Entries By lacie smith

Blog- Interview style with father and son 

We beg your indulgence for any poor grammar, mispelllings, provocative language, or boldface lies. We are writing on an iPhone on the bus back to CDMX. Also some of us apparently watch Anthony Bourdain videos during class. 

Hardest part of the peak? 

G-Descending the glacier, I was leading our rope team. i wanted to set a good pace but didn’t want anyone to slip.

What was the make or break elevation? 

G- 16,800.  It reminded me of being at the top of the DC on Rainier. It ‘s  a point where you have to commit to finishing.  Climbing Ixta was a great reference point. Once we got past 17,100, it was a new highest altitude for each of us, and once I got there I believed I could get to the summit. 

What did the mountain teach you about life?

G- When things feel too hard you have to dig deeper. 

Describe Pulque, and how did it affect your progress up the mountain? 

E- One of the things I was most looking forward to in Puebla, after watching Anthony Bourdain’s “no reservations” in my math class, pulque or as we referred to it Mexican cactus jizz was as one would expect, pretty awful. The one redeeming quality was that it did give me the extra confidence to push through the glacier on orizaba, cause if I can tank half a liter of Pulque I can do anything.

G- I would describe Pulque as the glue you use to hang wallpaper, but slightly less appetizing, came in a cool jug though. I don’t drink, so I didn’t try it, but I am sure it puts hair on your ice ax. 

 How much sleep did you get?

G- That question presupposes that I got any sleep. I might have accidentally napped for 30 minutes.

E- I slept like a log from a cool 7:00 pm to when la jefa (Lacie) shook us awake at 12:30 am 

First thing you did when you got to the hostel/ or off the mountain?

G- tried to clean up the tent but fell asleep on Eli’s sleeping bag. 

E- shower beer.

Best mountain snack on Orizaba?

G-our amazing guide gave us meat sticks which we could not find in Mexico. 

E- my 400 mg of caffeine through various supplements including guu, shot blocks, and a yerba mate from the states.

How did you prepare in the morning?

G-1st question my sanity, then put leukotape on my heels. I never get blisters when I tape up and that small ritual of taking care of my body prepares my mindfor the climb. 

E- Threw in headphones and blasted some Strokes until I was able to start fighting the cold and leave the comfort of my sleeping bag.

How many times did you eat shit?

G- Not expressible in a number, it’s more a state of being. Fortunately it only happened when I was wearing my approch shoes lower on the mountain. I also caught myself as many times as I fell. Falling your way down the mountain can be a safe, acceptable means of descent. 

E- Question not applicable.

G- Show off. 

Worst part?

G- A couple of climbers had to turn around part way through, which was the absolute right judgment call, but made me question if I should go down too.

E- post summit I had a headache for about an hour and a half which blowed.

What new mountaineering techniques did you learn?

E-How to breathe through my nose which was only possible from 12 to 18 thousand feet. As well as more technical skills such as: climbing with a rope, walking flat footed, the most optimal height for a hiking pole( which I will be gatekeeping), and how to take a very scenic piss. 

What was it like to breathe at 18k feet?

G- surprisingly easy! that elevation was my biggest worry about the trip, and I am grateful it was not a problem. 

Describe the labyrinth. 

G- to quote Gimli: “an impassable labyrinth of razor sharp rocks.” I really enjoyed it because it involved scrambling through mixed Ice and rock, and made my rock climbing brain happy. 

Best part of Orizaba?

G-Walking up to the summit with my son was a high point of my life, not just of the trip. Also I enjoyed climbing through the base glacier above the labyrinth and listening to the crackle of the ice which was like shattering glass under my crampons.

E- Finally reaching the summit and taking in the views from 18 thousand feet above sea level.

What did you enjoy about Mexico on rest days?

G - Exploring central Puebla. It’s a gorgeous city and I will definitely come back.

E- The amazing food we found by wandering around aimlessly.

How hard was it for your dad to convince you to skip a week of your final semester of high school? 

