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We finally got some Alaska mountain weather today. We made our final preparation for moving higher today by putting in a cache in at the top of the fixed lines and we got into a little wind and blowing snow in the process. When we set off this morning at 9am it was clear and cold with some obvious, but not outrageous wind on the ridge. Everything went smooth on the way up and only on the descent did we get some 20-25 mph wind and blowing snow. Just enough weather to make things fun. RMI Guide Walter Hailes P.S. Steve would like to wish Denise a happy birthday.

Dave, Erica and I are enjoying a day of rest after spending the last four days acclimatizing at Camp 1 and Advance Base Camp. We had an excellent rotation and are feeling healthy. It's nice to come down and get to actually rest our healthy bodies as opposed to needing to recover from an illness or injury picked up while climbing. I know I had the best night of sleep since Namche last night. On our last day at ABC, Dave, Erica and I climbed to the base of the Lhotse Face for acclimatization purposes. We'd headed out early, made good time up and back, and were left with most of the day as free time. Well, mostly free. Dave and I spent a fair bit of time repositioning the solar panels that power the radio and LED lights at ABC, and I re-tethered our radio antenna. After those chores, we had some true free time. My tent was calling, but Kent, the cinematographer climbing with us, wanted to do some filming out on the glacier. Somewhat reluctantly, I grabbed my crampons and met up with Dave and Kent. As soon as we'd walked a few hundred feet though, I was amazed at Dave pointing out two oxygen bottles partially buried in the ice. I'd just assumed that the camps had been so cleaned up and combed over that you'd never be able to find stuff like this anymore. Not so. As I began carefully chopping away at the ice around one bottle, Dave grabbed the other one, a leftover from an expedition from the early seventies. As we freed the second bottle, we were both impressed at what great shape both were in. In fact it appeared that both could still be holding oxygen. Good thing we didn't just hack away around them with our ice axes! The second bottle appeared to be from an American expedition and was stenciled with the phrase "AVIATORS ON OXYGEN" and was stamped with what looked like a date from 1970. I can't wait to do more research on this once I get home. All in all, we found four bottles that afternoon dating from the mid-sixties to mid-seventies. Not bad for an afternoon of "Goraking". Check out today's video feed, which was shot by Kent while Dave and I were scavenging the glacier like little kids. Now we're resting at Base Camp and the other part of the team is starting their second acclimatization rotation. Yesterday Ed and Peter moved up to ABC, bypassing Camp 1. Today they have climbed to Camp 3 at just over 23,000 ft. They are returning to ABC to spend the night. Melissa spent one extra day here at Base Camp. She left here early this morning and will meet up with the guys at ABC. All told, the team is doing great. For me, I can't wait to start back up the mountain again, but I could probably use the rest and it does feel good to sleep in a little.

Today was our promised “easy day” by our guides and the jury is still out. We climbed down to 10K to grab our previously buried cache and climbed back up to camp 2. The day was and still is snowy and windy, but we got to spend a lot of it in our tents eating our newly uncovered snacks.

Tomorrow - should Denali allow, we will climb to 14,000, to bury another cache.

Happy adoption day to my dog Mav and early birthday to my best girl Alex, and lastly to my mom, we are giving it hell! I love you.

Ps I wrote a really great dispatch yesterday, but the German guy stole my blog.

It didn't appear to be a great day for going to the top of Mount Everest, but it was a perfect day for the top of Kalapathar. Dan and Seth and I went back down-valley to Gorak Shep and then hung a right to do the classic hike. Everest still had a jetstream plume of cloud and snow blowing from her upper reaches. But about 10,000 feet lower down we enjoyed sunny and calm spring weather. It was good to be out of base for a bit and away from the all consuming obsession with weather forecasts and picking summit days. We'll get worked up about it all, soon enough. For now it is still a matter of getting the team healthy and strong. Best Regards, RMI Guide Dave Hahn

What a night to take in last evening! We had perfect conditions: clear, calm, and almost a full moon. It was a bit chilly, but that is what our puffy coats and pants are for. After so much unsettled weather, it was so peaceful you could almost think we were in the most tranquil environment on earth! Of course, the hanging glaciers and thousands of feet of vertical rock overhead remind us that "tranquil" is all relative in this neck of the ice. The team was up early in the AM and sent up gear for the community effort to fix ropes to Camp 3. Our group plans on some training en route up to Camp 3 as well. We have two Sherpa at Camp 2 right now who are working hard and preparing to welcome the climbers to Advanced Base Camp in a couple of days. The team continues to take care and plans for the long haul ahead. RMI Guide Mark Tucker

After several days of training on Mt. Erie and in the lower alpine of Mt. Baker, our Mt. Baker seminar teams have successfully summited Mt. Baker. They were on top this morning around 8:45 am. Completion of this program is one step on many mountaineers' journey to accomplishing other peaks like climbing Denali or Aconcagua.

The team will take the rest of the day today to rest and continue their training before walking out to the trailhead tomorrow.

Congrats team!

That storm finally eased, now for the next one. Actually, we hope the next one is a long way off. We enjoyed a fine and quiet rest day at Low Camp. Long meals, long naps, lots of drinking water, some books, some music... an altogether great day in the mountains of Antarctica. We had good strong sunshine for much of the day, but as we ate our dinner (at around 9 PM) things began to cloud up again. There isn't any wind forecast to go along with the clouds so our fingers are crossed for a good moving up day tomorrow. Best Regards RMI Guide Dave Hahn

On The Map

The Mt. Rainier Four Day Summit Climb led by Pete Van Deventer radioed from the summit at 7:20 a.m. They crested the summit just before 7 a.m. with clear blue skies and calm winds in the crater. It's a gorgeous day on Mt. Rainier! After spending some time enjoying the magnificent views, the teams will begin their descent back to Paradise. Seth Waterfall and the Expedition Skills Seminar - Emmons team checked in from Camp Schurman. The entire team reached the summit yesterday. They spent almost the entire previous night battling a tough storm, but the team managed to overcome the challenge and enjoyed a beautiful climb of the Emmons Glacier. Today they will descend down the White River valley for the final leg of their trip. Congratulations RMI teams!

RMI’s Denali climbing season is kicking off. Out team spent yesterday in Talkeetna packing and prepping for our expedition. Spreading our gear out in one of K2 Aviation’s hangars, we went through all of our clothing, food, and climbing equipment to fine-tune everything and be sure our checklists were complete. Everything was weighed and labeled for the airplanes. This morning we’ll touch base with K2 to see what the flying conditions are like. Our hope is to fly in to Kahiltna Basecamp today. Located on the Southeast Fork of the Kahiltna Glacier, this glacier runway will be our approach to the West Buttress of Denali.

Our team looks well prepared, and everyone is eager to embark on this multi-week expedition. We’ll keep you up to date along the way as we slowly progress higher on Denali’s slopes. I’ll be in touch with flying conditions and our status.

RMI Guide Mike Walter

RMI Guide Peter Whittaker and the Four Day Summit Climb team reached the summit of Mt. Rainier this morning around 5:20 am. The team is making their descent back to Camp Muir and enjoying a light wind. We look forward to seeing them in Ashford this afternoon. The Expedition Skills Seminar – Emmons led by RMI Guide Pete Van Deventer reached the summit of Mt. Rainier around 7:00 am. Pete reports clear skies on the summit and 15 mph winds. He says it is fairly warm and a really nice day to climb. The team is enjoying some time at Columbia Crest and will begin their descent to Camp Schurman around 8:00 am. Congratulations to today's climbers!