Entries from Expedition Dispatches

Thursday, June 12, 2025 8:54pm PDT

Denali dispatch -Don’t let her savagery fool you. This mountain has a mind of her own. Sun turns to snow and calm turns to wind. A cyclical pattern as unpredictable as the market’s response to earnings beat these days. Volatility is the name of the game, and a patience rooted in readiness is a must. When she cooperates never expect ideal but tolerable is enough. Embrace her wind and moodiness, it makes her that much more endearing.

We spent the day eating, resting, and visiting the edge of #4 the world. Let me tell you, it did not disappoint. Here are some more lessons learned for the loved ones back home.    

1. If it has a name, it means the mountain wants it to be named. For example, Squirrel hill is “squirley,” that may take a minute to digest. The names mean obstacles, and the obstacles mean hard. Don’t let the inviting nature of the titles fool you. If your guide calls a part of the mountain anything other than the route, you know you’re in for it.

 2. Pee bottles, I know to those back home this is a grotesque thought, but up here they are a gift. Embrace your gift. Own your gift. Treasure your gift. As Lacie said, under no circumstances, zero circumstances, does she leave her tent at night to pee. Now I understand her logic.  

3. Nighttime and darkness are not symbiotic here in Alaska. Night is light and day is light. Another essential item is the eye mask but really the eye shield. It’s amazing how you can trick your “I need darkness to sleep” body into submission. The titled portions on the route are extra wreck you parts, the foundation of your hard as hell sundae, and the eye mask is the cherry a maraschino cherry on top. Does anyone even like those?

4. Ditch loops are magic. Sprinkled fairy dust when you need to throw off your pack. Punches and cream? Rumple punchskin? Puncharella?

5. Healthy is consuming the most calorie dense food you can. Frozen or thawed, who cares. Eat it and eat a lot of it. #frostingdoesnotfreeze.   

6. Blue bags are a triple bag system for a reason. Do not roll. Do not wrap. Twist tie then knot, your pack and guide will thank you. Extra tips required for solving your personal poop problems.

7. A 38-degree tent is warm, sauna like warm. No cold plunges needed on this mountain, just walk outside and you’re set.

8. Foot baths in the cook tent are a no A forever no. A never again no.

9. When the guides say you have an hour before we are walking it feels more like five minutes. If you’re sitting around at any point, you are doing it all wrong. Remember cramming for tests in school? Bring that urgency and maybe you have a chance of being on time if you’re container store organized.

10. Lather on your sunscreen Even on the days you are not sure you’ll ever see the sun again. Bathe in your sunscreen. You can never apply it too often. Pro tip: bring a sunscreen stick for the extra miserable, inopportune moments you must reapply

10.Rest breaks go something like: parka, pee, sit on pack, drink, eat, apply sunscreen, drink again, throw your pack on, repeat. Super restful, obviously. Side note, just because you see another team resting it doesn’t mean you get to “rest” there too. Best not to get your hopes up.

12. Most people don’t realize there is a dry cleaner up here. The life of luxury, truly Your sleeping bag isn’t just your haven of warmth, but it serves as your personal drying machine. You know when you do laundry and you fill the machines to capacity to fit it all in one load? Or when you’re bringing groceries inside and you load up both arms to make one trip? That’s your sleeping bag. Fill her up and let her go to work.

13. Rest step. It’s as essential to your movement efficiency as brushing your teeth is to your smile.

14. Bring a pillowcase. One that smells like home. A little bit of comfort in the uncomfortable.

15. Do not assume relationships. Father, daughter, mother, son, grandparent, grandchild etc. Sure, everything is fine when you get it right. But when you get it wrong, well, someone walks away like a small child without a piece of candy from a candy store. My aunt said she is the butterfly on my pack, or this trip and she nailed it. To all the butterflies on with us, thank you. Your encouragement and belief fuels us in the valleys and celebrates with us on the mountaintops

Thank you for the continued prayers, we can’t wait to make it back home to all of you. Weather permitting, we are on the move again tomorrow, our last big push to embrace all the hard this mountain has left for us. We may have underestimated her beauty, but we never underestimate her boss-ness.

Love,

RMI Climber Caroline and Team  

Thursday June 12, 2025 10:15pm PDT

We moved to the base of Ski Hill.

Dia dhuibh, Taimid anocht i Camp 1. Ta an foireann go maith, tar eis an suil anseo. Taimid tuirseach, ach go beo. Nil eine eile anseo. Tar eis an suil, codlaimid go leir, agus ansin, bia, deoch, caint, agus sos. Is la eile amarach!

That was a special request for Tate and Sophia. They understand that about as well they understand me talking.  I have an accent!!! However, I’m not alone.  There’s a fair TexAn contingent in the group, and they taawk aaaawful slooow.  It takes them sooooo long to saaay some ot, that we’re aaaawl daaaamn neeeeear asleeeep by the time it’s finished! And then there is the very suave, some might say sesay Etienne, the French Canadian. Throw in the New Yorkers (because we can’t throw them out), and you have quite the cultural hotpot! Seriously, this team is a blast. Quick facts, stories, jokes - it helps ease the end of day pain.

Oh yes - the hike update! Up at midnight, after a weird dream where Dominic gave a graphic presentation on CMC (clean mountain can a.k.the potty) etiquette, and an old buddy of his called Timmy…. Sleds loaded, teams roped up by 3 am, and a quick 4.5-hour jaunt to Camp 1. On the way we got some early sunlight on Mt Foraker, making it illuminate like a candle.  Camp one is a ghost town. We are home alone. Tents and camp erected, water, and a very welcome sleep. Spent the afternoon lazing, with the whoosh of an occasional avalanche.