E- It was a pretty hard decision, I had to choose between sitting through my brainless Math, Government, and Bio classes or go to Mexico and climb some of the highest peaks in North America, while eating great food and meeting amazing people.

Thanks for reading,

RMI Climbers Greg and Eli Robillard

Thursday, February 5, 2026 - 8:32 pm PT

Puebla, Mexico a city founded in April 1531 was the location of the Cinco de Mayo battle where Mexican forces defeated the French on May 5, 1862 even though they were outnumbered two to one.  This is also the location where the 2026 RMI Mexican Volcano expedition team took its first day of rest after summiting volcano Ixta.  Puebla is a bustling city with beautiful churches, lots of shopping, and very kind locals.  Some of the RMI expedition team did sight seeing tours, some shopped for loved ones back home, and others just took it easy. 

Puebla is set up in a grid system so it’s easy to navigate.  Like everywhere else the team has been all the locals are excited to interact with the expedition team even know our Spanish is mediocre at best.  

During our evening in Puebla the team enjoyed a group dinner where we chatted about preparations for Orizaba and discussed how each other’s days went.  We also had the privilege to listen to live karaoke at the supper establishment.  

Highlights of Puebla, good rest, good people, and wonderful food! The expedition team is now physically and mentally ready for Orizaba.  Puebla is an absolute hidden gem of inland  Mexico.

RMI Climber Jason White

Shadows and light in pairs that cling, 10 climbers made it to the top of Iztaccíhuatl- Mexico's third highest peak at 17,160'. We spent a chilly night in warm tents at 14,500' before continuing the chilly night with a 1:40 wakeup. Taking the low (and now dry) route to gain the main ridge we wandered over bouldery moraines, dusty ridges, freshly ground pumice, striated and marred rock all under the looming, dark, dozing distaff walls of the ancient overlapping cones. After much plodding we gained the summit ridge just in time for a much welcomed, warming sunrise. Scratching our way to the summit we took in views of a deep but diminishing hanging glacier in the mountain's highest crater. Surrounded by glacial erosion, to see one of the old ones hanging on begs the question how long until there's no ice left at all? Popocatépetl, Itza's neighbor (and mythical lover) has recently shed his in an extended period of eruption. Thankfully, these peaks have enjoyed a chilly start to the winter. That said, we had excellent climbing conditions which enhanced an already wonderful day in the high above, as well as a clean return. But our legs feel inconsequential in the current state they're in. Now it is time to look for leisure and recovery in Puebla before heading to Orizaba. 

RMI Guide Will Ambler

Tuesday, February 3, 2026 - 7:30 am PT

In the van, headed towards La Joya, we are entertained by Lacie's enduring tunes and John's incredible stories of dirty ice caves and saving lives on Denali and windy ski traverses of Greenland (before the days of heated socks) while our lungs and legs attempt recovery from yesterday's ascent of La Malinche:

Starting our walk 5 minutes after 5 de la mañana we wandered up through the persisting forest, cutting service road switchbacks along the direct, dusty and well-traveled camino. By headlamps and the light of a pale, crisp and nearly full moon we ambled upwards, through the woodsmoke soaked forest - owned and cherished by the Mexican public. Sunrise, when it came, was a pleasant affair, painting our objective with its precipitous walls a soft orange glow while pastel pink skies warmed behind us. Cold but amicable clear and calm weather allowed us a welcome summit caesura. Those of us who attempted the peak found éxito and those who returned to las cabañas at Malintzi have recovered from the GI disputes. From our climb we were able to lay eyes on the rest of our lofty plans and now, our feet freshly exfoliated from grinding the pervasive volcanic sand, we are ready for Iztaccíhuatl.

RMI Guide Will Ambler

After the team has trickled in to Mexico City over the past two days, we all met up for a team meeting followed by a group dinner. Some folks traveled outside of the city to site see some historic pyramids while others stayed close and roamed the city museums. 

Today we head to La malinche cabins where we plan to go for an evening walk before eating dinner and getting ready for tomorrow’s hike ! 

We are sending  all of our warm thoughts to Bill, whom had to go home due to his family’s donkey ( Simone ) falling ill. We miss you already Bill! 

