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A night at "low" altitude in 10,000 ft Mweka Camp did us a world of good. The team showed up at 7 AM breakfast rested and ready for anything. What we got was more perfect weather. We did our "gratitude ceremony" with our 49 man staff just before setting out for our final walk. The lead guides made a few speeches, gratuities were distributed, hands got shaken and then we got to the good part... our staff sang, danced and clapped hands as we joined in. We got on the trail at 8:30 and instantly were back into the thick and shady forests. The trail was about as good as it could be, but there were still slippery and slick stretches on some steep inclines. We each navigated these obstacles with great care but invariably up to a dozen porters carrying heavy loads on their heads would come thundering down the wet trail at flank speed to pass as we slowed down. It only took us about 2 1/2 hours to drop the four thousand feet to the Mweka Gate. We were lucky enough to see a few black and white Colobus monkeys up in the big trees on the way. Our bus was ready and waiting to take the team a few minutes away from the gate for a fine picnic lunch before the big drive back to the Arumeru River Lodge. Each of us was happy to be finishing, but sad to be saying goodbye to the staff who’d helped us in immeasurable ways. After a few hours on the highway -studying Tanzania from the windows- we rolled into our lodge at 3 PM. Folks went straight for the showers and then stayed pretty busy for the rest of the first afternoon back in the comfortable world. We prepped a bit for Safari, some visited the mountain staff in their nearby homes, some went through e-mail and photos. We got together for a victory dinner outside on a patio under the stars. The hotel surprised us with a celebratory Kilimanjaro cake and some fine singing. Everybody is excited at the prospect of sleeping in a bed tonight... but we won’t be sleeping late in the morning. Our Safari begins bright and early. Best Regards, RMI Guide Dave Hahn

Kudos to the team! The group climbed quite well on this first day of our Kilimanjaro Expedition. The 4,000' of ascent was accomplished with relative ease, and now we're enjoying an afternoon that has become warm and sunny. Our day began with an early breakfast and quick departure for the Machame Gate, where a heavy drizzle kept us company while we waited for our porters to organize our gear for transport uphill. Rain should not be unexpected in a rainforest, but nobody likes starting their day in the wet. Luckily, by the time we started the rain had mostly abated and we were able to shed that Gore tax layer fairly soon after we started. At camp our mountain staff worked tirelessly getting tents set up and cooking arrangements working. The magic happened quickly and camp life began for us. As always, dinner was superb, starting with a savory zucchini soup and followed by pan fried steak, potatoes, rice and a cardoman/ coriander vegetable dish. Though we thought the nutella banana fritters were dessert enough, a special cake was brought in, lit up with candles, for Patti's birthday celebration. What a party it was as we were regaled with song and dance in honor of our birthday girl. Such a special night! A chill is in the air as we prepare for tomorrow's climb to Shira Camp. All for now, RMI Guide Brent Okita

On The Map

Good evening from Lhungde. The team made it to the last human settlement of the Thame Valley before the Tibetan border. We also broke the 4,000 meter mark, and we're currently sleeping a few feet shy of the elevation of Mt. Rainier. The journey was pleasant and beautiful, as everything was more authentic the higher we went. Yaks substituted the cow hybrid "Chapke", the lodges turned into real Sherpa homes, and the landscape became more rugged. We're the only westerners here right now, and we sure hope that we don't get invaded tomorrow during our rest day. Stay tuned as soon we'll start our hike up Renjo Pass, the high point of our trip RMI Guide Elias de Andres Martos

