Hello, this is Eric Frank and the Ecuador crew checking in from climber's hut here on Cayambe at 15,300'. The sun's just gone down and we had a pretty restful day. We slept late this morning, had a big breakfast, and then climbed for about an hour and a half to get up to the toe of the glacier. We trained for a couple hours, talked about the climb and then came back to have a big dinner. We're hoping to be in bed in the next thirty minutes. And we'll be getting up in the middle of the night to make our attempt to climb Cayambe. So check back tomorrow, hopefully will be giving a call down sometime in the mid morning to early afternoon to let everyone know how things are going. Have a great night.
RMI Guide Eric Frank
Looks like Kristen and Chris made it. It looks beautiful. Glad to see everyone is OK. Love to all and stay safe.
Posted by: SaSa on 12/17/2012 at 8:30 pm
Hi Scott & Kelly,
looks like you have a great team and leader to take on the summit. I am so glad the weather has been good. Excited to see the pics from the summit. Keep on treking…
Keith
Things are winding down for the night here at the beautiful Hacienda San Luis -
The team had a big day. By 8am we had eaten breakfast and loaded our duffels into the bus transporting us for the day. A two hour bus ride brought us north of Quito to our second acclimatization climb on Cerro Negro, 13,976 feet. Despite being lower then our previous days climb, the team found the terrain quite challenging. The trail led us up some slippery, nearly vertical sections of grass and short bits of rock climbing before the summit cone. On top we were treated with clear skies and stunning views of a nearby lake. We all felt that we had put in a hard days work by the time we returned to the bus 3.5 hours later.
After stopping for some roadside refreshments, we arrived at Hacienda San Luis, a working Ecuadorian ranch that also boasts modern amenities. We spent the afternoon relaxing, getting gear in order and catching up with the outside world.
We hope all is well and appreciate everyone who is following along on our adventure.
RMI Guide Eric Frank and the Ecuador Team.
Hola from Quito!
We started the day with another wonderful breakfast here at the hotel full of fruits, eggs, fresh baked breads and plenty of coffee. We then took a short cab ride to the Teleferico and rode the gondola up to around 13,500'. From here we hiked for about 3 hours to the top of Rucu Pichincha (15,696'). It was mostly cloudy on our acclimatization hike until we nearly reached the summit. The clouds broke up a bit and allowed us a few views of the surrounding valley. The team did great on the hike and a few team members reached new altitude records. We spent the rest of the day doing a little shopping, sightseeing and a few of us took siestas.
All is well here in Ecuador and we are looking forward to tomorrow's adventure.
RMI Guide Casey Grom and crew
Hello everyone. After a day of long flights, our team arrived in Quito last night and moved into the Hotel Mercure Alameda to rest and recover.
This morning the team indulged in a great breakfast including various local fruits and dishes. After a quick orientation meeting, we headed out for a city tour and visit to the Equator. Warm weather and a sunny day made our time walking around the city enjoyable. We were able to visit Independence Plaza, the Jesuit church La Compania, and the Virgin of Quito - a 100+ foot statue with gorgeous views overlooking the city.
Seated at 9,350 feet, the air in Quito is thin, especially for those of us coming from sea level. The city tour, in addition to exposing us to some of the best sights in Quito, gave us a chance to stretch our legs and aid in the acclimatization process. The time that we spend here is building the base to increase our chances of success later in the trip.
We spent the afternoon exploring the Equatorial line and phenomenon associated with it. We watched basins of water, only a dozen feet apart, swirl opposite directions on each side of the line and learned when the indigenous people first discovered their location.
After taking a few hour siesta, the team met for our first dinner to round out the day. The conversation and laughter at our table made it feel like a group of old friends, who will only grow closer in the coming days.
RMI Guide Casey Grom
RMI Guide Eric Frank called in from the crater rim of Mt. Rainier at 7:30 a.m. The Five Day Summit Climb September 19 - 23 was just approaching the summit. They reported cold temperatures with light winds and an overall beautiful day. RMI Guide Geoff Schellens led the Four Day Summit Climb September 20 - 23 to the summit also. The teams spent just over an hour on the summit before starting their descent. They will return to Camp Muir to re-pack their gear before continuing down to Paradise. We look forward to seeing both teams at Rainier BaseCamp this afternoon.
Congratulations to today's summit climbers!
Our Four Day Summit Climb September 14 - 17 reached the summit of Mt. Rainier this morning led by RMI Guides Eric Frank and Elias de Andres Martos. The teams reported calm winds and warm temperatures. The sky is hazy due to the wildfires in eastern Washington. They were able to spend some time on the summit before starting their descent around 9 am PT. The teams will return to Camp Muir to repack and then continue their descent to Paradise. We look forward to seeing them at Rainier BaseCamp this afternoon.
Congratulations to today's summit climb teams!
Our Four Day Summit Climb teams led by RMI Guides Mike Walter and Eric Frank are standing on the summit of Mt. Rainier today. Eric reported 10 – 15 mph winds, and beautiful weather. They will spend about an hour on the summit before starting the descent back to Camp Muir.
Congratulations to today's teams!
I was originally signed up to make the climb with you guys, but messed my back up and had to cancel. Although I wasn’t with you in person, I was certainly with you in spirit, and watched as you started your climb on Friday. I was one of the volunteers you encountered on your way up. Way to go!
The Four Day Summit Climb August 24 - 27 led by RMI Guides Shaun Sears and Eric Frank were unable to summit today. High winds kept the teams from leaving Camp Muir as scheduled. The Camp Muir Telemetry shows an average wind speed between 55 - 80 mph. over night. The teams did climb to Ingraham Flats later in the morning. The wind was still blowing approximately 40 mph and they began their descent from this high point just before 8 am. The teams returned to Camp Muir to repack and rest before starting their descent to Paradise shortly after 10 am.
RMI Guide Pete Van Deventer and the Expedition Skills Seminar - Paradise checked in this morning from the Paradise Glacier. The team will be breaking camp and moving to Camp Muir. They plan to do some additional training around Muir today and will be making their summit attempt tomorrow morning.
Our Four Day Summit Climb Teams led by Casey Grom and Eric Frank reached the summit of Mt. Rainier at 7:40 a.m. PST. RMI Guide Thomas Greene reported clear and cold conditions on the top with winds of 20 - 25 mph and the cloud deck at 7500'. The teams spent some time in the crater and have started their descent back to Camp Muir.
The Expedition Skills Seminar - Emmons led by Billy Nugent also reached the summit of Mt. Rainier. The team will spend the remainder of their time on the mountain training and plan to arrive back at Ashford Basecamp in the early afternoon on Friday.
Congratulations to today's teams!
Hey gang...all is good here on Shuksan. We're on top at 9:30 am with 100% success! The weather is perfect, with no clouds above us and barely a breath of wind. We have great views of many northwest peaks from Rainier to Canada.
We'll be in touch after we return to our camp.
Cheers,
RMI Guide Mike Walter
Looks like Kristen and Chris made it. It looks beautiful. Glad to see everyone is OK. Love to all and stay safe.
Posted by: SaSa on 12/17/2012 at 8:30 pm
Hi Scott & Kelly,
looks like you have a great team and leader to take on the summit. I am so glad the weather has been good. Excited to see the pics from the summit. Keep on treking…
Keith
Posted by: Keith Kite on 12/17/2012 at 6:37 am
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