Clear skies and light winds greeted the Four Day Team on the summit of Mt. Rainier. RMI Guide Jess Matthews called in to let us know the team reached the summit at 6:05 am. They spent some time on the summit before starting their descent. The team will be back at Rainier Basecamp this afternoon to celebrate!
Hello, this is Jake calling from 17,000’ camp on Denali after what was an unbelievable summit day. The team is back in camp safe and sound. We are having some dinner before turning in for a very well earned night’s sleep. Everybody did fantastic today, we had perfect conditions. It was a really beautiful climb. I’ll give a little more information after we get down.
Just know that everybody is safe after a wonderful day here in Alaska.
Alright, that is it for now.
RMI Guide Jake Beren
RMI Guide Jake Beren checks in after the team's summit day.
Bob, one more peak under your belt! What a huge accomplishment! All your training and determination is paying off. The girls and I are at the lake and we had spotty communication, but I was following your progress daily, sometimes multiple times daily! Keep your balance on that descent and don’t come down the mountain faster than you should!! ;-)
Kathy
Posted by: Kathy Spinks on 6/22/2012 at 8:11 am
We are SO impressed! Congratulations! Roger and Charlie
We all slept hard last night, enjoying the thick air of Namche after many nights up high and appreciating the comforts of our teahouse after the long day yesterday. The morning broke as another clear day and we left Namche enjoying the the warm morning sun on the trail. The first few hours brought us back down the Namche Hill, far easier and quicker on the descent than at the beginning of the trip. The trail, calm at first, gradually filled with porters, yaks, donkeys, and groups of trekkers and we were all amazed at the activity on the trail - a far cry from the more remote stretches of the upper Khumbu.
Spring continued to bloom lower in the valley, the red and pink rhododendron dotting the hillsides and flowering cherry trees shading the trail throughout the valley floor. It was a beautiful walk back to Lukla and we all remarked how familiar our surroundings have become after close to three weeks on the trail. We arrived in Lukla in the late afternoon and sat on the stoop of our teahouse watching the hills around us and reflecting on the trip. It has been a great adventure and we all are both sad to see it end but excited to return home and share our stories. Tomorrow the group takes a flight from Lukla to Kathmandu and I head back to Namche on the way back to Everest BC to rejoin the Everest Expedition. The weather forecast is looking good for flights and the team should be back in the hustle and bustle of Kathmandu by late morning. Thanks to everyone for your support and comments throughout the trip.
RMI Guide Linden Mallory
Looking forward to hearing from you both and the trip of a life time. Take care Call when you can Love Mom
Posted by: Cornelia Miller on 4/13/2011 at 7:20 am
What a wonderful trip! We have enjoyed reading the reports of your climb/trek/hike—thank you so much for the reports. Anxious to hear first-hand about it all! MA
Posted by: Mary Ann & Howard Latimer on 4/12/2011 at 11:19 am
RMI Guides Steve Gately and Alex Halliday led the Four Day Climb May 12 - 15 to the summit of Mt. Rainier this morning. The team reported a really great route with good weather. The winds died down partly through their climb and they enjoyed a pleasant morning on the mountain. The teams began their descent from the crater rim around 8:20 am. They will return to Camp Muir for a short break to re-pack and re-fuel. They will then continue the final descent to Paradise.
OUTSTANDING NEWS! Giant hugs to Zoe and Rachel and BRAVO to this fabulous group of climbers! Can’t wait to hear the stories and see pics. Love you guys!
Hello from Ama Dablam Base Camp!
Are you unsuccessful when you don't reach the summit of one of your objectives?
Well, I think that if you have carefully prepared for it and put yourself in the best position for it, despite little odds in our favor according to the forecast, and you make the decision to head down because the one thing you can't control is totally out of control, then yes, you're successful.
It was windy when we arrived at our High Camp, it was windy throughout our short stay, and it was like a freight train when it was time to go. There's no way we could fight on the steep, cold and dangerous slopes of Ama's southeast ridge what "Eolus" had in store for us. So the only thing we could do, knowing that we had waited until the very last day, was to be smart and head down. Undefeated, because in the mountains what counts is telling the story. But sure disappointed to not to have been able to climb just a bit more.
