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Posted by: Jackson Breen, Raymond Holt, Rosie Hust
Categories: Expedition Dispatches North Cascades
Elevation: 10,781'
The Mt. Baker - Easton Glacier Climb July 11 - 13 reached the summit of Mt. Baker led by RMI Guides Jackson Breen, Ray Holt and Rosie Hust. The team returned to camp and enjoyed a few hours of sleep. They will continue their descent to the trailhead and conclude their program.
Congratulations team!
Thursday, May 16, 2019
A few short waves of snow showers passed through camp overnight and we woke up to a fresh dusting of new snow. A quick breakfast of oatmeal, dried fruit and nuts got us ready for the task ahead today. The terrain ahead would be a bit more challenging then our first day and the team was eager to explore new parts of the range. A decent amount of recent climber traffic has resulted in a well kicked in trail and we were grateful for the easy travel.
From camp our first obstacle is "Ski Hill". In any other setting this slope wouldn't make you bat an eye lash, but with Denali loads it poses quite a challenge. The team did fantastic with the increase in gradient. A short wave low pressure system was forecast to pass over the region today and we were greeted to a few intense snow flurries that reminded me of the Kahiltna Glacier that I'm more used to seeing. From the top of Ski Hill however, the terrain eases off quite a bit and we meandered our way to about 10,000' where we left a cache of gear to be retrieved later. A quick descent brought us back into camp in seemingly no time at all and the crew is currently taking a load off before an early dinner in anticipation of another long day tomorrow.
Tomorrow, weather permitting, our goal will be to move to 11,000' Camp. Its great to finally settle in at 11,000', build a fortified camp, build the best kitchen this mountain has ever seen and look forward to our first rest day of the trip. That's all for now, thanks for following along!
RMI Guide Steve Gately
On The Map
Posted by: Mike Haugen, Hannah McGowan, Gloria Roe
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mt. McKinley
Elevation: 9600'
When the weather reports we receive include the words gentle breeze, fresh winds, and tail end of a typhoon, you know you are climbing in Alaska! We had a great trip from our camp this morning with all of our team members handling these heavy loads like champions! Since we always hope for the best, but prepare for the worst, we fortified our new camp with large snow walls to block some of the winds that may or may not be headed our way. We were so proud of our walls that Rusty even put his civil engineering stamp on them.
The weather was very good before a marine type cloud layer brought some new snow and the fresh wind we were told about. It already seems to be clearing up a bit. Meanwhile, we are hunkered down eating Tasty Bites and waiting to see if hurricane Horiskey hits us.
RMI Guide Mike Haugen & Super Crew 6
“Mother Nature, please cancel my my subscription”. Thats all I got for today folks! Wishing you better weather. Keep up the GREAT TEAMWORK!
Posted by: Ellen M on 6/17/2018 at 9:24 am
Happy Father’s Day dad (David McCampbell) proud to be your daughter! Be safe talk to ya when you get back down:)
Love you,
Patti
Posted by: Patti Van Lange on 6/17/2018 at 8:42 am
Today was another magnificent Russian day on Mount Elbrus. The team did an acclimatization day to exactly 15,000 feet. Not only did they do it, they rocked it! The stage has now been set. We are back in camp hydrating and recovering with a great lunch. As I told the team, sure, we could summit tomorrow. They are strong! However, there is no need to rush. Tomorrow is calling for a little snow so we are going to have a rest day. That way, come Saturday, if the weather allows, everyone will be feeling even stronger.
RMI Guide JJ Justman
Posted by: Eric Frank, Geoff Schellens
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mt. McKinley
Elevation: 11,200'
June 2, 2015 - 5:43 pm PT
Light snow is pelting the outside of our tents this afternoon, but we are warm and dry inside. Soon we will need to venture out and build high walls around our camp to protect the tents from any potential wind damage. Despite the fact that it is a lot of hard work, wall building tends to be a favorite among groups. It is half artistry and half big-kid Legos.
The group was already productive today. After a leisurely breakfast of bagels with smoked salmon, we took a three hour stroll down to our cached food and brought it back up to 11,200' camp. Now we are firmly established here and getting stronger for our next move uphill.
RMI Guides Geoff Schellens and Eric Frank
On The Map
Stay warm Kim with all that new snow. Remember, with your height you will have an advantage getting more Oxygen!
Posted by: JDT on 6/4/2015 at 8:10 am
Hi Kim: Looks like you & the team are doing terrific! We look forward at some point to seeing photos of the snow walls you are building around the tents. Sounds like it could be a “work of art” suitable for gallery viewing.Go Kim Go!!! Be safe & stay well!! Love, Dad
Posted by: SHEL on 6/3/2015 at 4:52 am
May 28, 2015 - 9:39 am PT
In the big picture breakdown of Mt. McKinley's climbing days, it would be said that historically the move day from 11,000 foot camp to 14,000 foot camp would prove to be one of the most difficult. Today I would say that we beat the odds. We broke camp at 7 am this morning in quick time and after a delicious breakfast of instant oatmeal and instant coffee we were ready to tackle the day's first objective. Directly out of 11 camp, a swell steep uphill called Motorcycle Hill greets you. Next is Squirrel Hill and after that Windy Corner. Now I'm not sure how we have gotten in such good graces with the often grumpy weather gods but today those gods, sitting around their big weather God dinner table, decide today should be the nicest day all month. With clear skies, no wind and perfect walking temps we all zipped right through those hills and corners to a breathtaking camp here at 14,000 feet. We were in no rush because the day was so amazing so we created our own camp out of scratch and are all feeling rewarded and strong. Big move days rarely go this smooth. We could not feel more psyched for what's to come.
