There was a chance today... had things gone a little differently, we might have left the continent. The Ilyushin crew were hot to get back in tonight to pull us out before the big storm, but the “window” turned out to not be enough of a window.
It was a little surreal walking into the dining tent this morning (under cloudy skies and in wind) to find all new people in camp... the marathoners were gone and bunch of South Pole enthusiasts were in. The immediate effect was that breakfast was easier to come by... those runners were serious at feeding time. The weather today was mostly in-between. There were some tranquil moments, but there was also ample sign that it was all going to get worse. The big question (for us) was whether the relative calm before the fireworks would be calm enough for long enough to get a big plane in and out. The final call didn’t come until we were finished with dinner... not tonight. My gang still kept their spirits up... we attended several lectures on Antarctica and the mountains of the world. We read in the library and mingled in the dining tent. We smiled at everybody. As it got a little later, we went out to hold the sleeping tents down in the gathering storm. We’ve got a big darn snow wall for protection and our tents are perfectly oriented to the prevailing winds. Still, it will be a long night of frayed nerves as the tent fabric snaps like machine gun fire and the wind howls down off Mount Rossman. Union Glacier Camp doesn’t normally get such turbulence and truculence at this time of year. A rare treat for a select audience.
Best Regards,
RMI Guide Dave Hahn
This morning on Aconcagua we woke up slow as the sun hit our tents. As the team rolled into breakfast the eggs, onions, and peppers were sizzling on the grill. We casually sat around and chatted and laughed about the trials and tribulations of the day before. As the afternoon came, it was siestas all around before our steak dinner. Now with a lot of rest on board, the team is ready to move higher on the mountain.
RMI Guide Ben Liken
Last night at 6:30 in the evening, Team Shishapangma was still on the move, descending a barely visible trail etched into the ancient glacial moraine by only a few dozen boots going up and down with hopes of establishing camps on the higher slopes of this snowy mass. Clearly this footpath changes each year after the passing of the monsoon rains so we were again proven how generous and selfless our Sherpa team is when Furba and Pemba Sherpa met us more than two miles from camp with warm drinks and happy smiles. We had been away from base camp for more than three days and they were eager to greet us. The remaining walk was in the dark guessing where the trail led which our Sherpas, with most things mountain related, were better at than us. We devoured dinner and shortly after sleep devoured us.
This morning, Sunday the 18th of September greeted us like most others have. The sun hits us at 7:30, the sounds of Aital and Purna our righteous cooks firing up the kitchen, echoing off the rocky hillside behind us, our neighbor's camp coming to life. But these common place things are now accompanied by a new set of sounds. A chorus of coughs, hacks, and other phlegm related guttural noises are reminding us constantly how the unforgiving altitude we are living at is tightening its grip. Life at base camp is the best we have but at 18,500 feet it is still a challenge. So we were all grateful that today the most difficult thing we needed to do was drink coffee, clean some clothes, and listen to the Mark Wilkins school of business.
Rest days are quickly becoming a hard earned and well deserved reward. The rotations coming up are only going to get higher, colder and longer so we will enjoy base camp as much as we can. Everyone is dreaming of home and wishing all following along lots of love.
RMI Guide Elias de Andres Martos
I look forward to these updates every night. It puts a lot of things into perspective. Stella, Thor and I are with you in spirit and wishing you well. XO, Trish
Posted by: Trish on 9/23/2016 at 5:09 pm
Talking to you last night (your morning) and hearing your raspy breath (and challenged breathing) made the elevation you are operating at very real and vivid. Hopefully the day of rest will allow some natural healing to take place in all of your struggling respiratory systems.
Your adventure makes my solo 3,904 mile drive to/from Bonneville seems pretty lame. BTW, I thought of you yesterday when I looked at a partly collapsed bottle of oil that I’d opened and resealed on the 4,200 ft. elevation of the flats. Can’t imagine 18,000+.
Posted by: Rick Deerwester on 9/19/2016 at 6:28 am
June 16, 2016 - 6:07 PM PT
Hello from the top of Denali. We were lucky today and the mountain let us to the tip top. We are all doing fantastically well, the weather is just about perfect and we will soon start our descent. But we just wanted to check in, we will enjoy the views for a little bit longer, but the team has done great, everyone worked super hard. I'm quite proud of all of them. We will give you a shout from the lowlands. Take care all.
RMI Guide Jake Beren
RMI Guide Jake Beren calls in from the summit of Denali, Alaska.
Congratulations to the whole team! Fantastic news Jason, I’m looking forward to hearing all about your experience. Safe descent and “slán abhaile” (Irish for safe home). Fr Joseph
Posted by: Fr Joseph on 6/17/2016 at 11:16 pm
WoooooHooooooo!!!!!
Way to go all!!
Safe downclimb and tasty beer!
The Four-Day Summit Climb led by RMI Guide Tyler Reid were unable to reach the summit due to strong winds. The team has safely returned to Camp Muir. They will descend from Camp Muir to Paradise this morning. We look forward to seeing the team in Ashford later this morning.
Greetings all
We departed Talkeetna into cloudy weather and for a while there we did not think we would make it. But thanks to the skill of our K2 pilots we were able to sneak in as the skies briefly parted. As a result of our teams hard work and cooperation we now have a fortified camp. We will sleep well behind block walls and we are excited for a chance to climb the radio tower tomorrow morning. Tonight we sleep under clear blue (still) skies and just a whisper of a cool breeze.
Until tomorrow then!
RMI Guide Leon Davis & Team
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
At 7:05 a.m. RMI Guide Brent Okita and his summit climb team were five minutes from Mt. Rainier's crater rim. The route work, completed yesterday, was great and well wanded. Brent also reported great weather.
Congratulations to the team!
This is the Aconcagua team checking in from Camp 1. Last night we got more snow at Basecamp, not too much, but enough to get the camp completely white when we left this morning. The landscape was unique so we didn't miss the opportunity to take lot of pictures. The group did a great job climbing to C1 today, it took us 4:30hs to get here and everybody is feeling strong. Right now we have started the stoves and will enjoy a nice dinner with vegetarian couscous in a little bit.
Our plan for tomorrow is to carry to our Camp 2 (also known as Campo Lama, because of the remains of a helicopter Lama that crashed there a long time ago).
We hope that everybody there is enjoying the progress of our team, we will keep sending updates!
Our group is back at Basecamp after a carry to Camp 1 today where we cached some gear. We enjoyed a rest day yesterday after arriving at Basecamp (13,800'). Everyone is doing well and using this time to acclimate, rest and prepare for our move to Camp 1 (16,200') tomorrow. We will check in again soon.
Praying for each of you on your safe return, and what sounds like some much needed sleep at night. Hurry home Matt B and the rest of the team!!
Posted by: Holly Mitchell on 12/19/2018 at 3:23 am
Hey Dave , Ive been following along everyday. You are all Awesome! Just wondering what is the temp at base camp?
Posted by: Dave Kestel on 12/19/2018 at 3:09 am
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