RMI Expeditions Blog

The Four Day Climb teams for June 20 - 23 reached the summit of Mt. Rainier this morning around 6:40 am.  The team reported great conditions and a beautiful day. They will descend to Camp Muir, take a short break and continue down to Paradise later this afternoon.

Congratulations to today's climbers.

Photos: Seth Burns

Tuesday, June 23, 2026 - 1:11 am PT

June 22nd - Day whatever.

Today was the teams first unplanned rest day. A storm is moving through the area over the next few days, and while we are unsure of how severe it will be, we are sure we don't want to be high on the mountain until it passes. We are also sure as hell up to the task when our time comes.  Today we enjoyed excellent breakfast quesadillas (send hot sauce) and built up our fortifications around camp. These fortifications are 4-5 ft high walls made of quarried snow blocks, complete with a 6.5 ft arch the ancient Greeks would approve of. Shout out to Jimmy's vision and passion to this beautiful piece of work.  Bob the builder ain't got shit on him. After a short break we jumped right into a quick yoga session. Amanda led us through an excellent vinyasa... in the snow, at 14 thousand feet, we are not in Kansas anymore. After another short break Dr. Nick gave us a wonderfully compelling, if not sobering, lesson in the basics of wilderness medicine and the benefits of a tongue piercing.  I feel compelled by the many elegant writers in our group to expand beyond the literal in this writing, and the reflection of Nick's question seems to be the jumping off point for this so here goes...

What makes you feel alive? This is a very individual question with no proper answer. Personally nothing challenges me, fulfills me, or motivates me like the wilderness. Nothing gives me perspective, closure, or meaning  like the places in the world where nature still reigns supreme. 

Nothing makes me feel alive like being in the mountains. Everyone on this mountain, not just this team but the true spectrum of humanity that coexists in this frozen paradise has a common goal, and in this goal we are united and supported by each other in ways that don't always persist off the mountain. We are far more than surviving out here, we are thriving and growing and learning in ways that you cannot replicate in a classroom.

Life is weird and trippy and completely uncertain, but in these moments and in these places we are present and living to the fullest. We are very very lucky, and very very smelly.To avoid writing a thesis, I think what it boils down to is to find your mountain. Find what makes you feel alive, whatever it is and keep climbing until your knees give out. Then maybe crawl for a little bit. I want to thank my parents and siblings for supporting me while I chase my dreams across the world. I love you guys, and I miss my dog.

RMI Climber Matt Gates

Monday, June 22, 2026 - 9:48 pm PT

Our crampons were crunching snow just after 8 this morning as we got going up Motorcycle Hill.  An hour of climbing got us to the middle of Squirrel Hill, where we had great (and new) views of the Peters Glacier and the NW Buttress of Denali.  We had some steep hills to muscle up before reaching the relatively flat terrain at the start of the Polo Field below the end of the West Buttress.  An hour of gradually steepening climbing then got us to the relatively flat terrain at the start of the Polo Field below the end of the West Buttress.  An hour of gradually steepening climbing then got us to the pass at Windy Corner.  There, at about 13,300 ft we chose to cache our food and fuel.  The weather stayed more or less stable -there was no wind at windy corner- but clouds were increasing and we were getting intermittent snow showers. The team had a smooth descent to 11k with lighter packs and sleds.  The afternoon and evening were mostly cloudy back at camp, but we enjoyed a few sun breaks too.  We hope to move up to 14k tomorrow ahead of a forecasted storm. Fingers crossed.

RMI Guide Dave Hahn

RMI Guide Jack Delaney led his group of climbers to the summit of Mt Rainier this morning around 7:45am. They reported beautiful weather other than some wind. They are currently on their descent back to Camp Muir and will be back in Ashford this afternoon. 

Great work up there!

RMI Guide Jess Wedel led the four day climb to the summit of Mt Rainier this morning around 7:30am. They reported some notable winds, but otherwise a beautiful morning on the summit. They are on their descent back to Camp Muir and will be back in Ashford this afternoon. 

Great work team!

Sunday, June 21 - 11:30PM PST

Day 11! Wow. How far we have come from the Denali Brew Pub in Talkeetna - freshly showered, wearing shorts, and eating fresh greens. But what an incredible 11 days it’s been.

11 days of living in what feels like a simulation where the vistas in every direction look like a green screen.
11 days of seeking daily validation from Ben, Mike, and Avery-- “Avery, how many layers are you planning to start the day with??” “Mike, how’s my knot looking??”
11 days of squeezing one last M deal game in after dinner.
11 days of singing Ariana Grande’s God is a Woman in my head to power me through the final 500’ of our 3000’ vert days.
11 days of worshipping the sun each morning as she peeks over the mountain tops and drips down into our camp.
11 days of shitting in a bucket with a bunch of dudes and somehow feeling more at peace than I have in a long time.
And 11 days of feeling entirely and fully present.

