Entries from Expedition Dispatches

At 5:45 am this morning, the Four Day Climb led by Dave Hahn and team successfully reached the summit of Mount Rainier. The climbers were greeted by clear skies and a stunning sunrise, making for a truly memorable moment at 14,410 feet.

The team reported encountering some wind while ascending the Disappointment Cleaver, but conditions improved as they neared the summit. By the time they reached the top, the winds had calmed, allowing for a peaceful and awe-inspiring views.

Currently, the team is on their descent, working their way back to Camp Muir. Congratulations to Dave Hahn and the entire team on a safe and successful summit!

At 5:45 am this morning, under a canvas of clear skies and the first light of dawn, our Four Day Climb team—led by Ray Holt and an incredible group of climbers—stood on the summit of Mount Rainier.  

The team encountered some wind while navigating the Disappointment Cleaver, but by the time they reached the summit, the winds had eased, offering a calm and peaceful moment at 14,410 feet.

Now on their descent, the team is making steady progress back to Camp Muir.  

Congratulations to all the climbers and guides on this unforgettable achievement!

Wednesday, July 23, 2025

Move to high camp

Today, we moved camp from White Pass up to a beautiful spot amongst alpine lakes in Foam Basin right next to the White Chuck glacier. Getting up early, we said good morning to our fellow marmot friends, took in our first official view of Glacier peak, and set up high camp while enjoying lunch. After a short nap, we refreshed our glacier climbing skills, ate some tasty freeze dried meals, and called it an early night. Tomorrow is summit day. We will wake shortly after the sun disappears, but we are filled with excitement and we look forward to all the challenges tomorrow has to bring. Wish us luck!

RMI Guide Ben Luedtke and Team

Thursday, July 24, 2025

The Glacier Peak Team led by RMI Guide Ben Luedtke reached the summit this morning a little after 8:00 am! With what little reception they had, the guides were able to call the RMI office from the summit and share the fantastic news that the entire team had made it to the top. They are now back at camp celebrating their accomplishment, they will spend one more night on the mountain getting some well-deserved rest before they descend back to the trailhead for the conclusion of their trip tomorrow morning.

Friday July 25, 2025

Summit day and walk out

Mountaineering is more than just a sport, a hobby, a vacation, or a summit. Mountaineering is about friendship, comraderie, beautiful views, unforgettable adventures, new experiences, and so much more. Yesterday, and for the entirety of this trip, we accomplished all of that which mountaineering offers. We encouraged each other with heavy packs, pushed one another with words of affirmation, and bonded over the stories of who we are. (And dad jokes). In the end, we summited Glacier Peak, together, as a team on Thursday, July 24, 2025. Some of us walk away with the success of another mountain complete, some of us with the completion of all 5 volcanoes, and some of us completing just 1 of many more objectives yet to come, but we all walk away with the memory of the people we shared it with, the laughs we had, the pains we felt, and the smile of what it truly means to be a mountaineer. Today, we walked out from high camp. Enjoying many a wild berry along the way, we are now basking in the sun that we are glad wasn't there on the twenty some odd switchbacks coming down. Cheers to all for tuning in. 

RMI Guides and Team

The Emmons Seminar Team led by RMI Guide Mike Bennett reached the summit of Mt. Rainier this morning at around 8:00 am!

The team has spent the past four days on the snow learning various mountaineering techniques and practicing their technical skills to reach the summit via the Emmons-Winthrop Glacier, the largest glacier in the lower forty-eight states, a feat not to be taken lightly. 

After celebrating their accomplishment at the summit, they descended back to Camp Schurman for some much-needed rest and a warm meal. They will spend one more night at camp, then descend the 5,000' to the to the trailhead tomorrow morning and arrive at our Ashford BaseCamp that afternoon. 

Congratulations climbers!

The Four Day Climb Teams led by RMI Guides Casey Grom and Nikki Champion successfully reached the summit of Mt. Rainier this morning! They started their descent from the crater rim a little after 7:00 am, they will enjoy some breakfast during their short break at Camp Muir before descending to Paradise and arriving back at BaseCamp this afternoon.

They reported some slight winds but, overall, a beautiful morning to be on top of the mountain!

Congratulations on an incredible achievement climbers!

Monday, July 21, 2025

Hiya everybody!

Welcome to Glacier Peak, follow along at your own risk. Today was day 1, but we kept it simple. The day consisted of wrapping up our travel, arriving in the small town of Darrington, WA and completing our gear check and orientation for the beginning of our grand adventure. For some of us, this will just be the next major volcano in WA, and for others, this will be our 5th and final WA volcano! Woot woot! Tonight, we pack, unpack, and pack again making sure we have all the essentials. Tomorrow, we start our hike to Camp 1 at White Pass. Hold on to your seats as we venture into the deep wilderness of WA to attempt our hand at one of the coolest volcanoes around. 

RMI Guide Ben Luedtke and Team

Tuesday July 22nd, 2025

Camp at White Pass

Our first day on the trail and we hit the ground running. Just kidding; we walked delicately through beautiful, lush forest, over rough, rugged terrain, and pranced among the wildflowers. It's all true, but today was a hot, long, and difficult journey to reach camp at white pass. Donned with heavy packs and all the snacks, we enjoyed a less dusty trail than usual thanks to the peaceful rain from last night. After our long day of friendly conversation, Marmot sightings, the fresh smells of mountain air, and beautiful views of the surrounding area, we enjoyed our first camp dinner huddled around our stoves and were very happy that we packed our head nets for the bugs. As we crawl into our sleeping bags for some well-earned rest, we can't help but glimmer with excitement for what comes next. Tomorrow, we head for high camp and training for the big summit day. Stay tuned in case the marmots attack...or become our cuddle buddies in the night... they're hard to read.

RMI Guide Ben Luedtke and Team

Expedition Skills Seminar – Kautz Update:

Led by RMI Guide Tatum Whatford, the team made a strong push up the Kautz Route on Mt. Rainier, reaching an impressive altitude of 12,900 feet. Facing the technical challenge of the Kautz Ice Chute and incoming cloud cover, the team made the prudent decision to descend back to camp.

They’ll spend one more day on the mountain refining their mountaineering skills before returning to Rainier Basecamp in Ashford, WA.

Great effort by all involved!

With a forecast of thunderstorms and heavy rain by afternoon, we set alarms for a 12am start. Under a starry sky and with perfect climbing conditions we made great time!

The weather started to come in just as we summited around 7am, but we snapped a few photos just as the clouds closed in.

Heavy rain on the tents last night was the perfect white noise for some solid rest. 

RMI Guide Joe Hoch & Team! 

Early this morning, our 5-day climb led by RMI Guides Seth Burns and Avery Stolte reached the summit of Mt. Rainier!

The team reported moderate winds, mostly cloudy skies, and cool, pleasant temps—a perfect alpine morning.  

They’ve begun their descent and will spend the night at Camp Muir, with plans to return to Paradise by mid-afternoon tomorrow.

Huge congrats to the entire team on this incredible achievement! 

Monday, July 21, 2025 4:37pm PDT

100% summits on the Coleman-Deming route. We summitted just after 9am and got back to camp before the rain! 

It's been a chill afternoon waiting out rain showers in the tent and intermittently napping.

We plan to descend in the morning.

RMI Guide Dustin Wittmier & Team