Entries By Andy Bond
June 1, 2018
Posted by: Eric Frank, Andy Bond
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Bolivia
Elevation: 15,200'
Friday, June 1, 2018 - 6:21 PM PT
The sun warmed our tents before a majority of the team was up and about this morning. We decided to sleep late and take advantage of some well deserved rest after our climb of Pequeno Alpamayo the day before. Cups of tea and coffee, bread with honey and scrambled eggs with ham rounded out breakfast.
Today was a move day. After breakfast, we slowly packed up our camp and walked back out of the Condoriri Valley to the awaiting Land Cruisers. With our duffles loaded tightly in the trucks and above on metal racks, we quickly drove the 20 miles back out to the highway and headed south toward Zongo Pass, the basecamp for
Huayna Potosi.
The refugio here is a nice change from the tents that we have spent the last few nights sleeping in. Heated rooms, ample storage and electrical outlets seem like a real luxury.
The plan tomorrow is to move up to a hut higher on the mountain to get in position for our climb. The trail uphill is steep, but we will have porters helping with our load and expediting our progress.
RMI Guide Eric Frank
May 31, 2018
Posted by: Eric Frank, Andy Bond
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Bolivia
Elevation: 17,618'
RMI Guide Andy Bond and Team just called from the summit of
Pequeño Alpamayo a 5370 m peak in the Condoriri Group. Andy reported great climbing conditions and beautiful weather. The team climbed strong, and will be starting their descent shorty.
Congratulations Team!
Update: 5:19 pm PT
Hey just letting you know we’re back at camp safe and sound... well fed and ready for some sleep. Long day on a challenging route but everyone is doing great! We’ll update tomorrow with an actual blog post
RMI Guides Eric Frank and Andy Bond
May 30, 2018
Posted by: Eric Frank, Andy Bond
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Bolivia
Elevation: 15,200'
It’s a few minutes after 8pm and the Bolivia climbing team members are already cuddled inside our respective sleeping bags, excited for tomorrow.
Today was a good day. We awoke to a quick breakfast and broke down our tents as the sun crested the ridge to our east. Thirty minutes later, our duffels were loaded on donkeys and we moved camp uphill two hours to our high camp.
This afternoon we hiked to the toe of the glacier and did some training on advanced techniques- cramponing on ice, short roping and the finer points of pitched climbing. Now we have the skill set we need to tackle our first climb,
Pequeño Alpamayo, tomorrow.
The weather looks good and with any luck we should be calling from the top by mid to late morning.
RMI Guide Eric Frank
May 29, 2018
Posted by: Eric Frank, Andy Bond
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Bolivia
Elevation: 14,700'
Our beach vacation on Isla del Sol came to an end today as we made our way into the
Bolivian Andes to begin the mountain portion of the trip.
The first of our three peaks is called Pequeno Alpamayo, located next to Condoriri. The views were amazing as we walked to our Base Camp at 14,700’, located at the base of the valley surrounded by big glaciated peaks, including Huayna Potosi (our 2nd peak on the trip).
We are all enjoying the luxuries of amazing home cooked meals including having lunch today at Gregorio’s house (a local farmer) on the way to base camp.
Tomorrow we’ll move camp and do some training on a glacier before our first summit attempt.
RMI Guides Eric Frank & Andy Bond
May 28, 2018
Posted by: Eric Frank, Andy Bond
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Bolivia
Elevation: 12,800'
Another day of brilliant blue skies greeted us this morning while we sipped coffee and ate a lazy breakfast. The objective for the day was to take a meandering walk along the terraced ridges and slopes of
Isla del Sol, gaining some additional acclimatization and taking in the cultural landscape of a society that has changed very little in the last few hundred years.
The island doesn't have any roads, so the only traffic we had to contend with were braying donkeys, farmers moving from field to field and the occasional European tourist.
For lunch we were treated to a traditional Andean feast, Apthapi. To make Apthapi, the locals dig a hole and line it with square rocks. They then light a fire and heat the rocks and surrounding ground. After removing the embers and ash, layers of potatoes, beans and meat are placed in the hole and covered with dirt. They cook for several hours and eventually produce an extremely tasty combination.
