Entries By jm gorum
The team made it to St. Petersburg yesterday. We went out to a nice team dinner, and a few folks left early this morning to get back home. The rest of the group spent the day touring the wonderful city of St. Petersburg. The cathedrals and palaces here are ornate beyond measure. We spent the afternoon cruising through the canals on our own private boat, and finished the evening with an excellent dinner at the historic Astoria Hotel, complete with a celebrity appearance.
Most of the team leaves early tomorrow morning for the U.S. It's been a great trip all around. Thanks to all of the team, and to everybody following along.
RMI Guide JM Gorum
Hey, this is JM Gorum checking from Mt. Elbrus. We are not on the summit right now but we were a few hours ago. The team summited around 9 am local time. It was pretty windy up there so we didn't hang out for too long. Thankfully it was also quite warm, but now we're almost back down to the huts. The team did an excellent job. We are planning to go all the way back down to Cheget today. We will check in later and let you know how that goes. The team says says hi to everyone at home.
RMI Guide JM Gorum
RMI Guide JM Gorum calls in after reaching the summit of Mt. Elbrus.
On The Map
July 21, 2017
Posted by: JM Gorum
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Elbrus Southside
Elevation: 12,500'
After a windy night, the team awoke to blue skies and a relatively calm breeze. We spent the first half of the day reviewing skills like rope travel and self arrest. The remainder of the day has been spent relaxing, prepping gear for our summit attempt of Mt. Elbrus tomorrow morning, and watching some very acrobatic birds fly around camp. We are pretty much ready to go, now we just wait and hope for good weather. You'll hear from us tomorrow!
RMI Guide JM Gorum
On The Map
Wishing Ray, Nikolai and Aleksandr a fun and successful climb to the summit tomorrow. We’re all looking forward to the stories and picture back here at USC. Good luck!! Angela
Posted by: Angela Walker on 7/21/2017 at 7:16 am
July 20, 2017
Posted by: JM Gorum
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Elbrus Southside
Elevation: 15,300'
Well well well, another good day up here on Mt. Elbrus. Most of the team woke with the sunrise, which is around 4am. Breakfast wasn't until 8, so we had some time to kill. Jazzersize (I don't actually know how to spell that) kept a few folks busy, while others took part in more traditional activities, such as taking photos and wandering aimlessly about the ridge. After breakfast we had a race to see who could get ready the fastest. Everyone tied for first place. This is the dream team, no doubt.
We set off on our journey to the top of Pastahkov rocks at 9:00am. After an hour, we could hear thunder in the distance, and dragged our feet thinking we were going to retreat. Thunder is no match for this team, however, and after some intense positive energy output the clouds dissipated and we continued upwards. Two hundred feet shy of our target, the clouds started to look ominous again. It is hard work trying to change the weather, and we're going to need that energy for summit day. The best call was to turn around and head back to the hut. We made it to 15,300 feet today, which is perfectly in line with our acclimatization goals. We made it back to the huts ten minutes before it started raining, which is perfectly in line with our goal of not getting wet. Excellent job by everyone today. Rest day coming up tomorrow.
The team sends their best to all back at home!
RMI Guide JM Gorum
On The Map
July 19, 2017
Posted by: JM Gorum
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Elbrus Southside
Elevation: 12,500'
The team sends their greetings from 12,500ft. We all made it up to the Garabashi Hut in good style today. Everyone got moved in, and then went for a nice jaunt in perfect weather. We got a little training in on our new snowy surface, and then headed back to the huts for a nice lunch. Nobody is going hungry just yet.
The heat of the day lead to some building clouds, precipitation, and eventually some light thunderstorms in the distance. People spent the afternoon reading, writing, and napping. We're settling in quite nicely up here. Check in tomorrow.
RMI Guide JM Gorum
On The Map
Charlie, Nikolai and Aleksandr (My Stevens Boys)- Looks Amazing! I wish I were there. Sending you lots of love and positive energy. Godspeed!
