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July 21, 2024 - 5:45 pm PT

Glacier peak. Aptly named for the features we climb, our team set out today for the long journey up. For some of us, it will be 5 of 5 for the Washington volcanoes if we are successful! But alas, it won't come without it's challenges. Off the start, we had a hint of wildfire smoke here and there as we lugged our heavy packs down the trail. It started off cool and calm as we admired the shady grove of old growth trees and picked salmon berries to keep ourselves satiated along the way. But then, we hit the switchbacks. With sweat dripping down our faces, we trudged along in and out of the sun and coolness of the trees. Now, we are set up at camp at White Pass for the evening fending off the swarms of mosquitos with our head nets as we prepare to make dinner, some of us trying to hide in our tents.

RMI Guide Ben Luedtke

Finally! A day to rest, relax, and check out the worlds highest art gallery! Yes you read that correctly. Today, we all had a nice sleep-in before stumbling into our dining tent for a lazy breakfast. The basecamp air was cold and crisp this morning. A welcome change from the hot, dry weather down in the Horcones Valley that we trekked through the day before. After breakfast, the team was given packing lists to prepare for our gear carry to Camp 1 tomorrow. The first carry of the trip is arguably the hardest day outside of summit day due to the weight of the packs. But for now, everyone is putting the thought of back breaking loads out of their minds and focusing on acclimating to our new elevation here at basecamp. Many have already toured the art gallery and purchased a few souvenirs for those of you reading this at home in the States. We will spend the rest of the day watching the frequent mountain showers pass through camp and waiting for the next opportunity to stuff our faces with the amazing food provided by our logistics company Grajales Expeditions. Everyone is doing well and excited to move higher up the mountain! Fingers crossed we have good weather for our trip to Camp One.

RMI Guide Nick Scott

We got an early start from Puebla after a fun and relaxing rest day. The drive to Tlachichuca takes us through agricultural communities and around a massive Audi/VW manufacturing plant that appears to have just sprung up in the middle of nowhere. 

We will pack our bags for the Orizaba climb before enjoying a light lunch at Sr. Reyes' 100+ year old soap factory turned climber’s hostel. From there we load up in some 4x4 trucks that crawl their way through sprawling corn fields and dense pine forests until we get to Piedra Grande Hut where we will spend the night. Aside from the packing, the only other objective today is to go for a hike into the lower portion of Orizaba’s labyrinth section to stretch the legs and lungs a bit. This gives the Team a chance to see what the first 3+ hours of the climb will be like. Hopefully we are checking in next from the summit of Orizaba tomorrow morning. Thanks for following along. 

RMI Guide Mike King

The summit climbs, led by Jake Beren and Paul Maier, successfully summitted Mt. Rainier this morning. The teams began their decent at 7:45 AM, reporting clouds above and below them.

After a relaxing night at the hotel Casa Sol, we headed to the world famous market in downtown Otavalo this morning. Here the indigenous Otavaleños display their artisan craft goods, including ponchos, blankets, and sweaters woven from the wool of sheep and alpaca, jewelry, paintings, wood carvings, and the like. We spent the morning exploring the market, and now we're about to head out to the climbers' hut on Cayambe, where we'll spend two nights and hopefully get good weather for a shot at the summit. Cayambe sits at an elevation of 5,790 meters, with massive glaciers flowing from the summit. It is the 3rd highest peak in Ecuador, and also holds the distinction of the highest altitude on earth over which the equator passes. The weather today is beautifully warm and sunny, and we are optimistic that the good weather will continue while we are up on our climb. Hasta luego... RMI Guide Mike Walter

On The Map

The night in Phakding, with the river dependably charging past to form perfect "white noise", was conducive to deep sleep. This morning we ate a relaxed breakfast and hit the trail at 8:30 under a light overcast. Travel along the river, through more small farms and villages, was peaceful and easy. Crossing a few long suspension bridges we soon came to the entrance to Sagarmatha National Park, where Lam Babu submitted our permits. A short walk into the park took us to Jorsalle where we ate lunch at the final tea house in town. Then it was across the river again and onward to the Namche Hill where we rapidly gained altitude and shed a little sweat in the process. An hour's hard hiking brought us to the lower end of Namche Bazaar at just over 11,000 ft. We strolled the narrow "streets" -there are no cars- and made our way to Camp De Base, our home for the next three nights. The afternoon was spent shopping and exploring. We put on a bit more clothing against the cool evening air and met for a great dinner in the communal dining room. Best Regards, RMI Guide Dave Hahn

On The Map

The Four Day Climb led by RMI Guides Hannah Smith and Dominic Cifelli reached Ingraham Flats today. The team had a good climb above Camp Muir to 11,200'. On going route conditions and a windy morning made that the high point for the team today. They enjoyed the sunrise over the Cascades and descended to Camp Muir. They will be back in Paradise in the early afternoon. 

Strong work to all the climbers! 

July 14th, 2014 - 7:45 pm PT At seven this morning, a good chunk of the sky was clear. We could see way out into the tundra to the West and there were mountains visible in the South that we were seeing for the first time on this trip. Our objective, Denali's South Peak, was in the clear and there didn't appear to be any wind blowing at Denali Pass. We geared up to climb for the summit. There was a bit of cloud to watch in the Northwest though. As we broke trail toward the base of the Autobahn (the route to Denali Pass) we watched that cloud in the NW come a little closer. We climbed some of the steeper terrain of the Autobahn while still in morning shadows. It was cold and progress was slow due to our need to re-establish the snowed over route. The clouds encroached on the North Peak. Then they formed a cap on the South Peak. We were still in relatively calm conditions, so we pushed on to about 17,900 feet, in order to give the clouds a chance to change their mind and flee. This didn't happen. The clouds became a snowstorm and so we spun around and worked carefully back to high camp. Since the storm showed no signs of abating, it seemed a good time to retrieve our emergency cache of food from 16,200 feet. A few intrepid guides accomplished that mission just in time to avoid strengthening winds on the West Buttress. We're safe in our tents now at 17,200 feet, waiting for the storm to go elsewhere before we try once again to climb Denali. RMI Guide Dave Hahn

On The Map

The Kilimanjaro Family Climb reached Shira Camp at 12,300' on the Shira Plateau today. The team checks in with an update on the ascent in today's video dispatch: RMI Guides Peter Whittaker and Seth Waterfall

On The Map

The American Lung Association - Climb for Clean Air led by Win Whittaker and JJ Justman reached the summit of Mt. Rainier early this morning. The team was greeted with crisp clear skies and calm winds. Congratulations to today's teams!