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After 17 hours in the air we arrived at the Dik Dik hotel with all team members and bags to boot. A great way to start the trip with nice accomodations and a good looking crew. Today we have been checking equipment, both personal and group, also going over trip detail and dates for our safari ahead. It has been overcast so far today, but may burn off later; if so, we may take a walk to stretch our legs and we should have a great view of Kilimanjaro from on top of the water tower located on the hotels manicured grounds. The trail leads us from the hotel passed the huge organic garden we have been feasting out of since our arrival.

Sunday, June 3 - 6:18 AM PT Hey, this is Eric and Andy checking in from Bolivia. Just letting you know that everyone made it up to the top of Huayna Potosi this morning. We are in a cloud right now and experiencing a little bit of snow, but have calm winds and we're making our descent. Everyone is doing well and it's a beautiful day in the mountains. RMI Guide Andy Bond

Hey all, Our entire team has arrived in Mendoza and excited to get moving toward the mountain.  But we can't go to Aconcagua before our inaugural steak and Malbec dinner, so we hit the town and took care of business.  Now with stuffed stomachs we are ready to get a full night's rest after a long journey to South America.  Tomorrow we will head into the Andes! Stay tuned, RMI Guide Ben Liken

Last night at 6:30 in the evening, Team Shishapangma was still on the move, descending a barely visible trail etched into the ancient glacial moraine by only a few dozen boots going up and down with hopes of establishing camps on the higher slopes of this snowy mass. Clearly this footpath changes each year after the passing of the monsoon rains so we were again proven how generous and selfless our Sherpa team is when Furba and Pemba Sherpa met us more than two miles from camp with warm drinks and happy smiles. We had been away from base camp for more than three days and they were eager to greet us. The remaining walk was in the dark guessing where the trail led which our Sherpas, with most things mountain related, were better at than us. We devoured dinner and shortly after sleep devoured us. This morning, Sunday the 18th of September greeted us like most others have. The sun hits us at 7:30, the sounds of Aital and Purna our righteous cooks firing up the kitchen, echoing off the rocky hillside behind us, our neighbor's camp coming to life. But these common place things are now accompanied by a new set of sounds. A chorus of coughs, hacks, and other phlegm related guttural noises are reminding us constantly how the unforgiving altitude we are living at is tightening its grip. Life at base camp is the best we have but at 18,500 feet it is still a challenge. So we were all grateful that today the most difficult thing we needed to do was drink coffee, clean some clothes, and listen to the Mark Wilkins school of business. Rest days are quickly becoming a hard earned and well deserved reward. The rotations coming up are only going to get higher, colder and longer so we will enjoy base camp as much as we can. Everyone is dreaming of home and wishing all following along lots of love. RMI Guide Elias de Andres Martos

The low pressure system plaguing the North Cascades cleared the area before we began our approach to the Hogsback Camp on Mt. Baker under clear blue skies. It is a relatively short hike compared to other North Cascade objectives and we endured sweaty backs for only three hours to our upper camp. We spent the first afternoon relaxing in the warm sun looking across a long glacier towards our climbing objective the following day. We woke at 2:00 a.m. to a waning crescent moon and began the traverse across the Coleman Glacier, navigating the crevassed field of soft snow and ice by headlamp to the base of the North Ridge. Two and a half hours of walking brought us to the bergschrund guarding the access couloir and soon we were kicking and swinging our way up 50 degree snow onto the North Ridge. We climbed in the shadow of the Ridge as the sun lit up the terrain to our left and promised its warmth just as soon as we were ready to crest the Ridge facing Canada. The real climbing begins halfway up the route on a feature known as the ice step. Our team climbed onto the step swinging left onto the face and climbing the sun baked ice for two pitches. The sun was in full effect as we gained the steep slopes that continue unbroken for 1,500 vertical feet under Mt. Baker's final serac band. Just below the summit, we shed clothing wet from the dripping ice. Four more pitches of 55 degree snow brought us to the serac jungle guarding Mt. Baker's summit and we entered the jungle with eyes overhead to watch for falling ice. A large smoke canister marked the entry to the jungle passage, dropped from a helicopter a few days prior staining the snow a bright red. A two person party had been caught in whiteout conditions and abandoned their gear just below the summit. We came across two packs with clothing, rope, and some climbing gear which we shouldered and carried up and over cleaning the mountain of unnatural detritus. Soon, we stood on top Mt. Baker's broad summit plateau and ventured over to the other side to begin the descent down the Coleman-Deming route to our camp on the Hogsback. All told, we spent 12 hours climbing the North Ridge of Mt. Baker. We arrived at camp as large clouds built up to the south and basked in the late afternoon sun, falling into a deep sleep satisfied with a great adventure on a great route. RMI Guide Leon Davis

May 17, 2016 - 12:29 a.m. PDT I woke up at the chilly hour of 5:00 a.m. to start the stoves. It was a perfectly clear morning with barely a breath of wind. After a hearty breakfast we packed our backpacks with supplies to cache up above the fixed ropes. We started climbing in the shade, as the sun still had not poked out around the West Rib. The cold temps were perfect for climbing and we warmed up quickly. After an hour and a thousand feet of vertical gain, the sun welcomed us at our first break. We continued climbing and employed our mechanical ascenders to aid us up the fixed ropes. A couple hours later we were on top of the West Buttress proper. The team climbed hard today and we accomplished our goals, with one team putting a cache in below Washburn's Thumb (16,700'), and the other team pushing on to high camp (17,200') to establish a cache. We're all back at camp and in our sleeping bags now after a long day of climbing. A much deserved rest day awaits us tomorrow. RMI Guide Mike Walter & Team

The group has made it to charming Talkeetna for burgers, beers, and packing. We spent the day yesterday dialing in our 100 liter packs and duffels with sleds. The food for 22 days is packed and our spirits are high. Now that we are all ready the weather needs to cooperate. We were scheduled to fly this morning but are in a waiting pattern at the moment, well, I guess it's back to the coffee shop. All is well! RMI Guide Jake Beren & Team

Today, we had an early start, however we weren’t sleepy on the trail for very long. 

We crossed the river on foot five minutes away from our last trekking camp. The frigid waters came up to our knees as we crossed. Yikes! All this before sunrise.  We quickly dried our feet and legs, and put on warmer foot wear to make our way up to Aconcagua. Six hours of hiking later, climbing 3,300 feet over seven miles, we walked into base camp.

We’re finally here!  A few days to acclimate, and we should head up to Camp 1.

RMI Climber James Esrey

RMI Guide Mike Walter and his team are on the summit of Mt. Shuksan. They climbed the Fisher Chimneys and then the southeast ridge to the summit. The team will descend back to their high camp to stay for the night. Congratulations to the team!

Jambo everyone, Today we visited the famous Ngorongoro Crater. The crater is roughly 100 square miles and is known for its abundance of animals that call the crater home. We hit the road early with hopes of catching a few of the big cats before the heat of the day. There were many sightings today of hyenas, jackles, ostrich, and countless other birds. We didn’t manage to see too many Lions, but did get to see 3 Leopards while driving in and out of the crater, which was certainly a highlight. We saw several Black Rhinos which have become very rare do to poaching, however, they were only viewable through binoculars. We wrapped up the day with a visit to a Maasai village not far from the craters rim. The Maasai people are a semi-nomadic tribe that exist almost entirely off of their cattle. The team spent time asking questions and enjoyed being shown around their small and simple village. We have just finished another wonderful meal here at the Plantation Lodge RMI Guide Casey Grom and crew