Entries By david price

The Soul of a Climber 

The mountains hold the soul,

And light fire in the hearts of some men.

It leads them to do things,

Others don't just understand.

It's not only the summits,

Though that's what we oft speak of.

It's the journey, the effort,

And so much more that we love.

It's trekking the valleys,

That lead to the trailhead.

And the anticipation of adventures,

During the journey ahead.

It's the early morning sun,

As if it illuminates the peaks.

All through the day until sunset,

These are the beauties we seek.

We realize it will take effort,

That there will be moments of pain.

But the mountain gives more back,

It is much more of a gain.

It's the time spent with others,

Telling tales of past climbs.

And of more ventures ahead,

That excite each climber's mind.

There is time spent together,

There is tile spent alone.

But mostly it is time in the mountains,

In this place we call home.

The time comes to leave, 

It invariably does.

But our hearts and souls have been nourished,

By these sacred mountains we love. 

-Tim Cavanagh

It's easy to forget how wild it is here. Over the past several days we have been surrounded by the hustle and bustle of helicopters, mules, and other climbers rushing in and out of Aconcagua Base Camp. Today brought a lovely change. Carrying our gear higher and higher, we were reminded of how incomprehensible the land we are exploring in is. The surrounding mountains took depth and the air became noticeably thinner. It was calm. No wind, no helicopters, no loud music. Just climbing. Wonderful. 

Till next time,

RMI Guide Luke Wilhelm & Team

The team enjoyed a well deserved rest day at Basecamp. We spent the time napping, reading, and preparing gear for tomorrow.  Optimism and hope flowed out of our dining tent this evening as we were finally able to see the climbing route above us. We feel recovered and ready for what lies above. 

RMI Guides James, Luke, David & Team

The sun got a little brighter for us today, as we moved up to Plaza de Mulas. One only needed to look up from the trail to realize the unique contrast of the environment we were in. Dusty desert gave way to ice covered peaks, appearing to rocket upwards in an attempt to reach outer space. After a long day on the trail, we were greeted with good food and shade. 

Till next time,

RMI Guide Luke Wilhelm 

It wasn't the wind that blew us away, it was the view! The south face of Aconcagua towered over us all day. Impressive, humbling, breathtaking, epic. We soaked it all in during our acclimatization hike. While not the route we are climbing, it was a good reminder of the challenge that lays ahead. Our spirits are as high as the mountain itself. 

Till next time,

RMI Guide Luke Wilhelm

We hit the dusty ol' trail today! A gentle breeze at our backs encouraged us towards Aconcagua. The hike to Camp Confluencia was filled with good conversation and lots of laughter. With every step, life is getting simpler and simpler. We are all in such awe of this place. 

Till next time,

RMI Guide Luke Wilhelm

After several long days of travel, the team has fully arrived. The glowing Argentinian sun has welcomed us with open arms. With bellies full of steak, the team has enjoyed the slow pace of life here. Everyone is in high spirits as we finalize our packing for the expedition ahead. 

More to follow,

RMI Guide Luke Wilhelm 

We had a great day at Mt. Erie on Tuesday for the first day of our Expedition Skills Seminar - Shuksan.  We went through gear, learned knots, anchors, belaying, and rappelling. We also did a bit of top rope climbing in boots to get ready for Shuksan. We then prepped and got ready to head onto the mountain for the next few days.  We had a great day with a bit of cloud cover to keep it cool. We then moved into camp at the toe of the Sulphide Glacier with some incredible views for the next several days! 

On Friday, we made our summit attempt with 100% of the group reaching the summit at 9,131'.  It was a long day and we arrived back in camp late.  Everybody is happy. We'll train on Saturday and check in then. 

RMI Guide Pete Van Deventer

The Five Day Climb August 30 - 3 September completed their program.  The team met on Monday for their Orientation and Equipment check, then headed out the next day above Paradise for a full day of Mountaineering School.  With their glacier travel training complete the team ascended 4.5 miles to Camp Muir on Tuesday.  They spent two nights at Camp Muir and were able to explore the route up to 11,300', the group was unable to make a summit attempt due to route conditions.  However, they did get in some crevasse rescue training.  Today the group finished up a bit more training before packing up and descending to Paradise.

Congratulations team - we hope you enjoyed your time on the mountain!

RMI Guide Mike King called this morning at 7:06 a.m.  The Mt. Rainier Summit Climb team turned at Ingraham Flats due to difficult route conditions.  The teams are planning to begin their descent from Camp Muir between 8:30 - 9:00 a.m.