Entries By jm gorum
The team is resting today at Plaza Argentina which is helping them acclimate for our climb. Most reported that they slept the best thus far, 30ish miles of walking will do that I guess.
Goals for the day included eating a fresh breakfast, sorting gear, doing some laundry, taking a hike and eating pizza, not to bad at 13,600'.
Their hike went out into a valley where Cerro Ibanez looms. The rocks and soil are an amazing crimson color and one gets the feeling like they could easily be on Mars.
Tomorrow we will carry gear and food to Camp 1 and make our first cache. Until then we are trying to stay out of the wind and sun.
RMI Guide Mike King
On The Map
After two long days trekking through the Vacas Valley we rode mules across the river and our trail turned uphill into the Relinchos Valley as we gained 3000'+ to arrive at Base Camp on Aconcagua. The Team was surprised at the amenities offered at Plaza Argentina including refreshments, Internet hotspots, showers and perhaps the biggest hit, plastic chairs to relax in.
These long expeditions don't have to be all pain and suffering, the early pioneers suffered plenty for all of us. We will take the remainder of the day to rest and re-hydrate after the hot & dusty trek. Some of the Team have showered and some are waiting for our 1st rest day on Tuesday. From here the trek is over and the climb begins, with preparing gear and group loads to carry to Camp 1.
A consistent comment from everyone is just how blue the sky is in contrast with the multicolored rock bands that form this section of the Andes. It looks like the ridge lines have been cut with an exacto knife.
We will check in on the rest day but for now everyone sends their best to friends and loved ones back home.
RMI Guide Mike King
On The Map
it must have really been great with the mules carrying both you and your gear. And showers?? How fabulous. Love seeing the photos. As usual, safe and fun travels.
Posted by: Betty (Art's sister) on 1/3/2017 at 5:21 am
The team is currently resting in the sweat lodges that are their tents. This camp is known for its windy conditions and without steep ridges and peaks to block the sun, escaping the wind means roasting like a Kenny Roger's chicken.
As we continue the trek to Base Camp the size of this valley only grows as the Vacas River gets closer to it's source.
After seeing Aconcagua for the first time today, everyone is looking forward to the cold temperatures at Base Camp.  Tomorrow we finish the trek, here's to calm winds and strong backs for the team.
RMI Guide Mike King
have good weather and great climb, thanks mike for the up dates
Posted by: mark and helen walsh on 1/2/2017 at 11:01 am
Love reading the updates! Just want my brother to know I’m thinking of him and enjoying the climb vicariously!! Best of fun to the team…enjoy each day!!! XXOA
Posted by: Andrea on 1/2/2017 at 7:14 am
While we won't make it until the Ball drops tonight, we will have a nice dinner and do a little celebrating with the mule drivers. Our Aconcagua Team has arrived in camp after a hot day hiking with a nice breeze that made the heat tolerable. This first day is a lesson in patience. Picture walking six hours in the high desert covered in softballs. If your thinking, "not ideal" you'd be right, but this is our approach trail and our aching feet took a backseat to watching condors soar high above the neighboring Andean peaks.
The team is resting and rehydrating and wishes everyone back home a 'Feliz Anio Nuevo"!
RMI Guide Mike King
Want to wish my amazing brother, Art Muir, a Happy Birthday! Now I can brag about my 71 year old brother who climbs mountains all over the world! Have a great day, Art.
Posted by: Bonnie on 1/9/2017 at 6:56 am
Jim and Art…we are following the climb. So exciting! Be safe. Hope to see your faces on one of the posts.
Jack and Pam Schriver
Posted by: Jack and Pam Schriver on 1/2/2017 at 6:10 pm
Posted by: Mike King, JM Gorum
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Aconcagua
This is Mike King with the RMI December 28th Aconcagua Expedition. We are currently in Penitentes relaxing and waiting for dinner to start. Everyone arrived with all their gear and the Team has already begun to bond and been cranking through tasks to get ready for the 3 day trek to Plaza Argentina. We have clear skies and hot weather in the forecast. This will be a short dispatch as we are at the hotel with wifi, so contact your loved ones here in Argentina and wish them a 'happy New Years and safe & successful climb'.
We won't be envious of your Seacrest-Times Square Ball Drop show since we'll be celebrating out under the most spectacular night sky ever taken in with authentic Argentine cowboys cooking the most delicious steaks anyone has had the pleasure of eating.
