Entries By mike king
Posted by: Mike King, Jack Delaney
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Machu Picchu
Elevation: 14,300'
We awoke hours before the sun was up to begin our journey to the start of the Salkantay trek. Hours of winding Peruvian roads and a beautiful sunrise later, we arrived!
Our local guides and cooks made us a fantastic breakfast to start our trek off right. The first part of the trek began with a gradual uphill that gave us phenomenal views of the valley below. We followed an impressive trail alongside an aqueduct for several miles until we got to the town of Soraypampa. Here, we enjoyed the last porcelain throne that we would see for several days. Leaving town, we headed up a valley with soaring views of both, Tucarhuay and Salkantay peaks! The gradual ascent up the valley was difficult but rewarding as the beauty around us only increased as we got higher. Camp was graciously already set up for us by our guides and their assistants. We enjoyed a great dinner, drank cocoa, tea, and did our best to adjust to our new altitude of 14,300 feet. It was the highest most of us had ever slept, and it looked to be a cold night. Thankfully the cooks made us all wawa's (bladders of hot water) for bedtime!
Goodnight from the Andes!
Posted by: Mike King, Jack Delaney
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Machu Picchu
Elevation: 10,850'
Tuesday, August 9, 2022 - 6:00 pm PT
Greetings from south of the equator! Sorry for the delayed dispatch but life down here moves at a different pace and we've been enjoying it. The last few days have actually been a whirlwind of cultural sites, colorful markets and adorable fluffy alpacas. After the team flew into Cusco we got dinner and went to bed early to recover from the long travel day down to Peru.
The next day we met our local guides Chris and Javier. We went and explored the Sacred Valley outside of Cusco visiting the amazing Pisac Market and enjoyed some delicioso traditional empanadas. The second half of the day was spent wandering the ancient Inca site of Ollantaytambo. The size and perfection of the stone walls were hard to comprehend even when standing right in front of them! Some of the most impressive stone masonry the world has ever seen!
Today we continued to immerse ourselves in Incan culture by visiting the Qorikancha. This Inca temple of the sun was partially destroyed and a Spanish church built on top of it. Next we drove up to see the lovely Saqsawaman! Yes it's pronounced like it looks. This site has the largest stones of any Inca site, with one that is estimated to weigh 122 tons! The next stop was a traditional weaving market that had all 4 types of Andean camels, llama, alpaca, vicuña, and guanaco! They were adorable, very soft to pet and their wool makes beautiful garments. The final stop was the Catedral del Cusco, it was full of baroque style art and decorations.
Tonight we pack for the beginning of the Salkantay Trek that we will begin at 4am tomorrow! It's a long drive to the start of the hike but spirits are high and we can't wait to get on the trail!
Buenas noches!
RMI Guides Mike King, Jack Delaney and the team
Posted by: Mike King, Avery Parrinello
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mount Rainier
Elevation: 14, 410'
The Four Day Climb led by RMI Guides Mike King and Avery Parrinello reached the summit of Mt. Rainier at 4:30 am today. Mike reported 40 mph winds, clear skies, and a good climbing route. The team is in route to Camp Muir where they will take a well-deserved rest break, pack up and descend to Paradise. Then its back to Rainier Basecamp in Ashford, WA for burgers, cold drinks, and a little team celebration.
Good job everybody! Amazing team of guides across both groups
Posted by: Wes on 7/30/2022 at 5:56 pm
Posted by: Mike King, Jess Wedel, Mike Bennett
Categories: Expedition Dispatches North Cascades
Elevation: 10,781'
RMI Guide Mike King reported clear, calm, and beautiful views from the summit of Mt. Baker this morning. Congrats to the team for their summit of a classic climb of the Cascades!
The team will spend tonight at camp basking in their success before descending back to the trailhead tomorrow.
Posted by: Mike King, Jess Wedel, Mike Bennett
Categories: Expedition Dispatches North Cascades
Elevation: 10, 781'
RMI Guide Mike King and the Mt. Baker Coleman - Deming July 16 - 18 reached the summit of Mt. Baker just before 9 am today. Mike reported cloudy skies below 8,000' but it was clear above as they made their way to the top. All the big peaks were visible as "islands" coming through the marine layer clouds. The team will return to camp for a final night on the mountain. Tomorrow they will break camp, descend to the trailhead and complete their program.
