Entries from Locations
The Four Day Climb led by RMI Guides Casey Grom and Ben Ammon reached the summit of Mt. Rainier early this morning. It was a cool morning until the sun came up. Ben reported a cloudless sky with very light winds. The team is in route back to Camp Muir and will return to Paradise in the early afternoon.
Congratulations Team!
Posted by: James Bealer, Henry Coppolillo
Categories: Expedition Dispatches North Cascades
Elevation: 8,816'
RMI Guide James Bealer and Henry Coppolillo checked in from camp after their successful summit of Forbidden Peak. Despite rain early on in the program, the team persevered and made it to the top. The team will enjoy some much-needed rest before their walk back to the trailhead and back to cell service.
Congrats to the team for being our first summit on Forbidden this season!
Greetings from 13,150 ft in Karanga Camp on Kilimanjaro. The team started the day in the garden-like Barranco Camp below the great rock wall of the same name. It was a perfect weather day right from the outset. There were no winds and no upper level clouds although the lower sea of clouds continued to hide the rest of the world from our view. We got moving toward the Barranco Wall just aft 8:30 AM. The lower third of the lava wall is a set of ledges that tend to get one’s attention. Both hands are needed on the rock holds and the feet need to be carefully placed as we move from ledge to ledge. It all gets a little more exciting as several hundred porters (from our own team as well as from the numerous surrounding teams) attempt to politely squeeze by with awkward and heavy loads balanced on their heads. The wall relents in its middle sections and turns into steep switchbacks with occasional odd steps. At the top, we were back to hands on rock to get over the final escarpments. All told it took us about two hours to get on top of the wall. It was a great feeling to pull onto the flat and have unimpeded views of Kibo’s cliffs and ice fields above. We then moved down and East across several shallow valleys before we crossed a deep and steep sided one -the Karanga Valley- to reach our camp on the opposite rim. It took roughly four hours to reach Karanga. We were just in time for lunch and an afternoon snooze. After dinner we stared up at the Milky Way and the southern cross and Kibo glowing in the moonlight.
Best Regards
Posted by: Ben Luedtke, Augi Fleer
Categories: Expedition Dispatches North Cascades
Elevation: 10,781'
Friday, August 5, 2022 7:15 am PDT
Baker Easton Glacier100% summit! Great day of climbing with a Strong Team!
Thursday, Augsut 4, 2022 6:31 pm PDT
We woke up this morning to some light rain that started sometime during the night. We remained in our tents most of the day taking advantage of the time to nap, rest, and enjoy some of our snacks. Before dinner we freshened up on some more skills in preparation for our climb. We are now cozied up in our sleeping bags and will try for the summit early in the morning. All is well and everyone is excited!
RMI Guides: Ben Luedtke and Augi Fleer
Posted by: Steve Gately, Tatum Whatford
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mount Rainier
Elevation: 14,410'
The Four Day Climb led by RMI Guides Steve Gately, and Tatum Whatford reached the summit of Mt. Rainier early this morning. The teams climb under clear windless skies and enjoyed a beautiful sunrise. They are on the descent and will be back at Camp Muir by mid-morning.
Congratulations team!
So happy to hear this news! Congratulations!!!
Posted by: Holly on 8/5/2022 at 12:45 pm
Way to go, Team!!! I’ve been thinking of you and sending good vibes for a safe and clear summit! So happy for you all!!! <3 <3 <3 :-) :-) :-)
Posted by: Emily on 8/5/2022 at 11:17 am
When 6:30 rolled around this morning, the clouds were all gone at Shira Camp. Kibo stood out clear as a bell and so did Meru, the 15,000 ft volcano to our west. There was still a sea of clouds down below, but they were well below our lofty 12,500 ft camp. We were walking uphill by 8:30, straight toward Kibo. It was an easy day for climbing with gentle breezes to keep us cool. The trail was easier than those we’ve experienced so far and we made good and steady progress. We reached the Lava Tower at around 12:30 PM and sat down at 15,200 ft for a leisurely lunch in the sun. Our nine climbers had each broken their personal altitude records. It was amazing to be so close under Kibo’s gigantic rock and ice faces. Finally we geared up and started walking down. We came gradually back into the zones where plants live and then it was wonderful to stroll down through the gardens of Barranco with Giant Senecios and lobelias and Heather. We made it to camp at 3:30 and ducked into the dining tent for coffee and popcorn. Coming into camp it was hard not to look over at the Barranco wall and wonder about tomorrow’s climb. But the beauty of Kibo at sunset and the amazing stars that came out a bit later helped to settle our minds on the present. We’ll worry about the wall tomorrow.
