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Sunday, June 2, 2013 Today we woke to a splitter red sky, the most beautiful morning of our trip. As the saying goes, though: red sky in morning, climbers take warning! The weather continues to cloud up and a few snow flakes have fallen between breaks in the clouds. This change is rather abstract compared to the last few week of very high pressure over the region. With an early start the team climbed well for 5 hrs. We now find ourselves enjoying some well earned down time back in the tents eating, drinking, sleeping and chatting. Most importantly hiding from the seemingly gorilla strength sun rays in our new home at 11k. Tomorrow we plan to sleep in, have a deluxe breakfast, and retrieve our luggage just a short way down the hill. Each of our team members want to say hi to family and friends; we are doing great and love you all! We'll check in after our grocery shoppe and petrol refill. RMI Guides Tyler Jones and Garrett Stevens

On The Map

After a solid day training up here at around 16,500' on Cotopaxi, we are bedding down for a night's sleep as best we can this evening. We are going to wake up here in a bit and go for a climb. The weather has been in and out so we need everybody back home to cross their fingers for a good weather pattern for us. And with any luck we will be calling you from the top tomorrow. So, I guess that's all. I'll talk to you tomorrow. RMI Guide Jake Beren

On The Map

What a whirlwind! Yesterday we were standing at almost 23,000 feet, and this evening we're back at Aconcagua Base Camp. It's a big day descending all the way, and our loads just get bigger as we pick up food and gear cached at each camp. It makes it easier knowing that we're headed to a delicious steak dinner ( better than the way in even!). Tomorrow we're back to light loads, light shoes, and getting miles under our feet. Hopefully we see Billy and team along the way. We'll be in touch! RMI Guide Pete Van Deventer

The time spent relaxing at Chilcabamba was wonderful but like all good things came to an end. Fortunately for us, there will be more excitement to come as our adventure continues. We are about to make our move up to the Jose Ribas Refugio on Cotopaxi (over 16,000') where we hope to get a little nap in before launching for the summit very early tomorrow morning. The weather pattern has been promising and with a little luck we will all be taking hero pics and exchanging high fives on the summit! But we're not counting our chickens before the eggs hatch, Cotopaxi is a big mountain and deserves respect. Wish us luck! More on the alpine escapades of this intrepid group as our program continues... Stay with us! RMI Guide Billy Nugent

On The Map

Hello everyone. After a day of long flights, our team arrived in Quito last night and moved into the Hotel Mercure Alameda to rest and recover. This morning the team indulged in a great breakfast including various local fruits and dishes. After a quick orientation meeting, we headed out for a city tour and visit to the Equator. Warm weather and a sunny day made our time walking around the city enjoyable. We were able to visit Independence Plaza, the Jesuit church La Compania, and the Virgin of Quito - a 100+ foot statue with gorgeous views overlooking the city. Seated at 9,350 feet, the air in Quito is thin, especially for those of us coming from sea level. The city tour, in addition to exposing us to some of the best sights in Quito, gave us a chance to stretch our legs and aid in the acclimatization process. The time that we spend here is building the base to increase our chances of success later in the trip. We spent the afternoon exploring the Equatorial line and phenomenon associated with it. We watched basins of water, only a dozen feet apart, swirl opposite directions on each side of the line and learned when the indigenous people first discovered their location. After taking a few hour siesta, the team met for our first dinner to round out the day. The conversation and laughter at our table made it feel like a group of old friends, who will only grow closer in the coming days. RMI Guide Casey Grom

A well deserved rest day yesterday paid dividends today. The team moved efficiently to 11,000 feet where we set up a deluxe camp. The weather greeted us with a nice cold headwind with some fresh snow in the track, but that was not too much of an obstacle for our team. We worked hard to furnish camp after arriving this afternoon. Our cook tent is especially posh and our tent platforms are perfectly flat with a 5-star covered rest area. We plan on enjoying the camp we have crafted for the next few days as we rest and shuttle loads. We look forward to retrieving our cache at 10,000 feet tomorrow, a relatively short day, then rest and indulging on the treats in our currently cashed goodie bags. Eating well means feeling well in the mountains and this is something this crew knows well! Till tomorrow, the whole team says hi to all. RMI Guide Tyler Jones