Posted by: Vivian M. Urena-Stevens on 7/19/2017 at 6:35 pm
Craig and Carol, Sending lots of love ( and not a little envy!) and blessings for a great climb. You guys rock! Armen and Vicky
Posted by: vicky hanjian on 7/19/2017 at 11:57 am
July 18, 2017
Posted by: JM Gorum
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Elbrus Southside
Elevation: 11,000'
We had our first day up above ten thousand feet, and it couldn't have been much better. The weather was perfect, and the views were just as good. The wildflowers here are blooming, and with the breeze we had today, their smell filled the air. So we walked with postcard views and air that smelled like flowers, not bad.
We reached a nice spot around eleven thousand feet, took some photos, and made some new friends. We got our first good view of the route, and I would say folks have it just about memorized now. If the team fell short in any aspect today, it was in our ability to take a group photo. It's the thought that counts I suppose.
After a nice lunch back in town, we went through our gear, and packed everything in preparation for heading uphill. We are mountain bound tomorrow morning. Досвидания!
RMI Guide JM Gorum
On The Map
July 17, 2017
Posted by: JM Gorum
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Elbrus Southside
Elevation: 11,000'
After a full day of travel, the team has made it to Cheget. We enjoyed our time in Moscow, but it always feels good to be in the mountains. The air is crisp, and the rivers are swollen. From the hotel we can see multiple hanging glaciers, and from town we can easily see the East summit of Elbrus.
We've got a few things to take care of here over the coming days, but it won't be long until we're living life up in the hills!
RMI Guide JM Gorum
On The Map
Be Safe and Have Fun!!! Tell Craig (Dad) we love him and we’re so proud!!- From all his kids and grandkids:)
Posted by: Hannah Clark on 7/18/2017 at 7:20 am
Good luck! Have fun and tell Zarina hello for us!
Posted by: Rebecca Robinson on 7/17/2017 at 5:33 pm
The team has arrived in Moscow! Everyone has their bags, though some had to work a little harder than others for that luxury.
Today, we started with a tour of the Kremlin. We saw some really big cannons, and some very old cathedrals. Some of those cathedrals contain remains of people who died in the 14th century. That's before Christopher Columbus even sailed the ocean blue, which was in 1492, of course. There is a lot of history here.
The team toured the Red Square, ate some ice cream, and ate some lunch. After our tour, folks split ways for a bit. Some taking naps, some exploring on their own, and some opting to track down their luggage. Success on all fronts.
We just got back from dinner, everyone is packed up and ready to head out early tomorrow for our departure to Mineralnye Vody. You'll hear from us soon.
RMI Guide JM Gorum
Wow! It has been a whirlwind. This is the first chance I have had to catch my breath. We have explored St. Petersburg and it's beautiful museums and churches. We took an evening canal tour and ended the evening with a bit of Karaoke (not on the itinerary). Most of us, me included, should keep our day jobs. A few of our team mates will remain to some additional site seeing but the majority of us have left St. Petersburg and are making our way home. Our bags are filled with local treasures for friends and family members and heads our spinning from our recent experiences and plans for upcoming adventures. It has been a wonderful trip and it's been my pleasure to spend time abroad with this great team.
Until next time,
RMI Guide Mark Tucker
July 8, 2017
Here we are back in Cheget! We had a very interesting climb. We started looking at the weather around midnight and made our plan to leave at 3 am with the help of a snowcat ride. It was clear above us with a mild breeze at camp and the forecast was calling for moderate winds. We woke the team at 1:45 am and got ready for our summit attempt. The wind increased as we ascended but it didn't turn us back. We were prepared for a big climb and that is what we experienced. We took a few photos on the summit of Mt. Elbrus and then started our descent. We return to the huts where we spent the last few nights, had lunch, packed our gear and then continued down to the thick are of the Baksan Valley. Tommorow we will enjoy a day of rest and touring in Cheget before we head off to St. Petersburg.
RMI Guide Mark Tucker
Previous Page
Next Page
Yayyyy! Congratulations! We’ve loved “following” you. see you in August! A&V
Posted by: Vicky and Armen on 7/23/2017 at 1:13 pm
Carol and Craig, Congratulations! Mission accomplished! Best wished for a safe trip down. Kay
Posted by: Kay Nims on 7/23/2017 at 12:46 pm
View All Comments