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Jambo! This is Seth checking in. I finally received my luggage and can now begin to send reports from the mountain. I have to thank the wonderful staff at the Dik Dik hotel for getting my bag delivered to 12,500' on Kilimanjaro.
The group is all doing really well. We have had two excellent days on the trek so far. Our camp tonight is at the Shira Plateau which gives us a wonderful view of the summit. The weather has been just fine as well. We had a few drops of rain yesterday but we had already arrived in camp when that started. Everyone is climbing strong. I'll check in again tomorrow.
RMI Guide Seth Waterfall
On The Map
The team has arrived safe to our third camp. We are in the beautiful Barranco Valley. Today we set high points for everyone on the trip. We spent the morning climbing up to the 'Lava Tower' at 15,000' and then descended the trail to camp. We spent just under seven hours hiking today so the group is all a little tired. We should all sleep well tonight!
RMI Guide Seth Waterfall
On The Map
Posted by: Dave Hahn
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Vinson Massif
Our bags are packed and stowed on the Ilyushin 76... the big four engine Russian Jet that will take us down to the Ice. We hope to be off deck first thing tomorrow morning, but that will certainly depend on the weather. The gear got weighed and gathered up just after nine in the morning, so we had plenty of time to go strolling along the shore of Magellan’s Strait. Our next official function was a briefing/cocktail party at ALE headquarters at 4 PM. Antarctic Logistics and Expeditions- is our outfitter and they gathered the fifty or so passengers for our flight to orient and educate us on the trip South. They issued Pisco Sours served over Antarctic ice for the occasion, which was something of a reunion for the guides and frequent climbers in the group. They explained that the weather needs to improve a little, but that there is some reason to hope that it will for a flight tomorrow. My team of five went out for a last restaurant meal and then called it an early evening. We’ll get up early...around 5AM... and we’ll see if conditions have improved.
Best Regards
RMI Guide Dave Hahn
Posted by: Brent Okita
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Kilimanjaro
Recipe for recovery, rest and relaxation: one hot shower, two cold beers, great food, friends and a soft bed. So good!
Our descent from Mweka Camp at 10,000' to the gate and our bus went smoothly. It was preceded by the closing ceremony at camp where the mountain staff sing and dance to commemorate the special week spent together, and we in turn get to express our appreciation for their hard work and dedication to making our mountain experience as wonderful as it was.
An African lunch was enjoyed before we had to say goodbye to the local guides, porters and kitchen staff. Then it was back to the Arumeru Lodge to clean up and relax. The water ran brown for the first minute in the shower as the weeks worth of dirt washed off our bodies. I think we all felt a bit reborn as we put on clean clothes and headed to the bar for a cold one.
A nice surprise for me was seeing my good friend Dave Hahn, who was leading the RMI Kili trip before ours and getting ready to start his next trip.
Shortly, we'll be up for breakfast and beginning the next part of our adventure: the safari, where we plan on visiting Lake Manyara, the Ngorogoro Crater and the Tanagire National Park. There we'll be hoping to see some of the incredible wildlife this special part of the world call home. Lions, elephants, leopards, wildebeest, hippos, zebras, giraffes and so much more. And, no more walking for a while.
Bring it on!
RMI Guide Brent Okita
Posted by: Robby Young, Alan Davis
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Peru Seminar
Elevation: 15,200'
Wednesday, July 11, 2018 - 6:00PM PT
Greetings!
Our climb of 18,898’ Pisco Oeste has officially begun! We woke up in Huaraz this morning refreshed and ready to ‘tackle our day with an enthusiasm unknown to mankind.’ A beautiful 3-hour drive later, we were in the heart of the stunningly beautiful Quebrada Llanganuco, and made the short 2-hour hike to 15,200’ Pisco Base Camp. It didn’t take long to get camp built, and we even had time to check out the Refugio above camp on the hill. Naps and then a dinner of spiced chicken, rice, potatoes, and fresh pineapple hit the spot. We’re ready to keep this train rolling tomorrow with an anticipated move to 16,200’ moraine Camp. We’re hoping for good weather and continued good health! And as always, we’ll keep you up to date!
