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Well the snow continues to pile up. Our storm board is reading 68 cm of snow in the past 36-hour period. The wind has been picking up, intensifying the storm. Turns out, this storm is a little bigger then they first thought. We spent three hours this morning digging out our tents and the cook tent. We're all staying busy here on the glacier, experiencing the other part of Alaska, the weather. Well not too much else to report, hopefully we'll be off the glacier sooner then later. RMI Guide Jason Thompson

The streets of Kathmandu were hardly waking up when we reached the airport this morning, unloading our duffel bags outside of the the domestic terminal in the pre dawn darkness. By the time the morning sun found us, burning as an orange orb just above the eastern horizon, we were loading into a Twin Otter turbo prop plane, a STOL airplane - Short Take Off Landing - capable of landing at Lukla's narrow strip. Besides some turbulence as we turned into the Khumbu Valley the flight was uneventful, a fact duly noted and much appreciated when flying a tiny airplane into a mountain airstrip like Lukla. Perched at a 10 degree angle and hardly more than several hundred meters long, the Lukla Airstrip is guaranteed to raise your heart rate - the plane touches down bearing full speed toward the hillside at the end of the strip, the brakes are slammed on and the engines roar as the air brakes fire, the plane decelerating from airborne to parked within a matter of seconds. It's exciting to say the least. By 8:00 am this morning we were all safely in Lukla and we hit the trail shortly thereafter. To say that Kathmandu to Lukla is a change of pace is an understatement. Within minutes we looked at each other remarking at the novelty of hearing birds in the background, not taxi horns. The trail meanders down from Lukla among several villages, eventually reaching the base of the valley where we joined the banks of the Dudh Kosi - the Milky River named for the glacial sediment flowing in it. The trail is really the highway of the Khumbu, a boulevard of hand laid stone a few meters wide, that links the different villages. Passing by front yards bordered by small gates, past teahouses and chortens - Buddhist stupas and flapping prayer flags. Although the distance we covered today was relatively short compared to the days ahead, it felt full by the time we reached Phakding from all of the daily going ons of the Khumbu we saw. We reached the teahouse as the clouds built in the sky. Before we could do anything we threw in our backs to help the teahouse owners raise their Chotra - a pine truck a dozen meters high that flies vertical prayer flags and serves as the entrance to most houses and compounds in the Khumbu. With a dozen locals, a few ladders and long poles, we managed to raise the Chotra to a vertical position and plant it in the ground. It was an entertaining way to be welcomed into the Khumbu. We've spent the afternoon at the teahouse, watching periods of afternoon rain blow in. Tomorrow we climb to Namche Bazaar, the major trade center and biggest town of the region where we will spend a few days acclimatizing and exploring the surrounding area. RMI Guide Linden Mallory

On The Map

Hello from Everest Basecamp! We have finally arrived! We woke to gorgeous weather and a psyched team. The trail to basecamp is rocky with little ups and downs from Gorak Shep. We are in the moraine of the glacier walking ice but it's just buried under the dirt. Many yak trains passing by brought us to the infamous rock that says Everest Base Camp. After many photos the team continued the trek into Basecamp. For us our camp happened to be on the far side. More walking but more to see with all the Everest Expeditions setting up for their teams arrivals come April. Our camp is cozy with a dining tent, bathroom tents and even a shower tent. The nights get cold so it's not too late of a night before we all crawl into our sleeping bags for warmth. Tomorrow we will 

explore the glacier and do a little training for the upcoming climb on Lobuche.

Goodnight all,

RMI Guides Hannah, Abby, and Team

Today we moved camp to 18,000'. The clear mornings and snowstorms in the afternoon trend continues. We got a heat wave of calm air and lots of sun on new snow reflecting off the hillsides. Once through the Col we got some respite but it was not to last as the subtle breeze died as we built camp and the frying of skin began again. We are in tents with snow falling. Thanks for following along.

