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RMI Guide Steve Gately just called from the
Mt. Shuksan summit. The wildfire smoke is not too bad today, which is a nice shift. The team is happily snacking and will call us later from camp.
Congratulations to today's summit climb team!
After a getting an inclement weather forecast last night our team was excited to awaken to blue skies which held for most of the day. Feeling strong, we took advantage of the clear morning and started up towards
Aconcagua Camp 2. With our packs filled we climbed up to our future camp at 18,000 feet in a little over four hours! Congratulations were shared throughout the team, Whynde and Brittni had reached a new height. After stashing food and gear we boot skied back down the loose rock to Camp 1 in no time.
RMI Guide Mark Tucker
The general consensus was that last night -20 degree sleeping bags were more then warm, they were down right hot at times. In a three-person tent filled with enough goose down, it can look like one of those ball pits at a McDonalds... Good luck finding anything your looking for.
We woke with the sun hitting our tents and not even a hint of wind the entire night. The first night at a new altitude can make good sleep difficult and the Team was feeling the effects of this and the move up from Aconcagua Base Camp.
Our task today was to move food, fuel and some summit gear up to
Camp 2, located at 18,000'. The trail takes us up to Amegenio Col (saddle) with spectacular views of the Central Andes. Glaciated peaks like El Mano and Mercedario dominate the skyline. The group did well with the carry and even better showcasing their downhill skills.
Rest, water, food and some cards is all that remains of the day. We'll take a rest day tomorrow.
RMI Guide Mike King
As expected, when the sun went behind the mountain at
Low Camp last night around 3 AM, the temperature took a dive.,. probably down around zero F. It made it past the mountain again at 10:30 this morning, making it just about ten times easier to get out of our sleeping bags and unzip the tents to begin the day. We went for a carry up the fixed lines to 11,500 ft today. Shifting gears a bit, yesterday it was dragging sleds and using ski poles, today it was crampons and ice axes and no sleds. We got going at about 1:40 and hit the top of the ropes at 7PM. It was a fine day for climbing with nothing but blue skies and calm and still conditions, which made it a little easier to concentrate on good techniques for climbing continuously steep snow. We carried food and supplies for our summit push and cached at the top of the lines, basically at the beginning of the long, tilted summit plateau. Descent back to Low Camp took us two hours. It was nice, after the last few days, to come into an existing camp. It didn’t take too long to get dinner and a bunch of water for drinking. We’ll rest tomorrow, which also makes it easier to relax tonight.
Best Regards
RMI Guide Dave Hahn
May 29, 2017
There isn't a whole lot new to report today. The
winds started to dissipate late last night into this morning. There were still some gusty bursts that swirled snow into the air, enveloping those unlucky enough to be caught out in them. But as the morning progressed, the air calmed down, and the sun started to break though. Our brief respite of sunshine was short lived, as a 20,000' wall of cloud crept slowly towards us, finally enveloping us and triggering peaceful snowfall. It has snowed lightly for much of the day, but the wind seems to have relented for now, and the forecast seems to show our window appearing in the next couple of days. We'll be excited when it does!
RMI Guides Pete, Jess, Jenny and team
On The Map
May 17, 2017
We're done with the Kahiltna for now! It's been snowing lightly all day and for most of the day it was hard to tell where the ground ended and the sky began, but we had a good gps track to follow and we plugged our way along. The wind was moving snow around as we got close to
Kahiltna Pass, making for some tough trail breaking. With all of that the team did great, hanging tough through a hard day and then rallying and buffing out a nice new abode at 11,000' Camp once we arrived.
We've been going hard for three days now, and it's time to spend some time recovering from our big loads, sleds, blisters, etc, while we acclimate and get strong here. Our plan is to make the short jaunt back to our cache tomorrow to retrieve it. Some time in the tents chilling is in order too.
RMI Guides Pete, Jess, Jenny and team
On The Map
Early adventure through
Tarangire as we made our way back to The Dik Dik Lodge. The team put a good dent In the waffle iron before we left the Kikoti property. It's those little things that really make a difference out in the bush and a good waffle can set the tone for a fine finish to an amazing Safari. How appropriate to see our little mascot, the Dik Dik, just before leaving the park, a touching send off if you ask me. Some gear shuffle, a shower and one last delicious dinner here at the lodge before the team starts making their way home. A few will visit Zanzabar, others a stop in Amsterdam. Overall a feeling of accomplishment rounded out with a nice sense of connection to the basic elements of nature are packaged nicely for the travel abroad. Sad to have it come to a close, excited to start yet another chapter in the book of life soon!
RMI Guide Mark Tucker
The expansive extent of the Tibetan Plateau dominated our conversation during our approach drive from Lhasa. Today, we put boots on the ground and had the pleasure of experiencing this beautiful wide open space first-hand. An active 'rest' day here at
Base Camp started with a 2-hour hike up to the top of a neighboring 17,400' "hill" in order to stimulate our muscles and help coax our acclimatization process along. We spent the afternoon sharing life lessons and enjoying each other's company in the dining tent over an unending supply of coffee, tea, and grilled Nepalese meat snacks. On an expedition of this length and this altitude, our rest days prove just as important as the climbing itself. Tomorrow, we plan to load another 1000 kilos of gear onto yaks and make our way to Advanced Base Camp at 19,400'. 'Progress' as we say. The crew is pumped, and enjoying the beginnings of true expedition life. Until tomorrow.
RMI Guides Robby, Adam, Elias, and your Shishapangma team.
PS- Go Blue, beat UCF.
We enjoyed another nice evening here on
Kilimanjaro and the good weather continued today as we approached Barafu Camp, our High Camp. The team climbed well as we made the ascent from Karanga Camp to Barafu at 15,000'. Clouds were rolling in and out this afternoon while we were busy making lunches and double checking our kits for the summit push ahead. After dinner we will climb into our tents and hope to get a few hours of sleep before we are awaken at midnight and start our push to the summit of Kilimanjaro. Wish us luck!
RMI Guide Mark Tucker
On The Map
May 22, 2016 - 4:02 pm PT
So things were looking pretty grim for flying out yesterday morning. We woke to more snow and a complete whiteout, keeping us locked in camp. We kept ourselves occupied with some games of trivial pursuit, stories and eating. As the day wore on a bit of sun shone thru the clouds and after dinner we heard the unmistakable drone of a DeHaviland Otter. Things were a blur after that. We broke camp in record time and moved our gear to the airstrip and loaded the planes before the weather moved back in. Once in the air we witnessed the skills that make these glacier pilots some of the best around. The clouds were heavy and thick all around us and once Patrick found a hole with some ground below, a few 360 degree diving turns put us under the cloud deck so he could navigate back to Talkeetna by sight, flying just a few hundred feet above the Alaskan tundra. So here we are back in town among the green trees and mosquitoes. A great time in the
Alaska range with a fantastic group of people!
RMI Guide Leon Davis
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Good luck everyone! Especially my awesome brother Mickey!! ⛰
Posted by: Corie Gordon on 8/24/2018 at 4:20 pm
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