Most Popular Entries
We woke this morning to sunshine and French toast for breakfast... and coffee of course. Not a bad way to wake up. After our leisurely breakfast we geared up and headed out on another acclimatization hike this time to nearly 15,000'. We were on the trail for around 3 1/2 hours and over the course of the hike the weather gradually deteriorated. We felt a little bit of hail on our way back to camp but nothing terrible. Still, there are signs of the snow forecasted for tonight and tomorrow starting to show up. We won't mind a little weather on our last training/rest day before heading on our summit push Friday. Friday's forecast is looking good so we have our fingers crossed that it won't change. After our hike the gang went down to the cafe at the top of the gondola and hung out a bit... Good times over here in Russia.
Til tomorrow!
RMI Guide Billy Nugent
Posted by: Dave Hahn, Ben Liken, Bridget Belliveau, Hannah Smith
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mt. McKinley
Elevation: 14,200'
June 30, 2016 - 9:43 pm PT
Hey all,
We are all settled in here at our 14,200' camp were we can finally visualize the upper mountain. Before we could move gear and people up hill though we had to retrieve our cache of food and gear at 13,200 ft. So after a filling bagel breakfast we set off to grab it, and after a 3 hr round trip time the team was back in camp getting a little more rest. We are not fully acclimated to 14,000' yet so a little rest is still needed to recoup.
Now as the never ending sunlight moves west we are gearing up and talking fixed line technique, in hopes that we can climb high tomorrow. If the weather holds we will move some food and gear to the top of the fixed lines at 16,200'. Then after breathing that thin air and scoping our line up the rocky west buttress, we will retreat to 14 Camp. As the old saying goes "climb high and sleep low".
The team is still climbing like pros!
RMI Guide Ben Liken
On The Map
First, this dispatch is brought to you by Starbucks...I sit here drinking an Italian roast as I write this. Second, this team is rocking and rolling! Today we took a well-deserved day of rest at Aconcagua Base Camp; however, everyone had a great first night at altitude.
The team woke up to a fresh egg veggie scramble. We went to work after breakfast and began organizing food and gear for our carry to Camp 1. We went for an acclimatization hike and explored the surrounding area. Everyone is doing great and despite the strong winds, we are having a lot of fun.
Stay tuned for more Aconcagua action and as usual... Go Green Bay!!
RMI Guides JJ Justman and Pepper Dee
On The Map
Who is the Packer fan? I love my Green Bay Packers but they let the Vikings beat them. Oh well, on to Washington. Good luck to all, especially Terry! Thinking about you. Judi
Posted by: Judi Harper on 1/6/2016 at 2:27 pm
Brad and Brian:
Hope you guys are having fun. Be safe. Looking forward to having you home! Happy Trails!
Posted by: Bobbi Birt on 1/5/2016 at 4:59 am
Posted by: Billy Nugent
Categories: Expedition Dispatches North Cascades
Hey, Billy here checking in again from our Expedition Seminar out on the Sulphide. All is going well. Our team is enjoying a significant improvement in the weather. We spent the morning doing some anchor systems, and we learned how to move around, how to manage rope on rocky terrain- both blocky rock and more fifth-class rock. That was pretty exciting and then we sort of changed gears for the afternoon. We headed out to a crevasse where the team honed their skills on crevasse rescue, so we had a great day. We're hoping to take a crack at the summit tomorrow, but we're not super sure if we're going to do it tomorrow or wait another day. There's a lot of new snow up on up on the summit pyramid and the next couple of days are supposed to be quite warm, so we might let some of that snow melt off. We'll give you a call tomorrow and let you know what we ended up doing. Check in and let you know where we're at. Alright. All for now. Talk later.
RMI Guide Billy Nugent
RMI Guide Billy Nugent checks in from the Shuksan Seminar.
Posted by: Casey Grom, Chase Nelson
Categories: Expedition Dispatches North Cascades
Elevation: 10,781'
RMI Guides Casey Grom and Chase Nelson and team reached the summit of Mt. Baker via the North Ridge. Casey checked-in from the summit reporting a great route, strong team, and beautiful weather with a steady breeze.
Congratulations!
Hello 14!!! We headed out of the 11,200’ Camp at eleven o’clock this morning and arrived at 14,000’ at six o’clock in the evening. Getting around Windy Corner was very smooth even with our big packs on. Once we got to camp we busied ourselves getting camp ready and building snowblock walls. Everyone was plenty tired after a hard days work and we all crawled into our tents as soon as dinner was over.
