Hello everyone.
All is well here in Ecuador.
The team got a decent night of sleep here on Cayambe at 15'000ft last night despite someone car alarm going off all night. We got up at 6am and had a nice breakfast before hiking up to the start of the glacier where we reviewed the climbing techniques that we'll need for tomorrow. After a few hours of training we then made our way back to the hut for a nice lunch.
Currently the team is taking naps or resting outside in the always warming ecuadorian sun. Our plan is to have an early dinner tonight and try to get a little more shut-eye before our alpine start. We'll most likely get up at 11pm, have a quick breakfast and coffee, then start climbing around midnight to make use of the cooler temps. If all goes according to plan we hope to summit around 7am give or take a few.
As per usual, I'm going to have a mountain trivia challenge where one lucky winner will receive a summit phone call from my Satellite phone. So everyone back home keep your phones nearby, you might be receiving a call from a strange number.
Wish us luck!
RMI Guide Casey Grom and the Cayambe crew
Gooooood evening Denali blog followers and welcome back to your personal tell all of mountain news, gossip, and glory. Today, just like the itsy bitsy spider we climbed that spout again. We were gently awoken by our guides at 5:30 and left for a 6:45 start back down the mountain to our cache below. At 10,000 feet we… and by we I mean our relentless guides… dug out our cache filled with snacks, solar panels, clean clothes, and summit gear. And thank god I was reunited with my cheese. ‘Twas a short jaunt back up to 11,000' Camp where we enjoyed bagels with bacon and honey jalapeño cream cheese. Contrary to yesterday’s blog, the American Canadian peace balance now falls in the hands of the Oilers and Panthers.
We then got a quick refresher course on how moving up the rest of the mountain will go as we ditch our snow shoes and move into crampons. A few of us gathered in a big circle and traded cheeses of all kinds until we made certain none of us would ever poop again.
Tomorrow we await to see what the weather brings in hope of moving more gear up to the next cache.
I continue to think about and question why a person takes on an effort such as this. Perhaps there’s answers we think the mountain holds, perhaps a bottomless pit of an ego we are trying to fill, the need for contrast from our everyday lives, or maybe it’s just the love of mountains and pushing ourselves to the jagged edge of our capabilities. No matter the reason, it’s an honor to be here with such talented and kind human beings. Sitting here at 11,000 ft our team has no idea what the future holds, to that I raise a toast to my fellow climbers at all stages on Denali… To the mountains we are meant to summit, and the ones we are not, may we enjoy the company, the views, and the climb either way.
I want to say thank you to my parents, I wouldn’t be here without you, and a special shout out to Moose Hockey Alaska, and the 525 bulldogs, YBYSA!
Here’s a shout out to the team… You all got this. And here’s a special shout out to Mikayla DeMers AKA my sweet, bad-ass, airplane fixing, jeep driving, mountaining climbing, hockey pucking, doggie-wrestling, airplane flying, extra cheese eating daughter! That’s almost scratching the surface. So now it is time for Papa’s inspirational sayings! Mikayla, remember that you eat an
elephant (Mt McKinley) one-bite at a time… It’s no hill for a climber… slower is faster… slow and steady wins the race (the climb)... you are blooming where you are planted… and no matter what, know that you’ve pushed yourself to new heights. New heights that only a fraction of a percent of people will ever get see. Remember, although you may have weather delays, that slower is faster and it will give you time to adjust to the altitude.
I love you bunches… think warm thoughts! Cyber hugs are flying your way at the speed of light!
Posted by: Dan DeMers on 6/25/2025 at 4:46 pm
Mikayla! I am so excited to read up on your adventure! I was amused by the cheeses and hope you have been able to have a few bms since this posting! You are brave and adventurous! I am praying for a safe journey! Looking forward to pictures!
Posted by: Angela Snyder Miller on 6/22/2025 at 9:18 pm
Hi all!
Your intrepid team woke this morning after a solid night's sleep to mostly dry gear (although there were some attempts to dry gloves out the window of the bus) and enjoyed a nice breakfast at our hacienda before heading south towards our next objective. Many hours of transit later we've made camp in a beautiful alpine meadow on the side of Antisana and are about to enjoy our first night in tents. The weather currently has cleared significantly and the wind has calmed to nearly a standstill but things weren't looking so good for most of the day today. Rain plagued our spirits for most of the drive from Guachalá to Antisana and while setting up tents in a bit of drizzle we weren't so sure that we were going to be so lucky. Knock on wood. Hopefully this improving trend will continue and we will get to take an honest shot at the summit. But first tomorrow calls for a day trip up above our camp to the glacier where we hope to practice our crevasse rescue among other technical skills before returning to camp on the eve of our climb. We enjoyed a tasty spaghetti dinner and are now all tucked in in anticipation of tomorrow's early rise.
All for now!
