Entries By caleb ladue
December 27, 2015
Posted by: Caleb Ladue, Mike King
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Aconcagua
Elevation: 13,800'
Not a whole lot to report during our rest day at Plaza Argentina, which is indicative of a successful and relaxing day after yesterday's carry to Camp 1.
After a good breakfast the Team took advantage of washing clothes for the trek out and really enjoyable showers offered by one of the logistic companies here.
We could continue to delay our ascent with all the amenities of base camp, but will pack up our gear and move up to Camp 1 at 16,400ft.
That's all from Plaza Argentina
RMI Guide Mike King
December 26, 2015
Posted by: Caleb Ladue, Mike King
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Aconcagua
Elevation: 13,800'
This is Mike and Team checking in after our return from Camp 1 @ 16,400ft. The Mountain got a lot of snow this winter compared to the past 10 seasons. This made for difficult climbing through snow features called 'penitentes' that form from dust, wind and sunlight. Today they were six feet tall in some places.
Combine the narrow snow features with heat and glare reflecting off the white snow and the Team had it's work cutout for them. We stocked our camp with food and supplies to both lighten our load on the 28th and to help acclimate.
Tomorrow is a rest day and everyone is looking forward to sleeping in.
Thanks for following the expedition.
RMI Guide Mike King
Rest and relax! We are thinking of you each day! Will and Syd think you two are pretty cool and amazing! Stay safe, breathe and know you are loved lots!
Posted by: Jo Kev Will and Syd on 12/28/2015 at 6:47 am
Hey Mer and Jeff! Glad to hear the climb is going well so far. Thinking about you guys this Christmas and we wish you all the best of luck with the rest of the hike! Remember: pole pole!!
-Doug, Pat, Russ, Elena, and Kaitie
Posted by: Russell Willmot on 12/27/2015 at 12:26 pm
December 25, 2015
Posted by: Mike King, Caleb Ladue
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Aconcagua
Elevation: 13,800'
This is Mike and the team checking in from Aconcagua Base Camp on our first rest day. The team woke this morning with smiles on their faces and all reporting a good night's sleep despite the locals celebrating Christmas Eve until 4:30am.
The Guide Elves had some stockings for the team to open and we are currently resting and preparing our gear for the carry to Camp 1 on Saturday.
Nice calm, warm and relaxing day at Plaza Argentina.
Merry Christmas!
Messages from the team:
Hey mom Katie and Kevin, and Marni! Merry Christmas. Miss and love you guys! Mike
Staying positive, wish me luck. Carmen and Adnan, miss and love you! Hinan.
Merry Christmas, Mom! Only 9,000' to the summit. Dave
Merry Christmas Ben and Blake and all. All is well here. Love you and will see you soon.
Merry Christmas Poppy, friends, SFFG & SH! We are in good shape at base camp and having a great Christmas Day. Love to all, Meredith
Merry Christmas Ma, Pa, CM, Bro, Nolan, Sis, Alyssa, CB, Kyle, Stevo, Jester, and all of our friends back in Canada! A very fun white Christmas up here at 13,800. Love, Jeff
John here hanging tough. 30 miles and 5800 feet of altitude gain over 3 days left me fighting some altitude effects. Decided to take some of my own advice- ride out the storm and eat the elephant one bite at a time. Feeling 100% better now on Christmas Day! Love to all!!
On The Map
Michael….Merriest Christmas. Raining cats and dogs in Atlanta. Will make Christmas morning breakfast when you and Abby visit in the spring :) Love, Mom and Dad
Posted by: Diana King on 12/26/2015 at 5:53 am
December 24, 2015
Posted by: Mike King, Caleb Ladue
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Aconcagua
Elevation: 13,800'
Hi everyone,
We woke early to catch a mule ride across the Vacas River. A few chose to walk across the icy water, which felt good on sore feet from the two previous days of walking.
We enjoyed spectacular views of Aconcagua with snow wisps off the top of the Polish Glacier near the summit.
The team is resting after gaining 3,000+ feet and adjusting to the air at base camp. We will rest tomorrow and prepare for our first round of moving food and gear to Camp 1 on Saturday.
Look for a message from the entire team tomorrow as it will be Christmas.
