RMI Expeditions Blog

Congratulations to the Four Day Climb team, led by RMI Guides Stella Johnson and Dustin Wittmier, on reaching the 14,410-foot summit of Mt. Rainier early this morning!

Despite cold temperatures and strong winds, the team was rewarded with clear skies above the cloud layer surrounding Paradise. They are currently descending and expect to arrive back at Camp Muir shortly.

Well done, Team!

Today was easy!  At least for our team of seasoned mountain climbers it was easy.  We just took two rest breaks between Karanga and Barafu Camps and the weather was calm, sunny and clear.  We had unobstructed views of Kibo -Kilimanjaro’s central peak- and its ice and snow fields shining in the morning sun.  Our Barking Zebra support team had done a brilliant job of building high camp for us and so our entrance to life at 15,200 ft was as easy as it could be.  We lunched and strategized for tonight’s climb.  There were some easy packing chores to be done and then we rested.  We’ll still meet for an early dinner but then the plan is to get to bed right after. The beautiful sunset we saw last night from Karanga Camp will have to suffice.  We are prioritizing rest tonight because we will get up super early and head out for the roof of Africa.

Best,

RMI Guide Dave Hahn

The Four Day Day Climb August 24 - 27, 2026 led by RMI Guide Joe Hoch and Nick Sinapius were forced to turn around today due to high winds.  The teams left Camp Muir but the winds were just too strong and they retreated safely to Camp Muir. The teams plan to leave Camp Muir around 9:30 am and descend to Paradise.

The Expedition Skills Seminar - Shuksan team led by RMI Guides Jackson Breen and Calvin Jiricko reached the summit via the Sulphide Glacier today. The photos show blue skies and lots of stoke!  They have a few more days of training on the mountain before they will descend.  They chose to summit today due to possible deteriorating weather.

Nice work team!

We left the garden-like grounds of Barranco Camp at 8 this morning and got busy with the Barranco Wall.  There was the usual traffic jam on the tricky parts as several hundred porters and climbers took turns climbing short walls and traversing tight spots.  But we made good progress up and after two hours we popped out on top of the wall and were rewarded with a magnificent view of Kibo’s towering south face. We celebrated with tea and snacks before continuing on another couple of hours to Karanga Camp.  It was another afternoon of alternately resting and eating at camp.  We all enjoyed sunset and moonrise from this new vantage point on the mountain.

RMI Guide Dave Hahn

The Four Day Climb August 23 - 26 led by RMI Guides Dan May and Mac Nolde were turned back by high winds at Ingraham Flats (11,200') this morning.  They returned to Camp Muir around 3 am.  The teams will start their descent from Camp Muir around 9am.

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