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Hello again everyone:
We left camp a little later today to allow the many porters to hit the trail before us as we had our main difficulty right out of camp. This obstacle is the great Barranco Wall, which rises about 1,000 feet and looks as intimidating as it sounds. Thankfully there is a nice narrow trail that weaves its way up and through the wall and all the way to the top. Most of it feels more like steep hiking, but there are a few places that require the use of our hands to help us climb up. The team did a good job of moving steady and allowing a few porters through with their loads precariously balanced on their heads.
After reaching the top, we took a nice break and enjoyed the amazing views of the ice-ladened south face and valleys below. The team continued our hike for a few more hours before reaching camp. All in all, it took only about four hours for us to reach our next camp called Karanga, named for the big and beautiful valley which it overlooks.
We spent the remainder of the day relaxing in our tents as a light drizzle arrived shortly after we did.
RMI Guide Casey Grom and the Kili crew
On The Map
Posted by: Mark Tucker, Hannah Smith, Avery Parrinello
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Aconcagua
Elevation: 18,000'
Buenos Dias amigos!
Not a whole lot of news to report today. We rested at Camp 2 and went on a small hike around camp. Everyone is fine tuning their kit for our move to Camp 3 tomorrow. Today is our last chill day. Every day from here on out will be go go go till we are back in Mendoza enjoying warm showers. Next time you hear from us we will be getting ready for our summit push.
RMI Guide Mark Tucker and team
RMI Guide Ty Reid and the summit climb team were approaching the true summit of Mt. Rainier, Columbia Crest, at 6:20 a.m. The weather is warm and not smoky above 12,500'. By 8:35 a.m. the team was at the top of Disappointment Cleaver on their descent.
Congratulations to the summit climb teams!
February, 6, 2015 - 6:46 pm PT
Hello again everyone!
Today the team left behind the hustle and bustle of Quito and moved just north of the Equator to the comfortable and quite rural countryside. Once outside the city limits the landscape quickly turned into rolling hills with farms pitched on steep slopes and dozens of small eucalyptus forest.
Our plan was to visit a smaller mountain called Fuya Fuya where we stretched our legs on a nice steep and short acclimatization hike. Thankfully the weather was nice which allowed us to see some amazing views of the beautiful surrounding landscape.
We are just on the outskirts of a town call Otavalo, which is known for its massive market and we are currently relaxing at a wonderful Hacienda called "La Casa Sol". The team is doing great and looking forward to a nice quiet night here.
RMI Guide Casey Grom
On The Map
Keep up the good work, Kalin and Emily…and all!
Posted by: Tom McKenna on 2/11/2015 at 10:23 pm
Emily, Trevor and Kalin:
I hope that your volcanoe mountain climbing is a lot of fun,
Love, Mark
Posted by: Mark Anderson on 2/7/2015 at 9:45 pm
Posted by: Casey Grom, Leon Davis
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Ecuador
Everyone has safely arrived here in Ecuador and are excited for our adventure. We started our day with a team meeting where we did a round of introductions and discuss our upcoming program. Shortly after our meeting we headed out to explore this beautiful old city with our tour guide Juan. He took us to visit the Basilica and the old part of town dating back to the 1600's. We made a stop atop a hill that overlooks the city called La Panacea, and took in the view of this long and narrow city of over two million.
We then made our way north to visit the equator which gives Ecuador it's name. There's a small museum there with a few interactive displays that amused us. But most importantly we stood on the equator itself!
After our brief visit we made our way back to our hotel in downtown Quito where we took a break before heading to dinner. The team opted for a place called the Magic Bean that's know for its tasty food and fresh juices.
Everyone is doing well and looking forward to getting a little exercise tomorrow.
