Entries By adam knoff
We had a nice leisurely start to the day today and met at 8:00 for breakfast and more importantly COFFEE! There was no rush today as our agenda was to visit the market of
Otovalo. It just happens to be one of the largest open air markets in all of South America. There were hundreds of vendors selling everything imaginable. Lots of handmade goods and endless nick-nacks. Everyone enjoyed the market and had fun practicing their bargaining skills.
After the shopping spree we loaded up the vehicles and made our way towards
Cayambe, which is the third largest mountain in Ecuador at 18,997'. It was a long and bumpy drive through the rural countryside. We stopped just short of the hut that we will base out of the next few days and hiked the remainder to further help with acclimatization.
The team has just finished a nice pasta dinner and are currently sipping some hot drinks and making our plan for the next few days. Everyone is doing well and looking forward to training tomorrow.
Casey,
Adam, Jaime ( our wonderful local guide) and crew.
This morning was a welcomed departure from the hustle and bustle of
Ecuador's largest city. Despite the plush hotel, easy Internet access and wild night life, our team was ready to relocate to the country getting us one step closer the big mountains we came here to climb. Although we haven't seen any glaciated peaks yet because of the constant cloud coverage, the guides have thoroughly convinced the team they do exist. Such confidence was not instilled in our team when our driver today told us he knew where the trail head was to our second acclimating hike on a mountain called Fuya Fuya. Doing his best to convince us he was not indeed lost, it became undeniable when the road, if one could call it that, ended in the face of a giant bulldozer actually clearing jungle so the "road" could go further. Always expecting the unexpected, we made the best of the situation by pushing headlong up a muddy, steep trail hoping to find a lake we knew existed somewhere up in the mountains above. Surprisingly we did not find the lake but instead stumbled across the main road we should have been on in the first place. With a good laugh we headed back down the muddy trail to the waiting van and then got settled into our beautiful hacienda. Chuck, Jan, Albert and I had a great soccer match and the rest of us simply relaxed. A quick packing lesson prepared us for tomorrow's departure to the mountains and a great dinner has now prepared us for sleep. The team is doing very well and in good spirits. Hasta mañana.
RMI Guides
Adam Knoff &
Casey Grom
January 3, 2013
Posted by: Adam Knoff, Casey Grom
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Ecuador
Elevation: 15,500'
Greetings from expedition skills seminar, Ecuador!
Day two:
Not all of our mountaineering challenges down here should be considered overly stressful. Granted we aren't exactly roughing it here in hotel Mercure Alemeda, we figured starting the team off gently would ease us into the trip's first acclimating hike.
Quito is flanked on its western edge by the frequently active
Pinchincha Rucu volcano who's 15,500 foot summit makes for a perfect first excursion to altitude. Oh ya, back to a gentle start. After another delicious breakfast the team loaded into a sporty looking minivan with a sporty looking driver to match and headed ten minutes up the road to the loading dock of Quito's famous Pinchincha gondola. I don't know much, but I do know riding from 10,000 feet to 13,800 feet is better than walking. Who knew? From the top of the tram, views of Quito 's expansive size and beautiful setting blessed us before our trail was soon overtaken by the rising cloud bank. Despite the apparent fitness of our team, much hard breathing was done welcoming in the lower oxygen levels. Soon we found our rhythm and pushed steadily upward further into the cold clouds until the sign on the summit said we were there. By that time we were all in gloves, hats and warm jackets. We then descended quickly before the rain hit.
The rest of the afternoon will be spent relaxing and exploring the neighborhood around the hotel. We are all psyched to be leaving the city and heading north.
More to come,
RMI Guides
Adam Knoff,
Casey Grom and Team
Hello from Quito, Ecuador. The
Expedition Skills Seminar - Ecuador has arrived in full, all bags included and is settling in nicely. Today the group had a busy itinerary starting with a top notch breakfast which of course is the day's most important meal. Once fully caffeinated we spent a pleasant hour doing personal introductions and breaking down the week's objectives. After our team's bonding exercises of trust falls and human pyramids in the hotel lobby we put our well being in the hands of our tour operator and ventured into the heart of
Quito where traffic can rival the adventurous nature of mountain climbing. We visited many historic sites including the Presidential Palace, Independence Plaza and multiple churches centuries older than the United States itself. This concluded our history lesson, next was science. From the old town of Quito we drove 45 minutes north to the "Mitad del Mundo" translated to the middle of the world. Don't get this confused with middle earth, we saw no hobbits or elves. What we did experience were the wild supernatural effects of being directly on equator. Although no one earned their diploma for balancing an egg on a nail, we did see it happen. Other party tricks include failing a DWI balance test walking the actual line and watching the coriolis effect spin water in opposite directions five feet into each hemisphere. After the tour we rested, regrouped and went out for a well deserved team dinner. Everyone is in good health and excited to begin acclimatizing.
