Most Popular Entries

RMI Guide Eric Frank and the Mt. Rainier Summit Climb team reached the summit just after 7:00 a.m. The weather is nice with blue skies and winds between 15 - 20 mph. The team is currently on top enjoying the views before they begin their descent back down the mountain.

RMI Guides Brent Okita & Pepper Dee led their Four Day Summit Climb teams to the summit of Mt. Rainier this morning. The enjoyed blue skies and a great climb. They will return to Camp Muir and then continue down to Paradise. Congratulations to today's Summit Climb teams.

The Alpamayo team is doing great! This morning we had a leisurely breakfast and began packing for our carry to Moraine Camp. We waved goodbye to Elias and his team as they started their descent to Casha Pompa and by mid morning we shouldered our packs and began hiking. The trail to Moraine Camp weaves through a boulder field as it ascends towards the glacier above. With blue skies overhead we all found ourselves pausing to taken on the spectacular views of the Cordillera Blanca. Once at Moraine Camp, 16,100 feet, we unload our equipment and relaxed for a bit before starting our descent back to BC. After rolling into base camp we enjoyed some delicious soup and spent the afternoon relaxing, reading, or napping. Tomorrow will be our first true rest day, and despite the fact that everyone is strong and healthy we need it more for acclimatization. That's it for now. Thanks for following along RMI Guide Geoff Schellens and the Alpamayo team

Hey everyone! Today the team made it to Casa de Piedra, our second camp of the trip. Everyone did well with the hike up the valley despite being blasted in the face with 25 mph winds! We even got our first view of the mountain right before we entered camp. I would guess that we shot well over 100 pictures between all of us. Now it is dinner time, I think Walt is whipping up a stew with lots of fresh vegetables. The winds are calming down so I think we'll have a few laughs, head to bed, and try to envision sugar plum fairies as we hope for a visit from Santa. Happy holidays folks! RMI Guides Walter Hailes, Ben Liken and Stoney Molina

On The Map

After a peaceful night at the Kikoti Lodge just East of the Tarangire National Park boundary, we had breakfast and ducked back into the park. As experienced safari aficionados, we no longer stopped the vehicles for common zebras and wildebeest. But we were happy to pull over to watch a monitor lizard cross the road. And seeing a lion guarding his fresh kill got our attention. The king of the savannah also got the attention of about twenty elephants on their way to the water. They trumpeted and snorted when they sensed his presence and -giving him some space, took a detour to reach the water. We saw a few thousand other animals and birds, baobab trees and acacias on our way back out to the main park exit. Then it was Tanzanian highway driving with a few stops for tourism and sightseeing on the way back to Arusha and the Dik Dik Hotel. All that remains now is a dinner together and a few shuttles to the airport over the next 24 hours as we split up and begin to circle the globe toward home. It has been a chock full couple of weeks in Africa. Thank you for keeping track of our team! Best Regards, RMI Guide Dave Hahn

Our final night in St. Petersburg! The team had a great last day here in Russia, with a visit to several beautiful churches full of mosaic's. We then paid a visited the beautiful and very famous Hermitage Museum, were we saw paintings and sculptures by many well known artist including Picasso and Rembrandt, and countless treasures Russia has collected over the century's. We took a small break and wrapped up the day with a wonder evening boat cruise to see this amazing city by water. It's been a amazing adventure here in Russia, but it's time to say our goodbyes and return to family and loved ones. Thanks for following, RMI Guide Casey Grom and the happy crew!

June 21, 2014 - 8:11 am PT The transition from the sweet smell of blooming cotton woods, green grass, the easy access to showers to a life of arctic surroundings, grinding work and confined tent living comes abruptly! This morning that reality was as large as the towering mountains around us but the team motivated quickly and with resolve to get our grand adventure underway. The mental weight of shouldering a 60-pound pack connected to a 50-pound sled and then hauling it into an arena like the Kahiltna Glacier can be far more intimidating than the actual physical load. Faced with this challenge our team shined! We were thrilled to walk out of Base Camp at 9:30 this morning onto the smoothest most user-friendly trail I have seen in all my nine trips to this glacier. Not only was the trail superb, we had the weather to match. Five hours after leaving BC we arrived at Camp One. At only 7,800 feet the vertical gain was not all that much but the distance was enough under monster loads to assure us this journey will not be an easy one. Tomorrow we will attempt to move again. Stay tuned. RMI Guide Adam Knoff signing off

On The Map

The Four Day Summit Climb teams led by RMI Guides Casey Grom and Lindsay Fixmer reached the summit of Mt. Rainier at 7:25 am PT. Casey reported winds ranging from 15-20 mph and clear skies. From the summit he could see clouds throughout the Ashford valley but reported clear skies above 6,000'. The team was able to enjoy an hour on top due to the nice weather. They will return to Camp Muir and then continue their descent to Paradise. We look forward to seeing them at Rainier BaseCamp later today. Congratulations to today's Summit Climb Teams!

Today was another beautiful day. The crew climbed the first leg of the route in preparation for our climb tonight. A couple of us kicked in the route today which goes up the Disappointment Cleaver. The route is in great shape and were all looking forward to the climb. RMI Guide Brent Okita

All smiles on the summit of Cayambe! Our strong team made short work of Cayambe today and were on the summit in about 6 hours and 45 minutes after leaving the refugio. Conditions were very firm on the glacier and when combined with fair weather and almost no wind it made for a quick trip up. A rope length of steep snow and ice just below the summit required some front pointing and a belay especially because the runout emptied into a giant chasm of a bergschrund. A little ice climbing is always nice to keep you on your toes. The sun came up at some point while we were negotiating this steep pitch and we enjoyed the dawn from the summit. We took pictures and exchanged high fives on top and after a short while began our descent because we wanted to pass over several hollow spots on the glacier before the day heated up. Those firm glacier conditions that made the climbing so nice on the way up made the descent a fair bit more taxing. Despite being tired and a bit worked we were back at the refugio just after 10:30 am. A quick pickup and we were headed down the road to meet Victor and jump on the bus for the long ride to the Chilcabamba eco lodge at the base of Cotopaxi. And after a time warp of a bus ride, here we are chilling and filling up on a hot meal with a rest day ahead. Time for sleep... RMI Guide Billy Nugent & Team