Entries from Locations

The biggest day of the trip was enormous.  We were up at 11 last night and walking uphill from our 15,200 ft camp just after midnight.  Conditions were perfect.  It was cold but dead calm.  And we had most of the moon shining, so headlights were helpful but not essential.  We targeted an ascent lasting about seven hours but as it turned out we were a little faster than that -unintentionally.  We stopped for rest a few times, naturally, but the cold and the traffic on the route (all teams were basically on the same schedule) meant our breaks needed to be darn quick.  The team was up to the task.  Our guides threaded us through the “crowds” and helped us in a million ways, singing to entertain us as we trudged up endless, steep paths through the rock and scree.  It was still dark when we hit the crater rim at Stella Point but a cold wind with a wisp of cloud made us skip the normal rest break there.  We just marched along the rim -the roof of Africa- as the light and colors came up in a magical display.  The entire team hit Uhuru -the summit- at 6:50 AM.  19,341 ft never felt so good.  We loved it… and we loved that the sun was starting to warm things up.  Our descent to high camp was completed at 10 AM and we tried to wrap our heads around the idea that we still had to climb all the way down to 10,000 ft to finish the day.  Tosha and Michael, our world class chefs made it all possible by serving us pizza for brunch and fortifying us for the four hour journey.  Clouds had come in to Barafu Camp and at noon, we were eager to get walking as it had gotten quite cold.  We ducked out of those clouds in the first hour and by the time we reached Mweka Camp it was sunshine and blue sky again.  We’re breathing thick air again and relaxing… and still a little amazed that we reached the highest point in Africa this morning. 

Best Regards

RMI Guide Dave Hahn

The Four Day Climbs August 10 - 13 reached the summit of Mt. Rainier this morning led by RMI Guides Brent Okita and Jackson Breen. It's a beautiful day with clear skies and great views.  The teams enjoyed some time on top before starting their descent from the crater rim around 6:40 am.  Once they reach Camp Muir they will take a short break and then continue the final 4,500' to Paradise.

Nice work team!

The Easton Glacier Climb, led by RMI Guide Jess Wedel, reached the summit of Mt. Baker on Monday morning. The team enjoyed a smooth climb with good weather and clear views from the top. After a successful summit, they spent one more night at camp before making their way back to the trailhead this morning.

Great work by everyone involved!

PC: RMI Guide Arianna Drechsler

Now it gets exciting—we are at 15,200 ft in Barafu (Ice) Camp.

The team had no trouble coming up from Karanga this morning. The clouds and murk of yesterday afternoon and evening were nowhere to be found by this morning. We came up in calm and sunny conditions, with unlimited views of the big volcano we’ve been spiraling in toward. We reached high camp in the late morning and spent our time eating, resting, and preparing to climb. Clouds came over again in the afternoon, but they’ve cleared away again this evening, just as we’ve all tucked in for an early (6:30 PM) bedtime. Before too long, we’ll be going high.

Best Regards,

RMI Guide Dave Hahn

PC: Dave Hahn

The Four Day Climb August 9-12 led by RMI Guides Casey Grom and Sam Hoffman reached the summit of Mt. Rainier today with all of their climbers.  It's a beautiful bluebird day and the teams climbed strong. They started their descent from the crater rim around 7 am.  Once back at Camp Muir they will take a quick break before continuing the remaining 4.5 miles to Paradise.

Congratulations to today's climbers!

The Expedition Skills Seminar - Paradise team led by RMI Guides Tom Skoog and David Rathbun put their week of training to the test this morning and climbed to the summit of Mt. Rainier. The team has spent the last several days climbing and training. They pushed up to Camp Muir yesterday and with an alpine start this morning enjoyed the sunrise from the upper slopes of the mountain.  The team started their descent from the crater rim around 7 am.  Once back at Camp Muir they will take a quick break and continue down to Paradise to conclude their climb. They will celebrate their accomplishments later today in Ashford.

Nice work team!

