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Hola from Ecuador!
The team arrived late last night after some very long flights. Today we started our day with a team meeting where we did our usual round of introductions to get to know each other and then discussed the game plan for our upcoming
11 day adventure here in Ecuador.
After the meeting we headed out on the town to explore this beautiful historical city with our local and very knowledgeable tour guide Angel. We first headed north to visit the Equator from which Ecuador gets its name, stopping by a museum that had a pretty interesting collection as well as some unique test that attempt to prove it’s the actual middle of the world.
Then we headed to the southern part of Quito to a big hill called La Panacia that over looks this beautiful city. Normally we get to visit the oldest part of Quito, but today is the Holiday celebrating the founding of Quito and many of the street were closed for the festival. So we opted for a visit to the Basilica, built in gothic style, and managed to climb nearly to the top, via the steepest stairs any of us had ever been on. Pretty cool to say the least!
We wrapped up the day with a quick gear check to make sure everyone has all the gear needed for our climbs. Then it was off to dinner at a nice restaurant where we were enjoyed getting to know each other better.
RMI Guide Casey Grom and the Ecuador crew
The
Kautz Seminar, led by
Steve Gately, was on top of Mt. Rainier at 9:45 a.m. The team is working their way back to their camp where they will stay another night and descend from the mountain tomorrow.
Congratulations to our Seminar team!
May 31, 2018 - 5:28 pm PT
Less than twelve hours after arriving at Kahiltna Base Camp, we woke early, ready for the first leg of our ascent. After quickly breaking down camp and eating an even quicker breakfast, we loaded the last of our gear into our already over burdened expedition sleds and began the walk down heart break hill towards the vastness of the Kahiltna Glacier. The morning was cold and crisp. Perfect conditions for the route to our camp at 7,800 feet. Snowshoes would not be necessary today as the snow was firm and smooth. The skies were clear with only minimal clouds capping the summit of Mount Foraker to the west and a bit of haze blocking our view of
Denali to the north. Our group of hopeful climbers looked like a freight train as our three rope teams chugged along with our sleds in tow towards our objective for the day, moving one step closer to the slopes of the West Buttress. After several hours of hard walking, we arrived in camp at the base of Ski Hill and set up our temporary homes for the next few days. Today was easy compared to what lies ahead, but our group of climbers looks strong and ready for the challenge.
RMI Guide Tyler Jones
On The Map
June 8, 2017
Today was another relaxed day! The crew played more corn hole and we learned a new old game from Amir and Nima. The winds were cooking this morning. The signs of uphill progress were not looking hot. The team is bonding and has high spirits for sticking out the unsettled and likely stormy weather the next few days.
Brent's RMI team
descended to 14,000' to skip the bad weather up high. The guides put some strong work into helping them set up camp and make water for them. Tomorrow will likely bring more laughter and good times maybe some laps around camp, we'll see. The weather has to break at some point!
RMI Guide Tyler Jones
On The Map
It rained hard all night last night, and we are currently in a very humid cloud with intermittent showers. We decided not to climb today because of the weather. Instead, we did some training and hanging out in our cook tent. We're currently taking siestas in our tents in order to warm back up from the penetrating dampness and cold. Hopefully, if it clears up this afternoon, we'll be able to take a climb up higher on the
Sulphide Glacier.
RMI Guide Mike Walter
Jambo from
Kilimanjaro everyone!
Today we let behind the comforts of the Dik Dik Lodge and set off for Kilimanjaro. We had a early breakfast then hit the road headed to the southwest side of Kilimanjaro where we'll be climbing the Machame route, also known as the Whiskey route because of its "intoxicating views". We arrived at the gate after two hours of driving through the beautiful rural countryside where we met up with the 40+ porters that will be helping us on this journey. We weighed all the gear, checked in with the park and hit the trail shortly after 11. It was a nice cool overcast day here in Kili which made for very enjoyable hiking temperatures. It took about 5 hours of hiking in the thick sub-tropical forest to reach our first camp which sits around 10'000ft. Once at camp we got things settled, then sat down to some much deserved tea and popcorn that our staff had prepared for us. A wonderful dinner followed shortly after that and we have all now climbed into our tents and are all looking forward to a good nights sleep.
Everyone is doing great.
RMI Guide
Casey Grom and Crew
Sunday July 5th 10:45 am PT
RMI Guide Billy Nugent just called the office to check in. The team had a long, tough day yesterday breaking trail through the new snow that had fallen on the route. After sleeping in this morning, they are getting ready to depart
Denali's 11K Camp. They are hoping to be at Kahiltna Base by late afternoon/early evening.
On The Map
Our
Mount Rainier Summit Climb teams, led by Walter Hailes and Pete Van Deventer, were just reaching the summit at 7:10 a.m. Walter reported winds of about 20mph, cool temperatures, and they were just below the clouds hanging right above the summit. Both teams began their descent at 8:15 a.m.
Elias deAndres Martos and the
Expedition Skills Seminar - Kautz team checked in and were at 12,600’ working their way to the summit.
Sunday, May 31st 1:54pm PDT
Mike Walter called from 14K Camp on
Mt. McKinley. Both his team and RMI Guide Pete Van Deventer team will be heading down to 11,000’ Camp or 7800’ Camp tonight. Their plan is to be at the airstrip in the morning. If the weather cooperates, they will be in Talkeetna by tomorrow afternoon.
RMI Guide Mike Walter
May 24, 2015 - 3:35 pm PT
Well, there is not much new to report today. We're still waiting out the weather here at
14,200 ft on Denali. Last night was windy and snowy, with gusts up to 52 mph here in camp. There is lots of deep drifted snow around camp, so even just walking around is an exercise in trail breaking. The winds have let up this afternoon and it is still snowing lightly. Moderate snowfall is expected tonight and tomorrow, and with any luck it will let up by midweek.
We're all safe and comfortable, waiting for the weather to improve. When (if) it does, we'll have our work cut out for us; as a result of the new snow and wind loading, we'll be faced with trail breaking and evaluating the avalanche hazard of the steeper slopes above us. In the mean time, we're passing the time by reading books, chewing the fat, and the continual work of maintaining our camp's condition throughout the storm.
We'll keep you up to date with any changes in our current holding pattern.
RMI Guide
Mike Walter and Team
On The Map
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Hello Dave and Denali Team!! It looks gorgeous and we are loving the updates. Sending lots of love and sipping some Kick Step IPA as a way to be there with you. :)
Love,
Your big sis and the fam.
Posted by: Beth on 6/1/2018 at 6:44 pm
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