RMI Guide Mike King
Merry Christmas Bob! Everyone here at BNSF in Fort Worth is wishing you well. Hope you had a good trek into base camp. Say “Hi” to J.J. when you see him from the rest of our team in Texas. Good luck with your carries to the higher camps and hope you get good weather. God knows we’ve seen good and bad on the big mountains. We all can’t wait until you get back in January. Again, good luck and be safe.
Posted by: Rick & Mary Kay Knutson on 12/25/2015 at 10:05 am
Merry Christmas Michael! Headed to Bachelor for X-country with Abby. Wish you were here at the lower altitude! XXOO Wendy & Larry
Posted by: Wendy on 12/25/2015 at 8:34 am
December 22, 2015
Posted by: Mike King, Caleb Ladue
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Aconcagua
Elevation: 9,000'
This is Mike and team checking in from Pampa de Las Lenas which translates to "flat spot where meat is grilled", consumed and then bragged about to everyone you meet. Morton's Steak House ain't got nothin on meat grilled by Argentinian cowboys.
The team is doing great and currently sleeping under the stars sans tent to take in the Milky Way and incredible night sky here in the Andes.
We have another enjoyable hike tomorrow as spirits are high and we look forward to our first glimpse of Aconcagua.
Thanks for following along and if the thought of delicious steak and climbing big mountains has crossed your mind, join us next year in Argentina.
Ciao,
RMI Guide Mike King
On The Map
Hi Kevin from Denali, hi Mike! Keep an eye on John he’s a troublemaker! Sending angel wing wishes to help carry you to your dreams… Merry Christmas!
Posted by: Rhonda on 12/23/2015 at 5:53 am
Hi Mike and team! Abs and Ron here from one of your Rainier climbs. We will be following you closely on this trip as we aspire to climb Aconcagua with you next year! Best to you and your team on this trip!!!
Posted by: Ron Dwinnells on 12/23/2015 at 3:04 am
December 21, 2015
Posted by: Mike King, Caleb Ladue
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Aconcagua
Elevation: 9,000'
This is Mike and team checking in from the Andean ski resort of Los Penitentes. We enjoyed a scenic drive through the vineyards of Mendoza and the twisty highway that brings our team into the Andes.
There is a lot of snow in the hills and we are looking forward to starting our trek to base camp tomorrow.
All the gear is sorted and packed to survive the mule ride to Plaza Argentina. If you are wondering what our gear will encounter just picture your duffel bag in an industrial paint shaker going for 12 hours straight.
The team is in high spirits and we will check in from Las Lenas tomorrow evening!
RMI Guide Mike King
On The Map
Sending a big shout out and Good Luck to John Hughes - praying for the winds to abate and the sun to stay out. Climb on!
Posted by: Peter Rogers on 12/22/2015 at 11:13 am
Hi everyone,
This is Mike and Caleb from Mendoza. The entire team is in Mendoza safely with all bags accounted for. We enjoyed a nice dinner of Argentinian style grilled meat and pastas.
Tomorrow once our permits are secured we will head to Los Penitentes so we can sort our gear for the trek to Aconcagua Base Camp. Expeditions are comprised of a series of small goals that hopefully culminate in standing on the summit. Having everyone arrive healthy and with all their gear in tow, was the first goal. We are looking forward to starting the approach to Aconcagua in a few days. Thanks for checking in and stay tuned for more updates.
RMI Guide Mike King
Glad to know everyone is safe, fuelled with good food and ready for their journey! We will be with you along the way providing strength and prayers.
Posted by: Joanne on 12/21/2015 at 4:15 pm
Hey Mike—-glad to see you leading the way. Be strong and safe and have fun!
rc
Posted by: Randy Christofferson on 12/21/2015 at 7:21 am
December 10, 2014
Posted by: Steve Gately, Billy Haas, Caleb Ladue, Pete Van Deventer, Seth Waterfall
Categories: Guide News Guide Grant
I remember when I first stepped into the mountains. I was 11 years old and I had never seen a mountain before, let alone thought of climbing one. My father, older brother, and I traveled to the White Mountains of New Hampshire to climb Mt. Washington (6,288’). I remember finally standing on top of the boulder pile that comprises the summit and feeling the accomplishment. "I did it, I'm on top!" It was windy—a wet cold cloud had moved in during the final hour of tedious boulder hoping to the top—and even at that age I remember quickly coming to the realization that I needed to turn around and walk back down! Mt. Washington is unique in that it has a paved road to the summit along with the world’s first mountain-climbing cog railway train. My brother insisted that we descend via the train. Luckily for me, my father obliged and shortly after the train started it's descent it began pouring. Although I was cozy in a train cabin watching the rain patter off the windows, I didn't soon forget my realization: the summit is only halfway.
