RMI Expeditions Blog

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!

Saturday June 20 - 8:45pm PST

We’re progressing well up the mountain and having fun! Currently we are at 11k camp with a cache at 10k feet. Tomorrow we plan on retrieving our cache and to place our next cache around 14k the following day. We will see if the weather cooperates with that plan. We’ve been blessed with great weather so far, if even a little hot in the sun. After the first couple days sleeping on the glacier, I’m excited to be making vertical progress!

- RMI Climber Daniel

Saturday, June 20 - 7PM PST

At 2AM things didn’t look so great… there were big clouds and it was spitting snow on our 8K camp. After a cup of coffee, everything looked better and we rallied the team for moving day. We were on the trail just ahead of 5 AM and moving well in the cool shadows. Before long we were up Ski Hill and pulling on to the plateau at 9500 ft. We took a break near our 10K cache and then rounded the corner bound for 11K. The last hill was bigger and steeper but our team was firing on all cylinders and we cruised into our new home by 10AM. It took about 2.5 hrs to hammer out tent sites and a kitchen and dining tent but it then felt pretty good to move in to shelter from the intense high altitude sun. After a few days down in the valley of the Kahiltna, it is a thrill to be looking out at the Alaskan tundra to the NW and back down to 17,400 ft Mount Foraker to the SW.  The end of the West Buttress is gigantic above camp. We may actually get a thunder snow shower after dinner this evening as the cumulus clouds have been building and rumbling.

- RMI Guide Dave Hahn

Saturday, June 20 - 10PM PST

We started the day with hot Cinnamon Toast Crunch. That was unique. It fueled us for our cache above the fixed lines at 16,500.’ A challenge I believe we were all ready for and eager to accomplish. Now the waiting game. In moments like these, I reflect on Nick’s question about three things that describe why we are here and/or why we climb. The obvious ones come to mind - pushing yourself, doing hard things, and accomplishing a-typical goals. But when I think on it further what an expedition like these most rewarding are the people I get to meet and this trip is proving to be no different. Our team contains inspiring people. My tent mates: Hudson - an excellent listener, always supportive of others, thank you for introducing me to ibuprofen gel. Devin - our daily dose of laughter, energy and great story teller. Our teammates, Matt - has solid music taste, great work ethic, and a fellow Ohioan. Jimmy - sound leadership skills, insightful, and strong like bull. Allison - Smart, calm, and also strong like bull. Amanda - always with a smile, social, and has a great laugh… shoutout Jimmy’s Angels. Nick - our resident doctor the one we go to for all medical questions, a team player, and another Ohio brethren. Ben - we thank you for letting me borrow your boot warmers and the group your solar panel - shoutout Ed.

And of course our guides, our fearless leaders. Ben L.- el jefe, keeping our team motivated, providing us with your climbing knowledge, and making sure each of us are heard. Mike Bennett - killer Hawaiian shirt, dominant at Monopoly Deal, and can’t wait to hear about your future wife from Austin, TX. Avery -  a wonderful person to have a conversation with, hard worker, and does wonders with super glue on helmets. I am grateful to spend this experience with each of you. This is my second attempt of Denali and after meeting each of you I wouldn’t have it any other way. All that said, the jobs not done, but the sun will come out… tomorrow!! And to end with some inspiration from Big John Morrison - “Be in the moment” and “go be great.” #touchofdutch

- RMI Climber Ethan
 

The RMI four day climb led by guides Mike King and Ben Ammon made it to the summit of Mt Rainier this morning around 6:50am PST. They reported nice weather. They are on their descent and will be back in Ashford this afternoon. 

Great work up there! 

Friday, June 19th - 10:50PM PST

Let's begin with the obligatory summary of the day. Today was a rest and training day at 14k camp.
Our guides saw fit to bless us with a late start to the day, allowing a couple more hours of sleep until the sun peeked out over the mountain to bathe the camp in warmth. As the frost on our tents (on everything, really) melted away, we enjoyed a team breakfast, which included a rousing discussion of the best rom-com, as well as efining a dude vs chick flick. After attaining peak caffeination (and an additional discussion of the best methods of caffeination) we gathered our climbing gear and buttoned up camp before heading up the hill for some training. On the hill, we practiced using our ascenders for the fixed lines on the route above, as well as techniques for the descent. Personally, these skills sessions are one of my favorite parts of the climb. The team especially appreciated Mike's "hot knowledge" tips. Once training was complete, we descended back into camp for a relaxing afternoon with a breathtaking view of Mt Foraker and the expansive Alaskan wilderness stretching out below us.

