Entries from Expedition Dispatches

Yesterday the Four Day Climb teams June 22 - 25 led by RMI Guides Brent Okita and George Hedreen  enjoyed a breezy and cool snowfield, good snacks and good company. Today they made an alpine start from Camp Muir and reached the summit of Mt. Rainier just before 7 am.  Breezy and cold temps made for a short stop in the crater and they began their descent from the crater rim around 7:30 am.  Once back at Camp Muir, the teams will repack and take a short rest before continuing the final 4,500' down to Paradise.

Congratulations to today's climbers.

PC: Tom Skoog

Tuesday, June 24, 2025 - 10:24 pm PT

As soon as we poked our heads out of tents this morning at 6 AM we knew we were going to be able to make the big jump to 14,000'.  Still, it took until a little after nine to get on the trail… or, more correctly, onto where the trail should have been. The new snow was boot deep and there wasn’t a single track left on Motorcycle Hill so we had some good hard work to drag sleds up it.  Things got a little better on Squirrel Hill as there was less snow and a team coming down the mountain left tracks that we were able to make occasional use of.  There was only a 3 mph breeze at windy corner, so we were able to get around without too much trouble.   Then we pushed on up into sun drenched Genet Basin to find a wonderful and welcome surprise.

Dom Cifelli’s RMI team was in the process of flattening out an excellent camp sight for us.  They built us a deluxe latrine and even gave us water to get our kitchen started.  Before long we were set up and good to go.  They saved us a ton of work.  We had a nice dinner and crawled in to the tents while the sun was still high in the sky.  It is going behind the West Buttress now -at 9 PM- and we expect some of our first cold temps of the trip.  Just as it should be way up here in our new home. 

- RMI Guide Dave Hahn

Tuesday, June 24, 2025 - 9:03 pm PT

Top Ten Things Happening at 14,000' Camp right now:
10. Snow on the inside of the tent and blue skies outside the tent
9. Running out of snacks and entertainment (but we’re good on toilet paper)
8. Secret Aardvark
7. Buzz Lightyear sightings around camp
6. Walking laps and laps on the 14k Main Street
5. Walking out to the Edge of the World, which overlooks the Valley of Death, to take precarious photos*
4. Texas dice and Wizard
3. Welcoming the next RMI team coming up from 11,000' camp
2. New flavors of bowlines—on a bight, snap, etc.
1. SPAM

RMI Climber Nate Brunner
*While roped in

It was a snowy night at 11,000' Camp, followed by a snowy morning and snowy day. We stayed put.  he team ate a slow and leisurely breakfast in the dining tent, followed by a protracted debate and story telling session, followed by naps books, tv and podcasts.

By afternoon and evening we were getting a little sun and blue sky but it was still snowing lightly.   It was a storm day… which worked pretty well as a rest day too.  We hope to be back in action tomorrow.

RMI Guide Dave Hahn

Monday, June 23, 2025 - 10:21 pm PT

I have this idea for an experiment. All type- A individuals are eligible for sign up. I’ll entice  them with the allure of a once in a lifetime challenge that will test their physical and mental aptitude. Maybe a tall mountain or something. Now, we’ll observe as we keep these folks in one spot, with 2 rooms, and one hall as we wait….and wait…. and wait. While they once filled their time with stair steppers, tire pulls, and long hikes. We’ll fill their time with overfilling meals, books they wish had more words, card games, and time. Lots of it.

Climbing books, movies, stories always glaze over the reality. The waiting. What most think is filled with lung searing, adrenaline pumping climbing is often times just half the tale. The part that everyone skips is the patience of it all. Expedition climbing forces you to slow down and take it one step at a time. While the climbing has you honing in on the next step, the next breath,  the next stretch. The waiting has you broadening your appreciation for the little things. A meal with good conversation, quality time with friends loved ones, a good snuggle with a pet, or… a flushing toilet and a good shower. All of it’s important in its own way and it’s why this style of climbing is like no other. We don’t do this to just have the experience of climbing a peak, but also to show us all what we have at home and appreciate those reading this blog more and more.

Last night it snowed half a foot on us and we awoke to a winter wonderland. Our first real storm day. Boots full of snow, belly’s full of salmon and bagels, and competitive tendencies satiated with games. We will continue to wait. Just like the days before. But that’s ok. I fricken love both sides of this coin. And there’s no game like the game of strategy that expedition climbing provides. When to move, when to wait, when to launch. Best game in the whole world.

