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Namaste! 

Greetings from Nepal

The team has finally arrived in Kathmandu after some incredibly long flights and we are slowly adjusting to the 12 hour time change. Not an easy task by any means. 

We started our first day with a round of introductions, getting acquainted and discussing the necessities to our upcoming adventure to Everest Base Camp. Then headed out to visit a few famous temples here in Kathmandu. First up was the massive Boudhanath Stupa, which is one of the largest in the world. Then Swayambhunath, also known as the Monkey Temple that over looks most of Kathmandu. They are two of the sevn World Heritage sites here in Nepal. 

We wrapped up the evening by getting all of our gear packed and an amazing meal at a restaurant call “Le Sherpa”, sort of a modern fusion on new and old Nepali food. 

Everyone is doing well and very much looking forward to heading into the mountains tomorrow! 

RMI Guide Casey Grom and the Everest Base Camp crew

A good thunder storm and the rain hitting the rooftop of our cold, but dry cabana made for a very restful night of sleep. After breakfast at the IMSS training compound of La Malintzi, we got back on our bus to make our way to the La Joya Trailhead. On the way we stopped in the markets of Amecameca to purchase our water, fresh tortillas, queso, and last minute snacks for our Ixta climb tomorrow. Once we entered the gates of the National park, we were greeted with hail, thunder, and snow for the remainder of our journey to the trailhead camp.  Spirits were kept high though, as we were served another warm and delicious meal by the local staff. After our final packing for tomorrow's move up to Campo Alto. We were lucky enough to see both Ixta and the smoke off of Popocatepetl in the clear evening light after the thunderstorm passed. We are excited to begin our first objective bright and early after a good nights sleep at our trailhead basecamp.

RMI Guide Alan Davis

Mike Walter called today at 11:15am PST. The nearby volcano Tungurahua erupted yesterday. They are OK and received some spectacular views from the event. Tungurahua is on the opposite side of Chimborazo relative to the groups camp. While there was a lot of ash wrapping Chimborazo yesterday it is all below them in the clouds today. Mike and team are preparing for their summit attempt later tonight/early tomorrow morning. Mike said he will do his best to call from the summit. Wish them luck! RMI Guide Mike Walter

The Four Day Climb Led by Joe Hoch and George Hedreen climbed to 12,900' but were stopped by ice fall activity that coverd the current climbing route. The team is safely back at Camp Muir and will be returning to Paradise in the early afternoon. 

Unless you are at Camp Muir, 10,080', this morning you most likely can't see Mt. Rainier. Fortunately for the Four Day Climb August 19 - 22, that's exactly where they were. With a little patience, improving weather and a bit later start from Camp Muir the Climb teams were able to reach the summit shortly after 7:15 AM today. RMI Guide Casey Grom reported light winds and clear skies about 7,200'. Congratulations to today's Summit Climb team!

Today our Aconcagua Team is taking a rest day at Camp 2, 18,000'. We had a cold night with light winds that blew the weather pattern of the last five days out of the area. Dark clouds and high winds plague the summit. We'll focus on eating, rest and hydration. Our plan will be to move up to High Camp up the 12th, and make our summit attempt on the 13th. We are hoping the snow firms up and we get clear weather.

RMI Guide Mike King

A climber from Mark Tucker's Kilimanjaro Climb, Mike Wyatt, composed the following poem about his summit day. BLUE SNOW by Mike Wyatt The air is cold, burns the lungs deep – Wish I was in bed fast asleep. Obsidian night – Black as a raven feather. Buttery crescent moon shepherds in good weather. Heavy limbs fight the rocky slope – Trekkers tied by an invisible rope. The echo of fatigue resonates down the line – Fiery meteorite the color of red wine. The air is cold, burns the lungs deep – Wish I was in bed fast asleep. Blindly pushing forward, we pass another team – What is reality? What is a dream? Summiteers from years past whisper in my ear – not give in, for the peak is near. I chase the heels before me repeatedly catching my breath – One unconscious slip could mean injury or death. Tangerine pink color accent the sky – It’s pure silent beauty is no lie. The crater rim now in sight – Ebullient hikers descend in weary flight. Icy dry wind burns my face – Tired scarred boots don’t leave a trace. The air still cold burns the lungs deep – I’m glad I am not in bed fast asleep. For the glacier’s blue snow is still cold, hard and deep.

Greetings all! We've certainly settled back in to life at our 18,500' Base Camp with a second consecutive rest day in the books; all in preparation for our upcoming summit push. Naps were taken. Dining tent discussion came and went throughout the day. The Tootsie Roll jar certainly took a hit. And the sun poked through off and on, giving us our first warming by the sun in a few days. With the sun, a few team members took advantage of some creature comforts with our Base Camp shower setup. (Yes you read that right!) Tomorrow we'll indulge in much of the same as we wait for our weather window to begin our climb to the summit. Until then, thanks for following along, and thank you for all your blog responses and words of encouragement! RMI Guides Robby, Elias, Adam, and the Shishapamgma Team

Wednesday, June 5, 2013 Leah awoke just before me and the first words out of her mouth when she went outside were: It's beautiful out. The sky is blue, there's no wind. I think it's the nicest day yet. And so the wheels were set in motion: firing up the reluctant stoves from their below zero degree slumber to get breakfast and hots going for the team, then waking everybody up to let them know that we were going for it again. Even with yesterday's aborted attempt that certainly burned a bit of energy, the crew was excited and ready. This time, we didn't have to break trail up to Denali Pass. At first we were nervous about the colder temps, but these concerns proved unfounded as the sun shone brightly and warmed things up. As we ascended, things just got better and better, and our climbers responded well. In fact, they climbed flawlessly today. To say that I am particularly proud of everybody would be an understatement. No slips or oops or loss of focus that seem just an inevitable thing when a large group of folks climb for twelve hours. We reached the summit at about 4:00, the first team to summit today. After the hero pictures and summit hugs, we made our way back to camp well before the sun slid over the ridge. Enjoying another dinner together was the finishing touch to a great day. We even got some singing out of one of our favorites, tired of body though he might have been, his spirit was obviously on a high. Now our thoughts go to the descent from this lofty camp. A couple of hard days and, with a little more luck, we might be seeing our loved ones soon. But for now, the cold of night is chasing me into my bed of down. Goodnight from RMI Guides Brent, Logan and Leah, 17,200' on Denali.

On The Map

Sunday, August 11, 2024 - 6:00 AM PT

We said goodbye to the Condoriri mountain range, and loaded our van to head to our second mountain Huayna Potosi which stands just over 6,000 meters. We arrived at our base hut, which is actually Adriam and Domilita house that they open up to climbers. Adriam is our head porter and we leisurely packed our packs and gear for our journey up to high hut (17,000’) where will spend a little bit of time before heading for the summit.  From their house we have amazing views of the route we’ll be climbing up Huayna. As the sun began to set the winds starting cranking and we were happy to be inside than out in the tents.  Adriam built us a fire and we enjoyed a big family dinner that included a cake for Katherine’s birthday. We awoke this morning to sunny skies and calm winds. We’ll be heading to high camp in the coming hours. We’ll take a short rest before starting our summit attempt early in the morning.  Fingers crossed that the winds co-operate for us!

RMI Guide Andy Bond