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Back in Internet range today. We spent the last two days in Lobuche at a little over 16,000 ft. We had an easy day yesterday, taking a short but scenic walk along the moraine of the Khumbu Glacier and touring the Italian research pyramid a few minutes from Lobuche. Today we are moving to Everest Base Camp. It is a stunningly beautiful day as we sit at our halfway point in Gorak Shep. Best Regards, RMI Guide Dave Hahn

On The Map

Lulled to sleep by rock and icefall, what a night at Everest Base Camp. A few comments that it was the best dinner since arriving in country. Short lived this time, we are already back in Pheriche gearing up for Island Peak. Should be deep sleep tonight here in the thick air of 14,000 ft. We'll bid farewell to the Trek team in the morning. As usual a whirlwind tour for the group. Lots of firsts for all. Once again the mountains provided fantastic views with perfect weather. Times like these are what bring you back to challenge the physical and mental. In time the photos will overshadow the tough conditions you are subjected to on trips like these. Maybe Hawaii next time, but I bet down the road another adventure of this type just can't be avoided. RMI Guide Mark Tucker

On The Map

RMI Guides Casey Grom & Leif Bergstrom led their Five Day Climb teams to the summit of Mt. Rainier this morning. Leif reported great conditions, not too hot and not too windy.  The teams will return to Camp Muir to rest and relax this afternoon.  They will spend their second night on the mountain tonight, and descend the remaining 4,500' to Paradise tomorrow.

Congratulations to today's climbers!

Hello everyone! After our really long flights (nearly two days) the team arrived yesterday and had a early dinner and then off to bed to catch up on some much needed sleep. Today we had our official team meeting and discussed the adventure ahead. After our meeting we headed out into Kathmandu to explore a little before we head into the mountains. Our first stop was to the Swayambunath, aka the Monkey Temple. It's a beautiful temple that sits above most of the city with views in all directions and is incredibly important to the Buddhist population here in the city. Next we paid a visit to the Pashupatinath Temple which is where the Hindu's bring their dead for cremation, and it was very surreal to be present while this ceremony was taking place. We then made a quick stop at the Boudhanath Stupa which is the second largest Stupa in the world. After our city tour the team made our way back to our hotel and finalized our packing and finished the day off with a nice meal at the Famous Rum Doodle where they have saved autographs from all the climbers and Everest summiteers over the years: Sir Edmund Hillary, Reinhold Messner and many others. It was a pretty full day to say the least. Everyone is doing great and looking forward to getting into the mountains and stretching their legs. RMI Guide Casey Grom and crew

On The Map

Today we left camp to the sound of our herreros singing as they packed up the mules for Casa de Piedra, today was again hot, but as the temps rose, our tailwind turned into a headwind and kept us cool. The team did great today, handling day two of our approach and just before camp we were treated to a spectacular view of Aconcagua and Cerro Amenghino. We even saw two guanacos loping down valley as we pulled into camp! Nice to see our objective at last and tomorrow we all look forward to making our basecamp on the mountain. PS is it the end of the world as we know it? We feel fine. RMI Guide Jake Beren

On The Map

Our Four Day Summit Climb Teams led by JJ Justman and Billy Nugent turned today at the top of Disappointment Cleaver due to difficult conditions. The weather continues to be winter like on the upper mountain and is slowly transitioning into summer. High winds and firm conditions have thwarted attempts and guides are working hard to establish a safe route. We are expecting Mt. Rainier to release its winter hold on the upper mountain any day now.

Hi Everybody, This is Billy checking in for Dave and Seth and the rest of the crew. We are back at our high camp safe and sound after a spectacular summit day. We stood on top of Vinson Massif this afternoon and everyone is back in camp getting some rest after a nice big dinner. We will give you a call and check in after we head out to base camp tomorrow. Caio, RMI Guide Billy Nugent

Dubai, Doha, Hong Kong, Bangkok - flights landed at Kathmandu from across the world as RMI's Everest Base Camp Trek and Island Peak team arrived today. With the crossing of the International Date Line travel to Nepal from the U.S. typically takes three days. Plunging into the melee of Kathmandu's streets after days spent in planes and airport waiting areas is a shock to the senses. Holy men and sacred cows wandered amidst the idling cars next to Pashputinath Temple, a sacred Hindu Temple and the traditional cremation site of the Nepalese Royal Family that sits next to the airport. Further on we navigated between the bicycle fruit vendors selling bundles of bananas along the streets and into the narrow roads near Kathmandu's center, at last reaching the Yak and Yeti, our hotel tucked off of Durbar Marg - Kathmandu's busy commercial strip. By late afternoon everyone arrived and the remainder of the day was spent resting from the days of travel. It was an amazingly clear day in Kathmandu, with occasional views to the 17,000' snow capped peaks just outside of the city. With the sun setting on the hills that ring Kathmandu, we gathered for dinner here at the Yak and Yeti, at last sitting down as a team. Sharing a few Everest beers, we caught up on our various past climbing pursuits and hopes for our upcoming adventures in the Khumbu. We are excited to explore Kathmandu before we depart for the Khumbu. After a morning spent reviewing our trip logistics and discussing the equipment needed for our adventures, we will head out and see several of Kathmandu's most well known sites in the afternoon, visiting the former Newari Royal Palaces as well as several well known Budhhist Stupas in the city. - RMI Guide Linden Mallory

Today was an easy day at the Rivertrees Hotel on the outskirts of Arusha.

The team met after breakfast to get into the details of our Kilimanjaro climb. We discussed staffing and itineraries and what gear gets used when. We talked about getting to the mountain and getting away from it and everything in between. We talked about packing and sorting gear and then we broke up the meeting in order to pack and sort.

Gear checks were performed back in the hotel rooms and then the gang had much of the afternoon to relax and work through jet lag.

We gathered for dinner outside on the patio and then drifted off to rest for our big first day of climbing.

Best Regards,

Dave Hahn

The Expedition Skills Seminar on the Kautz Glacier has been training on the mountain all week in warm temperatures.  This morning was their summit attempt.  Due to a significant amount of icefall on the route, the team had to abort their summit bid.  The team is safely working their way back to camp and are descending from the mountain today.