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Hola from Quito! We started the day with another wonderful breakfast here at the hotel full of fruits, eggs, fresh baked breads and plenty of coffee. We then took a short cab ride to the Teleferico and rode the gondola up to around 13,500'. From here we hiked for about 3 hours to the top of Rucu Pichincha (15,696'). It was mostly cloudy on our acclimatization hike until we nearly reached the summit. The clouds broke up a bit and allowed us a few views of the surrounding valley. The team did great on the hike and a few team members reached new altitude records. We spent the rest of the day doing a little shopping, sightseeing and a few of us took siestas. All is well here in Ecuador and we are looking forward to tomorrow's adventure. RMI Guide Casey Grom and crew

On The Map

What a difference a day makes. Things didn't seem a whole lot better, first thing this morning. Talkeetna was still a little dim and grey with low cloud lurking as we headed out to the airstrip. It took a few hours of waiting for things to come around. Our pilots figured out a clear path in to the Kahiltna, despite a fair amount of lingering clouds hiding the mountains. What we were able to see was stunning and spectacular, as if to make up for all that was hidden. Unbelievably steep and immense mountains began to pop up all around us as we entered the heart of the range. Glaciers, snow and random ice seemed to hang on every possible flank. The K2 pilots did their normal perfect approach and landing with the big ski equipped DeHaviland Otters. We'd taken off from town at 11:30 AM and we were unloading gear on the Southeast Fork of the Kahiltna 35 minutes later. At basecamp it was intensely sunny and warm with no wind whatsoever. The cloud cover evaporated and we were treated to grand views of Mount Hunter, Mount Foraker and even Denali on occasion. We built camp and began reviewing glacier travel techniques. There was plenty to get done and we worked throughout the afternoon and evening at divy-ing loads and getting rigged for an early morning move to camp at 7,800 ft. What we could see from the planes backed up what we've been hearing from other climbers... conditions on the lower glacier are excellent. Best Regards, RMI Guide Dave Hahn

On The Map

RMI Guides Casey Grom & Leif Bergstrom led their Five Day Climb teams to the summit of Mt. Rainier this morning. Leif reported great conditions, not too hot and not too windy.  The teams will return to Camp Muir to rest and relax this afternoon.  They will spend their second night on the mountain tonight, and descend the remaining 4,500' to Paradise tomorrow.

Congratulations to today's climbers!

Tuesday, May 2, 2023

Hello friends, family and avid fans of the RMI blog,

It's the Ruth Glacier Seminar and we've just landed in Alaska. After surviving the most dangerous part of the trip, the drive to Talkeetna, the team has gotten settled into town. The team bonding began immediately over a delicious meal at Denali Brewing Company. We finished up the evening with a lovely stroll to the river and early bedtime after a long travel day. 

Goodnight from the land of the midnight sun,

RMI Guides Jack Delaney, Mike Bennett and the team

When I first climbed a mountain years ago.  I did it to help a friend with a late life mid life crisis.  After that I continued to climb but never had an answer to the question “why”?  Today I found my answer. Today we trekked from Camp 1 to Camp 2.  A gain of around 2,000' in elevation.  On the walk it came to me that we have formed a mountain family. We have Dom the Dominating.  The father figure and leader of the group. Toothpick, the moral foundation.Gator. Charles Darwin. Origin of species. THE living fossil. David, the doc. Jack, the nephew that always says one more rep at the gym. Rossi, the long lost cousin from Europe.  Mary Beth, the aunt that always knows if your telling the truth or not.Hudson, hair = Epic!, Tim, the crazy uncle willing to medically treat your cats for everything. Cam, the strong but silent type. Today as we moved up the mountain.  We did it as a group with everyone matching speed and ability perfectly.  No one was left behind and all were in good spirits and willing to help anyone with anything. There were words of encouragement, and a sense of belonging - the likes you do not see very often. It is in this spirit that I can say everyone here is a Lion King compared to what you will see in an average day of work. Except Gator, he is more of a Gator King.

Signing out from Camp 1 with everyone in good spirits and health.

P.S. Jane I’m fine.

Climber Shane Chidester

The Five Day Summit Climb led by RMI Guide Adam Knoff reached the summit of Mt. Rainier yesterday afternoon in cold and windy conditions. The team descended back to Camp Muir for the night. The Four Day Summit Climb led by RMI Guide Brent Okita reached the summit this morning and reports blue skies on top with a cap beginning to form. Both teams will be back in Ashford later today.

