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After leaving Base Camp yesterday we made the long trek back to Pampa de Llenas where the length of this journey began to sink in. Many miles of beautiful walking brought us back to our first camp where we were treated to an asado courtesy of our herreros. Grilling over an open fire under the Andean sky we really put the trip to bed in style. Getting to visit with the incoming RMI crew was fun, seeing all those clean faces and knowing that we were just a few hours from a shower ourselves. Thanks to a wonderful crew for a great trip and can't wait to see everyone in the mountains soon! Jake Beren & Team

The Four Day Summit Climbs August 10 - 13 led by RMI Guides Casey Grom and Gabriel Barral reached the summit of Mt. Rainier today. The teams reported clear and sunny skies with light winds with some valley fog below but clear skies to Paradise. The team started their descent from the crater rim at 8:00 a.m. en route to Camp Muir. They will continue their descent to Paradise later this afternoon. Congratulations to today's summit climb teams!

Another beautiful day at Everest Basecamp. The weather so far this season has been really great. We've had traces of snow some nights but most days have been warm, sunny and the climbing conditions have been, as my friends say, 'splitter'. Dave, Erica and I took advantage of the conditions today and went for an acclimatization hike. We went down the Khumbu, out of Basecamp and towards Pumori a ca. 23,000 foot peak located across the glacier from Nuptse. The trail below Basecamp was moderately busy with climbers, trekkers, porters and yak trains. Hiking the trails around here with Dave is always fun because he invariably runs into someone he knows, usually several people. Today we ran into a British gent who had done some scientific work on several of the artifacts that Dave and team had recovered when they found Mallory's body on the North Ridge of Everest in '99. They had never met face-to-face but had known of each other for a few years. I couldn't think of a more appropriate place for the two to meet. On our hike we passed through Pumori Basecamp and then walked out across a rocky ridgeline. At a high point on the ridge we were rewarded with spectacular views of Nuptse, Lhotse and Everest. After getting the requisite photos Dave and Erica headed back to camp for lunch while I continued on to Camp 1 on Pumori. From there the views were even more spectacular. I could see all the way from Basecamp, up the icefall, through part of the Western Cwm (although Nuptse blocks most of this), up the Lhotse Face to the South Col and then I could follow parts of the South East Ridge of Everest to the Summit. It was very cool to be able to see almost the entire climbing route. It also gave me a great visual representation of why it takes about two months to climb this mountain. It's a long way from basecamp to the summit!!! The rest of the team is doing great as well. Ed and Peter had spent last night at Camp 1 and today they moved up to Camp 2 (Advanced Basecamp). They called on the radio in the morning and reported that all was well and they called again when they had reached ABC. Melissa made her way through the icefall in the early morning hours, climbing her way from Basecamp to Camp 1. Everyone took advantage of the great weather today. The team is spread out on the mountain for the next few days but that's neither unexpected nor a bad thing on a long expedition. Our schedules will overlap again soon and we'll all be together and that will be great. But for now it's nice to have a little extra room in the dining tent.

First thing this morning it looked a little windy up on the West Buttress. That was enough to switch our program to a rest day at 14,000. Of course, the wind died down and neighboring teams had no trouble climbing today, but we were happy to rest. Clouds came and went during the day and there were a few snowflakes but overall, the good weather is sticking with us.

Tomorrow will work just fine for that carry.  

Best Regards,

The RMI Guides & Team

Yesterday, ALL TEAM MEMBERS AND GUIDES reached the summit of Cayambe around 6am EST. For those of us living in or around Seattle, we felt accomplished having completed such a hard activity before we would normally even be awake. Most climbers were back to the refugio by about 8am, a very speedy descent. Route conditions were ideal on Cayambe, when you would step out of the trail it was just a light dusting of snow on top of a supportable crust, meaning there was very little plunging, and the crampons would bite into the hard surface during the cold night. Although the route is in great shape, this is always a challenging mountain. At 18,500’ the route ascends a steep headwall for about 300 vertical feet before passing through crevassed terrain. Additionally, sleeping above 15,000’ for two nights and then going to nearly 19,000’ on day seven of an expedition is a quick jump in altitude and everyone seemed to handle it well. Now we turn our sights towards Antisana. 

