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Posted by: Mark Tucker, Hannah Smith, Avery Parrinello
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Aconcagua
Elevation: 10,550'
We had a beautiful night and a gorgeous day here on our trek into Aconcagua. We bid farewell to RMI Guide Mike King and team this morning. Great work by all of them and what a job Mike and his crew did on their successful summit. Congratulations!
We had some scattered clouds and not much wind, which made for a very nice trek of eight miles to our new camp, Casa Piedra, at almost 11,000 feet. Fresh chicken over pasta and salad for dinner with a big bottle of Sprite to wash it all down. In the morning we will have an early river crossing with the help of our mule team. This will make for a nice start to the day. It will be a big day but no problem for this group of hearty souls as they all continue to do well. Basecamp here we come!
RMI Guide Mark Tucker
On The Map
Posted by: Robby Young, Steve Gately
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Peru Seminar
Elevation: 14,400'
Greetings from the Cordillera Blanca!
As climbers, we learn that things are constantly changing here in the mountains. Our bodies, the weather, climbing conditions, among others. For us, our ability to adapt and change plans was our alpine exercise of the day. In lieu of a summit attempt, we took another day to rest, acclimatize, and watch billowing clouds envelop the surrounding mountains this morning. We traded a climbing day for an educational day. We dove into the depths of crevasse rescue systems, and gave our bodies one more day of R&R before our summit attempts. Tonight, we begin our climb of Ishinca. Anticipation and excitement filled our dinner tent, and we're ready. Stay tuned.
RMI Guide Robby Young and your ESS-Peru Climbing Team
If the guide tent is a rock’n don’t come a knock’n
Posted by: Thom on 7/7/2017 at 10:38 pm
Hard day of climbing today for our team. The day began (at eleven AM) with great weather but some uncertainty anyway. The forecast was calling for marginal weather again a couple of days out and so teams were struggling to decide whether to commit to the ascent. We committed and left Low Camp at 3:40 PM. The previous carry up the fixed ropes, plus a day of rest in between, both seemed to have done the trick. We were moving well and the day was staying good. We reached our previous high point (about 11,200) and then suffered a mishap. We dropped an essential piece of gear down the hill. The loaded backpack cruised on down our of sight. There was no choice but to descend, retrieve the gear, regroup and recoup at Low Camp. We've now accomplished a good chunk of that. We are thankful that nobody was hurt, that we've still got our gear and that we've got the resources and fortitude to try again when conditions allow.
Best Regards,
RMI Guide Dave Hahn
On The Map
The Four Day Summit Climb led by RMI Guide Casey Grom and Robby Young turned at 13,800' due to high winds and route conditions. The team has has started their descent and are en route back to Camp Muir.
Congratulations to today's team!
What an effort to reach top! Casey, Robby and all others are true heroes to attempt summit under very incremental weather. Hats off!!
Posted by: Ujjal B on 8/24/2016 at 4:24 pm
Cold morning when we pulled out of our camp at 7 a.m. Not 30 minutes later did the sun start to warm our fingers and toes along with illuminating the glaciers of Salkantay while we climbed towards Incachiriaska Pass at 16,010ft.
The team is doing great after our seven-hour day. After the pass we walked through a beautiful valley filled with dry grasses and expansive boulder fields. We are camped in a small village (read 3-4 stone houses with thatch roofs) listening to the bleating of sheep and watching dogs heard the mix of horse, llama, sheep and pigs back to rustic stone corrals. We are settling into our tents and getting warm as the sun has already left our valley at 3 p.m. Tomorrow our horseman will depart the group as we enter the National Park. Porters will join us to continue the excellent meals and difficult but much appreciated job of carrying our camp towards Machu Picchu.
RMI Guide Mike King
Posted by: Casey Grom, Billy Nugent
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Elbrus Southside
Elevation: 12,000'
It was a beautiful day here on Elbrus.