Weary from four plus hours of walking, we returned to our Eco Lodge and spent the afternoon relaxing and taking in the view of distance mountains.
The sunset this evening, like most here, was spectacular. Shimmering rays bounced up off the surface of the lake multiplying the colors, and making for a dramatic closing to the day.
RMI Guide Eric Frank
May 27, 2018
Posted by: Eric Frank, Andy Bond
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Bolivia
Elevation: 12,800'
Our time in La Paz was short, as we awoke to another beautiful day here in
Bolivia and made the three-hour drive to Lake Titicaca to take in the scenery and get acclimated to the 13,000’ altitude.
We walked amongst old Incan ruins and small farming villages surrounding the lake. The Bolivian Andes mountains on one side and Perú off in the distance across the lake to the north.
Lake Titicaca is the highest navigable lake in the world. We took the opportunity to take a couple of ferry rides across the lake to different islands including driving through Copacabana. To get to our final destination for the night on Isla del Sol “Island of the Sun” we took a short boat shuttle to our eco lodge overlooking the lake and surrounding mountains.
The views are incredible as we got to watch the sunset light up the mountains across the lake. As we head to bed the near full moon is glistening on the water. We look forward to another day tomorrow walking around the island and all that it has to offer.
RMI Guide Andy Bond
May 26, 2018
Posted by: Eric Frank, Andy Bond
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Bolivia
Elevation: 11,942'
The honking horns had subsided and the streets were nearly bare this morning at 5 am, when fellow guide And Bond and I got up to make the chilly trip up to El Alto Airport at 13,400' on the
Bolivia Altiplano. Three out of our six climbers arrived on the same flight, and after clearing immigration had piled their duffel bags next to an airport coffee shop, awaiting our arrival.
After a quick round of hand shakes and high fives, we grabbed a cup of coffee each and headed outside to hail taxis into the city. The soft beds at Hotel Ritz provided a few hours of rest before we had a late morning meeting to discuss the plan for the day.
The point of today, along with the next few days, is to play tourist and allow our bodies time to acclimate. After leaving the hotel, we visited several neighborhoods by using the new citywide teleferiquo system, a series of gondola lines that crisscross the city. The views of Huayna Potosi and Illimani from the gondola cars were incredible.
On the walk back to the hotel we were serenaded by loud music from a passing parade. This weekend is the Fiesta del Gran Poder (festival of the great power) which is one of the largest festivals in Bolivia. We watched thousands upon thousands of dancers, marching bands and people in traditional costumes stream by.
Tomorrow morning we launch north toward Lake Titicaca and Isla de Sol.
RMI Guides Eric Frank, Andy Bond & Team
May 19, 2018
Posted by: Adam Knoff, Andy Bond
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mount Rainier
Elevation: 14,410'
The Four Day Summit Climb Team led by RMI Guides Adam Knoff and Andy Bond reached the summit of Mt. Rainier early this morning. Andy reported clear skies, cold temperatures and great route conditions. The team will spend some time on the Summit before starting their descent.
Congratulations to today's team!
The
Four Day Summit Climb led by RMI Guides Elias deAndres Martos and Andy Bond reached the summit of Mt. Rainier early this morning. Elias reported clear skies with 40 mph winds, so their stay on the top was brief. The team has started their descent and are en route to Camp Muir.
Congratulations to today's team!
May 5, 2018
Posted by: Dave Hahn, Andy Bond
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mount Rainier
Elevation: 11,800'
The
Five Day Summit Climb team led by RMI Guides Dave Hahn and Andy Bond reached 11,800' feet this morning before weather and route conditions forced them to abort their summit attempt. The team has had two great days on the mountain, they are back at Camp Muir and will return to Rainier Basecamp in the early afternoon.
Congratulations to today's team!
The angels are watching over of you
Good luck on your next climb
Go Team Frank
Posted by: Tina and John on 6/2/2018 at 9:41 am
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