Most Popular Entries

Tuesday, June 13, 2023 - 11:11 pm PT

All present and accounted for in Talkeetna, Alaska.  Most of us came together in the Anchorage airport this afternoon.  Some traveled today, others in the proceeding days. We joined forces for the van ride up to Talkeetna under overcast and sometimes rainy skies.  We busted up the three hour drive with a pause in Wasilla to round out provisions.  All of this got us in to Talkeetna by about 7 PM.  We did an easy evening of pizza downtown and came back for a rest at the Swiss Alaska Inn.  The real business of the expedition starts tomorrow morning. 

Best Regards,

RMI Guide Dave Hahn

Another important milestone, easily achieved. We woke at Union Glacier in perfect weather, ate our breakfast and boarded two ski equipped Twin Otter airplanes bound for Vinson Basecamp. Our flight through the Ellsworth Mountains was memorable as we passed hundreds of sharp and dramatic glaciated peaks. A big right turn brought us into the valley of the Branscomb Glacier at the foot of Mount Vinson. We landed while flying up a hill at a little over 7000 ft elevation. The entire team set to work dragging duffels and building Basecamp. We spent this perfect weather day reviewing roped climbing techniques and getting settled in. An afternoon hike served to stretch legs and jog memories of mountaineering difficulties and pleasures. We ate dinner in our newly built dining tent under the blazing evening sun, forgetting that the air temperature was likely hovering around zero degrees Fahrenheit. We enjoyed seeing the climbers from the previous round on Vinson come into camp pleased with their summit of the mountain just yesterday and relieved to find airplanes waiting to take them away today. Best Regards, RMI Guide Dave Hahn

On The Map

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

Today we visited the famous Ngorongoro Crater, and considered by many to be one of the 7 natural wonders of the world. The crater is what remains of a two million year old massive volcano that erupted and collapsed on itself, leaving behind a giant caldera that's roughly 100 square miles. The crater is home to some 25,000' animals because of the abundant food and water that flows from a spring.

We were able to see several lions, including two big males, but not nearly as close as yesterday. As we made our way around the crater where we saw tons of other wildlife, zebras, Cape buffalo, wildebeest, jackals, Giselles, hyenas, and four Black Rhinos in the distance. It was an enjoyable a day to say the least. 

We are wrapping up our trip with a final night here at the Plantation Lodge and are looking forward to what tomorrow may bring as we head to Lake Manyara National Park before catching late flights home tomorrow!

RMI Guide Casey Grom and the Safari crew

Thursday, May 31, 2019 12:11 AM PT The team is know all safely back down at 14 camp and tucked in for the evening. Summit day was a long hard fought battle but everyone did fantastic. The morning of our summit attempt we woke up in early in an attempt to beat the crowds up our first obstacle, the "auto bahn". This section often takes a couple hours to complete without a break and is steep and exposed. The exposure of this terrain requires us to use a form of running protection that protects the team against a fall but is quite time consuming. The end of this hurdle puts you at Denali Pass and our first rays of welcome sunshine. From here steep rolling glacier takes us up and around a swirled white and black rock feature known as "zebra rocks". At the top of this feature we were faced with a gentle but cold 15 mph wind. The terrain mellows out quite a bit as we meander through open glacier past a prominent rock point known "arch deacons tower" and into the football field, a flat depression just before our final slope to the summit ridge. Once on the summit ridge a short but dramatic climb brings us to the summit. The team took a few moments to take pictures and celebrate the ascent before our attention was turned toward getting back home. All in all the trip took us 13 hours round trip, all at elevations above 17,000 ft. With the summit behind us we turn our focus now to trying to truly get back home. Cloudy and snowy weather are abundant in the extended forecast which means chances of flying off anytime soon are nil. Tomorrow we'll check the weather in the morning and make decision to further descend, or to keep the luxury of our fortified camp here at 14, or opt for better weather. That's all for now, it's late again as I'm writing this and I'm in need of some serious rest! Thanks for following along everyone! RMI Guide Steve Gately & Team

