Most Popular Entries

The RMI Kilimanjaro Team is now the African Safari Team! We have just spent the afternoon viewing wildlife in Lake Manyara National Park. After our celebration dinner last night everyone was happy to sleep in an actual bed for the first time in a week. After breakfast this morning we left the Dik Dik hotel and drove a few hours to Lake Manyara. Once we were there we rolled the tops back on our Land Cruisers for optimal animal spotting. The safaris here never disappoint and today was no exception. Elephants, giraffes, water buffalo and more monkeys and baboons than we could possibly photograph were just some of the animals we saw. Now we are on the way to the Plantation Lodge where we will spend the night. Tomorrow we are off to Ngorongoro Crater! -Seth and the Safari Crew

Everyone arrived safe and sound in Mexico City today and checked in to our lovely hotel right in the heart of the second largest city on the planet. Amazing to think that in a few short days we will be high in the alpine, far above the hustle and bustle of this metropolis. This evening our team assembled for the first time and started the process of getting to know our teammates for the week and familiarizing ourselves with the game plan. After our first meeting we took to the streets as a light rain fell and had a great meal at an ornately decorated restaurant just a few blocks away. Well fed, our exit was delayed by an above-average Mariachi band for a few numbers giving us time to adjust and relax into local time. Back at the hotel for a few winks, we will leave the city tomorrow and explore some ancient pyramids on our way to the mountains. Buenas noches from Mexico City, RMI Guides Jake Beren, Eric Frank and Team

RMI Guide Dominic Cifelli led the Paradise Seminar team through training and to the top of Mt. Rainier this week!  Various mountaineering skills were taught in order to arm these mountaineers with bigger mountains goals as well as feeling more comfortable in their climbing abilities.

The team is currently on their descent from the Mt. Rainier summit and will finish their program with a celebration back in Ashford.

The Four Day Summit Climb Teams, August 25 - 28, were unable to reach the summit of Mt. Rainier this morning due to high winds and precipitation. RMI Guide Eric Frank reported that the teams left Camp Muir before 2 am on their summit attempt but were forced to turn around at 10,400' because of heavy rain and wind. Visibility at Camp Muir was very low and wind continued with gusts estimated at 40 mph. The teams are expected to start their descent from Camp Muir around 8:30 am PT. We look forward to seeing the groups at Rainier BaseCamp later this morning. Updated 4:11pm PST The Four Day Summit Climbs led by JJ Justman and Billy Nugent have reached Camp Muir. The guides are making some hot coffee for the crew while they settle in and prepare for their summit attempt tonight. Check out the video JJ sent on their ascent to Camp Muir today!

Our climbing team came together in the last couple of days.  We got seven folks and their baggage through a bunch of airports and airlines all the way to Kilimanjaro International Airport.  And as of yesterday, we had the team, plus one guide, all assembled at The Rivertrees Inn in Usa River, Tanzania.  Today we got into the business of final preparations for the mountain.  We talked through the program and our priorities on the climb.  We went over schedules and logistics and expected difficulties.  And then we did gear checks (which everybody passed with flying colors). And finally, after folks had gotten packed up, we did the all important weigh-in to be certain nobody would be overloaded on the mountain.  The work done, we relaxed around a campfire and ate a fine dinner in the Rivertrees garden.  Tomorrow we climb!

Best Regards

RMI Guide Dave Hahn

RMI Guide Pete Van Deventer checked in from the summit of Denali at 5:50 pm PT on Monday, May 29th.  The team returned to their high camp at 17,000' around 1 am PT.

Congratulations to the May 9th Denali Expedition!

Following a leisurely breakfast in the courtyard at Guachala, we made our way south towards Cotopaxi.  We are staying in the Tambopaxi Lodge who's playground served as an excellent location for learning crevasse rescue techniques against the backdrop of multiple volcanoes: Sincholagua, Ruminahui and most importantly, Cotopaxi.  It was an excellent day to give the body some rest while also learning some mountain skills.  Seeing the mountain got us all psyched for the next couple of days, especially because you can clearly see the hut and the route from Tambopaxi.  One member of the team even snapped a great night photo of Cotopaxi, that's not a stock photo!

RMI Guide Dustin Wittmier & Team

Team switch day at Union Glacier. The Ilyushin 76 flew today, landing at about 2:45 PM. "V1" ended and "V2" began. There were a couple of hours of overlap in Union Base so that the two teams could mingle and compare notes on Punta Arenas and Vinson Massif. The V1 gang told stories of the cold summit, the good food and the two pure white snow petrels we saw at Vinson Base yesterday while waiting for the airplane (it is uncommon to see seabirds so far from the sea). The V2 folk talked about false starts yesterday and touring town with Jeff Martin. Eventually it was time for JJ to take V1 out to the big jet airplane and head back across the Drake Passage to South America. It is likely that the team is celebrating in Punta at this very moment (11:43 PM). Back on the Ice, the V2ers waited patiently for flying weather to materialize at Vinson Base. Word was that it was socked in with fog. We talked, played chess, ate meals and drank coffee, but none of that made the clouds go away. By about 10 PM we built our tents and called it a night... In the bright sunshine. Tomorrow perhaps. Getting to the middle of Antarctica was plenty for today. Best Regards, RMI Guide Dave Hahn

On The Map

Hello from Namche. This is the Everest Base Camp Trek and we are calling after the second day on the trip. Everything is well. We will try to send more detailed updates tomorrow, even with some pictures as we were having some internet connection problems today. All is well and we will try to update you more tomorrow. RMI Guide Elías de Andrés-Martos

On The Map

Jambo! Our team has arrived in Tanzania. We had our first team meeting this morning after breakfast at the beautiful Dik Dik Hotel. After that we spread out gear and checked that everyone brought the necessary items. The team took the equipment list to heart and everyone is thoroughly prepared for our adventure. the temperature is in the 70s with clear skies. We are enjoying a relaxing afternoon and recovering from our long flights and the new time zone. Some folks spent some time lounging by the pool. We had a nice team dinner and everyone has headed to their cabanas to do some final trip prep. In the morning we will load the vans and drive to the trail head of Kilimanjaro. After so many months of preparing for our Kilimanjaro, the time is finally here. Tomorrow we start the climb! RMI Guide Mark Tucker