Most Popular Entries
Posted by: Brent Okita, Ben Luedtke
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mount Rainier
Elevation: 14,410'
At 7:02 AM, the Four Day Climb led by RMI Guides guides Brent Okita and Ben Luedtke reached the summit of Mt. Rainier!
Brent reported clear skies, a light breeze, and warm temperatures—a perfect morning to walk the crater rim and take in the breathtaking views from 14,410 feet.
Huge congratulations to the climbers and guides for a safe and successful ascent!
Posted by: Dominic Cifelli, Seth Burns, Nicole De Petris
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mt. McKinley
Elevation: 14,200'
Day 11 on the mountain.
We woke up at the 14 camp once again chilly but not quite as cold as the previous night. Everyone prepares for the day and makes their way to the mess tent. Hot water is ready! Coffee is essential, and then Cinnamon Toast Crunch with powdered milk and warm water. It is actually very good!!
Since coming to 14,000’ Camp, we have been admiring the headwall which directly faces the camp ascending about 2,000’ above. Today is our day to ascend and cache supplies. The headwall is like motorcycle hill on steroids! We made our way up to the bergschrund near the top and where the fixed ropes begin. The first step over the bergschrund was fun and exciting to ascend for most! And then using our ascenders made our way up to the top on the ropes. The incline is probably 60 degrees, and the practice yesterday was very useful, for most of us, it was the first time using these ropes and gear.
We all made it and cached our stuff. Descending was equally perilous but a bit more fun and of course, a lot faster! Wrapping the rope around our arm we just leaned forward and walked down. (I personally really enjoyed that!). We made it back to camp a little tired but excited to have ascended.
This place is incredibly beautiful but also can be merciless. This place has some of the most amazing views I have ever seen and dangerous corners and crevasses. It’s a place where you can simultaneously get sunburn and frostbite. We are constantly taking layers on and off. It can be so cold to have to wear a parka and then in a few hours just a T-shirt. Having the right gear and guidance is so important. We are blessed to have three outstanding guides. Dom, Seth, and Nicole. They are very capable, knowledgeable, and kind of superhuman! So, rest assured to all our loved ones at home, we are in very good hands.
We are also far enough along in this trip to start missing home and in particular our friends and families. For me, I miss my family, my kids Max, Emma, and Sophie mostly. Cannot miss this opportunity to tell you how proud I am of all three of you!!
Tomorrow is rest day, and then hopefully we scale the headwall again up to 17,000’ camp.
RMI Climber Cary Idler
New Post Alerts:
Denali Expedition June 9, 2024
Posted by: Dustin Wittmier, Michael Murray
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Ecuador
Elevation: 18,996'
Friday, December 8, 2023
"I don't know where I'm a gonna go when the volcano blow"
-The Late Great Jimmy Buffett
Well thankfully the volcano known as Cayambe did now blow today but it was in fact summitted by members of Team Cuy Frito! We rose early (11pm if you can call that early) to put the final touches on our gear organization and scarf down a little "breakfast" before heading out onto the mountain to make our summit attempt. Skies were cloudy with some light wind but spirits were high as we started our ascent via headlamp. As we continued to climb, the wind increased and as we climbed up into the clouds we found ourselves covered in ice but the team remained strong and continued all the way up to the top at 18,996 feet. I could not be more proud of how the team battled some less than ideal conditions to end up on the summit. We returned back to the high hut for a more traditional breakfast and treated ourselves to celebratory lunch before ending our day at the Casa Ilayaku Hacienda, where we will be relaxing and recovering before our final objective of the trip, the volcano Antisana. Something tells me we will all be sleeping well tonight, we have certainly earned it. Hope all is well back at home and we appreciate your support!
RMI Guides Dustin Wittmier & Michael Murray
New Post Alerts:
Ecuador's Volcanoes 12-2-2023
You all are amazing! Congrats on summiting!
Posted by: Jean Wittmier on 12/9/2023 at 2:44 pm
Hey Dustin and Team!
Congrats to You and your Team !!! How Awesome is that! I remember the ice fog on Cotopoxi but maybe not as much as you had! Enjoy your rest day!!!
