Most Popular Entries

Hello everyone! It's Team One on Aconcagua. Well, it's a bitter sweet. For the good news, the entire team is safe an sound in base camp. For the not so good news Aconcagua is angry. I don't think we did anything to offend her but it is clear she is not in a good mood. For two days our team survived restless hours in the wind at 18,000 feet. Yesterday, the winds calmed to 35 mph allowing us to climb to 20,118 feet. When we returned the forecast that was given to us came true. The wind picked up again and it was time to batten the hatches. Our plan was to do our last acclimatization day yesterday, which we did. Then to rest today, then move to high camp, then summit. The winds on the summit currently are close to 100 mph and they are predicted to be stronger through the 23rd. Well past our window of opportunity. Our team made the decision to head toward safer and calmer territory. We are all in basecamp after a tough day carrying heavy packs downhill. It may seem disappointing but when the mountain says No, you have to accept the fact there is nothing you can do about it. The team is in great spirits and we are thankful we are down out of the hazardous wind and bitter cold. RMI Guide JJ Justman

On The Map

We are on the trail to Shira Plateau, our second camp on Kilimanjaro. Last night was calm and clear with a full moon and today we've been above the clouds all morning. The trail is busy with climbers from all over the world but our team was ready to go early this morning so we're ahead of the pack. We got our first view of the upper mountain today and we're all suitably impressed. RMI Guide Seth Waterfall

On The Map

Jambo from the Dik Dik Hotel, From our last camp on Kilimanjaro we could see the upper mountain in the moon light. It always seems crazy that we were way up there just hours earlier. Probably only about five miles as a crow files but it seemed like a million after our long day. We had a great dinner at Mweka Camp and everyone quickly retired into their sleeping bags. Sleep came easy back in the thick air of 10,000'. This morning we trekked the final three and a half hours to the Mweka Gate and enjoyed a nice closing ceremony with our mountain staff. It takes many local guides, cooks, porters and mountain staff to complete such an amazing adventure and we are grateful for their help and support. We completed our paperwork with Kilimanjaro National Park and had a quick lunch in the courtyard before loading our vehicle for the drive back to the Dik Dik Hotel. After nice hot showers we enjoyed a wonderful celebration dinner at the Dik Dik's restaurant. Tomorrow three of our team members will start their travels back to the U.S. For the rest of us, our adventure continues to Lake Manyara, Ngorongoro Crater and Tarangire National Parks for a game viewing safari. We can't wait! The Dik Dik Staff is already getting our Land Cruiser ready for our morning departure. Great trip so far and still more to come! RMI Guide Mark Tucker

The Five Day Climb June 20 - 24 led by RMI Guides Ben Luedtke and Jess Wedel reached the summit of Mt. Rainier at 6:45 am.  The team enjoyed clear, sunny skies but a good bit of wind. There were able to spend an hour on the summit and started their descent from the crater rim around 8 am.  Once back at Camp Muir the teams will take a short break, pack up their gear and descend the remaining 4.5 miles Paradise.

Congratulations to today's climbers!

Wednesday, August 9, 2023 - 9:16 am PT

The drive to the rim of the Ngorongoro Crater brings you to well over 6,000', and on this day clouds obscured the views until we had descended most of the way to the crater floor. But this didn't get in the way of seeing the animals we had come to see. 

This area is truly one of the greatest wildlife habitats of the world. And we weren't disappointed today. There wasn't much we didn't see, and we got up close and personal with many animals. Well, from the safety of our Landcruiser. 

Lions, of course, were the highlight of the day and we were lucky enough to get multiple sightings. The list of animals we saw covers most of what you'd see in a National Geographic special, but the sheer numbers of animals continues to impress. Thousands, and this is not even prime season, according to our wonderful safari guide/drivers Chacha and Jacob.

We ended the day visiting a Maasai village where we were entertained with some dancing, a fire starting demo, view of their traditional living space - the boma - and their school. Yes, it was all a little staged, but it was also nice to know that we were helping support the village financially.

We're now enjoying the comforts of this wonderful lodge after a long day. Doesn't get any better! 

Tomorrow, Tarangire National Park. Can't wait! 

