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As planned, today was our hiking and acclimatizing day at Namche. Since we are now well and truly "at altitude" it pays to go slowly. We'll actually spend three nights here at 11,200 feet before ratcheting up the sleeping altitude again. Light exercise on such days can enhance acclimatization, and so we went for a fine hike. First, we climbed straight up and out of Namche to reach Syangboche, at close to 12,000 ft, then we moved East to gain ridiculously good views of Ama Dablam, Lhotse and
Everest. Combined with the already insane vistas to our South and West of Thamserku and Quangde, respectively, it was nearly overwhelming... too much to fully take in. So we walked to the Everest View Hotel, sat on an open terrace and sipped hot lemon juice while pondering the view. It looked quite windy and nasty up high on Lhotse and Everest (Nobody tries to summit in March for good reason) but where we sat it was sunny and calm. We then walked over for lunch in the village of Khumjung and finally up to Khunde before crossing the forested ridge line once again for Namche.
It was a great stretch of the legs and lungs on uncrowded and garden-like trails. The afternoon back down in Namche then seemed just perfectly made for napping.
Best Regards,
RMI Guide
Dave Hahn & Team
Our first
Vinson climb of 2013 is not quite off the ground yet. The team successfully negotiated the airports of the world to assemble in Punta Arenas in the South end of Chile, and we've gone through several meetings, gear checks and briefings. We've shared a few great meals and some walks around town. We've packed our bags and weighed them and consigned them to our logistical partner in this endeavor, ALE, for loading onto the Ilyushin 76 jet transport. Normally, we'd be savoring a final night indoors before the journey to less comfortable regions of the Antarctic interior. But we've learned that stormy weather is hampering flight operations at Union Glacier. The needed supply flights are backed up a bit and we can't possibly get in within the next few days. We choose to greet this news in a positive light... It gives us the chance to be tourists in Patagonia for a few days. Stand by to see what we get up to.
Best Regards,
RMI Guide Dave Hahn
The day went like clockwork. We had a great breakfast and then hopped in our vehicles for a short drive to the entrance of the Ngorongoro National Park. The day was cloudy and cool to start, but by the time we descended some two thousand feet, to floor of the largest unbroken and unflooded caldera in the world, the sun was a shining. I would guess that we only saw about 20% of the 30,000 animals that live in the crater. On our way back to the amazing Plantation Lodge for another night we stopped into a Masai Village for a tour and some special shopping options. Tomorrow brings us to the home of more elephants per square mile than anywhere else in the world, Tarangire National Park. Somebody has to do it, wish you were here.
RMI Guide
Mark Tucker
Hello from Karanga Camp!
Barranco Wall fails to stop RMI team from getting closer to the summit! We slowed our departure from camp in hopes of missing rush hour on the wall. No view of the top but nice temperature because of the clouds. Four hours later here we are at Karanga Camp at 13,000-feet plus. Snacks on the way to a hot lunch at camp. Lunch consisted of spaghetti and tomato sauce, which was a big hit. With the team eating and drinking as needed, it helps fuel us and keep our strength up as we move closer to summit day. A nice short climb today and tomorrow will get us ready for the summit climb tomorrow night.
We are looking down at the sea of clouds below, which is not unusual for the lower regions. Another great reason to be up here! Darn the luck missing out on the upper mountain views, so we continue to enjoy the incredible geological features we pass as we go. During the descent into the Karanga Valley you pass this 60-foot overhanging cave that I know I could atleast get a few moves on. Another time, we have a mountain to climb! It's so nice that none of our gear is wet from the rain, and our packs and boots are working well. It sure helps make the climb a bit more manageable. Nice easy afternoon with stories a-flying, reading , and taking in the views.
RMI Guide Mark Tucker
On The Map
Today we waited out the snow by having our own avalanche course right here on the Ruth glacier. Skies cleared to a beautiful evening during dinner. The team is excited to go explore some new terrain tomorrow under blue skies!
RMI Guide Dan May & Team
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Ruth Glacier Seminar May 2, 2025
RMI Guide Dustin Wittmier and the Expedition Skills Seminar - Muir team put their training to the test and made it to the summit of Mt. Rainier today. Dustin reported calm, light winds and sunny skies as the team was walking out of the crater rim just after 8 am to begin their descent. The team will return to Camp Muir for their final night on the mountain. They reached Camp Muir on Monday and have spent the last several days working on alpine mountaineering skills. The team enjoyed time at Ingraham Flats working on their ice climbing and crevasse rescue skills. Tomorrow the group will pack up and descend to Paradise, completing their week of training on Mt. Rainier.
Congratulations to the Seminar team!
Wednesday, May 18, 2023 5:38 pm PDT
Hello world!
It's time for an update from the team up at Camp Muir. The cycle of sun in the morning and clouds / thunderstorms in afternoons haven't impacted our seminar in the slightest. We've been spending the days training and afternoons learning. Today is our last day of training before our summit attempt. We spent the morning ice climbing in a crevasse up at Ingraham flats, the guides even got in on the ice climbing fun! Our afternoon will be spent fine tuning our crevasse rescue skills and then heading to bed early to try to get some shut eye before our alpine start. Check back in tomorrow to hear about our summit attempt!
