Carstensz Climbers Reach The Plateau

July 8, 2012

: Setting up the cook tent (Jason Edwards)

: Climbing out of the forest towards the Plateau (Jason Edwards)

IMG guide Dan Zokaites reports by sat phone that the team completed their third day in the forest, and that it was the toughest yet.Â They did 7.7 miles on the map in 9 hours of hiking, with 5000 ft gained and 2000 ft lost!Â At the end of the day they broke out of the forest and climbed onto the Plateau.Â Now that they are out of the forest the walking will get better, though it is still quite challenging terrain.Â The weather has been good, with no rain today.Â The Plateau is representative of karst topography, with many sink holes, caverns, and small streams along the way. Â The local porters are doing a great job the team is looking forward to their first views of the Sudirman Range and Mt. Carstensz.

Eric Simonson

Hurry Up & Wait

July 7, 2012

Denali 14000ft camp

Greg and team have been making steady and careful progress.Â They did the smart thing and took a rest day after their â€˜back carryâ€™.Â No reason to rush.Â And, an extra day/night at 14,000â€™ can only help with the acclimatization process.Â On the 6^th, the crew did a carry up the fixed ropes which leads to the crest of the West Buttress and dumped the gear at 16,400â€™, at Washburnâ€™s Thumb.Â Then, they beat cheeks back to their camp at 14K.Â The 7^th is another rest day at 14K.Â Forecast isnâ€™t ideal for the next few days, with a series of low pressure troughs approaching from the east.Â The good news is that 14K is the absolute best place to wait out the weather.Â The crew is right where they should be.Â The carry up the West Buttress has been made and the cache is in.Â Now, they wait, rest, hydrate and, when the mountain says go, theyâ€™ll head for high camp.Â Two days of reasonable weather could get them to the summit.

Allâ€™s good and theyâ€™re where they should be.

Phil Ershler

The Jungle Awaits

July 7, 2012

: Porters and their families count out the loads of sweet potatoes, their staple food (Jason Edwards)

: Heading out to the jungle. (Jason Edwards)

: Heading into the jungle. (Jason Edwards)

IMG guides Jason Edwards and Dan Zokaites report that the team and porters are heading into the jungle.Â The overland route to Carstensz will take 5 days and is very rugged hiking, so this will be a big challenge.Â Long days on the trail, tropical heat, mud, rickety bridges, wading streamsâ€¦in the footsteps of Heinrich Harrer and his 1962 team.Â This is real adventure travel!

Eric Simonson

Camping On The Rim Of Ngorongoro Crater

July 6, 2012

: The hard working camp crew. (Craig John)

: Owen catching up on some reading at the end of the day in one of the safari tents (Eben Reckord)

Eben Reckord reports that the team had anotherÂ great day today with more game viewing on the Serengeti, then a drive to Ngorongoro Crater with a stop at Olduvai Gorge en route.Â Tonight they enjoyed a big bonfire on the rim of the Crater, and their Maasai camp helpers joined in for the fun.Â With a clear sky above, a moon rising to the east, and a magnificent view across a truly primeval piece of real estate, this is a great way to spend the last night in Africa!

Eric Simonson

Carstensz Team Goes TIM – ZGP Without Issues

July 5, 2012

: Got a plane to catch. (Jason Edwards)

: Carstensz porters at the village. (Jason Edwards)

IMG guide Jason Edwards reports on the sat phone that after a one day delay in Timika waiting for the flights, today the team successfully flew in to Sugapa.Â This is good news, and they are now on their way.Â They will be hiring their porters there, and then heading out into the jungle.Â Weather in the morning was OK, but in the afternoon it looks like rain!

Eric Simonson

Denali Team Spends The 4th At 14,000ft

July 5, 2012

Coming into Denali's14000ft Camp.

IMG Senior Guide, Greg Vernovage, checked in yesterday from 14,000â€™ on Denali.Â On Tuesday, the team made the move up to this camp which is the defector advanced base camp on Denali.Â Itâ€™s a big basin underneath the West Buttress and West Rib.Â Reasonably sheltered with lots of room to move around.Â The NPS has a seasonal ranger presence here.

