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Saturday, July 6, 2019 - 10:38 PM PT We got it. Only slightly ashamed that it was such a nice day. We didn’t have to worry about frozen faces or fingers or toes. We didn’t have to battle winds. We didn’t have to watch clouds building or encroaching. A lot of the normal stresses just weren’t there today as we cruised to the top of North America and came down to high camp safely. The stoves were burning just after 5 AM this morning and conditions were exactly the same as when we’d gone to bed... clear and calm. We hit the trail at 6:55 and did battle for two hours with the steep and intimidating Autobahn -the route from 17,200' High Camp to 18,3000' Denali Pass. We found the sunshine up at the pass and then worked a series of steep snow rolls to reach Zebra Rocks, the dramatic black and white rocks along the ridge line. Then it was up and over the ridge formed by the Archdeacon’s Tower and into the Football Field at 19,500'. Things got steep again as we worked 600 vertical feet to attain the summit ridge. The views were overwhelming with no real cloud in our gigantic slice of sky. Just a bit of smoke still, but that didn’t prevent our seeing mountain chain after mountain chain and about a thousand glaciers. We cruised out the summit ridge to gain the absolute high point at 2:10 PM for a very respectable 7.25 hour ascent. There wasn’t any wind to speak of at the summit and the temperature was probably 15 or 20 above... balmy. We limited our very pleasant stay of 40 minutes and began working downward at 2:50. Only one other team went for the top today and we high-fived them on our descent to the Football Field as we passed them still going strong for the top. We put together a few hours of careful steps and reached camp at 6:25 PM. We were tired but plenty satisfied as we ate dinner and secured things for the night. Several of our gang shattered their altitude records today. Best Regards RMI Guide Dave Hahn

On The Map

June 23, 2014 - 7:31 pm PT We decided that today would be a great day to do some more acclimatization at 14,000' on Mt. McKinley. Instead of carrying our gear higher we decided to rest today and then retrieve our gear on our move to 17,000' tomorrow. The team is feeling strong and we are feeling very positive about a good summit bid once we get into position at seventeen. Keep your fingers crossed for good weather for us for a few days! RMI Guide Mike Haugen and Team "The Ocho"

On The Map

What a day is all I can say. We awoke to great weather at 4 a.m. this morning with nice traveling temps. The team packed camp in good style and moved smoothly for just over four hours, arriving at 11,000' camp just after 10 a.m. We went right to work building our best and most deluxe camp yet including an enclosed mountain business station.... and and a posh house kitchen that tops a five star establishment. The team is climbing well, though a bit pooped this afternoon. All of us are in great spirits. We are hiding in the tents from the intense radiation on this blue bird day while catching up on hydration and rest. Tomorrow will bring us a short back carry to retrive our cache from yesterday which should disperse the lactic acid in our legs by helping us move some blood along with helping the crew further acclimate. Days like today are some of the best and most memorable in the mountains, and we're all excited to be sharing this experience together. Cheers from 11,000'! RMI Guide Tyler Jones & Team

The team is all safely back in Quito now, after returning from or climb of Cayambe. We took advantage of good climbing conditions with an alpine start (midnight) from the climbing hut on Cayambe, and enjoyed a starry night, comfortable climbing temperature, and good cramponing. Everyone climbed very well - the previous week of climbing and hiking at high altitude had obviously paid off; we were all strong and acclimated. The stars turned to clouds as we ascended the Picos Jarrin route on Cayambe, but the climbing conditions remained favorable. We reached an altitude of 18,700', where a bergshcrund separates the summit ice cap from the glacier below. We searched far to the north and south, trying to find a passage that would allow access to the summit. During this excursion, we explored inside the bergshrund and ascend some steep snow ramps that looked like they would connect to the summit. But, in the end, we were thwarted by the enormous bergshcrund; our high point would be just a couple hundred feet below the true summit - just barely out of our grasp. Our climbing team was still pleased with our strong performance today, and certainly had a very enjoyable climb on Cayambe. As we descended, the clouds decided not to take mercy on us, and frozen precipitation turned to rain at lower altitudes. We were pretty wet when we arrived back at the climbing hut, but fortunately it was warm and hot drinks awaited us. After a brief rest to dry out and have a bite of food, we hiked 15 minutes down to our van, and continued on to Quito. Hot showers at the hotel and clean clothes were very welcome. A great meal was enjoyed last night as the group celebrated the past 10 days we spent together enjoying the Ecuadorian culture, people, and mountains, enjoying traveling and adventure, and enjoying spending time with each other. That's it for now. Thanks for following our adventures!

Hi from Russia! The whole team and luggage has arrived in Moscow. We just finished a great dinner and are getting to bed so we can enjoy our city tour tomorrow.

The Easton Glacier Climb led by RMI Guide Seth Burns went 100% to the summit of Mt. Baker this morning! Seth reports a great day of climbing with good weather. The team is back at camp where they will spend one more night before descending to the trailhead tomorrow.

Hello everyone,

Today the we had an early start and left behind our beautiful lodge as we have headed to the mountain towards the start of the climb. We left around 8 am and drove along the rural country side and small villages for two hours before reaching the park entrance. 

Most of the area surrounding Kilimanjaro has been cultivated and primarily used for coffee and banana production, plus a variety of other agriculture needs. There are still a few areas that have been untouched and resemble more of a savannah that Tanzania is known for. Kilimanjaro’s base is mostly forested and resembles more of a jungle, this area is called the cloud forest. 

Once we arrived at the park gate we had all of our gear weighed and divided into loads for our porters and other staff to carry before hitting the trail. Once everything was in order we started our climb slowly making our way up the winding trail that ascends continuously through the thick forest. Thankfully the overhead canopy provided a bit of relief from the hot sun overhead. 

The team hiked for about five hours and reached our camp for the night that sits around 10,000'. After settling into camp and getting situated the team was served a nice warm meal for dinner. 

Everyone is doing well and looking forward to a good night's rest. 

RMI Guide Casey Grom and crew

Saturday, July 20, 2018 - 1:50PM PT RMI Guide Zeb Blais checked in from the Fisher Chimney's route of Mt. Shuksan today. The team had just made it back to high camp after a summit day with 100% success! They reported beautiful conditions and good climbing. They will spend tonight at high camp and descend back to the trail-head tomorrow. Congratulations Climbers!

Hey, it’s Billy here checking in with our crew 100% on top of Cotopaxi. Enjoying another gorgeous day and another summit of an Ecuadorian Volcano! We have been taking probably hundreds of photos here on the top and we are going to gear up shortly and begin our descent. We will check in when again when we are down safe and sound, so wish us luck. Ciao ciao! RMI Guide Billy Nugent & Team

We've started our safari with a great day. We got an early-ish start from the Dik Dik and headed out of town. On the way we stopped to pick up some stuff for the road. We made good time on some rough roads and through some construction zones. It's actually great to see the government investing in infrastructure here. Once we got to Lake Manyara National Park we had an amazing lunch at a nice little picnic spot and then headed out on the game drive. The drive was excellent! I've been convinced for years that the 'tree climbing lions' of Lake Manyara do not exist but today I was proven wrong. It was just a glimpse of the hind quarter of the lion but now I know they're real. We're done with the game drive now and enjoying cocktail hour at the Plantation Lodge. It's a great change of pace from the mountain. Here's a pick of the grounds at the lodge. It's a beautiful spot to spend a couple of nights on safari. RMI Guide Seth Waterfall and Team