November 24, 2012
Vinson Base Camp
Phil Ershler
November 20, 2012
IMG Guide Josh McDowell is bestowed with the prestigious and highly coveted "Ugliest Sweater Champion" trophy.
IMG guides (Left —> Right) Chris Meder, Dustin Balderach, Josh McDowell, and Tyler Gimenez sporting their ugliest sweater at Tyler’s first annual Ugly Sweater Party. Looking good, guys.
Becky K.
November 16, 2012
Route follows the glacier center-left in the photo (Phil Ershler)
George Dunn, leading the current IMG Mexico trip, just called in. 100% on top of Orizaba. He was super excited about how well everyone did. All stood on top. He was calling from below a spot called the Labyrinth. It’s a series of gullies which provide access to the upper mountain. Sometimes they’re easy snow, sometimes a bit icy. George said they were a bit on the ‘firm’ side this week but that the entire team is already through that area. Now, it’s pretty much a matter of a couple of hours of rocky trail and they’ll be back to the hut. The driver and 4-wheel vehicle will be waiting for them. Then, it’s another couple of hours down to the Reyes family compound in Tlachichuca. Beer, showers and dinner – and in that order. Great job and congratulations to all.
Phil Ershler
November 14, 2012
Iztaccihuatl circa 1941
My partner, George Dunn, is in Mexico right now with one of our teams. Almost impossible to have anything other than a great time if George is at the helm. Weather’s been excellent and George called this morning to say – “summitâ€. All but one stood on top of Ixta this morning. Weather remains great and the team will head to Puebla for a night of R & R before heading to Tlachichuca on Thursday.
One down.
Phil Ershler
November 9, 2012
Windy conditions have been the norm for Greg & Co. (Tye Chapman)
Greg checked in from Refugio Paine Grande this afternoon after calling a bit of an audible…
The schedule had the team getting on a boat (from Refugio Grey) around noon, but the high winds had stirred up Lago Grey so much that the national park cancelled boat.
What is Plan B you ask? Well, they put their hiking shoes back on and headed over to Refugio Paine Grande – a 4 hour hike – where they jumped aboard the catamaran…The same one they used a couple days ago. They’re now safely at the van and en route to Puerto Natales where they’ll grab a late dinner.
Tomorrow, they’ll head to Punta Arenas and catch their flights home!
Tye Chapman
November 8, 2012
A few of the icebergs along the beach at Lago Grey. (Tye Chapman)
Greg checked in again today, this time from Refugio Grey. Today they had a nice hike up towards John Garner pass along the Grey Glacier. Right now they’re in the hut enjoying a glass of wine as the snow falls (sideways) again.
Yesterday the weather wasn’t quite as cooperative; it sounds like wind was the theme of the day. They didn’t make the journey up Mt. Ferrier, instead they walked the iceberg laden beach of Lago Grey. This was followed by their boat ride to the refugio which was accompanied by some nice sized whitecaps crashing over the bow!
They’re done trekking, just a boat ride back to an awaiting shuttle which will take them back to Puerto Natales for a celebration dinner.
Tye Chapman
November 7, 2012
French Valley Panorama (Greg Vernovage)
Greg checked in from Hosteria Tyndall this morning:
“We had a windy and rainy day yesterday but it was a blast! The guys are doing great. We had 20 minutes with no rain or wind yesterday and were rewarded with a great view from the French Valley. After the long hike we hopped aboard our catamaran and were off to the hotel.”
This morning they’ll have a couple hours to relax at the hotel before loading up and heading up Mt. Ferrier. It’s just a 2-hour hike but the views are incredible! After the hike they’ll grab a bite to eat and catch their boat ride across Lago Grey to Refugio Grey where they’ll be for a couple nights. Tomorrow they’ll trek alongside Grey Glacier and if the weather and trail conditions allow, on up to John Garner Pass.
Tye Chapman
November 6, 2012
Lago Nordenskjold (Tye Chapman)
Greg checked in from Refugio Cuernos after another nice day of trekking. They had a great day yesterday, catching views of Los Torres, before a bit of rain, and eventually snow, rolled in on them. The good news is the rain/snow hit hardest after they pulled into the hut. No better way to enjoy the falling snow than watching it fall while sipping a glass of wine.
Today they walked along Lago Nordenskjold taking in some big views. Right now, my bet is they’re sitting down to dinner enjoying the sunset.
Tomorrow they’ll head into the French Valley, another signature section of the national park.
The trail is a little wet under foot and there’s still a good bit of snow up high, but this crew is loving it.
Tye Chapman
November 4, 2012
Greg checked in from Puerto Natales yesterday – all continues to go as planned. They got a good bit of rain on the drive from Punta Arenas to P. Natales, but as Greg put it – “who cares, we were in the car”. They had some time to relax and walk the town before meeting with Cem, their local guide, for a briefing on conditions in Torres del Paine National Park.
Haven’t heard from Greg yet today, but the plan was to load up early and get into the national park mid-morning for their hike up to Los Torres and night at Refugio Chileno.
Tye Chapman
November 2, 2012
Ranger Beason checks a "trim line" caused by the flood along the Nisqually River near Cougar Rock. (Laura Walkup)
Mount Rainier National Park geologist Scott Beason reports that a small glacial outburst flood occurred at Mount Rainier National Park on Saturday, October 27, 2012 at approximately 9:00 PM. This event, while significant, was localized in scale, caused no damage to park facilities, and was not volcanic in origin. It likely originated from the Nisqually Glacier as result of moderate to intense rainfall. A stream gauge located at Longmire registered a 2.8 foot (0.85 meter) rise in river water level between 8:30 and 9:45 pm and the spike was seen on other gages downstream of the park. Field data concur with the stream gage and show evidence of a several-foot surge of water in the Nisqually River.
While this event was small, it highlights one of the many hazards at Mount Rainier. It also shows that potentially destructive and hazardous events can occur even during “small” storms that are common in the fall and winter at Mount Rainier. Workers and visitors near rivers should always be aware of geologic hazards. Remember, if you feel the ground shaking or hear a freight train coming down the valley, get uphill as quickly as you can!
Outburst floods have happened in the park before. A series of such floods in the 1980s and 90s washed out parts of the West Side Road, and in 2005, a debris flow on Van Trump Creek was captured on video as it roared over Christine Falls. You can see that video on YouTube at http://youtu.be/
Source: Mount Rainier National Park (facebook)
