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Posted by: Dominic Cifelli, Seth Burns, Nicole De Petris
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mt. McKinley
Elevation: 14,000'
Wednesday, June 19, 2024 - 1-:20 pm PT
Beat Generation writer Jack Kerouac insisted: “Because in the end, you won’t remember the time you spent in the office or mowing your lawn. CLIMB THAT GODDAMN MOUNTAIN.”
Today was a big day for the team - 3200’ vertical over 3 miles. We moved from 11,000' Camp to 14,000' Camp and set up what will be our home for the next 4-5 days. Retracing our steps from 11,000' up the relentlessly steep Motorcycle Hill, up Squirrel Hill, onto Polo Field, up to Windy Corner, across crevasses and past the cache we left a few days ago, we finally crested the last slope and 14K camp came into view. Hiking through these massive cathedrals of rock and snow inspires awe. Traversing through these quixotically named places that mountaineering legends have written about enhances that awe so that it almost seems unreal.
Upon reaching camp, the task of sculpting our home out of snow was upon us. After a couple of hours, our tents were secure on the snow platforms we had built, while our tireless guides (and a couple of our tireless team members) crafted the kitchen and bathroom out of the bottomless glacier.
Most of us have been feeling the physical effects of altitude at 14,000' Camp, some more than others. Today, as in all other days, we rallied remarkably well as a team, pitching in and assisting to the best of our abilities to help one another and do what is needed for the team to succeed. It is a beautiful reflection of what humanity can be when a group of strangers with different backgrounds and in different stages of their lives can come together for a common cause and help one another to achieve a singular goal. While each of us has our own personal motivations for embarking on this great adventure, no doubt Jack Kerouac’s entreaty has something to do with why we are all here.
So let’s go team: let’s climb that goddamn mountain.
RMI climber Chris Brockmeyer
New Post Alerts:
Denali Expedition June 9, 2024
Posted by: Mike King, Nick Scott, Gloria Roe
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Aconcagua
Elevation: 9,000'
Love following along and getting daily updates. Be save and enjoy your time. Love you Becky!
Posted by: Kay Robinson on 12/17/2018 at 7:20 am
Happy birthday Slamma! Enjoy the start of this trip around the sun starting even closer to it than usual <3
Posted by: The Chartbigs on 12/17/2018 at 4:46 am
Shannon, you got this. Just be your usual mighty self… Love you Good luck to everyone on the team… Godspeed.
Posted by: Linda on 2/2/2017 at 8:59 am
Kiss some serious mountain ass Shannon! I’ll be cheering you from home.
Safe travels to the whole team!
Posted by: Kathie on 2/1/2017 at 8:44 am
On The Map
Posted by: Geoff Schellens, Eric Frank
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mt. McKinley
Elevation: 7,800'
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Have a great climb
Posted by: Marilyn Frank on 6/1/2015 at 4:02 pm
Best wishes for an outstanding trip!
Posted by: Leia Simmons on 6/1/2015 at 7:07 am
Posted by: Solveig Waterfall, Mike Walter, Steve Gately
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mt. McKinley
Elevation: 14,000'
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On The Map
Steve and Team,
Glad to hear all is well.
Sounds like lots if work to build each camp. Too bad you have to leave them behind!
Meghan had a great graduation yesterday. We all missed you.
Hike well and be safe.
Dad
Posted by: Bill Gately on 5/17/2014 at 3:25 am
Posted by: Jess Wedel
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Everest BC Trek and Lobuche
Elevation: 8,700'
There were perma-grins on our face today as we flew into the Himalayas. We got so lucky with nearly perfect weather and amazing views of the highest mountains in the world.
We got an early start and after landing in Lukla headed to the Sunrise Teahouse. We sat in the window-filled dining room and enjoyed tea, coffee, and our first (of many!) teahouse breakfasts. We watched the planes and helicopters fly in and out. Met our incredible Sherpa team - Dawa, Kala, Jangbu and Nawang and eventually began our trek.