So thank you to those who let us step away, to train for hours and climb for weeks. Your patience with our masochistic hobby does not go unnoticed.  Now it’s time to have our 14 Camp trivia night courtesy of my lovely wife Emily. Thanks to all the questions!!

RMI Senior Guide,

Dominic Cifelli

Sunday, June 22, 2025 - 9:30 pm PT

Forecasts weren’t great for today, but when we looked out in the morning, the actual weather wasn’t bad. We packed up and got our spikes on by 8:20AM to begin working up Motorcycle Hill. It was great to be climbing in crampons and using an ice axe again. We took our first rest break in the middle of Squirrel Hill and our second in the Polo Field just under the end of the West Buttress. It was a little breezy, but since temps weren’t very cold it wasn’t at all uncomfortable.

Most of our day was spent in brilliant sunshine with blue sky, while clouds filled in below us. Windy Corner wasn’t particularly windy, and the travel conditions were good, so we made it to our cache target of 13,500 feet in four hours. We did a bit of hard digging to keep our things safe from ravens.  After one last look at the great South Peak of Mt. McKinley (our destination) we dropped back around the corner and had an easy climb down to Camp at 11k. The final 30 minutes was in a mild whiteout as we descended into the clouds. 

The round trip was a pretty respectable 6 hours and got us back in plenty of time for a restful afternoon while it snowed lightly on our tents. Fingers crossed for moving weather tomorrow as we would like to get to 14k camp.  

- RMI Guide Dave Hahn

Sunday, June 23, 2025 - 8:15 pm PT

Another rest day. Right now we are in waiting mode, as the winds have picked up at the summit and we await a break in the weather for our summit push. Luckily, there are few waiting rooms more majestic than 14 camp.  

Breakfast is a leisurely affair of breakfast burritos - democratically voted as the best breakfast yet. Then, it’s time for a Hot Girl Walk up and down 14’s Main Street. The fashion is a bit different though - in lieu of Alo yoga matched sets are brightly colored sun hoodies, face shields, and triple boots - but never just down booties. We have standards. 

Post fashion walk, it’s time for stretching, hydrating, and a carnival classic: knocking over the cook pot with a snowball. It becomes readily apparent we won’t be forming a McKinley softball league anytime soon. 

Next up on the agenda is home improvement. Tents must be moved and foundations leveled with caddy-like precision. Hot tip for the golfers out there - get yourself a McKinley climber - we are happy to carry heavy bags over hilly terrain, can read the slope on any surface, and are likely broke from funding this hobby. 

Since the NPS won’t share the wi-fi password, the rest of the day is a mix of hydrating, reading, card playing, napping, snacking, and reapplying sunscreen. At 7pm the NPS weather report and daily trivia will crackle over the radio - unintelligibly, despite our direct line of sight to their tents. 

Post dinner, it’s time for another stroll up and down Main Street, though it’s giving more Fart Walk than Hot Girl Walk at this point. I’ve heard Fart Walks are the new summer wellness fad, so at least we’re trending. 

To everyone at home reading this blog, leaving comments, sending messages to our Garmins - you have no idea how much your love and support means everything to us. Thank you. 

- Sophia Bishop

The first Easton Glacier expedition of the 2025 season, led by RMI Guide Sam Marjerison, reached the summit of Mt. Baker yesterday evening. After leaving the summit and spending the night back at high camp, the team will head down the mountain this morning to celebrate their success with friends, family, and a nice warm meal.

Way to go team!

The Five Day Climb June 20 - 24 reached the summit of Mt. Rainier at around 7:30 am this morning. After spending an hour on the summit enjoying their accomplishment, the teams started their descent back to Camp Muir. Once back at Camp Muir they will savor some much needed rest and enjoy a day of training on the upper mountain. After spending one more night at Camp Muir the teams will desend to Paradise and return to Rainier Basecamp in the afternoon tomorrow to celebrate their success.

Nice work team!

Saturday, June 21, 2025 - 10:26 pm PT

We woke to clouds and a little wind today, but still got in plenty of solstice sun.  The poor weather in the morning actually worked to our advantage. We needed to drop back down to 10,000 feet on the Kahiltna to get our cached supplies and then return up the big hill below 11,000.  That hill is in a glacial bowl that can become quite hot with straight out sunshine.  We found it to be just right with breezes and cloud cover this morning. We were back up before noon.

We are done with snowshoes and on to crampons for the steeper terrain to come. In the afternoon we alternated between rest and review of climbing techniques for the path ahead. If weather allows we will try to put a cache just beyond Windy Corner at 13,500 ft. 

RMI Guide Dave Hahn