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Yesterday was a whirlwind marathon of packing and prepping in the chaos of Kathmandu. This morning was the staccato hurry up and wait of getting up and out to the airport and hanging to see if the weather would permit flying. Flying conditions weren't perfect when we got through security at the domestic terminal in Kathmandu. We ended up waiting several hours -swilling coffee, listening to music and people watching- until the pilots felt good about taking off for Lukla. Once up and out of the smog layers of the Kathmandu Valley, we were treated to stupendous views of the Himalaya. Those with port-side window seats could pick out Mt. Everest as the flight progressed. But we were only up about 45 minutes before the pilots put the Twin Otter into a dive. They had Lukla's crazy-angled airstrip in their sites and it was clear from the steep mountain walls all around that this was our one shot at parking the plane. Heart rates shot up, cameras were clicked on and the wheels touched down perfectly. A few minutes later, we were out of the plane and sitting in a quiet Tea House in the lower Khumbu Valley. We ate a leisurely lunch and got walking up valley. It only took a bit more than three hours to reach Phakding And Joe's Garden... Our lodge for the night. By that point, things had clouded over, but our luck held and the rain didn't fall. The team ate dinner and bedded down to the soothing sounds of the nearby river churning through endless rapids. Best Regards, RMI Guide Dave Hahn

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The Kilimanjaro Family Climb climbed the Barranco Wall today, traversing beneath the southern side of Kilimanjaro to reach their camp at Karanga Valley. Climber John Dorn describes today's climb in the video dispatch:

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Saturday market at its best here in Namche Bazaar. Not so much for tourist but keeps the locals in much needed goods. Had great views of Everest and surrounding peaks till mid day when clouds rolled in. Hope for clearing in the morning for the climb up to Deboche. We will take the longer route to visit Khumjum where the Hilary school, and of course the bakery, are located. We stayed around Namche today opting to see them tomorrow. Team is doing well and are ready for a move up the hill. RMI Guide Mark Tucker

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Hola from Puebla, Mexico. I am writing this from the comforts of Hotel Colonial which sits near the center of one of Mexico's most beautiful city. It will still be a few hours or so before we go sight seeing because the team is a bit tired after our long but successful summit of North America's seventh highest mountain. At camp while in our tents waiting for the alarm to rattle us out of our fitful sleeps, the wind was doing that work already. It was one of the most amazing shut offs I have ever seen. At 11:30 the wind was blowing 20 mph and by midnight the skies were clear and the night was as calm as our bedrooms. Taking full advantage of this great gift we rallied out of camp at 3:30 and pushed strongly upward to where the steep rock section of the route meets the long, winding ridge towards the summit. The beautiful lights of Mexico City shown down to our left and the same amazing view of Puebla shown down to our right. As the sun came up, we could see Orizaba poking through the haze to the south. All around it was a glorious morning. When the entire team arrived at the summit, we were all relieved to have the uphill finished. Two and a half hours later we were at camp packing up and getting ready for the long walk back to the van where beers and snacks were waiting. We were lucky to have two porters there to help carry down tents and stoves, lightening our loads. Three hours later we were celebrating with margaritas and world-class Mexican dishes. A great day all around. RMI Guide Adam Knoff

Seth checking in from Barafu Camp, high camp on Kilimanjaro. We've had exceptional weather today and we hope it continues for the next 24 hours. We'll be getting up in the middle of the night for our summit bid!!! RMI Guide Seth Waterfall

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After our rest day yesterday, we were certainly ready to bust a move this morning. Clear and cold conditions soon gave way to snow flurries and minimal visibility. We made ready, grabbed another cup of coffee and caught enough of a lull to try to carry loads higher on the mountain. Our plan was entirely dependent on conditions encountered on each stretch and despite being the first trailbreakers since the storm, we were able to kick a proud track through several feet of new snow up to Windy Corner and make our cache. Our team opened the route up in good style and if favored by workable weather will try to push it up to 14 Camp tomorrow. Everyone is doing great and will surely enjoy a good night's sleep after a solid day in the mountains. Thanks also for the messages to the team! Keep 'em coming! RMI Guide Jake Beren

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Helloooo everybody, The team has been very busy today here at Camp 1. It's hard work napping for several hours, eating as much prosciutto and cheese as we can, and making sure to stay hydrated to boot. Games of cards, iPods, and chit chat fill in our spare time. All of this work is necessary however for our success on the upper mountain. Tomorrow will see us move to a new camp at 18,000', and we'll start the acclimatization cycle over again. The weather has been pretty sunny today with clouds here and there, but our fresh breeze that began last night has encouraged the group to remain in tents for much of the day. We are looking forward to a scrumptious dinner of tortellini, and a good night of sleep. For those that are wondering, cooler temps and the breeze today have resolved our aquatic camping problem, turning our aquarium into a rather exciting skating rink. Abrazos from Argentina, RMI Guides Pete, Gilbert, Gabi, and the Aconcagua double A hockey team