Finally, and most importantly, happy wedding anniversary to my beautiful wife Fionnuala. (you thought I’d forget!). I am the luckiest man on this planet. I love you.

RMI Climber Myles O'Neil

Thursday June, 12, 2025 9:21pm PDT

Our final rest day in the books. We let the sun warm our tents before we finally crawled out to share a meal of hashbrowns and eggs. After a relaxed and slow morning, we then spent the day basking in the sun like lizards, seeing what other climbers were offering up, and getting our gear ready for the summit push - which would be starting tomorrow.

We are all very excited and looking forward to moving to 17,000’ camp tomorrow.

RMI Guide Nikki Champion & Team

Yes, it's official—Brent Okita has reached his 600th summit of Mt. Rainier, setting a world record for the most successful ascents of the iconic 14,410-foot peak! This incredible milestone was achieved during a Four-Day Climb led by Okita and fellow guide Jess Wedel. The team reached the summit early this morning, and they’re expected to return to basecamp this afternoon for a well-deserved celebration.

To put this into perspective, 600 summits equates to approximately 5.4 million feet of elevation gain—and that’s only counting successful climbs. It doesn’t include the countless additional feet from training, attempted climbs, or even biking from Ashford to Paradise. Brent’s dedication, endurance, and passion for mountaineering are truly legendary.

Congratulations also to the RMI Clients that were able to climb and share the rope with Brent and Jess today. It was very important to Brent that he accomplish this record while guiding RMI Clients to the top.

Expedition Skills Seminar – Emmons June 10 – June 12,  2025

We left Ashford early this morning, buzzing with anticipation and a healthy dose of nerves. By 9:00 AM, we had arrived at White River Campground, ready to begin our ascent. The trail greeted us with dry forest paths, but it wasn’t long before we were surrounded by high alpine meadows still blanketed in snow.

From there, we climbed up the Inter Glacier and made camp at 7,800 feet. It was our first real day of glacier travel, and it didn’t disappoint. We learned a lot—some of it the hard way—but two lessons stood out:

1. Never stretch, ever.
2. Just keep breathing.

Tomorrow, we’ll move up to Camp Schurman, spend the day training, and prepare for our summit push on the 12th.

Summit Day: June 12

At 10:40 AM, every single member of our team stood on the summit of Mount Rainier.
100% success.
6 hours and 45 minutes to the top.
One strong, determined team.

The climb was tough, but the views—and the feeling of standing on top—made every step worth it. We’re currently descending back to Camp Schurman, tired but proud.

Tomorrow, we’ll descend to the trailhead and wrap up this unforgettable journey. This climb tested us, taught us, and brought us closer together. We’ll carry these memories (and a few sore muscles) with us for a long time.

Until the next adventure,
 

Nick, Mac, and the Crew

Wednesday, June 11, 2025 - 10:22 pm PT

Today brought the perfection we've been waiting on since our journey began. Blue skies, sunshine, warmth. We walked up the fixed lines with the sun on our backs. The most technical climbing we have seen to date, we secured ourselves to the fixed lines with our ascenders and made our way to the ridge where we placed our final cache. We made it back to camp around 5pm, greeted with more sunshine, and re-hydrated before dinner. Mac'n'Cheeze was in the menu for the evening accompanied by chatter of a potential summit window. We look forward to a day of rest tomorrow, and are hopeful to move to 17,000' Camp Friday.

Fingers crossed!

Thanks for tuning in.

xoxo RMI Guides Hannah, Nikki, & Leif

The Four Day Climb teams for June 8 - 12 reached the summit of Mt. Rainier.  RMI Guide Tom Skoog reported good conditions, clear skies and colder temperatures.  The teams enjoyed some time in the summit crater before starting their descent from the crater rim around 7:15 am.  Once back at Camp Muir, the teams will re-pack and continue down to Paradise.  They will conclude their program this afternoon at Rainier BaseCamp.

Nice work team!

Wednesday, June 11, 2025 - 9:21 pm PT

We’ve Landed

We’re officially on the glacier.

After spending, as Dom puts it, “the right amount of time in Talkeetna,” we loaded into the Dehavilland Otters this morning and flew into the heart of the Alaska Range.  Jack, our pilot, confirmed that “of all the RMI groups this year, this is the nicest day to fly.”  Jack was kind enough to take us around for a view of the climbing route.   It is difficult to describe the scenic majesty of the jagged snow-capped peaks as we circled around and made our landing approach.  We have base camp practically to ourselves, and it’s very peaceful and quiet, with a few clouds drifting in the blue sky above.  After setting up, and spending time learning how to rig the sleds, and how to pack as to not look “like traveling merchants on the Kahiltna glacier,” we settled in for a break.  

Tonight we’ll have some pizza for dinner, the last trace of civilization (apart from the 9 inReach units our group brought along. . . )

For now, the focus is rest. We’re planning to head out with our sleds sometime around 3 a.m., taking advantage of the firm snow and cool conditions for travel on the lower glacier.

Signing off from Kahiltna Base camp,

RMI Climber Nate Brunner

The June 9th Mt. McKinley Expedition has loaded up in Talkeetna in the K2 Aviation Twin Otters and is heading to Kahiltna Base Camp. Their next check in should be from the glacier.

Good luck team!

After our big day yesterday, today was some well deserved R & R. We slept in a bit and had a slow morning of bagels and bacon. We then headed to the edge of camp to dig up our cache. After a few hours of rest we then took some time to review fixed rope skills to prepare us for tomorrow, to carry up the fixed lines up above 16,000'.

We then enjoyed some dinner of potato soup and chicken sausage and called it a night.

RMI Guide Nikki Champion