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Thursday, June 20, 2019 9:27 PM PT
We made it onto the mountain first thing after breakfast today. Things went about as easily as they possibly could. The weather in Talkeetna was fine and first reports from the mountain were similar. It wasn’t like we were racing our two planes in to the mountains trying to take advantage of some tiny break in the weather. We took the standard team photograph under the nose of a big red K2 ski-equipped Otter and then got busy loading up. Just as the planes were lifting off the runway we could see a young moose some fifty feet off the port side wingtip. The rest of the flight was just the normal beautiful as we crossed from green and flat tundra to white snow and steep black rock. After 45 minutes, at around 9:30 AM our pilots had us on final approach to Kahiltna International. We had a little work to do then, dragging loads from the airplanes to a suitable campsite in the snow, and building tents. But we did all of that in the middle of a spectacular -and for many of us- unfamiliar setting of giant peaks and surreal cloud forms. We set into a few training sessions reviewing glacier travel techniques and crevasse protocols. The afternoon was endless and easy and then we sat together in a snow dining room to have dinner and take a break. Finally, the team had a few last chores getting packed and sorted before an early bedtime. Just as we finished up, a speed climber came trotting up the SE Fork on snowshoes. The man casually and cheerfully claimed a new round trip speed record for Denali of 11 hours and 40 minutes. Our lower jaws hit the snow in disbelief and astonishment. We congratulated the man and went back to launching our three week version of the same thing. The gang was in bed by 7 PM. The alarm will go off at 12:30 AM and we’ll get motivating.
Best Regards,
RMI Guide Dave Hahn & Team
Hello from Penitentes! Today we ate a nice breakfast at the hotel, and got an early morning start obtaining our climbing permits. It’s possible that one member of the team had to run around town and secure some important pieces of gear, but that’s par for the course. We ended up leaving Mendoza a little later than we had hoped due to some permit delays, but the team did an awesome job hustling once we got to Penitentes. We re-organized all of our gear so that the mules could better haul it, packed a lot of food and kitchen gear, and headed to dinner. Everyone is excited to start walking tomorrow. Once we hit the trail, things get much simpler. Whatever we have is what we have, and we just need to get from point A to point B. The team has done a great job leaping the logistical hurdles that mark the beginning of any long trip. Tomorrow we’ll check in from Pampa de Leñas.
RMI Guides JM, Hannah, and Avery
Today was our first day climbing this huge mountain, up till now it's been a luxurious trek. We carried up a cache of food, fuel and a few personal items to our
Camp One at 16,400'. The terrain is scree for as far as the eyes can see along an ancient glacial moraine, monotonous at times but beautiful in it's own right. The Team had been picking the brains of groups in camp about what to expect and once we were back all agreed that it was a tough day, then again the first day with heavy packs above 14,000' is always tough. We are all back in camp and will enjoy a good dinner followed by a rest day tomorrow. We'll keep our fingers crossed for clear skies and decreasing winds.
RMI Guide Mike King
On The Map
The
Four Day Summit Climb led by Dave Hahn reached the summit of Mt. Rainier early this morning. Dave reported clear sunny skies above 7000' with winds of about 15 mph from the North. The team has started their descent and are en route to Camp Muir.
Congratulations to today's team!
We enjoyed more fine game viewing as we exited the park and our Safari guides continued to impress spotting out cats all over the place this morning. Things went as smooth as you could expect even on 4 wheel drive roads. Our great drivers and local support assisted us as we continued focusing on some of the things we do best, eating and shopping. After a quick stop at the
Dik Dik Hotel to gather our climbing gear and have a quick dinner, it was off to the airport. We said our good byes happy to be heading home but still smiling from our grand adventure.
Happy October, it's time to come up with my Halloween costume.
Until the next adventure.
