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Denali Expedition: Walter & Team Weather Day

June 26, 2021

Posted by: Mike Walter, Nikki Champion, Ben Luedtke

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Alaska Mt. McKinley

Elevation: 11,200'

Saturday, June 26, 2021 - 3:45 pm PT

When we got in our tents last night it was clear and calm, but the clouds, wind, and snow returned overnight, although with much less vengeance than before. We fired up the stoves early with hopeful anticipation that the cloud deck would drop below us and winds would abate, but that was not the case. We decided to stick around 11k another day, with an improving weather forecast ahead of us.

The hope is that tomorrow is our day to bump camp up to 14k. We're rested, acclimatizing, and our team has already tackled the climb to 14k on our carry day; while it will still be strenuous, the team is well prepared for the move to 14k. And we're looking forward to it.

I'll check in again tomorrow, hopefully from a higher vantage point.

RMI Guide Mike Walter

Leave a Comment For the Team (2)

We miss you. You are always in our thoughts and prayers. Stay safe and healthy.

Your fan club,

The Arnolds

Posted by: Jeannette Arnold on 6/29/2021 at 4:19 pm

GO AARON!!!!

Posted by: Emilee on 6/27/2021 at 6:11 pm

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DHAULAGIRI: Team Returns to Base Camp and Wraps Up Expediton

May 6, 2014

Posted by: Elias de Andres Martos, Geoff Schellens, Jake Beren

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Guide News

Hello Everybody, This is the Dhaulagiri Climbing Team we are calling here from Base Camp. We have to let you know that unfortunately there was no summit for us. As we have said in recent blogs the weather has been pretty bad for us. We have had a lot of snow and we had to turn around at the very last day. We have a few member of the team at Camp 3 and had a decent chance at a summit push, but conditions were no good. We are currently at Base Camp and will start to hike down tomorrow, and we should be back in Kathmandu in four or five days and we will try to write down details to wrap up our expedition. We have worked very hard and have been the first the first team on the mountain and the one that got the highest. It will be neat to see everybody follow in our steps all the time going up and down the mountain. Like I said, we had a ton of snow breaking trail was very difficult and we made it as high as we could. Other than that everybody is doing pretty well, and we are very satisfied with our work. Again, we were a team going unsupported and did everything on our own. Getting to where we got with day in and out snowstorms dumping up to three to four feet of snow, the work wasn’t easy. We are pretty proud of what we have done. We want to thank everybody for their support given to us, and we hope everything is going well back home. We will touch base from Kathmandu in a few days. Thanks Everybody! Talk to you all soon! RMI Guide Elias deAndres Martos

Dhaulagiri Team Checking In.

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Must be close to wrapped up, safe and sound. looking forward to having our Aussie back. Congrats to all.

Posted by: hensleys on 5/11/2014 at 1:30 pm

jAKE!!!!

Posted by: Mike PoutiTine on 5/7/2014 at 7:19 am

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Mt. Rainier: July 27th Summit!

July 27, 2013

Posted by: Win Whittaker, Billy Nugent

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mount Rainier

Elevation: 14,410'

The American Lung Association (ALA) Climb for Clean Airs summit climbs led by Win Whittaker and Billy Nugent reached the Mt. Rainier summit this morning! With beautiful weather, the teams took in the views, snapped some photos, and began their descent at 7:30 a.m. After a break at Camp Muir, the teams will celebrate with the ALA in Paradise this evening. Congratulations to today's ALA teams!

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ALA climbers - great work! RMI guides - thanks for an awesome climb!

Posted by: JOHN GRANEN on 7/29/2013 at 6:59 am

makes me want to stop smoking!congrats to the team!

Posted by: BILL NUGENT on 7/27/2013 at 10:49 am

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Mt. McKinley Expedition: Hailes & Team Move to 17,000’

June 7, 2011

Posted by: Walter Hailes

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mt. McKinley

Elevation: 17,200'

Hey RMI, this is Walter Hailes calling from 17,200’ on Mt. McKinley. We made our move today from 14,000' to our high camp at 17,000'. We are all safe and sound up here. It's a beautiful day, warm temperatures, sunshine and light wind. This nice weather is not expected to stay around so we'll see what it looks like in the morning but we may be making our summit attempt soon. Stay tuned and hope for good weather! RMI Guide Walter Hailes

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Hey Pete & Walt! I’m sending some of our Moroccan sunshine, overnight (I even put an extra stamp on it!),in hopes that you will be waking up in a few hours to good weather and heading to summit! Get up there safely, but more importantly, get back to Talkeetna safely :)

Posted by: Anna James on 6/8/2011 at 2:54 am

Go team! You are in my thoughts. Be safe. Miss you Ian! Morph is doing great on his new medicine. Xoxo

Posted by: Kristin on 6/7/2011 at 11:24 pm

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Kilimanjaro: Grom & Team Arrive in Arusha, Tanzania

January 23, 2022

Posted by: Casey Grom

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Kilimanjaro

Checking in with RMI's 1st Kilimanjaro Climb of 2022! Great to finally be back in Africa.

