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The
Expedition Skills Seminar - Muir reached the summit of Mount Rainier this morning. RMI Guides
Brent Okita and
Billy Nugent with their teams started the day with a glorious sunrise as they ascended the mountain. Weather was crisp with wind speeds around 20 mph. They began their descent to Camp Muir at 9:15 a.m. and will spend the next two days learning additional mountaineering skills to wrap up the week on Mount Rainier.
The seminar is the last RMI Mount Rainier program of the 2016 season. We look forward to
May 2017 when the next season begins!
Summit Day! We had flat-out perfect weather for it, which is only what we would have expected after the past five splendid days. The pattern held... Sea of clouds far below, nothing whatsoever up high.
We were up at 11:30 and on the trail by 12:50 AM. By about 4 AM, we were wearing nearly everything we had. Although it was calm and clear, it was also COLD. Those of the team that looked up saw a snake of headlights working up Kibo, a fair number of shooting stars, the International Space Station, constellations and a crescent moon forming a smile on the horizon. Those that looked down saw a whole lot of trudging steps for the seven hours and ten minutes it took us to hit Uhuru... the highest point of Kibo, of
Kilimanjaro, and of Africa. Sunrise caught us just before we reached the crater rim and was welcome for its beauty, but even more for its warmth. We spent about 25 happy minutes on top and got moving downward just before 8:30. The mountain was busy -as always- but we had no trouble with traffic jams on either the climb or descent. We were back to Barafu by 11:05 AM and sitting at the lunch table soon afterward. Then, much as we'd have enjoyed a good nap, it was time to pack and get out of Barafu. The team made good time on tricky trails and reached Mweka Camp by 4:15PM, having gotten rid of another 5,000 vertical feet in the process. We are back in tall heather after a couple of days in the alpine zone. All are figuring they've got a good chance of overcoming jet lag and altitude tonight to get a full night of well-earned sleep.
Best Regards,
RMI Guide Dave Hahn
On The Map
June 16, 2015 9:32 pm PT
We had another early morning today. Instead of moving uphill, we went back to 10,000' to retrieve our cache. All went according to plan and we got back to camp around 8:30 a.m. We did a bit of relaxing and reorganizing of our reunited gear. The sun was out on the glacier, which provided some intense solar radiation that we tried to stay out of. Our plan is to get up early and carry some gear up to our
next camp at 14,000' and then return to 11,200' tomorrow afternoon.
RMI 7 "El Siete"
On The Map
May 17, 2015 - 11:05pm PST
Hello All,
We awoke this morning to decreasing winds and clear skies, which gave us the window we've been waiting for to carry equipment around
Windy Corner and put in a cache at 13,600'. Our team climbed strong and did a great job managing the few wind gusts we sustained... staying balanced and efficient while moving to higher elevations. We returned to camp in the late afternoon and feasted on quesadilla's with peppers, onions, chicken, and plenty of cheese before turning in for some well deserved rest.
Our forecast is looking good and we hope to move to 14,000' tomorrow. It'll be a big day, so we'll rise early and break camp in order to give us plenty of time to get settled in our new home up in Genet Basin.
Thanks for following along!
RMI Guide
Solveig Waterfall & Team
This morning we woke to the traditional
Aconcagua weather pattern, cold temps and consistent winds. We watched snow billow off the upper Polish glacier into the sky forming clouds that resembled smoke rising from a 23,000 ft bonfire.
Everyone is chomping at the bit to move camp and begin our summit attempt, but we will spend one more night at Camp 2 and hope the forecast of 5-20 mph winds holds out.
Quesadillas for lunch and more tent time. If you are reading these blogs with any desire to go expedition climbing get a Kindle and crush tent time like a pro.
RMI Guides Mike King and Steve Gately
On The Map
Greetings from Aconcagua's Basecamp!