But oh well, we're now back to the safety of our lodge at Base Camp, and we'll stay our descent tomorrow, eager for thicker air and why not, to start closing up our Himalayan adventure.
RMI Guide Elias de Andres Martos
Today was a big day for our climbing team... everyone was keyed up for an early-morning start and nervous about just what surprises the Khumbu Ice fall might hold for us. I'm sure I was responsible for a good deal of the nervousness, having tried mightily in this last week of training to pass on my own respect, fear and awe for the great tumbling and turbulent glacier we needed to sneak through. I'd portrayed this morning's mission as something of a final exam and a dress rehearsal, all rolled into one. Get up at the normal obscene hour we choose for taking on the Ice fall (we like the thing to be cold and frozen solid underfoot... Less chance for breaking crevasse bridges) then stick to a business-like schedule and pace in climbing safely up to the midpoint of the Ice fall... then come back down, just as safely, just as business-like.
Simple... But not really so simple. Necessary though, in my book, to see that we are strong enough, skilled enough, and acclimated enough to responsibly make the move to Camp One before we actually make the move to Camp One. Even experienced mountain climbers have very little in the way of similar passages in the course of their previous climbs. The track up through the Khumbu Ice fall is unique (thank God). We can't afford to have an exhausted climber in the upper reaches of the Ice fall, teetering and tottering across ladders and ice fins... and we absolutely don't want a climber to pull into the extreme height of Camp One at nearly 20,000 ft without adequate strength reserves, inviting possibly fatal altitude illness. So we needed a test... halfway up and down in good time and in good style.
Bill and Sara, Linden and myself certainly didn't catch any slack from Mother Nature in our attempts to relax during the night before our test. To begin with, there was a spectacular full moon rise over Everest's West Shoulder... The kind of thing that required a bunch of trips out into the night to observe so that one could be sure one wasn't missing anything. Once we'd given up on the moon, there were a series of thunderous ice avalanches off Pumori that required an occasional head stuck out the tent zipper in order to see the immense powder clouds billowing in the aforementioned moonlight. Around one or two AM there came a bizarre and violent lightning storm with endless peels of real thunder (as opposed to the avalanche facsimile) and this was followed by a concentrated downpour of snowflakes pelting the tents. I, for one, was thankful when my alarm finally rang at 4 AM, allowing me to give up on the sleep concept.
After such an eventful night, it was stunning to emerge from the tent to find a peaceful, clear and brilliantly lit up pre-dawn sky. We could already count a number of headlight beams swinging back and forth in the Ice fall. Our climbing team convened in the dining tent for a hurried attempt at jamming down calories and coffee (don't worry, 16 year-old Sara hasn't taken up the coffee habit... yet) and then we pulled on climbing harnesses and helmets. Mark Tucker got up to see us off and to follow our progress on his radio...At 5 o'clock we shouldered packs and shook Tuck's hand as we circled the Puja alter, breathing in a little juniper smoke -an offering to the Gods- on the way. Then we were clomping out of camp in our big expedition boots. A few minutes later we were at the base of the first Ice hummock and it was time for crampons. Then came the hard work, an hour or more of careful trudging toward the first ladders... nobody was "warmed up" and nobody was feeling spry, nobody was able to envision feeling better with the passage of a few hours filled with strenuous and dangerous uphill labor. But we smiled at each other and patted each other on the shoulders and we concentrated on good foot placements and steady breathing. When the angle steepened and the fixed rope began, we put the last week's practice and training to good use. A quick break at the first ladders gave a chance for a few more calories and a couple of minutes off our feet. By now we were mingling with a number of Sherpa teams as well as Westerners out doing variations on our own training program (Lam Babu and our own Sherpa team were taking a well-deserved rest today after having carried round-trip to ABC (at 21,300 ft) yesterday) After the rest we got into more challenging terrain in the "momo" section of the glacier... where the ice towers and jumbles strongly resemble a giant tilted plate of steamed momos... naturally. Safely through that and it was into the "popcorn" section with some steep and breathtaking climbing over glacial rubble that resembles... well, you know. Then came a section I dubbed the "football field" not because you could play a ball game there but because every ten yards brought a new crevasse line to be hopped. Some of the crevasses required a few careful steps on ladder rungs with fists full of fixed rope to get steady and balanced in the process. But then... after about 2.5 hours we were reaching our goal for the day... "The Dum", which I am told was the name that early climbing Sherpas applied to the gear dump they made in the area back when it was too complicated to get through the entire Icefall in a day... "dump" being far too long a word to utter in such an oxygen-starved place and "dum" being preferable. Whatever... the Dum is a safe place to sit and it is the halfway point of the Ice fall. Mission half-accomplished, we were happy and relieved... all were feeling good and strong having worked through the nerves, the jitters, and the plain old inevitable discomfort of getting to 18,900 ft. Another quick break in the cool morning breeze and then all we had to do was get back down safe. The test continued... no room for tired steps or fumbled carabiners jumping down through the footballs, the ladders, the popcorn and the momos. And we did it, marching back into camp by 10 AM in strong sunshine (a few hours ahead of the daily snowstorm) and with new found confidence in our ability to get through the rest of the Khumbu Icefall and up into the Western Cwm. A day of rest seems sensible first though.
