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Saturday, June 3, 2023 - 9:14 pm PT

It's us again,

We woke to snow and it hasn't stopped since. Needless to say no planes came to pick us up. Morale is holding but we are getting a bit antsy as a team. There has been lots of laying down. Backs are sore, legs restless, minds are going stir crazy. It's only been a couple days but our exit is so close. Tomorrow may be better for weather, so fingers crossed its clear in Talkeetna and clear here so we can hop on that plane and get some much needed showers.

Till than we lay once again in our sleeping bags listening to the pitter patter of the snow.

Holding strong,

RMI Guides Hannah, Devin, Erika, and Team

It was shower day for the climbing team. This was our designated "day off" so that all could get a good night's sleep without any nervousness about what might be demanded of another training/climbing day. It seemed to do the trick... we all showed up late for the pre-breakfast coffee and tea session. There was a pretty good procession of old friends and fellow guides coming to say hello and exchange radio frequencies today. Climbing teams are now pouring in, the Puja flags are going up everywhere and brightly colored tents are blossoming in every direction. We'll make our first push through the icefall tomorrow... Sherpas and guides, at least. Our goal will be to check out the route and to establish Camp 1 at close to 20,000 ft. Best Regards, RMI Guide Dave Hahn

Saturday, July 6, 2013 14 K at last! But we had to fight our way up here, it didn't come easy. Back down at 11,000 ft in the early hours of the day, it looked as though we might get decent weather. At least, if one was looking up at the West Buttress, there was good visibility and not much sign of wind, if one turned and looked West, however, there was still a massive flow of cloud, as there had been all week, often overflowing and engulfing camp. We ate breakfast and packed, it seemed especially difficult to get going after having become so deeply dug in for the best part of a week, but we managed. Naturally, as we roped up and and got ready to walk, the clouds swept in and the wind came up. We came full on into strong, steady winds as we topped motorcycle hill and it seemed we found even stronger winds at the crest of squirrel hill. All of this was while inside a big white freezing cloud, so we were getting rimed up and frosty as we leaned straight into the storm to climb higher. On the polo field, we still had wind but we were getting occasional sun breaks. Windy Corner lived up to its name today. Getting past it was the key battle of the day, but we knew if we could pass the corner we could leave the wind and cloud behind. Sure enough, as we reached our cache from yesterday, we'd found a calm and sunny glacier. It took another ninety minutes to get into "Genet Basin" which we reached at 3:30 PM. We were happy to rejoin the teams we'd shared 11 camp with. There were plenty of empty camp sites with good walls, so building our nest at 14,200 ft was made slightly easier. The team was a little weary after pushing through such harsh conditions, but all were excited to be back in the game, to have new and awesome views and to have beat the forecasted "next storm". Yes, that is right, we are in for another one. The western sky was full of wind sculpted wave clouds, as if a fleet of flying saucers were attacking Mount Foraker. By the time we finished dinner, Denali was cloud capped as well and the snow was starting to fall at 14,200. Best Regards RMI Guide Dave Hahn

On The Map

Hello from the Ngorongoro Wildlife Lodge, Well, the elusive tree climbing lions were no where to be seen today, but the game viewing at Lake Manyara proved to be spectacular. From the moment we entered the gate, there were lots of animals. The first sighting of the day was a troop of baboons, followed by velvet monkeys, blue monkeys, giraffes, cape buffalo, elephants, hippos, and water bucks. Not bad for the first hour of our safari. We spent the rest of the afternoon exploring the park, and took enough pictures that a few batteries were already drained half way though the afternoon. Lake Manyara is about an hour's drive to Ngorongoro crater and we timed it perfectly to be at the first viewpoint of the crater right before sunset. When you first approach the crater, the view is just spectacular. Dropping almost a 1000 feet below you is the largest unbroken and unflooded caldera in the world. It is almost 13 miles across and is home to 25,000 animals. Not surprising that many call this the eighth wonder of the world! After a short drive along the crater rim from the viewpoint, we arrived at our lodge for the next two nights. The Ngorongoro Wildlife Lodge sits right on the crater rim and each room has a full on view looking out over the entire crater. We will get an early start in the morning to drive down into the crater. Tomorrow is going to be a big day and the group can't wait to get down there. - The Kili Team

We wanted to let you all know that we made it to Mendoza! Got to Punta de Vacas around 1pm today, a couple hours in Penitentes, and then the van ride down here. Headed out shortly for our first big dinner off the mountain! Hope all is well and we'll be in touch. Ciao. RMI Guide Pete Van Deventer

Leaving Puebla after a good breakfast we drove though fields of cactus and learned about the different ways you can eat them from our driver Rogelio. Once in Tlachichuca, we sorted gear and piled into an old Dodge Power truck and drove to the high hut on Orizaba. Fortunately it had snowed recently and the roads were not very dusty and we made it up to the hut with great views of our upcoming climb. Once at the hut we ate and rested and listened to the cold wind on the hut as we waited for our early start. Wish us luck.

Climbers on the Four Day Climb August 9 - 11 reached the summit of Mt. Rainier today.  They enjoyed a bit of time on the summit and began their descent from the crater rim just after 7 am. Once back at Camp Muir, they will repack and continue the remaining 4,500' descent to Paradise.

Congratulations to today's climbers!

Greetings from base camp at Plaza Argentina!

Today we had a much-needed rest and logistics day after yesterday's heavy carry to Camp One. Strategic packing, a scenic acclimatization hike, a medical clearance visit, and a tactical nap were all on the agenda for today. The day closed with an unexpected thunderstorm that soaked base camp but provided much-needed relief from the high altitude glare of the sun.

As we prepare for the higher mountain, there is a palpable sense of excitement. If we make it to the top, Aconcagua will be a personal altitude record for all but one of us. Wish us luck!

P.S. No large language models were harmed during the creation of this post :)

RMI Climber Yev "Freyverissimo" Freyvert

The Four Day Summit Climb team led by RMI Guides Casey Grom and Joe Hoch reached the summit of Mt. Rainier early this morning. Casey reported a breezy day with winds of about 30 mph, chilly temperatures, a few scattered clouds, but otherwise a beautiful day. The team has started their descent an are en route to Camp Muir. Congratulations to Today's Team!

Greetings from the Dik Dik Hotel in Arusha, Tanzania. Today was our fist full day together as a team. We started the day with a leisurely breakfast, a discussion of the trip itinerary and then a gear check. After lunch most of the team went into Arusha to do some shopping and sight seeing. Now we have finished dinner and are getting ready for an early departure for Kilimanjaro. We'll check in again from our first camp tomorrow. RMI Guide Seth Waterfall