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100% of the Mt. Baker Easton Glacier team stood on top around 6 am this morning, August 19th. After facing thunderstorms and unrelenting rain, the team led by RMI Guides Sam Hoffman, Jack Ritterson, and Dylan Anderson were able to capitalize on a early-morning weather window. 

Today was big in every way.  We woke at 11 last night and got climbing at midnight, as planned.  It was a beautiful night with a big moon and not much wind. There were plenty of other climbing teams on the move at the same time. It looked like a big Christmas parade with all the headlights.  Thomas, our lead guide, did a wonderful job weaving our team through the traffic on the route. 

It was progressively colder as we got higher and closer to dawn, so of course we were interested in keeping moving.  We took short rest breaks to add more clothing and to take in food and water.  It was still dark as we hit Stella Point on the crater rim a few minutes after 6 AM, but the sunrise was imminent. We enjoyed the victory lap along the rim over to Uhuru (the true summit) as morning broke.

The team hit Uhuru at 7:05 AM. We took pictures and gazed around in wonder from the continental high point. By 7:30 we were headed down.  About three hours later, we were back in Barafu being serenaded by our staff as they sang a few traditional Kilimanjaro songs. We repacked and ate a great lunch before taking on one of the bigger challenges of the day - dropping another 5,000 vertical feet to reach Mweka Camp.

It would be a rough hike on fresh legs, which ours were not. But by 5 PM, we'd all made it. Life is considerably easier way down here at 10K.Especially with the excellent dinner our team put together. Quality sleep is next.

Best Regards, Dave

Saturday, May 18, 2024 - 10:35 pm PT

Everyone seemed to agree that last night was one of the best nights of sleep they've had. Something about a big day, hard work building camp, and the impetus to climb deep inside your bag to hide from the cold at 14,000' made for a good night. We let sun hit the tents and warm things before rousing for breakfast, then strolled back to our cache at 13,500' to retreive the rest of our food and belongings. It was a good active rest mission, stretch the legs but not work too hard. An afternoon of naps and snacks led to a quick fixed line refresher before dinner. We're happily settled in at 14,000' now with all of our stuff and looking for the next opportunity to head up for a trip along the West Buttress to 17,000' camp. That day will be another carry and cache, but we are getting closer to the goal. Everyone is psyched to be up at 14,000' where the living is good and the views endless. We'll touch base tomorrow.

RMI Guide Pete Van Deventer

On The Map

On The Map

On The Map