Entries By jm gorum
December 19, 2017
Posted by: JM Gorum, Hannah Smith, Avery Parrinello
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Aconcagua
Elevation: 13,800'
We made it to
Plaza Argentina today! The first RMI team of the year is blazing a path uphill. We left our camp at Casa de Piedra early this morning to beat the heat, and to cross the Vacas and Relinchos Rivers before they swelled with snowmelt. A few brave souls crossed the Vacas on foot, surprised at how cold the pre-sunrise water felt on their unsuspecting toes. The rest of the team, less brave maybe, though certainly smarter, decided to take a free ride across the river courtesy of our mule drivers. Some were more comfortable astride our equine friends than others, but nobody fell in.
Once across the river, we started up the Relinchos Valley. Unlike the Vacas, which is wide and expansive, the Relinchos Valley is narrow and has steep walls. The relief is more dramatic here, and the elevation gain becomes less subtle. The team made quick work of it though, and after a few guanaco sightings we were lounging in the sun less than an hour from basecamp. We lounged as long as we could bear it, and then finished off the last stretch into camp. Since arriving, we've set up our tents, organized some gear, and done a lot of eating and drinking. We ate as much dinner as we could, and even enjoyed a welcome cake courtesy of the basecamp staff. It's good living here at basecamp, and we plan to live in style for at least a few more days.
RMI Guides JM Gorum, Hannah Smith, and Avery Parrinello
December 18, 2017
Posted by: JM Gorum, Hannah Smith, Avery Parrinello
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Aconcagua
Elevation: 10,550'
The team hit the dusty trail this morning in comfortable temps but soon we were feeling the heat. We wondered through the rocky terrain, at times feeling like we were walking on the moon. Guanacos and hares were an exciting sight to tick off our wildlife list, but an even more exciting sight was seeing a quick glimpse of Aconcagua. After setting our tents up at a breezy
Casa de Piedra camp, we are enjoying a relaxing afternoon. Our bellies will be filled by another delicious dinner tonight before we call it a day and look forward to arriving at Aconcagua Base Camp tomorrow.
RMI Guides Hannah, Avery, and JM
On The Map
Well, this morning went about as smoothly as it possibly could have thanks to the team's expert preparations yesterday. We had breakfast in the hotel, and then walked next door to make our final preparations for departure. After a short shuttle ride to the mouth of the
Vacas River, we checked in with the park service and headed up the valley. We had cloudless skies and a consistent breeze all day, so it never got unbearably hot.
The team arrived in camp around 3:30 this afternoon, which left plenty of time for relaxing and exploring. Dinner consisted of more food than we could eat, prepared by the mule drivers on an open flame. Most folks are crawling into bed now, and since the weather is so nice we're going to forgo the tents and sleep under the stars. All the team says hello to everyone at home.
RMI Guides
JM Gorum, Hannah Smith, and Avery Parrinello
On The Map
Today the team said goodbye to Mendoza for a while. After a leisurely breakfast of pastries, and more pastries, we finished off the process of obtaining our
Aconcagua climbing permits. We only experienced a few hang ups in the permit office, which is about par for the course.
We amassed our gear into one big pile in the hotel lobby, partly to prepare to load it into our trailer, and partly just to see how much stuff we have. In my professional opinion we brought enough stuff, judging by volume alone. After transferring our pile into a vehicle, we hit the road to Penitentes. A few naps, and more than a few empanadas later, we arrived in Penitentes.
This afternoon, we packed everything for our travel to Aconcagua Base Camp. Everything has to be packed such that it doesn't get destroyed on the mules. The team made quick work of that task, leaving us plenty of down time before dinner. I'm pretty sure most people took another nap. Tomorrow morning we will hit the dusty trail, and things for us will get much simpler. For a few days we will just walk, eat, and sleep. Everyone is looking forward to it. We'll let you know how it goes.
RMI Guides JM Gorum, Hannah Smith, and Avery Parrinello
The team has arrived in Mendoza. All baggage is accounted for, gear is checked, and dinner has been eaten. After a long day of travel we are hitting the hay relatively early. Tomorrow we will drive to
Penitentes and get everything organized and packed for the walk in to base camp. The team is excited to get out of town and into the mountains. Stay tuned, and find out what happens next.
RMI Guides JM Gorum, Hannah Smith, and Avery Parrinello
This is Chase and team checking in from the
Sulphide Glacier! After three days of almost constant snowfall we finally enjoyed a bit of a break in the weather and even had a few hours of sun. About a foot of snow has fallen since our arrival but the training has continued as planned. Tomorrow we're going to venture higher up towards the pyramid and see if conditions are suitable for a summit attempt. We'll check in tomorrow afternoon!
RMI Guide Chase Nelson
August 21, 2017
Posted by: Eric Frank, JM Gorum
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mount Rainier
Elevation: 14,410'
The
Four Day Summit Climb led by RMI Guides Eric Frank and JM Gorum reached the summit of Mt. Rainier early this morning. Eric reported clear skies all the way to the top! The team will spend some time enjoying the views
Congratulations to today's team!
August 17, 2017
Posted by: Casey Grom, JM Gorum
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mount Rainier
Elevation: 14,410'
The
Four Day Summit Climb August 14 - 17, 2017 led by
RMI Guides Casey Grom & JM Gorum reached the summit of Mt. Rainier around 6:30 am today. The teams enjoyed a bit of time on the crater before starting their descent. They will return to Camp Muir for a short stop before continuing down to Paradise. We look forward to seeing them at Rainier BaseCamp later today.
Congratulations to today's Summit Climb team!
August 10, 2017
Posted by: Casey Grom, JM Gorum
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mount Rainier
Elevation: 14,410'
RMI Guides Casey Grom and JM Gorum led their teams to the
Mt. Rainier summit this morning. It was clear on top with some smoky air, due to the British Columbia wildfires, on the lower flanks of the mountain. The team is making great progress on their descent back to Camp Muir.
August 6, 2017
Posted by: Geoff Schellens, JM Gorum
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mount Rainier
Elevation: 14,410'
The
Four Day Summit Climb led by RMI Guides Geoff Schellens and JM Gorum were walking onto Columbia Crest, the very top of Mt. Rainier at 6:10am this morning. The team reported warm temperatures, calm winds, and clear skies above the smoke layer that is currently covering the lower elevations of Western Washington.
Congratulations to today's team!
Sounds great! Can you tell Bill that Maggie is home. Everyone is well.
Posted by: Kris (Bill’s wife) on 12/20/2017 at 3:13 am
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