Greg said weather at 11,000â€™, their previous camp, was a bit pissy.Â Clouds with some snow.Â Their move around Windy Corner was a tad windy but, again, this team did well and handled the big move without any real issues.Â The plan for yesterday was what we call a back carry.Â They moved down from 14K with empty backs and pick up things which were cached a couple of days ago.Â Extra food, more fuel and a handful of personal items generally makes up the cache.Â Usually takes about an hour to get down to the cache. It’ll be buried deep for protection from annoying ravens so theyâ€™ll do a bit of digging, distribute the stuff, load up and walk back to 14,000â€™.Â The day serves as an â€˜active restâ€™ day.Â They got a little exercise but didn’t likely burn too much energy.

Theyâ€™ll have at least 4 nights at 14K so theyâ€™ll make sure the camp is secure.Â Secure means good snow walls.

Greg reports that heâ€™s got a strong crew and a crew who works well together.Â Thatâ€™s nice.Â They wished all of us a Happy Fourth and I know from a fair amount of personal experience that 14,000â€™ is a pretty cool place to spend our countryâ€™s Independence Day.

Phil Ershler

Yield Right Of Way To Lions

July 5, 2012

: Zebra Stampede (Eben Reckord)

: Yield For Lions. (Eben Reckord)

Eben called on the sat phone to report that the team had a fantastic day on the Serengeti.Â They started out by seeing a rhinocerosÂ at sunrise, not far from their camp.Â Â Then, during their game drive,Â they saw a leopard in a tree with two kills, lots of lions, cheetahs, and zebras and a ton of other critters.

They will be back to their Serengeti camp again tonight, then tomorrow they go to a new camp on the rim of Ngorongoro Crater.Â We’ll look forward to hearingÂ from them, and seeing some more photos!

Eric Simonson

Kautz Climb Trip Report – Mt. Rainier

July 5, 2012

Our latest climb of the Kautz route on Mt. Rainier tagged the top a few days ago. Below is a trip report by IMG Guide Nick Laws.

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While crossing the Nisqually Glacier on the first day we found the perfect spot to bring everyone up to speed on climbing techniques for steep snow and ice. This prepared us well for what was to come on our summit day. After training, the team moved up to the Wilson Bench at 7,400′ to make camp.

: Dawn on summit day. (Nick Laws)

: Kautz Rock Step 2012 (Nick Laws)

: Kautz Upper Mountain. (Nick Laws)

The next day dawned gorgeous and we moved up to the ridge below the Turtle Snowfield with good kick-steps. Once gaining the ridge the team moved efficiently up the ridge to high camp at 10,800′. This put is in perfect striking distance of the rock step that allows access to the Kautz Ice Chute for our summit bid the next morning.

Day 3 began breezy and clear above with a near full moon. Conditions were perfect for side-stepping up the Ice Chute with cold, firm snow. With a little route-finding on the upper Nisqually we climbed over the crater rim after 7 hours of climbing. It was a beautiful morning! With dropping temperatures and the threat of snow the team moved quickly back to high camp. After a hot meal everyone got some rest before heading back down to Paradise the next morning.

Overnight we got a couple inches of new snow, which made for great glissade conditions down much of the route. Conditions only got better as we descended out of the wind and snow until we reached Paradise to find the 4th of July blue skies already moving in.

Nick Laws

Carstensz Pyramid Team Ready To Go

July 4, 2012

: Timika streets. (Jason Edwards)

: Team at Hotel in Timika

IMG guides Jason Edwards and Dan Zokaites report from Timika, Papua, Indonesia that the Carstensz team is all together and healthy, and that all their baggage has arrived.Â That’s the way we like to start a trip!

Jason reports that the weather is mixed, with clouds and some rain in the afternoons and evenings.Â This morning the team did a complete equipment check and got all packed and ready for the flight to the jungle airstrip at Sugapa village tomorrow morning.Â For the afternoon today, they are doing some shopping, eating, swimming in the hotel pool, and final packing.

Everyone is excited and ready to begin the jungle trek to the most elusive of the Seven Summits!

Eric Simonson

Camping Serengeti Style

July 4, 2012

IMG guide Eben Reckord called from the Serengeti on the sat phone to report that the team made a good start to their safari.Â After departing from the hotel in Moshi, they travelled to Arusha for a morning of shopping, then lunch, then on to the Arusha airport for the 45 minute afternon flight out to Seronera (in the middle of the Serengeti).Â Upon landing (watch out for those antelope!) they were met by the safari drivers for the ride to their private safari camp, which is tucked up next to one of the famous kopjes (or rocky islands) that dot the Serengeti plain.Â Eben reports they saw a lot of animals this afternoon on the drive, and tonight they are enjoying a barbeque under the stars, looking forward to a day of world class game viewing tomorrow.

Eric Simonson