RMI Guide Lacie Smtih

The Expedition Skills Seminar Team, led by RMI Guide Dustin Wittmier, reached the summit of Mt. Rainier today via the Emmons Glacier.

Over the past week, the team has been training on the upper slopes of Mt. Rainier, honing a variety of advanced alpine techniques. Today, they put those skills to the test and successfully climbed to the top of the mountain.

The team will spend one more night at Camp Schurman before descending and returning to Rainier Basecamp tomorrow afternoon.

Congratulations to the entire team on a successful summit!

Wednesday, June 18, 2025 - 10:16 pm PT

Well, this one is a couple days late. Like most members of the team, I have also been through quite a time warp. As I sit here tonight and am thinking about the trip, it occurs to me that just four nights ago we were still making our way back down to 17,000' Camp from the summit. Time flies when life is just a series of naps in between hard walking, unpacking, repacking and digging up caches. Truly the final 72 hours of a Mt. McKinley expedition is one of the hardest pushes most of us will make in the mountains. In that amount of time we: move from 14 Camp to 17 Camp, sleep, have our summit day, sleep, descend from 17 Camp to 11 Camp, sleep just a couple of hours and then descend from 11 Camp to Base Camp. All of that is assuming good weather.

This time around we had the fortune of great weather for a summit day and for our exit. Upon our arrival to Base Camp we waited only a short amount of time for the planes carrying Dave Hahn's team onto the glacier to arrive and take us off. It's quite a funny position to be in, tired and haggard from 17 days on the glacier and looking at another team with fresh clothes on, perfectly packed and with a bunch of empty CMCs (poop cans) just arriving. It feels like there is so much to tell them, but they will all learn their own lessons in due time.

Anyhow, the next moment you find yourself in a small plane, diving through a hole in the clouds and speeding along at the edge of a cloud ceiling about 1,000 feet above the Tokositna Glacier, which your pilot is using as a handrail as you take a long exit from the range. Your cell phone finds service and depending who you are and where you work, you have some incredible amount of unread messages and emails and normal life comes roaring back in an instant. There is still unpacking to do in Talkeetna, checking out with the National Park Service, returning the full CMCs and a celebration dinner in a town full of tourists, at which I could barely keep my eyes open, the past few days catching up to me.

The next day we all headed for the airport in a van driven by the only guy keeping it low key at the Fairview the evening before. I think Bill is mostly there to sing karaoke and may have just been having a cranberry juice, straight. Having booked a flight just a day prior, both Will and I sat in middle seats for the flight back to Seattle, the people to my right and left having to deal with the sunbaked guy next to them sleeping open-mouthed.

Finally, most of us had our first day back at home or first day of an extended vacation in Alaska today. I'm sure we all tried to find our way back in to some routine, just to be reminded by the burnt lips, tongue and nostrils that we just had one of the wildest and most memorable experiences of our lives. I know that for myself, those nights walking down the lower Kahiltna Glacier to basecamp are forever etched in my mind as some of the most rugged beauty I have ever witnessed.

RMI Guide Dustin Wittmier

The RMI Team led by Dustin Wittmier climbed strong from 17,000' Camp to the summit of Mt. McKinley. They gained the summit ridge at 4:45 pm local time and continued to the summit at 20,310' arriving at 5: 28 pm Alaska time on Saturday, June 14th.  

After enjoying some time on top, the team descended to 17,000' Camp reaching camp around 10 pm local time where they spent the night.

Congratulations to today's climbers!  

Friday, June 13, 2025, 10;01pm PDT 

We’ve made it to Camp 17 and are settling in for the night. Despite my usual reservations about this camp, tonight has offered a surprisingly calm and beautiful evening—one of those rare moments that makes you pause and appreciate where you are. Spirits are high, and the team is feeling strong. We’re planning to push for the summit in the morning. Conditions look promising, and we’re ready for what lies ahead.

