Entries By raymond holt

The Four Day Climbs August 10 - 13 reached the summit of Mt. Rainier this morning led by RMI Guides Brent Okita and Jackson Breen. It's a beautiful day with clear skies and great views.  The teams enjoyed some time on top before starting their descent from the crater rim around 6:40 am.  Once they reach Camp Muir they will take a short break and then continue the final 4,500' to Paradise.

Nice work team!

The Four Day Climb August 7 - 10 led by RMI Guides Dustin Wittmier & Tatumn Whatford reached the summit of Mt. Rainier around 6:30 am today.  Tatum reported that it was a little windy and a little cold but it was turning into a beautiful morning on the mountain. The teams spent about an hour in the summit crater before starting their descent.  Once back at Camp Muir they will take a quick break and repack their gear before contining the final 4.5 miles to Paradise.

Congratulations to today's teams!

PC: Tatum Whatford

The Kautz Seminar Team July 27 - 1 August led by RMI Guide Sam Marjerison has spent the last several days training and climbing.  They began their climb of Mt. Rainier from Paradise on July 29 ascending to camp near the Wilson Glacier.  They spent time learning crevasse rescue skills, setting anchors and belays and worked on technical ice climbing skills before starting their summit attempt.  The team climbed strong through the Kautz Ice chute this morning, reaching an elevation of 12,900'.  At that point, deterioration weather forced them to retreat.  They will spend another night at camp, perhaps get in a bit more training, and then descend to Paradise tomorrow.  They will conclude their adventure in Ashford tomorrow afternoon.

Strong climbing team!

At 5:45 am this morning, under a canvas of clear skies and the first light of dawn, our Four Day Climb team—led by Ray Holt and an incredible group of climbers—stood on the summit of Mount Rainier.  

The team encountered some wind while navigating the Disappointment Cleaver, but by the time they reached the summit, the winds had eased, offering a calm and peaceful moment at 14,410 feet.

Now on their descent, the team is making steady progress back to Camp Muir.  

Congratulations to all the climbers and guides on this unforgettable achievement!

The Five-Day Climb teams, led by RMI Guides Tatum Whatford and Joe Crawford, reached the summit of Mt. Rainier early this morning! After taking in a beautiful sunrise above the clouds, the climbers began their descent from the crater rim around 7:00 a.m. They'll pause for a well-earned break at Camp Muir before continuing down to Paradise, with plans to return to basecamp later this afternoon.

Congratulations to today’s climbers on a successful summit!

The Four Day Climb June 30 - 3 July led by RMI Guides Will Ambler and George Hedreen reached the summit of Mt. Rainier this morning.  They enjoyed some time in the crater before starting their descent around 7 am.  Will reported sunny skies and light winds.  The teams will return to Camp Muir for a short break and repack, then continue the final 4.5 miles down to Paradise.  They will conclude their adventure this afternoon with a celebration at Rainier BaseCamp.

Congratulations to today's climbers!

Yes, it's official—Brent Okita has reached his 600th summit of Mt. Rainier, setting a world record for the most successful ascents of the iconic 14,410-foot peak! This incredible milestone was achieved during a Four-Day Climb led by Okita and fellow guide Jess Wedel. The team reached the summit early this morning, and they’re expected to return to basecamp this afternoon for a well-deserved celebration.

To put this into perspective, 600 summits equates to approximately 5.4 million feet of elevation gain—and that’s only counting successful climbs. It doesn’t include the countless additional feet from training, attempted climbs, or even biking from Ashford to Paradise. Brent’s dedication, endurance, and passion for mountaineering are truly legendary.

Congratulations also to the RMI Clients that were able to climb and share the rope with Brent and Jess today. It was very important to Brent that he accomplish this record while guiding RMI Clients to the top.

Friday, June 6, 2025 - 6:37pm PT

After three weeks in the mountain we flew from Kahiltna Base Camp this morning. While warming our hands with a final cup of coffee at base camp, we got the message that we had all been waiting for.  K2 had launched their planes.  Thirty minutes later, the distinctive red and white Otters roared over and landed in the snowy white landscape.

While weather kept us from standing on top this time around, we had a resoundingly successful trip. I cannot thank our climbers and my fellow guides enough for all of their work, effort, laughs, determination, and patience during this trip. Until next time,

RMI Guide Seth Burns

Wednesday, June 4, 2025 - 10:14 pm PT

When we think of Sisyphus, we think of a man cursed to repeat the same arduous task each day with no end in sight. Each day he must think this is it - he has rolled this massive boulder to the top of the mountain, and surely his quest must be complete, right? Yet he awakes each day to the boulder back at the foot of the mountain, only to start again. How tragic! How crushing!

Or is it? In his essay, “The Myth of Sisyphus”, Albert Camus posits that perhaps Sisyphus is not doomed to a life of despair, but is actually a deeply satisfied individual. (Mind you, I have never read this essay and have only a surface-level knowledge of French existential literature let alone Greek mythology, so take this with a Denali sized grain of salt). But consider: this man wakes up each day with a clear task. It’s tough work rolling that boulder but he has some sweet views along the way. Every day he completes his task and must feel satisfied with a day of hard work. He goes to sleep feeling accomplished each night. How many of us can say that we have a clear task each day with no other distractions, a sense of satisfaction at the end of the day, and the delicious feeling of going to bed bone-tired which always produces the best sleep?

Our team made it back to Kahiltna Base Camp today, the last leg of an epic three week expedition. We now wait for skies to clear enough for a flight back to Talkeetna. Although the mountain’s infamous weather system ultimately prevented our team from making a summit bid, we are deeply satisfied with the gifts that The Great One has provided us. We were awed by the austere beauty of the Kahiltna and and vastness of the surrounding peaks and ridges. We were pushed to our limits and learned to dig deeper than ever before; whether it be cramponing on blue ice, being blown around on Windy Corner, struggling with all things altitude, or keeping our extremities warm in -40F windchill. We - a group of strangers prior to May 13 - became not only friends but teammates, encouraging each other in our hardest times, cheering each others’ successes, and cracking the most ridiculous and obscene jokes all day and late into the night.

Climbing Denali/Mt. McKinley has been physically and mentally the hardest thing I’ve ever done. Yet each night I went to sleep in the tent feeling a deep sense of gratitude and accomplishment.

Thank you to our incredible guides (Seth, Jackson, and Ray) for showing us the way, and more - from whipping up breakfast and dinner each day, to performing minor foot surgery, to digging Sisyphusian amounts of snow on the daily, to dealing with all of our client shenanigans. You each have unique gifts that helped me get farther than I thought possible.

Thank you to the rest of the team - the  Dont-nalis :) Shannon, David, Ethan, Will, Juan, and of course my other half Jason. I am deeply grateful to have met and befriended each of you. I look forward to our paths crossing again on this great expedition of life.

Love,

RMI Climber Grace

Tuesday, June 3, 2025 11:11pm PDT

We left 14 today. Wind and snow. made it to the base of ski hill. Set up camp, had dinner. Hope to continue to the airstrip tomorrow!

Haikus of a Denali Descent 

Downhill we trotted

To the airstrip we plotted

Stopped short at ski hill

Wind blowing so far

Windy corner not that hard

Our team is so strong

Talkeetna awaits

Hopes of flying tomorrow

One more stretch to go

 - by RMI Guide Jackson Breen