It always amazes me how much of a temperature extreme you can experience in the mountains. The last few days have been really good for me, as I left Basecamp and made my way to Camp 2. At 5 a.m. this morning, I woke up at 21,000 ft. to the sound of wind whipping at the tent door and a light frost coating the inside of the tent from my nighttime breath. As I sluggishly pulled my boots on and fidgeted with the frozen ends of my crampon straps, I shivered a little and squinted out to the first morning light, hitting the glacier well below me. A cup of spiced cider, and a small internal battle about whether or not to leave my Igniter Jacket on (I shed it), and I was out the door, crampons communing with the ice in a way that makes me smile to hear. The crunching is like a secret language that the crampons speak to the ice in, and though I don't always understand it, it is something familiar and comfortable for me, a feeling of moving and being stable at the same time.
This morning ended my first rotation to Camp 2, and I am finally feeling that the climbing is starting now. My preparations for this trip started so long ago, when Camp 2 was only a small glimmer in the future, and a memory from last season. Now it is fully upon us, and this season is forming its own voice each day. I am here this year with a different eye and a different attitude than what I had last year. I enjoy thinking back to my trip and all of the joys and learning that it provided me...but this year is shaping up to be quite different.
About two weeks ago, on the first few days of our trek in, I twisted my ankle. Frustrated, I tried to remember that this expedition will last for months, and certainly there is time in there to heal. As the weeks have snuck up on us, I have been reminded that things don't heal so fast at 17,500 ft. My first morning walk out into the Icefall I turned back, the pain in my ankle causing me to wonder if I was doing more harm than what was needed at this early point in the trip. A few days rest were followed by another failed attempt to get to Camp 1, and a whole new round of frustration. I came down to Basecamp and went to the Himalayan Rescue Association Clinic for a professional opinion. I know I am stubborn, but as far as I can tell, there is no need to hurt myself to climb this mountain. The kind and professional doctors at the clinic did an exam, while I held my breath, and they hypothesized about the injuries...sprain, bone chip in my foot, and most surprisingly, a possible crack in my fibula. Fortunately, none of those injuries warrants a complete stop in activity. Little can be done up here, and as long as the pain is tolerable, I received the go-ahead to keep climbing. The boots that I am using are actually providing good support and, interestingly, the climbing downhill is the least painful and most stable.
With this news, and a new humbled attitude, I finally made my way to Camp 1, a little slower than I would have liked, but without further harm to the ankle. Once I was in the tent at Camp 1, I took a deep breath and a grateful glance at the mountain surrounding me. A small smile captured my mind, as I looked at the ramen packages littering the tent. It is easy to forget about the ankle as I start to melt snow for my first of many packages of dehydrated, salted noodles. The tent is so hot in the midday, even at 19,800 ft., that I have to sit in the snow to keep cool. I laugh a little to myself as I think of what climbing means to me, and how silly this must look to anyone who hasn't been here. My day at camp is made up of eating noodles, sitting in the snow, and reading candy bar wrappers to see which ones are gluten-free (so maybe I can share with Dave Hahn, who is gluten-intolerant). I go to bed at 6 p.m. and then wake up twelve hours later to get to Camp 2. Peter, Ed and Jake are already at Camp 2, a few days ahead of me due to my change in plans. We spend a day there together, before they head down to Basecamp. I need one more day to acclimatize before rejoining them. My day spent alone at Camp 2 was a lot like the day at Camp 1, making piles of food that I have read the wrappers for and ones that still need to be investigated. The wind picked up in the afternoon, forcing the hot daytime temperatures to merge into a cold evening. I close my eyes in the tent, and wait for the alarm at 5 a.m.
On my way down to Basecamp this morning, I passed by Dave, Seth and Erica, poking their heads out at Camp 1. The morning light is still well below them, but they are getting ready to go for a little walk. I poke my head into the tent and see the ramen packages, this time smiling because I don't have to eat them today. I continue my way to Basecamp, mostly in the shade of the mountains around me. The last 30 minutes, the sun wins the battle, and the temperature suddenly becomes unbearably warm. I stop to put on some sunscreen and take off a layer, happy to have only a few minutes left until I reach Basecamp and glad to have finished my first rotation.
