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Posted by: Steve Gately, Hannah Smith, Avery Parrinello, George Hedreen, Lily Emerson
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mount Rainier
Elevation: 11,200'
RMI Guides Hannah Smith and Steve Gately and the Expedition Skills Seminar - Muir Team spent a fun week on Mt. Rainier learning new mountaineering skills such as snow & ice anchors, crevasse rescue, ice climbing, fixed line travel, belaying and other technical skills needed to tackle the world's greatest peaks. The team spend their time training on the Cowlitz and Ingraham glaciers that surround Camp Muir and made it to Ingraham Flats at 11,200' to enjoy the incredible views of other peaks in the Cascade Range.
Congratulations Team!
After another long deep sleep, its coffee that gets most of the team out of bed. One by one, we all wandered to the breakfast table. We are greeted with espresso, fruit, and toast. There is a mystery fruit on the table. Inside is a snot like texture with a sweet taste. The morning entertainment is watching everyone figure out how to eat it. Consesus is the texture might be a bit much. After breakfast its another round of duffle shuffle into the van. The driver has a real skill for stacking our jenga tower of bags. After a quick lesson on pickets and anchors, we load the van to head to the base of Chimborazo. Chimborazo is our final mountain. Fingers crossed we bat 3 for 3. A half way stop for burgers and fries fills our stomachs for the rest of the drive. As we get closer and closer to our destination we are graced with a tiny view of the bottom of Chimborazo and many vicunas. We are again in an adorable place for the night. We all rest up for the final climb. Tomorrow will bring us to High Camp and then hopfully the summit. For now we enjoy dinner and bid you goodnight.
dear sweet girl…to me, making this “summit” of a decision is what goes on in life…the truth of how you feel will set you free…i think all those that surround you and support you have done so knowing this experience, summit or no summit is an amazing process to have…it teaches you to know yourself…and that, my dear is a beautiful, natural, amazing thing. You have filled the world with strength and beauty, honesty and love…and that is sa-weeet!
Posted by: nancy on 5/18/2011 at 9:41 am
I so sorry to hear Sara had to make the tough decision to come home slightly early. I was climbing this year aged 19 and came home after I became seriously ill, so I’ve been closely following Sara’s progress and really routing for her! I know it’ll prove to be the right choice, and inevitably you’ve both achieved your main aim- to get back home safe. It takes a stonger person to accept that going for the summit isn’t the right option than it takes to reach the summit! You were clearly a strong climber with a level head and should be so proud of what you achieved. All the best, Beckyx
Posted by: Becky Bellworthy on 5/18/2011 at 8:17 am
Hola de Mexico!
The RMI Mexico Volcanoes team has arrived in Mexico City. After negotiating the busy maze of streets from the airport we have arrived in the lively Zona Rosa district. Last night we enjoyed some authentic Mexican food and prepare for our first acclimatization hike at La Malinche today. Stay tuned for more dispatches as we continue our trip around Mexico!
--RMI Guide Grayson Swingle
Posted by: Walter Hailes, Jack Delaney
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Aconcagua
Elevation: 22,841'
Tuesday, January 25, 2022 - 9:15 am PT
This is the Hailes Aconcagua team. We have made it to the summit! The whole team is happy and healthy. It's been a long day but we are happy to be here. We'll turn around and head down here in about 20 minutes after we take some pictures. We will check back in after we are back to camp. Wish us luck. We will talk to you soon.
RMI Guide Walter Hailes calls from the summit!
Woohoo!!!! So excited for you all. Congratulations!!!
Posted by: Tracie on 1/26/2022 at 3:03 pm
Way to go Boys! Another summit! Get home safe!!
Posted by: Craig Straub on 1/26/2022 at 9:36 am
Posted by: Hannah Smith, Seth Burns, Nathan Delmar
Categories: Expedition Dispatches North Cascades
Elevation: 10,781'
Hey there!
Our Mt. Baker - Easton Glacier team is on the summit. It has been a chilly day but all is good. Clouds are rolling in and it was quite smokey. We are heading down now and will return to Camp for a final night on the mountain. Tomorrow morning after packing up camp, we will head down to the trail head.
Sunday, September 4, 2022 - 12:45 am PT
Team is all safely back at high camp, a little tired but full of smiles.
Everyone did an amazing job climbing and stayed positive even though it was a tough climb. It was a cold night and busier than we would have liked, but the team persevered and we were able to get 9 out of 10 climbers to the summit!
We spent about about 30 minutes on the summit celebrating, taking photos and even made a few phone calls to loved ones back home.