A couple of days ago, Nick asked us to describe what the mountains mean to us in three words. I said, “Here I am.” Meaning, on the mountain, there’s no other place I need to be, no deadlines to meet, no notifications to check, no messages to respond to. It is a rare and special feeling. Insert a comma and you have “Here, I am.” On the mountain, I simply exist. I’m not worried about what I look like  or performing in a way that others expect of me. I am me. And that’s enough.

This morning started like most of them have - peeling off our eye masks as Ben’s voice breaks the silence: “hot water in 15!” And we embark on the 15-20 minute ordeal that is getting layered, putting boots on, getting out of the tent, and braving the icy air outside. We gathered in the kitchen tent for hot coffee and the long awaited pancake breakfast. Pancakes fluffier than the powder that surrounds us. Mid chow, Amanda finally started the kitchen tent rave she’s been begging for, hooking up to the Bluetooth and blessing us with Soffi Tucker’s banger “Throw Some Ass.” Just as the  beat dropped, Ben turned around and flipped a pancake twice the size of his head a foot into the air catching it flawlessly back in his skillet. The crowd went wild. After the flapjack show, we split up into our rope teams and made the short walk to the “edge of the world,” an iconic rock outcropping at 14K camp that looks thousands of feet below into the “Valley of Death.” The rest of the afternoon Jimmy, Hudson, and Dev built ice walls around our camp to protect us from the incoming weather. Avery led a clinic on avalanche beacons and rescue, and we got “knotty” with Mike. These rest days are important both for acclimatization and to let our muscles recover before our hopeful summit bid.

At this point in the trip, we have completed our preparation and have put ourselves in position to summit this thing. We should be proud of that. Yesterday we finished our final cache up to 16K. It was intense navigating our way up and down the steep terrain digging our crampons into electric blue sheets of glacial ice while simultaneously moving our ascenders up the fixed lines—a first for several of us. But the whole team crushed it.

And now we wait. Wait for Mother Denali to invite us to her peak. I often say, “the mountain doesn’t care.” She will not coddle you or temper her forces to make you feel more comfortable, more at ease. It’s one of the reasons that preparation and respect are a requirement (though not a guarantee) for success up here. But for the past 11 days, it feels like she knows we are here and is not only showing off her treasures but will help guide and protect us on our way to her summit.

As we patiently wait for our “summit window” (i.e., 72 hours of clear and calm weather that will allow us to safely move from 14k camp to 17k camp to the summit and back down), I feel so much gratitude for my mental and physical strength and the opportunity to explore some of the farthest corners of this beautiful planet (doing it with my husband and little sister is the cherry on top). And I feel confident that we’ll finish this climb the same way you get anywhere else you want to go in life: by putting one foot in front of the other.

PS Happy Father’s Day Dad (and to all the dads out there)! You are with us every step of this journey. We can’t wait to share stories and photos with you soon! ❤️

PPS Thank you to all of the friends and family who have been following along! Your love and support mean the world to us. We’ll see you all soon.

With love from 14K,
Allison
 

Sunday, June 21 - 6:45PM PST

We didn’t get up in the middle of the night!  It was wonderful to sleep until the civilized hour of six AM. Being higher up the hill at 11k means we don’t have to work so hard to avoid heat. We set off on our “back-carry” at 8 AM, snowshoeing down the hill to our cache at 10k. We collected our food and fuel and made it back into 11camp by 10:30.  The team sheltered from the sun until 3 and then we assembled to review crampon footwork and handling an ice axe, both of which will be useful tomorrow as we transition to steeper terrain. It began to snow -gently- as we finished training and set about packing for tomorrow’s carry.

- RMI Guide Dave Hahn 
 

On June 20th the Mt. Baker Climb team led by RMI Guides Joe Crawford, Celeste Wilson, and Julian Kral summited via the Easton Glacier route. After a successful summit the team spent one more night at Sandy Camp before descending the rest of the way back to the trailhead this morning for the conclusion of their trip.

Way to go climbers!

The five-day clmib decided to climb their first night at Camp Muir, with much success! The team, led by RMI guide Nick Sinapius, reached the summit around 7am this morning. They are on their descent back to Camp Muir. They have one more night at Camp Muir and will descend back to Ashford tomorrow. 

Great job everyone!

Around 6:45am this morning, RMI's four-day climb led by guide Joe Hoch made it to the summit of Mt. Rainier. The team reported good conditions and are on their descent back to Camp Muir. They will be back in Ashford this afternoon. 

Great work up there!