We were up early, slammed a quick breakfast then had a fun gathering of local staff and rewarded all of them with financial bonuses.This crew took great care of us while on the mountain, it felt really good to show our appreciation. A few hour descent to the park gate, a couple hour drive time watching the daily routine out the window of our monster truck and here we are. Back to hot showers and clean clothes. We just finished a dinner of fondue and topped it off with a bunch of summit certificates handed out to a group of well-deserving mountain climbers.
More excitement ahead as we repack for the game viewing safari we start tomorrow. A great trip just keeps getting better.
RMI Guide Mark Tucker
Hello again everyone.
Today the team left behind the busy streets of Moscow and made our way south to Mt. Elbrus. It was mostly a travel day with a flight over the middle of Russia, which is predominately rural. It's very much like our own Midwest in that its mostly agriculturally-based terrain. We landed in Mineralnye Vody, which translates to mineral water in Russian, and is obviously known for its abundant natural springs.
From there we rode in our local outfitters van for about three and a half hours to Cheget, a small ski town in the winter that sits at the base of this big mountain. Along the way we passed endless sunflower fields and many Mosques. The area around Elbrus is predominately Muslim from its original Turkish roots. We finished the day with a wonderful traditional meal cooked by a few kind older ladies that live here. Everyone is doing great and ready to stretch their legs tomorrow.
RMI Guide Casey Grom and crew
The Four Day Summit Climb led by RMI Guides Eric Frank and Lindsay Mann reached the summit of Mt. Rainier around 6:30 a.m. The teams spent about an hour on top enjoying what Eric describes as the "best morning all summer:" sunny and warm with light winds. The teams will make their descent back to Camp Muir and will return to Ashford this afternoon.
Congratulations to today's teams!
RMI Guide Mark Tucker checking in from the final camp: down here at the Mweka Camp, 10,000 ft on Kilimanjaro. It’s all tall, giant heather; it’s beautiful. It looks like a fabulous night for a summit climb but that’s exactly what we will not be doing. It’s a done deal.
We will enjoy our last night on this beautiful mountain. Tomorrow we head to the trail head.
The team had a wonderful day here in Moscow. After a night of much needed sleep, the team set out and explored the city on foot. Not far from our hotel is the famous Red Square, Kremlin and GUM (sort of a super mall for the elite). Most team members did a little adventuring on their own in the morning, then met up later for a guided tour of the Kremlin. We spent a little over four hours visiting the beautiful grounds, and many churches that exist within the compound.
It was a really enjoyable day for all even though there was a bit of rain here today. We finished the day off with another great meal at a local cafe where we communicated with lots of finger pointing at the menu and plenty of smiles.
Everyone is doing great and looking forward to heading to the mountains tomorrow.
RMI Guide Casey Grom and crew
The Four Day Summit Climb led by RMI Guide Mike Uchal and Five Day Summit Climb reached the summit of Mt. Rainier after a 6 1/2 hour ascent. Mike Uchal reports sunny, beautiful weather and a busy route. The teams are en route back to Camp Muir, and will be back at RMI Basecamp later today.
Congratulations to today's teams!
That mountain looks soooo big from my easy chair on the patio where I lounge thinking about all of you, up on top. I can only imagine the sense of accomplishment. You guys are amazing! Welcome back, and can’t wait to hear stories.
Posted by: maryann on 7/21/2013 at 8:17 pm
I am so excited that you all made it! Each of you has been constantly on my mind the last several days! I am envious, but so proud of what you all have accomplished! Welcome home when you get there! Your admirer, Mr. T
Saturday, July 20, 2013 - 9:20 p.m. PTRMI Guide Mark Tucker checking in, I guess they call it Uhuru Peak, the tallest point in Africa. Here we are!
Pretty good conditions. The team did fantastic. I am happy to report 100% on top! Yes, everyone is doing well. A few beautiful clouds above Mt. Kilimanjaro and clouds below, a beautiful sunrise. We are having a gas, everyone is doing well. A couple more photos and we are going to start the descent. We are going to head down into the rain forest. That will be the goal.
Thanks for everybody’s support back home. We will check in again soon.
RMI Guide Mark Tucker calls from the summit of Kilimanjaro (19,340 ft) with 100% of the team.
Hello everyone,
Teams all here! Excited and I'm sure a little tired after such long flights and the big change in time zones. We kept things pretty simple with just a brief round of introductions and dinner. Tomorrow we'll stretch our legs and explore the city.
RMI Guide Casey Grom and Crew
Mark Tucker checking in from Barafu Camp. We are at the lower camp at about 15,000’ just under the southeast edge of the Kilimanjaro Summit. We have the jungle below and the top of the mountain above and a team that is rip-roaring and ready!
We put on a couple of miles today from the Karanga camp. The upper mountain is a bleak zone, but quite beautiful in its own way. We’re going to have a quick dinner and crawl into the tents for about five hours of rest to get us ready for an early a.m. departure. I am happy to report that we are 100% go power with this team. Everybody is getting pretty excited and doing really well. A couple of minor headaches but the overall health and well-being is very very good. We are ready the weather is cooperating we had to puffy clouds in the afternoon not unusual. Last night was beautiful so we are keeping our fingers crossed that we have one of the same. We have a pretty bright moon illuminating our trip so we are in pretty good shape.
Talk to you later,
RMI Guide Mark Tucker & Team
The RMI Four Day Summit Climb team led by JJ Justman reached the summit of Mt. Rainier early this morning. The team reported a beautiful morning with clear skies and light winds of about 20mph. The ascent to the summit took about 6 hours and 10 minutes. The team left the summit and will descend back to Camp Muir and then continue to Paradise.
RMI Guide Billy Nugent led a team of climbers in the North Cascades. They reached the summit today around 2 pm PT. They returned to camp around 5 pm and will spend their final night in the mountains. Tomorrow they will descend to the trial head and complete their trip.
Congratulations to today's team!
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Vikas
Just wanted to check on you. Reply us back through Casey. Good luck
VILAS & CHAYA
Posted by: Vilas Lonakadi on 7/23/2013 at 10:07 am
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