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Torres del Paine: King & Team Enjoy Kayak Tour on Lago Grey

February 13, 2022

Posted by: Mike King

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Torres del Paine

Elevation: 249'

The team enjoyed an evening kayak near the large icebergs on Lago Grey yesterday. Today we had a windy but scenic 6.5 miles through the 2013 wildfire scar. The terrain is a series of rocky bluffs and valleys covered in burned and sun bleached trees. While holding onto thier hats, some were able to get pictures of Glacier Grey. Some, decided to forge ahead and get out of the wind. This Refugio is located on Lago Pehoe pay way) which has a brilliant turquoise color. We got our first views of the Cuernos (horns) of the Paine Massif. A short stay here tonight and we’ll head up the French Valley tomorrow morning on our way to Francis Domes.

RMI Guide Mike King

Denali Expedition: Haugen & Team Continue to Wait

July 4, 2019

Posted by: Mike Haugen, Jenny Konway, Grayson Swingle

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mt. McKinley

Elevation: 17,200'

Wednesday, July 3, 2019 - 8:26 PM PT Another early morning peek out of the tent provided all we needed to know about how today was going to go...not very far. With terrible visibility and the sound of high winds above, we knew that we would add another tally mark on our tent wall! Although all of us are more than ready to head to the summit and then get out of here, we are not exactly suffering. In fact, it turned out to be a relatively nice day in camp even though the summit was still angry. We had some Mountain Pho (ramen) on our rock terrace at the edge of camp that looks 3,000 feet down to 14,000' Camp. It was good to have the whole team eating together instead of holed up in tents because of weather. It feels like the weather is changing in our favor. Of course, we have felt that way for days! We are in negotiations with Denali for a summit tomorrow. Although we never have the upper hand in weather negotiations with big mountains, I think this team has put in enough hard work and patience to use as a bargaining chip. Put in a good word for us! RMI Guide Mike Haugen & Team Siete

On The Map

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Hi Megan, thinking of you and so proud of your accomplishments!! Glad u missed the earthquake. I hope Vicky is ok. Xo Gayle

Posted by: Gayle C on 7/5/2019 at 1:18 pm

Welllllllllllll. Lying in my comfy bed reading this and not wishing I was you guys, but then again you are all my hero’s so I guess I totally am wishing I was one of you. That’s exactly who you all are….the people the rest of us imagine to be or aspire to be. So for us….go get that mountain for all of us! You got time, tenacity and tons of people cheering you on….Mother Nature will give you her window soon. You got this, side salad!

Posted by: Shannon Henn on 7/4/2019 at 11:32 pm

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Everest BC Trek & Lobuche Climb: Dale’s Team Reaches the Lobuche Summit!

March 31, 2019

Posted by: Christina Dale

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Everest BC Trek and Lobuche

Elevation: 20,075'

Congratulations to the strong and determined team for reaching the summit of Lobuche this morning at 11:30am (Nepal Standard Time). They earned every step to 20,000 feet in the Himalayas! RMI Guide Christina Dale

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So proud of you Michael and Bruce! Love you and miss you dearly Michael. Xoxo

Posted by: Rebekah Holman on 4/1/2019 at 8:50 am

Congrats! This is an incredible and amazing accomplishment! It looks like all those OTF double sessions paid off (Sherry and Ed). Safe travels back to us. Love you guys! xo

Posted by: Colleen on 3/31/2019 at 6:13 pm

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Ruth Glacier Seminar: Delaney & Team Move Camp to 747 Pass

May 9, 2023

Posted by: Jack Delaney, Mike Bennett

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Alaska Seminar

Elevation: 6,370'

The team started the day with a simple, quick breakfast before disassembling camp and loading packs for our climb. We stripped all excess gear and built a cache that was buried and marked. We departed the empty camp around 10am and began our slow march toward 747 Pass. The snowpack remained thick and made for a slow progression as Jack and Mike swapped leads breaking trail. We crested the ridge around 5 pm under partly cloudy skies accompanied by a strong breeze coming through the gap. Camp was rapidly assembled and the team took refuge in their tents, relaxing and waiting for better weather. Dinner was simple and quick and the team relaxed the rest of the evening, preparing for our morning summit push.

Wish us luck!

RMI Guides Mike, Jack and the team.

Mt. Everest Expedition: Pumori Icefall Awakens Team

April 16, 2011

Posted by:

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Everest

Elevation: 17,575'

Huge icefall last night off of the nearby peak called Pumori. Named by Mallory in 1921 it means sister or Daughter peak. This mountain is rarely climbed, at over 7,000 meters, it being very steep and with no way to the top without exposing yourself to loads of hanging hazards. A perfectly clear and calm evening turned into a wild scene as I peaked out of my tent after such a rude awakening by the loud crack, as what I can only imagine were millions of tons of ice being pulverized into powder as it hits the rock and ice surface after its 1,500-foot freefall. Being so bright out with so much moon, it was pretty fun to watch this huge dust cloud come barreling at us. Just as it hit my tent I closed the flap and listened to the rattle and knew why in the morning we had this layer of snow covering our camp. Dave, Sara, Bill and myself just returned from a hike up to Pumori Camp 1, which sits at 18,600'. And no, we were not exposing ourselves to the hazards I just mentioned, those are farther up the mountain. What we did expose ourselves to were some of the best views of Everest you can imagine. I will let Dave's pictures do the talking. Linden, who climbed Island Peak this week, just now arrived at Basecamp, so the team is now all here. Cheers, RMI Guide Mark Tucker

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Hi, Bill. I liked your post about how this is giving you time to connect with your daughter, Ms. Ship in the Night, Soon to Grow Up and Away. We went hiking almost every weekend and summer vacation when I was growing up, and as Dave (my “little” brother) can attest to, it is an amazing and wonderful memory, one of the purest and most magical things you can give her—time together. Good luck on your climb! Say hi to David (I know, Dave to everyone else…but—glad you caught his essential Dave-ness. One foot in front of the other—you are in very good hands).

