We packed up Pisco Base Camp this morning and headed back to the trail head. Everyone is ready for some solid rest and is welcoming the return to civilization, but it's been a fun couple weeks of climbing. The views we've seen and the adventures we've shared are going to stick with the team for a while.
Tonight we celebrate a successful trip and pack our bags one last time. We'll be heading out to catch planes back home tomorrow evening.
Thanks for following along!
RMI Guide Zeb Blais
July 2, 2015 12:36 am PST
This day didn't start out all that bad, but then it didn't waste too much time getting bad. It got snowing about an inch an hour by mid morning. That didn't stop some of our neighbors from picking up and moving to 14K anyway, but it stopped us. We didn't want to risk getting caught at Windy Corner when the wind started. So it was a quiet day for us, sitting in our tents listening to the snow. Just about right in the middle of a nice dinner in our beloved POSH tent, a cannon shot of wind hit and ripped the shelter nearly in half. We sat for a few minutes more anyway, chowing down, looking out the big new vent and wondering who'd be first to abandon ship. Then it was a mass exodus back to the tents for what promised to be a windy, snowy, stormy night on Denali. We'll figure out a different plan for our cooking and dining shelter needs.
Best Regards,
RMI Guide Dave Hahn
RMI Guides Seth Waterfall and Walter Hailes led their Four Day Summit Climb Teams to the summit of Mt. Rainier this morning. Both teams began their descent from the crater rim shortly after 7 am. Seth reported clear skies, very little wind and warm temperatures. Climbers will return to Camp Muir to rest and repack before continuing their descent down the Muir Snowfield and to Paradise later this afternoon.
Congratulations to today's Summit Climbs team!
A summit of Rainier, a mountain that seems to taunt me almost daily living in Seattle, has always been a goal. Thanks so much for safely guiding us to the top, Walter, Megan and Nick! You all are an impressive crew.
-Josh
Posted by: Joshua Trujillo on 7/2/2015 at 5:05 pm
Thank you, Walter, Megan, and Nick for helping me complete my fatherly goal of riding the Seattle to Portland bike ride and climbing Mt. Rainier with each of my three kids, Brendan, Patrick, and Brigit!
We are settled in to our camp for the next several days in a situation that in mountain terms is very plush. We woke up early this morning to get our bags packed for the arryaros, and then prepared to cross the Vacas river. Some opted to brave the chilly temps, cold water, and multiple channels, rolling up their pant legs and wading right in. Others took the unique opportunity to ride a mule across. We all learned something new from our Norwegian teammate, who showed up with ultralight waders and cruised across without getting the least bit damp.
The sun was shining again today, but the increasing altitude and another welcome breeze kept things mostly comfortable. We saw more Guanacos today (the team no longer believes us when we tell them it's pretty rare), this time either playing or arguing with a game of king of the hill. As we came through the top of the Relinchos valley, we got our first really unobstructed views of Aconcagua and its sister peak Amegino. A dining tent, lemonade, and an assortment of peanuts, crackers, cheese, and olives greeted us when we walked into Plaza Argentina. With tents up, it was time for the afternoon siesta before a delicious chicken dinner prepared by Anita, the wonderful base camp cook. We're off to bed shortly, and after a lot of miles and hours the last three days, everyone is looking forward to a rest day tomorrow.
We send our best to everyone back home,
RMI Guides Pete, Juan, Alex, and crew
Occupation Camp Two is in full effect ladies and gents. Our Aconcagua team is thriving and jiving at 18,000 feet. It's the same old same old...eating, drinking soup, drinking mate, eating chocolate peanut butter cups and listening to opera. Yes! We have some class!
Our plan is to rest up here tomorrow before we move to high camp and the hope is to summit on the 19th. Keep your fingers crossed for continued good weather.
RMI Guide JJ Justman
Hey Sue, Jo & Robert & all,
Opera at 18K…..well….anything but Rap works I guess?
Now get up that hill!
