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RMI Guide Bryan Hendrick took on a little side project this summer: between his climbs of Mt. Rainier, Bryan built a portable tiny house on a 16' trailer that he can tow behind his truck. Working in the yard in Ashford, Bryan took 3 months to build a 192 square foot house. A few days ago Bryan packed up his climbing gear - and his house - and headed off to Leavenworth, WA, where he is planning on parking it for the winter. "Driving the house to Leavenworth was exciting to say the least. With the recent snow fall, Chinook Pass had less than ideal driving conditions the day I drove the house over. The road was snow covered and a little wet in places. At 8'6" wide, it's not something you want to tow too often," said Bryan. Below are a few photos of the house being built: ____ Bryan Hendrick is a mountain guide for RMI Expeditions. When not climbing mountains or building houses, Bryan works for Naturalist at Large and the Stevens Pass Ski Patrol. He will also be out in the mountains preparing for several AMGA courses this spring.

Hello All, We have just finished a fun dinner after returning to Timika late this afternoon. Admittedly though, the dinner, as delicious as it was, paled in comparison to a shower after all these days in the humid & muddy jungle! This trip has been demanding in so many ways that the whole adventure is just that much sweeter now that it has ended. Mark Tucker and I are off to Bali for a day of body surfing (oh how I hate my job!) and then back to the U.S. Thanks for following along. All the best, RMI Guide Alex Van Steen

On The Map

RMI Guide Gabriel Barral called with great news that our team reached the summit of Aconcagua! They stood on top at 2 pm (Argentinian time) and are back at high camp happy, healthy, and contently tired. After dinner and a good night's sleep, the team will descend to base camp tomorrow. Congratulations to RMI Guides Gabriel Barral, Pete Van Deventer, Gilbert Chase and Team!

On The Map

After a great night of sleep, we slowly made our way down the mountain. The team was motivated and made quick work of the descent. Motivated by the thought of hot showers, delicious meals, and communicating with loved ones. A nice evening at Aconcagua Basecamp was had rehashing memorable moments of the trip. We are all very fond of the experience Aconcagua has allowed us to share together.

Till next time,

RMI Guide Luke Wilhelm

We had a restful night at Torres Central. No discotheque last night. Our hike took us on the first part of the “O” circuit through former estancia fields used to graze sheep & cattle. The trail then wound through a nice forest with a canopy that provided some relief from the sun and intense heat, abnormal for this area. Eight miles puts us in Seron camp at a former ranch cabin. The team got out of the sun and since we are experiencing a heat wave we took refreshments down to the Paine river, “Paine” meaning blue in the language of the original inhabitants of this area. The river is a pastel green from the glacial till and a little cold for this Florida based crew. I got a few of them in the shallow river for a quick swim by setting the example, leading from the front and all. The remainder waded in to soak sore feet & knees. With the swim counting as a shower and laundry we are sitting down for some Chilean wine and cheese before dinner, quite civilized. Tomorrow we hike to Lago Dickson, hoping for some respite from the heat but if not we have a lake to plunge into.

Thanks for following along.

RMI Guide Mike King

The team was treated to an almost windless summit day on Orizaba to cap off our Mexico Volcanoes trip! We summitted at 9:30 am and got down safely in time to enjoy a delicious home cooked meal in Tlachichuca. The team is showered, full, and ready to see our families when we fly out tomorrow for home. Till next time Mexico!

