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Hello everyone, The entire team has safely arrived here in Quito after our long flights from the states. Our late arrivals didn't allow for much other than checking into the hotel and getting a few hours of shut-eye. We woke to a beautiful day here in Ecuador and had a wonderful breakfast with a nice variety of eggs, sausages, fried plantains, breads, yogurts, and freshly squeezed juices. After washing everything down with plenty of coffee the group met for some introductions and an overview of what's to come over the next few days. We also discussed how to be a savvy tourist while traveling abroad to help keep us from any unwanted situations. Our plan for the day was to explore a little of this colonial city and visit the equator for which this country is named for. We started off with a visit to the equator where we saw with our own eyes how water spins counter-clockwise in the northern hemisphere and then just a few feet away spins clockwise in the southern hemisphere. Seeing, truly is believing! After the equator we headed back to town to visit the Panecillo Hill, which has a 135-foot tall statue of the Virgin Mary made up of over 7,000 pieces of aluminum and a beautiful panoramic view of this city with more than 2 million people living in it. We then headed into the old town of Quito to visit the many churches and cathedrals that have been here since the conquistadors arrived in 1535. We visited the San Francisco de Quito, church of La Campania and even had a brief stop at the Presidential Palace. It was a day rich in history and full of amazing views that was enjoyed by all. We finished the day with a wonderful meal and are now headed off to bed. RMI Guide Casey Grom and crew

Well I'm sure you all have been wondering where in the world we are. Forgive the suspense, but it has been an action packed few days. After our last sub-space frequency, we had to re-reevaluate our situation and make the difficult, but ultimately very clear decision to return to lower elevations. After many days at 17,000 feet and over a week waiting for a window at 14,000' camp we were plain out of time for a realistic summit attempt. Often these expeditions make allowances for running over budget on time and our team was prepared to hold out for a workable window to go for the top. However, the weather never did us the favor of cooperating. Such is the way of the mountains and we are wise to read their signals. Our stay at 17,000 feet was marked by deep snow, drifting thigh to waist high outside of camp and persisting for days. Accompanied by high winds that loaded start zones and released multiple full track avalanches that ran down almost to the ranger station at 14 camp, stability seemed far from our reality. Our route to Denali Pass ran several times and when the storm cleared long enough the famous autobahn is positively pregnant with deep windslabs. The weather reports we have been monitoring continue to predict unstable weather, high winds and more snow, followed by a large low pressure system bringing more bad weather to the mountain. Still we didn't want to head down, but staying longer in such weather exposes us to greater risk the longer we stay. Capitalizing on a lull in the weather, we began our descent of the West Buttress yesterday. That is my favorite part of the route and presents some of the most interesting climbing on this route. Our 19 days on this beautiful mountain prepared us well to move efficiently and though I would gladly have gone to the top with such a great team, I was glad to be able to handle the route's namesake feature in windy conditions with safe teammates. Despite the spindrift and new snow, conditions did present us with some pockets of sunshine where we were able to see this mountain in its stormy glory. We made it down to 14 camp where we regrouped and hoofed it down to 11,000 feet for a hot meal and a few hours sleep with some amazing skies on our way around Windy Corner. Three hours of downtime, then it was off again and we raced the warming Lower Kahiltna Glacier's snow bridges to the runway. On our exit we were able to see the upper mountain up the NE Fork and again from the airstrip. It was still socked in with a cloud cap and high winds and our call to escape, though bittersweet, remains sound. Having not heard the sound of planes in the air for days, it was a treat to see the Otters, Beavers and Cessnas amongst the spectacular backdrop of Mt. Hunter and Foraker. Our gear sorted, we were on the afternoon flight and are now back in Talkeetna, magically back to summer and a land where green things flourish and showers imply happiness instead of misery. In a few hours our team will meet again for another dinner, prepared by strangers and without the ambiance of a snow fort. It will be a welcome treat. Thank you friends and family for the support and love on our adventure. We went out not knowing what would happen and we returned safe, but with some unfinished business. I am content that we gave it our all and emerged friends and stronger for the time amongst the clouds and upper atmosphere. Thanks to a great team and excellent colleagues, it was an adventure I am happy to have shared with everyone, RMI Guide Jake Beren

