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This is Mike, checking in for the Torres del Paine trekkers here in Punta Arenas. Everyone arrived after a long two days of travel. We got an early start to head to Isla Magdelana located in the Strait of Magellan to see a colony of Magellan penguins. The Strait of Magellan is protected from the weather of Cape Horn and one of the most important passages between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. The hour and half boat ride was calm with nice views of the fractured land that makes up Southern Patagonia. Arriving to the island we had some ground rules laid out to not impact the penguins who are raising their near grown young. The young penguins are shedding their feathers in preparation for a northern migration along the coast of Argentina, Uruguay and even Southern Brazil. 

After an hour of walking and taking in the mix of penguins, gulls and brown skua we loaded up to head towards a sea lion colony. From the idling boat we took in these animals that number around 2,000. The smell traveled across the water while the young ones played in the water and swam close to the boat out of curiosity. On our return to Punta Arenas we saw a few Peale’s dolphins swimming alongside the boats. The remainder of the day will be spent in transit to Puerto Natales where we will pack for the start of our Torres del Paine trek. Thanks for following along.

RMI Guide Mike King

We finished our last day of hiking with the big packs. Last night was a windy and wet night down near Lago Nordenskjold. The Dones flexed, the tents shook and the trees thrashed about. For an area so infamous for stormy weather our team has lucked out. We hung out at the Refugio until the rain stopped and sunshine appeared. The winds would stay with us all day as we walked 14 km to Refugio Torre Central. The trail was a running creek at times and aside from some rocky bluffs to walk up and descend we cruised in just as the rain started back again. There is a lot of new snow up high and aside from watching some harriers play in the gusting wind the coolest views were the white caps and walls of wind blown spray moving like clouds across the lakes. Tomorrow concludes our 9 day trek of the “O” and “W” circuits. We’ll head out early to see the actual towers that gives this park it’s name and then head for Puerto Natales. 

RMI Guide Mike King

Hello everyone.

We spent yesterday touring Tarangire National Park which is home to many elephants, and a huge diversity of other animals. It’s still a bit rainy here, so the normal numbers of animals was down a bit, but we’re headed out early today in hopes of seeing more.

We ended our day at a remote and off grid camp within the National Park and surrounded by wildlife. The camp has screened in rooms that allow the night sounds of Africa in and also last night's rain storm.

It's been a memorable experience for everyone and great friendships forged. But finally it's time to return home to our families.

Jambo from RMI Guide Casey Grom and the Safari crew!

By Geoff Schellens

Climbing big mountains is all about cardio, endurance, and strong legs, right? Wrong. While these are important areas to focus on during training, our core is easily overlooked. Our core connects our upper and lower body and is a vital part of stabilization when climbing. Carrying heavy packs on our backs, moving through uneven terrain, avoiding injury and maximizing efficiency are just a few examples of the need for a strong core. Below are five exercises for climbers that encompass our entire core: specifically the transversus abdominus (the cylinder providing stability) not just our rectus abdominus (that sexy six pack). Do these exercises slowly and with proper technique; please don’t risk injury forcing another rep. I recommend doing this routine two to three times a week and bumping up to four to five times a week after a month or more.

First, identify your core muscles and engage these. Lie down on your back and place your fingers 1 inch from the rim of your pelvic bone in towards your center. Push those muscles upwards. Those are your stabilizing core muscles.

Plank and Side Plank: Hold a push-up position with toes on the ground, legs together or shoulder-width apart, and hands on the floor directly under your shoulders. Engage your core and hold it. It is called “plank” for a reason; don’t let your back or hips droop or your butt rise up. At some point you will probably start shaking and it will become exponentially more difficult: hold it just a little longer. I keep a stopwatch on the floor in front of my face and try to hold the plank position 10 seconds longer each time. Keep your face relaxed with calm breathing. You can build up to forearm plank (instead of on your hands). Side plank is the same but rotate your body 90 degrees so you are facing the wall (or mirror). Remain lifted on one straight arm and the outside of the same foot. Keep your hips high: most likely you will droop towards the floor. If at first it is too difficult to keep your hips up with your legs straight, bend to your knee the leg closest to the floor. Don’t forget to get both sides.

Wood Chop: This is a great one for strengthening many of the smaller muscles in your core including some in the lower back. Start with a small weight (i.e. a full Nalgene water bottle), you can add weight later after you build technique. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and the weight about six inches to the left of your left foot. In a controlled movement, lift the weight with both hands across your body ending with out-stretched arms high above your right shoulder. Control the weight back to the starting point and repeat. I go for 25 reps on each side and add weight after a few weeks.

Russian Twist: Sit on your butt with knees bent, feet hovering a few inches off the ground, and a straight back angled slightly away from your knees. Again start with a light weight and add more later. Hold your weight, a Nalgene or a small medicine ball, with both hands and in a controlled movement twist your torso to touch the weight to the floor on your left side then slowly twist to touch the weight to the floor on your right side. Start with reps of 25 and go from there.

