Entries By eric frank

Today was an event filled day for the RMI Mexico Volcanoes team. We started out bright and early with a delicious breakfast at Hotel Geneve, followed by a quick drive to our base for the night, La Malintzi. Upon arrival, we changed our shoes, put on some sunscreen and readied ourselves for our first acclimatization hike of the trip. Expansive views of the Tlaxcala region were enjoyed by all as we made our way up the mountain. The team did a great job, making quick work of the ascent trail. After four hours of hiking, we took our last break and started our descent back downhill to where an asado awaited us for dinner. In addition to the above, we also welcomed our last teammate who, due to flight complications, had to catch up with us here. With a full team and all of our luggage in hand, we're ready to head out early in the morning. Next stop, Altzimoni hut!

RMI Guides Eric Frank & Jenny Konway

RMI Guides Eric Frank & Robby Young and their teams of Four Day Climbers reached the summit of Mt. Rainier this morning. They enjoyed some time in the crater on a beautiful morning and began their descent from the crater rim a little after 8 AM. The teams will return to Camp Muir and then continue down to Paradise. From there an RMI Shuttle will deliver them to Rainier BaseCamp. Their program will conclude with a celebration and cheers to their accomplishments over the last few days. Congratulations to today's climbers!

RMI Guide Eric Frank thinks it's a beautiful day to climb Mt. Rainier. Eric along with RMI Guide Jenny Konway and the Four Day Climb August 23 -26 reached the summit just before 7 AM today. The team reported clear skies but with strong winds from the top of Disappointment Cleaver to the summit. The teams enjoyed almost an hour in the crater enjoying the views before starting their descent. Once back at Camp Muir they will repack and get ready for the final descent to Paradise. Their program will conclude with a celebration at Rainier BaseCamp this afternoon. Congratulations to today's climbers!

I am back from four incredible days in the North Cascades. I was fortunate enough to a day of training at Mount Erie, then three days on a successful ascent of the Fisher Chimneys on Mt. Shuksan with one guest. Here are some photos of the experience. RMI Guide Eric Frank

RMI Guide Eric Frank and the Mt. Rainier Summit Climb team reached the summit just after 7:00 a.m. The weather is nice with blue skies and winds between 15 - 20 mph. The team is currently on top enjoying the views before they begin their descent back down the mountain.

The Mongolia team has made the jump from Olgii in Western Mongolia back to the capital, Ulaanbataar. We are enjoying the cosmopolitan feel of the city and a final cultural event today - visiting a 13th century recreation of Chinggus (Ghengis) Khan's kingdom and palace. Tomorrow morning we all catch flight home to our love ones. Thanks for following along!! RMI Guide Eric Frank

Many miles of dusty roads brought us out of the mountains and back into civilization this afternoon. The small town of Olgii, population 30,000, which felt like a isolated outpost last week now feels like the big city with amenities such as hot showers and the occasional strip of pavement. For dinner we were treated to a traditional Khazak feast with a performance on the dombor, a two stringed instrument similar to a guitar. Despite a lack of physical activity today, everyone seems a bit tired and we are all headed to bed early to get ready for our flight back to Ulaanbataar tomorrow morning. RMI Guide Eric Frank

There is nothing more fundamentally Mongolian then riding a horse. Today we got to try our hands at the national mode of travel as we exited our base camp via the Tsagaan Gol Valley on horseback. Five hours of trotting, cantering and the occasional gallop alongside a beautiful river brought us to a small ger camp in the base of the valley. In the States we call them yurts, but here in Mongolia the round semi-permanent tents made of felt are called gers. Each summer, when the nomadic people of the area move their herds- thousands of sheep, goats, yaks, horses and camels- to the upper valleys to feast on green grass, they set up small ger camps and live out in the open. Tonight part of the team is staying in tents and part of the team have elected to join our hosts in their ger for the night. Even though they don't know us and we don't share any common language, these kind people have welcomed us into their home and made us comfortable in every way possible. Despite the fact this might be highly unusual at home, this is quite normal in Mongolia and another reason to love the hospitality of this culture. RMI Guide Eric Frank and team

Today was a rest day for the Mongolia Expedition. After five days off constant movement a little down time was well deserved. We filled the hours by drying and organizing our gear, hiking to a nearby meadow filled with wild flowers and napping in the afternoon heat. Things were low key and each team member enjoyed personal time. A beautiful sunset capped off the evening and tomorrow we will begin our trek back to Ulaanbataar with fond memories of our time in this area. RMI Guide Eric Frank

Hello. This is Eric Frank calling from the summit of Mt. Khuiten in Mongolia. It's 9:30 in the morning and I'm happy to report that this is our third summit of the week and everyone made it to the top of Khuiten. We are having a pretty wonderful day. We're going to head down from here to our high camp and continue on to base camp later this afternoon. We are looking forward to a round of feasting and a good night's sleep tonight. Thanks for following along. We'll check in soon. Bye. RMI Guide Eric Frank