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This is Dave Hahn calling from 7,800’ on Mt. McKinley…still. We had another night of clouds and snow last night so we couldn't get our early start and walk out. Then the rest of the day was pretty much socked in and white as well. It is now 8:30 in the evening and it is snowing hard again. So we're still sitting waiting for our chance to make a break for the air strip. It was a long day and a quiet day today. No airplanes were flying overhead it seemed like there was storm all around and at all levels. But we're doing alright. Everybody is fed and dry and in their sleeping bags now. RMI Guide Dave Hahn

Hey everyone, this is Team Mexico, and believe it or not! Well, you should believe because I tell what this team is you rocking and rollin'! Hey team on the summit of Ixta what do you say? "Whaoo!" Yeah, I tell you what, that says it all. The team did just a fantastic job. We are on top of Ixta 17,300+ feet! It's a beautiful day, the sun us shining, there are some low lying clouds out in the distance. You can see Orizaba which is our next objective, but the team had a good a good day to get here on top, they did a great job. We are doing a little hydrating, and taking some hero shots on the summit by the crosses here on top, and that is about it! So, Elias, myself and Ulises, our guide here in Mexico all say hello to everyone back home. Hey gang, just give a big shout out to anyone and everyone you want to say hi to back home. (Shouts & Cheers from team) RMI Guide JJ Justman

We jumped straight into it today. After six days of travel, hotels, and sight seeing, we were excited to don packs and point our toes uphill. The roughly sixty pounds of food, fuel, and gear each didn't dampen the enthusiasm, at least at first. Our goal was to move a significant bulk of our expedition kit up to 11,200 ft, just a bit shy of Camp 1. With the recent rains, as well as the cattle traffic, the first stretch was muddy and slick. Throw in the steep terrain and it felt a bit like we were climbing on ice skates. But with only a few bovine friends that needed to be shooed out of our way, we made good time and quickly gained the Berlin airfield, a large flat basin, that the Germans supposedly were able to land planes during WWII. Though the skies threatened rain (for much of the day) the clouds seemed to push up with us, keeping us dry for the time being. Through a series of steep climbs and flat benches we wound our way, perfecting our rest step and footwork, until after 3.5 hours, we arrived at the cache site. While periodically scanning for anyone spying our location, we stealthily sorted our cache gear and hid it in the rocks, then turned tail and headed downhill. The going was fast and easy until the last steep stretch to camp when we again had to contend with the mud churned up by our ruminant cohabitants. We slipped, slid, and squished our way down to camp. Our timing was impeccable, as the skies that had threatened all day finally delivered in the form of a drenching downpour two minutes before we reached camp. We ducked into tents and hung wet shells to dry. As the rain continued the ground saturated, and soon our tents seemed to wart to begin floating. Luckily the water has so far stayed on the right side of the tent fabric. We made a hearty dinner of soup with fresh veggies (a shift from last night's farm to table feast) and have retired to our abodes. It is still raining, but hopefully it will subside tonight so that we can move up to Camp 1 tomorrow. If not, it may be time for us to consider building an ark. We'll update you on our progress tomorrow! All the best from RMI Guides Pete, Jeff, and Gang

The team had a very nice rest after our last night in Kathmandu. The city was a hoot, but back here in the high country is tough to beat. All business today. After a nice breakfast of French toast, guess we should call it Nepali toast, we started ascending to Namche Bazaar. A little overcast made for pleasant travel. We are now officially in Sagamartha National Park, which encompasses Mount Everest. We climbed more than 2,000 feet in great style and are now resting comfortably at a tea house in Namche Bazaar. Located at over 11,000 feet makes for a planned extra day here for rest and adjusting to these altitudes. So important to not ascend too quickly. The A team is consuming a lot of great food, but that is a good thing. Remember you can't run a bulldozer on a pint of diesel! RMI Guide Mark Tucker

