Once I reached Paradise, I removed my pack and boots with the probably the largest sigh of relief I've ever had. I had felt the blister forming on my "ring-toe" earlier in the descent but didn't pay much attention to it, it wasn't hurting too badly. Upon inspection, it covered the second knuckle of my toe. Others in the group experienced "shin-bang", where upon descent the shins constantly bang against the plastic top of the boots--there are both plastic- and leather-style boots. Rentals were mainly plastic with a liner inside, a lot like a ski boot. I think the most unfortunate guy was Will, who will lose several toenails from his feet sliding in his boot and constantly hitting the toe of the boot. He was walking pretty gingerly when arrived to Paradise.
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| RMI's climber hangout |
The group hopped on the shuttle to Ashford. On the way, we were informed that there will be a highly informal 'ceremony' to celebrate everybody's efforts over the last couple days. The only rules: no showering beforehand, and that there will be beer. So, lucky for us, RMI has its own little restaurant right there at basecamp (those business people are smart). The food--pizza, burgers, and other bar food--was pretty good and prices weren't too crazy. Certificates of achievement were distributed and we all hung out enjoying the company and getting some last minute pictures.
RMI is required to maintain a 3:1 client to guide ratio, thus our group of 8 had 3 guides. They were all great, and here are pictures of me with the three guides (left) and of my rope team. Will joined our rope team for a little while higher on the upper mountain for both the climb and the descent.
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| Josh, Joey, Anne Gilbert, and Mike |
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| Rope team: Joey, Anne Gilbert, and Brad |
A little more on the guides and RMI in a following post.
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