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Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mexico
Posted by: Walter Hailes, Nicole De Petris
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Ecuador
Elevation: 15,000'
We set out early, eager to hike up Ruca Pichincha, ready for an adventure that would take us to 15,000 feet. The ascent was fun, despite a few headaches and light-headedness that came with the altitude—nothing unusual for our first high-altitude climb. Unfortunately, the clouds were thick for most of the hike, hiding the breathtaking views we had hoped to enjoy.
Afterward, we enjoyed some delicious traditional Ecuadorian food to fuel up, savoring the flavors while sharing stories and laughter.
RMI Guide Walt Hailes & Team
New Post Alerts:
Ecuador Seminar February 4, 2025
Posted by: Dustin Wittmier, Daniel May, Lacie Smith
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mt. McKinley
Elevation: 14,000'
Monday, May 27, 2024 - 7:05 pm PT
The Denali Bingo card formulated by our team.
1. Get uncomfortably close to filling your pee bottle in the middle of the night.
2.Make eye contact with someone from the next camp while pooping.
3. Stand outside your tent for more than 30 minutes because you want to go pee before you get into the tent because once you're in you don't want to come back out.
4. Wear your bootys instead of your boots outside and almost slide to your death (or fall into the kitchen tent)
5. Have more than 5 blisters.
6. Read out loud to your tent mates for entertainment.
7. Read all the books you brought/watch all the shows you downloaded before day 16.
8. Eat 3 servings of breakfast/dinner.
9. Drink your warm food bowl cleaning water (gross)
10. Get very frustrated when you realize that all the music you downloaded on Spotify isn't working.
11. Eat a questionable snack.
12. Get woken up from condensation drops on your face.
13. Dig yourself out of your tent after a storm.
14. Be thankful for all the life choices that brought you here
15. Regret every life choice that brought you here.
16. Taste your last meal in your current meal.
17. Use your pee bottle for warmth.
18. Skip brushing your teeth because it’s cold outside
19. Use pee bottle as spit bottle when brushing teeth.
20. Tent yoga.
21. Finish packing your pack and then fully unpack because your gloves are at the bottom
22. Unusual shaped sunburn
23. Eat a pound of cheese in 3 days.
24. Get blasted by snow in the kitchen tent during an entire dinner
25. Wear the same pair of socks for more than 10 days
Denali bingo brought to you by Sharon and the team. We are all winners in this one!
New Post Alerts:
Denali Expedition, May 12, 2024
Howdy everyone back home.
All is well in Tanzania. We’ve had great weather and the team is humming along really well.
We hit the trail just after 8am and hiked for an hour before taking our usual 15 minute break, then back on the trail for another hour and so on. All total today we hiked for just over 6 hours before reaching Barranco camp. Our gracious Kilimanjaro porters have been working very hard and we arrive once again to a camp set up and ready for us.
Along the way we passed around the famous Lava Tower reaching just over 15,000ft setting new altitude records for many. We also passed by many of the giant groundsels and towering Senecio trees that made us feel as if we were in some crazy Dr. Zuess story.
The team is in good spirits and doing great.
RMI Guide Casey Grom
Climb every mountain
Ford every stream
Follow every rainbow
‘Till you find your dream
A dream that will need
All the love you can give
Every day of your life
For as long as you live!
Posted by: Heather Reingold on 9/8/2023 at 9:48 am
Ode to Dylan
To the tune of Toto’s Africa
She cares for my Chiweenie through the night,
As I climb up Kilimanjaro’s rocky height,
I’m chasing dreams on that African peak so high, but she’s at home, living in Peppertree.
She may not scale mountains, but her love is true. She’ll care for our Chiweenie and wait for me in the stillness of the night. She’ll ensure Nick is happy while I chase the stars. She’ll feed our dog ice cream.
She’s a loyal wife, stayin’ by my side, caring for our Chiweenie. Love will be my guide, though I’m far away. No need for Casey. In the shadow of Kilimanjaro, our love’s a sacred place.