On The Map

After a calm night at Machame Camp at 9,800', we packed up this morning under blue skies and strong sun and pushed higher. The team was on the move by 8:00 AM and was immediately on steeper and rougher trails than we'd encountered yesterday. It was quite busy as the porters from a number of teams -including our own- were anxious to get out ahead and make it to Shira Camp as early as possible in order to claim prime sites for their teams. We made good progress, eventually following a rocky ridge line for some distance. It was continually interesting to watch the changes in foliage as we ascended. Looking out, we were above a sea of cloud obscuring the rest of Africa. Our sun and views of Kilimanjaro didn't last. By the time we'd reached about 12,000', clouds formed on the upper mountain and stretched to cover us. By then, we were traversing on blocky lava terraces out towards the Shira plateau. We made it into our new camp at 12:30 and after getting settled, enjoyed a fine hot lunch. Afternoon was mostly rest, relax and acclimatize time as we are now at a lofty 12,300' It is colder here and so we didn't stay up very late, hitting the sack at about seven, just after a hearty supper. Best Regards, RMI Guides Dave Hahn

On The Map

Hi there. We're having a great day on Kilimanjaro. The weather is perfect and everyone is doing great. We went up to the Lava Tower (elev. 14,900') and now we're dropping down to camp (12,800'). Here's a pic from the trail! RMI Guide Seth Waterfall

On The Map

The Four Day Summit Climb teams led by RMI Guides Elias de Andres Martos and Walter Hailes reached the summit of Mt. Rainier around 7 a.m. PT. The teams reported really good weather and climbing conditions. Mostly blue skies above them with a thick cloud layer down around 9,500'. They will enjoy some time on the summit before starting their descent to Camp Muir and continue down to Paradise this afternoon. The Liberty Ridge climb led by RMI Guides Casey Grom and Andres Marin will be returning to Ashford today. The team was unable to climb due to poor weather and route conditions. We look forward to seeing the teams this afternoon at Rainier BaseCamp. Congratulations to today's summit climb teams!

The Four Day Summit Climb led by Walter Hailes and the Five Day Summit Climb led by Linden Mallory reached Ingraham Flats (11,200') this morning before making the decision to turn the teams around due to unstable snow conditions. The teams will descend from Camp Muir and return to Rainier BaseCamp in Ashford this afternoon.

The Summit Team was forced to turn around today at 12,100' due to high avalanche danger. They will be starting their descent to Paradise.

Dobry vecher from Moscow, By seven last night the entire team - including all bags and gear! - reached our hotel in Moscow to kick off the 2009 RMI Elbrus Northside Expedition! The team was tired from the hours of traveling from halfway around the world, but excited to be here as we shared a drink with the sun setting over the buildings and illuminating the Moscow River. We found a little cafe down the street from the hotel where, with two English menus amongst the ten of us, we managed to order a delicious dinner through a mix of broken English and phrasebook Russian. Afterwards, we returned to the hotel for a well deserved rest. This morning we made the short walk from our hotel across the Moscow River and along the red walls of the Kremlin to Red Square. We arrived early enough to beat the crowds of tourists and admired the stunning architecture of the GUM (the Soviet State Department Store), St. Basil's Cathedral with it's unmistakable brightly colored onion-shaped domes, and the dark red walls of the Kremlin, the seat of Soviet and now Russian government. After visiting Lenin's tomb, walking through the dark and somber marble building, we met our local Muscovite, Nina, who led us on a tour of this famous area. We walked through the shops of the GUM whose shelves used to stock basic provisions and now houses luxury brands like Dior, then explored the dozens of small, beautifully painted chapels that make up St. Basil's Cathedral, before watching the changing of the guards at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. We ended our tour by making our way through the gates of the Kremlin and exploring it's beautiful churches, gardens, and monuments - such as the largest bell and cannon in the world. After a full day of sightseeing we relaxed for a few hours in the afternoon, taking some time to explore Moscow on our own. We are headed to a fantastic Georgian restaurant tonight to sample cuisine straight from the Caucasus before we head down there ourselves tomorrow. We are catching a morning flight to Mineralyne-Vody, the gateway to the northern Caucasus. We will check-in tomorrow night from the town of Kislovodsk, our launching point for our climb of Elbrus' wild northside.