Hello again everyone back home. It was another great day here in the Khumbu Valley, with the team waking up to bright beautifully clear skies, and mountains in every direction. We had a nice relaxing breakfast and decided to make the most of our scheduled rest day by hiking a little way to visit a Monastery in Thamo. It’s home to a kind group of female Buddhist Monks that are Tibetan refugees. They apparently escaped over the boarder which is only a few miles away and have made this home like the Sherpa community did some 500+ years ago. When we arrived the nuns were milling about and tending to their greenhouse that they use to grow their vegetables. We purchased a few prayer flags and prayer beads to help support them and then made our way back to Namche for lunch. Then evening was spent exploring Namche and doing a little bargaining for a few gifts. Finally we wrapped up the evening with another great meal here at our tea house. All is well and everyone is doing great. RMI Guide Casey Grom and crew

Happy Anniversary to the first American Summit team on Mt. Everest! That climb happened forty-nine years ago today. Thanks to all the teams of the past for the valuable insight on how to climb this mountain as safe and smart as possible. Dave Hahn and the RMI team remained at Camp 2 (ABC) for another night. All is well up there as they adjust slowly to these extreme altitudes. Conditions on the upper mountain are rough with the jet stream still over top and limited tracks in the upper route for now. Dave is the master at making the best use of their time up high and when they return to Base Camp I'm sure they will be ready for some rest down here in the thick air of 17,575'. We are now in the meat of the Mt. Everest climbing season. There are teams all over the mountain and everybody is at a little different stage in their schedule to get themselves ready for the summit. The cooperation between the teams this year has been fantastic and the resolve and commitment to work together is outstanding. It is a small community here and everybody pulling together is making for a very enjoyable season. Lots of work ahead and many more amazing photos to be taken. Hold on - summit time is just around the corner because it's the month of MAY! Happy May Day! RMI Guide Mark Tucker

On The Map

Hello, We are back in the big city of Namche Bazaar. What a great shower! The feet are a bit tired but here in Namche life is sweet. In fact we just finished our lunch at the bakery topped off with some apple strudel. What a whirl wind it has been since we left Everest Base Camp. Seems to me that once you get above 15,000' time goes by a bit quicker. We had a grand time at Base Camp. So fun to show the team my office for the weeks to come. We had great training at the base of the Khumbu Ice Fall, such a historic setting and perfect location for technical ice climbing training and team dynamics for the Island Peak climb. Our travel from one amazing valley to another went without a hitch, once in the Imja Khola Valley with views of Island Peak, the excitement level rose. The storm we had to deal with at Island Peak Base camp was felt throughout the region. Although the conditions on the route were less than perfect, the night we went for the summit was pretty nice. The moon was so bright I didn't need my headlight till we were higher up into the tight rocky area. It is such a unique experience to climb at heights like these in the middle of the night surrounded by bitter cold, working hard and breathing hard with every step. Why do I call this fun? Tough to express what a special time we had looking out at the high Himalaya watching the sunrise at over 19,000'. With so much earth below but amazed at how much still loomed above was hard to take in. It's been a long march in the last three days to get here. We were just ahead of the big seasonal traveler push up to Everest on the way in, but now it is peak time for large groups. It's been fun to see lots of old friends going up to Everest Base Camp. After all these miles with no feet problems, my toes go out to Jeremy Foust and the crew at Whittaker Mountaineering for the fantastic job they did fitting me with a great pair of Asolo trekking boots and LaSpotiva climbing boots. Thanks so much. It's not over yet. We are off to Lukla tomorrow and flights for John and Kim the day after. RMI Guide Mark Tucker

On The Map

100% of Team on Top!

RMI Guide Mike Walter and team reach the Summit of Mt. Baker at 7:11 am today. The team had great climbing and warm weather. They are on the descent and will be back at the traihead later this afernoon. 

Congratulations Team!

Hey this is Gilbert with the RMI May 15th expedition calling after a successful summit day here on Denali. We are back safe and sound in our tents brewing up some water and dinner. We left around 10 am under clear skies and very little wind. We had a great summit with eight clients and three guides. Now we are back safe and sound. We are going to re-hydrate and re-fuel and beat feat down to basecamp and hopefully fly out in the next 24 hours or so and be back in Talkeetna. So, that is all for now and we will keep in touch. RMI Guide Gilbert Chase