Best,
RMI Guide Dave Hahn
Ok my heart sinks as I read these dispatches, only to recover when I get to the end and here all is well.we love and miss you’ll and can’t wait to talk to you when we return to the states next week. Xxxooo
Posted by: Lisa on 4/19/2011 at 4:33 am
Great piece, Dave. You may have a literary future. Stay strong, stay safe.
We're finally fully moved into 11,000' Camp. After a four hour lap to pick up our cache at 9,400 we have all our food and fuel with us. To celebrate to had pudding for dessert after a tasty meal of rice and curry. The weather looks good for tomorrow and we are hoping to carry some gear up to Windy Corner.
Please tell Norm that everything is ok at home and I am well. Thanks! Valerie
Posted by: Valerie Cognetto on 5/31/2021 at 11:14 am
We kidnapped your wife for the weekend, it will cost you a weekend of camping out at a country music festival, lol. Seriously- we are so very proud and astounded by your accomplishment. Norm- you are amazing and we wish you a safe return home to all who love you. xo
Posted by: Allison and Jimmy on 5/30/2021 at 7:06 am
Hello again.
After a rest day yesterday at Ama Dablam Base Camp, where we practiced some of the rope techniques we'll implement on our ascent, today we're in a holding pattern for the weather.
Our camps are stocked thanks to the help of our Sherpa, and we're ready to go when the time is right. In the meantime, we continue to execute expedition life; patience at it's best.
RMI Guide Elías de Andres Martos
All is well here on Kilimanjaro!
Once again, we woke to beautifully clear skies with even better views of Kilimanjaro and clouds obscuring the valleys below. Our morning ritual has been walking around 6:30 and getting everything in our tents packed up before heading into our very spacious dinning tent for quite the feast. Normally there is fresh fruit, fried eggs, bacon, and plenty of hot coffee awaiting us, obviously we’re being spoiled up here by our wonderful staff!
We hit the trail once again around 8am and hiked for an hour before taking our usual 10-15min break, then back on the trail for another hour. All total today we hiked for just over 6hrs before reaching camp which is set up and ready for us.
Along the way we passed around the famous and beautiful Lava Tower reaching just over 15’000ft, setting new altitude records for some and we also chatted with a few other climbers who are on the same schedule with us. All in all, it was a really nice day with clouds gathering in the afternoon to help keep the temperature comfortable for hiking.
That’s all for now.
RMI Guide Casey Grom and the Kili Crew
RMI Guide Ben Liken and the Four Day Summit Climb team June 17 - 21, 2017 made their summit attempt of Mt. Rainier this morning but were forced to turn around at 13,800' due to high winds and icy conditions. The team is making their way back to Camp Muir where they will take a short break and re-pack their gear before continuing their descent to Paradise. We look forward to seeing them at Rainier BaseCamp this afternoon.
Congrats, little brother! Can’t wait to hear about it!
Posted by: Bill Lively Jr on 7/10/2021 at 4:27 am
Way to go RG3 (David L) and team. Super proud of your efforts & accomplishments!!
Heck of a distance to climb, that’s awesome. Can’t wait to hear about the experience.
Posted by: Matt B on 7/9/2021 at 8:41 pm
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