Sometime around 560 B.C., a guy named Siddhartha Gautama - otherwise known as the Buddha - established as one of the fundamental tenets of Buddhism that to exist is to suffer. Not a very inspiring precept at first glance. But, what the Buddha was really getting at is the idea that everything in life is in a constant state of flux and change, that even joy must one day come to an end; thus, everything is transient, security is simply not a reality. Our time here in Antarctica - especially these last few days - has proven the 2500 year old thoughts of the Buddha quite right. With a bright sun and bright hopes, we packed eagerly this morning at Vinson Basecamp. Only a few wispy clouds were visible, and we were all excited to be dropped by Twin Otter in a new place to make the first tracks on an unknown peak. As we zipped our duffels, the whining of the Otter's engines rattled through camp, and the pilot, Monica, soon touched down on the snowy runway. But, she brought bad news: another weather system was moving in, and the forecast called for the storms to close in - shutting down all flights in this vicinity - by tomorrow night. Time to change plans; it would be imprudent to be dropped on a remote glacier with a major weather system bearing down. So, we decided to fly by some predetermined spots and, if things looked good, get dropped, climb through the night, and zip out before the weather stranded us. Soon, we were aloft, saying goodbye to our friends at Vinson Basecamp, and zipping around Vinson, Shinn, Epperly, and the other giants of the Sentinel Range. Then, on we went toward Union Glacier...and more change. With every passing minute, clouds on the horizon built up. Thirty-five minutes into the trip, it was obvious that this storm system was a big one, bearing down fast. If we got dropped down, there was a good chance Monica would not be able to get back in tomorrow to pick us up. And, the latest news was this storm could be 5-6 days. A biggie. Sadly, our hand was forced, and we made the prudent decision: land back at Union Glacier camp, and hope to be able to zip out in some reasonable weather in the next couple of days to do some climbing, skiing, and filming. To exist is to suffer. Life is transient. I've always thought, had he lived a bit longer, the Buddha would have agreed with the comedian Dennis Leary, who once said: "Life is tough...get a helmet." -Jake Norton

Thursday, December 5, 2024 - 8:40 am PT

It is always amazing to reflect on how long it takes for anyone to dream and prepare for any large mountain, especially for one as remote as the Vinson Massif. For some that time can be measured in decades. For today we can reflect as we decend from high camp. We started from over 12,000' elevation down the fixed lines, past Camp 1 where we pick up our sleds, all the way to Vinson Base Camp. From there we flew back to Union Glacier Camp. Once we got off the ski plane we got confirmation that after dinner we are going to board our Boeing 757 to Punta Arenas tonight. Meaning we get to go from negative thirty something to nice hotel temperatures. What a change in settings.

RMI Climber Forrest Heller

We made the big move from the Ngorongoro Highlands to the Tarangire dry lands.  But we didn’t rush it.  A leisurely 9 AM departure gave us lots of time to enjoy the comforts of the Plantation Lodge.  We made one stop for souvenirs and artwork, but then drove south and west to Tarangire.  We entered the park at midday on what turned out to be a blazing hot day.  All the usual players were visible immediately -impala, wildebeest and zebra.  It took a little more poking around to see the odd Eland and Hartebeest.  Tarangire is a series of three rivers running in parallel through arid land.  It is a vast network of rough dirt roads going back and forth from one drainage to the next.  Animals need the water and so we always have good luck in Tarangire.  Especially with elephants.  The team loved seeing giraffes but there were mixed feelings about eagle-owls.  We saw a male and female lion, but we didn’t watch them for long…they were napping and we like our lions to be a bit more fiesty.  We went deep into the park looking for leopards and finally Jacob jammed on the brakes and pointed up an acacia tree at a beautiful cat in a tree.  The leopard was skittish though and hopped down to run off in the tall grass.  We’d all gotten a look at him/her and seen the beautiful color and pattern of spots.  This elusive leopard completed our “big five” hunt… but we want more.  We’ve got an excellent chance of seeing leopards and lions early tomorrow on our final day of Safari.  We are in a “tent camp” just out of the park boundary (the animals don’t know there is a boundary) and so we’ll begin the morning deep within the habitat already.  Our last evening together was magical.  We sat by a campfire as the sun went down and the super blue moon came up. 

