Kili Climbers On The Serengeti

February 5, 2013

Camp on the Safari (Eben Reckord)

IMG guide Jenni Fogle reports that the Kili team wrapped up the climb with their big celebration dinner back in Moshi, Â then caught the flight to Serengeti the next day.Â Sounds like the animal viewing has been excellent so far, including the elusive leopard which made a guest appearanceÂ (this is the most difficult of the â€œBig 5â€ animals to view).

Now they are heading to their luxury tented camp for an authentic safari experience under the stars!

Eric Simonson

Team Vernovage Summits

February 4, 2013

Aconcagua summit (Jessica Carideo)

Greg Vernovage, Martin Lucero and team report 100% on top, 9 am Pacific time.Â Weather perfect â€“ no wind, no clouds.

Phil Ershler

A Little R&R Before The Safari

February 4, 2013

Smiles all around for a job well done (Jenni Fogle)

You come down from 7 days/6 nights on the mountain and then itâ€™s a cold, adult beverage, showers, a change of clothes and then a nice, sit-down dinner.Â Jenni sent this photo last night of a seriously happy group.

Phil Ershler

Aconcagua Teams In Good Position

February 4, 2013

High Camp (Warren Wilhide Jr.)

Heard from both Greg and Mike on Sunday.Â Greg moved to high camp and the guys spent Super Bowl Sunday getting ready for their own game day.Â Monday will be a summit attempt.Â Group is feeling good and forecast is good.Â No sense sitting at high camp when signs say you should be heading for the top.Â We should know by the end of Monday and will get something on the blog when we actually hear.

Mike had a good carry to C1.Â He and his team are following their game plan, taking it one day at a time.Â No big changes in the weather forecasted for the next couple of days so theyâ€™ll continue their â€˜carry/moveâ€™ schedule and take days off when either the weather or health dictates.

Bottom line is that news is good from Argentina.

Phil Ershler

Kilimanjaro Summit!

February 2, 2013

Summit! (Allison C. Schwartzman)

IMG Senior Guide, Jenni Fogle, called in on Friday, February 1, to let us know that her entire team and she were standing on the summit of Kilimanjaro. Way to go! She also reported a light dusting of snow on the ground which made for a simply beautiful morning. What a great way for these folks to begin 2013.

The descent is long but no worries â€“ theyâ€™re going DOWN. Everything is better down lower. Iâ€™m sure thoughts are rapidly turning away from the mountain and towards the safari. Three nights on a real African safari are just around the corner for these guys. Well done, everyone!

Phil Ershler

Hamill At Base Camp; Vernovage Stays At C2

February 1, 2013

Plaza Argentina (Randy Christofferson)

Two calls just came in from Aconcagua.Â Greg Vernovage and team decided to stay at C2 today.Â Just too windy and no pressing need to get a carry in today.Â Forecast remains reasonable so best to sit tight and put that carry in tomorrow.

Mike Hamill and team just pulled into base camp at Plaza Argentina.Â Not a cloud in the sky but windy.Â That confirms what Greg said.Â Mike will take tomorrow off, for sure.

Bottom line, all is OK with both teams on Aconcagua.Â Weather hasnâ€™t been a big issue so everyoneâ€™s in pretty good spirits.Â One day at a time, now.

Phil Ershler

Spaghetti At Camp 2 Tonight

January 31, 2013

En route to C2. (Photo Randy Christofferson)

Greg Vernovage checked in from Camp 2 on Aconcagua a few minutes ago (1pm PST). All is well. They’ve moved in for the night and are firing up the stoves for some hot drinks and eventually some spaghetti for dinner.

They’re sitting under some high clouds that are threatening a little precipitation, but the wind is light : “its’ pretty good for where we’re at in the world,”Â said Greg. “We’re most excited about the light winds, maybe we’ll get a good nights sleep tonight, well that’s what we’re hoping for at least”.

The plan right now is to carry to High Camp tomorrow, take a rest day on Saturday at c2, then move on up to High Camp on Super Bowl Sunday.

Tye Chapman

Nice Weather At Karanga Camp

January 31, 2013

Karanga Camp (Allison C. Schwartzman)

IMG guide Jenni Fogle reports that after a couple days of afternoon rain, the team had dry weather today for the spectacular hike over the Barranco Wall and below the glaciers.Â Now they are enjoying a beautiful evening at Karanga Camp (about 13,000 ft).Â The plan for tomorrow is to get an early start for the climb to Barafu Camp (about 15,000 ft) so the team will have all afternoon to snooze and rest, in preparation for the summit bid.Â Sounds like everyone is doing well.Â So far so good!

Eric Simonson

Lava Tower Highlights The Day For Kili Team

January 30, 2013

Barranco Camp

After a great day acclimatizing with a hike up to about 14,500â€™, the Kilimanjaro team has rolled into Barranco camp at 13,000â€™.Â Today they hiked from Shira camp and enjoyed a nice view of Lava Tower along the way.

They will be heading up the Barranco Wall in the morning.Â Not many more days and theyâ€™ll be on their summit push.

Keep up the good work team!

Eric Simonson

Aconcagua Teams Right On Schedule

January 30, 2013

Taking in the vistas along the way.

Greg checked in from Aconcagua this afternoon reporting all is well. They carried to C2 today withoutÂ issue.Â It got a little windy in the saddle, but that’s standard operating procedure on Aconcagua. They’ll move up tomorrow.

Lower down on the mountain is Mike Hamill and his team who had a good first day on the trail. They’re at the first trekking camp, Pampa de Llenas, en route to Base Camp. No issues to speak of.

Tye Chapman