All is well here in Tanzania as the team arrived late last night after some very long flights. A few new procedures getting through customs but everything went pretty smoothly. It was a short and peaceful ride to our Lodge that is nestled in between Arusha and Moshi and not so far from the base of Kilimanjaro. The team had a quick dinner and headed for bed as the time change had us all feeling just a little off and pretty tired after all the traveling.

Today we had a leisurely morning with our group meeting after breakfast , where we did a round of introductions and then discussed the upcoming program for the days ahead. The team spent the remainder of the day getting our gear packed up, exploring the grounds of our peaceful Lodge and dodging the gaggle of monkeys patrolling the grounds.

We wrapped up the evening with a delicious meal and plenty of friendly conversations. Everyone is doing well and excited to be here.

RMI Guide Casey Grom and the Kili crew!

Kilimanjaro: Waterfall & Team Summit!

July 30, 2013

Posted by: Seth Waterfall

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Kilimanjaro

Elevation: 19,340'

July 30, 2013 at 9:35 a.m. PST Hi, this is Seth checking in from Mweka Camp. The summit was great today and I'll be emailing a pic out as soon as we get back to the hotel tomorrow. Everyone is tucked into their tents now listening to the pitter-patter of rain. We're hoping the morning brings some sunshine! July 29, 2013 at 9:34 p.m. PST Hey, this is Seth calling from Uhuru Peak, tallest point on Kilimanjaro, highest in Africa at 19,340'. The whole team made it, at least to Stella Point. We had a beautiful day with a few high clouds but zero wind for the whole climb and everyone did very well. We are going to take a few minutes, take some photos with the big sign and then head on back down. Tonight we will be dropping all the way down to 10,000 feet, which will feel great for us. Summit of Kilimanjaro for our team! RMI Guide Seth Waterfall

RMI Guide Seth Waterfall calls from the summit of Kilimanjaro!

On The Map

Leave a Comment For the Team (2)

What a way to celebrate your 40th birthday (with your Dad)! Miss you Don and Chris! lu

Posted by: Teri on 7/31/2013 at 10:21 am

Wonderful you all made it! So exciting—congratulations! Sounds like the weather was incredible making for some beautiful photos.

Posted by: Mary Beth Denefe on 7/31/2013 at 9:34 am

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Mt. McKinley: Jones & Team Receive A Big Helping Hand

June 11, 2012

Posted by: Tyler Jones, Eric Frank

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mt. McKinley

Elevation: 14,200'

Today we awoke to 6 inches of new snow at 14k camp. We have continued to eat well. Today our breakfast consisted of egg, cheese and bacon burritos. Over the course of the morning the clouds dissipated and the wind calmed down a little. Eric and I decided to head up and move the cache we previously left at 16k, up to our high camp. We also added an extra food bag and fuel can to our supplies up high. With Brent Okita and team up at high camp for the last several days, waiting for their window to summit, they offered a big helping hand. Thanks Brent, Leon, and Lindsay! Due to high winds in the morning, they volunteered to walk down from high camp and help Eric and me carry our whole cache from 16k to 17k. We can not thank them enough for their help! Our efforts were somewhat tiering, but will allow the team to move more smoothly to 17k when weather allows. Rather than stopping at 16k and schlepping our cache and our full camp kit to 17k, now the team will be able to conserve energy by smoothly moving to 17k. Upon our return to the team at 14k, we discovered that our third guide, Logan, had rebuilt our snow kitchen and cooked up a nice dinner. What a pleasant surprise. The crew is in high spirits and getting anxious to move to higher ground and make a summit attempt in the next few days. The ground work and logistics are in order. We just need a few nice days to execute our plan. We look forward to moving into more inhospitable environments and nearing the top of North America. Our careful planning has paid off and all our ducks are in a row. The team had a nice moral boost with an afternoon reading of all the positive vibes from the blog comments. Thank you all! RMI Guide Tyler Jones

On The Map

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We certainly enjoy the blog updates. Hope the weather cooperates soon! Michael, our thoughts are with you and all the others. Love, Mom & Dad

Posted by: Eual/Paula Conditt on 6/13/2012 at 8:56 pm

We are enjoying the blog. It makes us feel like we can almost talk to you. Wishing you a successful trip Jeff/dad/team. We are cheering you on. Love Debbie, Andrew, and Madison

Posted by: Debbie Boskind on 6/12/2012 at 2:14 pm

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Mt. Rainier: May 27th Update

May 27, 2012

Posted by: Tyler Jones

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mount Rainier

Elevation: 14,410'

The Four Day Summit Climb led by Tyler Jones reached the summit this morning! This was our first summit since May 20th. The team began their descent from the crater rim at 9:15 a.m. Congratulations to Tyler and his team!

