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And we’re back on the horse! We woke up early this morning in Huaraz and took in the last luxuries of hotel life before we loaded our bus and headed down the Rio Santo towards our final climb. It’s a long drive to Quebrada Llanganuco, where Pisco is located, but it’s a stunning sight to take in. We drove past some of the biggest peaks in South America on our way including Huascaran and Huandoy which tower up into the world of 21,000’. We dropped our bags with our donkey drivers and began our 2 hour approach around 11am. Once we arrived at Pisco Base Camp we took in some warmth inside the Refugio as the snow fell off and on. Our guide team and cook staff got camp built here in this beautiful meadow and we spent the entire afternoon eating, no joke. After dinner finally was finished, we made our way to tents for a good nights sleep. Tomorrow, we’ll do some crevasse rescue training, take a short hike to the top of the morraine above camp, and pack for our big day on Friday. We’ll be in touch, as always. RMI Guide Robby, Alfie, William, and Team ‘One-to-a-Tent’

September 3, 2013 AM Hi all! Kirk, Harry, and I had a very nice hike into the low bivy site on Mt. Shuksan yesterday; partly cloudy, but completely dry. Last night we had a few light showers and then it opened up on us this morning around 8 - 9 a.m. It has given us a little reprieve but is now starting to rain again. We're relaxing in tents and hoping for another break this afternoon so we can get some training in. Everyone is in good spirits despite the weather and some wet boots from this mornings rain storm. Thanks for checking in! September 3, 2013 PM Our hopes came true! The weather broke this afternoon and we were able to get outside and get some training in. We're taking a break right now but will head back out and take advantage of the dry weather and train some more. The forecasts predicts decent weather for tomorrow so we may try to climb. I'll keep you posted on our that goes. We'll check in again tomorrow! RMI Guide Geoff Schellens

Our Four Day Summit Climb Team led by Casey Grom, and the Expedition Skills Seminar – Paradise reached the summit of Mt. Rainier this morning. A cap covered the top of the mountain today making visibility low with wind gusts of 30 – 35mph. The teams started their descent back to Camp Muir at 7:26am PST. Congratulations Teams!

The Cotopaxi Team is safely off the mountain and checked into the historic La Cienega Hosteria in Lasso, Ecuador. Today has been a mix of excitement and frustration as we finally took our shot at the summit of Cotopaxi, only to be thwarted by the high winds that characterized our stay on the mountain. We awoke at midnight to a slight lull in the wind and began our climb just after one o'clock AM. The snow conditions proved to be tough with a thin ice-skin over unconsolidated 'corn' snow. After reaching just over 18,000 feet I had to make the tough decision to turn the teams around. The wind had increased dramatically, blowing climbers out of the trail and covering all of us in a layer of rime ice. It was maddening to get so close to our goal but in the end the importance of returning safely to our family and friends is, of course, the most important thing. Now we're set to celebrate the end of our trip with a great dinner at La Cienega before making the final leg of our journey tomorrow. We'll check in again when we arrive back in Quito. RMI Guide - Seth Waterfall

The entire Mt. Shuksan climb led by RMI Guides Ray Holt and Tom Skoog reached the summit of Mt. Shuksan via the Fisher Chimneys route this morning. The team enjoyed a beautiful sunrise while ascending and blue skies from the summit. The team will descend back to the trailhead and conclude their program later today.

Congratulations climbers!

RMI Guides Will Ambler and Bailey Servais led their team to the summit of Mt. Shuksan via the Fisher Chimneys route. The team enjoyed clear skies and a bit of sunshine as they climbed above the clouds. On the descent, a rainstorm moved in, making for a soggy finish. The team picked up the pace — even running at times — and made it safely back to the trailhead this afternoon.

Congratulations to the team!

Well, we earned this one. We woke up early, at 10:30pm, to eat 'breakfast' and don our climbing clothes. At first it was warm and calm at the hut; soon it was foggy with light rain. We weren't sure what to expect. The first hour was dry and very warm. The last hour to the summit was anything but. On our ascent of Cotopaxi, we climbed through various intensities of rain, freezing rain, sleet, and snow. The winds picked up in third hour of our climb, and were persistently strong and gusty, strong enough to make us work even harder to maintain our balance. Our climbers were as persistent as the winds though, and eight hours after starting out we were standing on the summit of Cotopaxi (19,347')! The summit celebrations were short-lived because of the weather. After a tiring decent, we were all back at the parking lot, safe and sound, twelve hours round trip. For the bulk of the climb we were all covered in rime ice; our ropes looked like frozen fire hoses, and we were glad to have helmets on when a flapping jacket hood would clock you from behind. We gave up any semblance of a view from the summit for the opportunity to test our merit in full alpine conditions. And we came away with no more than a few blisters and some tired climbers. I'm proud of our Ecuador Volcanoes team for climbing hard all day today...we were the only team on the mountain today, and we even got a summit! Now we're en route to Quito, anticipating hot showers and well-deserved cervesas (with maybe a nap or three thrown in there) before meeting for a celebration dinner tonight. Great job team! RMI Guide Mike Walter

Adversity. It's what high altitude climbing is all about. And here we are, sitting on a rest day at 18,000 feet in a snowstorm. It was predicted and we are actually glad. Because today is supposed to be the last day of adverse weather. Tomorrow is forecasted to be nice and as a matter of fact, the next four to five days. The team is feeling great so in the meantime, Katrina and I have 36 quesadillas to make. RMI Guide JJ Justman

On The Map

The Four Day Summit Climb July 9 - 12 led by Seth Waterfall and the Expedition Skills Seminar – Paradise July 7 - 12 led by Leon Davis reached the summit of Mt. Rainier at 6:30 a.m. PT. The teams reported 10-15 mph winds, temperatures in the mid-teens, light snow and visibility of about 200 yards. Both teams started their descent from the crater rim shortly before 8 a.m. They will return to Camp Muir for short break to rest and re-pack before continuing down to Paradise this afternoon. We look forward to seeing the teams at Rainier BaseCamp this afternoon. Congratulation to today's climbing teams!

We had a great, mellow day today at the 14k foot camp. After going back to our cache at Windy Corner, we spent the rest of the day building snow walls around our camp to protect us from any wind. We also spent time making our cook tent more comfortable, as well as creating a luxurious bathroom (the little things make a big difference up here!). Now we're getting ready to feast on some tasty chicken quesadillas, with fresh veggies (to be honest, the fresh veggies froze on day one of the trip...but they are thawed out now, and they will be delicious). We're planning to take a full rest day tomorrow, in order to acclimate and get strong for carrying supplies up high on the West Buttress. The weather has been nice and sunny with virtually no wind, and we hope that it persists as we prepare for moving up to high camp and on to the summit. Thanks for all the blog comments. We'll touch base again tomorrow. RMI Guide Mike Walter

On The Map