Hello All,
We have just finished a fun dinner after returning to Timika late this afternoon. Admittedly though, the dinner, as delicious as it was, paled in comparison to a shower after all these days in the humid & muddy jungle!
This trip has been demanding in so many ways that the whole adventure is just that much sweeter now that it has ended. Mark Tucker and I are off to Bali for a day of body surfing (oh how I hate my job!) and then back to the U.S.
Thanks for following along.
All the best,
RMI Guide Alex Van Steen
Mark Tucker, good to hear that you’ve completed the summit list! I can recall hearing you talk about Aconcagua and my daughter, Erin, still has the small chip from the biggest “hill”, from when we lived next to you on Dagny Circle. Congrats! I’ll complete my seventh continent, and 110th country, in March 2013! Les.
Posted by: Leslie Kelly on 7/13/2012 at 7:19 pm
McGahan clan… congrats to all of you! Sooo proud! I can’t wait to hear all about it! Love y’al, Coach/Mrs. Eubanks
P.S. Katie… Are you keeping your backpack as neat as your PE Locker???? :)
The Five Day Climb July 20 - 24 led by RMI Guides Dave Hahn and Joe Hoch, reached the summit of Mt. Rainier this morning. They reported pleasant conditions with lighter winds than expected. The teams will return to Camp Muir and enjoy the afternoon and their final night on the mountain. Tomorrow the teams will descend to Paradise and return to Rainier BaseCamp.
Today I was surprisingly asked a question that, as far as I can tell, is as old as human curiosity, parental affection and plain ol’ sibling rivalry. This may seem strange because I only have one child, and my somewhat unhinged three wingnut dogs can’t speak and honestly don’t care about the answer as long as they are fed and played with. As you may have guessed, the question so abruptly put on me this morning was: “daddy, who’s your favorite?” Harder to guess was, who asked it?
Things started normally enough; I made breakfast for my kiddo before packing him up and carting him off to preschool. I fed my dogs and chickens, cleaned the kitchen, and prepared for a day of light recreating before my afternoon duties began. It was when I entered the garage, home to my all important man cave and location of all my beloved fly fishing and climbing gear that things took a bizarre turn. Standing in front of me (I kid you not!) side by side, with puppy dog eyes looking up, stood my 12’6” Echo spey rod and my carbon fiber, oh so beautiful, Cobra ice tools. These sorts of things don’t just happen so I double checked my reality button. Dreaming? No I don’t think so. I have been up for three hours, had my coffee, and still felt the throb in my left big toe where I slammed it into the chest at the side of my bed. Ok, I’m awake. Drugged? No, I quit taking hallucinogens in high school and my wife, I think, genuinely cares about me. Then what? My two favorite activities in life, swinging flies for big trout with my spey rod and ice climbing, which is now doable in Bozeman, Montana, have come to a head. With a few free hours, my fishing rod and ice tools came alive and wanted me to pick favorites. Sheeesh! What’s a guy to do?
As time stood still, I began to reflect on the week long steelhead fishing trip I took just two weeks prior to the Grand Rhond, Clearwater, and Snake rivers. Ohhh, the joy of that trip made me quiver. It made me want to reach out, grab my spey rod child and declare my love for him. 28 inch ocean run rainbows on the swing, the thrill of the next hook up, not wearing a heavy pack; the reasons almost overwhelmed me. Yes, yes, you will always be my favorite!!! Then I saw my ice tools. Hyalite Canyon is in! I can’t wait for the thrill of running it out on newly formed thin ice over a stubby ice screw, waking up before the sun, and realizing this day was bound to hold everything but the predictable. Ohh, ice tools, you are my favorite, “let’s go climb something!” I think you understand my dilemma.