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thx Tyler for the amazing trip. and pls say hi for me to your teammates!

Posted by: Dan Pan on 5/29/2012 at 4:02 pm

Way to go TJ. See you in a couple of days!

Posted by: Larry Seaton on 5/27/2012 at 10:20 pm

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Everest Base Camp Trek: Arriving at Everest Base Camp!

March 26, 2012

Posted by: Linden Mallory

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Everest BC Trek

Elevation: 17,575'

The sun took awhile to reach us this morning, the shoulder of Nuptse standing 9,000' above blocked the sun rays and cast long shadows that gradually crept backwards as the sun rose. By the time we stepped out of the tea-house after 8:00 am the sun hit us and almost instantly began to chase away the nighttime chill. We left Gorak Shep in good spirits, eager to complete the final few hours of walking to Everest Base Camp. The trail becomes notably less defined this far up the valley. In addition to seeing less traffic, the path is ever changing as the loose moraine settles and shifts with the passing glacier and the pull from gravity. Despite Everest Base Camp being a relatively short distance from Gorak Shep as the crow flies, no more than two miles, the trail itself is much longer as it twists and turns over the rough landscape, descending through boulder fields and climbing back up loose scree gullies. We picked our way along it, stepping from rock to rock and occasionally catching glimpses of the tent tops of Base Camp off in the distance. About two thirds of the way to Base Camp the trail finally drops off of the side moraine bordering the glacier and crosses onto its surface. This low down on the glacier the surface is covered in rock that was pulled down from the mountain side further up and large features of ice, pushed up by the pressure of the glacier above, are interspersed with giant pools of frozen water that sit on the glacier surface from when the ice melts in the warm afternoon sun. The walking, while relatively flat, is tricky as every rock lies atop a sheet of ice below and the footing is continually shifting underfoot. Nevertheless, the group navigated the trail well and by midday we crested the final rocky rise and walked into RMI's Everest Base Camp. Our Sherpa team has been busy working up here for the past two weeks, hacking away the shifting ice and rolling the rocks aside to create large platforms on the glacier's surface for our tents to sit on. With the creative eye of a designer, they set up a very comfortable camp here. Our dining tent looks right out at Everest, the lower stretches of the Khumbu Icefall filling the view out the door from inside. A series of large stone steps leads from the Dining Tent to the sleeping tents sitting in a semi circle on a small rise above. Just in front of them stands our Communications Tent, with direct sight to the mountain above for the best radio reception and good exposure to the sun as it tracks across the sky for the solar panels that power all of the equipment. The Kitchen and Storage Tents are just below, with a large stone path leading between them and the Dining Tent above. The Sherpa team greeted us enthusiastically when we arrived, showing us around before we settled down for lunch. Kumar, the Expedition Cook, pulled together an incredible meal complemented with fresh baked rolls and steamed veggies. The change of pace from the typical tea-house food is refreshing and the food was excellent. After lunch we settled into camp, unpacking our gear in our tents and relaxing in the warm afternoon sun. We are all very happy to be here, pleased that we don't have to turn around and walk back to the tea-house this evening and enjoying the life around Base Camp. Everyone continues to adjust well to the altitude and hiked well today. We are spending tomorrow here in Base Camp, enjoying this place for a bit and covering some climbing training in preparation for those of us that are headed to Island Peak next. We want to thank everyone for the great comments on the Blog, we read them aloud over dinner last night and enjoyed hearing the snippets from home. RMI Guide Linden Mallory

RMI Guide Linden Mallory checks in from Everest Base Camp.

On The Map

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Congrats to the whole team - what an accomplishment. Hopefully the good weather and fortune will continue for the trek back and for the girls climbing Island Peak.

Mike

Posted by: Mike Hogan on 3/27/2012 at 3:48 am

You did it!!!! And look at all of these wonderful and encouraging comments! You ladies sure are impressive. So proud of you, Mom. Happy yu made it safely to base camp and enjoyed a yummy meal. Stay safe! Xoxo

Posted by: Courtney on 3/26/2012 at 6:03 pm

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