Entries from Expedition Dispatches

Elevation: 14,410'

The Four Day Summit Climb teams led by RMI Guides Elias de Andres Martos and Walter Hailes reached the summit of Mt. Rainier around 7 a.m. PT. The teams reported really good weather and climbing conditions. Mostly blue skies above them with a thick cloud layer down around 9,500'. They will enjoy some time on the summit before starting their descent to Camp Muir and continue down to Paradise this afternoon. The Liberty Ridge climb led by RMI Guides Casey Grom and Andres Marin will be returning to Ashford today. The team was unable to climb due to poor weather and route conditions. We look forward to seeing the teams this afternoon at Rainier BaseCamp. Congratulations to today's summit climb teams!

Mt. McKinley: Haugen and Team Sport Eating at 11,000’

June 18, 2013

Posted by: Mike Haugen

Elevation: 11,200'

Tuesday, June 18, 2013 We are getting beautiful weather day after beautiful weather day! We retrieved our cache from 10,000ft. We are now set to bring a load up to around 14,000ft. This will be great for our acclimatization since it fits into the climb high and sleep low model. The team has really been doing a great job of taking care of themselves. We are doing a lot of sport eating and drinking as we sit around camp. I am usually a hydration nag, but this crew is on top of it! Stay Classy North America! RMI Guide Mike Haugen

On The Map

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So great to hear you have good weather. The pictures are amazing. Keep trucking. Love, mom and dad.

Posted by: Kathie Constantine on 6/19/2013 at 8:51 pm

Grasshopper, Big Steve, & Quiet Sandra - Cheers! Hope you’re enjoying a few rewards after work? That is along with proper hydration. Keep it up! Remember, hills are your friends!! Mtn Mo

Posted by: Mtn Mo on 6/19/2013 at 7:36 pm

Mt. McKinley: Jake Beren & Team Rest & Refuel at 17,000’ Camp

June 18, 2013

Posted by: Jake Beren, Leon Davis, Josh Maggard

Elevation: 17,000'

Tuesday, June 18 , 2013 What a day yesterday was! We were the only team to climb our route and truly enjoyed having the whole day to ourselves. It was a touch windy, but with warm air temps, it was perfectly manageable. The team climbed strong and stood on top in the afternoon with perfect visibility were treated to spectacular views the whole way up. The summit day is only possible with a combination of factors all coming together and we did a great job matching ourselves to the mountain. Bravo everyone! Today really makes our call to go for it yesterday seem like the right one. The wind picked up last night and has been blowing hard ever since. We have been hanging out and resting at 17 camp and once the wind dies down we will tackle the Buttress and start the cruise home. We are going to wait a bit and maybe take off tomorrow after this spike in wind speed. For now we could use the rest after a few huge days. Looking forward to seeing everyone as soon as Denali grants us safe passage. RMI Guides Jake, Leon, and Josh

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We’re glad you all made it to the summit and the weather held! It must seem absolutely religious if the pictures are any hint. Come back safely and be sure to tip the guides—they’re the best.
Il Padrino

Posted by: R.B. on 6/19/2013 at 4:04 pm

Congrats Josh on getting to the summit your first try. Post some pics -Richard Boucher

Posted by: richard a boucher on 6/19/2013 at 7:33 am

Mt. Rainier: June 18, 2013 Summit!

June 18, 2013

Posted by: Seth Waterfall, Zeb Blais, JJ Justman

Elevation: 14,410'

RMI Guides Seth Waterfall and Zeb Blais reached the summit of Mt. Rainier today with their Four Day Summit Climb Teams. The team had clear skies, light winds and climbed above the clouds that lingered around 8,000'. The spent some time enjoying the views on top and making their way back to Camp Muir. The Expedition Skills Seminar - Emmons team led by JJ Justman also reached the summit via the Emmons Route this morning. The team will make their way back to Camp Schurmann and finish out their the week training in various mountaineering techniques with hopes of reaching the summits of many more mountains. Congratulations to today's teams!

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Congratulations to the guys from Troop 444! And Sam Glass from Troop 895 of course.
Awesome job!

Posted by: Mello Elout on 6/19/2013 at 9:59 am

Attawaytogo Troop 444, Jay and Jerome! Thanks to the guides for a safe trek. Have a safe trip down.

Posted by: Suzy Arnold on 6/18/2013 at 4:39 pm

Mt. McKinley: Beren & Team Return to High Camp

June 18, 2013

Posted by: Jake Beren, Leon Davis, Josh Maggard

Elevation: 17,200'

Monday, June 17, 2013 Hello everyone. We made it back to camp after a good day of climbing. Everybody is safe and sound. We're just finishing up a little dinner before turning in for a little bit. Looks like we just beat the storm. We'll move a little lower tomorrow. That's all for now. RMI Guide Jake Beren

RMI Guide Jake Beren checks in after their successful summit.

On The Map

Mt. McKinley: Beren & Team Summit!

June 17, 2013

Posted by: Jake Beren, Leon Davis, Josh Maggard

Elevation: 20,320'

Monday, June 17, 2013 Hello, this is Jake with RMI #5 standing on top of Denali with an awesome crew on an absolutely beautiful day. We'll give a shout when we get down but it doesn't get too much better than this. Thanks everybody for the support, and will be checking in from down low. Over and out. RMI Guide Jake Beren

RMI Guide Jake Beren calls from the Mt. McKinley summit!