Nice work team!
Congratulations so glad all are safe.
Posted by: Donna C. Cameron on 7/17/2022 at 9:36 pm
Congratulations to the climbers and to the guides for reaching the top. Kuddos to you and your determination and perseverance.
Shout out to Ana and Rathan for taking up the challenge. Waiting to hear about the climb
Posted by: Shilpa on 7/17/2022 at 3:27 pm
Posted by: Mike King, Alex Halliday, Ellison Boord, Bo Torrey
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mount Rainier
Elevation: 14,410'
The Expedition Skills Seminar - Emmons Team with RMI Guide Mike King reached the summit of Mt. Rainier via the Emmons Glacier Route, the team had a great view and a great route.
This team has spent four days on the mountain learning and practicing various mountaineering skills such as crevasse rescue, anchor placement, ice climbing, fixed line travel, and self-rescue techniques. In the evenings they enjoyed lectures in camp included discussion on mountain weather, medicine for mountaineering, altitude wellness, and equipment.
Congratulations Team!
Posted by: Mike King, Dustin Wittmier, Lauren Macklin, Mike Bennett, Jackson Breen, Trevor Katz
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mount Rainier
Elevation: 14,410'
The Four Day Climb with RMI Guides Mike King and Dustin Wittmier were on the summit of Mt. Rainier early this morning. Above this heavy marine layer, team had clear skies, sunshine and mild winds. The climbing was great with a with a direct route and it took the team 5 hours to get to the top.
Congratulations team!
Woo hoo! Way to go Kelly and Janette! I’m super proud of you both. Can’t wait to hear the details and celebrate. Have fun sliding down! :)
Posted by: Jerry Verhoff on 7/3/2022 at 9:26 am
Congrats Kelly & Janette! So proud of you- woohoo!!! Love you both!
Posted by: Christina on 7/2/2022 at 5:05 pm
Posted by: Mike King, Abby Westling, Roland Scott, Sam Hoffman, Henry Coppolillo, Nicole De Petris
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mount Rainier
Elevation: 14,410'
The Climb for Clean Air Team along with their RMI Guides Mike King and Abby Westling reached the summit of Mt. Rainier Early this morning. Mike King reported a good route, clear skies, but strong winds on the summit. The team spent a short time on top celebrating before starting their descent.
The funds raised by these climbers will support the American Lung Association’s mission of saving lives by improving lung health and preventing lung disease.
Congratulations team for your success on and off the mountain!
Congratulations! You all did fantastic and you put in the work! So proud of your fundraising and climbing efforts.
Posted by: Brittany Groh on 6/24/2022 at 2:00 pm
YESSSSSS!!!!! Now, unlike myself, come down gracefully…;)
Posted by: John Pasikowski on 6/24/2022 at 11:09 am
The Expedition Skills Seminar - Emmons led by RMI Guide Mike King has had a successful week of training and Denali Prep. While weather and route conditions kept the team on the lower slopes of Mt. Rainier, they were able to take advantage of the time to hone in on their mountaineering skills. The team trained on and discussed the following topics; avalanche forecasting, route finding, crevasse rescue, camp building, and various glacier travel techniques.
Congratulations Team!
Posted by: Seth Burns, Mike King, Josh Geiser, Grayson Swingle, Ellison Boord, Sam Hoffman
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mount Rainier
Elevation: 10,080'
The Four Day Climb June 6 - 9 spent a windy night at Camp Muir last night. High winds and deteriorating weather kept the group at Camp Muir and unable to make a summit attempt. RMI Guides Seth Burns and Grayson Swingle reported consistant winds 30-40 mph with gusts up to 50 mph. The teams started their descent from Camp Muir around 8 am and will be returning to Rainier Basecamp later this morning.
Hey Mike! Best of luck and have fun!
Farmer Dave
Posted by: Dave Kestel on 8/10/2022 at 10:20 am
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