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The Four Day Climb August 2 - 5 led by RMI Guides Dave Hahn and Josh Geiser reached the summit of Mt. Rainier this morning.  The teams enjoyed a bit of time in the crater before starting their descent from the crater rim aroun 7 am.  Dave reported sunny skies and a steady SW wind of 30 mph. The teams are on their descent to Camp Muir.  Once back at camp, they will pack up and continue another 4,500' down to Paradise.  There program concludes this afternoon with a celebration at Rainier BaseCamp.

Congratulations to today's climbers!

When’s the last time you walked out the door not knowing if you were going to be able to accomplish what you’re setting out to do? When’s the last time you got your doors blown off trying to complete a voluntary endeavor?

Whens the last time you forwent a night of sleep in order to be cold, exhausted, doubtful, exhillerated, out of gas, and awe inspired. All at the same time?

9 climbers attempted the summit of  the highest peak in Mexico and the third tallest in North America today. 9 people left the comfort of their homes, took the time away from family and friends to train (hard), and came to try something they weren’t sure they would accomplish and did. 

100% of the team stood on the summit of Orizaba at 930 am this morning. Despite the harsh conditions that the Jamapa glacier had to offer. It was a long, hard fought, and absolutely gorgeous day and we couldn’t be happier. 

 

It’s now time to eat, reflect, and banter about how we got stopped by two popo’s, how much better Vermont maple syrup is, trials and tribulations in the Mexico móbil sauna, and wonder whatever we’re eating is a sandwich, soup, stew and what it means to be fueled by boar.

Congratulations to the whole team! AND ESPECIALLY Catherine Rossbach who became the oldest woman ever to summit Orizaba today!! 

We fired stoves to a clear and crisp morning at 15,000’. As we took our final sips of instant coffee and Nescafé we gleamed with anticipation for the day ahead....
The team reached the summit of Ixta at 0630 and styled the climb in just over four hours. After enjoying a brilliant sunrise on an nearly windless morning, we made our way back down where we were met by Rogelio with delicious avocado sandwiches and cold beverages. I don’t think many of us stayed awake on the bus ride to the beautiful hamlet of Puebla this evening, but we arrived a couple hours ago and spirits were high to say the least. We were greeted by the wonderful staff at the Colonial Hotel where much desired hot showers, food, and well deserved rest awaited us. Looking forward to the next 24 hours in this alluring city of fine cuisine and architecture!

RMI Guide Alan Davis

RMI Guide Andy Bond and Team just called from the summit of Pequeño Alpamayo a 5370 m peak in the Condoriri Group. Andy reported great climbing conditions and beautiful weather. The team climbed strong, and will be starting their descent shorty. Congratulations Team! Update: 5:19 pm PT Hey just letting you know we’re back at camp safe and sound... well fed and ready for some sleep. Long day on a challenging route but everyone is doing great! We’ll update tomorrow with an actual blog post RMI Guides Eric Frank and Andy Bond

Hello from Plantation Lodge, Today we did not have to break camp or walk anywhere. Instead, we switched out our climbing clothes for cameras and binoculars and started our four-day safari in northern Tanzania. The first stop was Lake Manyara National Park. Created in 1960, and the second designated national park in the country, it is most well known for tree climbing lions. Fortunately, we were not disappointed by the elusive lions. Not too long into our game drive, we spotted four lions who had just finished a big meal and took to the trees to get a little relief from the sun and heat. We were about 15 feet away from one of them, with an unobstructed view of this impressive creature. Just down the road, we came across a big family of elephants that were anything but camera shy. Throughout the day we saw at least 25 different species of animals, which is a real treat for such a small park. Now we are at the Plantation Lodge, a small luxury lodge, that is located on the highlands above Lake Manyara. It is absolutely beautiful here! Tomorrow we head to Ngorongoro Crater to see what many call the eighth wonder of the world. We are all excited to see what the day has in store for us. Best regards, RMI Guide Jeff Martin

