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The RMI Four- and Five-Day Mount Rainier summit climbs reached the summit this morning by 7:30 a.m. The weather was surprisingly cold, moderate winds and a cloud deck at 8,000'. At 8:35 a.m. the teams began their descent from the crater rim and will make their way to Camp Muir, Paradise and then their celebration awaits at Rainier Basecamp. RMI Guides JJ Justman and Elias de Andres Martos

We are here at the Dik Dik hotel and enjoying it. The team made quick work of the 4,000 foot descent this morning, arriving at the gate well before noon. We had a brief customary departure sign out with the park service, a lunch stop along the way. When we arrived at the hotel, a welcome song greeted us upon our arrival. Then a hot shower to wash away some gathered mountain product, but it couldn't rid us of a whole bunch of memories made while on the climb. Some of the team has been reunited with loved ones, how about a grandma and grandpa joining us here in Africa. How cool is that? While the rest of the team is jealous, we have to carry on and look forward to a reunion when we get back home. Tomorrow starts the safari part of our program here. We are getting ready to bid farewell to one of the team who leaves for the airport tonight so as to not miss the start of the fall quarter. Is the summer really coming to a close? Better get out while you can! RMI Guide Mark Tucker & Team

Happy Holidays, Merry Christmas from Aconcagua Camp 1 at 16,200 feet! Team 2 is taking a rest day after a strong climb up to Camp 2 yesterday. We are in a festive spirit as we enjoy our own version of egg nog...it's water but if you close you eyes hard enough you can taste the resemblance! Everyone is doing really, really well and we are looking forward to moving up to 18,000 feet! RMI Guide JJ Justman

It's just another day in the tents here on Mt. Elbrus. We've been getting snow since about 3am last night. Fortunately we have not had much wind so that has kept our sanity mostly intact. We are nearing the end of our trip now. With only a couple more days left before we need to be back in basecamp, we're trying to come up with a plan that could still put us on top without risking us missing our flights to St. Petersburg. What we're thinking of right now is a single push from Camp 1 to the summit and back tonight. That will allow us to descend to basecamp the following day. Barring that we may have to return home safe and sound but without the summit. RMI Guide Seth Waterfall

On The Map

Hello again everyone, We have finally made it off of Mt. Kilimanjaro and are safely back at the wonderful Dik Dik Lodge. After a much needed night of sleep we woke up this morning, packed up all of our stuff and headed down hill one last time. We ended our journey by saying good bye to all of the amazing porters and mountain staff that made this journey possible. Everyone is now freshly showered and smelling good again, thankfully, and are just sitting down to our celebration dinner. RMI Guide Casey Grom and crew

Summit! Jake Beren called in from Mt. Shuksan with an update on his team. They set out yesterday a little later than usual due to stormy weather, but the climb went great. The team is hiking out from their high camp today and will celebrate their success in Sedro Woolley. Congratulations team!

We've been enjoying good weather on the Kahiltna Glacier, and today was no different. After a trace of new snow overnight, we awoke to partly sunny skies. A breakfast of smoked salmon with bagels and cream cheese started off our day. After breakfast, we packed up camp and began the climb up towards Kahiltna Pass, en route to the 11k camp. We're taking advantage of the good weather and making good progress so far. Tomorrow we'll sleep in and take a rest day and prepare a cache of supplies to carry up around Windy Corner. We'll keep you posted on our next move. Until then, we'll be resting...we've earned it. Mike & team

On The Map

Our Four Day Summit Climb Teams led by Tyler Jones and Leon Davis reached the summit of Mt. Rainier today. According to RMI Guide Tyler Jones: "The weather is warm, we are wearing two light layers, winds are calm, and it's sunny and beautiful." The teams are doing well and have started their descent back to Camp Muir. Congratulations to Today's Teams!

We slept for a few hours at Base Camp before the alarm sounded at midnight. Groggily getting out of the tent we were treated to spectacular views of the surrounding mountains, well visible in the bright night sky that looked like the sun had set not long before. The clear skies allowed the temperatures to drop while we were sleeping and the glacier surface was settled into a good frozen surface - exactly what we wanted in order to cross the crevasses of the Kahiltna Glacier. After setting our cache at Base Camp (some extra supplies for our return from the mountain) packing up camp, and wishing Paul a happy birthday, we set out. The first stretch of walking actually descends from Base Camp as we leave the Southeast Fork of the Kahiltna Glacier and join the main glacier itself. While it makes the first bit of walking relatively easy it is named "Heartbreak Hill" because that same slope must be ascended as the final hurdle to reach Base Camp on the return. But for us it was smooth sailing this morning and we crossed a particularly crevassed section of glacier past the base of Heartbreak Hill without incident thanks to the solid snow surface. The skies remained bright and the sun returned, lighting up the summits of Mt. Foraker and Mt. Crosson as we passed beneath them. The glacier was in good shape and the team traveled well across it, making it to Camp 1 by 9:30 in the morning. After pitching camp we lounged around watching a series of thick lenticular clouds (which signify high winds) dance across the summit of Denali. It looked like a cold day to be up high. But down here things got hot as the sun beat down on the tents, heating them up to well over 90F. We spent the afternoon napping and reading in camp, resting from our all night walk. Tomorrow we hope to move to our second camp at 9600' near the head of the Kahiltna Glacier. The team is in good spirits and everyone is taking to life on the glacier well. We will check in tomorrow. RMI Guide Linden Mallory

On The Map

Dobre Veycher, The morning again broke perfectly clear, only a faint trace of wind and blowing snow visible on the summit of Elbrus. After a leisurely breakfast we decided a little adventure and relaxation was in order so we headed back down to the top of the tram where we hopped a ride back down to Azau. Taking a couple of hours at lower altitude we enjoyed a quick shower, the chance to shoot a quick email home, and a fantastic order of french fries. It was a spontaneous little side trip and a welcome treat before the climb. Returning to the mountain we went on a short hike to stretch our legs and then spent the rest of the afternoon preparing our gear for the morning and resting. Tomorrow we will wake up early for our summit bid, planning on returning to the Barrels by midafternoon. The weather remains unchanged and the group is feeling strong and excited for our climb tomorrow. We will check in after the climb and let you know how it goes.