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Friday, June 7, 2013 Happy 100 Year Anniversary of the first ascent of Denali to all our friends in the lowlands! We celebrated the occasion by leaving Basecamp for our first camp at the base of Ski Hill. On our way we ran into RMI Team 3 with Brent, Leah and Logan, fresh (generous term) from the summit. A big congratulations for a job well done. We travelled early this morning, making use of the cooler temps to stay on the surface of the snow instead of post holing our way into utter frustration. Our way to camp was smooth and we can only hope the melting snow doesn't disappear too fast so that we can make our way out of here in a few weeks. I'm sure it will work out just fine. We plan on calling it early tonight and carrying higher early tomorrow morning while it's still cold and then we can soak up the heat in the afternoon. The team is off to a great start, climbing strong and happy to be on the mountain. RMI Guide Jake Beren & Team

On The Map

Monday, May 22, 2023 - 10:11 pm PT

It was an incredibly pleasant day at 14,000'. It snowed lightly all night but when we woke up it was bluebird and calm. We took our time over breakfast (again) and started to wrap our heads around the schedule and logistics above here. We did an afternoon training session to prepare for the fixed lines and running belays of the West Buttress above, then retired for a warm and sunny siesta. The rest was part of the plan as we intend to head up the fixed lines and along the West Buttress tomorrow to put in a small cache and get familiar with the terrain. With that complete, the puzzle pieces that we have control over will be in place for our summit push.

RMI Guide Pete Van Deventer

We awoke this morning to beautiful weather, the sky was pink, lighting up La Malinche and the air was fresh like late summer in the high desert. Today is the beginning of our Izta climb. We hiked to our basecamp, through the pines on the dusty trail. We had clear views of Izta ahead of us and Popo smoking behind us, the mountains making us feel small in the midst of their height and beauty. We prepared for our hike to high camp tomorrow, meticulously sorting through our gear, and just as importantly, snacks. Our team is ready to move up the mountain and excited for our bigger climbs ahead.

RMI Guide Abby Westling

Hello from the "Himalayan Hotel" at Pheriche! Another incredible day in the Himalayas, dear friends... And we can certainly say now we are going to spend the first night at high altitude, having hiked above the 4,000m benchmark. After a rather cold night in Pangboche, we were greeted by another cloudless sky, whose sun made us ditch our layers just a few minutes after the start. Headed towards Pheriche Pass, we enjoyed astonishing views of Kantega, Tamserku (two of the most radical 6,000m peaks in the Khumbu,) and of course Ama Dablam. Like on the previous days, the mystique of the landscape is only disturbed by the heavy downhill traffic that we encounter from time to time. While we await our dinner and as I write this post, we're also getting ready to set up for another session of nocturnal time lapse pictures before the evasive crescent moon we have vanishes. The plan tomorrow is to rest here, to continue to acclimate taking a short hike, to visit the Himalayan Rescue Hospital next door, and, of course, stay well nourished with the momos and tea that (among other things) make us look forward to every meal. On a side note, we celebrated on the trails a rendezvous with fellow guide Lakpa Gelu and RMI office staff Bridget Schletty. Regards to everyone, RMI Guide Elías de Andres Martos

On The Map

Hello everyone! The Mexico Team is officially at the lower hut on Ixta. The morning started out in style with a terrific buffet breakfast at La Mission Hotel and Spa. I love sitting in that restaurant sipping coffee overlooking a waterfall. After we had our fill we did a last minute grocery shop and then we made our way to the mountain. It is always flattering when the team says tonight was the best dinner yet. Carne asada, fresh sautéed veggies, black beans on top of cheese on fresh corn tortillas. The team is doing great and we are prepared to head on up to high camp tomorrow. RMI Guide JJ Justman

On The Map

The Four Day Summit Climb September 21 - 24 is our last Summit climb of the 2012 season. This morning they reached the crater rim of Mt. Rainier just before 8:30 a.m. RMI Guides Seth Waterfall and Leon Davis reported clear skies above 13,000' with light winds. The teams will spend a bit of time on top before starting their descent to Camp Muir. After a short break to re-pack their gear and re-fuel, they will continue down to Paradise. We look forward to seeing the teams this afternoon at Rainier BaseCamp. Congratulation to today's teams!

This is Seth checking in from 7,800 feet on the Kahiltna Glacier. Today we awoke to clear skies in the Alaska Range. It was great to have a 'normal' day after a whirlwind start to our trip. Yesterday was supposed to be our packing day in Talkeetna but we had an opportunity to fly in the evening so we decided to go for it and now we're a day ahead of schedule. After a breakfast of bagels and smoked salmon we spent 5.5 hours on the trail. We then enjoyed some warm weather while we had dinner in camp. Now the sun is behind the mountains and everyone is tucked in their warm bags. It's been a great start to the trip. RMI Guide Seth Waterfall

Hello from the Plantation Lodge, We had a great day today at Lake Manyara National Park. Located about two hours from Arusha, it is the first stop on our safari circuit. This is a hidden gem of a park as most people only drive right by it on the way to the bigger named parks. It is the perfect introduction to how to safari, getting us oriented to many of the different animal species and habitats, as well as figuring out how to get some really good pictures. We had some excitement during our "bush" lunch when a troop of 60 baboons passed right by us, and three of the males caused quite a ruckus when they began fighting over one of the female baboons. There were lots of elephants today, giraffes, monkeys, hippos, dik diks, warthogs, wildebeests, and ostriches. The list goes on and it was a very successful day. We are now at the Plantation Lodge, a wonderful small lodge that sits on the highlands above the Great Rift Valley. It's absolutely beautiful here and they have thought of every detail in making this one of the best lodges in the area. Tomorrow we are off to Ngorongoro Crater, where we will see what most consider as the eighth wonder of the world. Best regards, RMI Guide Jeff Martin

We've been enjoying the natural hot spring pools in Papallacta, even if it is a bit rainy. Yesterday we took an acclimatization hike up to around 14,500', but only stayed out for about an hour and a half, as rain, snow, and wind drove us back to Papallacta. We've been sleeping at 11,000' in Papallacta, so we're definitely acclimating to the high altitude. Today we're off to base camp on Antisana, where we'll set up tents and establish camp for two nights prior to our summit bid. We're all looking forward to getting deeper into the mountains... RMI Guide Mike Walter

Hello from Talkeetna, Alaska The result of a day of hard work sorting and packing stuff we'll live with for the next two or three weeks. With a little luck we might be flying onto the glacier in a couple of hours or so. The weather looks promising here, but of course it could be completely different on the mountain. We're all set and doing great. But first, breakfast at the Roadhouse ... RMI Guide Brent Okita