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After many weather days at 14k and 17k, our team finally made it to the summit of Denali! The weather was promising, but not perfect this morning. It was overcast but still. You could see the sun shining through the tops of the clouds. After our turned back attempt the other day, we were very cautious and waited to see what the day was going to bring. We finally left camp at 11:20 in the morning. As we climbed, the weather got better and better. We climbed through the clouds into the sunshine. We made it to the summit around 8:00 p.m. It was clear with no wind, which is VERY rare on the top of the highest mountain in North America. Our crew was strong so we had a safe, quick descent back to camp arriving a bit after 11:00 p.m. A great 12 hour day. We had a quick dinner, caught the midnight sunset, and are now comfortably in bed. Now we can let ourselves start thinking about cheeseburgers! RMI Guide Mike Haugen

Sunday, August 25, 2024 - 3:26 am PT

We made it to Machu Picchu!

Wow, what a day. We woke up and walked the final few hours to the Sun Gate. It was a little cloudy but we still had views of Machu Picchu below.
We spent the morning exploring the different sites - the Sun Temple, the Palace Quarters, the Temple of the Condor and so much more! Then we took the bus downhill to Aguas Calientes where we all enjoyed a shower and delicious dinner.

Tomorrow, we get to go back to the park and climb Huayna Picchu. For now, we are sleeping happily in warm beds.

RMI Guide Jess Wedel and the team
 

The Expedition Skill Seminar - Kautz June 14 - 19 led by RMI Guides Mike Haugen, Jackson Breen, Mike Bennett and Calivin Jiricko, reached the summit of Mt. Rainier yesterday via the Kautz Glacier. After several days of training and climbing, this team put it all together and ascended the Kautz ice chute, to Point Success and to the summit of Mt. Rainier. It was a long day and the team returned to camp in the early evening.  This morning they have started their descent to Paradise, leaving early to enjoy the nice snow conditions on the Wilson Glacier while the temperatures as still low. The team will return to Rainier BaseCamp this afternoon to celebrate their adventure and conclude their program.

Nice work team!

Tuesday, July 6, 2021 - 9:30 pm PT

The winds trailed off during the night -at our level, at least- but we got steady snow for most of the day.  We sat in place at 14,200 ft. With the continued poor forecast, we are now just looking for a reasonable break in the storms to start moving downward. While it is a tough thing to give up our summit dreams for 2021, it is at least something of an easy call… the mountain simply has not given us an opening.  We are still in an amazingly beautiful place, which we remember each time the clouds thin. And we have still got plenty of mountain climbing -albeit of the downward variety- to do before we’re done. 

Best Regards,

RMI Guide Dave Hahn & Team

We got together after a relaxing breakfast in our tropical garden of a lodge and we talked about going up amongst the glaciers of Kilimanjaro. It was a morning of going over the plan of attack and for discussing gear and best practices for staying healthy in this part of the world. The middle of the day was spent getting the gear and clothing sorted and by afternoon the team enjoyed a bit of free time to wander about or to nap. The wanderers didn't have to go far before they could see Kilimanjaro floating in the distance. The nappers surrendered for a short time to the jet lag we all feel. The team enjoyed seeing groups of monkeys swinging through the trees of our compound as well as listening to strange birds call out as they cruised overhead. We enjoyed a group dinner and some storytelling for the evening. It will be hard to leave this luxurious and laid back setting, but the thought of getting walking on the flanks of the largest freestanding mountain in the world is pretty enticing as well. Best Regards, RMI Guide Dave Hahn

Last night we lied in bed awaiting an 11pm wakeup for a Cotopaxi summit attempt.  But the winds picked up and the roof could be heard shaking and whistling all night.  At the sound of my first alarm, myself and the other guides went outside to find high winds and a sideways drizzle.  We then went on shifts checking every 30 minutes and hoping for improvement, but to no avail.  By 3am we decided to call it and everyone was able to sleep in.  The crew was certainly disappointed but still in good spirits.  What helped was seeing all the people who did attempt last night return soaked and covered in a layer of half inch ice, having failed to make it to the summit.  It was truly a sight to see.

After departing the hut we made the short drive out of the park and are enjoying a wonderful evening at La Cienega, one of the finest haciendas in Ecuador.  We took advantage of a sunny afternoon to learn some rope skills and are looking forward to the rest of the evening in this beautiful and historic hacienda.