Best Regards
Wow you guys are doing great! You’re almost to the summit! You can do it! Love and prayers coming to you Steve, Lynn and Peter! Looking forward to hearing all about the trek!
Posted by: Ardy and Bob Schopf on 8/6/2022 at 3:12 pm
15,200! You’re feeling it now, I’m sure! Take it all in and stay strong…and hydrated!! Hoping for clear skies for you all.
Posted by: Rob Schopf on 8/6/2022 at 1:13 pm
Posted by: Hannah Smith, Joe Hoch, Lauren Macklin, Lily Emerson, Michael Murray, Evan Sather
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mount Rainier
Elevation: 12,300'
The Four Day Climb for August 1 - 4 led by RMI Guides Hannah Smith and Joe Hoch were unable to summit today due to a descending cloud and gusty winds. The teams reached the top of Disappointment Cleaver but were unable to continue due to weather. As of 7 am the teams were safely back at Camp Muir. They plan leave Camp Muir around 9 am to make the remaining 4,500' descent to Paradise. We look forward to seeing the teams at Rainier Basecamp this afternoon.
We got out of the tents at 6:30 this morning to find the clouds had returned. It was still calm though and not terribly cold at our 10,000 ft camp. We ate breakfast and hit the trail shortly after 8 AM. The trail was a good deal more rugged than yesterday’s with about a million rocky steps to negotiate as we steadily gained altitude through the giant heather forest. The morning rush hour was something to see, with porters from a half dozen expeditions charging up the path all at once. “Traffic” normalized after a few hours and the angle eased as we reached a ridge crest.
We found ourselves above the clouds once more as we moved along the ridge toward Kibo -which was not only visible again, but a good deal closer than it had been at our last glimpse. We made a big left turn to the North and began the traverse out toward Shira. The terrain got more interesting as we needed our hands on rock to pass a number of ledges. The vegetation changed as we closed in on 12,800 ft -our high point for the day- we saw more giant senecios and lobelias as things got higher and drier.
Finally, we turned the corner onto the Shira Plateau and began walking downhill toward camp. We pulled in at about 2 PM… just in time for lunch and an afternoon nap. By dinner at 12,500 ft, things had cooled considerably and many of us had several warm clothing layers on for stargazing before bed.
Best Regards,
RMI Guide Dave Hahn & Team
You’re getting there! Ella says “keep climbing Daddy (and Aunt Lynn and Uncle Peter)”!
Posted by: Sarah on 8/4/2022 at 3:10 am
Wishing you all a wonderful trip. So happy to be able to follow along. Enjoy! Charlotte-friend of Peter, Lynn and Steven’s
Posted by: Charlotte Multer on 8/3/2022 at 8:21 pm
Posted by: Jack Delaney, Abby Westling, Leif Bergstrom, Daniel May, Charlie Harrison, Nick Sinapius
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mount Rainier
Elevation: 14,410'
The Five Day Climb teams July 30 - 3 August led by RMI Guides Jack Delaney and Abby Westling made a sunset climb to the summit yesterday evening. The teams reached the crater rim around 8 pm and quickly began their descent as fairly strong winds accommpanied them the entire climb. The climb went well and the team was stoked to summit even with the constant winds. As of 7 am the climbers were sleeping in at Camp Muir with plan to start their descent to Paradise around 10 or 11 am.
Congratulations team!
Posted by: Kiira Antenucci, Joey Manship, Augi Fleer
Categories: Expedition Dispatches North Cascades
Elevation: 10,781'
RMI Guide Kiira Antenucci and Team reached the summit of Mt. Baker via the Easton Glacier. The team had a great three days of climbing. The Easton Glacier Route of Mt. Baker is perfect for the beginner looking to learn about climbing on glaciers, or the experienced climber seeking to stand atop a northwest classic.
Congratulations Team for taking on the challenge!
Congratulations to all Army hikers who have found their grit again. You made it!
Posted by: Vickie on 8/2/2022 at 2:21 pm
Congratulations to Andrea and Matthew and the whole team!
Posted by: John and Kate on 8/7/2022 at 2:13 pm
Hope you are having a great adventure Kassandra and Chris!! Can’t wait to hear about it!!
Posted by: Lisa Tapia on 8/7/2022 at 7:20 am
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