Entries By mike walter

We woke to light snow and strong winds, but after a leisurely breakfast and a few hours of relaxing it cleared up. We took advantage of the clearing and hiked to the glacier to practice climbing with ice ax and crampons. Now, back at the hut, we’ll rest after lunch in preparation for our summit bid tonight.

RMI Guide Mike Walter

Last night we hit the sack early and rested long and hard in the tranquility of our rural Ecuadorian hacienda. The quiet and darkness of the mountains was a welcome contrast to the past couple of nights’ hustle and bustle of the city. The fireplaces in our rooms didn’t hurt either.
This morning we explored the work famous Otavalo market and now we are heading up to the Cayambe climbing hut.
We’ll sleep there the next two nights and, with an early alpine start, attempt the summit tomorrow night. The weather has been good and looks favorable for an ascent. We’ll keep you posted.

RMI Guide Mike Walter

On The Map

We left Quito early this morning and headed north towards our main objective, Cayambe. Today’s agenda, though, was our second acclimatization climb up Fuya Fuya, an extinct volcano that rises up above 14,000’. Fuya Fuya rises up from the beautiful crater lake, Mojanda. The climb started with a hike up a trail through high altitude grassland that got steeper with every step. Just shy of the summit, the climb got even steeper and involved some fun rock scrambling to get to the top. The weather was good, but cloudy, with intermittent views of the surrounding peaks and valleys. After a steep descent we were back at our vehicle and headed to Guachala, our hacienda for tonight. Tomorrow we will visit the market in Otavalo and then head up to the climbing hut on Cayambe where we’ll spend two nights and hopefully grab a summit.

RMI Guide Mike Walter

On The Map

We set out early this morning for our first acclimatization climb. The day started with a gondola ride from Quito to ~13,500’. Then the fun began. We headed west on a well-defined trail that followed a ridge on the shoulder of Rucu Pichincha. As the hiking continued, the trail got steeper and the air didn’t get any thicker. After a couple hundred feet of rock scrambling we arrived at the summit of Rucu Pichincha (~15,700’). Views were sporadic as clouds moved in and out. When the views were there, though, they were stunning, looking down on Quito almost 7,000’ below. The weather was pleasant and we spent a decent amount of time relaxing up top. Then we retraced our steps and rode the gondola back to town. Now, back at our hotel, we’re cleaning up, resting, and packing for an early departure tomorrow to head north towards the town of Otovalo where we’ll tackle our second acclimatization hike, this time to an ancient volcano called Fuya Fuya.

RMI Guide Mike Walter

On The Map

Our Ecuador trip is up and running, and we spent our first day in country visiting the Equator and an ethnographic museum where we learned about the various diverse cultures of the country and were able to simultaneously stand in both the northern and southern hemispheres. Afterwards, we travelled to southern Quito to visit the old town, or colonial area. Here we toured Independence Plaza, the Compania de Jesus church, and walked the streets of old town, learning about Ecuador’s history. After a fun, educational, and jam-packed day, we’ve got some down time before dinner. Tomorrow we’ll get up early and go on our first acclimatization hike up Rucu Pichincha, a 15,700 ft. volcano that towers over Quito.

RMI Guide Mike Walter

On The Map

The Mt. Rainier Summit Climb, led by Mike Walter, reached the summit at 8:20 a.m.  With a cloud deck around 8,500ft, the weather was sunny and no wind for the climb.  The team is working their way down the mountain and we look forward to congratulating them this afternoon!

I just wanted to touch base with everyone that has followed our expedition. We flew off of the mountain yesterday, June 3rd, and we’re working our way back to our normal lives.
We reached the summit on June 1, the first guide service of the season to step on top of Denali! The weather could not have been better, and we took advantage of it by spending nearly an hour on top of the highest point in North America.
We endured lots of weather during our trip, but we endured and got it done. It was a super rewarding summit with dedicated climbers.
We’re already planning our next trip!

RMI Guide Mike Walter

June 2, 2017
Hey guys, it’s Mike Walter checking in early Friday morning up at High Camp on Denali. We had a successful summit yesterday in beautiful weather, barely a breath of wind, nott a cloud in the sky, great views. We got to spend nearly an hour on this on top, and everyone returned back to camp safely.  We have the stoves fired and we are going to pack up here shortly and start our movement downward and hopefully be back in town tomorrow. We will be in touch and keep you posted.

RMI Guide Mike Walter

On The Map

June 1, 2017 4:18pm PST

We just received news that RMI Guide Mike Walter and Team have reached the Summit of Denali!

Congratulations Team!

May 31, 2017
Hi, it’s Mike Walter calling on Wednesday May 31st. We had a beautiful day today, and we moved up to the High Camp on Denali’s West Buttress, 17200 feet. We got here a little bit after 1pm today and have been setting up camp and resting. Everyone is resting and the weather looks good for tomorrow. So hopefully we’ll be able to take a shot at the summit. Everyone is doing well.  Hopefully we will be giving you a call from the summit and let you know how it goes. Alright.

RMI Guide Mike Walter

On The Map