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We woke to a perfect day at Union Glacier and proceeded to make the most of it. By 10:15 AM we were getting airborne in a Canadian Twin Otter. There were no clouds to be seen, just mountain after mountain and glacier after glacier. Thirty something minutes into our flight, the mountains got enormous, which meant we were headed in the right direction. A few minutes more and we were circling the Branscomb Glacier and checking out the snow strip runway. After a flawless touchdown, the team got out, said "wow" a lot and began hauling gear toward a likely set of tent sites. We built camp, sorted gear, sat for a great briefing with ALE's Basecamp manager and by 5 PM were ready to go for a walk. The teams that had come in yesterday were already moving up the mountain, but we were content to simply do a carry up to "half camp" and then return to base for the night. Vinson base is at 7,000 ft and so to get used to the altitude and the rhythms of glacier travel we carried food and equipment for a little more than two hours, cached it and walked another hour back downhill. We were in camp again by 9 PM which left plenty of strong sunshine hours for dinner and prepping for bed. It sure took us a while to get to the mountain, but now we are all pretty excited to have arrived. Best Regards RMI Guide Dave Hahn

On The Map

The Expedition Skills Seminar – Emmons led by RMI Guide Garrett Stevens called from Columbia Crest at 6:56 am, the team arrived at the summit around 6:30 am PT. Garret reported clear skies with a marine layer below at 5,000’, moderate winds and cold temperatures on the Emmons route. The team will return to their high camp for a final night on the mountain. RMI Guide Casey Grom & the Four Day Summit Climb approached the crater rim of Mt. Rainier shortly before 7 am. Casey reported 100% of the team members would be reaching the summit. He also reported winds from the west and good route conditions. Congratulations to today summit climbers!

Mountain Guides can be a superstitious bunch. So as we did a little bit of training including rope travel, self arrest and cramponing in our second day of gorgeous weather. My superstitious side is coming out. Tomorrow is our summit day on Elbrus and we are knocking on wood that the weather stays beautiful. But if I may ask all of you (because this worked for me before), please leave a comment on this post wishing our team luck. The more posts we get from you the better the weather will be. And that means great photos and video to share with all of you when we get safely down. RMI Guide JJ Justman

Coming off the plane in Arusha, the city in Tanzania where we base from to go to Kilimanjaro, the first thing that strikes the senses is the smell of trees and vegetation we simply don't have in the northern hemisphere. There, too is a subtle, but pervasive smell of the wood and charcoal many people use to cook with. It smells wonderfully of Africa to me.

Our group all arrived at least a day early to take advantage of their time here in this beautiful country, and so we were able to meet one another earlier than usual. This was a good thing because it allowed some lost luggage to be recovered and a GI problem to resolve itself, two problems I rarely see, but that are not unknown when travelling halfway across the globe.

Our team is a nice mix of veteran climbers with Mt. Rainier under their belt and folks who have rarely spent time in a tent. But everyone is engaging and interesting, and conversation is easy. A good sign of things to come.

While half the group opted to get their equipment check done yesterday so they could get in a day safari in the local Arusha National Park, the other half chose to do their check today and enjoy a leisurely afternoon before we begin our expedition up the flanks of Kilimanjaro. Both great options.

Our team breakfast this morning will be followed up with a group dinner tonight, enjoying the amazing food here at the Rivertrees Country Inn. Normally we would lament leaving such fine food during our week of climbing, but not this time. The chef taking care of our food needs this week is amazing! Gourmet dinners and hearty breakfasts await us at every camp, prepared by an incredibly talented chef by the name of Benson. You'll hear more about this guy later, but for now we're doing well and eager to start our climb. 

Word has it that upon making the summit, a couple of our climbers are going to reward themselves with some beautiful Tanzanite jewelry. I love the idea!

Wish us luck as we begin our big adventure! We've been waiting for this climb to all come together for a long time, and in a few hours, we will be taking our first steps up towards the summit of this wonderful mountain.

Jambo!

RMI Guide Brent Okita

Sunday, May 28, 2023 - 8:50 pm PT

Hello readers,

Today we woke to descent weather for our carry. It was cold and crisp with clouds flowing here and there. We took off still in the shadows. In not too long we were in the sun with a breeze. We were one of the first people to leave camp and get to the fixed lines. They were icy but with great steps that made it feel secure. This is a steep portion of the mountain and the team gave it their all. After a several hours we were at the top of the fixed lines. There we decided to cache our gear and use the rest of our energy to get down safely. The clouds finally rolled fully in and snow began to fall. We made it back to camp surrounded by white. It has been a long hard day and we are all ready for some rest and that's exactly what we will do tomorrow.

