Entries By mike king

The Four-Day climb led by RMI guides, Mike King and Leif Bergstrom, reached the summit of Mt. Rainier this morning. The teams were standing on top at around 5:40am after a quick ascent. 

They will descend to Rainier Basecamp this afternoon to bask in their success and enjoy a bit of rest after their hard work. 

Great job team!

RMI guides Mike King and Mike Haugen called from the summit of Mt. Rainier this morning. They reported some chilly temperatures, moderate winds and beautiful weather for climbing this morning. Despite the cold temperatures, the team enjoyed a great climbing route. Congratulations climbers!

RMI Guides Eric Frank and Mike King led their Four Day Climb June 5 - 8 to the summit of Mt. Rainier this morning.  Mike reported good climb and a good route but they climbed in a cloud cap with limited visability.  The teams reached the crater rim around 6:30 am and were starting their descent shortly before 7:30 am.  They will return to Camp Muir for a quick stop before continuing down to Paradise.  We look forward to seeing the groups at Rainier BaseCamp this afternoon.

Congratulations to today's climbers!

We got a 5 am start today so that we could get some of the clearer weather that had been forecasted. This also put us out in front of the day hiking crowd that arrives daily from Puerto Natales.

We enjoyed a near windless and warm morning on the 10k hike to the base of the Torres del Paine. With the sunrise groups heading down the steep rocky trail we were greeted with some clouds up high on the Torre Central and the impressive lake created from the glaciers. 

After a good break to take in the beautiful rock and reflect on 9 days in Torres del Paine National Park we took some pictures and began our 10k hike down to our tents. We passed the crowds, got to camp and had a scenic ride out of the national park. The team is back at the hotel in Puerto Natales, showers are first on the list followed by dinner.

This trek has featured a great group of people and decent weather, both of which lead to fun times down here in Patagonia. Thanks for following along on our trek through Torres Del Paine and Chilean Patagonia!

RMI Guide Mike King and team

We had a nice warm night in our Dome tent thanks to Jim who kept the fire stoked. The morning brought clearer weather and a nice dry day. Paine Grande and it's massive glacier came into view after yesterday's blizzard. 

As the team closed the "O" circuit with 10.5 miles of rolling terrain we were fortunate to see 20+ condors flying in close proximity to the trail, often in groups of 5-6. The trail brings us back into the estancia sector to where we began hiking eight days ago. This was a nice way to wrap up what's been an overcast & at times windy and damp trip. Tomorrow we will get an early start to beat the day hiking crowd up to the Towers. Keeping our fingers crossed for clear skies and dry weather.

Thanks for following along,

RMI Guide Mike King

We weathered another stormy night in our tents at Paine Grande. Some people in camp, not our group had poles snap, some unfortunately lost their entire tents. Our eight mile hike to Francis Domes included an optional 5k to the British lookout. The clouds, cold temperature & snow obscured the views from below. A few kept going in hopes of a clear-ish view while some opted to head for shelter. 

We continue to enjoy classic Patagonia weather that keeps you guessing on your layer changes. Everyone is doing well and looking forward to a night in beds at the wood stove heated Francis Domes Refugio, a nice break from wind & loud tents. Today's highlight was seeing the Cuernos rock features that make up the middle of the massif.

Thanks for following along,

RMI Guide Mike King

Today was a double activity day for some.  Three of us started the day with a morning kayak tour in Lago Grey.  Despite the winds up high the conditions on the lake were great.   We were able to kayak up and get a look at the Grey Glacier from the water.   We’ve now seen the glacier from above on the trail, from the surface during yesterday’s glacier walk and from the water!

We all took the walk from Refugio Grey to Refugio Paine Grande.  The rain chased us but didn’t catch us.  It was very windy up high but otherwise a dry and nice walk.  This was one of the shorter days and a good way to get back into the groove after the long day over the pass and the recovery day.   After arriving at Paine Grande a variety of treats were enjoyed at the bar while looking out over the lake. 

RMI Team Member Mark Nelson

Today we had a welcomed slower day. We took a motorboat out to Grey’s Glacier and put on helmets and crampons for a couple of hours of glacier hiking. The glacier is part of Patagonia’s ice field, the third largest in the world. We saw bright blue ice caves, deep pools, a glacial waterfall, and streams of clear water. 

Midway through our hike the guides served hot tea of ginger, cinnamon, and honey, plus chocolate bars. What a treat-to hold a cup of steaming tea and gaze out at the magnificent view of water, ice, and mountain.

Particularly satisfying was to look up at the John Gardner pass that we traversed yesterday. When we saw one of the three bridges we crossed, one member of our group commented, “Wow, it didn’t seem that high when I was on it.” It’s astounding to see yesterday’s hike from a completely different viewpoint and to stand in the midst of yesterday’s.

RMI Climber Melissa Earley

We had an early start after a windy night to begin our 9 hour day over John Gardner pass at 3,900'. The trail winds through a muddy forest for a few hours before getting into the alpine zone. There was fresh snow on the peaks surrounding us and lots of wind to motivate the group to take shorter breaks and keep moving to stay warm. 

We got into the pass with some nice views of the Grey glacier, one of the longer arms of the Southern Patagonian ice field. Once back into the trees to begin our descent the trail gets less than ideal from a knee and feet standpoint. The trail is steep and has large steps that make a measured and rhythmic stride all but impossible. It's just part of the trek, but not the best part of the trek. 

We are all in camp, some have gone for showers and some have gone for drinks. We all are looking forward to a good night and day off tomorrow.

Thanks for following along. 

RMI Guide Mike King

After a cloudy & rainy evening at Lago Dickson we began our hike to Perros with some blue sky and nice views of the glaciers that fill the valleys. Our hike took us deeper into the forest that fills the valley due to more rainfall coming over the pass we will ascend tomorrow morning. The team enjoyed views of the Perros glacier and lake before getting to camp. We'll have an early start tomorrow for our longest day over John Gardner Pass.

RMI Guide Mike King