Tim and I spent a restful day and night at Union Glacier. It was another very calm and sunny day here… easy to enjoy. We alternated eating and napping with attending lectures and riding fat bikes on a groomed 10K track.
We are on course for flying back to South America later today and so we are both experiencing the usual mix of excitement for moving on and regret at leaving this wonderful place.
Best Regards
RMI Guide Dave Hahn
RMI Guide JT Schmitt led his Five Day Mount Rainier team to the summit this morning. After spending two nights at Camp Muir, they began their morning with an alpine start working their way to the highest point in Washington. They are descending back to Camp Muir and then will continue off the mountain this afternoon.
Congratulations to today's summit climbers!
After a great night sleep, and tasty breakfast at the Roadhouse, we had the most scenic flight I've ever had into the Alaska Range. We easily landed on the snow thanks to the K2 pilots, and build ourselves a great camp at the base of Mount Francis. Everyone was all smiles while digging out tent platforms because of the sunny weather and perfect views. After moving into the tents, snacking on some salami and chocolate the team headed out to learn more mountaineering techniques. Self arrest, rope travel and foot work were all refreshed through the afternoon. Now for some hot food and drinks in our spacious kitchen tent.
RMI Guide Christina Dale
The weather in Alaska is still unsettled, and our team remains on standby for clearing skies and a chance to fly into the Alaska Range. The weather improved for a bit this morning and we packed up the planes, two de Havilland Otters, donned our climbing clothes and boots, and loaded up the planes. But before we even got going, we received word that the weather shut down and snow had returned to Base Camp.
So now we are back to the Talkeetna hang as we wait for conditions to improve. We are all eager to start this expedition, but we realize that patience is imperative, as the weather is out of our control. This patience with the weather will be important to maintain throughout this entire trip; I'll bet we see more of it over the next few weeks.
I'll keep you posted if we get to fly this afternoon and, if not, then we'll play the game again tomorrow.
RMI Guide Mike Walter
We were up early to catch the mule shuttle across the Vacas River. We could have waded across but that would have been a painfully cold start to our day. When do you get to be a cowboy in Argentina anyway? It made for some great photos. It took us a bit over six hours of climbing in beautiful weather to arrive here at Aconcagua Base Camp. We are settled in. All of our gear is here and in good shape. It resembles the team, good shape that is. Another fine meal and a warm sleeping bag; it just doesn't get anymore basic or nice. All is well.
RMI Guide Mark Tucker
June 18, 2017
Thick air and mild temps surround the team at this moment. A different story just a few hours ago when we were standing on the summit of Kilimanjaro. We are all settled in here at the 10,000' Mweka camp the last stop before we leave Kilimanjaro National Park tomorrow. We started the climb around midnight under clear skies and a mild breeze . It was pretty cold the last couple of stretches and a few of the team climbed with their down parkas on which we usually put on at our breaks and take off when climbing. Seven hours later we were on the summit of Kilimanjaro, the Roof of Africa, with beautiful weather and a very elated team. It's a big climb and a long descend. We didn't arrive to this camp till after 3 pm with a tired team. Everyone did great and the stories are already starting to fly. I am going to roust the napping guys soon so we can all enjoy another great meal which is currently getting set up in the dining tent. All is well on the hill.
RMI Guide Mark Tucker
Please listen to the audio link below from the team calling from the summit of Kilimanjaro.
RMI Guide Mark Tucker and team call from the summit of Kilimanjaro with Father's day greetings.
Day 2 on Safari had us visiting the world famous Ngorongoro Crater, and considered by some to be the 8th wonder of the world. The crater is what remains of a once massive volcano that erupted and collapsed on itself, leaving behind a giant caldera that's almost exactly 100 square miles. 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. Shortly after descending down into the crater we came upon 2 female lions with 6 cubs, it was almost comical as the little ones kept popping out of the bush to follow their moms.
We continued driving around trying not to stop at all the zebra, wildebeest, and Cape buffalo that were nearly in the way.
There were many sightings today of hyenas, jackels, ostrich, and countless other birds.
One of the highlights was seeing not 1, but 3 Black Rhinos which have become very rare.
We wrapped up the day with a visit to a Maasai village not far from the craters rim. The Maasai people are a nomadic tribe that exist almost entirely off of their cattle. The team spent time asking questions and enjoyed being shown around their small and simple village.
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.
RMI Guide Casey Grom and the Safari crew
Hello from our cozy basecamp on Antisana! Our second day here is almost finished and preparations are underway for our next big summit attempt of the trip.
We were able to sleep in a little this morning and we had a nice full breakfast with coffee, bread, cereal, and quesadillas. With full stomachs and a full night's rest, everybody was feeling strong and ready for our second training day of the trip.
The lower glaciers of Antisana are literally an alpine playground--with open crevasses, firm ice, steep slopes, and towering seracs--and we made good use of it throughout the morning. We set up a challenging, yet fun, alpine skills course and spent the better part of the day practicing a variety of intermediate mountaineering skills: steep fixed line travel, vertical rappels, and a number of challenging ice climbs. The team is composed of members of a variety of backgrounds and skill levels, but all were able to learn something new today and we had a good time doing it!
We were back at our basecamp by 1pm this afternoon, just in time to beat the afternoon rain storms that have been visiting us these last few days. But despite the marginal afternoon weather, we remain optimistic for our chances of summiting tomorrow! The pattern seems to be afternoon showers that clear in the evening, giving us a good window tonight for our summit push.
With one major peak and a couple of days of technical skills training, this team is more than prepared to tackle a second summit. We plan on an early dinner tonight, giving us plenty of time to pack our bags and get some shuteye in preparation for another midnight start. Wish us luck in our attempt and we'll check back in with you tomorrow afternoon with a full report!
Until then,
RMI Guides Nick Hunt and Adam Knoff, and the rest of the ESS-Ecuador team
The RMI Aconcagua Team led by RMI Guides Billy Nugent and Katrina Bloemsma were unable to make a summit attempt and are en route to Mendoza. The team left Base Camp today and is camped at Pampa de Las Lenas where they will spend the night. They will finish their trek to the trail head tomorrow and return to Mendoza.
Everyone slept well last night; the effects of international travel are rapidly disappearing. We woke up this morning at Machame camp to fine weather. We left camp early this morning and experienced great route conditions on our 4.5 hour climb to Shira Camp. A hot lunch greeted us once we arrived at camp, delicious! Now the team is resting and exploring our camp on the Shira Plateau. At 12,000 plus feet on Kilimanjaro, there isn't too much in the way of plant life but there are incredible views of the Great Rift Valley and the summit of Kilimanjaro.
The team is in good shape and high spirits. We will keep you posted as we continue to progress up the mountain.
RMI Guide Mark Tucker
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Hooray and Congratulations to Mark, Luke, and John!! This is truly an a’macy-ing accomplishment!
Posted by: Jane M Ferris on 8/15/2018 at 4:54 pm
Praise God you had success and a truly amazing view!
Posted by: Lowell and Melodie on 8/15/2018 at 12:49 pm
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