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Posted by: Abby Westling, Ben Luedtke
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mount Rainier
Elevation: 14,410'
The Five Day Climbing team with RMI Guides Abby Westling and Ben Luedtke climbed last night and reached the summit as the sun was setting. The team spent their first day on the mountain with an acclimatization climb to Ingraham Flats. On day two they took advantage of a full night’s rest and chose to do a sunset climb, a rare and special treat for the climbers to see the stunning alpenglow on Mt. Rainier.
Congratulations Team!
Posted by: Andy Bond, Jack Delaney, Joey Manship
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mt. McKinley
Elevation: 14,200'
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Friday, June 23, 2023, 8:40 am PDT
Our Team is back at 14,000’ Camp after a long day of waist to chest trail breaking and ultimately avalanche conditions on the West Buttress. We made it to Washburn’s Thumb at 16,800’, all pickets were buried and not found except for the ones near slopes that naturally avalanche. The Autobahn is incredibly loaded with snow, and I am sure you will not find a single one of the 35 pickets across it!
Our plan is to head to the airstrip tonight and hope to fly. No one has flown since last Sunday and snow is in the forecast all week, so we will see!
RMI Guide Andy Bond and Team
What an amazing achievement! So proud of your perseverance and grateful for your respect for the awesomeness of nature.
Posted by: Len Stevens on 6/24/2023 at 6:08 am
A disappointment, but not a defeat. You measured up well against one of the sternest challenges.
Posted by: Mike Forsyth on 6/23/2023 at 9:12 pm
Posted by: Mike King
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Torres del Paine
We had an early start after a windy night to begin our 9 hour day over John Gardner pass at 3,900'. The trail winds through a muddy forest for a few hours before getting into the alpine zone. There was fresh snow on the peaks surrounding us and lots of wind to motivate the group to take shorter breaks and keep moving to stay warm.
We got into the pass with some nice views of the Grey glacier, one of the longer arms of the Southern Patagonian ice field. Once back into the trees to begin our descent the trail gets less than ideal from a knee and feet standpoint. The trail is steep and has large steps that make a measured and rhythmic stride all but impossible. It's just part of the trek, but not the best part of the trek.
We are all in camp, some have gone for showers and some have gone for drinks. We all are looking forward to a good night and day off tomorrow.
Thanks for following along.
RMI Guide Mike King
On The Map
Way to go Dereesa! What a great epic adventure. Thanks for getting to share it, distantly, with you.
Posted by: Arch Lamb on 3/20/2019 at 11:10 am
What an amazing team, and beautiful experience. Special shout out to Dereesa!
Posted by: Davene Dietzler on 3/20/2019 at 6:38 am
Posted by:
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Kilimanjaro
On The Map
Bob.. Sorry spell check… Loven YOU to the top and back a trillion times.. Toot Toot ... Note to self, put glasses on before typing early in the morning. :) Jefferson says he is so excited for you.
Posted by: debbie on 2/19/2011 at 5:54 am
Bob…. Loven tou to the top and back a trillion times.. Toot Toot oh Indy to
Posted by: Debbie on 2/19/2011 at 5:40 am
Posted by: Dave Hahn, Dominic Cifelli, Tatum Whatford, Seth Burns
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mt. McKinley
Elevation: 14,200'
Tuesday, June 28, 2022 - 9:51 pm PT
We did our “back-carry” today. Our cache above Windy Corner only took about twenty minutes to walk down to and an hour or so to walk back with. So we got that done in the mid morning hours before the sun got too intense. Much of this first full day at 14,200' was a rest day. We did a short training session in the afternoon to review techniques we’ll use on the fixed ropes protecting the steep terrain between 15,000 and 16,200 ft. The weather was even better today than yesterday… calm and sunny throughout. Tomorrow we are hoping to carry supplies up onto the West Buttress.
Jim says, “HAPPY ANNIVERSARY, SHARON!!”
Best Regards
Aww, Jim! You’re a keeper! And Happy Anniversary!
We daily are following you and your team’s awesome adventure!
Keep up the good work!
Diana and Tom
Posted by: Diana Weiss on 6/29/2022 at 10:08 pm
Hey, Jim. Happy Anniversary to you, almost on top of the world!!! So proud of your accomplishments! You made Sharon’s day!!! Love, your sister!
Posted by: Deborah Karmozyn on 6/29/2022 at 3:45 pm
RMI Guide Mark Tucker from the Kilimanjaro Summit
On The Map
Congratualtions, not many can say they have seen the top of a continent. Well done.
Posted by: Bob Johnson on 7/30/2012 at 8:26 am
Posted by: Hannah Smith, Dustin Wittmier, Devin Guffey
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mt. McKinley
Elevation: 14,000'
Howdy all,
One of the most important traits to have in expedition style climbing is patience. Patience to wait for a window that will give you the best odds to reach your goal: to safely summit the mountain. We are currently testing our patience waiting for the best opportunity for the team to move to 17,000' Camp and go for the summit. Rest days or waiting days can get long and can be quite boring but they are necessary. The down time can be hard and your mind can drift to family and friends and your life back home, but its important to keep your head here and in the game. Lots of tent time, snacking, reading, and Netflix occupy our time. We did get to greet a RMI team who came down from 17,000' Camp after a successful summit. It was fun seeing friendly faces and hearing about the route. It makes us that more excited to get up there. In due time it will be our turn. Till then we wait.
Till tomorrow,
RMI Guide Hannah Smith and team
Wishing a great and fair weathered summit bid to the entire team! Happy birthday at my bad a$$ little sister who just turned 20 at 17k!!!
Posted by: Paulina Johansson on 6/22/2021 at 9:22 pm
BJ - thinking of you and continuing to wish you and your group the very best. You’re almost there! I am proud of you and I love you.
Posted by: Anna Geigle on 6/22/2021 at 5:36 pm
Posted by: Mike King, Jack Delaney
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Machu Picchu
Elevation: 13,779'
Buenas noches señors y señoritas!
We awoke early to begin our first day on the official Inca trail! We had 4,000 feet to climb and the majority of it was on 600+ year old Inca stone steps.
The day started out along a babbling stream wandering up through a lush and wild jungle. We were even lucky enough to spot a sapphire hummingbird along our trek. Halfway through our grueling climb, we popped out above the tree line to enjoy a tasty lunch and beautiful views of the valley below. The final climb uphill was done slowly, since the top of Warmiwañusca pass was at 13,779 feet! Here, we enjoyed a well-deserved break before beginning our 2,000’ descent to camp at Pacaymayo. Thankfully, the views were spectacular and there were many colorful wildflowers along the trail to help distract us from the large and steep steps. We slowly and safely made our way down to camp where we enjoyed popcorn, chips, and guacamole for our afternoon snack! The guides claim dinner was “puma meat” but no matter what it was, it was delicious!
We’re headed to bed early tonight because we have another big day full of Inca stone steps ahead of us tomorrow!
Congrats on a spectacular summit!
-Nick
Posted by: Nick R on 7/11/2023 at 8:45 pm
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