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Wake up, eat breakfast, hike, drink tea, order dinner, eat dinner, order breakfast, go to sleep, and repeat.

 

We hit the dusty trail once again, making our way closer and closer to Everest Basecamp. Yaks jingle jangled along the trail letting us know their presence so we could move aside and let them have the right-away. We weaved up and down, right, and left through the boulders in terrain that looks out of this world. We got our first views of the Khumbu glacier and then a great view of Everest. Our best views came on our hike up Kalapatar. Halfway up everyone got views of basecamp and the Khumbu icefall. The whole picture is coming together, and the mirage is disappearing. It’s hard to see where one mountain starts and another ends. Everyone is getting excited to arrive in basecamp, especially now that we have seen it from a far. Tomorrow is the day but for now we will all get a good night’s sleep after a sun-filled dusty day on the trail.

 

Till Basecamp,

Casey, Hannah, and team

Today we started our day at 6:30 refreshed after a much needed nights sleep, we had breakfast, then hit the trail one last time. It took just under three hours to reach the Kilimanjaro National Park gate where the team had lunch and said our final goodbyes to our amazing crew that took such great care of us on the mountain. 

We finished the little celebration by handing out their well deserved tips and then hopped aboard our awaiting bus for the ride back to the lodge. 

Finally we are all safe and sound, cleaner, and smelling fresh after an exciting seven day journey up and down Kilimanjaro. 

Stayed tuned, Safari starts tomorrow!

RMI Guide Casey Grom and crew

Hi, this is Brent from 17,000' on Mt. McKinley and I just wanted to report that we did summit here last night and we actually just going to bed right now, [it's] about 3:30 in the morning. It was a bit of an epic night with some trail breaking and some cold winds but everyone did really well and we are all safe back at camp. So congratulations to the team here, we will be descending down to probably 11,000' [camp] tomorrow. Alright, talk to you later. Bye bye. - RMI Guide Brent Okita

On The Map

The team woke up at 5am at Camp 1 with everyone feeling good. They need to start early today as the area they will be climbing in, the Western Cwm, will get very hot. With no wind, mile high walls surrounding you, intense solar radiation due to the lack of atmosphere above, you can be in the cooker. It feels great for a while, but it sure can take a lot of energy from you. The goal will be to climb up to Camp 2 , have a snack, say hi to Lam Babu and Yubarj ,our two men making the 21,000 ft + high outpost for the team. Then return back to Camp 1 for one more night before returning to Base Camp. The Blueprint for a successful climb of this peak starts way before you get to the mountain. Training of course, experience....the more the better, then you need a Master Craftsman like our Dave Hahn out here in the field. Every action has a reaction and nobody knows that better than Dave. Right now the team is working on the foundation of this climb. Dave has the time line for this project always in sight. He looks at his plans and knows that if he fails to build to code things can fall apart. The inspector (Mount Everest) can show up on the job site at anytime and you better be ready. Dave didn't stop at Home Depot to pick up some help, Linden and our team of Sherpa have all gone through a rigorous apprenticeship, and have been studying under the watchful eye of a Journeyman Everest Guide. We will continue to support our crew with the best tools and equipment out there. So both you and I can marvel at a job well done. Till next time, RMI Guide Mark Tucker Mt. Everest Base Camp Manager

The Expedition Skills Seminar - Emmons July 3 - 8 led by RMI Guide Nikki Champion spent two days training at Rainier BaseCamp and at Paradise, prior to starting their climb.  On Tuesday, they left Ashford for the White River Ranger Station.  They donned heavy packs and started up the mountain to their first camp.  Yesterday, they ascended to Camp Schurman and continued their training.  With an alpine start this morning, they made their summit attempt but were turned back due to high winds, low visibility and challenging walking.  The team returned safely to Camp Schurman around 1 pm where they will spend their last night on the mountain.  Tomorrow the group will descend to the trailhead and return to Rainier BaseCamp.

We met yet another stray dog friend today- oh wait, that’s not what this blog about! We are incredibly happy and proud to say that every single team member stood on top of North America’s 3rd highest peak, Pico de Orizaba, today! What a day it was too! We awoke for our alpine start to find that the sky was clear, the wind light, and the temperatures still warm from the previous day. The route takes us up an old aqueduct, then up a rocky slope for a couple of hours until you reach a feature called the labyrinth, aptly named. That is when the weather started to turn from warm and windless to bitter and howling. Up we went, navigating the labyrinth with all its ice, mud, and rock and to the base of the of the Jamapa Glacier. A team member described the glacier as “walking up a descending escalator”, never ending and relentless. On we pushed, with perseverance stretched to its limit we crested the caldera ridge and on to the true summit where we met back up with our 2 other rope teams and embraced.

We are back down now, safe and sound, about to jump in our showers and wash up before dinner, our last one as a team. Seems surreal for it to be over so soon, but we look forward to seeing everyone in the mountains again. This is the Mexico climbing team signing off.

Except there is the picture of our dog friend walking us down to Base.

RMI Guides Dominic Cifelli, Abby Westling and Team

The Four Day Climb August 17 - 20 led by RMI Guides Mike Walter and Nikki Champion reached the summit of Mt. Rainier this morning.  Mike reported moderate winds and a busy route.  Camp Muir sandwiched between two layers of clouds, dense clouds above Camp Muir and a light marine layer above Paradise currently.  The climbers will take a short break at Camp Muir to repack and re-hydrate before starting down to Paradise.  Once at Paradise the shuttle will return the climbers to Rainier BaseCamp where they will conclude their program with a short ceremony.

Nice work today everyone!

The Four Day Climb led by RMI Guides Walt Hailes and Taylor Bickford were on the 14,410' summit of Mt. Rainier early this morning. Walt reported that is was a nice day of climbing on the Disappointment Cleaver Route. The team started their descent at 8:25 am and are making their way back to Camp Muir.

Congratulations Team! 

A huge congratulations to this team for completing the Everest Base Camp Trek and Lobuche climb today. This has been an amazing and challenging expedition. We have seen the cutest red cheeked children, the world's highest mountains, and some good looking chocolate cake slices. We are fortunate to have embarked on this adventure and learned more about the world, one another, and ourselves. As we pulled into Lukla this evening, after many miles and long days, I realized how grateful I am for the positive energy of this team and the Nepali people who supported us along the way. We passed Zopkeos and porters with huge loads on their backs all working to make the trekker's and climber's experiences more enjoyable with coca cola, clean towels, and so much more. Sometimes people come to Nepal for the mountains, but the generosity and hospitality of the Nepali people is what everyone remembers. RMI Guide Christina Dale

Summit... of Kalapathar! The team took on Kalapathar, and had a great payday of views galore. Nice weather for most of the day. The Sherpa team also benefited from weather as they are nearly done with all the makings of Camp 2. One comment from a Sherpa that it was very hot in the Khumbu Icefall. Seems ironic. The climbing team is gearing up for a possible early morning test run in the Icefall. We'll keep you posted. RMI Guide Mark Tucker

On The Map