I am thinking about you Liam. I can't wait to see you.
Wishing all of our family and friends big hugs.
RMI Guide Adam Knoff
On The Map
Looks like very good, uh- great, luck so far! Have fun.
Posted by: Cathy S. on 5/29/2015 at 10:33 am
Glad for the weather. Stay strong. Enjoying the posts.
Posted by: Patty on 5/29/2015 at 10:22 am
Today was another perfect day in the Vacas Valley. Several of us slept out last night under a stunning Milky Way while the southern cross worked its way across the horizon. We woke to clear skies, and cool temps, and motivated to get the miles ahead of us under way. We kept a breeze with us most of the way, but nonetheless, after two days in the strong southern sun, everyone is a little bit crispier. About an hour before camp, we came over a rise to see a family of 9 guanacos (a wild relative of the llama) grazing along the trail ahead. Normally very shy, they were about as curious towards us as we were towards them and we were able to snap a bunch of photos. It's pretty rare to get to see them, and especially so close, so we felt really lucky. We arrived in the mid afternoon, so there was plenty of time for a siesta before we filled our bellies, with pasta tonight. Everyone was a bit relieved for the break from huge portions of steak.
Tomorrow we climb through the Relinchos valley to base camp at Plaza Argentina. We'll check in from there. Hopefully this gorgeous weather continues to hold for us.
Hasta luego,
RMI Guides Pete, Alex, Juan, and team
On The Map
Hey Kev we are all watching the teams progress. To all, have a safe climb. Ciao, Bro.
Posted by: Pat Acierto on 1/31/2015 at 4:28 am
Go Bruce!
Posted by: Jim Bradley on 1/24/2015 at 6:50 am
Posted by: Adam Knoff, Nick Hunt
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Ecuador
We are officially underway!
Our day began with the first official team breakfast at the hotel. Everybody made it safely to Quito, and almost all of the bags arrived. One team member did need to return to the airport early this morning to attempt to track down his two missing duffels. Last we heard, the bags were still unaccounted for, but the team has high hopes! We had a 100% recovery rate for lost luggage last year, and have no reason to believe the same won't be true for us again.
After a hearty meal and a round of introductions, we took a quick walk around the block to familiarize ourselves with the area surrounding the hotel, taking time to locate a couple of the shops we can obtain provisions from and to scout a few restaurants for our team dinners the next two nights in Quito. Upon returning to the hotel, we met our local city tour guide for the day, Wilson, who promptly collected us on the bus and started off our day of sightseeing. As an Otavalo native, Wilson was full of information about everything we could ever want to know about Ecuador: politics, economics, art, culture. His good humor kept the atmosphere light and energizing while still providing a highly educational experience.
Our first stop of the day was the Mitad del Mundo, or the Middle of the World. This small (but highly entertaining!) outdoor museum allowed us to observe a number of demonstrations that showed the unique effects of gravity along the equator, as well as the variations between the northern and southern hemispheres. We hopped back on the bus and transferred to Colonial Quito, were we took a walking tour of Independence Square and the surrounding area. One of the more memorable moments of this tour was squeezing our way through an extremely narrow, steep and dark staircase in the back of an ornate cathedral, working our way to the roof for a fantastic view of the area. Clear skies allowed us to catch a few glimpses of Cotopaxi and Cayambe, two of our bigger objectives on this trip.
We were finished with the tour by early afternoon, giving the team plenty of time to relax and get organized for our first acclimatization climb tomorrow up Rucu Pichincha. Our evening tonight will be filled with gear checks, naps, and a team dinner in town.
Until then!
RMI Guides Nick Hunt, Adam Knoff, and the rest of the team
RMI Guide Nick Scott and the Five Day Climb July 9 - 12 reached the summit of Mt. Rainier with their entire team this morning. Based on the forecast the team opted to climb this morning rather than the last day of their program. They will spend tonight at Camp Muir and enjoy more time on the mountain before descending to Paradise tomorrow.
Congratulations to all the climbers!
Posted by: Christina Dale
Categories:
They call our camp tonight "Planet Dickson" because it feels otherworldly. It is a small peninsula of land that sticks out into the emerald waters of Lake Dickson which are dotted by small icebergs. With no roads to here and horses grazing all around it is paradise. You can skip perfectly flat rocks off its shores or pick the rather bitter Calafate berries around its green lawns.
We had a long day on the trail so everyone was happy to see the hut this afternoon. The trail gave us an authentic experience of Patagonia's weather and "Patagonia flat" terrain. The weather here goes from light rain, to hot sun, to gusting winds, to dark skies, to hot sun again in 10 minutes. It is a moody teenager. "Patagonia flat" is how the locals refer to terrain that goes up and down a lot. Tomorrow will bring some more hills and views of hanging glaciers. The team is doing great and in awe of each view.
RMI Guide Christina Dale
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That is a big glacier. Keep it up team. Looking forward to following your progress thru all phases of fun.
Posted by: Darren Beck on 5/18/2019 at 3:27 am
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