Best Regards,

RMI Guide Dave Hahn

Well, we've made our move on up to camp at 14k on a scorching hot day with our second trip around (not-so) Windy Corner. We rolled in around 4:15 pm where Mike Walter and his crew were kind enough to leave us a great looking camp to move into. This left us with significantly less work building walls and digging platforms, lucky us! Thanks Mike! Clouds have moved in this evening and it has started to snow a bit but we are already fed, settled in, and for the most part crashed out. It was a tough day especially with the heat but the gang persevered. 'til tomorrow, RMI Guide Billy Nugent

On The Map

The Five-Day Climb teams, led by RMI Guides Tatum Whatford and Joe Crawford, reached the summit of Mt. Rainier early this morning! After taking in a beautiful sunrise above the clouds, the climbers began their descent from the crater rim around 7:00 a.m. They'll pause for a well-earned break at Camp Muir before continuing down to Paradise, with plans to return to basecamp later this afternoon.

Congratulations to today’s climbers on a successful summit!

Alaska certainly had a theme for the team this year and it was snow. We did not awake to clear skies, but instead 4 inches of fresh snow and more coming down! Our hopes were dashed for a flight off the glacier first thing in the morning. The team spirits remained high as we spent the day talking about life and the fragility of horses all while devouring any and all bacon that was left. Eventually the skies got a little lighter, then a little blue even and before we knew it - it was a beautiful sunny afternoon in the Alaska Range. After another few hours of hurry up and wait, a big red Otter buzzed into our life to whisk us back to civilization. Out of mountain boots, into showers and one final meal at Denali Brewing and our trip is complete. It was a great trip, with far more fun and stories than fit in this blog, until next time...

RMI Guides Jack Delaney, Mike Bennett and The Team

Hello from High Camp on Aconcagua!

The team woke to some light breeze and an eagerness to move to Camp Colera. A simple breakfast of oatmeal would fuel us up the 1,600' to our new home for the the next two nights. With each step we could tell we were taking in less oxygen. It is a weird feeling exerting one self while hypoxic. After a few hours of walking uphill we rolled into a busy High Camp. We found four spots to set up our tents and get settled in. This camp has no running water so most of the afternoon is spent making water. It will be early to bed for us since we have an early morning making our way to the summit. The winds have increased but fingers crossed we can stay protected from them and stay warm enough to make the tippy top. Wish us luck as we get ready for our big day!

We got this,

RMI Guides Hannah, Ben, Dan and Team

We had an amazing night to climb the highest peak in Mexico, 18,491’. The skies were clear, near full moon and warm air in the first 2 hours out of Piedra Grande Hut. 

By the time we got done meandering through the labyrinth there was a cold breeze and the temps dropped as we neared the toe of the Jamapa Glacier that dominates Pico de Orizaba’s Northside. The Team got their crampons on and up we went for what seemed like forever. The climbing is similar to Rainier’s glaciers. There had been some new snow in the last 10 days and a rain event that was proceeded by a lot of wind and a cold front. The result was a thick ice crust on the lower glacier. The guides had begun talking about turning the climb due to the inability to arrest a fall in these conditions if they persisted in the steeper slopes. Fortunately the snow softened and the team reached the summit around 8:15 am. 

During the descent the clouds came in and we descended to the hut. With wet clouds rolling through camp and temperatures dropping we loaded up and road down the bumpy road to Senior Reyes’ climbing hostel. Beers, showers, beers, food, packing and sleeping in that order gets us to the airport tomorrow afternoon. It’s been a fantastic Mexico Volcanoes trip with a great group of climbers. 

RMI Guides Mike King & Dustin Wittmier

On The Map