Now that the summary is complete let's reflect. A rest day is a perfect opportunity for these introspective thoughts. I decided to poll the group to help write this portion of the blog, which is admittedly a pretty lazy way to write a blog, but hey, it's my post and my rules.
Living on the coast of Lake Erie just barely above sea level, I frequently get asked: what's it like climbing a mountain? I always struggle with this question to be honest. I'm not a wordsmith or a poet, and I often fail to find words to do the mountains justice. So I asked my team to do it for me! I asked them to describe in about three words, what it's like to climb mountains. These words could include the reasons why they climb, their favorite aspects of climbing, challenges, etc. Here are their answers:
Our fearless guides go first. Ben: For the people

Mike: Engaging, rewarding, purposeful

Avery: Community,  physical, hands-on.

The guides had an additional three words: Pete,
send money.
On to the clients:

Matt: To feel alive

Devin: Devin broke the rules and gave me three 30 word phrases, so I picked my favorite. Misogi. Which is Japanese for challenging yourself on an experience that has a 50/50 chance of completing
that experience.

Ethan: Moving goal posts

Jimmy: Type 2 fun

Allison: Here I am

Amanda: Wanting for nothing, I am whole.

Hudson: Exploring the limits of ourselves

I won't presume to interpret or explain these deeply personal words and phrases but I will tell you about mine (it's my soap box after all): Challenge, joy, and gratitude
Challenge: I've always been a very goal oriented person and l've always loved a good challange. The mountains challenge me to be disciplined. Disciplined in my training, my planning, and in my mindset on the climb. The mountains challenge me physically, occasionailly pushing me harder than I've ever worked before. The mountains challenge me mentally, Being away from family and friends is challenging. Not showering for weeks is challenging. Entering a tent that smells absolutely rank is challenging.

Joy: I've experienced some of my happiest moments in the mountains. Tagging the peaks of the 5 Washington stratovolcanoes with my brother ranks up pretty high. He just made me an uncle last month, so he's got a pretty good excuse for skipping this climb. There's joy in making new friends, joy in pushing through a tough day together, and joy in inside jokes (hypothetically speaking, or screaming WHERE ARE YOU in a Tom Delong voice from various points in camp). There's obviously joy in reaching the summit, but the whole climb is filled with joy from start to finish

Gratitude: I firmly belive that nothing teaches you gratitude like the mountains. I'm grateful for a job that funds and allows time for trips like this, grateful that Matt brought all the Austin Powers movies, grateful for my family who cheers me on (even if my mom thought there was a Starbucks at basecamp), grateful for a loving wife who is supportive to a fault (love you Molly!), and I'm grateful for my health and ability to climb. I'm also grateful for Denali. She has allowed us to  experience her beauty and power. She has allowed us to climb, but frequently reminds us that this is a privilege. With wide crevasses, ever changing weather, and the thunder of distant avalanches and rock fall, she urges us to never take our time on the mountain for granted. I'm grateful that Denali has given me permission to be here, to climb to this point, to experience the challenges and joys of climbing, and grateful that she reminds me to always appreciate my time in the mountains.
So there you have it. As best as my team and I can explain, that's what it's like to climb.

RMI Climber Nick Lukens
 

Friday June 19th - 6:30PM PST

Perfect day for climbing to the head of the Kahiltna Glacier.  We woke at 2:30 AM, happy to find that we had new neighbors -Dan May’s RMI team, fresh from summit success, had set up next to us in the night.  We congratulated them (although they were still trying for a little sleep) and set out on our carry to 10,000 ft.  Conditions were excellent for travel, the surface had frozen up just right and our sleds were gliding effortlessly… except for when we were going uphill, which was most of the time.  We traveled well at any rate, reaching our target elevation before 9 AM, just as the first rays of sunshine were creeping over the end of the West Buttress. We dug a deep hole in the snow and cached food and fuel. The walk down was relatively easy with light packs.  Looking South we could see all the way to the Tordrillo Mountains on the horizon.  By late morning we were diving into our tents to beat the midday heat.  We hope to move up tomorrow.

-RMI Guide Dave Hahn
 

May & team land back in Talkeetna with big smiles!

RMI Teams led by guides Dustin Wittmier and Tom Skoog made it to the top of Mt Rainier this morning around 6:15am. After several days of extremely high winds, they reported light winds and nice temperatures. They will return to Ashford this afternoon. 

Great work, team!