Posted by: Carolyn Hahn on 4/24/2011 at 3:42 pm

Love the blog and pictures!! I’ve read books about Everst but it is amazing to experience through your team. Bill we need your signature, and I thought it would be great to get it when you are crossing a ladder in the Icefall. Have a great time and hats off to Sara.

Posted by: Kathy on 4/18/2011 at 5:05 am

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North Cascades: Ammon & Team Summit Mt. Shuksan

August 24, 2019

Posted by: Ben Ammon

Categories: Expedition Dispatches North Cascades

Elevation: 9,131'

RMI Guide Ben Ammon and his team were 100% on the Mt. Shuksan summit! The team is currently working their way back to high camp. Congratulations to the Mt. Shuksan team!

Courage Quilt: What is Courage?

May 9, 2014

Posted by: Mark Tucker

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Everest BC Trek

On March 21, RMI Trekker Susan R left her home in Florida en route to Kathmandu, Nepal. Susan would be joining RMI Guide Mark Tucker and their team on a 21 day adventure through the Khumbu Valley. From Kathmandu the team would fly to Lukla and begin their trek to Everest Base Camp at 17,575'. Along with the jackets, hiking boots, sleeping bags and other items needed along the trail, Susan brought with her a special Courage Quilt. This quilt was given to her by Mrs. Hixon's 4th Grade class from Oakton Elementary School in Oakton, Virginia. Mrs. Hixon and her class did a project on Nepal and the Himalaya. " It certainly helped me and I think it helped the other team members as well." said Susan. The students were asked the following questions: What is courage? What does it look like? What do you think about when you need to be courageous? The photo below is of the Courage Quilt given to Susan which she brought with her to Nepal.

Cotopaxi Express: Whittaker & Team Acclimate on Rucu Pichincha

January 5, 2019

Posted by: Peter Whittaker, Jess Matthews

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Ecuador

And boom. We went to over 14,000' today. To be honest, gondola-assisted, but we still logged a few thousand human-powered vert. Warm sun, mild temps, and a calm, steady breeze from the east kept things comfortable. Clouds slowly built throughout the day as we ascended, but never threatened anything more than the occasional chilly gust. The bright orange Chuquiragua flowers, also known as the “the flower of the climber” that grows at over 9,000 feet, were in bloom along the trail and grew thicker as we ascended. We’ll take it as a good omen! Satisfied with our solid effort, we snacked and took in the panoramic views of Quito over 5,000’ below us from our perch on the flanks of Pichincha before heading back downhill. Our team is strong and deposited valuable funds into the Cotopaxi acclimatization account today. More to come tomorrow as we venture further south through the Avenue of the Volcanoes! RMI Guides Peter Whittaker, Jess Matthews and Team

Denali Expedition: Champion and Team Celebrate a Birthday and Travel up Fixed Lines

June 5, 2022

Posted by: Nikki Champion, Taylor Bickford, Emma Lyddan

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Alaska Mt. McKinley

Elevation: 14,200'

Saturday June 4, 2022 6:22pm PT

Today we have our first birthday of the trip! Happy Birthday Cris! To celebrate we woke up early to a speedy breakfast of Honey Nut Cheerios. We planned to walk at 8:30 am, but with such cold temperatures this morning we pushed that back and hour and stayed warm in our tents. Once the sun finally hit 14,000’ camp around 9:30 am we began our journey towards the fixed lines. Running through all the gambit of temperatures we made it to the top of the fixed lines, at 16,200', where we decided to cache our personal and group food for the day. After taking a snack, and water break we made our way back downhill. We rolled back into 14,000’ camp, where it is now lightly snowing, and crawled into our tents.

Tonight, will be a mellow evening of Ramen, and prepping for a few much needed days of rest at 14 camp. The team did great, and we are set up well!

RMI Guides Nikki, Taylor, Emma, and Team!

Denali Expedition: Walter and Team Set up Camp at 17,000 and prepare for Summit Push

May 29, 2022

Posted by: Mike Walter, Abby Westling, Henry Coppolillo

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Alaska Mt. McKinley

Elevation: 17,200'

May 28 11:42pm PT

After a hard day fighting the wind up high yesterday, we were able to get back to camp and rest and hydrate. Good thing, because this morning dawned perfect and we rallied for another attempt at pushing to high camp. The weather remained perfect all day and our well-acclimated crew made it to High Camp in five hours flat. We arrived at 2pm and spent a few hours building camp and the focused on resting, hydrating, and eating.

The weather forecast is very favorable and we're optimistic that we'll try for the top tomorrow. Fingers crossed, and if things go well, I'll hopefully be able to send a quick satellite message from the top. Now for some sleep before a big day. Either way, I'll check in and let you know what the weather throws at us.

Cheers,

RMI Guide Mike Walter and RMI Team

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Go Nick, go!!!!!

Posted by: Rosie Read on 5/30/2022 at 7:50 am

Can’t wait to read tonight’s blog! To the Top, MAK!

Posted by: Jenn on 5/30/2022 at 4:22 am

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