You hear this quite often in the climbing world. The ability to efficiently descend is a crucial skill in regards to staying safe in the vertical world. Just as with standing on top of Mt. Rainier, Denali, or Mt. Everest, getting down off of a rock climb requires the same amount of focus and effort as climbing it, and in a lot of ways requires much more.
Days 5 and 6 of our Rock Guide Course were focused on becoming proficient in our technical descent systems. I was paired up with RMI guide Pete Van Deventer and former RMI guide and current AMGA instructor Jeff Ward, and we traveled over to the Bunny Face Wall of Smith Rocks. On the easy and moderate multi-pitch sport climbs this area had to offer we discussed and practiced rappelling and lowering our climbers: the pro's and con's of each, when and why to use one over the other and a myriad of ways to be more efficient and provide the best experience possible for our climbers. Over the course of the next few days, we climbed a number of different routes and really got the opportunity to apply these techniques in mock guiding scenarios.
When you practice these skills for the first time—or any skill for that matter—it's usually done so in the "best-case scenario.” You start out easy so you can concentrate on the learning. In rock climbing the "best-case scenario" is pretty straightforward and easy to mitigate. Over the next several days of climbing, we learned that the best scenario rarely occurs. As guides, we need to always be prepared for the difficult scenario, and we had the benefit of climbing into some terrain that posed plenty of guiding challenges. This allowed for lots of hands on learning and problem solving. As guides, it's important that we keep our skills sharp and this course was a great reminder that that process truly never ends. 16 years ago I learned that getting to the top is only half way and 16 years later I'm still being reminded of that fact!
_____
Steve Gately grew up in Boston, MA, and found his love for the mountains in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. In 2012, Steve combined his passion for teaching, climbing, and the mountains when he started guiding for RMI. Steve now guides year round for RMI, from Argentina to Alaska. Steve will be guiding not one, not two, but three trips to Aconcagua this winter!
December 3, 2014
Posted by: Billy Haas, Caleb Ladue, Pete Van Deventer, Seth Waterfall, Steve Gately
Categories: Guide News Guide Grant
Day three of the AMGA Rock Guide Course started a little less comfortably than we had hoped. Our course’s venue was located in the heart of central Oregon and early November often offers a mixed bag of weather. For the four of us who were camping near the park, this meant we awoke to find ourselves shivering and scraping a light layer of frost off of the inside of our tents.
As mountain guides, we often deal with inclement weather, but even our familiarity with discomfort didn’t stop all the grumbling that morning as we made coffee. Luckily for us, our instructor team was equally apprehensive about climbing in freezing temperatures and had called a quick audible. The day’s goals shifted to learning rescue techniques and skills in the ‘comfort’ of a covered cooking space.
After just finishing my first year with RMI, I was excited to see how our in-house rescue training would compare to the official AMGA equivalent. As the morning progressed, the instructor team grew equally excited as it became clear that much of the rescue curriculum was review, albeit, made a bit more difficult by the vertical orientation and the small working zones that the rock environment demands. Despite the cold temps and biting wind, we were able to fly through hauling techniques and knot passes. That morning’s training concretely highlighted for me how well RMI trains their guides. Because of our familiarity with many of the techniques, we were able to open the book and learn a couple new tricks and subtleties that may have otherwise been lost on a less experienced crew.
Once we had mastered new slack management tricks and practiced the variety of haul systems, we changed venues and tried to warm ourselves up with some rope ascending. Ascending is one of those skills that any basic crevasse rescue course will teach you, yet even our most experienced guides were able to walk away with a new trick or two. This again speaks to the level of experience and expertise that our instructors brought to the course.
The day’s training finished with a variety of skills that we will be tested on in our next course. A large part of the AMGA course curriculum is a series of examinations that aspiring guides go through to prove their proficiency. For many, these examinations can be stressful and difficult. However, this course has shown me that as long as I continue to work with the incredible fellow guides and instructors that make up the AMGA and RMI, this will be a process I am excited to continue on.
With my first year at RMI finished and my first AMGA course completed, I am more enthused than ever at the prospect of continuing my education. Without a doubt, my most profound take away from this course has been how much of a pleasure it is to work with professional mountain guides. In all my time in the mountains, I’ve never found a group who equals the enthusiasm and commitment to perfecting their craft that RMI guides have.