It is the end of a long, long day that technically began yesterday. I know this sounds a bit odd but my alarm was set for 10:45 pm last night, the 12th. This is one of the least appealing parts of climbing big mountains, knowing you have a huge day to come on average with three hours of sleep. But lucky for the guides and each other, our team was totally motivated. So began the ascent of the equators only snow covered place, Nevado Cayambe at18,997 feet. From the hut, our route began with an hour and half of rocks and scree ascending 1,000 feet to the start of the glacier. Once on the glacier, newly accumulated snow, which had softened and then frozen, provided perfect climbing conditions up the long sustained glacier. By the time we reached the summit head wall, the temperatures were in the low teens, the wind was blowing and we all climbed to the top in our down parkas. And people thought we were going to Ecuador to get out of winter. The summit was beautiful offering grand views of our next two mountains, Antisana and Cotopaxi, as well as Quito and Chimborazo. This is what makes the early wake up call, freezing temperatures and exhausted bodies worth it. We took seven hours to get to the top and rallied down in three. Unfortunately, both phones carried by Nick and me died in the cold before the top so a group photo will be coming later. After getting down and packing up, we hiked 30 minutes down to meet Victor and the magic bus to be carried off to our next accommodations, Papallacta. Here we enjoyed a fantastic meal but most importantly, natural thermal hot tubs. Which reminds me, it's time for a soak. We are off to Antisana later today. Wish us luck. RMI Guide Adam Knoff

On The Map

Thursday, July 4, 2013 Groundhog Day at 11,000 ft on Mt. McKinley. Another storm day from start to finish. Moderate winds, light but steady snow falling, poor visibility. Our POSH tent is a well dug-in fortress; essentially a covered pit in which we've cut benches for people and shelves for stoves. It provided excellent shelter today. Obviously, we drag out the meals for several hours, eating and talking and talking some more so as to avoid going back into our sleeping tents too soon and for too long. We each put in a few sessions of digging out the tents during the day, which is good for the tents, but also for our muscles and our brains. In late afternoon, the team assembled for a lesson in how we'll climb the "fixed ropes" section of the route between 15,000 and 16,000 ft. Then it was time for dinner, more talking in the POSH, and finally bed once again. Best Regards, RMI Guide Dave Hahn

On The Map

Hello from Kilimanjaro, After a great breakfast at the Dik Dik Hotel, we loaded our bags and packs into the vehicle and headed for our objective, Kilimanjaro. We arrived at the Machame Gate, our entrance to Kilimanjaro National Park, and after registering our team for the climb began the trek to our first camp. It felt great to stretch our legs after the many hours of travel and we were excited to get started after the many months of training and planning. We started out in a light rain but were quickly walking under the canopy cover of the lush forest and were able to shed our rain gear. It was a very pleasant hike with beautiful weather and glimpses of monkeys in the trees above. We reached the Machame Camp (9,800') after six hours on the trail. Aside from a little mud on our boots, everyone was dry and happy upon arriving in camp. We enjoyed our first great meal on the mountain, prepared by our mountain staff, of hot soup and fresh vegetables from the Dik Dik garden.. We are settling into camp for our first night on the mountain. RMI Guide Mark Tucker

Today the team managed to summit El Pico de Orizaba! We needed a perfect weather setup and that's just what we got. Sunshine yesterday combined with wind from just the right direction diminished the avalanche hazard from the previous storm. We awoke before midnight to crystal clear skis and no wind. After suffering through the storm on Ixta, and never even roping up, the team was psyched to go for the summit on Orizaba. The unusually large snowpack this year was a delight as the normally rocky and challenging lower mountain was a snow-climb right out of the hut. However as we ascended onto the Jamapa glacier our tough luck returned in the form of a cold wind that averaged at least 25 miles an hour. This made the final hours of the climb a total battle. It was cold enough that we spent less than 10 minutes on the summit before retreating, but the success after all of our adversity felt great. Tonight we overnight in Tlachichuca and tomorrow we head to the airport in Mexico City for our flights home. Well done team!

Hello friends, Summit day is finally here! The team is doing great and we are all well rested. It's been a beautifully clear day with fantastic views of Elbrus and the Caucasus range. Most of the day was spent telling tall tales, eating lots of Russian food (plenty of borsht) and watching scantly clad russians dance (really). We will be waking at 1 am for breakfast and start our climb shortly there after. If all goes well, we should reach the summit in 6 to 7 hours. Wish us luck.