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Hello world, it’s us the Camp Muir Seminar!

Yesterday, we awoke early, donned our technical gear and launched towards the Ingraham flats to train before the next storm system hit in the mid afternoon. Sadly the storm had other plans and hit Camp Muir around 9am. We retreated in a white out with winds averaging 58mph during our time on the Cowlitz glacier. The storm has been impressive in its power and consistency. It is not snowing so much as it is launching ice pellets at us with high velocity. Moral stayed high as we continued to practice various technical skills in the bunkhouse. The team took brief forays into the violent snow globe that was the outside world to shovel out the bathroom. We were highly motivated to maintain our access to the facilities.

We are excited to find a lull in the weather to head down hill, dry out and enjoy some pizza and beer at the Basecamp Bar and Grill. 

All is well - The Muir Seminar Team

The Four Day Climb September 6 - 9 reached the summit of Mt. Rainier today with new snow and windy conditions led by RMI Guides Robby Young and Josh McDowell. The teams did not spend much time in the crater, just taking a short break to hydrate and snack before starting their descent to Camp Muir. The program will conclude this afternoon at Rainier BaseCamp with a celebration of today's accomplishments. Congratulations to today's climbers!

Another quiet but interesting day at Basecamp. Everything seems a little different now with the news that climbers made the top yesterday... And indeed, a few more went there today if the radio grapevine is correct. The mountain is not impossible. But we do hope those most recent summit climbers got down fast, since by late afternoon we've experienced a thunderstorm and a few inches of quick new snow. And that roar is back... The one that sounds like Niagara Falls as a ribbon of the jet stream does battle with the parts of these mountains that dare to stand out and in the way. We are all watching weather and weather forecasts now and there is plenty of interest in the calendar. Many climbers are still down-valley taking a vacation, but they are starting to trickle back by helicopter and by foot with summit dates in mind. Some are packing bags and heading up in the next day or two. We are biding our time. Waiting out the cough. Hiking and exploring and playing games in camp. We'll have to pick summit departure days soon enough, but for now it just isn't right for our team. We get a little anxious to know that the route is open, but we also know that it wouldn't be a bad thing to let a few hundred other climbers have their way with it first. Things get a little warmer with each passing day in May and we hold out hope that calmer days materialize. And we cross our fingers that cyclone O1B -spinning menacingly down in the Bay of Bengal- fizzles out and finds a place to go that doesn't interfere with climbers... or with humanity in general. Best Regards, RMI Guide Dave Hahn

Monday, May 24, 2022 - 10:39 pm PT

We woke up hopeful to take a jaunt up the fixed lines this morning. The sky was clear above and it was nice in camp. As we fired the stoves and the sun got nearer to rounding the ridge though, we started seeing large plumes of snow jetting of the summit plateau, then 17,000' Camp, then the whole ridge and the top of the fixed line. It was really nice in camp but we made the decision it wasn't a day to go up into the wind and pivoted instead to walking across the basin to The Edge of the World (our British friends call it The End of the World). From there the basin plummets to the Northeast fork of the Kahiltna, some 6000' feet below. We got glimpses of those views but a cliff was rising up from the Glacier obscuring the full magnitude of the place. We were back by early afternoon and took a siesta. Some built a card table out of snow blocks and played eucher until they couldn't feel their backsides. We'll look again in the morning hopeful to make the trip up the fixed lines if conditions allow.

RMI Guides Pete, Leif, Erika, and team

Mark Tucker checking in from the Shira Plateau Camp at 12,500’ on Kilimanjaro. The high today was about 80 degrees and mostly clear skies. There were some cloud layers below but it has mostly cleared out and there are beautiful views of the mountain most of the day. This evening the crescent moon was illuminating the southern and northern ice fields. It’s been a fabulous night and we had a great dinner. The team is doing well and having so much fun. Wishing you were all here. We are in the area of one of the three principal volcanoes that make up Kilimanjaro. The Shira Plateau has a bunch of parasitic cones that we are all staring at and getting some great pictures of. We are looking forward to a big day tomorrow to hit a high point of over 15,500’ feet and then we’ll drop back down to the Barranco Camp which will be situated at about 15,000’. So, we have our work cut out for us but it will be good. We’ll be just fine and will check in tomorrow when possible. RMI Guide Mark Tucker

On The Map

High winds kept the Four Day Climb led by RMI Guides Bryan Mazaika and Matias Francis at Camp Muir overnight. The guides repoted an upper level cloud deck at 11,000' with a lower level cloud deck just above Paradise at 6,000'. 

The team has started their descent and will be back at Rainier Basecamp in Ashford this afternoon.

Wednesday, May 26, 2021 - 10:05 pm PT

Today we mastered the classic mountaineering skills of reading, napping and making breakfast last three hours. All part of a well rounded rest day.

It was sunny, but windy for most of the day so we spent our day hanging out in the tents and letting our bodies recover from the toil of the last few days.

Tomorrow we plan to move up to 14,000' Camp and get in position for the upper mountain.

RMI Guide Eric Frank

Saturday, May 21, 2022 - 9:49 pm PT

Today we poked our heads out of our bags just as the sun was doing the same above the eastern horizon. Believe it or not it can be incredibly hot on Denali, and today was one of those days.

We got out and up to 11,000' Camp in great form, just as the inferno hit. We set up camp while the glaciers around us reflected the long wave radiation, making it feel as if we were in a microwave. But regardless we got camp set up and got some time to relax.

It’s been a grueling few days and now we get to enjoy the relative comfort of 11,000' Camp.

That’s all for now.

RMI Guide JT Schmitt and the RMI team

Monday, June 13, 2022 - 8:50 pm PT

Hello from 11,000' Camp!

The alarm rang, we unzipped the tent and the conditions looked great. It was time to move to a new camp! Getting to 11,000' Camp is a great milestone. Here we get to spend several nights getting ready to move higher up the mountain. Step by step we are making it higher and higher. With all our camp loaded in our packs and sleds we hit the frozen trail. A brisk morning welcomed us on our trails and soon turned into a brisk breeze. A sting to the face brought us to the sunlight. We had finally climbed out of the clouds and man is it nice to be above the clouds. This camp has more teams. We are no longer alone. It's nice to see other teams around and have energy flowing through camp. Shoveling, chopping, and eyeballing the levelness of the tent platforms leads to a good looking camp. More naps and more snacking bring us to dinner. Life is simple out here. We walk, we set up camp, we sleep, we eat, we rinse and repeat. Tomorrow we will walk back downhill to our cache and be reunited with our things. It's a great feeling getting your food back. Hopefully the weather keeps treating us well and tomorrow is a smooth day.

Talk to you all tomorrow,

RMI Guide Hannah Smith and Team

Our Expedition Skills Seminar - Kautz June 30 - 5 July has enjoyed sunshine and clear skies during their time on Mt. Rainier. Today they made their summit attempt via the Kautz Glacier and stood on the summit of Mt. Rainier around 7:30 am. RMI Guide Jake Beren reported good conditions and light winds. The team will return to their High Camp today and spend a final night on the mountain. Tomorrow they will pack up camp and descend to Paradise. Congratulations to today's Kautz Seminar Team!