RMI Guide Dominic Cifelli

The last few days have been filled with training, climbing and socializing around our Base Camp. A few observations: 1. Everest Base Camp has now swelled to about 350 people, with all the corresponding tents and equipment. It is massive, and it takes up acres and acres of space on top of a moving glacier. In addition, Everest BC is visited each day by organized groups of trekkers who hike up from Lukla to see the place (and the show). The glacier is not flat, but is a series of small undulations in the moving ice (which is mostly covered with rocks). Yesterday during a training run we climbed a portion of the way up the Khumbu Icefall and, from close to 18,000 feet, we got to see the entire camp. What a sight! 2. Socializing. Last night our group invited over the Base Camp doctors for dinner. The head physician has been running the Base Camp medical clinic for 9 years, so she was well known to Dave Hahn (who, again, seems to know everyone). The Base Camp doctors are incredibly knowledgeable about high altitude illnesses, and their presence in camp has no doubt saved many lives. They are here to treat everyone, including climbers, climbing Sherpas, porters, and trekkers (and anyone else). The ten of us had a great meal, and then played speed scrabble (which encouraged the use of slang words), and then Apples to Apples. As an aside, we all learned some interesting slang words from the different nationalities (Scotland, Nepal, etc.). Sara McGahan even threw in some slang used by 10th graders. I know that I learned quite a bit. 3. It is up to a group of incredibly courageous and talented Sherpas to fix line up Mt. Everest each year through one of the most dangerous parts of the climb - the Khumbu Icefall. These folks - called "Icefall Doctors" - are employed directly by the national park and are paid out of the fees the climbers pay to access the mountain. The Khumbu Icefall is the section of Mt. Everest that is between Basecamp and Camp I, and it is extremely dangerous because it is ever shifting as the glacier slowly moves ahead and tumbles down the mountain, and also because it is susceptible to avalanches from surrounding peaks. When shifting or an avalanche takes place, massive amounts of solid ice moves (and you don't want to be anywhere in the neighborhood when it happens). The Icefall Doctors also place ladders across huge crevasses and rope up steep sections of the Icefall, which is used by climbers to pull themselves up the mountain, but, as importantly, to "clip into" for safety. There would be literally no way for a climber of my capability to climb this mountain without the Icefall Doctors. They are amazing people. 4. In the incredibly capable hands of our lead guide Dave Hahn, Sara and I have been climbing around Base Camp in order to do two things: 1) continue to acclimatize, and 2) work on the skills that we need to move quickly up the mountain. One of the greatest dangers that we face on Everest is avalanches, and speed is one of our best ways to minimize our danger. We are working hard to be able to move quickly and safely though the icefall. We need to be able to breathe (this always helps!) and to have a comfort level on ladders and fixed line. Dave has spent days with us helping us with these skills, and we will be continuing to work on them in the days ahead. Only then will we venture up to higher places on the mountain. 5. Fun. One of the reasons that trekkers and climbers alike come to Base Camp is that it is a fun place. Every day people come by to socialize with us. Mark Tucker (our Base Camp manager) is always ready with some kind of game. Mark and I teamed up to win a horse shoe throwing contest, and the other night we had a poker tournament (Texas hold em) with guides from other groups. We have also played golf on the frozen ponds on the icefall, with yours truly hitting a hole in one, much to the chagrin of Mr. Tucker (it earned me 50 rupees - ha!). So, there is always something going on, with people coming and going, and it is one of my favorite things about climbing. The people are adventurous, interesting, international, and fun loving - the best people in the world in my opinion. So, thanks for following our blog. We are working hard and will have more to report in the days ahead. Bill M.

Update: Heatwave day 3.

We got a little breeze today at times but that is about it. Clear blue skies and great views dominated the day. Our trail was rolling “Patagonia flat” which is some ups and downs. There was some good canopy to get out of the sun. As we got closer to Lago Dickson we got views of the glaciers that make up the eastern part of the Southern ice fields. Lago Dickson is a very scenic camp and today it was exceptional. Once at camp we got some refreshments and headed down for a swim to cool off. With the glaciers a few miles away, the water was colder but the diminishing ozone over this area makes for intense sunlight and radiation, i.e., warm sand after a cold swim. Showers & laundry having been achieved with a swim the team is finished with dinner.

Tomorrow we head to Los Perros. Wildlife update: we have seen small Patagonian parrots & large Andean condors. Fingers crossed we get some cooler weather tomorrow cause the glacier is much closer for tomorrow’s swim should it come to that.

Thanks for following along,

RMI Guide Mike King & Team

Tuesday, September 14, 2021

At around 10am today a team led by RMI Guide Matias Francis reached the summit of Mt. Shuksan. The climbable weather was short lived, as they raced the impending rain back to camp. The weather won this round as they made it back to camp soaked, but happy. The team will spend the night at high camp, before descending down during the day tomorrow (hopefully in the sun). 

Congratulations to the team!

The Glacier Peak Climb with RMI Guide James Bealer reached the 10,541' Summit yesterday. The team spent most of the approach to high camp in the clouds, but got incredibly lucky on summit day, as the clouds parted, and the peak showed off beautiful hues of pink. The team had a clear day for climbing.  For two of the team members this summit completes their quest to climb all FIVE Washington Volcanoes! 

The team will descend about seven and a half miles to the trailhead today and celebrate in Darrington.

Congratulations Team!