RMI Guide Robby, RMI Guide Alan, William and Team
Wednesday, July 4, 2018 - 11:09 PM PT
The sun hit at seven. There were high clouds and some of the signs of the storm forecast to move in at the end of the day. We hoped to get lucky by sneaking the summit in before that storm. With that in mind we breakfasted and geared up... but not too quickly as we were still watching the weather. At 10:15 we made the move and left camp... at precisely the moment that three other guided teams left their own camps. The resulting traffic jam as the teams hit the steep and tricky first pitches of the “autobahn” combined with rapidly deteriorating weather had us turning back to camp before noon. We set to building walls around the tents and catching up on rest and hydration. The storm did hit... there were a few nervy hours in the evening trying to account for the teams that had gone onward and upward. All turned out ok in the end and we are secure in our fortress at 17,000' Camp. We’ll climb when the weather improves.
Best Regards
RMI Guide Dave Hahn
On The Map
Sorry to hear about the weather turning you back. Hopefully today, 7/6, will be more fruitful by providing Scott his best birthday present ever! Be safe!
Posted by: Roger Coffey on 7/6/2018 at 9:22 am
Tom. We pray for clearing weather for all of you! Proud of you and your accomplishments, especially Carolyn and Bella!! Be safe
Posted by: Dell Johnson on 7/5/2018 at 10:16 am
Namaste from Kathmandu!
Everyone arrived safely and timely to Kathmandu late last night. We had an easy day today just resting after the long hours of international flying, enjoying our welcome meal in the Thamel area, and wandering a bit in the busy streets of that area of town before the jet lag started to set in. We called it a day on the early side to allow the body to start adjusting with ease to the time change and in preparation for a busier day tomorrow. The upcoming day will be a a formal visit of the main historical monuments of Nepal's capital and packing for our flight into the mountains the following day. Stay tuned for the real start of our Gokyo adventure soon!
RMI Guide Elias de Andres Martos and team
Hey Steve! Hope the hiking is going well. Enjoy the scenery and take lots of pictures to share! Looking forward to virtual tour when you return!
Posted by: Audrey on 10/23/2017 at 7:51 am
Namaste Marie-Sarah, François and all,
Wide open your eyes and enjoy these calm and zen places.
Posted by: Roger Brosseau on 10/20/2017 at 5:23 am
Buenas noches from our camp at Quebrada Paria. We started our approach trek today towards Artesonraju Base Camp. The long drive from the hotel was rewarded by incredible views of Huascaran and Huandoy, the towering Andean giants that oversaw our incursion into the range. After meeting our arrieros (donkey drivers) we continued with the first leg of our journey. A nice vegetable soup followed by rice and chicken on a potato cream made by our cook Emilio, all with ingredients from his own home farm, was the dinner that put us to bed. That's it for the first day of our expedition out in the field!
RMI Guide Elias de Andres Martos and team.
Posted by: Billy Nugent, Hannah Smith
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Aconcagua
Elevation: 18,000'
Well, not literally. But yes figuratively. Our weather forecast is looking great and we are waiting out what will likely be our last rest day of the program here at Camp 2. The calm winds and sunny skies should persist through our summit push which is set to start with tomorrow's move to Camp 3 at Plaza Cólera (19,600'). If the weather holds true to the forecast we'll be taking a crack at the summit the following morning! I think some nervous butterflies are settling in with the team right now as all we have to do is sit around and finish out our acclimatization process. Too much tent time can be a tough thing to handle but in actuality we are slightly ahead of schedule. We're trying to keep that in mind as we finish off our rest day and begin what will be at least five busy days of hard work that will eventually bring us back to the milk and honey of Mendoza.
We'll do our best to keep checking in along the way!
RMI Guide Billy Nugent
On The Map
Good luck guys on continued good weather. I’m with you all in spirit, especially Scott!
Posted by: ROGER COFFEY on 1/26/2017 at 2:41 pm
Posted by: Mike Walter, Billy Haas, Blake Votilla
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mt. McKinley
Elevation: 14,000'
May 21, 2016 - 7:25 pm PT
We spent another day here at 14k. Today the weather at camp was quite pleasant, with periods of sun and just some light wind. Up above on the West Buttress, where we are hoping to climb, the strong winds persisted today. We'll see what tomorrow brings, as the weather forecast is still calling for high winds the next few days. We'll keep you posted.
RMI Guide Mike Walter
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Seth- great posts! Way to go Rachel, Andrew, Catie, and the rest of the gang.
Posted by: Karla on 8/12/2015 at 8:01 am
Seth, take good care of the Texan on the trip. Enjoy the climb. Mark
Posted by: mark miller on 8/8/2015 at 5:45 am
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