Hey everybody, this is Casey Grom checking in from the Everest Base Camp Trek. We finally got reception so I'm able to give you guys an update. Just wanted to let you know that all is going well. Yesterday we woke up to quite a little storm happening at Everest Base Camp. The jet stream had arrived and it slammed into the upper mountain so we had some winds gusting around and some snow blowing. Luckily for us by about noon it looked like the jet stream had lifted and the weather cleared. We ended up having a really beautiful afternoon. Most of the team at hot showers at Base Camp, and so everybody's super excited about that. After the team got showers, we got suited up and walked about 200 yards to the start of the climbing route. It's just outside of where our Base Camp is. We wanted to walk over to take a look at it, it's a safe area and it's the start of the Ice Fall, but far from any danger. It's sort of the crampon point, it's a starting point to the route. We went over there and took some great photos and then came back in and and had an amazing night. Our Base Camp Staff made a wonderful dinner and a cake to celebrate our trek and to celebrate one of our team members up and coming birthday. So that was yesterday. Today we woke up to calm beautiful clear day and said good bye to our gracious hosts at Everest Base Camp, all of our staff, and we started making our way down hill. In fact, we hiked for about eight hours today, with breaks and then lunch of course. We left Base Camp located at about 17,500' and a few hours ago we arrived here in Pheriche at about 14,000 feet. The thick air and the warmer temperatures down here have everybody feeling great and in good spirits, so all is well. I'm hoping that will have some wi-fi tomorrow. There wasn't enough connectivity tonight for me to get on to send any pictures. Sorry that I wasn't able to get a dispatch out last night. I just couldn't get a reception from from Camp. So anyway all is well, and hope to get you some pictures here tomorrow. RMI Guide Casey Grom

Thursday, May 28th 3:49 am PDT After so many posts about waiting for weather, this one is different. We headed for the fixed lines this morning under clear, sunny skies. The day turned into the nicest that Robby, Josh, or I have ever had on the West Buttress--warm and without a breathe of wind. Because the weather was so nice, the climbing conditions so perfect, and the group climbing so well, we decided to push all of the way to 17 Camp and leave our cache there. The climbing on the Buttress is some of the best of the entire route, and everyone thoroughly enjoyed the huge views, interesting climbing, and the accomplishment of getting it done. It was a big day, just under 10 hours round trip, so everyone is knackered but elated, and we will more than likely sleep in and take a rest day tomorrow. RMI Guides Pete, Robby, Josh, and team

On The Map

Thank you to everyone who followed the climb. I deeply appreciate all the support I felt from this community! You can view photos of my trip to Nepal in my Dropbox gallery. Included are a few from working with the local people after the quake. As for what the immediate future holds for me, today I’m packing for my yearly pilgrimage to guide on Mt. Rainier for RMI. I am psyched to get back up to the Pacific Northwest, share the experience of mountaineering with others, and see my many good friends there. Again, thank you all for your support. RMI Guide Alex Barber

All members of our team made it to the highest point in Mexico this morning- el Pico de Orizaba! We lucked out with perfect weather and great snow conditions. Warm temperatures and great views coaxed us into spending a good chunk of time on the summit . We'll follow up soon. RMI Guides Zeb Blais, Robby Young and team

On The Map

The Four Day Summit Climb Teams led by RMI Guides Brent Okita and Leon Davis reached the summit of Mt. Rainier today. The team climbed in fresh snow deposited by the most recent storm, and enjoyed clear skies and light winds. The team has started their descent and are en-route back to Camp Muir. Congratulations to Today's Team!

Jambo from Tanzania, Our African adventure has started! The majority of the team arrived on the KLM flight from Amsterdam tonight. Definitely a tired group of travelers, but that is to be expected after the almost 24 hours needed to get here. Any arrivals hall is a bit chaotic, and Kilimanjaro International Airport is no exception. Safari teams and climbers alike look for their guides and drivers throughout the crowded maze of people. We found our team pretty quickly and got immediately out of the action and headed to our bus. We had an opened bottle of champagne waiting for us, and after a quick toast to Kilimanjaro, we were on our way to the hotel. One more performance of the "duffel shuffle", and we moved into our rooms where we will be spending the next two nights. We are minutes away from sitting down to a three course dinner on the outside patio at the Dik Dik Hotel. I think roasted lamb is on the menu tonight.... Tough transition from airplane food, but someone's got do it. La la salama, Jeff

Hey RMI this is Linden Mallory calling from the Kahiltna Glacier. It’s about 3pm on the 10th of July. Those clouds that were building last night covered the Glacier and it never quite got cold enough last night for us to travel. So we are holed up here at 8,700’. We had a pretty relaxed little day, hanging out, chatting and eating as much food as we can. Right now we are in a cloud bank, no snow at the moment but obscured skies. Things are definitely warm. We are keeping our fingers crossed that the clouds burn off by the end of the day and we are able to get a good freeze tonight and make it to Basecamp tomorrow. We will check in and let you know how it goes. Take Care. RMI Guide LInden Mallory