We had a normal start to our day with breakfast in the hotel and then loaded up all our climbing gear and drove to the base of the ski lift where we rode not one, not two, but three gondolas to reach our new home for the next few days and happens to sit at just over 12,000ft. It's rather comfortable up here, as our outfitter has taken a few shipping containers and converted them into simple bunk rooms that sit atop some makeshift skis so they can be moved. Creative to say the least!
Once we got settled into our new home we headed uphill on another acclimatizing hike and reached about 13,500ft before returning to camp where our wonderful cook Dasha had a nice hot lunch waiting for us.
We spent the remaining of the afternoon relaxing, walking around and just enjoying the views of the Caucasus Mountain Range.
RMI Guide Casey Grom and crew
Posted by: JJ Justman
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Elbrus Southside
Hi Everyone!! First, the entire team wants to say hello to family and friends back home. Today we spent all day traveling to St. Petersburg, the coolest city in Russia. Needless to say, we are tired. However, the team is going to celebrate our first night here by going to one of my favorite restaurants, Jerome’s, a “French-ish” restaurant. Yes, French! We have eaten plenty of authentic Russian cuisine. Tonight, the team is going to kick back, relax and enjoy the “white lights” of St. Petes!
RMI Guide JJ Justman
The Expedition Skills Seminar - Kautz, led by Mike Haugen, spent the week training as they built up to their summit push. With an alpine start from their high camp on the Kautz Glacier, the team began their quest. They accomplished their summit goal just after 7:00 a.m. this morning and then began their descent via the Disappointment Cleaver Route. Mike reported moderate winds and snow. The team will make their way back to Ashford later today.
Posted by: Mike Haugen, Pepper Dee, Hannah McGowan
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mt. McKinley
Elevation: 14,000'
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June 25, 2016 - 10:33 pm PT
We walked away from camp around 6 A.M. bound for 17 Camp. Unlike the sweltering afternoons when we watched lines of ants move up and down the fixed lines from camp, the chilly mornings tend to keep people in their tents. This morning's early departure made us the only team around. We cruised up the fixed lines, past Washburn's Thumb, along a stunning ridge line all the way to our cache at 17,000' Camp. Our crew of rock stars crushed it! Many members of our team said that today was the best day of mountain climbing they've ever had- fun movement, epic views, great company. We returned to 14,000' Camp around 5 P.M. in high spirits but plumb tuckered. After a hearty meal everyone retreated to their tents quickly. We all look forward to sleeping in tomorrow- not only is it a rest day, but it's the day that Pepper Dee was brought into this world. Things have never been the same since.
RMI Guide Mike Haugen
On The Map
Happy Birthday Pepper! Enjoy!
Posted by: David B Clemmons on 6/27/2016 at 7:17 pm
this is Hannah’s mom, Lisa. Happy birthday Pepper! What an exciting place to celebrate another year!
My love to y’all from sweaty hot Memphis, TN where the heat index has been 105 for 5 days. Looking at your blog photos of snow and ice help to cool me down.
Good luck with your summitting and watch yer top notch.
Lisa
Posted by: Lisa Nezwazky on 6/27/2016 at 5:20 am
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Tuesday, May 3, 2016 - 9:31 p.m.
This morning we woke up to a few inches of light snow and little visibility. Our goal today was to fortify camp with walls cut from snow and our team worked fast together. By early afternoon the sun cast a blue light down glacier and the north buttress of Hunter made itself present with its steep rock and ice. The team finished by 1300 and relaxed for a short while under a warm sun. Before dinner we sat together to review some knots and hitches and prepare for a climb up Radio Tower tomorrow morning. Every once in a while I catch the team standing quietly, shovels in hand, pausing to take in the surrounding splendor before returning to their work. All is very well here in our snowy castle.
RMI Guide Leon Davis
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Be Safe Justin Hersh. Love Clubbie!
Posted by: kathy guyette on 1/16/2018 at 11:22 am
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