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Last week RMI's Basecamp Manager Linden Mallory and RMI's Operations Manager Jeff Martin arrived at Kathmandu's Tribhuvan International Airport in preparation for the First Ascent Expedition. This is their report: After 35 hours of flying we were amazed to see that all 16 of our First Ascent Maximus 150 Duffel Bags survived the airports of Seattle, Tokyo, and Bangkok, arriving in Kathmandu along with us. After a few false starts and more than a few spills - towering carts of duffel bags crashing to the floor - we moved our gear through the customs officials and x-ray machines and navigated our way to our vehicle before plunging into the chaos of Kathmandu's traffic. Next, we combined the 1,000 lbs of gear that we brought with us from the States with 2,000 lbs of supplies pre-shipped to Kathmandu. Preparing all of this meant unpacking, sorting, counting, resorting, recounting, and repacking the impressive amount of food, gear, and supplies. Ensuring that everything was accounted for, we separated the gear into 30 kilogram piles (66lbs) that the porters and yaks manage to carry. Three days later, with heads spinning from labels, weights, several trips to the local markets, and gear shuffled countless times, we triumphantly sealed our last duffel. During the next week, the 27 overstuffed duffels and 18 60-liter plastic barrels we packed will make their way to Everest Basecamp. They first fly to the tiny mountain airstrip in Lukla before journeying the roughly 50 kilometers up the Khumbu Valley, shouldered by porters or yaks, to their destination along the rock and ice strewn landscape of the Khumbu Glacier. The accumulation of duffels and barrels compromises a staggering amount of gear and supplies, including: 38 First Ascent Katabatic Tents 3 First Ascent Alpine Assault Tents 2 First Ascent Pantheon Dome Tents 30 -20°F sleeping bags 60 bottles of oxygen 7 portable Medical Kits 2 Gamow Bags medical oxygen 2 laptops satellite modem a satellite phone portable DVD player array solar panels 97 pounds of cheese 103 pounds of sausage, jerky, and other meats Over 2,000 Pro Bars, candy bars, and granola bars 24 pounds of Gummy Bears 22 pounds of Hot Chocolate 40 pounds of Starbucks Ground Coffee 45 pounds of salsa With the supplies moving their way towards Basecamp we turned to finalizing permits for the climb. Upon picking up the Expedition Leader Peter Whittaker at the airport, we went straight to the Ministry of Tourism to secure our Everest Climbing Permit. Sitting around the well-polished wood of their conference table, sharing the seats of the many mountaineering legends who have passed through before, we discussed our planned camps, our gear supplies and our itinerary with a representative of the Ministry and our Liason Officer. Then, after Peter signed a flurry of paperwork, we walked triumphantly out of the Ministry with our Permit in hand. Now that the team is assembled in Kathmandu the final details of are settling into place and the climb is taking shape. The next task is to follow our supplies up the Khumbu to Basecamp, take stock, and focus our energies on the mountain.

The Four Day Climb August 17 - 20 led by RMI Guides Dustin Wittmier and Mike Bennett reached the summit of Mt. Rainier this morning.  The teams delayed their departure from Camp Muir a bit due to the colder tempertures, with a 2 am departure, they reached the summit around 8 am.  They enjoyed some time on the summit before turning around and retracing their steps.  Once back at Camp Muir the team will repack and continue their descent to Paradise.

Nice work team!

Tuesday, June 4, 2013 We were excited this morning as we awoke to a windless day which followed an equally windless night, a far cry from our first night here. With the sun just lightly obscured by some high clouds things looked reasonable for a summit bid. It was even relatively warm at camp, though our team mate from the South might well disagree with that assessment. We knew today was by no means a sure thing, and went into it with our eyes wide open. And, as you might have guessed by now, we did not tag the summit today. But we did get to Denali Pass, 18,400', which was a huge accomplishment! Unfortunately, the weather up over the summit was not particularly inviting, and we had a light but annoyingly cold wind at the Pass where we are obliged to take a break after over two hours of climbing. So, we spun it. But we all got so much out of it. The route had quite a bit of snow on it so it was good to kick in the trail. Also, just doing that first part of the route will help everyone the next time we go up it. And, that could well be tomorrow. Some people suggest that tomorrow might be the nicest day of the period. We're definitely ready for a return to beautiful blue skies, even though the weather forecast reads: more of the same, that is low pressure bringing with it snow and clouds. The team is ready to go back up tomorrow. And so am I! RMI Guides Brent, Logan and Leah

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