We were up before the sun having breakfast by headlamp and quickly packed up camp to catch our mule ride across the Relinchos River. Shortly after 7am, we were making our way up the narrow Relinchos Valley on our way to thinner air. After two days of gentle terrain in the Vacas Valley, it felt good to head uphill and gain some elevation. We enjoyed another pleasant, sunny day with a light breeze that stayed with us all the way to Basecamp, and we had another brief Guanaco sighting. We are now all settled at Aconcagua Basecamp and getting ready to switch gears for the days to come. Everyone is in good spirits and looking forward to seeing what the upper mountain has in store for us.
RMI Guide Mike King
The Expedition Skills Seminar - Emmons July 28 - 2 August, 2017 reached the summit of Mt. Rainier this morning around 7 am. RMI Guide Andy Bond and the team headed to the White River Camp Ground on Sunday after two days of training at Rainier BaseCamp. They started on the route on Sunday and ascended to Camp Schurman yesterday. They made an alpine start this morning and were pleased to report great weather and route conditions and that 100% of their team reached the summit today. The team will return to camp today for their final night on the mountain. Following some additional training the team will descend to the trail head and return to Rainier BaseCamp tomorrow.
Congratulations to the Emmons Seminar Team!
Hey, this is JM Gorum checking from Mt. Elbrus. We are not on the summit right now but we were a few hours ago. The team summited around 9 am local time. It was pretty windy up there so we didn't hang out for too long. Thankfully it was also quite warm, but now we're almost back down to the huts. The team did an excellent job. We are planning to go all the way back down to Cheget today. We will check in later and let you know how that goes. The team says says hi to everyone at home.
RMI Guide JM Gorum
RMI Guide JM Gorum calls in after reaching the summit of Mt. Elbrus.
The Four Day Summit Climb May 12 - 15 reached the summit of Mt. Rainier this morning. RMI Guides Brent Okita and Solveig Waterfall led their teams on a cold but clear day. The teams will descend to Muir and then return to Paradise. We look forward to seeing them at Rainier BaseCamp this afternoon.
Congratulations to today's Summit Climb teams!
After two long days trekking through the Vacas Valley we rode mules across the river and our trail turned uphill into the Relinchos Valley as we gained 3000'+ to arrive at Base Camp on Aconcagua. The Team was surprised at the amenities offered at Plaza Argentina including refreshments, Internet hotspots, showers and perhaps the biggest hit, plastic chairs to relax in.
These long expeditions don't have to be all pain and suffering, the early pioneers suffered plenty for all of us. We will take the remainder of the day to rest and re-hydrate after the hot & dusty trek. Some of the Team have showered and some are waiting for our 1st rest day on Tuesday. From here the trek is over and the climb begins, with preparing gear and group loads to carry to Camp 1.
A consistent comment from everyone is just how blue the sky is in contrast with the multicolored rock bands that form this section of the Andes. It looks like the ridge lines have been cut with an exacto knife.
We will check in on the rest day but for now everyone sends their best to friends and loved ones back home.
RMI Guide Mike King
it must have really been great with the mules carrying both you and your gear. And showers?? How fabulous. Love seeing the photos. As usual, safe and fun travels.
Posted by: Betty (Art's sister) on 1/3/2017 at 5:21 am
Hello, this is RMI Guide Jenny Konway calling in from the low camp on Mount Shuksan here with the Shuksan Seminar. We had a great morning of training today out in the fog. It cleared up a little bit, and we saw some blue sky. This afternoon we attempted to go out and have some additional training, but got some heavy rain so we all retreated to our tents and had a good dinner. We are tucked in for the evening, hoping that the clouds we'll part in the morning and have a shot at the summit. So we're keeping our fingers crossed for nice weather. That's it for now. Thanks for following along. Have a good night.
RMI Guide Jenny Konway
RMI Guide Jenny Konway called in from the Mount Shuksan Seminar.
RMI Guide Jake Beren and team reached the summit of Mt. Shuksan via the Fisher Chimneys route this morning around 10 am PT. Jake reported clear skies with a light layer of clouds below and light winds. The team enjoyed some time on the summit today all on their own, although the route was busy they were on the summit alone. The team safely returned to high camp where they will spend their final night of the trip. Tomorrow morning they will hike out to the trail head.
Congratulations to today's Mt. Shuksan Team!
Hello from the Dik Dik Lodge. Everyone has arrived.
Before lunch we met for our orientation meeting and gear check. We then spent the afternoon finalizing and preparing our gear for the mountain.
Now we are all set for Kilimanjaro! Once we finished dinner is off to our rooms to finish last-minute packing or a bit more Internet time.
The plan is to meet up for breakfast at 6:30 am and be ready to go by 7:30. We have a couple of hours driving to the national park and it's good to be early.
All the gear looks good and tents and food are all set to go. The team is starting to get excited. We are all looking forward to getting the climb under way.
RMI Guide Mark Tucker
The Four Day Summit Climb Led by RMI Guides Brent Okita and Zeb Blais reached the summit of Mt. Rainier Early this morning. The team climbed into a cap with 30 mph winds. They spent a brief time on the top before starting their descent.
Congratulations to today's team!
Hi from Huaraz!
The team united in the morning at our Lima Hotel, and shortly after, we jumped on our private bus, en route to Huaraz. From hours along the Pacific Coast, to the extensive land lots covered on drying chili peppers and corn, being baked by the sun, a visually stimulating drive greeted us as we started to go up the Conococha Pass. With 1 1/2 hours left of our bus drive, we got a first glimpse of the Cordillera Blanca, with Huascarán reigning amongst the clouds, and the Pastoruri Massif a mere stone throw from our "bladder emptying" stop in the 14K ft vicinity, right at dusk (yep, it's winter here, and it gets dark early).
We met Peter, our local outfitter and third guide completing the guide team. Dinner and bed time. All is great so far!!!
RMI Guide Elias de Andres Martos
Great job Virgil glad you’re having the weather with you hope it stays
Posted by: Len Currier on 1/4/2018 at 4:19 pm
Great job Virgil glad you’re having the weather with you hope it stays
Posted by: Len Currier on 1/4/2018 at 4:18 pm
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