Entries By mike walter
September 1, 2013
Posted by: Mike Walter
Categories: Expedition Dispatches North Cascades
Elevation: 9,127'
Jeff and I had a great day yesterday. We climbed from Lake Ann up through the
Fisher Chimneys and established camp at the edge of the Upper Curtis. After a nice long lunch, we packed our light summit packs and headed out. We reached the summit via the Southeast ridge at about 4:50pm, and had it all to ourselves. We arrived back at camp at around 7:25 last night. Today we'll likely do some ice climbing this morning before packing up camp and heading back down through the Chimneys. But first, it's coffee time!
RMI Guide Mike Walter
August 27, 2013
Posted by: Mike Walter
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mount Rainier
Elevation: 10,080'
The
Four Day Summit Climb August 24 - 27 led by RMI Guide
Mike Walter was unable to reach the summit of Mt. Rainier this morning due to poor weather on the mountain. Mike Walter reported wind, snow and rain at Camp Muir over night. This morning the teams will begin their descent to Paradise.
We look forward to seeing them at Rainier Base Camp this afternoon.
The
Sahale Mountain - Quien Sabe Glacier climb led by RMI Guide Geoff Schellens was unable to summit yesterday due to a combination of poor route conditions and poor weather. The team spent last night at their camp in Boston Basin and are hiking back to the trailhead this morning.
The
Mt. Shuksan - Fisher Chimneys team led by Mike Walter was also unable to summit. Mike reported wet, foggy conditions on the Fisher Chimneys route. The team team spent last night at their camp on the White Salmon Glacier and are making the four mile hike back to the trailhead this morning.
August 11, 2013
Posted by: Mike Walter
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mount Rainier
Elevation: 14,410'
The Four Day Summit Climb and the Five Day Summit Climb reached the summit of Mt. Rainier this morning. The guides reported moderate winds and cloudy conditions. The teams were departing the summit around 7:30 a.m. and are returning to Camp Muir to refuel before continuing downhill to Paradise. We’ll see them back in Ashford this afternoon.
Congratulations to today's teams!
Waiting out a rain delay was a good decision at the start of our program. A 6 1/2-hour hike yesterday brought us to camp in warm and dry weather. This morning 100% of our team reached the summit of
Mt. Shuksan via the southeast ridge of the summit pyramid! After a short rest at camp, our crew climbed down through the Fisher Chimneys, back to the Lake Ann Trail and to the trailhead.
Congratulations to the Mt. Shuksan - Fisher Chimneys team!
RMI Guide Mike Walter
July 24, 2013
Posted by: Melissa Arnot, Mike Walter
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mount Rainier
Elevation: 14,410'
The
Five Day Summit Climb led by RMI Guides
Mike Walter and the Four Day – All Women’s Climb led by
Melissa Arnot reached the summit of Mt. Rainier this morning. Today’s climb marked Melissa’s 100th summit of Mt. Rainier!
The teams began their descent from the crater rim just before 7 am. Clear skies and beautiful sunshine. They will return to Camp Muir for a short break and then continue to Paradise this afternoon.
Congratulations to today's summit climbers!
July 14, 2013
Posted by: Mike Walter
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Ecuador
Mike Walter called today at 11:15am PST. The nearby volcano Tungurahua erupted yesterday. They are OK and received some spectacular views from the event. Tungurahua is on the opposite side of
Chimborazo relative to the groups camp. While there was a lot of ash wrapping
Chimborazo yesterday it is all below them in the clouds today. Mike and team are preparing for their summit attempt later tonight/early tomorrow morning. Mike said he will do his best to call from the summit. Wish them luck!
RMI Guide Mike Walter
July 13, 2013
Posted by: Mike Walter
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Ecuador
After a relaxing stay at Hosteria La Cienega, we're travelling south towards our next climbing destination, Chimborazo. At 6,310 meters, Chimborazo is the highest peak in Ecuador and higher than any peak north of it in the Americas. Due to the earth's equatorial bulge, Chimborazo also holds the distinction of being the point on the earth that's closest to the sun, and the point furthest from the center of the earth. Chimborazo will definitely test this team's mettle over the next few days of climbing.
We will head out tomorrow morning and establish a camp high on the flanks of Chimborazo. We plan to climb on Monday morning and return to camp that same night. We call in to let you know how our climb goes. But tonight we're resting in beds again in the beautiful lodge, Estrella de Chimborazo, with great views of the mountain.
Cheers,
RMI Guide Mike Walter
July 12, 2013
Posted by: Mike Walter
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Ecuador
Elevation: 18,000'
We spent the past two nights camped near the base of
Antisana, at an altitude of around 13,500', getting ready for our summit bid. Last night we woke well before midnight and were pleased to find a starry sky with calm winds. The climbing on Antisana was very enjoyable, weaving in and out of crevasses and climbing steep slopes, all on consistent snow for cramponing. Everyone did very well, but as our altitude increased throughout the climb, so did the wind speed. Very strong winds and moisture were streaming in over Antisana from the Rainforest to the east and far, far below. The winds were consistently blowing 30mph with much higher gusts, and it made it challenging to stand up, much less climb a volcano that is well over 18,000' in height. We climbed strong but the winds proved too much, and we turned around about 500 meters shy of the summit.
We all arrived back at camp safely and packed up our tents and now we're headed south. Our first stop, tonight, will be the historic Hosteria La Cienega. Hot showers, warm beds, and delicious food awaits our team as we will take a much needed rest day tomorrow.
That's all for now. We'll be in touch again tomorrow!
RMI Guide
Mike Walter
July 10, 2013
Posted by: Mike Walter
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Ecuador
Elevation: 14,500'
We've been enjoying the natural hot spring pools in Papallacta, even if it is a bit rainy. Yesterday we took an acclimatization hike up to around 14,500', but only stayed out for about an hour and a half, as rain, snow, and wind drove us back to Papallacta. We've been sleeping at 11,000' in Papallacta, so we're definitely acclimating to the high altitude.
Today we're off to base camp on Antisana, where we'll set up tents and establish camp for two nights prior to our summit bid. We're all looking forward to getting deeper into the mountains...
RMI Guide Mike Walter
I’m sorry the weather did not cooperate with your summit attempt.
Posted by: Bob on 8/27/2013 at 9:36 am
Praying for a safe journey back down to the base camp.
Posted by: Stacy on 8/27/2013 at 9:32 am
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