Entries By jt schmitt

Sunday, June 6, 2021 - 6:57 am PT

We woke up this afternoon after a delightful day of sleeping, and once again avoided the heat on our carry to 9,800 feet. We are now all prepped and ready to move to Denali's 11,000-foot camp as soon as weather permits!

RMI Guides Alan Davis, Kiira Antenucci and JT Schmitt

Saturday, June 5, 2021 - 10:49 am PT

After a couple of relatively inactive days, we left base camp like a bunch of caged animals who had recently tasted freedom for the first time.

The crew walked across the Kahiltna with confidence and strength under a clear Alaskan night sky, only a few clouds hanging like ornaments from the peaks of Denali, Foraker, Crosson and the Kahiltna dome.

We made it to camp one in great time, the snow having frozen to a beautiful supportable crust that felt more convenient to walk across than a city sidewalk, and the temperatures were ideal for carrying heavy loads.

We are now hiding from another boisterous Alaskan sun, watching the snow melt and looking forward to some much needed and deserved rest before we wake up this evening to hopefully carry tonight.

RMI Guides JT Schmitt, Alan Davis, Kiira Antenucci and Team 

Friday, June 4, 2021 - 3:09 pm PT

After our dry run yesterday, we got to do the real thing today. We landed on to the Kahiltna at precisely 10 am, and boy was it already hot! We were hoping to hit the ground running, but talking to teams coming off the lower Kahiltna and looking at the temps we decided to take the day to review skills, dig a cache and organize.

Due to the hot temps we are switching to a night schedule so we will sleep through the heat of the day today and depart when things firm up! Morale is high and we are super excited to be on the mountain!

RMI Guide JT Schmitt and team

Thursday, June 3, 2021 - 11:37 am PT

We woke up early this morning to try to get the first flight slot out this morning, and optimistically we got our boots on and loaded up the planes. Unfortunately, as things often happen in Alaska, we got turned around just as we were entering the Alaska Range due to low visibility. We are now back in Talkeetna anxiously awaiting our next opportunity to fly. Stay tuned.

RMI Guide JT Schmitt

The Four Day Climb led by RMI Guide JT Schmitt turned just above Ingraham Flats today. The team had clear skies for climbing, but significant wind loading on the upper slopes made it unsafe to travel on the upper mountian. The team has started their descent and will be back to Paradise early this afternoon.

Congratulations to Today's Team!

The Four Day Climb May 20- 23, 2021 was turned around at the top of Disappointment Cleaver today due to low visibility, blowing snow and cold temperatures.  The teams, led by RMI Guides Andy Bond and Taylor Bickford, returned to safely to Camp Muir and will be descending to Paradise later this morning.

Well our trip has come to a close! We are all loaded up for one last bus ride back to Mexico City. The mountain is looming behind us, standing above golden fields of fall corn, looking crisp and fresh in the morning air. Everyone got one last look at Orizaba on our way out of town. It has been a great trip with incredible food, company and climbing. All climbers are excited to get back to their families to share stories of their Mexico Volcanoes Expedition! Enjoy a few pictures of our climb yesterday. RMI Guides JT Schmitt and Grayson Swingle

This is the Mexico volcanoes expedition checking in from the summit of Pico de Orizaba! We summited in great time in great conditions! Blue bird skies and 5mph winds greeted us from the top! Stand by for some pictures once we are back in town! RMI Guides JT Schmitt and Grayson Swingle

On The Map

Checking in from the Piedra Grande Hut on Pico de Orizaba at an elevation of 13,900 feet. We’ve had a busy day driving from Puebla and prepping in Tlachichuca. After a delicious dinner of chicken tacos, we are ready to turn in for an early start to head up Orizaba tomorrow! Wish us luck!! Mexico volcanoes expedition. RMI Guide JT Schmitt

On The Map

Greetings from Puebla! The team is enjoying a well deserved rest day in the beautiful city of Puebla. It’s been a rainy day here but we are making the most of it. Each of us have set out on our own to explore the incredible churches built in the 1500’s and the lively markets found around our hotel. Tomorrow we will head to our final objective of the trip, Pico de Orizaba (18,491')! The weather is looking quite wintery up there today through tomorrow but we may get a window to summit on Saturday if all goes well. That’s all for now, we are heading to feast on some authentic Mexican cuisine! RMI Guide Grayson Swingle