We are headed down the mountain to our final camp in the thick warm air at 10,000 ft, where we’ll have dinner then head off to bed for some well deserved sleep.
Also to note…Buckeye’s won! O..H
RMI Guide Casey Grom and a happy Kilimanjaro summit crew!
Amazing photos! Congrats to all!
Posted by: Brigid Miller on 9/4/2022 at 5:06 pm
Woohoo congratulations team! Well done! To hear the elation and excitement in Karl’s and Derek’s voices from the summit sent shivers down my spine and tears to my eyes as I was so filled with happiness and thanksgiving to God. Cheers to all!!!
Posted by: Kim on 9/4/2022 at 11:55 am
Posted by: Grayson Swingle, Charlie Harrison, Mira Schoeberlein, Dustin Wittmier, Tatum Whatford, Nick Sinapius
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mount Rainier
Elevation: 11,400'
The Five Day Climb May 26 - 30 led by RMI Guides Grayson Swingle and Dustin Wittmier were turned around by avalanche danger this morning near 11,400'. The team safely returned to Camp Muir they reported blue skies above and a cloud deck below around 7,000'. The teams left from Camp Muir just after 9 am on their descent to Paradise. We look forward to seeing them at Rainier BaseCamp later today.
Posted by: Casey Grom
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Kilimanjaro
Hello again everyone,
Today we visited the famous Ngorongoro Crater, one of the 7 natural wonders of the world. The crater is roughly 100 square miles and is home to more than 25,000 animals that reside here year round, as its one of the few places that has natural springs. We started early with hopes of catching a few big cats before the heat of the day sent them in search of shade.
We saw many hyenas, jackles, ostrich, plus countless other huge birds, and even managed to get close to a large pride of lions with very full bellies. There was a Black Rhino spotted not to far off of the road also which was a highlight.
We wrapped up the day with a visit to a Maasai village not far from the crater's rim. The Maasai people are a semi-nomadic tribe that exist almost entirely off of their cattle. The team spent time asking questions and enjoyed being shown around their small and simple village.
We have just finished another wonderful meal here at the plantation lodge and the team is off to bed after a long, but very rewarding day on safari.
RMI Guide Casey Grom and the safari crew
Posted by:
Categories: Mountaineering Fitness & Training
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This allows me to see:
1. What I'm capable of today (see my post "Setting A Baseline" if you need help with this).
2. What I need to accomplish on my target date.Â
3. Where I should be during the process.Â
My experience is that progress is rarely a straight line on a graph and you may be ahead or behind at any given point; but you can see generally what you've achieved and identify what work remains to be done throughout the training period.Â
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So, what if you're running short on time to prepare? This happens often. If the goal is ambitious, we may need to intensify our focus and really adopt the mindset of an athlete.Â
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Some training recommendations if you are short on time to prepare:
• Try to establish a sensible progression and use the entire time you have rather than "front load" your training (which could create setbacks or injury).Â
• If you do have an aggressive training plan, be sure to focus on rest and recovery as well as quality nutrition.Â
• Make your training as specific as possible: Mountain climbing and hiking are perfect. Cross country skiing, running, Stairmaster, and cycling are all also good. Focus in on these activities to benefit the most from your training.Â
• Embrace the adventure and focus on the process more than just the result; it's easy to expend a lot of energy thinking only of the summit. By focusing on enjoying my training and doing the best I can each day, I find I enhance my training experience and my overall experience on the climb.
Take some time this week to sit down, pull out a pencil and paper, and graph out the training progression you need for your climb. It will give you a clear picture of not only where you need to be for your climb, but also where you need to be in three months, in one month, and even next week. Keep this graph in a convenient place and pull it out every once in a while to check in on yourself. It can be helpful to establish specific, repeatable benchmarks to revisit during your training to measure your progress. Check out RMI Guide Pete Van Deventer's ideas on using benchmarks.
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- John Colver
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John Colver is a longtime climber, former mountain guide, and certified personal trainer with the American Council of Exercise. Colver introduced outdoor fitness classes to athletic clubs throughout the greater Puget Sound region before creating his adventXÂ brand. Currently, adventX leads training programs in Seattle and Colver presents clinics on outdoor fitness at companies such as Microsoft, Boeing, the American Lung Association, and REI. Colver lives in Seattle.
Questions? Comments? Share your thoughts here on the RMI Blog!
“Snot like texture with a sweet taste” LMAO Love this blog!!! All the Best!!! Climb Strong & Best wishes for more Perfect weather!
Farmer Dave
Posted by: Dave Kestel on 2/19/2022 at 8:27 am
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