RMI Guide Casey Grom and crew
Just letting Tom, Bob, and Eddie know that I’m thinking of you guys and hope you had a great climb…get home safe…David
Posted by: David on 12/5/2014 at 6:40 am
We are so excited for you Brian. Enjoy the view from the summit and take some good pictures ! You and your team stay safe. Love you ,mom
Posted by: Karen on 12/4/2014 at 6:18 pm
Posted by: Josh Maggard, Pete Van Deventer, Robby Young
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mt. McKinley
Elevation: 11,200'
May 18, 2014 10:57 pm PT
Today was a glorious day for a rest day. The sun was shining, and the winds stayed calm though we could tell they were blowing elsewhere. We spent the day watching clouds pour over the ridge of Kahiltna dome, rolling down the backside and dissipating. It was beautiful to watch, and we were glad to be protected from the gusts. After a big breakfast of quesadillas, we sorted some food and gear for our carry past windy corner tomorrow. A quick review of cramponing and self arrest was as much activity as we needed this afternoon. We finished up the day with a big pasta meal and called an early night. We'll be heading uphill tomorrow to put in our 13,500' cache, which will set us up to move to 14,000' camp! The rest day was a great opportunity to recover from the last few days, and we'll be ready to go tomorrow!
All for now,
RMI Guides Pete, Robby, and Josh
On The Map
Another day of hiking under blue skies has finally brought us into Aconcagua Base Camp. A 5 am wakeup ensured that our crossing of the Vacas River was during low flow, long before the heat of the day accelerated snowmelt. Unfortunately, such an early crossing makes for some seriously numb feet! After fording the river we began our ascent up the Relinchos Valley, 3,000 vertical feet later we rolled into Plaza Argentina. And after a nap and a fat spaghetti dinner, we're ready for a well-deserved rest day tomorrow.
Until then, ciao ciao bacalao!
Posted by: Andy Bond, Raymond Holt, Layne Peters, Ben Luedtke, Calvin Jiricko, Arianna Drechsler
Categories:
Elevation: 11,200'
The Five Day Climb led by RMI Guides Andy Bond and Ben Luedtke reached 11,200' today and watched the sunrise from Ingraham Flats. High winds with higher gusts kept the teams from ascending any higher. The climbers returned safely to Camp Muir and began their descent to Paradise around 9 am. They will conclude their program this afternoon.
PC: Arianna Drechsler
Congrats on your adventure. Can’t wait to hear the stories.
Posted by: Patrick VDH on 6/11/2024 at 2:53 pm
Hello again everyone.
The weather continues to be beautiful here on Mt. Elbrus for us. We started the day with a nice breakfast and then set out on our last acclimatizing hike just before 9:00 a.m. The team did a great job as we made our way up to about 15,000', and it took us only about three hours. We stopped along the way to take a few breaks and enjoy the view.
After reaching our high point we made our way back to camp just in time for another enjoyable lunch.
Since then it's been nap time for most of us as we continue to adjust the time change and seek refuge from the sun.
Everyone is doing well and in good spirits.
RMI Guide Casey Grom and crew
On The Map
Posted by: Dave Hahn
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Kilimanjaro
What a difference a day makes. Yesterday we were climbing down a giant volcano, tired, grimy and hoping our strength would hold out. Today we were squeaky clean, comfortable, road-tripping, touristing and game-viewing.
And it was great. We drove out of the Dik Dik and Arusha around 9 this morning and made our way -in two souped-up Toyota Landcruisers- to Lake Manyara National Park. We enjoyed a tranquil and easy picnic lunch within the park with Zach acting as Chef while zebras and elephants wandered by. Then we went cruising with both vehicle roofs peeled open to allow standing and scanning for wildlife. Lake Manyara itself was stunning today, with seemingly a million pink flamingos, storks and pelicans working the water's surface and shores. We spied baboons, elephants, giraffes, mongeese (what the plural of mongooses really should be), zebra and wildebeests, along with a few shy hippos and eagles.
Before the sun set, we left the park and drove up on the rim of the great Rift Valley, looking out over the lake and a good chunk of East Africa. Our destination for the night was the Kirurumu Lodge and an extremely comfortable network of tent-cabins and fine dining. Tomorrow, we look forward to a full day of safari-life.
Best Regards,
RMI Guide Dave Hahn & Team
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I can feel the excitement building even in Watertown, WI
Posted by: Geri Kuehn on 1/27/2018 at 6:46 am
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