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Wow!!! So totally impressive and so happy for the whole team. Congratulations on a great trip up and have a safe trip down!

Posted by: Nina Baj on 6/19/2013 at 10:14 am

We woke up on the East Coast to your most welcome audio clip from on high. How sweet the sound!

Posted by: Bill and Kathleen on 6/18/2013 at 5:30 am

Mt. McKinley: Haugen And Team Settle in At 11,000’

June 17, 2013

Posted by: Mike Haugen

Elevation: 11,200'

Monday, June 17, 2013 We are on the mountain! After walking up the glacier on our long approach, this camp feels like we are actually starting to make some headway towards the top. We will be at this 11,000' camp for a minimum of three nights, so we are dug in pretty solidly. The plan for tomorrow is to do a back carry. This means we will walk back down to our cache at 10,000', dig it up, and then bring it back up to our new camp at 11,000 ft. It shouldn't be too hard of a day, but it is very important in our acclimatization scheme. Although there are no bad views in this place, we have an amazing view from this camp. From a safe distance, we get to watch some giant ice cliffs calving off some large chunks. The heat of the nice weather days has made for some dynamic snow and ice conditions. Summit Team 6! Led by RMI Guide Mike Haugen

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Please tell Cindee she’s a bad-a$$ and that Zoot and Ruby miss her and that we don’t know the internet passcode! Hahaha. The whole team is an inspiration. Keep it up guys! Climb it like a BOSS!! Maija

Posted by: Maija Markul on 6/20/2013 at 2:21 pm

Wow, what amazing pictures and updates!

Hey Steve! We’re cheering you on and can’t wait to see you guys when you get back. Have an amazing time on the adventure. Heading up Snowmass this weekend and will take a moment for you!

Posted by: James on 6/18/2013 at 8:03 pm

Mt. Rainier: Emmons Skills Seminar at Schurman and Ready for Summit Bid

June 17, 2013

Posted by: JJ Justman

Elevation: 9,440'

The Expedition Skills Seminar – Emmons has reached Camp Schurman. JJ reports that the team is doing well. The weather is currently sunny with some clouds above and below. The team is planning on making their summit attempt tonight. Wish them well! RMI Guide JJ Justman

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Very proud of you - be careful. In the meantime, I am enjoying a glass of cabernet and some doritos. Love, Generalisima

Posted by: Maria Owens on 6/17/2013 at 4:25 pm

To all ‘you fools’...can’t wait to see the go-pro pictures. Have fun, be careful.

Sam

Posted by: Sam Cribbs on 6/17/2013 at 3:20 pm

Mt. Rainier: June 17th Update

June 17, 2013

Posted by:

Elevation: 14,410'

The Five Day Summit Climb led by Robert Montague and the Four Day Summit Climb led by Jason Thompson reached the summit of Mt. Rainier this morning. Conditions on the summit were windy (40mph) and clear. The teams are currently resting at Camp Muir before beginning their descent to Paradise; they will be back in Ashford this afternoon. Congratulations to today's summit climbers!

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Walter -

I hope it was a successful climb for you!

-Larry Seaton

Posted by: Larry Seaton on 6/17/2013 at 3:09 pm

What beautiful scenery. Congratulations and we can’t wait to hear all about it, Jason.
Mom and Dad

Posted by: Kelley on 6/17/2013 at 2:26 pm

Mt. McKinley: Jones and Team Descend to 11,000’

June 16, 2013

Posted by: Tyler Jones

Elevation: 11,200'

Sunday, June 16, 2013 We woke this morning to another unbelievable day at 17,200' camp on Mt. McKinley. The sun was shining, there was no wind blowing, and folks were comfortable in soft shell coats eating their grits and Pop Tarts. If you don't have a frame of reference for how unbelievable that kind of weather is, it's more typical for people to be wrapped in every puffy coat and pant that they brought to the high camp, while the wind threatens to blow you right off the mountain. Needless to say, we were psyched. We started walking down the buttress route soon after breakfast, and make excellent time across the knife-edge, exposed walking from camp to the top of the fixed lines. A short, technical descent down the lines had us all sweating by the time we reached the bottom, and we stripped down to base layers for the moderate descent back to our cache at 14,200'. After we grabbed all the group food and gear, we loaded heavy packs and headed down in the scorching sun towards our old stomping grounds at 11,000'. We arrived in calm, clear skies, and we quickly got up tents and got out of the sun. We're drinking a ton of water, looking forward to the group food fry of leftover cheeses, meats, and breads this evening, and getting ready for the 3am launch down the glacier tomorrow morning. Hopefully we'll have the weather to fly back to showers, greasy burgers, and cold beer tomorrow. Until then, stay tuned for the latest and greatest from the team! Hasta luego, RMI Guides Tyler Jones, Garrett Stevens and the sore but happy team

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way to go james! cant wait to see all your pics and hear all your stories!

Posted by: tina on 6/17/2013 at 7:04 pm

Hello Googoo and the rest of the climbers, our prayers are with you all, we are proud of you, keep it up and come back safe, love you, Areg

Posted by: Areg Abramian on 6/17/2013 at 6:29 am