And That’s A Wrap

February 13, 2013

Aconcagua and the Polish Glacier (Phil Ershler)

Mike, Josh, Leandro and team, all their gear and all fingers and toes are now back in Mendoza.Â Lots to sort and organize and pack away today but lots of time for more meals and naps, too.Â Big dinner tonight and flights home for most of the crew tomorrow.Â Safe, successful, enjoyable and a great learning experience â€“ that pretty much wraps up the Big Four of an IMG expedition.Â From Mike to our most junior arriero (mule driver) they all deserve a huge congratulations.Â IMG probably emphasizes this more than any other guide service but Aconcagua is no trek.Â This is a serious undertaking and should be tackled only by climbers who are fit and prepared to work as part of a team.Â IMG climbers climb Aconcagua.Â No one is waiting on them, putting up their tents and carrying all their gear.Â Our team members are active participants who come with IMG because they want to climb.Â Pretty cool.

Congratulations to Mikeâ€™s team.Â That wraps up our 2012/13 season.Â Seven expeditions in all.Â Five groups reached the top; weather said no to the other two.Â But no accidents and no close calls.Â We call that a very good season.

Phil Ershler

From Shira To Barranco Camp

February 13, 2013

Lead IMG guide Jenni Fogle called in from Barranco Camp after the team enjoyed some better weather today.Â Jenni reports that everyone is very strong and doing well with the altitude so far.Â Plus she says that they’re just a fun crew to hang out with.Â This bodes well for the team as the challenge of the day was to climb to over 14,500′, before they dropped back down to camp at about 13,000′.Â Not an easy day for most people, but certainly rewarding.Â Dinner was about to be served when Jenni called.

: Trekking Rocks. (photo: Mike Marker)

: The long haul (photo: Mike Marker)

: The Indiana Crew (photo: Mike Marker)

They’ll get some rest overnight and will begin the scramble over the Breach Wall tomorrow, with the end goal of the day being Karanga camp.Â Keep up the good work team!

Clarissa Morford

Patagonia Team Arrives In Punta Arenas

La Luna in Punta

February 12, 2013

Tye Chapman reports in from Punta last night that all members of the party are ‘present and accounted for’.Â Always a good excuse to go have dinner with our friends at La Luna restaurant in Punta.Â It never disappoints.Â Â With a team of 10, that’s no small feat, especially with the storms which have plagued the east coast.Â Puerto Natales is the project for today with a peek at penguins on the way.

Phil Ershler

Kili Team At Shira Camp

February 12, 2013

Kilimanjaro revealing itself from behind the clouds

Jenni Fogle checked in at 5:50am PST (4:50pm Kili time) to report that the team had reached Shira Camp and all are doing great.Â They had good weather for the hike today, just missing the light rain that has just started to fall.Â All are snug in their tents for now and are getting ready for dinner together shortly.Â Tomorrow they head to Baranco Camp.Â All is well!

George Dunn

West Papua Expedition Summits Sumantri

February 12, 2013

Looking up at Sumantri from near Carstensz Base Camp (Jason Edwards)

IMG guide Dan Zokaites called in on the sat phone to report that they had reached the summit of Sumantri, one of the other main peaks in the Carstensz area.Â Sumantri (4870 m;15,978 ft) is north of Carstensz Pyramid on the other side of the valley, and it is home to one of the only (and fast receding) glaciers in south Asia.Â Dan reports they did some rock scrambling, then used crampons on the glaciated portion, then climbed class 4 rock to the summit.Â Good job you guys, I bet there have not been many people to summit this peak!

Eric Simonson

Kili Climbers Arrive At Machame Camp

February 11, 2013

Route times posted by Kilimanjaro National Park at Machame Gate (Eric Simonson)

IMG guide Jenni Fogle reports that the team had a great first day on the trail.Â Starting from Moshi, they rode up in jeeps to the Machame Gate (about 6000 feet).Â Then, they had a nice 4000 foot climb up through the forest to the first camp, arriving a little after 4pm, just in time for some tea, snacks and some well-deserved rest.Â So far so good!

Eric Simonson

Aconcagua Updates

February 11, 2013

Aconcagua summit (Phil Ershler)

We have news to report from each of our last two Aconcagua groups.Â Greg and team are landing back home today.Â Itâ€™s over.Â All 6 team members have the summit and hopefully 7000 meters worth of friendships and memories.Â Great job, guys.

Gregâ€™s great news is followed by Mike Hamill and teamâ€™s great news.Â The guys stood on top yesterday and should be in Plaza Mulas as I write this.Â This was a strong group and a group which worked hard together.Â 11 members and guides stood on the summit.Â Weather made them work for it, however.Â The winds of Aconcagua, the Viento Blanco, and the fresh snow werenâ€™t easy.Â It was cold.Â 7000 meters is cold, even on the best of days.Â We want to congratulate Mike and team for a super job.Â Weâ€™ll look forward to hearing from them later today when they reach Plaza Mulas.Â And, with luck, the crew will be eating steaks in Mendoza by late tomorrow night.

Phil Ershler

Chicks For The Orphanage!

February 11, 2013

: February 9 Kili Team (Jenni Fogle)

: Chicks for the Orphanage (Mike Marker)

IMG guide Jenni Fogle reports that the February 9 Kili team arrived on schedule and that everyone is ready to climb.Â Good news, as some of the team flying from the Northeast USA had to divert to other cities due to the big snowstorm.Â Yesterday a number of the members, spearheaded by Mike, Scott, and Kendall from Indiana, made a special visit to the Msamaria Orphanage in Moshi.Â Mike reports that “We brought laptop computers, vitamins, candy, soccer balls, and more. And, through generous donations from KidsFirst Foundation and BarnRaisers, we provided 500 chicks, feed and supplies for the Orphanage to start a sustainable chicken project.Â It was an awesome day with the kids and the Orphanage leaders were very impressive.Â What a great first day of giving back and preparing for our climb”.

Way to go, you guys!!

Eric Simonson

Carstensz Climbers Reach Base Camp

February 10, 2013

Carstensz Base Camp (Jason Edwards)

IMG guide Dan Zokaites reports that the team has all reached Carstensz Base Camp successfully via helicopter from Timika (no small feat from a logistics standpoint).Â It is a big jump in altitude doing it this way (Timika is basically sea-level and BC is 13,200 ft) so the first couple days will be easy ones as the team gets acclimatized.Â Their pilot is scheduled to return on the 18th, so they have over a week now for mountaineering.Â In addition to climbing Carstensz, they are also hoping to climb some of the other peaks in the area such as Ngga Pulu, Semantiri, and Carstensz East. Weâ€™ll look forward to following their progress!

Eric Simonson

Kili Team At Ngorongoro

February 9, 2013

Team at Ngorongoro Crater (Sheryl Krohne)

IMG guide Jenni Fogle reports that the team wrapped up a great safari with an overnight visit to Ngorongoro Crater. This famous Tanzanian Park has a large population of animals living in the old volcano. The team camped near the rim, at over 8000 feet, and were treated to an evening campfire and an incredible night sky. Now, the members have departed and are on their way home, and Jenni has a few days off before her third and final Kili trip.
Way to go, team!

Eric Simonson