RMI Guides
Adam Knoff and
Casey Grom
August 30, 2012
Posted by: Adam Knoff, Geoff Schellens
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mount Rainier
Elevation: 14,410'
RMI Guides
Adam Knoff and
Geoff Schellens led their teams to the summit of Mt. Rainier this morning. The
Four Day Summit Climb August 27 - 30 teams reported clear skies and chilly temperatures with winds blowing 15-20 mph. The team were approaching the crater rim at 7:30 a.m.
After spending some time on top they will descend to Camp Muir to repack and rest a bit before continuing down to Paradise this afternoon. We look forward to seeing the teams back in Ashford this afternoon.
Congratulations to today's summit climbers!
August 26, 2012
Posted by: Adam Knoff, Tyler Jones
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mount Rainier
Elevation: 14,410'
RMI Guides Adam Knoff and Tyler Jones led their teams to the
Mt. Rainier summit this morning! A cloud cap was snuggled over the top of the mountain, which brought on some 30-40 mph winds. Both teams are doing well and began their descent at 7:30 a.m.
Congratulations to today's summit climbers!
August 21, 2012
Posted by: Adam Knoff
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mount Rainier
Elevation: Summit
Our Four Day Summit Climb Team led by
Adam Knoff reached the summit of Mt. Rainier today. There was a cloud cap with a bit of wind on top, but as the team started their descent the cap was beginning to dissipate and the weather was getting clear. The team is en route to Camp Muir and expected back to
Ashford Basecamp this afternoon.
Congratulations to today's team!
August 16, 2012
Posted by: Solveig Waterfall, Adam Knoff
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mount Rainier
Elevation: 14,410'
The
Four Day Summit Climb August 13 - 16, 2012, led by RMI Guide
Solveig Waterfall reached the summit of Mt. Rainier at 6:30 a.m. this morning. They reported a beautiful day on the mountain with clear skies, light wind and warm temperatures. The team began their descent from the crater rim at 7:30 a.m.
RMI Guide Adam Knoff and the
Expedition Skills Seminar - Paradise completed their six day program with a summit of Mt. Rainier this morning. The team began their descent from the top shortly after 8:00 a.m. They will return to Camp Muir and spend some time repacking their gear before continuing their descent to Paradise later this afternoon.
Congratulations to today's teams!
July 8, 2012
Posted by: Adam Knoff, Mike Uchal, Zeb Blais
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Denali
Elevation: 7,300'
At 3:30 this morning I was startled awake by what I thought was the rumbling of a distant avalanche. Perhaps my mountain senses have an automatic alertness to these deep thunderous roars that will pull me from the deepest sleep. As I poked my head out of the tent door, I remembered where we are.
Two days ago I broke the news to the team that a serious storm was brewing and the risk of staying at high camp, in my opinion, outweighed the reward of a potential summit. Going for the top on Monday or Tuesday would put our total time there at eight or nine days, well beyond anyone's preference. So we packed camp with heavy hearts and set off on our descent.
We moved efficiently down to eleven thousand feet where we rested for six hours. The alarm went off at 5:00 am to no one's delight and we headed toward
basecamp at 7:30. By 3:00 pm we were drinking MGD and relaxing in the sun. K2 aviation was optimistic about flying us off so morale, all things considered, was high. That was until one hour later the clouds moved in and it began to to snow. That was more than 24 hours ago.
Now as I write this at 4 pm on Sunday, we have received two feet of snow. Welcome to
Mt. McKinley! We have all just come in for lunch after two solid hours stomping down the runway so if the storm does abate, planes might fly. This is all we hope for now, the high pitch sound of propellers and don't think twice about those avalanches in the distance.
This is
Adam Knoff signing out.
On The Map
July 7, 2012
Posted by: Adam Knoff, Mike Uchal, Zeb Blais
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Denali
Elevation: 7,300'
Adam Knoff called into the office just before 6PM. With a storm expected, the team was hoping to make it to basecamp in order to fly off in front of the storm. The weather didn't quite hold and it began to snow in the last hour upon reaching
basecamp. The team's plan to unwind in Talkeetna has been thwarted until further notice.
On The Map
Casey and Adam, you very successfully guided our entire expedition team to the summit of Cotopaxi on 16 Dec 2011. Your team will easily discover what great RMI guides they have. Happy New Year from Bill, Scott, and the four Mikes
Posted by: Bill HIll on 1/4/2013 at 8:03 am
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