Entries By michael murray
January 15, 2024
Posted by: Dominic Cifelli, Ben Luedtke, Michael Murray
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Aconcagua
Elevation: 9,000'
Greetings from Pampa de Lena's! We awoke this morning at the rustic Hotel Ayelene eager to start our way up Aconcagua. We busily made final adjustments to our packs as questions about readiness filled our minds. Are we trained enough? Do we have the right gear packed? Will those croissants from this morning make it till break tomorrow? Will present Chris get in the way of past Chris helping future Chris pack?
But as we started walking questions like these fade away. Fueled by sweet bell peppers as we arrive at camp in style.
Climber Jon Honda
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January 14, 2024
Posted by: Dominic Cifelli, Ben Luedtke, Michael Murray
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Aconcagua
Elevation: 9,000'
Welcome to the Blog! This first one will be written by me, Dominic Cifelli, but throughout the trip we pass the torch to all the climbers in order to gain different perspective on the day in/day out of the trip. Keep a lookout for your loved one's name on the blog and please enjoy!
We're off! Landing in Mendoza, we were greeted with the warm temps and long days of the South American summer. A far cry from the cold snap our loved ones are experiencing in the U.S.A. The day was filled with long lunches, a siesta or two, and perusing the local markets for gifts and very late Christmas presents.
The first days of an expedition are exciting and quite hectic as we prepare, check, and recheck our equipment for the journey ahead. I always find that once we start walking, everything gets simpler because we can no longer quadruple check that we packed that favorite pair of socks or brought the right mittens. What's packed is packed and the job will become putting one front in front of the other.
That's for tomorrow's enjoyment, however. The rest of the day will be filled with prepping the duffels and food for the rough ride they take on the mules to Basecamp.
We do this in the "town" of Penitentes, close to the entrance to Aconcagua Provincial Park.
Stay tuned and wish us luck as we try to finish up the monstrous task of packing for a three-week trip.
Adios!
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December 12, 2023
Posted by: Dustin Wittmier, Michael Murray
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Ecuador
Elevation: 18,000'
Monday, December 11, 2023 - 8:45 pm PT
So it goes with climbing sometimes we take what the mountain gives us and unfortunately that isn't always the summit. The team awoke around 11pm to beautiful weather and had an incredible few hours of climbing under the stars on the upper slopes of Antisana. Every member of Team Cuy Frito showed off their impressive strength navigating a breathtaking and complex glacier, it was really a sight to see. As the team got just above 18,000 feet, we encountered some instabilities in the snow and made the decision to turn around due to avalanche concerns. While we didn't get to stand on top of this one, it was still a wonderful day of climbing. It has been a joy to watch the team come together as one big goofy family over the course of this adventure. We will all be coming back with memories to last a lifetime and our head's held high knowing we kicked some serious butt in the mountains along the way. Thank you for all the support at home and we will be seeing you all soon!
RMI Guide Michael Murray
Sign Up For Ecuador's Volcanoes 12-2-2023 Emails
Hey Dustin & Team!
You gave it your best and Im sure it was an Incredible experience! Being a farmer Mother Nature is always the boss and sometimes she will over rule us!
Farmer Dave
Posted by: Dave Kestel on 12/14/2023 at 2:55 am
December 10, 2023
Posted by: Dustin Wittmier, Michael Murray
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Ecuador
Elevation: 16,000'
The team has arrived at Antisana base camp and we are organizing gear for our summit attempt tonight. We are hoping for favorable weather to get this thing done. Wish us luck up there and send us some positive energy and clear, dry skies!
RMI Guide Michael Murray
Sign Up For Ecuador's Volcanoes 12-2-2023 Emails
Good luck Laura, and to all of you!!! Sending you lots of positive energy.
Posted by: Rich-E Schafer on 12/11/2023 at 9:50 am
Hey Dustin and Team!
Here is me sending Best wishes for Strength, Stamina, big Strong Lungs and legs and most of all a Star filled sky and light breeze and a Spectacular Sunrise!!
Farmer Dave
Posted by: Dave Kestel on 12/11/2023 at 2:45 am
December 9, 2023
Posted by: Dustin Wittmier, Michael Murray
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Ecuador
Well there ain't no rest for the wicked but thankfully we aren't wicked and we had ourselves a wonderful day of rest at the scenic Casa Ilayaku today. Gear was dried out while birds were watched and various animals visited during a stop at a local bird sanctuary and petting zoo, and fun was had by all. We will be checking out of the Hacienda tomorrow morning before making our way to Antisana basecamp where we will stage for another summit attempt tomorrow night. I didn't think it possible but morale has soared to unprecedented levels and we are looking forward to wrapping this trip up in good style with another strong push in the mountains. Friends and family you are certainly all missed at home and we look forward to seeing you soon.
RMI Guide Michael Murray
Sign Up For Ecuador's Volcanoes 12-2-2023 Emails
Good luck to all tomorrow!!
Posted by: Karolyn Thompson on 12/10/2023 at 8:26 am
Hey Dustin!
Sending thoughts of Strength and stamina, and perfect weather for another Big Summit to you and your Team!!
