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The North Cascades continue to deliver! RMI Guide Ben Luedtke and team ventured to the Picket Range in North Cascades National Park over the weekend for a successful climb of West McMillan Spire. They enjoyed great climbing conditions and blue, windless skies.

Hello friends and family!

The team made a strong move today, climbing from Camp 1 to Camp 2 in great form. It was a challenging push, but everyone handled the route with grit and determination. Now, at over 18000 ft, we’re resting at Camp 2, which will be home for a little while as we wait for the right weather window to move up to Camp 3 and prepare for our summit push.

Camp 2 is buzzing with activity. Climbers from different expeditions are coming and going, creating a lively atmosphere. Despite the hustle and bustle, we’ve managed to carve out a little corner of the camp for ourselves. We made the best (and flattest) tent platforms possible by “reading the green” - I’ll be honest, that’s a new term for me but not for all the golfers in the group!

Of course, space is tight up here, which makes our usual card and dice games a bit of a challenge. Finding a flat spot where things don’t roll away is harder than you’d think! But we’re getting creative and working on a setup that’ll keep the fun going as we rest.

The team is doing great—strong, motivated, and full of positive energy. For now, it’s all about resting, fueling up, and staying sharp. The summit is getting closer, and we’re ready for the next step when the mountain says it’s time. Stay tuned for more updates from Guanacos Camp.

RMI Guide Jess Wedel and the Team

The RMI Team led by Dustin Wittmier climbed strong from 17,000' Camp to the summit of Mt. McKinley. They gained the summit ridge at 4:45 pm local time and continued to the summit at 20,310' arriving at 5: 28 pm Alaska time on Saturday, June 14th.  

After enjoying some time on top, the team descended to 17,000' Camp reaching camp around 10 pm local time where they spent the night.

Congratulations to today's climbers!  

Hello again everyone. 

Right out of camp we were faced with the only significant technical obstacle for this climb. This hurdle is the great Barranco Wall, which rises about 1,000ft and looks as intimidating as it sounds. Thankfully there is a nice narrow trail that weaves its way up and through the wall and all the way to the top. Most of it feels more like steep hiking, but there are a few places that require the use of our hands to help us climb up. 

The team did a great job of moving steady and allowing a few porters through with their loads precariously balanced on their heads, while we clung to the wall like scared cats. 

After reaching the top we took a nice break and enjoyed some hot tea and fresh snacks. The team then continued our hiking for two more hours before reaching camp. 

All in all, it took only about four hours for us to reach our next camp called Karanga, named for the big and beautiful valley which it overlooks. Unfortunately it mostly obscured by the thick clouds that seem to be following us and we ducked into the tents right before the rain arrived, lucky us. 

Spirits are high and there have been few complaints from this tough crew, even though it’s been more cloudy and damp than we’d like!

RMI Guide Casey and the Kili crew!

Monday, May 31, 2021 - 10:21 pm PT

Both RMI Denali Expeditions led RMI Guides Mike Walter and Pete Van Deventer made it to High Camp today at 17, 200'. We are busy melting snow and making hot water for dinner. If the weather is good, we hope to go for the top tomorrow.

RMI Guide Mike Walter