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Friday, July 11, 2025 12:53pm PDT

After waiting for the weather to clear for a few hours, we completed our climbing school. With spirits high and a clearing trend in the forecast, we decided to go for a sunset climb. We were rewarded with stunning views of the north cascades and evening light over the Pacific Ocean. All climbers reached the summit climbing in great style. We arrived back at camp just before midnight and got in bed.

This morning we sipped coffee and enjoyed the views before breaking down camp and heading downhill.

RMI Guide Tom Skoog & Team

Ten climbers drifted in to the Rivertrees Country Inn on the banks of the Usa River in Tanzania these last few days. We made it from various spots in the United States all the way to East Africa with our climbing gear intact and our excitement growing. Tomorrow morning we begin a climb of Kilimanjaro, the highest mountain on the continent. So today we got ready. We began the day with introductions and a discussion of itineraries and strategies for climbing high. We set our priorities and got acquainted with the challenges to come. All of this went on while monkeys jumped from tree to tree high above in the garden-like hotel compound. Then the team retreated to the hotel rooms where we conducted gear checks and began packing. The day concluded with a weigh-in, to ensure that our staff won’t be overburdened in portering. We gathered briefly in the outdoor bar to watch Olympic highlights before dinner. And finally we fought jet lag and gathered for a pleasant multi-course meal in the indoor/outdoor dining room. We’re all set now, targeting an 8 a.m. departure, but not before a good breakfast, of course.  

Best Regards, 
RMI Guide Dave Hahn

 

PC: Dave Hahn

Hey this is Dave Hahn with the final RMI Denali climb of the season. We are on the summit of Denali. We got here ten minutes after two, and it's ten minutes to three now, so we've been here a good 40 minutes. It's that kind of day, a perfect day, beautiful sunshine, nice and calm, absolutely wonderful day on top! We're going to have a nice safe descent back to high camp, and we'll be in touch. Bye for now!

May 31, 2017 Today has been a day of leisure! The team got some much needed rest and we had a long breakfast of chatting and relaxing. The team reviewed some technical skills that we will need for the rest of our climb above here. The guides often refer to the climb up to 11 camp as the approach. This section behind us, we'll pack our cache this evening with our goal being to take the groceries and other luggage up to 14,200 ft tomorrow morning. The heat from the days radiation is intense, and we are currently hiding from the sun. The sleeping bags are out draped over the tents drying, and also cooling the temps inside our 100 sq ft portable homes. Hydration, stretching, and sorting the gear will keep us busy until tomorrow. Hi to all our friends and family! RMI Guide Tyler Jones & Team

The Mt. Rainier Summit Climb, led by JJ Justman, successfully reached the summit this morning. With bluebird skies, the team was able to see spectacular views all around. They began their descent from the summit at 7:10 a.m.

RMI Guide Leon Davis reached the summit of Mt. Rainier for the 100th time this morning with our Five Day Summit Climb. The team was able to spend some time on the summit celebrating before descending back to Camp Muir for their final night on the mountain. Congratulations Leon!!!

Today the team awoke to blue skies and calm winds for our last basecamp breakfast before we begin to ascend the upper slopes of Aconcagua. After some coffee and a few last minute preparations we were on our way to a night at 16,450'. As we set off up the moraine with the sun at our backs everything seemed perfect. The team made short work of the day and before too long we were on the steep scree just before Camp 1. Once we arrived and everyone had enjoyed a snack, it was back to work establishing our camp for the next three days. Now after a solid tortellini meal we are all stuffed into our -30 degree sleeping bags awaiting the beautiful stars of the Southern Hemisphere. Tomorrow we carry a load of gear to over 18,000' and the team is ready for it. You'll here from us soon! RMI Guides Garrett, Ben, and Nick

On The Map

We spent last night here at 16,000', and today we are resting and getting used to the rare air up here. We will head out to the glacier soon for a little training-review of cramponing, ice axe arrest, and other climbing techniques. We will get and alpine start and head out for the summit some time around 1:00 am tomorrow morning. I will be in touch when we return!

Ever read or watch that movie about the guy that gets stuck on Mars? I thought it would be a good one to reread on Denali. You know crazy location, far away from civilization, intense weather. Somehow, I completely forgot about the bit where he was stuck for over a year. Too stressful to read in the tent, I think I'll switch to something lighter like Stephen Kings IT.

Luckily Denali and Mars can be quite different. Lots of white here on Denali (you'll likely recall that Mars is mostly a red color). We can also breathe the air without a spacesuit! Lucky us. Oh, and the views! I'd like to say that pictures don't do it justice, but they sometimes can capture some of the majesty. What they can't do is give you the awestruck feeling of watching an avalanche off in the distance, or the feeling of seeing the bluest blue coming from the frozen snowy waves of crevasses one hundred feet to either side of the trail. Quite striking.

At breakfast somehow, I'm already looking forward to dinner -- the guides, Dustin, Lacie, and Dan have been crushing breakfast and dinners. They've been crushing at the guiding too. Every suggestion or advice is gold, and we always know the plan for the following day clearly. Over breakfast a day ago I joked that in addition to being amazing guides they are also chefs and therapists. They joke that they are only somewhat adequate in the latter two. We all think they're quite exceptional at both.

Today we hoofed it to about 10k feet, buried some stuff, and made our way back to the base of ski hill. If the weather is good tomorrow, we’ll make an even longer trek out of our current camp. If it's not so good, we'll hang out here. I know which one my feet would prefer.

Да луны и обратна,

RMI Climber Ilya Dvilyanski

We had a mellow morning at Base Camp today, enjoying the extra time we had to brew up fresh coffee and watch the sun creep across the glacier and bring with it warming temperatures. Not content to hang around for too long, we pulled on our ski boots and headed out for some touring above Vinson Base Camp. The rolling ridge-lines descending from the Massif offer phenomenal skiing and we took full advantage to get out and play. We climbed a couple thousand feet above Base Camp to a small summit and found spectacular views of the surrounding terrain before setting our sights back downhill and skiing some great light Antarctic snow back to camp. As we were relaxing in the evening we received the call we'd been waiting for: the plane from Union Glacier was on its way to get us. We packed up camp and as we closed the last bag the Twin Otter came in with a soft and smooth landing on the glacier. We said goodbye to Vinson and were soon airborne on our way back to Union Glacier camp, our eyes glued to the windows as we watched the massive landscape of snow, ice, and rock flow by beneath us. We're now back at Union Glacier, enjoying the warmth of their large mess tent and keeping our fingers crossed that an Ilyushin flight can come into tomorrow evening to give us a lift back to South America. We're hoping to spend a few hours checking out the mountains around camp in the morning before getting a weather check about the flight tomorrow midday. RMI Guide Linden Mallory & Team

On The Map