Alpamayo team heading down hill.
As we crawled out of our tents this chilly morning we saw clouds whipping around Alpamayo and throughout the range. Very glad we climbed yesterday. We packed up, had coffee and began our descent by mid morning. Three rappels from the col got us back on the glacier and easy walking back to Moraine Camp. The team did great despite being tired form the efforts of yesterday. At Moraine Camp we took a good long break before shouldering our heavy packs again. We picked our way through the rocks and slabs leading back to Base Camp. Ilario, our base camp cook, was waiting and had individual pizzas for us shortly after rolling in. We are all glad to be back in the land of trees and grass, tired but happy. This afternoon we are organizing gear for the donkeys to haul down tomorrow and resting. Tomorrow we will make the walk all the way to Casha Pompa, and catch our shuttle back to Huaraz.
That's all for now,
RMI Guide Geoff Schellens and the A Team
A long day was had as we reviewed our climb to come and covered some important ideas that will make our big adventure as safe, successful and fun as possible.
Kilimanjaro is a great mountain to get ones feet wet on given its non technical nature, but the fact that it's seven days long does present a bit of a steep learning curve for us in many ways.
We're all ready now for the climb to begin tomorrow! The hard work of today was nicely softened by massages for all coordinated by brother Brad. Such a great idea!
We're looking forward to a big day tomorrow and finally getting underway.
All for now from the comforts of the Arumera River Lodge. Next stop, the flanks of Kilimanjaro.
RMI Guide Brent Okita
Last night we slept to the sound of heavy rain, and this morning we awoke to the sight of heavy rain. We decided to let it subside before heading out on our acclimatization foray. Luckily it did, and we were able to get the blood flowing above 10,000' with a little help from a chairlift. The clouds partially broke for a moment in time, and we were treated to our first glimpse of Mt. Elbrus. We are ready to go set up shop on its lower flanks starting tomorrow, and most excitingly put skis on our feet. Stay tuned...
RMI Guide Tyler Reid
Our third AMS-Alpine Expedition has come to an end. What an incredible time we had! The rugged terrain of Little Switzerland didn't disappoint at all... While the weather has been the main challenge, conditions on the routes were stellar. Our team of four climbers were super talented and motivated, and training days in the vicinity of camp waiting for weather to clear, turned to be the most productive lessons on the terrain; from rock rescue scenarios, to anchor transitions, all paid back with very efficient climbs up iconic formations like "The Lost Marsupial" or "The Troll", which astonished glacier landing tourists from down below as their K2 Aviation plane landed on the Kahiltna Glacier.
Worth mentioned was our menu. If most of us are familiar with the concept of car camping... imagine how plane camping can be! With a powerless fridge like the glacier, steaks or fresh vegetables are unquestionable components of our diet in here. Yes, the alpine climbing in our seminar is at its best; light packs, 1 day missions from camp, and technical terrain. But when we're at camp, fun times, quality rest and better food is guaranteed.
Now we're headed to the airport, already thinking of next year's edition. Thanks for following and I hope you will consider joining us next season!
RMI Guide Elías de Andrés Martos
RMI Guides Ben Liken and Adam Knoff along with their team of climbers reached the summit of Cayambe (18,997') today. The team will descend to Hacienda Guachala where they will spend the night. Tomorrow they will set out toward Chimborazo and their next objective.
Congratulations to the team!
This morning we woke before the sun hit basecamp, had a simple breakfast of oatmeal and prepared our duffels once again to survive the journey on the back of a pack animal. The trek to Las Leñas is a long one, taking around seven hours, most of which is in a hot, shadeless landscape. Upon our arrival we took a few minutes to arrange an area to sleep and then gathered around the fire the Arrieros prepared to cook our asado for the evening. We enjoyed carne and vegetables cooked over open flame along with a few bottles of Malbec that we had carried in to celebrate the trip. Tomorrow, four hours of trekking brings us out of the Vacas Valley and back to Los Penitentes where we will meet our transfer back to Mendoza!
RMI Guide Steve Gately
Wow what an adventure of a lifetime. What great experience and all returned safely. Will want to hear all the stories when you are back in Denver, Boyd.
Posted by: Pam on 12/31/2016 at 10:28 am
So glad Boyd and the team are safe have a safe trip home Boyd!!
The Five Day Emmons Climb led by RMI Guide Mike King reached the summit of Mt. Rainier this morning via the Emmons Glacier Route. It's a beatiful day with little wind and clear skies. After spending some time on the summit the team started their descent around 6:30 am PT, they will return to high camp for their final night on the mountain.
Congratulations!
May 18, 2016 - 8:17 pm PT
Finally, all the checking and packing and repacking and a million other things that need to be done before we can fly on to the mountain are done. Cool weather kept the mosquitos at bay, and although it was overcast, word from up high on the mountain reported sunny skies.
We're hopeful for a good day tomorrow so we can start our trip. Planes were taking off and landing on the mountain all day today, which is always a good sign.
With luck, tonight will be our last dinner in town for a while.
Talk with you soon.
RMI Guides Brent Okita, Christina Dale and Chris Ebeling
I hope the weather clears so you can start your journey to the top of North America!! Chris, your big sister will be watching each step of the way. So proud of you, and have fun!!!!!
Posted by: Karen Ebeling on 5/19/2016 at 2:43 pm
Have a great climb! Your niece and nephews will be tracking you guys. Be safe! Love, Carin, Andy, David, Brian and Jordan
May 21, 2015 - 10:03 pm PT
Here we are at 9,800' for a second night. This morning the winds continued to whip at the surrounding ridges and moving camp up the Kahiltna Dome was not prudent. However we were able to go for a venture towards Kahiltna Pass to see what there was to see. Good times trying to get over the bergschrund which was a trap door of deep faceted snow. Towards the top of the ridge we met firm icy conditions that forced us back down. Good times nevertheless! If the weather improves tomorrow we will make an attempt on the Dome.
Good night!
RMI Guide Leon Davis
Hi there. This is Adam Knoff calling from the Cayambe Hut at 15,300 feet. We had an unexpected bad weather day today. We had hoped to climb to the glacier and do some training, but we were bouted by high winds, blowing raining and cold temperatures. We did manage to squeeze in a good amount of training around the hut here and the team is feeling psyched that now, this evening, the clouds departed and we have a clear view of the mountain. We are getting up in about four hours to start our climb of Cayambe at around midnight. Things are looking much better than they were earlier in the day so we are optimistic that we have a good shot at making the top. We will call tomorrow with a progress report until then, buenes noches.
RMI Guide Adam Knoff
RMI Guide Adam Knoff calls in from the Cayambe Hut.
The Parella family wish you all a great climb and a wonderful 50th birthday to Anne!
Posted by: Carin Parella on 7/20/2017 at 4:16 am
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