Started the morning with an early, very cold, stream crossing to head up the Relinchos Valley from Casa de Piedra. Today was the first day with views largely dominated by the mountain, and finally entering the high alpine environment. Strolling into
Plaza Argentina Basecamp for the first time is quite an amazing sight, between the camp and the surrounding cirque. The team is getting settled in, and everyone is looking forward to a well-deserved rest day tomorrow!
RMI Guide Chase Nelson
On The Map
Friday, July 4, 2014 – 10:32 AM PT
We took advantage of great weather and climbing conditions yesterday to summit Cotopaxi (19,348')! We started climbing a little before 5 am, summitted around 1 pm, and were back at camp by 5 pm. Twelve hours of ascending and descending the glaciate slopes of Ecuador's most famous volcano, Cotopaxi. Although we were greeted by gusty winds as we approached the glacier, the sky was clear and the temperature was comfortable. By the time we strapped our crampons on, the wind had died down and the weather and climbing conditions could not have been better. The snow was perfect for cramponing, winds were about 10 mph all the way up to the summit, and the views of the surrounding peaks were stunning.
After a long day of climbing we settled back into the climbers' hut and enjoyed a warm meal before crawling into our sleeping bags for a full night's sleep. This morning, after a leisurely breakfast, we visited a small pre-Incan archaeological site within Cotopaxi National Park before heading south to the
Hacienda La Cienega. Now we're all set to enjoy showers, some more food, and comfortable beds.
Nice work team, on safely climbing up and down a very impressive mountain. We'll rest here at La Cienega tonight and then head back into the capital, Quito, tomorrow.
RMI Guide Mike Walter
Tuesday, June 26, 2018 - 8:54 PM PT
Rest days are the best days! We slept harrrd after our long day of climbing yesterday. When we finally began rustling around we enjoyed a very leisurely pancake brunch and our whole team laughed and chatted with renewed energy. The afternoon was filled with napping, organizing, stretching, snacking, and enjoying the sunshine. Yes, you read that correctly, sunshine! We finally had a full day with no precipitation! It wasn’t exactly beach weather, but we soaked it up nonetheless, and the day moved at just the perfect pace.
Spirits are high and bellies are full- and every member of the Super Crew would like to send a very warm thank you to Carol Clark for her excellent baked goods! They somehow held up very well in Craig’s pack and he was generous enough (or his pack was heavy enough
On The Map
Thursday, June 14th - 4:36 pm PT
We aren’t getting restless yet! We had a beautiful but gusty morning at camp that allowed us to improve our storm walls and batten down the hatches. The summit has been displaying quite the cap over it with long tails indicating the strong winds up high on top of the frigid temperatures. The forecast has finally confirmed that beginning tomorrow and through the weekend will bring heavy snow. We are going to catch the tail of a tropical surge coming off the Pacific, some words to describe it have been a cyclone or Pineapple Express. We will keep you updated on the snowfall amounts! Yesterday, we had a greeting party to welcome Mike King’s team at
14 Camp. We are glad to have some additional company as we wait out this storm. Thanks for the blog comments from our family and friends, keep them coming!
RMI Guide Tyler Jones
It’s a few minutes after 8pm and the Bolivia climbing team members are already cuddled inside our respective sleeping bags, excited for tomorrow.
Today was a good day. We awoke to a quick breakfast and broke down our tents as the sun crested the ridge to our east. Thirty minutes later, our duffels were loaded on donkeys and we moved camp uphill two hours to our high camp.
This afternoon we hiked to the toe of the glacier and did some training on advanced techniques- cramponing on ice, short roping and the finer points of pitched climbing. Now we have the skill set we need to tackle our first climb,
Pequeño Alpamayo, tomorrow.
The weather looks good and with any luck we should be calling from the top by mid to late morning.
RMI Guide Eric Frank
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Great job. Look forward to see the photos!
Posted by: Jzk on 9/29/2016 at 11:03 pm
Sean & Leslie,
Congratulations, know your enjoying the spectacular views
Posted by: BJWelch on 9/29/2016 at 12:30 pm
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