Toe Touches: Lie on your back. With your legs together, lift them straight up, feet flat as if trying to stand on the ceiling. Take your two peace sign fingers together and cross your left fingers to the outside of your right foot. Come back to center, then cross your right fingers to the outside of your left foot. Keep moving back and forth with control. Start with 15 reps/side. The goal is to keep your shoulders off the floor and your legs & feet stationary.

Bicycle: Start with your back flat on the ground knees at 90 degrees above your hips and feet in the air. Your hands will be behind your head with elbows pointing to the sides. Extend your left leg out so the foot is about six inches off the ground and bring your left elbow to your right knee. Again don’t strain yourself: this is a slow and controlled, twisting crunch. Now bicycle your right foot out and bring your left knee up as you crunch your right elbow to this knee. The goal is to bring your elbow to your knee (not vice versa). Start with 20 reps and add more as you go.

These are five of my favorite core exercises that are easy to do anywhere. Hope you enjoy!

_____

Geoff Schellens is a senior guide for RMI Expeditions, guiding trips around the world. He has extensive experience on Mt. Rainier, in Alaska, the Himalaya, and Antarctica. Geoff is also an AMGA certified Rock Guide. He lives in Bozeman, MT.  

The Team got started from Refugio Paine Grande at 9:30. The weather was cool and windy for the first two hours as we hiked to Campamento Italiano at the base of the French Valley. We ditched packs and grabbed a light lunch and water, then headed up to the British viewpoint. The views of the Horns, Sharks Fin, and surrounding peaks were worth the side hike. A quick descent down to grab packs and a 30-minute walk to the French Domes wrapped up the day. The skies have been grey and the rain has held off until after getting to camp each day so fingers crossed for two more days of hiking. 

RMI Guide Mike King

We enjoyed a rainy rest day at Refugio Grey. The wind and water on Lago Grey didn’t cooperate for a kayak tour but the time off our feet was appreciated. With only 7 km to Paine Grande we got a later start and walked through the 2011 forest fire scar that provided great views due to reduced vegetation.  The trail took us up and down a section of rocky bluffs filled with foxglove and tall grass over 4.5 hours. The winds are usually strong in this section and today was no different. Arriving at Refugio Paine Grande we got glimpses of the main rock formations this area is famous for. High winds, snow and grey skies up high made from some good spectating from within the beautiful and modern hut. Three days remain and we still have a lot of trail to cover and mountains to see. Thanks for following along. 

RMI Guide Mike King

The vast majority of climbers that come climb Mt. Rainier with us live in decidedly unmountainous places. As a former fellow flatlander, I can sympathize. There is actually a surprising amount of training literature out there targeted at folks living in mountain towns (think gaining 3,000 feet twice a week), and recently, folks training for high end alpinism (think Steve House). But when it comes to “Joe Climber” living in Kansas hoping to be strong on Denali or Mt. Rainier, in my experience there is a real gap in available resources. I don’t claim to be an expert on the subject, but I certainly have strong opinions as to how best to go about this type of training, based on my own personal experience. And so, without further ado, I present to you the 4 principles of the flatlander’s guide to mountaineering training:

Diversify your training. Face it. You live in the Midwest. The terrain that directly simulates your mountaineering objective does not exist in your backyard. Therefore no single exercise or activity can adequately prepare you for that objective, which means that you must pursue a wide variety of training activities. If all “Joe Climber” does to train for his Rainier climb is run, he will be in great shape for running. But he will not be in great shape for Rainier. Which leads me to the second principle...

Emphasize strength training. When we say you need to be strong for the mountains, we mean that quite literally. Carrying big loads uphill and downhill day after day requires a significant amount of muscle recruitment, and you can’t recruit it if it’s not there. The majority of my time training in the flatlands is actually spent in the gym, performing exercises that emphasize muscular and core strength. I’ll save my personal lifting program for another article, but I’m a big believer in free weights and olympic lifting, rather than machines. Performing a squat using perfect technique not only builds strength in your butt, quads, and calves, but also strengthens your core/low back and improves your balance. No single machine can do all this, and machines can even lead to injury by over-strengthening certain muscle groups at the expense of others.

When it comes to cardio, think long duration/low intensity. As a mountaineer, we work best in our aerobic zone. This is why we pressure breathe, rest step, and do everything we can to conserve energy in the mountains. So when we train, it makes sense to maximize our output in what Steve House and Scott Johnston refer to as “Zone 1.” To quote their book, Training for the New Alpinism, “Improving [Zone 1 fitness] will pay bigger dividends in alpine climbing than time spent improving any other quality because it allows you to sustain higher submaximal climbing speeds for longer times” (58). And to reiterate my first principle, mix it up! I’ll run, I’ll swim, I’ll bike, I’ll run up stadium stairs if available. But when I do, I’ll shoot to be moving for at least 90 minutes.