Even though the trail can be described as “sometimes up, sometimes down” today was mostly trending down. We crossed our first suspension bridges and breathed deep in the peace of the walking.
We learned yesterday about the importance of enjoying the moment you are in and we definitely did that when we walked to the bakery this afternoon and enjoyed fresh cookies, cakes and bread.
It feels so good to finally be in the mountains.
RMI Guide Jess Wedel and the Lobuche Team
New Post Alerts:
Everest Base Camp Trek & Lobuche, March 15, 2025
Greetings from Peru everyone.
Today the team started our day with a nice hearty breakfast full of fresh baked bread, local jams, fresh fruit, eggs and an assortment of cheese. Happily washed down with more coffee than most of us needed.
We then boarded our awaiting bus and headed into the surrounding mountains and made our way the beautiful Sacred Valley to visit several massive Inca archeological sites. The first stop was to Ollantaytambo, an ancient Fortress with massive stonework, cobblestone roads and massive terraces used for farming. It was incredibly impressive learning about the area and that all the of massive stones were only moved by hand. We then continued up the Sacred Valley to visit Pisac which is another large and beautiful Incan archaeological site that was equally as impressive. After exploring for a while we made our way back to a nearby local market for some lunch and a little shopping.
It was long but wonderful experience and we wrapped up the evening with another delicious Peruvian meal not far from our hotel. Everyone is doing great and excited for what tomorrow will bring.
RMI Guides Casey, Jess and the Machu Picchu crew!
PC: Jess Wedel
New Post Alerts:
Machu Picchu Trek, August 3, 2024
Posted by: Pete Van Deventer, Jackson Breen
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mt. McKinley
Elevation: 14,000'
Monday, May 20, 2024 - 11:30 pm PT
At 6am, 14,000' Camp is a cold, quiet place as everyone tries to stay deep in their sleeping bags. It was also gorgeous this morning, so we rallied everybody and headed uphill towards the mythical fixed lines well before sun hit camp. It was a chilly start, but gave us the advantage of being among the first teams headed up. We clipped in and started up and that walk made us work today. Much of the ascent was steep, blue ice with little in the way of texture or foot holds in it. But we not only persevered, we cruised up quite smoothly. We then traversed the West Buttress, admiring the views and seeing 14,000' Camp well below. It was a perfect day for climbing and we took it all the way to 17,000' Camp, where we dug a hole to hide our goodies, and then headed back for our cozy home. The fixed lines were quite blue on the way down too, burning calves and feet, but soon we were past and stepped back into the sunlight of camp. It was a great effort from everybody, and tomorrow we plan to rest.
RMI Guide Pete Van Deventer
New Post Alerts:
Denali Expedition, May 7, 2024
Keep up the the great work! You guys are killing it!! So exciting
Posted by: Jacqueline Millen on 5/21/2024 at 7:28 am
Posted by: Casey Grom
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Kilimanjaro
On The Map
Awesome! So good to hear that you’re safe and had fun on your hike. Thanks for updating us. Felt like I was also with you on your adventure. Do you have blogs where are there are tips before climbing the mountain? Just like what I read in this post https://goshenisafaris.com/climbing-mt-kilimanjaro/ Would be really nice to read about it. Anyways, keep safe on your adventures!
Posted by: Krisan Sablaon on 4/26/2019 at 8:46 am
Following you all the way up…....safe footing God bless
Posted by: Barbara Sluboski on 1/23/2019 at 3:11 pm
Amazing to read all these entries and realize how far up and out into the expanse you are right now. I hope the next few days are the best yet. Can’t wait to hear back soon!
Posted by: Will on 6/23/2024 at 5:38 pm
What an amazing adventure for you all! The teamwork and dedication is inspiring! Can’t wait to hear more about this adventure when you get back, Chris! We have a martini glass chilling in the freezer…❤️
Posted by: Kathy M-H on 6/22/2024 at 1:18 pm
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