Cheers,
RMI Guide Mark Tucker
June 17, 2016 - 11:36 pm PT
What a big few days it's been! Forgive the radio silence, but our team has been busy getting some real climbing done. Since our glorious finale to our ascent, we descended back to
17 Camp and had a well deserved rest. We awoke early this morning with a motivating forecast to move and packed up our alpine home and began our descent. As we scooped up caches at 16,600, 14,200 and 11,000 our decision to beat feet downhill seemed well made. Winds and snow took over the upper camps and we made it to 7,800 camp where the air is thick and the temps are pleasant (by our new standards). We carved out a quick camp and are planning on an early morning to try and catch a flight tomorrow. Wish us one more day of decent weather and we'll be back to tell all the details of one hell of an adventure!
RMI Guide Jake Beren
On The Map
May 20, 2016 - 5:36 pm PT
We're hunkered down in our tents today as a significant storm rages outside. Fortunately the snow walls we constructed are taking the brunt if the winds. It's been snowing all day, and visibility is near zero.
We're all safe and relatively comfortable in our camp between our tents and our cook tent. High above our camp you can hear the winds crashing over the
West Buttress like waves on a rocky coastline. The winds up at that altitude are forecast to reach 85 mph.
This storm will hopefully start to taper off tomorrow and give us a chance to move up to high camp for a summit bid. We'll keep you posted, but for now we're in a holding pattern.
RMI Guide Mike Walter
On The Map
Last night our crew assembled for the first time in the lobby of our hotel to start the process of building a team. There is quite a lot of experience spread throughout our squad and I look forward to seeing everyone get to know a few of
Mexico's big mountains.
Today we will leave this bustling metropolis and head for La Malinche, our first acclimatization hike. We ought to be on the trail this afternoon for our first taste of some thin air. Tonight we will stay at the old Olympic training facility to sleep around 10,000 feet above the sea. We've hit the ground running (or efficiently jogging) and look forward to getting started.
Off to a good start!
RMI Guide Jake Beren
We stood on top of Cotopaxi this morning! Our windy adventures in Ecuador continued yesterday and into this morning. Hiking to the climbing hut we battled 30 mph winds, which continued through the evening. When I woke up to check the weather at 11 pm it was windy but clear. I woke the team up at midnight and we had an alpine start breakfast and prepared to climb. By the time we left, clouds were intermittently blowing in and out. During the first hour of our climb a very humid cloud moved in that dampened our outer layers, which then turned to ice. The wind persisted, so did we. Climbing higher, our clothes began to wear a layer of rime ice as we fought with the wind to maintain good posture and climb efficiently. Clouds would come and go (mostly come) throughout our climb, but the wind would not relent. It made the ascent very difficult and also very cold. Our breaks were shorter due to the weather, but the team climbed strong and toughed it out. We reached the summit around 6:45 am, five hours and fifteen minutes after we set out (which, by the way, is a fast pace for Cotopaxi). The summit views were obscured by clouds so we didn't spend much time up top. Did I mention it was windy?
The descent was smooth and now we're all resting at the historic
Hosteria La Cienega in Lasso, Ecuador, near the south entrance to Cotopaxi National Park. We'll enjoy a well earned dinner here tonight, and a good night's sleep with a leisurely wake up call before heading back to Quito tomorrow.
The summit of Cotopaxi was a heck of a way to end our two week volcano tour on the Ecuador Seminar. We'll check in again tomorrow from Quito.
Saludos,
RMI Guide Mike Walter
On The Map
The Five Day climb with Seth Burns and Mike Bennett made a sunset climb of Mt. Rainier. The team enjoyed a great route, and beautiful sunset on their way to the top. They plan to depart Camp Muir around 10am.
Congratulations Team!
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Cheering you all on from the lower 48 in hot and steamy Maryland. Looking forward to hearing your news and adventures. XO N. and P.
Posted by: Sandy Bemis on 6/24/2019 at 5:36 am
Here’s to good luck, good weather and a good summit!
Lou & Ingrid
Posted by: Lou whittaker on 6/22/2019 at 9:01 am
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