Yesterday's afternoon clouds cleared overnight and it was a warm, beautiful morning here in the Khumbu. Leaving our teahouse in Phakding we wound our way up the valley, traversing above the raging Dudh Kosi on steep hillsides that descend thousands of feet from the peaks above. Wherever the terrain offers a break small terraces have been carved into the hillsides and with spring arriving here in the lower Khumbu the fields of wheat and vegetables are starting to sprout while along the trail the cherry, magnolia, and rhododendron trees are in full bloom. We walked through the fields and villages, crossing back and forth from one side of the valley to the other on swaying suspension bridges that stretch above the milky blue water below, and soaking in the spring bloom along the way. By midday we officially entered into Sagarmatha National Park, the park that bears Everest's Nepali name. Just past the Park entrance the trail emerges from the villages and green fields of the lower Khumbu and begins to climb to Namche Bazaar. A strong breeze was blowing up the valley when we crossed the suspension bridge at the base of the climb and the hundreds of prayer flags and white kata scarves stretched along it flapped in the wind, distracting us from the void in between the slats at our feet that stretched between us and the river hundreds of feet below. The hill up to Namche is the first big climb of the trip, gaining over 2,000' from the valley floor to where Namche sits. In a series of switchbacks and long traverses we made our way upwards, staying well clear of the trains of dzopkyos - yak/cow hybrids favored at these lower elevations - that came barreling down the hill without much concern for those in their path. It was a healthy climb but felt good to put our heads down and climb for a bit. Despite the spring temperatures lower in the valley a glance around the mountains above revealed fresh snow and as we arrived into Namche light flurries of snow blew in, at times blowing uphill as the flakes were buffeted by the swirling winds at the confluence of the two valleys. With tired legs we retreated to the teahouse, content to watch the low hanging clouds play amongst the peaks across the valley. It has been a great day of walking and the team is settling into trail life well. We are spending the weekend in Namche, visiting the Saturday morning market tomorrow and exploring some of the surrounding villages as we acclimatize before going higher. -RMI Guide Linden Mallory

On The Map

At 12,500' you're above the trees and clouds, in the highland desert zone, and are looking at Kibo, the summit of Kilimanjaro, all day. As we headed east towards our next camp, we enjoyed easy walking on the low angled Shira Plateau. A nice contrast to yesterday's steeper terrain. A little over three hours later we arrived at Lava Tower, a conspicuous landmark at 15,200'. Our staff met us with hot soup, tea, sandwiches and snacks, all laid out on a blanket for our enjoyment. Imagine, a picnic in the warm sunshine at 15,000'! Pretty cool. Following lunch it was all downhill to camp by the Barranco Wall. Easy enough walking to be able to appreciate the change in ecosystems as we began to see dendrosenecios, lobelias and giant groundsels, some of the flora that makes Kilimanjaro so special. Everyone's doing great after this big day and we're all excited about getting on the Barranco Wall tomorrow morning. A later start to allow the porters in camp to get ahead of us on the Wall will be appreciated, even by this early rising crew. Oh, and lest I forget. Dinner tonight: butternut squash soup, garlic pepper zucchini, chicken and sausage paella, and pineapple spears drowning in chocolate fondue. Eat your heart out. Resting well, RMI Guide Brent Okita

On The Map

Hi All, This is Geoff Schellens and Team down here in Mexico calling from the summit of Ixta! We had a wonderful climb a beautiful morning. Everything is absolutely as good as it gets. We are enjoying the sunrise right now. We are going to pack it up and head down shortly. We will give a call this evening. Adios!

The Four Day Summit Climb led by RMI Guides Eric Frank and Lindsay Mann reached the summit of Mt. Rainier around 6:30 a.m. The teams spent about an hour on top enjoying what Eric describes as the "best morning all summer:" sunny and warm with light winds. The teams will make their descent back to Camp Muir and will return to Ashford this afternoon. Congratulations to today's teams!