Entries from Expedition Dispatches
Posted by: Sam Marjerison, Nick Sinapius, Steve Gately, Hannah Blum, Ben Thorneycroft, Rosie Hust
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mount Rainier
Elevation: 13,100'
The Five Day Climb led by RMI Guides Same Marjerison and Nick Sinapius turned at 13,100' on their summit attempt of Mt. Rainier this morning. The team climbed into a cloud camp with low visibility and unstable weather. They are back at Camp Muir and will descend to Paradise soon.
We took on the Great Barranco Wall today. It was a wonderfully clear night and calm clear morning at Barranco Camp. We got all ready for some rock scrambling and set out behind Thomas - our lead guide - at 8 AM. Naturally, everyone else in Barranco Camp took off at the same time. Before long we were rubbing shoulders with an extremely diverse mix of climbers and porters as we reached for lava holds and footholds connecting the various ledges. Inevitably, there were some traffic jams and bottlenecks at the spicier features of the route. We were patient and eventually we were through the crowds and moving well.
Our staff beat us to the top of the wall and had a table set with tea and snacks when we topped out. Since Karanga Camp wasn’t so far away, we lingered at the top of the wall, people watching and mountain gazing. We used the final hours of today’s journey to practice some efficient techniques for our hill climbing. By 2 PM we were eating lunch in another perfectly constructed camp - Karanga at 13,200 ft. We rested and ate our way through the afternoon.
RMI Guide Dave Hahn & Team
New Post Alerts:
Kilimanjaro Climb & Safari August 10, 2024
We were in clouds from daybreak at Shira Camp today. We could still see Kibo, Kilimanjaro’s central peak, from time to time but mostly we saw clouds and more clouds. It was not necessarily bad for walking though. We got on the trail just before 8 AM and walked up gently inclined slopes toward Kibo. The trail was much less steep than yesterday’s workout, but we still gained altitude steadily. By noon we’d reached our intended high point for the day, 15,200 ft at the base of the “Lava Tower” we were denied the big views as the clouds were particularly thick and a little cool there. That did not stop us from enjoying a picnic lunch provided by our amazing kitchen staff.
We were certainly ready to get lower, so we followed Omar down the steep track leading to the Barranco Valley. Omar is one of our five local guides. Yesterday we followed Happyson and the day before that Godlove. It didn’t take the team long to go from the “Alpine Desert” vegetative zone to the Moorland. We came down into a garden of Giant Senecios and Lobelias. Dropping to 13,000 ft we rolled into Barranco Camp at about 2:30 PM. Eventually the clouds parted to reveal Kibo with its hanging glaciers and ice fields as well as the Great Barranco Wall -our challenge for tomorrow morning.
Best Regards,
RMI Guide Dave Hahn & Team
New Post Alerts:
Kilimanjaro Climb & Safari August 10, 2024
Posted by: Dominic Cifelli, Jackson Breen, Charlie Harrison, Robert Whyte, Avery Stolte, Claire Pennell
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mount Rainier
Elevation: 14,410'
The Four Day Climb led by RMI Guides Dominic Cifelli and Jackson Breen reached the summit of Mt. Rainier this morning and were walking off the crater rim at 6 am PDT. Dominc reported clear skies above 7,000' feet, and no wind. The team is making their way back to Camp Muir and will be back at Rainier Basecamp to celebrate this afternoon.
Congratulations Team!
The group got a much-needed rest day in La Paz that included some shopping, laundry and good eating. We went to Ancestral restaurant for dinner, which is one of the top up and coming restaurants in Latin America. Most of us selected our own steaks and we enjoyed an amazing dinner.
The next morning, we loaded our van and headed to Illimani. After several hours of driving on windy dirt roads we arrived in Another winding dirt road led us to basecamp where we slept next to a peaceful creek under a starry night.
RMI Guides Andy Bond, Henry Coppolillo & Team
New Post Alerts:
Bolivia Expedition, August 3, 2024
Posted by: Mike Bennett, Erika Birkeland, Arianna Drechsler
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mount Rainier
Elevation: 10,541'
RMI Guide Mike Bennett and the entire Glacier Peak Team Reached the 10,541' summit yesterday afternoon. After the summit they returned to high camp, packed up and moved their camp down to White Pass and plan to descend to the trailhead today.
Congratulations Team!
We bit off another chunk. The day started at 6:30 AM at Machame Camp, which was cool and shady before the sun came over the mountain. We had breakfast and threw our packs on just before 8 AM. The trail today was a little steeper and a little more relentlessly uphill compared to yesterday. But we made fine progress up through a forest of giant heather. Eventually we could look out to see that we were above a sea of clouds, and we could look over to Meru, a neighboring 15,000 ft volcano on the western horizon.
We began to identify Senecios and Lobelias -two of the distinctive plants endemic to Kilimanjaro. We worked hard today, but nowhere near as hard as the many porters who passed by with loads balanced on their heads, somehow staying at ease on the difficult rock steps. Eventually we took a left turn, traversing between old layers of lava to turn the corner onto the Shira Plateau. We reached Shira Camp at about 12,600 ft at 12:30 PM. This marks our westernmost point for the climb, and the next days will have us moving east on our wandering route to the summit.
The team enjoyed a restful afternoon and evening in our comfortable new camp.
Best Regards,
RMI Guide Dave Hahn & Team
New Post Alerts:
Kilimanjaro Climb & Safari August 10, 2024
Posted by: Joe Hoch, George Hedreen, Will Ambler, Joey Manship, Mac Nolde, Evan Redman
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mount Rainier
Elevation: 12,900'
The Four Day Climb Led by Joe Hoch and George Hedreen climbed to 12,900' but were stopped by ice fall activity that coverd the current climbing route. The team is safely back at Camp Muir and will be returning to Paradise in the early afternoon.
Hi Everyone -
We made it to the top of Shuksan this morning. It was a really nice morning above the clouds!
RMI Guide Leif Bergstrom
We woke to clear skies at the Rivertrees Inn. Previously it had been overcast and even drizzly in the mornings. The team was done with breakfast and packed up right on schedule. We boarded the bus just after 8 AM and got on the road to Kilimanjaro. The mountain was visible from the highway but the view got better as we approached and had less smoke and haze. The Machame Gate to the National Park was bustling and busy. It was a relief to have all paperwork and permitting done and to finally get walking, which we did shortly after 11 AM. It was a stair master day as we started at 6000 ft bound for 10,000 ft. The trail was in fine condition and it was clear that the National Park had been taking on major improvement projects. We were lucky to see several families of black and white Colobus monkeys playing in the big trees as we walked. It was hot and sweaty at first, but eventually things clouded over and the air cooled as we approached 10,000 ft. We managed the walk in 5.5 hours. It was a true pleasure to come into a perfectly constructed and completed camp. Our staff greeted us cheerfully and showed us our tent home.
We moved in and then got together for tea time and a 6:30 PM sumptuous dinner in the dining tent. Judging by the laughter, the day hadn’t been so difficult for our team. We went over plans for getting going to new heights tomorrow and headed for bed at 8 PM, pausing -of course- to see the southern cross and a few other unfamiliar southern hemisphere constellations.
Best Regards,
RMI Guide Dave & Team
Great news, congrats to all!
Posted by: Brent S on 8/16/2024 at 10:07 am
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