The best defense against altitude is hyper-attentive self care before and during the trip. Altitude weighs heavily on most climbers’ minds pre-trip (particularly those climbers living in the flatlands), and for good reason: more than any other aspect of a mountaineering trip, how your body responds to altitude is the one factor you can’t fully control. But you can stack the odds heavily in your favor. Before the trip leaves, be sure you are on a consistent and complete sleep schedule. Be sure you are eating well. I’ve talked to guides who swear by airborne, or probiotics. Everyone’s a little different, but if you find a supplement that consistently keeps you healthy, go with it. On the trip itself, dealing with altitude becomes even more straightforward. Never let yourself get too cold. Force yourself to eat. Force yourself to drink. Force yourself to breathe. The climbers that take these four concepts to heart, nine times out of ten, are the climbers who summit.

So what do you do with these principles? Well, you construct a training schedule. My schedule, as a college student in Massachusetts training for Denali, looked something like this:

Monday: AM-swim PM-lift

Tuesday: PM-water jug hill repeats

Wednesday: PM-circuit training/lift

Thursday: PM-long run (90 min+)

Friday: AM-swim PM-lift

Saturday: PM-bike

Sunday: Rest

There are a lot of ways to construct a solid training schedule. I was limited that year by classes, other obligations, and going rock and ice climbing whenever I got the chance. But keeping in mind the four principles, I was able to train my way into comfort on Denali, all while living in a flat location. Now, train hard, rest hard, and I’ll see you in the mountains!

_____

Pepper Dee grew up in Missouri, but found his love for the mountains at an early age. Based out of Bozeman, he guides trips on Mt. Rainier, Denali, and abroad to Aconcagua. A long time flatlander, Pepper knows what it takes to prepare for a big climb without the luxury of mountains in his backyard.

Questions? Comments? Share your thoughts here on the RMI Blog!

We got a casual start from Lago Dickson this morning around 11:15. The hike was about 5.5 hours and the Los Perros camp is in a colder and more humid area. So instead of rushing there we hung out this morning. The hike took us mostly through a dense forest and along side some beautiful glacial rivers with narrow canyons and a nice waterfall view at lunch. Shortly afterwards we began climbing a lateral moraine and got some nice views of the Perros glacier and surrounding peaks. There has not been much direct sunlight this trip and there also has not been much rain. The overcast skies have not made for the best pictures but the temperatures are good for hiking and everyone is enjoying the beautiful scenery.

Tomorrow we head up through John Gardner Pass, the highest point of the trek at 1200 meters.

After many days of carrying loads up hill, we are finally at high camp, poised to make an attempt on the summit. Tonight will be our first of two nights spent at 19,600 feet, but it is unlikely many of us will sleep tonight. This will be due as much to nerves and apprehension as to the altitude. Regardless of whether sleep comes tonight, we will all rise early and begin the slow, steady march towards the top of Aconcagua at 22,842 feet early tomorrow morning, before the first light of dawn is on the horizon. It seems the mountain and weather gods have seen fit to push the worst of the winds farther out into the forecast, lucky for us. It will still be cold and it will still be hard, but this group of climbers just might have the right amount of grit to pull it off.

RMI Guide Nick Scott

On The Map

Yesterday was a day that the Team won’t forget for some time. We got a 5:30 am wake up to pack while rain showered down on our tents at Perros Camp. By the time we set off uphill at 7:10 the rain had tapered off but the muddy trail would remain for the next few hours. The group weaved its way through roots and rocks trying to stay out of the calf deep mud.

As we got above tree line the sun had started to illuminate the fresh snow covered peaks above. The clouds stayed high allowing great views of the days previous terrain and the many glaciers surrounding John Gartner Pass. The 1968’ of elevation to the pass consisted of rock trails and snow melt streams. Arriving in the pass at 3840’ the warm up was over and the day’s work was just beginning.

The first part of the descent from the pass was 2,560’ straight down. The trail, if you could call it that is best summed up as a cruel game of chutes and ladders. People use the roots, rocks, trees, ropes and black iron plumbing pipe as handrails. Picking your way down and being cautious to not trip or tumble. With tired legs and a bit of mental fatigue we pulled into Paso Camp.

From Paso Camp at 1280’ we hadmore chutes and ladders terrain that eventually dropped us to Refugio Grey at 500’. To get there we had three impressive suspension bridges that spanned 300’ deep canyons. Along the way we enjoyed spectacular views of the Grey glacier which is one of the arms making up the Southern Patagonia ice sheet. We didn’t all get to camp at the same time, but arrived safe nonetheless to a hot dinner, drinks, showers and a comfy bed.

Aside from sore feet, knees and a few blisters the Team is doing well and enjoying a rainy rest day at Refugio Grey. Boat repairs are keeping us from a Grey glacier tour but there is hope for a kayak tour later this afternoon if the wind dies down.

Apologies for the delay in dispatches, we had poor signal at our last camp and yesterday were busy experiencing this adventure and tough day to concern ourselves with the internet. A huge shout out to Fernando and Francisca our Chilean guides for their professionalism, local knowledge and camaraderie during this trip so far.

RMI Guide Mike King