Farmer Dave
Posted by: Dave Kestel on 12/9/2023 at 8:43 am
Posted by: Hannah Smith, Dustin Wittmier, Devin Guffey
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mt. McKinley
Elevation: 14,000'
Thursday, June 17, 2021 - 10:02 pm PT
Howdy all,
The snow continued through the night and into the morning. A layer of frost coated the under side of the fly. Every time you hit the tent to knock the snow off, the frost fell down onto our sleeping bags. As the sun came out and warmed the tents, the ice melted and the frost turned into little water drops. Due to the snowfall and wet tents, we opted for a rest day to allow everything to get dry. Snow fell most of the day, sometimes while sunny others fully cloudy making for a very white scene. But later in the day the clouds cleared and the views were amazing. Having such great views makes being patient worth it. The temps bounced from chilly to very hot in the tents all day. One could swear it was 100 degrees inside. They say its freeze or fry out here and we can all feel why. Tomorrow's weather looks good, so we will be going to our cache at 13,500' to grab our stuff. Its exciting to be reunited with your snacks you parted ways with at 11,000' camp. Sleeping bags are calling our names.
Till tomorrow,
RMI Guide Hannah Smith
Wishing you all the Best Hannah and Dustin!!!
Farmer Dave
Posted by: Dave Kestel on 6/19/2021 at 3:32 am
These updates are the highlight of my day, you truly give us perspective on the tremendous feat you have all undertaken and prepared for. Putting it out to the universe for great weather to make the summit happen. The pictures are amazing, keep them coming! I love my Lu, what a golden birthday this is!!!!
Posted by: Daysi on 6/18/2021 at 3:58 pm
On The Map
Very excited for you to get into Base Camp. Casey Grom, leave some chocolate cake for the rest of the team, and watch out for the probiotics!
All my love and warmth.
Posted by: Sydney on 3/30/2015 at 8:22 am
All so us following from home are so excited for the team to reach base camp! Those of us at sea level are living vicariously through you all so absorb everything so you can tell us about it. Be safe. Special thoughts to my sweetheart Tom.
Donna
Posted by: Donna Mann Belt on 3/29/2015 at 6:19 pm
On The Map
Hi Lil one. Do you have vodka? When in Rome…
Posted by: Stacy on 7/25/2014 at 10:34 am
Hey sis…...proud of you keep up the good work. Just and FYI I will be one of the 50 closest friend of Kristina that will be at the all night kegger
.......don’t tell Kristina because she does not know…....shhhh!! Talk to you soon. Call when you can. I will inform dad of your progress.
Sandy
Posted by: Sandy on 7/24/2014 at 7:12 pm
Casey,
You do get around!
Good luck and stay safe.
Art Muir
Posted by: Art Muir on 7/15/2014 at 8:38 pm
Posted by: Casey Grom
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Kilimanjaro
Posted by: Jess Wedel, Sam Marjerison
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Everest BC Trek and Lobuche
Elevation: 16,175'
All is well on the trek!
Today we left Pheriche and hiked further up the valley to Lobuche. One highlight of the day was crossing the terminal moraine of the Khumbu Glacier. A moraine is a mass of rocks and sediment carried down by a glacier. Some of the white rock we walked across is millions of years old!
The second highlight of today was stopping at the Climber’s Memorial at the top of Thukla Pass. It’s a humbling place to be with over 100 memorials of climbers who have lost their lives in the mountains. With the misty clouds moving through and the many prayers flags surrounding the memorial stones, it was surreal. After leaving the memorial, we carried on a gentle trail leading us to Lobuche at nearly 16,200 feet.
We were greeted with warm tea and veg fried potatoes for a late lunch. We also got to share a masala tea with our porters and Sherpa guides. We could not do this trip without them and it was a special day for us all to get to sit down together. We spent the afternoon resting and enjoying good conversation with our team. All while cuddled up next to the warm stove and in our puffy pants! It’s a chilly night in Lobuche but we’re all happy to be here and be healthy.
RMI Guides Jess, Sam and the base camp crew
New Post Alerts:
Everest Base Camp Trek & Lobuche, March 16, 2024
We are thinking of you and hope you had a successful and inspiring trek to base camp
Ted and Patti
Posted by: Ted and Patti Reingold on 3/27/2024 at 5:32 pm
Congratulations - that must’ve been an amazing feeling and view! Everyone at BJSC is cheering for you! Safe travels to you and the team.
Posted by: Katie Tallman on 6/26/2024 at 6:00 am
Wow! What an incredible adventure! I’m sure the stories and pictures you bring back will be ones you keep for a lifetime. Be safe and happy travels!!
Posted by: Dana on 6/25/2024 at 10:44 am
View All Comments