PC: Tom Skoog

It was a day without sun.  Mostly.  We had it for a few minutes this morning as we walked to the base of the Great Barranco Wall. But then we were swallowed in cloud and mist just as we started to get serious on the wall.  Perhaps that helped those of us with a fear of heights to concentrate solely on the rock and the path ahead.  Our guides, Freddy, Naiman, and Thomas kept us moving well and guarded us on the tricky steps.  We’d prepared for traffic jams on this normally busy section of the route, but there were none.  We cruised the wall in just over an hour’s time -about half of what it might have taken with normal traffic.  Our amazing dining tent “waiters”, Hamedi and Shwahibu, had scaled the wall even faster and had tea and snacks out within moments of our arrival at the 14,000 ft “summit”. Although we had no view whatsoever from this normally stunning viewpoint, we lingered for forty five minutes anyway, enjoying the snacks and the swirling mists. The remaining hours to camp were easy by comparison. We took the time to review efficient hill-climbing techniques on our way up the final steep path into Karanga Camp at 13,200 ft. Now, in early evening, we’ve yet to see the place. The visibility is perhaps 100 ft although the weather is not unpleasant. Just a little static. 

Best Regards,

RMI Guide Dave Hahn

PC: Dave Hahn

Monday, August 11, 2025 -- Descent to Trailhead

Yesterday, Sunday, August 10, 2025, Johnny, Behrang and I summited Mount Shuksan via the Sulphide Glacier and SE ridge. What. An. Adventure! We are all so happy and ecstatic. I am especially proud of Johnny and Behrang for tackling some fears, developing their inner perseverance, and grinding through a long day in the Alpine. We started early from our low basecamp at the park boundary, waddled our way across the sulphide, and climbed (paddled) our way up the amazing and awe inspiring SE ridge. We enjoyed a beautiful sunset, ate one last freeze dried meal, and had a beautiful night of sleep before walking out today. Here's to the next one!

RMI Guide Ben Luedtke and Team

Sunday, August 10, 2025 -- Climb Day

We topped out on Mount Shuksan via the Sulphide Glacier route at 2 pm, and made our way back to camp. We had a light breeze and were in full sun during the climb--an absolutely gorgeous day! :) 

RMI Guide Ben Luedtke 

Saturday, August 9, 2025 -- Approach to Camp

Arriving late last night in Sedro-Woolly, we had a fine dinner that consisted of pizza and a dilemma on which sauce is best for the base, but we just put buffalo sauce on all of it to be sure. Today, we got up early and hiked in to our base camp at the edge of the North Cascades National Park Boundary, and we are still awestruck by the views we have of Mount Baker. We journeyed up on the first stretch of our route to practice some skills in preparation for our big summit day tomorrow. Taking in the amazing views of the pickets and so many other peaks, we topped off our water and are back at camp. As we enjoy our tasty freeze dried meals, we are ecstatic for the countless more views we will get tomorrow. The weather looks good, our packs are ready, and our skills are sharp. Lets go!

RMI Guide Ben Luedtke

Climbers on the Four Day Climb August 9 - 11 reached the summit of Mt. Rainier today.  They enjoyed a bit of time on the summit and began their descent from the crater rim just after 7 am. Once back at Camp Muir, they will repack and continue the remaining 4,500' descent to Paradise.

Congratulations to today's climbers!

We broke a bunch of personal altitude records today.  The team stood at 15,200 ft by the Lava Tower and didn’t seem much worse for the wear.  In fact we had a picnic lunch up there before dropping down below the stunning and immense south face of Kilimanjaro to descend to Barranco Camp at 13,000 ft.  We took seven hours from Shira Camp (including the picnic) which is just what we were aiming for.  The team enjoyed walking through the Giant Senecios and Lobelia plants that guard the approaches to Barranco.  It was breezy in camp as we rested and recuperated.  We ate another of Chef Tosha’s excellent dinners and told each other mountain ghost stories to finish the day. 

Best Regards,

RMI Guide Dave Hahn

PC: Dave Hahn