RMI Guide Brent Okita Lion PC: Mike Tully

Wednesday, June 30, 2021 - 10:06 pm PT

At long last, we made it from the lower mountain to the upper mountain.  The weather was perfect all day long, although forecasts hadn’t given any indication that it might be.  It was a bit of work to get packed up and moving out of 11,000 ft this morning… we tend to put down roots, but by 9AM we were stretching the ropes out and walking toward Motorcycle Hill.  The snow surface was firm and perfect for crampons.  We moved on up over familiar terrain, but this time with unlimited views of tundra and rivers to the north.  Views were spectacular as we turned Windy Corner, but of course we couldn’t gaze at them too long -lots of climbing stuff to concentrate on at the Corner.  There was little or no wind to be had as we made our way into Genet Basin and the fabled Fourteen Camp at 2:30 in the afternoon.  Our expedition experience changed markedly as we hauled through camp.  As one of the last guided teams of the season, we’ve been mostly on our own or around one or two other teams at most.  It was nearly overwhelming to be seeing so many teams coming and going from 14 Camp. Socially it was exciting -for both guides and climbers- to be seeing friends and co-workers from various companies -many for the first time since before the pandemic.  A handful of teams were coming down into camp after summit bids yesterday. Briefly, all three RMI teams on the mountain were in the same place at the same time.  The National Park Service B3 helicopter was in action conducting rescues high and low.  As we dug in to establish our camp we felt like we’d come into the center of everything.  For a short time at least.  Many of those we saw will shortly go lower or higher.  We still need to drop down tomorrow morning for our cached supplies parked just above the Corner.  But tonight we are sleeping at fourteen-thousand-hard-earned feet. 

Best Regards.

RMI Guide Dave Hahn

Namaste Everyone The team woke to beautifully clear skies again and views of Everest right out our dining room window. We’ve settled into our daily routine of getting up and packing our duffel bags before meeting in the dining room for breakfast and plenty of Starbucks coffee thanks to RMI sending it with us. After breakfast we step outside to get a better sense of the temperature before adjusting our layers for the hike. Once on the trail we do our best to maintain a steady pace, with stops every hour or so to stay hydrated and take in the views. There’s plenty of other hikers and yak trains headed in both directions to negotiate as well. Today we hiked for a little over 5 hours including breaks and a light lunch to get to our next tea house in Pheriche, which sits at about 14,000'. Everyone did great and enjoyed the stunning views of Ama Dablam, one of the most iconic peaks along the route to Base Camp. RMI Guide Casey Grom & the crew

On The Map

Hello everybody back home. This is Casey Grom checking in from the Ecuador's Expedition. I just wanted to check in to let everyone know that all's going well. We had a nice leisurely day today at Chilcabamba. Got up this morning, got things packed up and had about just over an hour drive up to the parking lot to the Cotopaxi Hut. We got out of the car little bit of cloud and took us about 40 minutes to hike up a nice easy trail to get up here to the hut. It sits at about, oh just shy of 16,000'...(transmission lost) RMI Guide Casey Grom

On The Map

Namaste! The team got a great night sleep and was up early for time in the gardens and the workout room. No joke, Kim felt the need for some exercise after 35 plus hours on planes over the last few days. After a nice leisurely breakfast we discussed logistics and did a gear check to ensure we would be ready for an early morning departure. It's exciting to think that after all of our training, planning and traveling, we're finally ready to hit the trail. With details all sorted out we headed out to visit some of the World Heritage sites that Kathmandu is home to. The adventure began as soon as we left the hotel. To describe the traffic in Kathmandu as thinly veiled bedlam would be charitable. It's amazing how many cars, truck, motorcycles, bicycles and pedestrians - all vying for the same small piece of road - can manage to avoid catastrophe. But they do. It's makes for an interesting ride as a passenger to say the least. Our first stop was Swayambhunath; also know as the "Monkey Temple" because of the mobs of monkeys that call it home. It occupies the highest ground in Kathmandu and the views of the valley from the top are fantastic - but they aren't free either. For the views and to walk around the stupa we first had to walk up 365 steps to the top. At last, all our training paid off and we made it up with no problem. Though Mark did make sure and remind us to use it as an opportunity to practice the rest step! Next we headed to Pashupatinath. It was quite a contrast to our first stop. Not only is it Nepal's most important Hindu temple, but the banks of the river are lined with open-air cremation ghats. While there were a number of cremations in site the team was sensitive to the occasion and moved through the area quickly and quietly. We wandered through the rest of the complex getting to see a large number of shrines and temples. We headed back into the the city and had lunch in a delightful rooftop restaurant overlooking the Stupa at Bodhnath. The view was awesome and it was nice to be able to relax as a team away from the crowds. Though after lunch we did dive into them and wander around the streets for a while before heading back to the hotel for any last minute preparations and a good night's sleep before our early morning wake up. A special shout out to Katie from Dad and Kim! A good day indeed. John G.

On The Map

Our team had a great summit day on Kilimanjaro. As we left Baranco Camp, our high camp, at 15,000' on our summit attempt there was a thin layer of clouds that insulated us and provided a nice temperature for our midnight climb. The beautiful and bright moon lit our way and our headlamps remained in our pack. As we reached Stella Point, 18,680', the wind picked up and we added more layers of clothing as we continued our ascent. As we reached the true summit of Kilimanjaro, Uhuru Peak, the winds subsided and we enjoyed spectacular views in all directions. We have now reached Mweka Camp at 10,000' and our last camp on the mountain. It has been a long day and everyone is tired from their efforts ascending and descending this mountain. I would like to thank the team for a great job on the climb and for the mountain for allowing us to stand on the summit today. RMI Guide Mark Tucker