The Camp at Lenas is notorious for not allowing satellite phone coverage so if you do not see a dispatch, do not fret. Know that the group is well and currently experiencing the 'meat sweats' which can translate into 'meatmares' at bedtime. Check back for more great stories from Aconcagua.
RMI Guide Mike King
On The Map
Wishing you all a Happy and Healthy New Year! Here’s to your journey and wishing you all success!
Be safe, have fun! Love, the Andersen girls
Posted by: Natalia on 12/31/2016 at 10:18 am
Rob, looking forward to following your journey with Mike and team. Safe travels and Happy New Year to everyone! Mike and Paula
Posted by: Michael and Paula Richards on 12/31/2016 at 9:40 am
Posted by: Pete Van Deventer, JM Gorum
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Elbrus Northside
Our Elbrus Northside trip concluded in one of my favorite towns to visit in Europe, St. Petersburg. Finally sleeping in to a leisurely hour, we met our tour guide and bus at 10 am and departed on a circuitous path through the history filled city to see the sites. St. Petersburg is home to some of the more stunning cathedrals in Russia, and those were a primary focus of the tour, passing by the Church of our Savior on the Spilled Blood, St. Nicholas’ Cathedral (a cathedral dedicated to the Saint of travel and maritime navigation, which is of huge significance in a city founded to be the maritime capitol of Russia, and the home of it’s navy), and St. Issac’s Cathedral. The massive scale of St. Issac’s is something to behold, and on one side, its huge columns still bare the scars left from mortar and artillery shells fired at the city during its 600-day siege in World War II. We also passed the warship that fired the symbolic first shot that began the Bolshevik takeover of Russia’s government, and found ourselves finally at the Hermitage.
The Hermitage is comprised of the former winter palace of the Romanov dynasty, as well as several buildings that were added on later by different emperors and empresses, and is home to an art collection in excess of 2.7 million pieces. Our guide spent an hour taking us through the buildings, pointing out some highlights, a Michelangelo, two paintings by DaVinci, and several by Rembrandt. After the hour, our tour guide released us to wander through the stunning rooms ourselves at our own pace. That evening we regrouped for a canal boat tour, beginning on the river Nevski, which runs through the heart of St. Petersburg. Unfortunately, the days of recent rain (many of which we had experienced!), had swollen the rivers and canals, so that the boat was unable to make its way through the usual circuit of canals that run through the heart of the city, as the passages under the bridges were too low, but we still were able to see the summer gardens and several more palaces from the unique perspective of the canal.
That led us to our final dinner as a group. The Jerome presented the perfect destination, and when the chef came out to show us the special — a beautifully marbled cut of local prime rib weighing almost a kg, everyone was sold. Delicious local beef, and several bottles of Spanish Rioja provided the perfect ending celebration to a really special trip that everyone enjoyed. We were sad to part ways the following morning, some of us very early, for flights back to the US. This was a special group of climbers to work with, and JM and I would like to thank everyone for their hard work and incredible perseverance and positive attitudes. We look forward to running into everyone in the mountains again soon, and thanks to all who followed along on our adventure!
Signing off,
RMI Guides Pete Van Deventer and JM Gorum
Posted by: Pete Van Deventer, JM Gorum
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Elbrus Northside
The last two days have flown by quickly, mostly involving automobiles, planes, airports, lots of bags, and a little walking. We had to wake early yesterday after our summit push to start the walk to Mt. Elbrus' Base Camp, and the forecast called for rain, and our drivers were worried about getting the vans back across the river before the water levels rose. So we awoke at 5 to the sound of rain and quickly packed our bags, but pleasantly the rain subsided, and we had a nice, but very heavy walk back to the pastures where our adventure started. As we descended, the loose scree of the moraine have way to wide alluvial plains again, then the moss covered rocky hills and chasms of the lower mountain. We had only been at camp 1 for about a week, but the verdant green plant life, flowers, and birds of the lower elevations were still welcome sensory stimulation!
As we arrived at Base Camp, so did the vans, so we repacked hurriedly and climbed into another offroad sprinter van for the bouncy and at times thrilling drive back to Kislovodsk. Some took the afternoon to explore town, others supported and dried gear, and then we meet for our final Caucasian dinner, which we deemed Meat Fest. Three and a half 1 kilogram platters of delicious bbq lamb, beef, chicken, and pork had everyone holding their stomachs, gasping for air, but still trying to finish every morsel. Our national pride was on the line as Dave pointed out.
