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Resting and training were the theme of today. We took time to practice using the ascenders and different techniques for descending the fixed line with the Nepali girls. They did a great job and are getting more excited for the climb ahead, as are the rest of the team. Rest days can seem long but the team is pretty creative in keeping busy. Some made jewelry, while others went to the big boulder, that we call our Nepali gym to work on abs and pull-ups. We ended the day with a delicious cherry cake for dessert. The cook has done an amazing job making us delicious breakfast, lunch, and dinners. Tomorrow we will find out from our team members at our high camp whether we move up or take another test day.
Buenos noches,
RMI Guide Hannah Smith
Slowly camp came alive. Like little forest creatures coming out of their den, people crawled out of their tents. Before you knew it camp was packed up and we were on our way uphill. We continued to follow the river. After an hour or so of walking we emerged from the jungle and got a view of Saipal Peak. It looks beautiful. The southwest face is impressive. There is an American team attempting it as we speak. Fingers crossed for them, for if they succeed it will be a first ascent. For us, however, we are settling into our Base Camp. We will hangout here for a couple days waiting for the rest of our duffels and begin making a plan on what exactly our objective should be. It feels good being at our Base Camp. Snow lightly falls from the sky as people nestle into their sleeping bags before we gather for dinner. It will be a chilly night. Tomorrow should be a nice relaxing day with ample time to charge our devices.
Till tomorrow,
RMI Guide Hannah Smith
Namaste
The team woke to beautifully clear skies and views of Mt. Everest right out our dining room window. We’ve settled into our daily routine of getting up and packing our duffel bags before meeting in the dining room for breakfast and Starbucks coffee thanks to RMI sending it with us. After breakfast we step outside to get a better sense of the temperature before adjusting our layers for the hike. Once on the trail we do our best to maintain a steady pace, with stops every hour or so to stay hydrated and take in the views. There’s plenty of other hikers and yak trains headed in both directions to negotiate as well.
Today we hiked for about 5-6 hrs including breaks and a light lunch to get to our next tea house in Pheriche, which sits at about 14’000ft.
Everyone did great and enjoyed the stunning views of Ama Dablam, one of the iconic peaks along the route to
Everest Base Camp.
RMI Guide Casey Grom and crew
On The Map
Day 9 and our feet are broken in, our layers are perfect, and our backs strong. We finished the circumnavigation of the
Paine Massif today by walking 22 kilometers up to the base of the famous granite towers. A long and windy day on the trail but everyone did great. It was so windy at times that it was hard to walk against but we figured one or two windy days out of nine was pretty good. As this amazing trip comes to an end we all want to thank Chile for keeping the national park well preserved and thank our partners here in Patagonia for helping this trip run so smoothly. Congratulations to this RMI team from your guides; Chuma, Mauricio and
Christina!
Another cloudy, snowy day greeted us this morning but didn't stop us from pushing on. Typical of weather on the
Kahiltna Glacier, there was enough new snow and poor visibility to make the going difficult, but certainly not enough to call it a storm day and relax in the tents.
Upon reaching camp at 11,200' the sun broke through and we were treated to our first sunshine of the trip. What a nice welcome.
The sun sticks around late here, and we've enjoyed every bit of it, hanging out in the Posh for a couple hot drinks and sharing stories.
Tomorrow we look forward to our easiest day when we just need to retrieve the cache we buried at 10,000'.
The forecast calls for a little storm to brush by us tomorrow or the next day, but I don't see any sign of that yet. If it does, we'll just dig in and enjoy a rest day I guess.
Everyone's climbing super well and in good spirits.
Good night from 11,200'.
RMI Guides Brent Okita, Christina Dale and JT Schmitt
On The Map
We had a great day today as we ventured out of Quito for our first acclimatization hike up
Rucu Pichincha (15,696’). The approach for this hike was a scenic gondola ride well above the city, dropping us off at 13,500’. After a few hours of hiking, we climbed into the clouds and finished with a scramble up Rucu Pichincha’s rocky summit. Although summit views were obscured, the weather was very comfortable all day for our hike.
We had a few hours this afternoon to relax and prep our gear for the next days’ adventures: hiking up to the climbers’ hut at the Ilinizas at 15,100’. We will spend two nights there and attempt summits on both the north and south Iliniza peaks. We will be in touch with updates.
RMI Guide Mike Walter
On The Map
The
Four Day Summit Climb led by RMI Guide
Pete Van Deventer and the
Five Day Summit Climb led by RMI Guide
Zeb Blais reached the summit of Mt. Rainier at about 6:50 am this morning. The team climbed into a cap with some high winds and a bit of rime. They have started their descent and are en route back to Camp Muir.
Congratulations to today's Teams!
Well, we made it back to Basecamp. Big loads and tired feet made for a tough day but we were greeted at Basecamp last night by a spread of snacks and cold drinks, but more importantly, hugs and congratulations from Anita and Grizzelda the Basecamp managers. We dined on steaks and real salad and vegetables which were absolutely delicious after over a week of mountain food. This morning we woke up had a quick breakfast before readying the mule loads and are now about to hit the dusty trail for
Pampa de Leñas. The herrieros will be preparing a traditional asado there for us tonight but I anticipate that we´ll be out of touch for the evening because it´s hard for the satellite phone to stay connected down there. The canyon walls are just too narrow. The long march home continues...
RMI Guide Billy Nugent & Team
Hello everyone,
Today we headed to Tarangire National Park know for its abundant animals and beautiful views of the savanna. We saw all the unusual suspects, elephants, giraffes, impalas, monkeys, ostriches, and many others. It was a hot one today, probably high 80’s, but thankfully dry.
We are spending our last night here in Africa at Nyikani camp, which has beautiful tented rooms with screened windows to allow the sounds of the African night in.
Everyone is doing great and hoping to see a few elusive cats as we make our way out tomorrow. Then it will be back to our main lodge near Arusha for a quick shower before catching our evening flights home.
Your love ones will be home soon!
RMI Guide Casey Grom and the safari crew
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Kilimanjaro Climb & Safari January 9, 2025
Monday, June 24, 2024 - 12:05 am PT
We woke up this morning to a blue bird day and a quiet chill in the air. It was cold, crisp, windless; perfect weather for a trip up to high camp. People tend to think we stage our summit bid from high camp and, in a sense, we do, but the real waiting game happens at 14,000' Camp. It’s where you wait for the summit weather to align and today the door was wide open. We made our way up the headwall and the fixed lines for our second run and we were pros this time. Dialing in the techniques and tactics we learned on the previous run through. The heavier packs were noticeable on the legs and the heat of the day was noticeable on our dry throats but on we went. When we finally crested onto the namesake “ West Buttress” of the route. The sun gave way to cloud and the heat to snow. We got glimpses of the 360 views that this part of the route offers but never the full scene. On we pressed to the high camp of Denali at a height of 17,200 ft.
We set up shop, ate our meals, and are trying to recover for a summit push tomorrow morning. Tomorrow will be undoubtedly the hardest we’ve had on the mountain, and for many the hardest physical effort we’ve ever tried. The team can do it though. We’ve got this.
Wish us luck!!
RMI Guide Dominic Cifelli
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New Post Alerts:
Denali Expedition June 9, 2024
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Gloria,
We are checking the blogs everyday to keep up with this great adventure you are on. Dana says if he was your age that’s where he would want to be! He caught a salmon in your honor today. Good luck with everything. Hope you summit. We love you!!!!!!
Susan
Posted by: Susan Reid on 10/30/2018 at 5:57 pm
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