RMI Guide Dustin Wittmier

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!

If you’ve been following the blog posts, you’ve been doing some rigorous training - and it will pay off. I’m always looking for a little extra motivation or meaning in my routines and I’m often thinking about how to maintain the momentum that will carry me up the hill! As humans, we dedicate art, buildings, books and many other things. Often to loved ones, sometimes to causes. We can dedicate any effort. A mountain climb for example - to someone or something we care for. It can even be anonymous. Perhaps the person isn’t with us anymore, a team you once were part of, it could be your next-door neighbor! Personally, I’ll do it when I’m taking on something that will test my limits, or something that I’ve not had success with in the past. This process feels very tangible, “I’m grateful for what you did for me, I’m going to do this thing for you”. And it goes both ways. Someone once told me they found the stamina to go to the top of a mountain as a token of gratitude for the encouragement I gave them ... I’ll never forget that. When I start dedicating that next mile, thousand feet, workout or climb to someone who has helped me, all of a sudden I’m no longer going solo. I have a supporter, a team or my family behind me. It improves the quality of what I’m doing. Credit for this idea to Seth Godin, an inspirational out-of-the-box thinker whom I respect. - John Colver John Colver is a longtime climber, former mountain guide, and certified personal trainer with the American Council of Exercise. Colver introduced outdoor fitness classes to athletic clubs throughout the greater Puget Sound region before creating his adventX brand. Currently, adventX leads training programs in Seattle and Colver presents clinics on outdoor fitness at companies such as Microsoft, Boeing, the American Lung Association, and REI. Colver lives in Seattle. Questions? Comments? Share your thoughts with John and other readers on the RMI Blog!

The Four Day Summit Climb July 6 - 9 teams reached the summit of Mt. Rainier around 7 a.m. PT led by RMI Guides Pete Van Deventer and Tyler Reid. Clear skies and beautiful sunshine today around Mt. Rainier National Park. Congratulations to today's summit teams!

Another beautiful day greeted us this morning. After breakfast we reluctantly said goodbye to the accommodations and staff of our tea-house in Pheriche and set off up the valley. The trail ran through small clumps of juniper and back and forth across streams running down from the hillsides, reaching a collection of stone buildings and fields where yaks are pastured in the evenings. The vegetation continued to thin out, the grass getting shorter and eventually the juniper bushes disappearing from the landscape as we made our way higher. Eventually we began the ascent to Thokla Pass, a climb up the toe of the moraine created by the forward push of the Khumbu Glacier. Although a moderate climb in length and height, the elevation makes it challenging and we spent the better part of two hours picking our way up the hillside. Partway up is the small "village" of Thokla, in reality little more than two tea-houses sheltered from the winds that blow up the valley, but the perfect breaking spot for trekkers and yak herders making their way up the climb. We sat in the sun for a few minutes resting and sipping on tea before resuming our ascent, reaching the top of Thokla Pass at well over 15,000' by midday. Built along the ridgelines of the pass are dozens of small chortens, each one paying tribute to climbers and Sherpas that have lost their lives on Mt. Everest. With views out to the surrounding mountains and prayer flags streaming from the many memorials, it is a solemn place that commemorates many famous climbers. Continuing from the top of the pass we ascended into a shallow valley that runs parallel to the Khumbu Glacier, finding our way among the boulders and rocks that border a small stream that was completely frozen over, even in the midday sun. After another hour of walking we reached our tea-house in the village of Lobuche. Tucked into a small recess in the side of the valley, Lobuche was traditionally a summer grazing grounds for herds of yaks but now is more popular with trekkers and climbing expeditions on their way to Everest. Although the landscape is quite barren around us, our tea-house is warm and comfortable in the midday sun. We have all been surprised at how warm the temperatures have been the past few days. We settled into the tea-house and spent final part of the afternoon sipping on tea and reading, focusing on breathing well, even at rest, as we adjust to these higher altitudes. Tomorrow we head to Gorak Shep, the last village before Everest Base Camp, and hope to climb to the summit of Kala Patar above it in the afternoon if the weather cooperates. The team continues to do well and sends their best to everyone at home. RMI Guide Linden Mallory

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