Posted by: Dave Kestel on 12/10/2023 at 3:05 am
December 9, 2023
Posted by: Dustin Wittmier, Michael Murray
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Ecuador
Elevation: 18,996'
Friday, December 8, 2023
"I don't know where I'm a gonna go when the volcano blow"
-The Late Great Jimmy Buffett
Well thankfully the volcano known as Cayambe did now blow today but it was in fact summitted by members of Team Cuy Frito! We rose early (11pm if you can call that early) to put the final touches on our gear organization and scarf down a little "breakfast" before heading out onto the mountain to make our summit attempt. Skies were cloudy with some light wind but spirits were high as we started our ascent via headlamp. As we continued to climb, the wind increased and as we climbed up into the clouds we found ourselves covered in ice but the team remained strong and continued all the way up to the top at 18,996 feet. I could not be more proud of how the team battled some less than ideal conditions to end up on the summit. We returned back to the high hut for a more traditional breakfast and treated ourselves to celebratory lunch before ending our day at the Casa Ilayaku Hacienda, where we will be relaxing and recovering before our final objective of the trip, the volcano Antisana. Something tells me we will all be sleeping well tonight, we have certainly earned it. Hope all is well back at home and we appreciate your support!
RMI Guides Dustin Wittmier & Michael Murray
Sign Up For Ecuador's Volcanoes 12-2-2023 Emails
You all are amazing! Congrats on summiting!
Posted by: Jean Wittmier on 12/9/2023 at 2:44 pm
Hey Dustin and Team!
Congrats to You and your Team !!! How Awesome is that! I remember the ice fog on Cotopoxi but maybe not as much as you had! Enjoy your rest day!!!
Farmer Dave
Posted by: Dave Kestel on 12/9/2023 at 8:43 am
December 7, 2023
Posted by: Dustin Wittmier, Michael Murray
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Ecuador
Elevation: 15,300'
Hello! We arrived at the high camp at Cayambe and walked up to the glacier for a quick snow school followed by a relaxing afternoon. The weather seems to be cooperating and we will make our summit attempt tonight, wish us luck!
RMI Guide Michael Murray
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All the best to you! Climb Strong!!!
Posted by: Dave Kestel on 12/8/2023 at 7:19 am
Wishing all of you the best… hope you celebrate with your Flaming Hot Cheetohs! Disfrutar!
Posted by: Patti Kay on 12/8/2023 at 5:06 am
December 5, 2023
Posted by: Dustin Wittmier, Michael Murray
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Ecuador
Hola amigos! Team Cuy Frito woke up a little earlier than yesterday to load up the bus and make our way to Cerro Fuya Fuya at 14,000 feet for another acclimatization hike. We walked through some clouds but stayed dry and had ourselves a swell time. We finished our day with a team dinner at the quaint hacienda Intiyaya and are now organizing gear to head to the climbing hut on Cayambe tomorrow. The search for Cheetos was fruitless today but hopes are high that we will track some of that orange goodness down as we visit the Otavalo market tomorrow for some souvenir shopping and to pick up some last minute snacks before heading to the mountain. Morale is as high as the Andes and we are all looking forward to the adventures to come. Hope all is well back at home and hasta luego!
RMI Guides Dustin Wittmier & Michael Murray
Sign Up For Ecuador's Volcanoes 12-2-2023 Emails
I love Jeff Daniels! iiiJeff es muy caliente!!
Posted by: Harry on 12/6/2023 at 2:06 pm
Who’s the guy that looks like Jeff Daniels???
Posted by: Jim Carrey on 12/5/2023 at 6:35 pm
December 4, 2023
Posted by: Dustin Wittmier, Michael Murray
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Ecuador
Hello friends, all is well here in sunny Ecuador! Yesterday we kicked off our adventure with a trip to the Equator to learn some science and balance eggs on a nail (difficult, but not impossible), followed by a cultural tour of the city. After a delicious Ecuadorian dinner and some spa time, the team hit the hay to rest up before our first acclimatization hike.
We awoke to blue skies and after a nice breakfast we headed to the teleférico where we took a ride up to 13,000 feet and were able to stretch our legs on a wonderful hike to the summit of Rucu Pichincha 15,354 feet. We saw some splendid flowers along the way and even some friendly birds at the summit.
Tomorrow we will check out of our hotel and make our way to Cero Fuya Fuya for another acclimatization hike before ending our day at a lovely hacienda in Otavalo (don't worry friends and family we are certainly not roughing it on this trip). Morale is high and at dinner tonight we will be finalizing our new team name so stay tuned.
Hope all is well back at home and hasta mañana.
RMI Guides Dustin Wittmier, Michael Murray & Team
Sign Up For Ecuador's Volcanoes 12-2-2023 Emails
Happy trails to the team! Going up!
Posted by: Patti Kay on 12/5/2023 at 7:50 am
What an exciting trip to take!
Posted by: Bruce Sutphin on 12/5/2023 at 6:24 am
August 8, 2023
Posted by: Alan Davis, Jack Delaney, Michael Murray, Charlie Harrison, Mitch Valaitis, Will Ambler
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Kilimanjaro
Elevation: 14,410'
After a few days of unsettled weather on the mountain, the Four Day Climb August 5 - 8 was able to reach the summit of Mt. Rainier led by RMI Guides Alan Davis and Jack Delaney. The teams reached the crater rim around 6:30 am PT and enjoyed an hour in the crater. They will return to Camp Muir for a quick stop before continuing down to Paradise this afternoon. We look forward to seeing the teams back at BaseCamp later today.
Congratulations to today's climbers!
Congratulations Peter and thanks to RMI guides & staff for a safe and successful climb
Posted by: Chuck Lorenz on 8/9/2023 at 8:34 pm
Congratulations Brett! Glad to read of the team success. You’re awesome
Posted by: Olga Walker on 8/9/2023 at 6:51 am
Get it! Wishing you all enjoyable and safe travels. You all trained and prepped so diligently, now it’s time to enjoy the trek to the top. Prayer and encouragement from Seattle.
Posted by: Ed DaPra on 1/16/2024 at 6:18 am
Good luck! Praying for a safe summit!
Posted by: Michelle DeMers on 1/15/2024 at 4:38 am
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