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We woke to another brisk morning. The sun slowly creeps down the mountain. Once it hits the dome tent, everything/everyone warms up.

Today we made progress up the mountain. We sorted our gear to carry all the group food, fuel, kitchen items, our mountain snacks, and upper mountain equipment. Without doing carries, our packs would be far too heavy. Carries also help with acclimatization. With our heavy packs ready and the sun shining, we made our way to 16,400'. The team did great maneuvering through the moon scape like terrain. A final steep hill brought us into Camp One. We unloaded our packs and pile everything against a rock. We will be reunited with this gear on Monday when we leave the comforts of basecamp. After hanging at Camp One for 30 minutes letting our bodies exist at this altitude, we made quick work getting back to Basecamp where we were greeted with pizza and treats.

One final day resting at basecamp tomorrow and getting ready for our move up to Camp One tomorrow. RMI's First Aconcagua team comes down from 19k camp after a successful summit yesterday. It will be nice to see familiar faces and hear about their trip. The sun has disappeared so it’s time for the sleeping bag and tent.

Goodnight all,

RMI Guides Hannah, Ben, Dan, and team

RMI Guides Pete Van Deventer and Taylor Bickford led their Four Day Climb August 30 - 2 September teams to the summit of Mt. Rainier this morning. Pete reported a light breeze and nice climbing conditions as the team was approaching the crater rim around 8:30 AM. After photos and high-fives on the summit the team will return to Camp Muir and continue their descent to Paradise. There program will conclude this afternoon with a celebration at Rainier BaseCamp. Congratulations to today's climbers!

The RMI Bolivia team led by RMI Guides Eric Frank and Andy Bond was unable to attempt a climb of Sajama due to several members of the climbing team catching a bug while in La Paz after the climb of Huayna Potosi. The team started out for the mountain but, unfortunately, were forced to return back to La Paz. Due to this the trip ended early.

Today we walked the 400 steps up to the "Monkey Temple" and appreciated the colors and diversity of religions all celebrating in one shared space. Then we braved the traffic and crossed the city to Bodhnath, the world's largest stupa. We made a few coral, walking around it clockwise, for good luck. We spun the mani wheels which send out blessings for all sentient beings and will start our journey properly. One of the highlights of our morning explorations was learning how the intricate painting called "thankas" are made. We went to a studio where they showed us how they stretch cotton on a frame and spend three days rubbing wax into it with a smooth stone before they can paint. A sketch is freehand drawn onto the smooth cotton and then it takes anywhere from 4 to 7 days of work for the artist to paint. The masters use real gold leaf and hand crushed minerals for color. Most of the artists were using paint brushes as fine as one or two yak hairs. It was so inspiring that a few of us purchased some of these gorgeous works of art with so much meaning behind them. This afternoon consisted of a good gear check so everyone feels ready to hit the trail tomorrow. Hopefully, our flight to the short Lukla runway is smooth so I don't get motion sick. We'll be in the Khumbu tomorrow! RMI Guide Christina Dale

The Four Day Summit Climb led by RMI Guide Casey Grom and the Five Day Summit Climb led by RMI Guide Linden Mallory reached the summit of Mt. Rainier earlier this morning. The teams got an early start this morning in order to take advantage of the cooler overnight temperatures and beat the heat today. While on the summit, the teams found it to be incredibly warm with calm winds. They are also enjoying a clear sky with views in all directions. The teams will descend to Camp Muir where they will refuel before continuing their descent to Paradise. We look forward to seeing them in Ashford later today. Congratulations!

Well, we're at the hut on Orizaba getting ready to climb tonight. It was an interesting drive up here, for sure. It's been very dry here recently and some forest fires have sprung up down low on the mountain. Normally this wouldn't worry me too much but one of the fires is within a mile of our access road. There are firefighters working in the area and our local logistics company is on top of the situation so at this point it's just a minor concern. One thing that's looking good is that there seems to be a weather system building which would help the fire situation out a ton. The downside of that is it will make climbing more difficult if we are faced with a storm. So that's basically our situation... there's a few things that are out of our control, so we're just doing what we can to give ourselves the best shot at the summit. We're prepping to go up but not at the risk of climbing in a dangerous storm or getting stranded at the hut. We'll be making the safest call, of course. I'll call back early tomorrow and update everyone on our status. Wish us luck, we could use it! RMI Guide Seth Waterfall & Team

On The Map

With over two days of flying behind us, our team has arrived in Kathmandu. All of the luggage has arrived and everyone is excited for the adventure to Everest Base Camp and climb of Island Peak. We will meet for dinner tonight to discuss the details of the upcoming days. Our plan for tomorrow will be to take a tour of Kathmandu and then pack and organize our gear for the flight into the Khumbu Valley. We will keep you posted on our adventures in Kathmandu! RMI Guide Mark Tucker

On The Map

South Col - 26,000 feet After the early dinner, and into the sleeping bag full of boot liners, socks, water bottles and miscellaneous items you don't want frozen, which is another reason why it's an uncomfortable place to be. Wake up call 10:10 pm. Some climbers get a couple hours of sleep, others not. Lucky for the team, no interruptions during rest period. Seems like the other groups are taking care of their own issues, or the South Col climbers are not yet aware of anyone in need of help. Always a tough place to feel very relaxed, but in the tent and horizontal for a few hours will help get some strength back for the climb ahead. I remember one time at the Col, a guy who had just come down from the summit the day as I arrived at the Col, he just opened up my tent, stuck his head inside and started talking to me and my partner for at least two minutes before he realized that he did not know who we were. Scary, I promised myself never to be that out of it. They have been breathing oxygen while resting, so dry mouth and feeling a bit rough because of the extreme altitude, are par for the course. You just have to shake it off and start getting ready. Fire the stoves for more tea, coffee, hot juice whatever you can choke down and don't forget the calories, you are going to need them. It's not optional, it's mandatory to get some food on board, no easier way to make the summit almost unreachable than no gas in the tank. How many layers? Did I put new batteries in my headlamp? Are these my special summit socks I have been saving? Goggles, sunscreen, sunglasses? Top off the water bottles, lunch packed? Extra gloves, rip open hand warmers to get them started, knife in pocket? Did I pack my lunch and some treats in easy to get at pockets? Camera, where's the camera? Oh, right here where it's supposed to be. All this and more in under one and a half hours because it's game time at midnight. I wont bother them again until 12 a.m. As news becomes available you will be the first to know. This is so cool! What's next? RMI Guide Mark Tucker

Thursday, May 11, 2023 - 6:33 AM PT

Yesterday was spent milling around the K2 Aviation hangar in our climbing duds, hoping for the word to load the planes. But the weather never cleared, which kept the planes grounded. The forecast keeps trending better, so we'll try again today. 

RMI Guide Mike Walter

The Everest Base Camp team finally has arrived after some very long and tiring flights. Everyone is doing well after a well deserved night of rest here at the peaceful and appropriately named Yak & Yeti Hotel. We started our day with a nice big buffet breakfast, then had a team meeting to discuss all the gear and review the details of the adventure that we are about to head out on. After our meeting we headed out on a brief tour of Kathmandu were we visited the beautiful Monkey Temple, and the famous Boudhanath Stupa. It's quite the culture shock visiting this busy city packed with nearly 4 million people. The streets are packed with people, motorcycles, and cars that honk endlessly. I'm sure everyone is looking forward to peace and quietness of the Khumbu where we head tomorrow. RMI Guide Casey Grom