Most Popular Entries
On The Map
Posted by: Steve Gately, Ellison Boord, Nick Sinapius
Categories: Expedition Dispatches North Cascades
Elevation: 10,781'
RMI Guide Steve Gately and the Mt. Baker - Easton Glacier team July 22 - 24 reached the summit today. They returned to camp and enjoyed a restful afternoon. The team will continue their descent tomorrow and return to the trail head to conclude their program.
Congratulations to today's climbers!
Posted by: Nikki Champion, Leif Bergstrom, Lauren Macklin
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mt. McKinley
Elevation: 14,000'
Monday, May 29, 2023 - 11:12 pm PT
Another, you guessed it, weather day for us. As it snowed almost all night, we slept in and had a slow breakfast of blueberry pancakes. Snow continued to fall throughout the day, and we had very little visibility around camp. Folks did normal rest day activities, like walk around camp, meet other teams, rebuild our bathroom into a new palace and change out our socks. We are waiting for a three day weather window to make our way safely to 17,000', to the summit, and home. Until then we continue to check all the weather resources we have available, and try to stay sane.
RMI Guide Nikki Champion
Posted by: Mike King, Avery Parrinello
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mount Rainier
Elevation: 14, 410'
The Four Day Climb led by RMI Guides Mike King and Avery Parrinello reached the summit of Mt. Rainier at 4:30 am today. Mike reported 40 mph winds, clear skies, and a good climbing route. The team is in route to Camp Muir where they will take a well-deserved rest break, pack up and descend to Paradise. Then its back to Rainier Basecamp in Ashford, WA for burgers, cold drinks, and a little team celebration.
Good job everybody! Amazing team of guides across both groups
Posted by: Wes on 7/30/2022 at 5:56 pm
On The Map
Congratulations to Ben Liken, Pepper Dee and Team! Major accomplishment!
Posted by: David Clemmons on 2/14/2017 at 7:30 am
So happy you and the team made this trek! Looking forward to your stories and photos.
Posted by: Cindy and Ken on 7/16/2014 at 4:24 pm
Great work Rees! Scenery looks stunning. Janet and Murray.
Posted by: Janet Pascoe on 7/16/2014 at 1:54 pm
We said goodbye to Quito this morning and made our way north out of the city. Patchwork buildings turned to patchwork farms and lush green at every turn. We eventually made our way up a cobblestone road to start with our day’s objective - an acclimatization hike on Fuya Fuya. Our arrival on the shores of Laguna de Mojanda had everyone excited to get out of the bus and get moving. We hiked for the next couple hours through the tall grass accompanied by our local Ecuadorian guide, Pablo, and found ourselves perched on the eastern summit of Fuya Fuya feeling strong at almost 14,000’. The clouds and rain were kind to us on our ascent as we took in some amazing views of the lake and surrounding hills. The rain finally caught up with us, but only briefly as we made it back to our shuttle only a little damp and headed downhill. We’re now enjoying hacienda life tucked into a eucalyptus grove in the hills above Otavalo. Tomorrow we’ll visit the most famous Indian market in Ecuador to explore and shop, then point our shuttle southeast in the direction of our first big objective. The team is feeling strong and excited to make the switch to climbing mode. We’ll check in again tomorrow from the lower slopes of Cayambe!
RMI Guides Mike, Jess and Team
On The Map
Posted by: Josh McDowell, Dominic Cifelli, Kiira Antenucci
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mount Rainier
Elevation: 14,410'
Posted by: Brent Okita
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Kilimanjaro
I'm continually amazed with the Ngorongoro Crater each time I visit. The variety and sheer number of animals we see blows my mind. Today might have surpassed what I've seen in prior trips.
It started with a bang as one of the first critters we encountered was a hyena feeding on a carcass with a jackal and vulture looking on. A Nat Geo moment if there ever was. It got better from there on. The animal we all wanted to really see, simba, popped into view not terribly long after the hyena. A big male showed itself for us looking as regal and mighty as only a big cat can look. Later, we got closer looks at a pride of four or five lions, including a young male, resting by a river, content to relax before they go hunting again. Perhaps the coolest thing was just being in the middle of hundreds, if not thousands, of animals like wildebeest, zebra, gazelle, warthog, Cape Buffalo, and more. All just milling around, some just inches from the vehicle and more as far as the eye could see. Things were so active we were delayed in reaching the designated picnic area for lunch because we had to stop and gawk so much.
Finally, we made it to our lunch site and were treated to a great meal centered around chicken shishkabobs. On our way out we stopped by a Masai bomba, or village, where we were invited to learn about their culture and how they live. Sure, we pay for the privilege, but I think it money well spent as it helps support these people who are caught between keeping to their traditional ways while existing in a world so unlike theirs.
The day ended with another gourmet dinner, the likes of which none of us commonly partake. A nice South African Cabernet seemed an appropriate pairing to the wonderful meal. The great company only made the evening perfect.
Tomorrow: Tarangire National Park!
Cheers,
RMI Guide Brent Okita & Team
Everyone was sad to say goodbye to the Chilcabamba Eco Lodge this morning as we had really enjoyed our stay and were getting used to the comforts of hacienda life, not to mention the friendly, cute puppy that accompanied us nearly everywhere we went. However, Cotopaxi was on display again for us this morning against a clear blue sky to the south, so we packed our things and drove through Cotopaxi National Park to the trailhead as clouds began to build and encircle the mountain. It was a quick 45 minutes of hiking with full packs through thick clouds, but we stayed dry! The hut is luxurious for accommodations at almost 16,000’. It’s decorated with climbing memorabilia, photos of Cotopaxi and other peaks around the world, and they even recently installed a small bouldering wall. After a light lunch, we’re now tucked into our sleeping bags for an afternoon siesta before dinner and listening to waves of hail and sleet outside. It won’t be long before we get up later tonight to make our summit attempt of Cotopaxi. Our hope is to wake to clear skies above, as has been the trend in recent mornings, and work our way to 19,347’ on this beautiful volcano. Everyone is feeling good and fired up to get to some thinner air! We’ll check in tomorrow with an update. Thanks for following along!
RMI Guides Mike King, Jess Matthews and Team
On The Map
Best wishes for a fabulous experience! Love from David’s wife, at sea level in Dallas.
Posted by: Cindy Spence on 12/11/2019 at 6:21 pm
Hoping the weather cooperates and you are soon on your way to the top! Good luck Matt and team, thinking of you all!
Posted by: Kathleen George on 5/31/2023 at 5:36 am
Hi Leif and Team - thinking of you and wishing you a safe successful Summit climb as soon as weather permits-
Posted by: Erika Whittaker on 5/30/2023 at 5:50 pm
View All Comments