Posted by: Russ Frederickson on 1/17/2015 at 7:53 am
Congrats all on making it to Camp 2. We will definitely be thinking of you on the 19th and hope that all have a successful summit. Giulia and I went to a great puppet show tonight called Exaltation of Larks. The puppets were amazingly lifelike…five elderly nursing home patients scaled to the size of three year olds, sitting in wheelchairs made out of crutches and stroller pieces. Maybe you had to be there, but it was amazing. Wishing you all good hiking weather. M/N
RMI Base, this is Alex Barber calling in with the Aconcagua Team. This morning was perfectly clear with light winds. Definitely an appreciated contrast from yesterday's windstorm at Camp 1. We took full advantage of this clear weather today and pushed up to Camp 2. Everyone on the team did extremely well and now we are sitting tight here at Camp 2 playing cards and eating snack food, and plotting our summit attempt. Tomorrow is just a rest day, so we will check back in with you from Camp 2 sometime tomorrow. Adios.
RMI Guide Alex Barber
RMI Guide Alex Barber calls in from Aconcagua Camp 2.
Hey everyone. This is JJ with Team One Aconcagua. The team is up here at Camp One; we're doing great. We actually all wrote an elaborate email wishing family and friends Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, etc. But wouldn't you know it, we're having a little bit of technical difficulty sending that email so I'm calling in this dispatch instead. Everyone here sends their love to all their family and friends. We'll get this little glitch sorted out, and we'll send that email so all of you can read the words of of your loved ones here on Aconcagua. The team is doing great. We had a rest day today, but tomorrow it's back to business. We're gonna enjoy a great Christmas Eve dinner here at 15,500 feet. And then tomorrow we're going to head on up to Camp 2, which is at 18,000 feet. Everyone, like I said is doing wonderful and they all say hello. Happy Holidays and they send their love to all their family and friends. You guys take care. Stay tuned and hopefully will have some more exciting news for you in the days to come. Take care everyone, bye.
RMI Guide JJ Justman
RMI Guide JJ Justman calls in from Aconcagua Camp One.
This is always a big day, permits, buying last minute supplies, traveling to Penitentes, gear checking, and packing. Luckily it went as smooth as possible. Our one hiccup was accidentally ordering everyone the same special at lunch which was made for two people. So each of us ate a two-pound steak, papas Freitas, salad, and two empanadas. Or as much as we could handle of the giant meal.
Well it's off to bed for our final night in a bed for several days... I can't wait
RMI Guide Walter Hailes
Billy and Jake here checking in on the team's first night in Argentina together. Most of the crew is a little travel weary but full of enthusiasm about the upcoming adventure. After a general team meeting and a round of introductions we spent most of the afternoon with a thorough gear check. Later this evening the team dined at a new parilla in town, enjoying delicious salads, Argentine beef, and vino tinto. The weather here in Mendoza is beautiful: clear, sunny, and warm during the day and cool at night. Perfect for growing grapes, or just living! I am pretty sure none of us are missing the North American winter. Anyways, we're resting up from those several days of traveling and gearing up for a super busy day tomorrow. Lots of loose ends to tie together before we split town for the mountains and Los Penitentes!
Have a good night, and we'll check back in tomorrow!
Jambo everyone,
Today we visited the famous Ngorongoro Crater. The crater is roughly 100 square miles and is known for its abundance of animals that call the crater home.
We hit the road early with hopes of catching a few of the big cats before the heat of the day.
There were many sightings today of hyenas, jackles, ostrich, and countless other birds. We didn’t manage to see too many Lions, but did get to see 3 Leopards while driving in and out of the crater, which was certainly a highlight.
We saw several Black Rhinos which have become very rare do to poaching, however, they were only viewable through binoculars.
We wrapped up the day with a visit to a Maasai village not far from the craters rim. The Maasai people are a semi-nomadic tribe that exist almost entirely off of their cattle. The team spent time asking questions and enjoyed being shown around their small and simple village.
We have just finished another wonderful meal here at the Plantation Lodge
RMI Guide Casey Grom and crew
What an adventure…I’ve enjoyed the free ride! Wonder where this group of climbers will head to next!
Posted by: Judy Mileto on 8/20/2016 at 5:42 pm
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