Cheers,
Dusty, Jack, Sam and The Team
Wednesday, May 11, 2022 - 9:56 pm PT
We awoke to another blue bird day in the amazing Ruth Gorge. The morning was spent enjoying a leisurely breakfast while waiting for the sun to hit camp. Once the sun had warmed us up from the evenings cold, we geared up and set out to do some exploring and training. We headed off across the glacier until we reached the eastern edge of the Ruth Glacier. After picking our way through the jumbled labyrinth of the broken edge of the glacier, we ascended a moraine and refreshed our mountaineering skills and learned a few new ones. Lunch was had with beautiful views of the 5,000 foot granite east face of Mt. Dickey. Then we meandered back to camp, practiced anchors, devoured some bacon cheese burgers and relaxed for the evening. Tomorrow we will combine all our technical skills acquired so far and learn crevasse rescue using a real live crevasse!
RMI Guide Avery Parrinello
Today is a tough one to put into words. Amazingly bitter sweet is the only honest way I can aptly describe the team's fruit basket of emotions after the outcome of today's
Antisana summit attempt.
When the alarm again went off at 10:30 pm, this time in a grassy pasture three miles removed from the base of the mountain, I couldn't help but cringe. It was only when I flopped out of the tent that my spirits lifted. It was perfect out! A full moon illuminated
Ecuador's most elusive glaciated summit and from what we saw the day before, things looked promising. To lay it out, our climbing team was comprised of four team members and three guides. Two of our team members went back to the states early due to illness and three more decided to forego the climb to focus more on the skills side of this program. Don't forget, we have the highest mountain yet to come.
We ate a small breakfast and did our best to make sure those still sleeping were adequately bothered by the climbers heading off with no sleep. A 30-minute jeep ride brought us to the start of the moraine and 60 minutes later we were putting crampons on to begin heading up the glacier. I had to put moon screen on so not to burn my cheeks, it was that bright.
Six hours of the most beautiful, engaging and aesthetic mountain climbing I've ever done in
Ecuador landed us on a nice flat spot just as the sun was rising. The moon was still full and the alpenglow was incredible. The bitter was about to balance the sweet. Five-hundred feet below what we thought was an inevitable successful summit was a crevasse running the entire width of the glacier. Farit asked if we could jump across and I told him we didn't practice that skill yet. He shrugged and said "ok". Our sweet hopes for a proud summit were instantly dashed. So goes the unpredictable nature of mountain climbing.
After returning to camp where the rest of the team was practicing skills, a rapid pack up ensued and it was into the magic bus and off to a beautiful hacienda resting almost on the foothills of
Cotopaxi itself. Hot showers, cervesas and clean beds were a welcomed reward to get us psyched for what's to come. Our third and final mountain awaits tomorrow. No matter the outcome, knowing the trip is coming to a close will also be bitter sweet. Shaun and Nichole, we miss you.
RMI Guide Adam Knoff
Hard to believe we were at 10,000' in the "Giant Heather Zone" just this morning. We had a big blue sky overhead, which hasn't been exactly common on this trip. It rained at some point in the night, cleaning the dust out of the air and making everything fresh and new. After breakfast, we watched as our 57-man support team sang and danced through an excellent song about our shared adventure. We were once again amazed at the talents of our porters, cooks, guides and camp staff. The morning hike down 4000' to the Mweka Gate of
Kilimanjaro National Park was easy, by our standards. We quickly got into the forest zone and the big trees and listened to birds singing as we walked. We reached the end of our climbing trip by mid-morning and were amazed and surprised to sit down to a fine outdoor picnic set up for us at the park gate. The ride back down through Moshi and along the highway toward Arusha kept each of us glued to the windows, gazing at people, shops, farms and Tanzania in general. Coming back to the Dik Dik Hotel was quite relaxing. We were greeted as friends by the staff and made very welcome. It was an afternoon of showers and catching up with the electronic world. Our victory dinner was a chance to take stock of the trip so far and an opportunity to say goodbye to Richard and Kurenai who will fly out tomorrow as the rest of us go on safari.
Best Regards,
RMI Guide Dave Hahn
On The Map
Hello all.
It was a beautiful day here on
Kilimanjaro today. Clear skies and relatively warm weather made for an enjoyable day.
The team easily climbed the 1,000-foot high and intimidating
Barranco Wall on our way to camp today. We made our way via a series of broken ledges and small steps and we were in awe of how easily the porters climbed this wall while still balancing their loads on their heads.
We are currently resting at Karanga Camp, which sits above the great Karanga Valley and has views of the towns far below.
Everyone is doing well and we are in good spirits!
RMI Guide Casey Grom and crew
On The Map
Nicole and Team,“The Lord is your shepherd” and He will lead you on your journey. We will follow you each day with our joy, energy, excitement and love. Mimi
Posted by: marianne rhodes on 3/30/2014 at 5:09 pm
Nicole, I am glad your team is rested and ready to go forward together. From now on is the exciting experience that we have spoken about so many times. You are an inspiration to your friends and family. I know you will accomplish with the entire team with you. You know your mom is proudly supporting you as well and with you in spirit. Love you much A.Ginny
Posted by: Ginny Marasco on 3/30/2014 at 7:35 am
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