RMI Expeditions Blog

The Expedition Skills Seminar - Paradise August 20 - 25 led by RMI Guide Sam Hoffman concluded their week of training and climbing with a summit climb of Mt. Rainier.  The team enjoyed a bluebird day and reached the summit around 6 am, enjoying the views before starting their descent from the crater rim around 7 am.  The team will get a short break at Camp Muir to repack their gear before they continue the final 4,500' to Paradise later this afternoon.  They will celebratie their successes at Rainier BaseCamp this afternoon. 

The Four Day Climb August 22 - 25 led by RMI Guide George Hedreen reached the summit of Mt. Rainier this morning and enjoyed some time in the summit crater.  They began their descend from the crater rim around 7 am.  Once back at Camp Muir the team will take a quick break before continuing down to Paradise later this afternoon.

Congratulations to today's climbers!

Today was a big one, all the way from 12,600 to 15,200.  Breaking a number of records in the process. 

We set out from Shira at 8 AM up gently rising slopes. We marched through Juniper shrubs and sage-like plants until the plants were finished near 15K.  Our high point for the day -Lava Tower- was the perfect place to take an extended lunch break. Then it was down two thousand feet, back to where the plants thrive in the Barranco Valley. We cruised through Lobelias and Senecios endemic to Kilimanjaro.  All told it was about seven hours on the trail for our gang today with 6 of the 10 climbers having shattered their previous high-altitude records.

RMI Guide Dave Hahn & Team

Shira Plateau, 12,600 ft.  After a calm night at 10,000 ft, we woke to see Kibo, Kilimanjaro’s central peak, shining in the clear morning air.  Below, there was still a sea of clouds but that wasn’t bothering us.  We got walking uphill at 8 AM and started climbing up a giant stairmaster of rock through a short forest of Heather.  Before long we’d crested a ridge which we then followed in toward Kibo.  Finally, we made a turn to the west, putting our hands on rock to get up some blocky sections.  We turned a last corner and found ourselves on the Shira Plateau and we strolled into our new camp a few minutes later.  It was then an easy afternoon of resting, eating and playing games.  The team is primed to watch the sun set out beyond Mt Meru, the 15,000 ft volcano on our western horizon.

- RMI Guide Dave Hahn and Team

The Four Day teams led by Jess Wedel and Hannah Blum summited Mt. Rainier this morning. They were descending from the crater rim around 7:30 am. The teams reported a perfect day. We'll see both teams back in Ashford later today. 

Day one on Kilimanjaro!  We left the comfort of Rivertrees Inn at 8 AM under cloudy skies.  The bus ride to the Machame Gate of Kilimanjaro National Park took about two hours.  It then took us fully ninety minutes to jump through the administrative hoops of completing the permitting process and getting admitted to the park. But then we were off.  Twelve climbers and fifty one local staff.  We were still under cloud cover and then sometimes in the clouds, but it never actually rained as we worked steadily uphill in the rainforest.  The team made it up 4000 vertical feet to 10K in 5 hrs and twenty minutes. All were happy to come into a fully built camp and to take tea and dinner in a spacious dining tent. Tomorrow is another big day, perhaps we’ll even get to see the mountain.

- RMI Guide Dave Hahn & Team

The Five Day Climb led by Will Ambler and Avery Stolte reached the summit of Mt. Rainier this morning and enjoyed a bit of time in the summit crater.  They started their descent from the crater rim shortly after 7 am. The teams will have a short break at Camp Muir and then continue to Paradise later this afternoon.

Congratulations to today's climbers!

As promised, we got to work today, packing and prepping for Mount Kilimanjaro.  After a great breakfast at Rivertrees Inn, sitting outside under cloudy skies, our team of 12 got to know each other a little while we discussed the climb and how to get ready for it.  Next came a gear check to ensure that climbers weren’t bringing either too much or too little on our week-long expedition.  Folks then used the afternoon to get packs and duffels ready. 

We enjoyed a great dinner together, received the last missing bits of luggage from the airlines and then turned in, ready to get on the bus tomorrow and get walking. 

Best Regards,
RMI Guide Dave Hahn
 

Our Kilimanjaro climb began taking shape today. The entire twelve person team assembled -as scheduled- in Usa River, Tanzania at the Rivertrees Inn. Not all of the luggage followed the team to the assembly point, but we’re optimistic for tomorrow. Tomorrow is when we’ll get serious about planning and packing for the mountain, tonight it was enough to get together in one place. First priority now is sleep after the gargantuan transcontinental flights that got us here. 

Best Regards,
RMI Guide Dave Hahn

The RMI team on Mt Shuksan reached the summit via the Fisher Chimneys. They are on their descent back to the trailhead today. 

Great work everyone!