As planned, the climbing team was up at midnight and on the trail shortly after 1 AM. There were stars and a big bright moon, but plenty of clouds as well. It was tough to know just what we could expect in the weather department. Yesterday afternoon and evening had produced a couple of inches of new snow on the ground, starting just uphill from our camp. We set out walking in it. The best thing was that there was no wind. We made pretty good time, stopping roughly every hour to rest. Predictably, it was tough going. It was dark, unrelentingly steep, and progressively colder as we ascended. We were breaking altitude records for a number of the team. But we had extremely good and capable help from our guide team. Freddy Kileo's crew of Vendelin, Francis, Eliapenda and Kundasai, along with Oswald, really came through. Everyone felt challenged by the climb, but the team rallied in the face of all the difficulty and discomfort. We pulled up onto Stella Point on the crater rim just at sunrise, which was stunning. But at Stella, we also got hit with some pretty mean wind gusts. We pushed on toward Uhuru Peak, the highest point in Africa, and conditions improved. We weren't alone up there on this beautiful day, but we weren't paying too much attention to other teams. There was excitement and pride in the fact that our entire team had made it to the top. We shot some happy pics and shook hands and hugged. Chris and Jeffrey Hendricks celebrated their one year anniversary on the summit. We didn't spend too long at 19,340 ft above sea level. It was cold and we wanted to get down to more abundant oxygen. Leaving the top at 7:30, we were back down to Barafu Camp by 10:30. We brunched, packed our bags and got on the trail again. In the course of the afternoon we dropped another 5,000 vertical feet to 10,000 at the Mweka Camp. We are back in the giant heather zone and looking forward to finishing the descent tomorrow. Best Regards RMI Guides Dave Hahn

On The Map

Good fortune continues here in the Everest Region for our team. Clear morning with great views of Mt. Everest out our dining room window here in Deboche. Tomorrow's climb will take us out of the forest. I have mixed emotions on the thought of leaving trees for a while. The forest of birches, rhododendrons and conifers are nice to see at over 12,000 ft. Many times my program would mean it would be a couple months before I get back to trees, but the plan for me is a round trip from Lukla to Island Peak then back to Lukla before I head back up and settle in to the 2012 RMI Everest Expedition. That makes for trees again in my near future. I always look forward to spending time in high mountains (must be why I do this for a living) but I do have a soft spot for trees. We took a few short hikes to get the blood moving, but took it easy in anticipation of the altitude change of tomorrow. A well rested body seems to have an easier go at the physical adjustment process we must endure as we go higher. This kind of approach has worked well in the past, so if its not broken why fix it. You can really set the tone for what is to come above by what you do below. We must take exposing ourselves to these altitudes seriously and give it the respect it deserves. That could be why the whole team is in great shape! The clouds have moved in with a bit of a mist while we get ready for dinner. I just put in my request of grilled chicken with vegetable fried noodles, same thing as last night, once again " if it's not broken". Going to move over toward the hot stove and listen to some One Direction. Our direction............up. RMI Guide Mark Tucker P.S. A special shout-out to Ms. Jerome's 4th/5th grade class.

On The Map

Two Days After the Conquest of Mount Doom:

The morning after a thrilling evening at base camp, where Yev and Jim engaged in an epic battle of Farkle (which ended conclusively in a tie), we embarked on a new challenge. Our weary legs carried us on a 17-mile trek through the beautiful Relinchos Valley and Vacas Valley, winding our way to our next camp at Pampa de Las Leñas.

As we traversed through the two valleys, we crossed rivers by foot and marveled at the majestic peak of Aconcagua as it was slowly obscured from view. Then, quite unexpectedly, we stumbled upon the fabled Fountain of Youth! This natural spring bubbled with crystal-clear water, inviting us to partake in its rejuvenating properties. We solved a mystery that has plagued explorers and adventurers for thousands of years. The fountain of youth is precisely located at coordinates 32.6439307 South, 69.8435342 West.

As we settle into our camp at Pampa de Las Leñas, we can't help but feel grateful for this incredible journey. Yev has conquered his precious summit, we discovered the Fountain of Youth, and most importantly: Nick and Jim have gathered many rusty horseshoes for their collections. A good day.

RMI Climber James Loudin

Wednesday, August 9, 2023 - 1:55 am PT

Jambo from 10,000 ft on Mt Kilimanjaro.  The start to our expedition went just as smoothly as it could possibly go.  We were up and eating breakfast at Rivertrees by 7 AM and on the road by 8:15.  Traffic on the main highway wasn’t too bad and we made fine progress, reaching the Machame gate to the National Park by 10 AM.  There, at 6000 ft, we made final preparations for walking and we waited while the finishing touches were made on our climbing permit.  By 11 AM, everything was set and we set out walking.  We followed VV -one of our four local guides- into the rain forest.  The weather was cloudy and humid but as we walked, there was enough clearing that we had occasional blue sky and sunshine through the big trees.  Gradually the trail steepened and we began to make real progress.  We stopped for snacks and rest breaks several times over the course of the five and a half hours it took to reach Machame Camp.  Just out of the rainforest, we’ve graduated to the Giant Heather zone.  Our support team established a fine camp and welcomed us in late afternoon.  The blue skies were gone by then and the clouds had thickened up again.  We got settled in for dinner in our dining tent at 6:30, just as it got dark.  In the end it was a big day from start to finish and nobody lingered for very long following dinner.  Between lingering jet lag and all of the hard work, the team was quite ready for a first night in the tents. 

Best Regards

RMI Guide Dave Hahn