5/23/2011 at 4:15 am
Michael, the weather is turning sunny and warm here at home, hopefully it is for you and your team as well! We are anxiously awaiting news that you have reached the summit! Cavin says hi! Love you!
Posted by: Brenna & Cavin on 5/22/2011 at 9:35 pm
We are safe and sound at Camp 3 after reaching the summit with 100% of our team. The weather during the ascent was great and one of the best summit days I have had on Aconcagua. We started very early, at 4:35, because it was predicted to snow this afternoon. It ended up to be a good decision because we just got the beginning of the storm before arriving back at camp.
Now it's snowing hard, but we are cooking in the safety and comfort of the tent. We will enjoy an early dinner and we will go to sleep soon. The team is tired, but everybody is ok and very happy! Tomorrow we will descend to basecamp and the next day we will start the trek out to Pampa de Lenas.
The group is safely back at Camp 3 (high camp) after a successful summit attempt today. The weather was clear and overall they had a good, albeit long, day. They will spend tonight at Camp 3 and start their descent to Basecamp tomorrow after a good night's rest.
The Four Day Summit Climb team led by RMI Guide Kel Rossiter reached to summit of Mt. Rainier early this morning. Kel reported a great day of climbing with beautiful clear skies. The team has started their descent and are en route to Camp Muir
Congratioulations to today's team!
Congrats Jacob. Way to go.
Posted by: Scotty on 7/26/2017 at 7:42 pm
Dude!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Posted by: Kyle U. on 7/26/2017 at 5:40 pm
Posted by: Brent Okita, Christina Dale, JT Schmitt
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mt. McKinley
A leisurely, big breakfast of eggs, bacon and hash browns was had after sleeping in fairly late yesterday. When we finally got out of the posh we were surprised to find that planes might be flying soon. Yes, we were keeping an eye on the weather, but it wasn't really that good yet. At first we couldn't really believe it and the team indulged in some leg wrestling antics (which the women handily won).Then we heard the words, "RMI Okita, two Otters are in the air for you".So we went from slow mo to go go as we tore our tents down and packed in a matter of about twenty minutes! I think some folks were motivated to leave. As we brought the last of our stuff the fifty yards to the glacier landing strip we saw the planes come into view. By 1:00 we were in town, unpacking group gear and trying to dry stuff that was soaked from the unseasonably warm temps and rain. We'll not discuss our evening affair in much detail except that the food was good and the libations rather excessive.
We're on our way to the airport now, twenty three days after flying on to the mountain. No summit to boast of this time. But looking back on it all, it's the people we climb with and share adventures with that inspires me to live the life of my dreams. Summits may be nice but are somewhat ephemeral. Friendships formed while climbing mountains last a lifetime. Thanks to the wonderful group of climbers with whom I've shared the past three weeks. You're the best!
And now they are on their way back to you, with stories to tell and memories to share. Indulge their eccentricities. Should they reach for their pee bottle in the middle of the night or ask for a "swirl" after dinner, don't worry. They'll recover from these mountain habits in time.
Thanks for joining us these past three weeks!
Goodbye,
RMI Guides Brent, Christina and JT
It looks like you guys are patient and strong enough, it is true JT, Summits are ephemeral, the mountain still there, JT I’m sure the smile is still there and the fight for adventure grown, great to hear team is back and rested :)
Posted by: Lauro Urbina on 6/17/2017 at 1:39 pm
After a successful summit of Aconcagua the team is safely back at high camp. Everyone did a wonderful job today. Aside from some sore knees and tired feet the day couldn't have gone better. The team is now enjoying some hot soups and a warm meal to recover from today's effort as tomorrow has us packing up and heading back down to basecamp for a fantastic home cooked meal by our lovely basecamp staff!
RMI Guide Steve Gately
On The Map
Posted by: JJ Justman, Steve Gately, Chase Nelson
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Aconcagua
Elevation: 18,000'
Hey everyone. This is JJ and Steve here with Team One on Aconcagua. Merry Christmas everyone. Happy Holidays. We had a great day moving camp from Camp 1 to Camp 2. We made it here early afternoon at 18,000 feet, set up camp and have some hot soup on the stove. And now we're just relaxing and taking it easy on a nice sunny day here on Aconcagua. The team is doing really, really well. The weather is pretty darn nice and we have a decent forecast. It's looking like after the 28th, the winds might pick up a little bit, so hopefully, we're knocking on wood, keeping our fingers crossed. We have a little bit more work to do but the team is really, really strong and really, really fun to hang out these guys on Christmas and we of course want to say hi and hello and give our love to family and friends back at home. We will send another dispatch here on the days to come. But tomorrow our plan is to take a nice rest day and relax here at 18,000 feet. Take care everyone. Again, Happy Holidays, Merry Christmas and stay tuned.
RMI Guide JJ Justman
RMI Guide JJ Justman calls in from Aconcagua Camp 2
On The Map
Merry Christmas JJ from Kalani and Dom
Posted by: Dom on 12/26/2014 at 11:35 am
Mother Nature has been on your side. Good luck Marc, Tucker and team. Brenda
Posted by: Brenda on 6/29/2017 at 8:36 am
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