Finally, I want to echo Seth’s thanks to RMI for investing in their guides and allowing these courses to happen. I’m already looking forward to my next AMGA course and my next season with RMI!
_____
Caleb Ladue just finished his first season guiding with RMI. He grew up in Vermont, where he learned to love the mountains for all that they offered, and that passion has taken him throughout the US and to the Peruvian Andes. He'll be hanging his hat in Jackson Hole this winter, and will return to Mt. Rainier in the Spring, excited to share his passion with many more climbers!
November 29, 2014
Posted by: Steve Gately, Seth Waterfall, Pete Van Deventer, Billy Haas, Caleb Ladue
Categories: Guide News Guide Grant
In late October, RMI guides Pete Van Deventer, Caleb Ladue, Billy Haas, Steve Gately and myself took part in a Rock Guide Course conducted by the American Mountain Guides Association. The course was contracted and sponsored by the RMI Expeditions/First Ascent Guide Grant, and the instructors included former RMI Guide Jeff Ward, RMI and Colorado Mountain School Guide Mike Soucy and CMS Guide Mark Hammond.
As a guide staff, we felt very fortunate that both RMI and the AMGA instructors were able to plan the course during a timeframe that allowed us to work a full summer schedule on Rainier and still have a few weeks to prepare and train in the rock realm after a long season of alpine climbing in the Cascades. After completing my Ski Exam and becoming a Certified Ski Mountaineering Guide in April of this last year, I am personally very grateful to RMI for sponsoring the course, which allowed me to complete a second financially committing segment of my
continuing education and progression toward full IFMGA certification.
The 10-day course took place at Smith Rock State Park near Bend, OR. Over the years I have spent a fair bit of time climbing at Smith and I knew the venue would provide some unique challenges from both a climbing and guiding perspective. While Smith is known for it’s high quality sport climbing, on this course we would be dialing our focus more towards traditional climbing. Lucky for us, many of the ‘trad’ routes at Smith are notorious for having less than stellar rock quality, adding another complex element to the guiding objective.
The course kicked off on the last week of October. The weather looked to be good for the first couple of days, so we postponed the ground-work until a later date, and got right into the climbing. For me, the learning process brought me right back to my apprenticeship days at RMI, when I had to change the filter on my perspective. I quickly learned to transition my thinking from that of an advanced recreational climber to approaching a climbing objective from the viewpoint of a guide. It’s a subtle change, but it makes a huge difference in your mindset, risk management, and the decision making process.
The instructor team did a great job of leading by example. They started right off with a very professional and competent course opening discussion and several demonstrations on belaying and anchoring techniques, as well as various ways to increase both guide and client security. As outdoor professionals, we don’t sit still well or for very long, and so were very thankful when we even got to climb a few pitches at the end of the first day!
The fair weather held on into our second day, but as the forecast looked to be deteriorating later in the week, the instructors opted to keep us in the field climbing in the event that we got shut down by rain and wind over the following days. This strategy worked quite well, as we were able to practice more of the techniques and rope trickery we learned the previous day while spending time off the ground in the vertical orientation.
By nature, guides tend to be kinesthetic learners, and as a group we all commented on the fact that we were able to process and retain the information with higher success if we could get our hands on the rope.
After the first few days, the course continued to ramped up both physically and mentally. For me it just got better as it went on, and the final day was by far the best, culminating in a lead of the aesthetic final pitch of Zebra Zion.
I can’t say enough about the both the quality and caliber of the AMGA instructors, and I’d like to especially thank my co-workers for a great time and creating an environment that was positive and fun, all while staying engaged and eager to learn every day.
Finally, a big thank you RMI, for investing in your guides and organizing this opportunity to allow us to further our professional education!
_____
Seth Waterfall has been guiding trips for RMI for over a decade, and leads trips to destinations the world round. He lives in Enumclaw, WA, were he spends his spare time skiing, road biking, and climbing throughout the Cascades.
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With you every step of the way! Stay strong and happy thoughts!! You both are so strong and unstoppable!!
XOXO
Posted by: Chris & Andrew on 12/28/2015 at 8:15 pm
Way to go David! This team ROCKS! Worth all the pre-trip prepping. My thoughts and prayers go with you. Love, Mom.
Posted by: Pat Taylor on 12/28/2015 at 2:59 pm
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