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Posted by: JJ Justman
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Elbrus Southside
The weather was even worse today on Elbrus. The team spent the day back down in Cheget. We took a beautiful hike to a giant waterfall and then enjoyed lunch at a great spot with fresh trout. Tomorrow we head to St Petersburg!
RMI Guide JJ Justman and Team
Posted by: Elias de Andres Martos, Robby Young
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Peru Seminar
Elevation: 10,000'
Hi from Huaraz,
Official Day 1 of the expedition started this morning with an excellent acclimatization hike to "Puca Ventana" some 1,800ft above town. Good weather and better views, made a great morning for the team. If any of us doubted the hike made the heart pump enough blood to start triggering the acclimatization process, we found a stopped car in need of a jump to start, so we proved to be good Samaritans, and give the guy a push.
Some delicacies afterwards and a gear check to make sure we got what we need starting tomorrow, and we called it a day. A relaxed evening packing and enjoying the local food and fantastic facility of our hotel, is taking us to bed excited to start the journey into the Ishinca Valley first thing in the morning.
Our next post will be via our satellite phone, untill we come out to go to Copa.
Best regards, and stay tuned!
RMI Guide Elias de Andres Martos
Posted by: Mike Haugen, Pepper Dee, Hannah McGowan
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mt. McKinley
Elevation: 14,200'
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June 26, 2016 - 10:49 pm PT
Our team did an excellent job relaxing this day away. We continued our tradition of rest day brunch, and then dispersed for several hours of Uno playing, book reading, and 'nappacino' taking. There was a lingering feeling of excitement in the air- partially a celebratory vibe because of Pepper's birthday, partially an anticipatory tingle because our intention to move to high camp tomorrow will put us in striking distance of the summit. After today our bodies and minds are recharged for tomorrow's move up to 17K camp, and we will see what the mountain has for us there.
RMI Guide Mike Haugen
On The Map
Posted by: Mike Walter, Walter Hailes
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mount Rainier
Elevation: 12,000'
The Mt. Rainier Summit Climbs, led by Mike Walter and Walter Hailes, turned around at 12,000 feet due to high winds, low visibility, and snow. The teams began their descent from Camp Muir at 8:45 a.m. We look forward to greeting them in Ashford this afternoon.
Great job team! I’m sorry the weather didn’t work out in your favor. Nonetheless, I’m proud of you all (especially The Amazing Brian Baron and The Outstanding Parker Freedman
Posted by: Piper on 6/24/2016 at 10:39 am
We woke to crystal clear skies today at Machame Camp and so the team got their first views of Kibo, Kilimanjaro’s central peak. We could see the hanging glaciers and ice fields sparkling in the morning light. Way down below us, there were clouds, but they were minding their own business and didn’t seem capable of rising up to swallow us. After a fine breakfast, we hit the trail at 8 AM with Philibet leading the charge. It was a slow charge as the trail steepened and got a whole lot more rocky just out of camp. But we made good progress anyway, gaining altitude through a forest of giant heather. Directly behind us and out on the western horizon was the giant pyramid of Mt Meru, Tanzania’s third highest peak rising out of a sea of low cloud. We gained a ridge crest and traveled along it toward Kibo for a ways before banging a left turn and traversing a series of old lava ledges. Finally, at about 12,700 ft we turned a corner and walked onto the broad Shira Plateau. We finished up by dropping downhill briefly before coming into our new camp at 12,500 ft. We’d seen our first Senecios and Lobelias, some of the distinctive endemic plants of Kilimanjaro. We’d gotten the walking finished in about five hours which gave us plenty of time for a relaxing afternoon in Shira Camp. The team reviewed their Swahili vocabulary at 4:30 tea time and watched a fine sunset a few hours later out over the old volcanic towers of Shira. We filed into the big dining tent by headlight at 7:00 and were once again greatly impressed with the meal that Tosha had produced in his simple kitchen tent. It was another fabulous evening for stars and planets... and sleep as well.
Best Regards,
RMI Guide Dave Hahn
On The Map
So excited for you all and this amazing adventure. Continued prayers for a safe journey. Love and blessings.
Posted by: Holly Gilliam on 8/11/2018 at 12:59 pm
Wishing you the best, Lory Beth.
Posted by: Leonard Brendel on 8/11/2018 at 8:37 am
Posted by: Adam Knoff, Jordan Cargill
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Ecuador
Today we got wet!
The city tour is over, the team is gathered and the mountain was calling. On any other day a group of motivated hikers would look out the window, see falling rain and decide its not a good idea to stick with the plan. When that same team is on a schedule though, we gotta go when the bus arrives.
After a nice caffeine-laden breakfast, a short introduction to our local guide Peter, and some quick sneaking of the great chocolate croissants into our lunch sacks from the bakery, we were on our way to 15,700' Rucu Pinchincha, a active volcano only ten minutes from our hotel in downtown Quito. Form the get go rain splattered the windows. We knew things could get interesting but we didn't know how much.
