This is RMI's last expedition of the Aconcagua season. Our team enjoyed a scenic drive through the Andes and arrived in the rustic ski town of Los Penitentes. Our team rallied and got bags packed for the mules. Everyone is excited to hit the trail when we begin the trek to Base Camp tomorrow.
RMI Guide Mike King
Day 2 on Safari had us visiting the world famous Ngorongoro Crater. The crater is what remains of a once massive volcano that erupted. In the 2 million years since then, hundreds of animals have taken up residence and have created one of the best safari options in Africa.
We hit the road early with hopes of catching a few more animals before the heat sent them in search for shade. Not long after descending down into the crater we came upon several lions. There were hundreds of zebra, wildebeest, and Cape buffalo, gazelle’s and many sightings of hyenas, jackles, ostrich, and countless other birds.
One of the highlights was getting super close to a large male and female lion “on their honeymoon”.
We have just finished another wonderful meal here at the plantation lodge and are looking forward to what tomorrow may bring as we head to Tarangire National Park.
Sunday, June 9, 2019 - 1:42pm PT
RMI Guide Mike Walter checked in via SAT Phone from camp on the Easton Glacier of Mt. Baker. The team reached the summit this morning and enjoyed an almost 4,000' ski descent off the top of Mt. Baker. The team plans to spend a little time in camp recovering before they pack up and head to the trail head where they will return to town for a successful post-climb dinner!
Congratulations!
This morning we left La Malinche for the Altzomoni Hut at 13,000 feet on Ixta. The team was able to stock up on water and last minute snacks in the town of Amecameca before we begin our two-day attempt on Ixta. We've got all of our equipment sorted for our move up to our high camp at 15,000 feet tomorrow.
RMI Guide Grayson Swingle
Hello from Argentina!
The team all arrived in Mendoza, minus a couple of bags. We all got acquainted at our first meeting; sharing some stories and giving some background. After a fantastic meal we are well fed and ready for some rest. It will be a big day tomorrow- permits, more shopping and transfer up into the Andes.
Our next stop should be at around 9,000 feet. But first, the missing bags must arrive, which could show up tomorrow. Then we will finish our gear check and move forward with the adventure ahead. Everyone is A-OK.
RMI Guide Mark Tucker
June 7, 2017
"Ok, I know we've been climbing for three hours straight, but let's get a quick bite to eat and drink and get out of here and back to camp."
"Brent, there's like over thirty people behind us on the route." JT exclaims, trying to be heard over the winds that have just picked up.
This was the scene at Denali Pass a few hours ago, high point of our midday sojourn to kick in the route, reset the anchors to the current route and mostly get some exercise so we do not waste away up here.
After passing a windless evening last night I was optimistic of our chances to summit this morning. But, as our typically poor luck would have it, around 7:00am the first ripples of wind tickled the tent walls. By 9:00 we had 40 mph gusts pushing the tent walls into our faces. Yes, we were all ready to go if the weather improved since it wasn't horrible outside besides those pesky gusts.
Finally, 11:45 rolled around and we decided to go for a little walk.
By 12:30 we were climbing to Denali Pass. This is typically later than we'd like to start for the summit, but we didn't have the summit in mind anyways. What took me by surprise was how our little walk inspired the entire camp at 17,200' to gear up and climb.
Our team really climbed well today, especially impressing me on how well everyone descended.
The weather forecast is not really inspiring, but we'll hang in here for a couple more days anyways to see if we can catch a break. The team is still smiling, and we had a great experience today. All it takes is one nice day to finish this thing off.
Good night,
RMI Guides Brent, Christina and JT
June 5, 2017
After our cache to 17,200' Camp yesterday, our team had earned a well deserved rest day. We cooked up some breakfast burritos this morning for brunch which included eggs, bacon and hash browns. After digesting our breakfast, we stretched out our legs by walking to the Edge of the World. Each team member was belayed out to the edge which drops some 5,000 ft to the Northeast Fork and provides some great photos to bring home. The weather outlook is calling for some windy and cold days ahead so the team may be sticking it out here at 14k camp but when our time comes we will be rested and ready to climb!
RMI Guide Tyler Jones
Hope that the weather subsides to a manageable level for you to proceed safely. Stay strong on this incredible adventure. Thinking of you daily. And Tym…Satoshi says $2850.00.
"I don't think that people are so much looking for the meaning of life as they are looking for the experience of being alive"--Joseph Campbell
Climbing mountains is ultimately an absurd act, to stand on top of a pile of rocks and call it a success, laughable. In yet, it is something anyone who has ever shared the feeling knows the feeling: powerful, liberated, inspired. Wind-whipped, bodily spent, surrounded by ravaging beauty--beyond providing meaning for living, it provides the feeling of being fully alive. That feeling is only magnified when combined with the pure spirit of speed and fluidity found on a ski descent.