So good night all,

RMI Guides Hannah Smith, Devin Guffey, Erika Birkeland & Team

The Mt. Rainier Summit Climb teams, led by Brent Okita and Walter Hailes, reached the summit at 7:00 a.m. The winds were 20-25 mph and a clear day. They are currently descending to Camp Muir. The Expedition Skills Seminar - Kautz, led by Garrett Stevens, is currently on the summit reaching the top via the Kautz Glacier Route. Congratulations to today's teams!

Buenas tardes from Plaza de Mulas, the Base Camp on Aconcagua's western side! Plaza de Mulas sits on a big rocky glacial moraine, near the eastern side of the amphitheater that makes up the head of the main Horocones Valley. Sharp summits surround us in every direction, the deep red color of the mountains here occasionally interested with striations of yellow and grey. Most of the peaks still hold snow from last winter snowpack and fields of penitentes - sharp snow spires that form from the intense sun - are emerging in the snow patches that still reside in the shallow gullies running alongside Base Camp. The panorama is framed by the massive cliff of glacial ice of Horocones Superior to our north and the hulk of Aconcagua rising immediately out of camp to our east. From this low on the mountain the majority of our route is obscured from view by the scree covered flanks running into camp, but far above us the steep cliffs that guard Aconcagua's twin northern and southern summits occasionally emerge from the clouds. Despite the relatively non-technical nature of this route, we still found ourselves craning our necks to look up at the mountain from Camp. After reaching camp we quickly set up our tents and unloaded our gear that came in by mule. It was a relief to see that our gear made it unscathed after bouncing up the valley on the back of what seemed to be semi-tamed mules (whatever you do, don't stand in the trail and play chicken with an oncoming mule train!). With our camp established we explored around camp a bit before settling into our tents for some R&R right as the afternoon clouds spit a few sporadic snowflakes down on us. The team is doing well and we are all very happy to be up high, finally eyeing the route above us and contemplating the next few days. If weather and acclimatization hold strong, we hope to carry a portion of our gear and supplies needed for the upper mountain to Camp 1 tomorrow. The sun is just starting to sink behind the ridge lines that separate us from Chile and the temperatures are getting chilly as we head off to dinner. We'll check in tomorrow after our day. RMI Guide Linden Mallory

Sunday, June 9, 2013 Tonight we will sleep well after three big days on the lower Kahiltna. We arrived to 11,000' camp in the early warmth of a new day and made camp easily. A strong performance by the team gives us great confidence in our abilities the higher we move and with a full day of rest tomorrow, we should only grow stronger. The rest day won't be entirely lounging about. We are going to review some tricks of the trade for motion on the upper mountain and ready loads for our carry towards our 14,000' Camp. So with a light snow falling onto our tents and the sound of other teams passing through camp, we say goodnight to our friends and family. RMI Guides Jake Beren, Leon Davis & Josh Maggard

On The Map

Yesterday we all met at the Anchorage Airport, drove to Wasilla and bought some food before reaching our final destination of the day, Talkeetna. Once we arrived and settled in, the group had the opportunity to check out Talkeetna and enjoy their great food. Today we have a super busy day ahead of us. Breakfast, check in with the National Park Service, pack our gear, and if weather permits, fly onto the Kahiltna Glacier and set up camp. Sounds simple but believe me it is a lot! We are all very excited for the flight to the glacier. In my opinion, it is one of the many highlights of climbing in the Alaska Range. We will be checking in later on. All best, RMI Guide Andres Marin and the Alaska Expedition Seminar

On The Map

South Col & Camp 2

May 25, 2010 - 1:47 a.m. PST / 2:30 p.m. UTC 26,500 ft./21,000 ft Mark Tucker at Basecamp: It continues to be a nice day and the team is doing well. Upon reaching the Sol Col (26,500') three team members have decided to call it a day. They will spend the afternoon resting and rehydrating before making an early departure tomorrow morning. The rest of the team has decided to continue their descent to sleep in the thick air of Camp Two at 21,000'. We expect to see everyone at Basecamp tomorrow.

South Col

May 24, 2010 - 11:15 p.m. PST / May 25, 2010 12:00 p.m. UTC 26,500 ft.

Mark Tucker at Basecamp: Everybody is at the South Col with all fingers and toes. At these kinds of altitudes, it is just about impossible to keep hydrated. Breathing pure, non-humidified oxygen, along with a limited supply of fluids in your pack, let alone finding time to consume it...you get the picture. It's all about recovery. First thing you want to do is collapse in the nearest tent, but you need to take care of yourself, the further behind you get the tougher to catch up. We have two support Sherpa at the Col, so all members are greeted with a cup of juice upon arrival. These first couple of hours will be critical if our guys will make the push down to C2 or spend another night at the Col. We have plenty of oxygen at the Col to support another night, but the lower the better. By 2:00 pm they will decide to stay or go. We will let ya know...