Parenting has taught me much in the five years that I’ve been at it. Love, patience and compassion are always at the forefront of dealing with children. Frustrations always arise. Liam spills my wine on the new rug, my spey rod whips bullets at the back of my head leaving welts the size of cheese curds on my scalp, ice tools rip out unexpectedly and send waves of sudden panic through me that make me want to puke. All part of the landscape I guess. So how did I answer the question, “who is your favorite”? Here I leaned on the invaluable lessons gleaned from seven years of blissful marriage. I compromised.
That day I took the ice tools out for their first climb of the season. I packed them up with the rest of my climbing gear all the while psyched I had just promised my fishing rod we would get out tomorrow. It’s a difficult web we weave, balancing work and play. I honestly felt troubled that I had to recreate two days in a row, climbing then fishing, but then again parenting is also about sacrifice.
As readers of the RMI Blog, most of you are probably cracking a smile but are also curious how this story is relevant to the mission of mountain climbing, training, and/or preparing for an upcoming goal. Here is how I connect the dots: Fishing for me is the yin to my climbing yang. It is a glorious mental escape which allows me to shelve my daily stresses and exist purely in the moment. Everyone needs this periodic meditation to reset and clear the mind. For many, exercise accomplishes the same release but regular exercise does not necessarily constitute “training”. The expectations I put on myself when climbing on my own are very high and the specific training schedule I follow can at times be demanding, painful, and sometimes unpleasant. Here is where we tie in sacrifice. Everyone’s life is managed by time. Somewhere on that big round clock is time you can utilize for yourself. If you have a goal of climbing a mountain, running a marathon, or bench pressing a Ford truck, you need to prioritize and then commit! Finding enjoyment and purpose in life comes when these commitments are made. Being a husband and father keep me grounded. Being a passionate climber and guide keep me psyched and motivated, and the hunt for big fish calms me down. In the big picture I think I have found some balance. Remember it takes the black and the white, the yin and the yang, to complete the circle. The web you weave and balance you seek are your own, but seek it with conviction and purpose and you will be just fine.
__________
Adam Knoff is a senior guide at RMI, husband, father, and fish wrangler. A versatile and talented rock, ice, and big mountain climber, Adam has climbed and guided throughout the world, in Alaska, the Himalaya, and in his backyard of Bozeman, MT. Adam is guiding an upcoming Mexico's Volcanoes trip, Expedition Skills Seminar - Ecuador, and will be leading a team on the West Buttress of McKinley next June.
Questions? Comments? Share your thoughts here on the RMI Blog!
When horses eat grass, they shred and tear everything, even the roots. Llamas on the other hand chew to a perfect putting green height. Illimani Base Camp is a massive rolling field, home to dozens and dozens of llamas. So after arriving at base camp this afternoon we found ourselves on one of the largest perfectly manicured fields in Bolivia. And therefore decided that a round of lawn games was required. The only thing we were missing was proper equipment. Nothing a little creativity couldn't solve...
Two snow pickets, 18 tent stakes, a dozen moderately round rocks, plus our ice axes and Voilà!, a game of mountain croquette was the highlight of the afternoon. Styles varied, rocks broke in half, and every time a shot looked to go straight it would bounce sideways, but after almost two hours of play we had laughed and cheered our way to a winner.
RMI Guide Eric Frank & Team
Kim & Co. sorry the weather and conditions didn’t exactly cooperate. Still sounds like an AMAZING trip and I love the impromptu croquet…don’t be too concerned, but Lucky has found a suitor by the name of Hugo the Persian.
Xoxoxo Lora
The Four Day Summit Climb Teams August 26 - 29 reached the summit of Mt. Rainier this morning led by RMI Guides Dave Hahn and Mike Walter. Dave Hahn reported clear skies above and light winds with a cloud deck below at 9,000'. The teams were walking into the crater at 8:15 a.m. and will spend some time on top before starting their descent to Camp Muir and continuing to Paradise. We look forward to seeing them at Rainier BaseCamp later today.
Congratulations to today's teams!
