Entries from Expedition Dispatches

The Four Day Summit Climb Teams led by RMI Guides Casey Grom and Jess Matthews reached the summit of Mt. Rainier today. Jess reported moderate winds and clear skies on the upper mountain. The teams left the crater rim at 7:36 am and are making their way back to Camp Muir.

Congratulations to today’s teams!

Our entire team was in agreement that a night at 10,000 ft was just what the doctor ordered.  Sure, there were some tired legs and sore backs at Mweka Camp this morning, but so many other problems had magically disappeared with the dropping of a vertical mile in sleeping elevation.  We ate breakfast as the sun started to find its way through the heather and hanging moss.  Afterward, our entire staff assembled to serenade and entertain us (and themselves) with singing and dancing.  Before long, we were all laughing and clapping at their costumed portrayal of a western tourist, out for a climb.  The customary tipping ceremony followed in which we passed out gratuities while shaking hands and personally thanking each of 51 strong and talented men.  By 8:30 we were on the trail and losing altitude once again.  Quickly, we transitioned back into a thick and lush rain forest.  While we’d started out with blue sky and sunshine, inevitably we entered the cloud sea that had been so far below for much of the week.  We never got anything worse than the odd sprinkle and a little mist down in the clouds and that kept the dirt trail from getting totally sloppy and slippery.  One certainly had to pay close attention though, so as not to slip, trip or tumble in the process of descending 4,000 vertical feet.  Porters from our own team, as well as from surrounding teams, came thundering down the track -mud or no mud- with fifty pound loads balanced on their heads.  By late morning we’d all reached the national park gate at Mweka.  Naturally we got pics of the gang at the final signpost of the journey, then we signed out of the park and walked through a bit of road construction to where the Barking Zebra staff had laid out a fine picnic lunch at a local art gallery and tourist shop.  Thus fortified, we took on the two hour bus trip down through Moshi and over to the edge of Arusha.  Everyone was ready for showers and comfy furniture back at the Arumeru River Lodge.  The afternoon passed quickly as we reconnected to the world, dried and cleaned gear and readied other -less serious and substantial gear- for our safari starting tomorrow morning.  We had a relaxed victory dinner together to celebrate the completion of the climb and to bid farewell to Darcy who’ll be boarding jets and getting home for work while we go poke around a few more National Parks to see what we can see. 

Best Regards,
RMI Guide Dave Hahn

RMI Guide JT Schmitt led his Five Day Mount Rainier team to the summit this morning.  After spending two nights at Camp Muir, they began their morning with an alpine start working their way to the highest point in Washington.  They are descending back to Camp Muir and then will continue off the mountain this afternoon.

Congratulations to today’s summit climbers!

At 7:36 am the Mt. Rainier Summit Climb team, led by Robby Young, was walking off the crater rim.  Their ascent took 6 1/2 hours this morning with colder than forecasted weather and a really nice day.  We look forward to congratulating them this afternoon!

Hey everybody, this is Eric Frank calling from the summit of Forbidden Peak. It’s a few minutes after noon here, and we finally managed to get above the wildfire smoke. So we’ve just popped up above it and its nice cIean air here. We had a great climb this morning. We left from Camp around 5:30, and here we are on top two and a half hours later. We’re going to enjoy a few more moments, and then get packed up to head down. We will call to check in later today and let you know that we’re safely back in Camp. Thanks.

RMI Guide Eric Frank

Update August 14th at 10:56 am PST:
The nights are long in this part of the world… approaching 12 hours.  My Kilimanjaro climbing team knows this all too well after today’s climb to the tippy top.  We set out from high camp at 12:40 AM and it was nearly six hours before the sun made an appearance.  Our first few hours of climbing weren’t so bad… it was pitch dark -with no moon- but it was also nice and calm.  When we reached 17,000 ft though, a 20 mph wind found us and stayed with us, dropping temps and making us all crave sunshine.  When we got it -at around 18,500 ft- the sunrise itself was gorgeous, and the winds dropped away, but only until we hit Stella Point on the crater rim at 7:15.  Our victory lap along the rim to Uhuru was made in winds up to 35 or 40 mph.  That certainly made it tough to do much sightseeing.  We each just concentrated on walking and breathing.  We hit Uhuru, the true summit, at 8:20 and stayed exactly eight minutes.  That was long enough for a few high fives, hugs and hero shots… and then we boogied.  We got out of the worst of the wind when we left the crater rim and temperatures got reasonable.  We skied the scree to get lower fast.  The goal was obviously to get off the mountain safely, but it was also to get back down to the altitudes that don’t hurt one’s head and rile one’s stomach.  Our great Barking Zebra staff helped us immensely in getting home to Barafu in good time.  We were there at 11:30 AM just in time for brunch in the dining tent.  Then -although we were all in the mood for naps- we packed up and got walking down for another 3.5 hours. We shed another 5,000 vertical feet to reach Mweka Camp down in the trees at the 10,000 ft level.  It turns out that the days are pretty long in these parts too… in any case, we’re all looking forward to a long night’s sleep tonight.

Best Regards,
RMI Guide Dave Hahn

[audio transcription]
Hey, this is Dave Hahn with the Kilimanjaro Climb. We made the summit today. We’re back at high camp now at Barafu at 15,000 feet. At 8:20 this morning we were at Uhuru,19341 feet above sea level, highest point in Africa. It was a windy cold morning. It was a hard climb, but we did it and we’re safely back at high camp and we’re going to head down to Mweka Camp, 10,000 feet to finish the day. All for now. Bye.

RMI Guide Dave Hahn

On The Map

The Expedition Skills Seminar - Emmons team led by RMI Guide Andy Bond reached the summit of Mt. Rainier today. Andy and team worked their way up the to the summit via the Emmons Glacier and were standing on Columbia crest. The team will enjoy the views from the top before starting their descent. They will spend more time training at Camp Schurman and return to Ashford Basecamp tomorrow!

Congratulations to the Emmons Team!

The Four Day Summit Climb Team led by RMI Guide Mike Walter reached the summit of Mt. Rainier early this morning. Mike reported clear skies and light winds above the smoke haze plaguing the lowlands that is sitting around 10,000’.  They have started their descent and are making their way back to Camp Muir.

Congratulations to today’s team!

The Five Day Summit Climb led by RMI Guide Zeb Blais radioed this morning to report a successful climb. The team is enjoying beautiful views of Mt. Rainier’s summit crater and surrounding area. They are experiencing light winds and will begin their descent shortly.

Congratulations!

RMI Guide Steve Gately radioed in at 7:00 AM PT this morning to report a successful summit climb. The team was spending some time enjoying the crater and views of Mt. Rainier before gearing up for their descent. Steve reported light winds and good conditions.

Congratulations to today’s climbers!