Early May is an excellent time for a climb and ski on Mt. Baker and I'm just back from two trips up in the northern reaches of the Cascades. Thick snows blanket the land—especially after this winter—providing a smooth carpet for cruising up to the high flanks of the mountains. That's not to say the approach is easy—for starters, as is usual, the road was blocked by snow several miles short of the actual Heliotrope Trailhead. Secondly, navigating through the dense Pacific Northwest forests requires lots of muscles that no amount of resort skiing or even gym training can fully develop. Plus, there's the prospect of needing to carry those skis on the pack. Forty pound packs quickly become fifty-five on the back. While our first trip allowed us to get to camp on skis, spring comes quickly in the Cascades and by the second trip we were shouldering the skis until treeline.
Whether approached by ski or with those skis on your back, the arrival above treeline on Baker comes abruptly and spectacularly. Unlike many an alpine ascent, where the trees gradually shrink in size to Charlie Brown Christmas trees, on Baker's Heliotrope Trail approach it goes from massive towers to wide open alpine in the time it takes to apply sunscreen. Clouds came and went throughout our trips, but when they cleared, the stunning serac falls at the terminus of the Coleman Glacier, the stately girth of Mt. Baker's volcanic cone, and the sheer ice face of Colfax Peak made it clear why we'd worked so hard to get there.
On both trips we were fortunate to have time and energy to enjoy some beautiful turns above camp on Hogsback Ridge. Skinning up, we looked at ways to improve our kick turns, balance, and tracking techniques and to practice roped travel while skiing. Viewing camp from a thousand feet above, we ripped skins, carved turns in sweet-edging snow and cruised back to camp to prep for the summit push.
The morning hour always come early, but it's a little easier with the benefit of the full moon we experienced. Rising up to boil water for coffee, our shadows mixed among the long shadows cast by the small trees around camp. Shaking out the soreness of the approach, we slurped down some oatmeal and caffeine before clicking in and gliding up. On our first climb we utilized ski crampons to leave camp with skis on, digging the teeth of the crampons in with each step to allow us a smooth ascent. On the second climb we relied instead on boot crampons to power us up past the steeper parts of Hogsback Ridge to where things leveled off enough to skin without crampons. While both can work, ski crampons definitely allow more time to enjoy the fluid uphill motion that skinning provides, and ski crampons are definitely advisable for a Mt. Baker Climb-Ski.
A mix of shaky weather, altitude, and the challenge of converting climbing fitness to skinning finesse stopped us short of the summit on the first trip, but the beauty of ski mountaineering is that even without a summit, every step upward is a success, as it increases the joy of going down. High up on the Pumice Ridge, views of the Puget Sound and British Columbia's Coastal Range slipped in and out of the clouds as we ripped skins and prepared for the descent. With the light sometimes flat and spring crevasses beginning to show, we pitched things out more conservatively on the descent, allowing time to enjoy all the hard-earned 4000' of vertical. And with each turn of descent the skiing became increasingly edgeable and enjoyable, a fresh layer atop the thick winter's snowpack. Rolling back into camp with smiles, fist bumps, and a feeling of refreshment is one of the uniquely attractive aspects ski mountaineering presents to the world of alpine climbing.
The second Mt. Baker Climb-Ski was a custom trip, so it allowed us time to both climb Baker in the optimal (if shaky) weather window and then sneak in some time afterward to focus on the pure joy of climbing to ski. Bagley Lakes, just outside of the Baker Ski Area, provided the perfect venue, as you can drive past 4000', straight into a ten-foot snowpack, and on out into enchanting alpine lakes guarded by precipitous cliff walls. South facing slopes were graced with an accumulation of wind-blown powder and perfect runs.
Climbing mountains is a process. Summits provide a goal. Skiing down them provides a purpose. Everything that we seek up high is only of value if we can convert it into a currency that enriches our lives in the valley. The 2017 Mt. Baker Climb-Ski trips brought process and purpose together and brought us all back home to the valley floor refreshed and ready to move forward fully alive. Upward, downward, forward. Alive!
--RMI Guide Kel Rossiter
This is Zeb Blais and team checking in from Mount Baker. We had a pretty tough day today. We started out looking at the North Ridge Route. Due to route difficulties and an impending poor weather forecast, we decided to bail on climbing that route. We shifted our focus to the Coleman-Deming and after a long day of climbing, we got back to camp just a few minutes ago. It was a great climb and we only got rained on for a few minutes. We are back in our tents now waiting out some weather. Our plan is to pack up and head out tomorrow morning. That's all for now.
RMI Guide Zeb Blais
June 9, 2016 - 8:11 pm PT
"Nature does not hurry, yet all is accomplished"
Lao Tzu
Today was a much needed rest day for our squad. While we may have been strong enough to move to 14 Camp, we opted to rest and recover from the effort of yesterday's carry. Sometimes being patient can be tough on a day with good weather, but it pays to be conservative. We had clear weather in the morning, but it quickly turned nasty, making our call to rest even easier.
Spending the day napping, feasting and getting ready for the move sets us up for the upward launch whenever Denali lets us go.
RMI Guide Jake Beren
Vaya con Dios
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