After two very long and tiring days, walking more than 20 miles and descending more than 14,000ft, we are finally back in civilization! Shower, clean beds, real food…oh my! We are all feeling like human beings again after a wonderful shower and a celebratory dinner out. It’s good to back in comfortable surroundings after such a trying trip, but at the same time sad that the adventure is coming to an end. Climbers are planning wine tours and sight seeing adventures during the 1 or 2 days they have left in the country. Hopefully, they return to you all, reading at home, rested and ready to retell all their stories and show you all the photos! It was one hell of a trip!
On Friday, We left the warmth and creature comforts of Puebla at 8am and drove two hours to the little town of Tlachichuca where we met up with the Servimont crew at the climbers hostel, quickly packed, ate, and hoped in the back of 4x4 vehicles to make the long and slow crawl up the primitive trails to Piedre Grande, or Orizaba High Camp just around 14,000'. We were able to set up a good camp despite intermittent sleet and moderate winds with gusts of 25-30mph. Our cook Rudolpho treated us to some warm quesadillas and fajita fixings. Hydrated and bellies full we gott horizontal and to try to rest before our long summit bid early in the morning.
We awoke to a brisk, partially cloudy night with some early morning sleet and fired stoves at 11pm. After a good Alpine mocha made from instant coffee and hot cocoa, we booted up and left our camp at Piedra Grande walking up through a snow covered rocky approach to the aptly named “Labrynth” of large boulders and glacial erratics left behind some millennia prior. As we stepped onto the Jampa Glacier, we were met with a fiercely cold and sustained wind out of the southwest, gusting at 35mph. The light recent snow made for good walking on the otherwise icy steeps that are common to the upper Jampa route. After many long and hard hours, with only intermittent morning sunshine, the entire team reached the summit of Orizaba just before 0900. With their hearts full and bodies tired, the team returned back to our climbers hostel in Tlachichuca and were greeted by the friendly staff of Dr. Reyes with hot showers, a warm meal, and well deserved cold beverages. An early night was in order for our long day of travels home with stories and laughter to share with loved ones and friends.
We had some high winds during the night. At dawn the winds deteriorated and we barely had any wind today. Great morning of training with self- and team- ice axe arrest and cramponing. With our crampons on, we roped up and went to the nearby glacier to train. Our tentative plan is to do crevasse rescue training tomorrow. The forecast is for more high winds coming in tomorrow. The winds are supposed to decrease tomorrow night, which looks like the best summit bid window. We’ll have an exploratory team go up later today or tomorrow to check out route conditions.
RMI Guide Brent Okita
Well it's been quite a day. This morning (technically speaking) we arose to a pretty full moon and gave climbing Ixta a shot. The past few mornings have had Popo's (Ixta's neighboring volcano and protector) smoky plume ascending straight into the sky. These "no wind" mornings are a treat to climb in and this morning was certainly a treat. Our team cruised the perfect conditions left by last month's storms and stood on top early this morning. We were able to see Orizaba in first light looming over Puebla where we now rest. Popo's aforementioned plume actually glowed red with the magma exposed in it's crater! I've never seen it do that before. On our descent Ixta's shadow stretched for miles and we pulled into camp seemingly just as a cold front made it's way to the mountain. Quite a day.
Now for a little R&R here in Puebla before heading to Orizaba.
RMI Guide Jake Beren
Mark Tucker, good to hear that you’ve completed the summit list! I can recall hearing you talk about Aconcagua and my daughter, Erin, still has the small chip from the biggest “hill”, from when we lived next to you on Dagny Circle. Congrats! I’ll complete my seventh continent, and 110th country, in March 2013! Les.
Posted by: Leslie Kelly on 7/13/2012 at 7:19 pm
McGahan clan… congrats to all of you! Sooo proud! I can’t wait to hear all about it! Love y’al, Coach/Mrs. Eubanks
P.S. Katie… Are you keeping your backpack as neat as your PE Locker???? :)
Posted by: Amy Eubanks on 7/8/2012 at 7:48 pm
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