RMI Guide Mike King

Monday, May 31, 2021 - 4:55 pm PT

After going to bed last night there was an earthquake that shook camp and caused some ice to fall waking up the guides and a few in the group. The others were too deep in sleep from our exhaustive day of trail breaking. Today we got a casual start with a big bacon and cream cheese bagel breakfast. Around 10:30 we headed down to our 9,500’ cache and by 11:30 we had started back up hill in the sunny weather and thin clouds that can feel like your being microwaved. The team did well and are all back in their tents enjoying some down time and their luxurious accommodations. Hard saying what will happen tomorrow cause there is stormy weather in the forecast. We will shoot for a carry of food and fuel around Windy Corner. Thanks for following along.

RMI Guide Mike King

The Sahale Mountain - Quien Sabe Glacier climb led by RMI Guide Geoff Schellens was unable to summit yesterday due to a combination of poor route conditions and poor weather. The team spent last night at their camp in Boston Basin and are hiking back to the trailhead this morning. The Mt. Shuksan - Fisher Chimneys team led by Mike Walter was also unable to summit. Mike reported wet, foggy conditions on the Fisher Chimneys route. The team team spent last night at their camp on the White Salmon Glacier and are making the four mile hike back to the trailhead this morning.

Casey Grom and the Five Day Mt. Rainier Summit Climb called in early this morning. Due to low visibility the team made the decision to turn at 13,300’. The team is en-route to Camp Muir, and expected back at Basecamp this afternoon. Tyler Reid and Adam Knoff are heading up to Camp Muir to start their Five and Four Day Summit Climbs respectively.

It's been a lazy day here at Plaza Argentina, which was exactly what the doctor ordered after the group's big effort yesterday. We woke late, cooked up a big batch of crêpes stuffed with bacon, fried apples, and dulce de leche for brunch. A few hours later, after books, more jokes, and a card game, we fried up some croque monsieur (sense the French food theme today?), and then went for a nice hour-long stroll up towards Ibañez, a sub peak outside of Basecamp. As hard as it can be to motivate for a hike after a day like yesterday, it really does aid and speed recovery. Our gear that will stay at Basecamp is sorted, and we are very ready for our move to Camp 1 tomorrow! Just one more delicious Argentine meal first... Hasta luego, RMI Guides Pete, Leon, Mike, and the team

Clouds and murk rule the Ellsworth Mountains for the moment. But even so, the weather isn't all that bad down here on the Branscomb Glacier. We did a normal mid-morning wake-up at Vinson Base (earlier than that one risks discomfort from cold shadows and down glacier breezes). A leisurely breakfast was followed by a brief review of the basic mountaineering techniques we'll employ for travel on the lower mountain. In mid-afternoon we set out to carry loads up the long gentle hills between base and the big ninety degree turn of the glacier at the foot of Vinson's massive Western escarpment. This carry wasn't performed so much out of a great need to get supplies up the hill, but more out of a desire to test systems and our legs and lungs. All good. We cached the load at around 8,700 ft and walked easily back to our 7,000 ft Basecamp. We even got a few grand views of the endless ice to the west. These had to suffice for scenery since the clouds closed in while we were eating dinner and put us in a world of gauze and grey. The sun will come out tomorrow. Possibly. Best Regards, RMI Guide Dave Hahn

Hello, this is Dave Hahn checking in from 7,200' on Mt. McKinley. Sure enough, we lucked out yesterday morning and flew onto the mountain first thing. By 10 AM, our K2 Aviation pilots, Randy and Tony, had the team unloading the big red ski-equipped Otters at 7200 ft on the Kahiltna Glacier. There was plenty to do for the duration of the day in establishing a camp and reviewing glacier travel techniques. We did take breaks from our labors in order to gaze up at the gargantuan flanks of the surrounding mountains. Denali itself even made a few appearances, shaking off low clouds from time to time and attempting to give us the big stare-down from long distance. Our intention was to get to sleep early and to wake at 1 AM in the hopes of traveling through the heavily crevassed sections of the Kahiltna while the snow surface was frozen up solid. But due to low clouds rolling in, the surface never came close to freezing. In fact, throughout the night there were persistent rain and wet snow showers that convinced us to postpone our travel plans for a day. So today we are resting and casually sorting gear at basecamp. There is only one other team in base today, camped a few hundred feet away and presumably sharing our hopes for better weather tonight. We've got a mountain to climb. RMI Guide Dave Hahn

On The Map