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May 22, 2017 We had a warmer night due to the current snow storm that rolled in last night, a few inches of snow blanketing our tents and gear. Weather days are a breeze when you have such an engaging and talkative group. We enjoyed a casual breakfast with multiple rounds of coffee while the group shared all sorts of conversation ranging from favorite cocktails to the intricacies of interviewing international terrorists. Our day progressed with more snow, Avalanche beacon clinic, naps and skills practice. We are hoping for the weather to lighten up and move camp in the next few days. Until that point the group continues to be eager to learn, laughing often and practicing the variety of mountaineering skills taught so far. To finish the day the team engaged in group snow Yoga and began building a shrine of some sort. Time will tell. RMI Guide Leon Davis

Wednesday June 24th 11:15 pm PT This was a typically full and busy prep day for Denali in many ways... And a little atypical as well. We had plenty to do, a big and delicious breakfast meeting at the Roadhouse, our informative orientation slideshow with the National Park Service at the Talkeetna Ranger Station and an afternoon of checking and sorting climbing equipment and supplies out at the K2 Aviation hangar. It was during the gear sorting that the atypical event transpired. We were working outside, enjoying the summer sunshine. Airplanes were taxiing and revving their props, trains were going back and forth with blaring horns and mild rumbling... When real rumbling began. An earthquake struck a little before 2:30 in the afternoon. It was unmistakable, but also fairly mild where we were standing... even if it was surreal. We heard reports that it was a magnitude 5.8 quake centered about sixty miles west of Talkeetna, which must mean that our climber-friends and co-workers probably felt it more than we did. We sure hope that none were in delicate circumstances for the event and that all were ok. Our team went back to packing and prepping for flying onto the Kahiltna Glacier tomorrow morning. The afternoon finished with a weigh-in of food and fuel, clothing, tents, ropes, stoves, sleds, shovels, people and a small mountain of miscellaneous ballast for the climb. We sat outside for dinner, talking over the details of tomorrow and the start of a big adventure, but also simply relaxing and enjoying a memorable summer day before we commit to snow and ice. Best Regards, RMI Guide Dave Hahn

Our last day in Antarctica was pleasantly routine. The team strolled into the dining tent at Union Glacier Basecamp to enjoy breakfast and the news that the Ilyushin 76 would be "on deck" by mid-afternoon. We packed our gear and collapsed the tents one more time, then passed the time playing chess and chatting with other climbers. Sure enough, the big plane touched down at 2:45 PM. We were on board and lifting off by 5 PM. Landing in Punta Arenas was smooth and easy 4.5 hours later. We had to work quickly to get checked in, showered and out to dinner before closing, but all of that was quite enjoyable "work". The trip ended with an excellent midnight dinner in Patagonia. Thank You for following along. Until next climb, RMI Guide Dave Hahn & Team

Sunday, June 1, 2014 10:42 pm PT We went to bed last night with clear blue skies fueling hopes for a good chance of flying onto the Kahiltna glacier today. When we woke this morning, the clouds dampened our hopes, and we slowly made our way to breakfast. After another hearty round of Roadhouse delights, we made our way to the hangar and settled in for a morning of discussion. Within 2 hours, we had finished chatting and were dispersing around Talkeetna for rest and lunch. Some of us were still at the hangar when the K2 Aviation staff came out and started packing up our kit - it was on! We called the team in and got our clothes changed, boots on, and stood anxiously waiting for the green light to load and go. Soon, we were in the Otter plane and flying towards the heart of the Alaska range. We landed amid the giants of snow and rock that characterize this special range, high-fived with RMI Guide Mike Walter and his crew and waved them goodbye as they headed back to the luxuries we've left behind. The team had a good early dinner and are now in bed, resting for the work to come. Stay with us as we climb towards our goal! RMI Guides Tyler Jones, Garrett Stevens, and Bryan Hendrick

The Four and Five Day Summit Climbs reached Columbia Crest today. Beautiful day, light winds and cool temperatures. All teams are off the mountain and celebrating at Rainier Basecamp.

We woke this morning to splitter weather and light winds in base camp, and knew that it was time to move. After breakfast we packed up all our luggage, lashed down the sleds, shouldered our pack and headed down Heartbreak Hill. This section of the climb is called Heartbreak Hill because of the fact that teams have to climb back uphill on the way out, but the slight downhill pitch makes for a good initial stretch of the legs for teams on the way up. Our first few hours got us out and onto the main Kahiltna Glacier, surrounded by the majestic peaks of the central Alaska Range. Foraker, Crosson, Francis, Kahiltna Dome and Denali all towered over our group, giving us a sense of smallness in this vast icy wilderness. The early morning sun made the high east faces of Foraker and Crosson shine as if lit from within, and the views made our climbing truly unforgettable. We pulled into our camp at 7800' just as the sun came out from behind Denali, and set up camp in some welcome sunshine. Within an hour we had our tents up and folks moved in to escape the intense UV that bounces around the glacier during the day. We've been resting in anticipation of an early carry tomorrow. Everyone climbed strong to camp, and group morale couldn't be any higher. We'll check back in with an update as we continue climbing. RMI Guide Tyler Jones

On The Map

Hello everyone-just a quick note from Ecuador. Today we traveled north from the city of Lasso to the city of Cayambe, and we've spent the afternoon resting in Ecuador's oldest hacienda, Guachala. The drive through the central Andes of Ecuador was beautiful; verdant rolling hills, with a mosaic of multi-colored farmland was the backdrop to the small pueblos we traveled through today. The clouds cleared enough that we were able to sneak a peak back at Cotopaxi during the drive, as well as see the southern flanks of Cayambe. The weather this afternoon has been beautiful-mostly sunny with a breeze. Tomorrow morning we will head out early for some shopping at the world famous market in the town of Otavalo, and then carry on to the climbing hut on Cayambe. I will be in touch tomorrow with an update.

After our big day yesterday, today was some well deserved R & R. We slept in a bit and had a slow morning of bagels and bacon. We then headed to the edge of camp to dig up our cache. After a few hours of rest we then took some time to review fixed rope skills to prepare us for tomorrow, to carry up the fixed lines up above 16,000'.

We then enjoyed some dinner of potato soup and chicken sausage and called it a night.

RMI Guide Nikki Champion

Greetings from Puebla! The team is enjoying a well deserved rest day in the beautiful city of Puebla. It’s been a rainy day here but we are making the most of it. Each of us have set out on our own to explore the incredible churches built in the 1500’s and the lively markets found around our hotel. Tomorrow we will head to our final objective of the trip, Pico de Orizaba (18,491')! The weather is looking quite wintery up there today through tomorrow but we may get a window to summit on Saturday if all goes well. That’s all for now, we are heading to feast on some authentic Mexican cuisine! RMI Guide Grayson Swingle

May 25, 2017 We had the sun this morning, but a large cloud cap over the summit convinced us to wait another day to carry. It was a great day to let the tents bake, dry wet items, and people watch around camp. We capped it with a dinner of quinoa, lentils, kale, and squash in a red wine, bouillon, and Dijon reduction. It was a nice to have some fresher tasting food after 12 days on the mountain. Hopefully we wake to clear skies tomorrow and get our cache on above! RMI Guides Pete, Jess, Jenny and team

On The Map