On The Map
Posted by: Brent Okita, Jenny Konway
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mount Rainier
Elevation: 14,410'
The Four Day Summit Climb August 25 - 28 reached the summit of Mt. Rainier this morning. RMI Guides Brent Okita and Jenny Konway led the teams and were approaching the crater rim just before 7 AM PT. Brent reported a beautiful day on the mountain with clear skies and low winds. They will spend some time in the crater before starting their descent. Upon their return to Paradise they will transfer to Rainier BaseCamp and conclude their program with a short celebration.
Congratulations to today's climbers!
You did it Scott!! I’m so proud of you, and I’m sure your grandfather is feeling the same! You where just that much closer to him at the top! What a beautiful day for a summit! Love you!
Posted by: Sophia on 8/28/2018 at 6:45 pm
Great job Scott! I’m so proud of you. Can’t wait to see pics.
Posted by: Jennifer Martin on 8/28/2018 at 6:31 pm
Greetings from Icchi Coccha.
We're on our way out, camped at our same first camp on the way in... Since we were heading out earlier, it took a bit more logistics to organize our "donkey train". But these awesome guys made it happen for us and came with short notice. It's amazing how things work in these places, with no written contract, just a verbal agreement, and a satphone call to a distant neighbor of our cellphone-less mule driver, human sense is the common norm. "Someone needs me, I must assist" they must think. And a two-day journey uphill becomes a sprint so they can bring us back to our commodities.
We left midday instead of early morning and decided to keep soaking in the greatness of the Andes, since pushing it all the way out with our late departure, would have us arriving late. So, here we are, enjoying another great meal from our cook Emilio, breathing thicker air, and witnessing the mountains getting bigger above us, as we descend.
We look forward to a shower and clean clothes tomorrow, to catch up on emails, to a meal in a restaurant and to a room with clean sheets... but surely, and despite the "no summit" this year, the magnitude and majesty of these peaks will always be greater than any mundane human desire.
RMI Guide Elías de Andres Martos and team
Missing you very much Galina!
Posted by: Sanche&Jimbo; on 7/3/2018 at 5:52 am
Hi Kim, Wow….What a beautiful well written update by Elias! Hope the team enjoys this special time in the Andes! Look forward to hopefully hearing from you after you get settled in Huaraz! Love, Dad
Posted by: shel on 7/2/2018 at 6:37 pm
Posted by: Elias de Andres Martos
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Peru Seminar
Hi all from Huaraz,
The team arrived last night form our expedition. Everybody is real well, and despite the challenges faced on this climb, we're happy with the hard work and patience that we had to exercise. One note, we got to within 100m from the top, not 800 as my voice dispatch made it sound... we got so close!!! But safety is number one priority, and bailing after 10 hours of climbing, while a hard decision, is a great lesson to put things in perspective. We're now headed to the Lima airport, in great spirits and ready to think of the next adventure. Thanks to Fatima, Todd, Kirk and David for their incredible hard work and doing so well on this trip.
RMI Guide Elias deAndres Martos & Team
Posted by: Brent Okita, Christina Dale, JT Schmitt
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mt. McKinley
Elevation: 11,200'
.jpg)
May 27, 2017 10:15 pm PST
During our break on the Polo Field at 12,800',someone asked if we could keep our big down parkas on. Good question. It was pretty darned cold and the wind was directly into our face. I'd never had to climb in my parka at that elevator before, but it sure sounded like a good idea to me. Our attempt yesterday really set us up for success today. The team learned how to keep their faces protected while not fogging up their glasses or goggles. And that allowed us to travel in some chilly conditions today. A great skill to have before we get to the higher, colder parts of the mountain. Our time thus far has been particularly cold and unsettled. I'm just glad we haven't been hanging up at 14,200' this whole time like our other two groups. With luck, we'll get there just as this predicted high pressure system comes through, hopefully with the expected rise in temperatures too. We wore those parkas all the way around Windy Corner to our cache site at 13,500', where we were finally sheltered from the wind and could bask in some sunny, warm weather. Amazingly, we all opted to keep those big coats on all the way back to camp. With the wind at our backs and nothing much in our packs, we could gloat just a bit as we passed by the madding crowds on the uphill slog into the cold wind. Our hard work was done, and we were headed back to camp. There's something to be said about being up early and back early even at the cost of breaking trail each morning.
If we get another break with the weather tomorrow, we might just make the move to 14,200' camp. That would be fantastic, especially how everyone is doing so well.
That's it from 11,200'. It's been a big day.
RMI Guides Brent, Christina, JT & Team
Previous Page
Next Page
Good luck Robin and the rest of the group.
Posted by: Kent on 7/1/2016 at 2:41 pm
Sending lots of vibes from Utah for good weather and continued success!
Posted by: Caitlin Olive on 7/1/2016 at 11:27 am
View All Comments