On our way to Antisana we are staying in two different haciendas. Last night we were at the rustic Guachala, which was built in the early 1500s. It has it’s charm and is steeped in local history; we also enjoyed a quiet dinner and breakfast under the watchful eye of the two house dogs, always hoping for a scrap. This morning we packed up and got ourselves closer to Antisana. We are using the beautiful yard at Casa Ilayaku to learn skills for our next climb (tent setup and running belays) as well as more expedition skills for future endeavors. Tomorrow we will go to Antisana basecamp via 4x4 vehicles and spend the night in tents before taking our shot at the summit.  

RMI Guide Dustin Wittmier

Sunday June 14th 8:50 pm PT Today we wished our dear friends "Bon voyage" as the other RMI teams moved up on the West Rib and Buttress. Good luck everyone! As for our esteemed crew, we spent the midday training to be as agile as the mighty wolverine when we tackle the fixed lines. It was great to see everyone both excel at the training course and take the time to enjoy the absurdly beautiful views of Hunter, Foraker and the Kahiltna Glacier. It was a stunning day up here. Tomorrow we hope to carry goods higher up to prepare for moving when the weather allows. Wish us luck! RMI Guide Jake Beren

On The Map

Hello from Plantation Lodge, We spent the whole day game viewing in Ngorongoro Crater, and it was certainly a highlight for all. The crater itself is massive, and because of the high slopes surrounding the crater and the year round water supply, it is home of about 25,000 resident animals. Needless to say, we added quite a few animals to our list that we started yesterday, including the black rhino. There are only 12 left in this park, and we saw three of them. Hippos, lions, elephants, Cape buffalo, zebras, hyenas, jackals, warthogs, and too many bird species to name, were seen throughout the day. Once we had our fill of game viewing, we ascending up out of the crater, and went to visit a Maasai village. We were given a tour of the boma and learned all about their simple way of life. It's pretty amazing that they can continue to live in a traditional way despite all the outside pressures to change into the mainstream culture of Tanzania. Tomorrow we head out for our last and final park - Tarangire. We still have to see a leopard in order to say that we saw the Big 5. We'll see what the day has in store for us. Best regards, RMI Guide Jeff Martin & Team

We were treated to a clear view of the upper mountain this morning, which was spectacular and short-lived. Thick clouds were forming by our 8:30 AM departure for high camp. We quickly got above the upper limit of any significant vegetation and so when the clouds came in close around us, there really wasn't much to see. Lava and pumice. We were on a great stairmaster, and so we patiently did our exercise. It took just 2.5 hours to climb the 2,000 vertical feet to Barafu ("ice" in Swahili) Camp. Timing was exquisite as persistent and heavy sleet began to fall. Our excellent support staff had built a fine camp for us to shelter in. We rested, ate, drank and got ready for our main event. We are in bed early and trying to manage our excitement for a midnight start to a big summit day. The sleet has quit and the stage is set. Best Regards, RMI Guide Dave Hahn

On The Map

The Four Day Summit Climb August 18 - 21 led by RMI Guide Dan Windham reached the summit of Mt. Rainier today with 100% of their team. They reported clear, sunny skies, warm temperatures, and light wind. The team began their descent from the crater rim at 6:56 a.m. The Five Day Summit Climb climb August 18 - 22 led by J.J. Justman arrived atop the crater rim at 7:53am. J.J. reported warm weather, no wind, and a weather change to the North. The team will spend some time on the summit before returning to Camp Muir to enjoy their final night on the mountain. They will descend to Paradise tomorrow afternoon. Congratulations to today’s summit team!

(Voicemail from Linden) We left Pheriche early this morning and trekked our way through Thokla, this sits on the terminal moraine of the Khumbu Glacier. We climbed to the top of Thokla Pass to view the climbers' memorials draped in prayer flags. By midday we had arrived at our tea house in Lobuche. We spent the afternoon relaxing and acclimatizing at our new altitude of 16,200'. Everyone is acclimatizing very well. We will spend one day here hiking and relaxing and enjoying the great views. As we move through Lobuche and onto Everest Base Camp, communication can be difficult but we will do our best to keep in touch. Tell everyone at home "Hello" we are having a great time and are very excited to be so close to EBC! Linden