RMI Guide Billy Nugent
The Four Day Summit Climb led by RMI Guide Brent Okita reached the summit of Mt. Rainier this morning. Brent and team were above the clouds with clear skies. The started their descent at 7:45 am and are on their way back to Camp Muir.
Congratulations to today's team!
The Five Day Summit Climb led by RMI Guide Leon Davis reached the summit of Mt. Rainier on a cold and windy morning. In addition to the weather, Leon reported great route conditions. The team will descend back to Camp Muir for their last night on the mountain.
Today's climb also marked Leon Davis' 100th summit of Mt. Rainier. Way to climb, Leon!
Congratulations to today's climbers!
A very nice cup of dark roast Tanzania coffee fresh out of my French press sits next to me as I write this blog. Big climbs like this,when given the option to have a few creature comforts, do wonders for the mental and physical. It has been another perfect weather day with a little breeze here at high camp, Barafu at 15000'. The team had yet another restful and healthy night making the challenge of 2,000 feet of elevation gain no problem, or as we hear about a hundred times a day "Hakuna matata". If you can envision the 8 man varsity Harvard crew boat rowing for yet another crushing victory, that is pretty much what our team looks like. Perfect rest step in unison just like team strokes, a thing of beauty to watch. Only thing a bit funny is our coxswain (me) not weighing in at that perfect 119 to 123 lbs. The incredible meals that continue coming out of the kitchen tent assures me that the loss of any pounds is impossible. Resting, sorting, packing summit lunches are the duties for the day. Our wake up call at 11:30 pm is going to arrive soon and then the start of our summit push. The entire team is in great shape to safely give it a shot. We hope the next time we check in we will be on the summit of Kilimanjaro.
RMI Guide Mark Tucker
Hey everyone, this is JJ Justman and Pepper Dee with our Aconcagua team. We had a great New Year Day trekking to Casa de Piedra. It was beautiful sunny day it was very windy towards the end, but the winds starting to calm down. Pepper and I are chopping vegetables we are throwing the chicken on the grill, and we're going to have another great evening here under the Andean sky. Everyone's doing great the entire team wants to say hello to their friends and family back at home and they told me to just give a general shot out for the Happy New Year to everyone. Things are going great. Stay tuned because we are going to end this trek as we move into base camp tomorrow. So stay tuned and we will talk to you tomorrow. Good bye from Casa de Piedra.
RMI Guide JJ Justman
RMI Guide JJ Justman checks in from Casa de Piedra en route to Aconcagua Base Camp.
Hello again from the Ishinca Valley. The Peru Seminar team is in the midst of an afternoon siesta as we recover from our exertion on Ishinca yesterday, and prepare for a climb on Urus tomorrow. Despite sleeping in and having a lazy breakfast this morning, we managed to spend a few hours training on crevasse rescue and snow anchor construction.
All in all the team is doing quite well. We have battled sporadic GI challenges and a bit of discomfort from altitude, but the team is taking care of themselves and their perseverance is making all the difference. Group dinners are funny and full of lively conversation. As guides it is incredible to watch a team come together and be a strong functional unit. Now that we are a week into the program, it seems like we are firing on all cylinders and ready to take on any challenges that present themselves on the next two peaks.
All for now,
RMI Guides Eric Frank, Robby Young and the Peru Seminar team
RMI Guide Mike King and the Five Day Summit Climb completed their two nights on Mt. Rainier with a successful summit this morning. The team spent a little time on the summit before beginning their descent around 7:15 a.m. PDT. We look forward to seeing the team in Ashford later today and hearing about their time on the mountain.
Congratulations climbers!
The Five Day Summit Climb July 1 - 5, 2017 team reached the summit of Mt. Rainier today. RMI Guide Andy Bond said the route is in great shape. The team will spend some time at Camp Muir before descending to Paradise.
Congratulations to today's Five Day Summit Climb Team!
Here’s a shout out to the team… You all got this. And here’s a special shout out to Mikayla DeMers AKA my sweet, bad-ass, airplane fixing, jeep driving, mountaining climbing, hockey pucking, doggie-wrestling, airplane flying, extra cheese eating daughter! That’s almost scratching the surface. So now it is time for Papa’s inspirational sayings! Mikayla, remember that you eat an
elephant (Mt McKinley) one-bite at a time… It’s no hill for a climber… slower is faster… slow and steady wins the race (the climb)... you are blooming where you are planted… and no matter what, know that you’ve pushed yourself to new heights. New heights that only a fraction of a percent of people will ever get see. Remember, although you may have weather delays, that slower is faster and it will give you time to adjust to the altitude.
I love you bunches… think warm thoughts! Cyber hugs are flying your way at the speed of light!
Posted by: Dan DeMers on 6/25/2025 at 4:46 pm
Mikayla! I am so excited to read up on your adventure! I was amused by the cheeses and hope you have been able to have a few bms since this posting! You are brave and adventurous! I am praying for a safe journey! Looking forward to pictures!
Posted by: Angela Snyder Miller on 6/22/2025 at 9:18 pm
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