The stars above twinkle in my eyes as my wife cares for our Chiweenie, who can be a meanie. With a wild chiweenie, she treads her own terrain, While I’m on that mountain, facing wind and rain.
She may not scale mountains, but her love is true. She’ll care for our Chiweenie and wait for me in the stillness of the night. She’ll watch him sleep while I chase the stars. She’ll keep our home free from company.
She’s a loyal wife, stayin’ by my side, caring for our Chiweenie. Love will be our guide, no need for Casey. I feel her heart’s embrace in the shadow of Kilimanjaro. Her love’s a sacred place.
As I reach the summit with the world below, I know her love is the reason. It’s what makes me grow through the icy winds and the mountain’s might. I’ll return to her in the warm and gentle night.
She may not scale mountains, but her love is true. She’ll care for our Chiweenie and wait for me in the stillness of the night. She’ll ensure Nick is happy, and with DJ Vista on the screen, she’ll keep our home clean.
She’s a loyal wife, stayin’ by my side, caring for our Chiweenie. Love will be our guide, not Casey, I feel her heart’s embrace in the shadow of Kilimanjaro. Our love’s a sacred place.
With tanzanite aglow, Kilimanjaro will be our sacred place. She’s a loyal wife with a Chiweenie’s embrace. Our love’s a sacred place where we dream of a Labrador’s embrace.
Posted by: Heather Reingold on 9/7/2023 at 5:38 pm
We had sunshine and calm conditions at 7 AM in highcamp today... which was better than the forecast called for. There was still plenty of cloud about, but we decided to go for the summit. It took until 9:50 to get fully fueled up and geared up for climbing, and by then a few more clouds had rolled in though we still had a good feeling about the day. Vinson put up a fight, of course, and a few of the team were feeling effects of the altitude and so not everybody topped out. Those that did, made it up in about 8 hours, spent nearly an hour on the summit and came down in just a couple more for a respectable round trip under 11 hrs. The conditions swung between sunny and calm, breezy and cloudy and everything in between... all at temps of about -20 to -25 Fahrenheit, so our rest breaks were short and business like so as to keep fingers and toes flexible. We enjoyed views of the tall and jagged peaks to Vinson’s north, and when the mountains were obscured, the sculpted cloud formations covering them were spectacular. On top of Antarctica’s highest mountain, the team lucked out with calm and sunny “gloves off” conditions for photos, fist bumps and flag waving. By 8:30 PM the gang was all back together at high camp. We spent a few hours brewing up, eating, drinking and laughing. A most memorable New Years Day was had by all.
Best Regards
RMI Guides Dave Hahn
On The Map
Way to go! Be safe and see you soon!
Posted by: Chris McKinley on 1/2/2020 at 12:10 pm
Amazing accomplishment guys! Godspeed and safe travels!
Posted by: Steve Minichiello on 1/2/2020 at 12:10 pm
Congratulations to the entire team! It sounds like and looks like you’re having the time of your lives!
Rest up, eat some good food, sleep well, & continue with this fabulous journey!
Chris and Adam, thank you for taking such good care of this fabulous team !
Love you Paul!
Posted by: Susan Matthews on 1/28/2019 at 2:53 pm
Posted by: Geoff Schellens
Categories: Expedition Dispatches North Cascades
Jim and Joy you guys are awesome! Sounds like you are working hard yet having fun! Can’t wait to hear this from your perspective and see some photos!
Enjoy!
Posted by: Jordan on 8/28/2013 at 10:03 am
Dave Hahn Checks in from Basecamp
On The Map
Hoping that third day lucky worked this time. Best to all as you move up thru the glacier. All well in my world Wayne, loving, Dinah
Posted by: Dinah Rogers on 7/2/2011 at 12:14 pm
Thanks for the update. One bright side in the delay is that everyone will be well rested.
Cheers to everyone on the team!!
~Jennifer
Posted by: Jennifer McKnew on 7/2/2011 at 10:30 am
“Make eye contact with someone from the next camp while pooping.”
Yikes, lol.
Posted by: Some guy from Puyallup on 5/28/2024 at 6:34 am
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