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May 27, 2014 - 7:21 pm PT Update on Mike Walter's team from Brent Okita: While basking in the warmth and comfort of our tent this afternoon, Mike Walter and his team pulled in after spending an epic thirteen days at 14,200' camp without getting a break in the weather suitable for a realistic summit bid. That no other guided group has summited the mountain attests to the particularly bad weather they've encountered. The team joined us for some soup and are now walking down the Kahiltna Glacier headed for the airstrip and hopefully a plane back to Talkeetna tomorrow morning. We wish them well and praise their tenacity, fortitude and strong work on the upper mountain. They deserve huge kudos for their efforts! Nice job team.

On The Map

Monday, May 26, 2025 - 12:07 am PT

Summit success for the Mt. McKinley May 8th Expedition!  Yesterday Pete Van Deventer and team reached the highest point in North America.  Pete checked in when the team had safely returned to 17,000' Camp.  More details will be coming soon (we hope).

Congratulations team!

RMI Guide Roland Scott checked in this afternoon to let us know that he and his team reached the summit of Mt. Baker. The team is back at Sandy Camp where they will rest up before descending to the trailhead tomorrow.

Way to go team! 

We made it to the summit of Vinson today! In the nick of time as it turned out. While our time of ascent was a blazing fast seven hours, the mountain was anything but easy today. We started with blue skies, bright sun and a nagging 10 mph breeze when the stoves were fired shortly after seven this morning. That breeze made things like fastening harnesses and crampons quite cold. We roped up and got moving at 9:45 hoping to lose the wind as we got into the protection of the valley glacier that would take us to the summit. That worked a little, things were reduced to occasional gusts. Those gusts increased in frequency and force as we got up near 15,000 ft. By the time we were scrambling onto the summit ridge, it was blowing a more or less steady 30 mph. We worked pretty hard to keep each other’s faces frost free and to keep sunglasses and ultimately goggles from fogging up. Hitting the top at 4:45 was a thrill, but not at all one we could linger over. We squeezed off just a couple of photos (which we’ll post after getting back to the Wi-Fi world) but it really wasn’t the day for bare hands on the summit. We set out to get off the ridge and down to high camp. This was accomplished in about three hours, during which we watched winds increase and a storm move into the Ellsworth Mountains. At 8:00 when we pulled into camp, the sun was in the clouds and winds were rock steady at about 20 mph, moving plenty of snow around. The victory dinner was in tents as it is far from pleasant at High Camp tonight. We snuck this one in... now to get down the mountain. Best Regards, RMI Guide Dave Hahn

The American Lung Association's Climb for Clean Air team reached the summit of Mt. Baker today with 100% success! RMI Guide Steve Gately reported a great climb and good route conditions. The views were hard to come by to the smoke lingering over Western Washington, but the team had a great time! Congratulations to today's team!

May 30, 2017 After a full day packing up, weighing our gear and some serious duffel shuffling we are all set to jet into the Alaska Range tomorrow! Weather permitting we should head in mid morning and take stock of a most beautiful set of mountains. Our fingers are crossed for a grand adventure and we will keep you all posted on our journey. Take care everyone! RMI Guide Jake Beren

May 18, 2015 - 11:43 pm PT Hello- Our day in Base Camp was as busy as it can get. After a leisurely breakfast of pancakes bacon and coffee, we divided up to learn and practice beacon searches, surface hauling systems and rig our sleds for moving up river. A great day under a blazing sun that had us wondering how we can be surrounded by so much snow yet be so dang hot. Tomorrow we leave our camp loaded with five days of provisions and make our way towards Kahiltna Dome. We will talk again from Camp 1! RMI Guides Leon Davis, Lindsay Fixmer, Bridget Belliveau & Team

On The Map

As the expedition draws to a close, the days come flying by in a blur. After a big descent to Aconcagua Base Camp with heavy packs, we fell into our sleeping bags and got one of the best nights of sleep of the trip. The group chose to fore go setting up tents and laid out sleeping bags in the big dining tent, and for the first time in many nights, we didn’t spend the whole night listening to the wind slap at our tents. We woke in the morning, caffeinated up, and did a hasty pack job of the our duffels for the mules. We grabbed our day packs, light once again, and started off down the mule trails, retracing the paths we had walked two weeks earlier (ironically, most of the group didn’t remember much of it and was convinced that we were exiting a different way). While our packs were light, and our hiking shoes a lot more comfortable than our boots, the nearly 15 miles of rocky trail walking took about ten hours, and by the end, everyone's dogs were far beyond barking. Fortunately, the amazing arryaros were waiting at Pampe de Lenas, with the fire already started and meat on the grill. The team feasted on more carne than we could possibly eat, especially with the shrunken stomachs that result from two weeks of high altitude living. Once again, we chose to fore go the tents, and everyone unrolled pads and bags on the ground and watched the Southern Cross trace its arc across the canyon rim. We woke early, and though everyone was feeling the previous couple of days, the motivation to finally reach the park entrance and be done trumped all of the physical discomforts. Three and half more hours brought us to the tree-lined aqueduct that signals the final stretch to the end of the long trail. We grabbed our dust covered bags from the mules and loaded a shuttle to Mendoza. With a quick stop for another huge meal, we were in Mendoza by evening, showering off the weeks of dust. We wrapped up the trip with another great culinary experience at El Patio Azul de Jesus Maria. We feasted on a traditional Argentinian parilla (bbq) with boundless different cuts of meat cooked slowly over a wood fire. Malbec was plentiful for washing the meal down, and was the perfect way to refuel after weeks up the mountain. Most of the group will spend the next two days in Mendoza, planning to explore the shops, rest by the pool, and perhaps tour a few vineyards, before we return to winter time in the States. We would like to thank the whole team for the incredible team work that they displayed throughout the entire trip, the camaraderie, and the effort that each and every one put out. This was a group that was a pleasure for the guides to work with. Finally, I’d like to thank Alex and Juan for kicking ass the entire trip. The whole trip was a pleasure all the way around, and we’re already looking forward to next year! Thanks, RMI Guide Pete Van Deventer

Everyone has safely arrived here in Ecuador and are excited for our adventure. We started our day with a team meeting where we did a round of introductions and discuss our upcoming program. Shortly after our meeting we headed out to explore this beautiful old city with our tour guide Juan. He took us to visit the Basilica and the old part of town dating back to the 1600's. We made a stop atop a hill that overlooks the city called La Panacea, and took in the view of this long and narrow city of over two million. We then made our way north to visit the equator which gives Ecuador it's name. There's a small museum there with a few interactive displays that amused us. But most importantly we stood on the equator itself! After our brief visit we made our way back to our hotel in downtown Quito where we took a break before heading to dinner. The team opted for a place called the Magic Bean that's know for its tasty food and fresh juices. Everyone is doing well and looking forward to getting a little exercise tomorrow. RMI Guide Casey Grom and crew

The Four Day Summit Climb teams led by RMI Guides Mike Walter and Tyler Reid reached the summit of Mt. Rainier today. The teams enjoyed some time on the summit on what Tyler Reid described as a "beautiful day". They began their descent from the crater rim just before 8 am and will return to Camp Muir for a short break and then continue down to Paradise this afternoon. Congratulations to today's Summit Climbers!