Today we once again did the great shuffle, catching an early shuttle to the airport, and then a flight to Moscow and on to St. Petersburg. St. Petersburg is very cosmopolitan, and has the feel of old Europe, with cafes, bars, and restaurants at every turn. We found the Craft Brew Cafe and knew it would suit our needs. We just returned from another delicious meal, where different types of dried meats, chantrelles (which are in season!) and a delicious take on Bourchte were all featured heavily. Tomorrow we've got a busy day touring this beautiful city, and everybody is excited.
RMI Guides Pete Van Deventer, JM Gorum, and team
Posted by: Pete Van Deventer, JM Gorum
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Elbrus Northside
Elevation: 18,510'
What a spectacular day of climbing here in Russia! We got up just as that big orange ball of fire was cresting the horizon, but distant, low clouds to the East turned it blood red, as it set the Caucasus on fire. The excitement of a summit morning was palpable as everyone moved about with a little extra pep putting the final preparations on their packing jobs, and them we were underway.
The skies were crystal clear for nearly all of our ascent, and a 10mph downhill breeze kept things pretty chilly, as well as filled in any trace of a trail, though there was a group of 12 just 30min ahead of us. Three stretches of climbing brought us to the saddle between the East and West summits. There, we joined the Southside route for the final push to the West Summit. Five and a half hours after leaving camp, we were standing on the top of Europe, snapping photos, sharing congratulations, and enjoying the achievement. The wind was still chilly, and cranking steadily, so after 20 min or so, we were ready to beat feet back down. Our timing couldn't have been better; as we left clouds started to flow over the summit, and descended as we did. We got back to our high camp, packed things up, and kept rolling down to our camp 1 at 12,300, where we are now, enjoying kebab and mulled wine from our outfitter Yuri.
Tomorrow we'll wake early to descend to base camp and meet our vans to return to Kislovodsk and civilization. From there, our Russian adventure will continue in St. Petersburg! For now, we'll relish in our success and look forward to showers and beds tomorrow.
RMI Guides Pete Van Deventer, JM Gorum, and team
On The Map
Posted by: Pete Van Deventer, JM Gorum
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Elbrus Northside
Elevation: 15,200'
We have settled in to high camp at Lenz Rocks after a beautiful day of climbing. Warm sun, and a cloudless sky at breakfast let us dally a bit longer than had been our want, and then we set to packing up camp, paring down our gear to the essentials, and getting ready to climb to 15,000'. The climbing is very smooth, mostly walking straight up a broad shoulder of the glacier, and everyone performed well. The scale here is pretty large, and difficult to get a grasp on, and it was quickly apparent that it was better to focus on one's steps than looking up, as things took much longer to approach than it seemed like they should.
With camp built, we're headed to bed early in anticipation of an earlyish start for the summit tomorrow. With any luck, we'll be calling in from the summit tomorrow!
Dobrye din,
RMI Guides Pete Van Deventer, JM Gorum, and team
On The Map
Congratulations all on reaching the summit! Wonderful news.
Gayle
Posted by: Gayle Hitton on 8/13/2016 at 6:06 pm
Posted by: Pete Van Deventer, JM Gorum
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Elbrus Northside
Elevation: 12,300'
Rain and wet snow pounding on the tent this morning told us all we needed to know about the wisdom of moving uphill today. With folks recovering from our united GI distress, another day to rest up and be ready for the move was in order. The clouds gave us a break finally, and most of the day was very pleasant, though the moving snow and lenticulars told a different story above. By this evening everyone was excited to be feeling good again, and we are well prepped for a move to our high camp at Lenz Rocks tomorrow.
We'll be in touch soon,
RMI Guides Pete Van Deventer, JM Gorum, and team
Go Go Pete + crew…GI distress ~ Hmm: Sounds familar!
Posted by: Walter Glover on 8/12/2016 at 5:49 am
Mike and JM, have fun! My Denali Tribe, wish I were there with you.. kick butt. Did Kevin bring a gnome with a sombrero?
Posted by: Rhonda McCormick on 1/4/2017 at 10:37 am
Greetings from Annapolis Valley, Nova Scotia to Kevin Walsh and the rest of the climbing team!!
Kevin, please let me know if the glacial ice caves are still at base camp?
Next section of your journey is tiring, but a great close up of the penitentes !
Best of luck, and safe travels to everyone !
Posted by: Ken Barrett on 1/4/2017 at 6:12 am
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