RMI Guide Dustin Wittmier & Team

Thursday, June 12, 2025 8:54pm PDT

Denali dispatch -Don’t let her savagery fool you. This mountain has a mind of her own. Sun turns to snow and calm turns to wind. A cyclical pattern as unpredictable as the market’s response to earnings beat these days. Volatility is the name of the game, and a patience rooted in readiness is a must. When she cooperates never expect ideal but tolerable is enough. Embrace her wind and moodiness, it makes her that much more endearing.

We spent the day eating, resting, and visiting the edge of #4 the world. Let me tell you, it did not disappoint. Here are some more lessons learned for the loved ones back home.    

1. If it has a name, it means the mountain wants it to be named. For example, Squirrel hill is “squirley,” that may take a minute to digest. The names mean obstacles, and the obstacles mean hard. Don’t let the inviting nature of the titles fool you. If your guide calls a part of the mountain anything other than the route, you know you’re in for it.

 2. Pee bottles, I know to those back home this is a grotesque thought, but up here they are a gift. Embrace your gift. Own your gift. Treasure your gift. As Lacie said, under no circumstances, zero circumstances, does she leave her tent at night to pee. Now I understand her logic.  

3. Nighttime and darkness are not symbiotic here in Alaska. Night is light and day is light. Another essential item is the eye mask but really the eye shield. It’s amazing how you can trick your “I need darkness to sleep” body into submission. The titled portions on the route are extra wreck you parts, the foundation of your hard as hell sundae, and the eye mask is the cherry a maraschino cherry on top. Does anyone even like those?

4. Ditch loops are magic. Sprinkled fairy dust when you need to throw off your pack. Punches and cream? Rumple punchskin? Puncharella?

5. Healthy is consuming the most calorie dense food you can. Frozen or thawed, who cares. Eat it and eat a lot of it. #frostingdoesnotfreeze.   

6. Blue bags are a triple bag system for a reason. Do not roll. Do not wrap. Twist tie then knot, your pack and guide will thank you. Extra tips required for solving your personal poop problems.

7. A 38-degree tent is warm, sauna like warm. No cold plunges needed on this mountain, just walk outside and you’re set.

8. Foot baths in the cook tent are a no A forever no. A never again no.

9. When the guides say you have an hour before we are walking it feels more like five minutes. If you’re sitting around at any point, you are doing it all wrong. Remember cramming for tests in school? Bring that urgency and maybe you have a chance of being on time if you’re container store organized.

10. Lather on your sunscreen Even on the days you are not sure you’ll ever see the sun again. Bathe in your sunscreen. You can never apply it too often. Pro tip: bring a sunscreen stick for the extra miserable, inopportune moments you must reapply

10.Rest breaks go something like: parka, pee, sit on pack, drink, eat, apply sunscreen, drink again, throw your pack on, repeat. Super restful, obviously. Side note, just because you see another team resting it doesn’t mean you get to “rest” there too. Best not to get your hopes up.

12. Most people don’t realize there is a dry cleaner up here. The life of luxury, truly Your sleeping bag isn’t just your haven of warmth, but it serves as your personal drying machine. You know when you do laundry and you fill the machines to capacity to fit it all in one load? Or when you’re bringing groceries inside and you load up both arms to make one trip? That’s your sleeping bag. Fill her up and let her go to work.

13. Rest step. It’s as essential to your movement efficiency as brushing your teeth is to your smile.

14. Bring a pillowcase. One that smells like home. A little bit of comfort in the uncomfortable.

15. Do not assume relationships. Father, daughter, mother, son, grandparent, grandchild etc. Sure, everything is fine when you get it right. But when you get it wrong, well, someone walks away like a small child without a piece of candy from a candy store. My aunt said she is the butterfly on my pack, or this trip and she nailed it. To all the butterflies on with us, thank you. Your encouragement and belief fuels us in the valleys and celebrates with us on the mountaintops

Thank you for the continued prayers, we can’t wait to make it back home to all of you. Weather permitting, we are on the move again tomorrow, our last big push to embrace all the hard this mountain has left for us. We may have underestimated her beauty, but we never underestimate her boss-ness.

Love,

RMI Climber Caroline and Team