After unloading from the van, a quick walk landed us at the ticket office of the gondola we planned to take form 10,000' to 13,000'. The ride was uneventful with dense fog obscuring any views on the way up. Once at the top of the gondola we took refuge inside a building and put on our Gore-Tex for what looked like a rainy start. It was......
Two minutes after beginning our initial walk, we turned around and headed back to shelter as the rain was too much. We decided to wait it out for twenty minutes which paid off because the rain let up and we made our move.
We got one good hour of walking in making it to the elevation of 14,700 feet before the rain and terrain turned us around.
Back at the shelter we all exchanged hard shell jacket performances reviews and admitted how nice it will be to get out of our wet, soggy clothes. On the ride down in the gondola lightning began flashing and thunder crashing, stopping the machine two or three times in a matter of minutes. Down at the station, the real downpour started.
So goes the unpredictable weather in the mountains.
By 2:30 we were all back at the hotel ready for some lunch and relaxation.
Tomorrow we try again on another peak north of Quito.
Stay tuned for more reports.
RMI Guide Adam Knoff signing off.
Good evening! We enjoyed a sunny rest day at Alpamayo Base Camp. The weather here is incredible, and we took a small hike to Arwaycocha Lake a few hundred feet above camp to stretch our legs before reviewing climbing techniques with our ropes and hardware in the vicinity of our tents.
We are hoping to head to Camp 1 tomorrow morning. We are all doing great and excited to move uphill.
RMI Guide Elias de Andres Martos and team
Posted by: Mark Tucker, JM Gorum
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Elbrus Southside
July 8, 2017
Here we are back in Cheget! We had a very interesting climb. We started looking at the weather around midnight and made our plan to leave at 3 am with the help of a snowcat ride. It was clear above us with a mild breeze at camp and the forecast was calling for moderate winds. We woke the team at 1:45 am and got ready for our summit attempt. The wind increased as we ascended but it didn't turn us back. We were prepared for a big climb and that is what we experienced. We took a few photos on the summit of Mt. Elbrus and then started our descent. We return to the huts where we spent the last few nights, had lunch, packed our gear and then continued down to the thick are of the Baksan Valley. Tommorow we will enjoy a day of rest and touring in Cheget before we head off to St. Petersburg.
RMI Guide Mark Tucker
On The Map
Jambo everybody! This is Casey Grom checking in from the Kilimanjaro climb. Just wanted to let you know that all is going really well. Today we left behind the comforts of a nice lodge and hopped in our vehicles and made about a two-hour drive up to the base of Kilimanjaro. Once we arrived at the gate, we had to unload all of our gear and then start off uphill. That all went pretty smoothly. After we started walking, we climbed for about six hours to a high point about 10,000'. On the way we were passing through dense and beautiful forests that surround the base of Kilimanjaro. Everyone did fantastic, spirits are high and we are excited to be here. We finally found the camp and just wrapped up dinner. The team is looking forward to a well-earned night of rest. We'll check in tomorrow. We are hoping that we will have cellphone service up here so we can maybe get a few pictures out to you guys.
RMI Guide Casey Grom
On The Map
Yo yo Catherine! Have you found any chaga on Kili yet?!
Posted by: Kate & Mary on 1/10/2017 at 7:42 pm
Buenos tardes!
Today we made the journey to Tlachichuca where the great Sr. Reyes lives. Sr. Reyes runs Servimont, the guide service we use to get to Piedra Grande by 4X4 trucks. The compound to which he runs his operation was once a soap factory. One of the drums used in the process to make the soap came from Philadelphia. But enough with the history lesson and back to the climbing. Once we arrived in Tlachichuca we were down to business, doing yet another gear shuffle. We packed our bags, ate a delicious lunch, and boarded the 4X4 trucks. A two-hour drive up a very bumpy and steep road brought us to Piedra Grande which sits at roughly 14,000'. We were in and out of the clouds while we pitched our tents and got settled in. Before eating dinner we had a refresher course of our skills for the climb. With fully tummies of probably the best rotisserie chicken we had ever had, we are off to get some shut eye before an early alpine start. Hopefully the next time you here from us we will be cal ling in from the summit.
Till then, good night to all,
RMI Guides Mark Tucker, Hannah Smith, and team
Looks awesome! Good luck, stay strong!
Posted by: Paul Lawrence on 11/14/2016 at 7:11 am
Good luck to all! I know you have it in ya dad!
Posted by: Kate denver on 11/12/2016 at 7:27 pm
Go Phil!! We are so excited for you and am enjoying the pictures and updates. Love, Jen & Steve
Posted by: Jennifer Garrett on 6/27/2016 at 2:48 pm
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