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Thursday, June 20, 2019 9:27 PM PT We made it onto the mountain first thing after breakfast today. Things went about as easily as they possibly could. The weather in Talkeetna was fine and first reports from the mountain were similar. It wasn’t like we were racing our two planes in to the mountains trying to take advantage of some tiny break in the weather. We took the standard team photograph under the nose of a big red K2 ski-equipped Otter and then got busy loading up. Just as the planes were lifting off the runway we could see a young moose some fifty feet off the port side wingtip. The rest of the flight was just the normal beautiful as we crossed from green and flat tundra to white snow and steep black rock. After 45 minutes, at around 9:30 AM our pilots had us on final approach to Kahiltna International. We had a little work to do then, dragging loads from the airplanes to a suitable campsite in the snow, and building tents. But we did all of that in the middle of a spectacular -and for many of us- unfamiliar setting of giant peaks and surreal cloud forms. We set into a few training sessions reviewing glacier travel techniques and crevasse protocols. The afternoon was endless and easy and then we sat together in a snow dining room to have dinner and take a break. Finally, the team had a few last chores getting packed and sorted before an early bedtime. Just as we finished up, a speed climber came trotting up the SE Fork on snowshoes. The man casually and cheerfully claimed a new round trip speed record for Denali of 11 hours and 40 minutes. Our lower jaws hit the snow in disbelief and astonishment. We congratulated the man and went back to launching our three week version of the same thing. The gang was in bed by 7 PM. The alarm will go off at 12:30 AM and we’ll get motivating. Best Regards, RMI Guide Dave Hahn & Team

They call our camp tonight "Planet Dickson" because it feels otherworldly. It is a small peninsula of land that sticks out into the emerald waters of Lake Dickson which are dotted by small icebergs. With no roads to here and horses grazing all around it is paradise. You can skip perfectly flat rocks off its shores or pick the rather bitter Calafate berries around its green lawns. We had a long day on the trail so everyone was happy to see the hut this afternoon. The trail gave us an authentic experience of Patagonia's weather and "Patagonia flat" terrain. The weather here goes from light rain, to hot sun, to gusting winds, to dark skies, to hot sun again in 10 minutes. It is a moody teenager. "Patagonia flat" is how the locals refer to terrain that goes up and down a lot. Tomorrow will bring some more hills and views of hanging glaciers. The team is doing great and in awe of each view. RMI Guide Christina Dale

Our bags are packed and stowed on the Ilyushin 76... the big four engine Russian Jet that will take us down to the Ice. We hope to be off deck first thing tomorrow morning, but that will certainly depend on the weather. The gear got weighed and gathered up just after nine in the morning, so we had plenty of time to go strolling along the shore of Magellan’s Strait. Our next official function was a briefing/cocktail party at ALE headquarters at 4 PM. Antarctic Logistics and Expeditions- is our outfitter and they gathered the fifty or so passengers for our flight to orient and educate us on the trip South. They issued Pisco Sours served over Antarctic ice for the occasion, which was something of a reunion for the guides and frequent climbers in the group. They explained that the weather needs to improve a little, but that there is some reason to hope that it will for a flight tomorrow. My team of five went out for a last restaurant meal and then called it an early evening. We’ll get up early...around 5AM... and we’ll see if conditions have improved. Best Regards RMI Guide Dave Hahn

We did another alpine start and another climb up the side of a volcano. But this time we got up to a fine pre-dawn breakfast in a comfy dining room with a roaring fire and rode up the side of a collapsed volcano in Toyota Landcruisers. That was all under heavy cloud and a little rain. By the time we’d ridden around the crater rim and dropped down in, we were out of the clouds and into a world of wildlife and wonders. Before very long we were looking at a pride of nine lions up close and personal (before the day was out, we’d seen around 26 different lions). We saw herd after herd after herd of wildebeest, zebra and Cape buffalo. Gazelles bounded and abounded. There were just a few solitary elephants here and there. In the morning we spied a rhinoceros off in the distance. In the afternoon we went on a wild rhino rumor race... chasing across the crater along with half the other Toyotas in Tanzania to see a supposed rhino who apparently dropped down and went to sleep out of sight. As consolation, we had high times with hippos in a number of places. Many of the team said their favorite part of the day was encountering two lionesses simply walking past the cars on their way to who-knows-where. We had an excellent and very relaxing picnic lunch while watching hippos, birds, buffalo and zebras. At about 4 PM, Ibrahim and Edson steered the Landcruisers up a crazily switchbacking exit road and we left the conservation zone and got back to our garden of a hotel to take things a little easy before dinner. Tarangire is tomorrow. Best Regards RMI Guide Dave Hahn

Wednesday, July 4, 2018 - 11:09 PM PT The sun hit at seven. There were high clouds and some of the signs of the storm forecast to move in at the end of the day. We hoped to get lucky by sneaking the summit in before that storm. With that in mind we breakfasted and geared up... but not too quickly as we were still watching the weather. At 10:15 we made the move and left camp... at precisely the moment that three other guided teams left their own camps. The resulting traffic jam as the teams hit the steep and tricky first pitches of the “autobahn” combined with rapidly deteriorating weather had us turning back to camp before noon. We set to building walls around the tents and catching up on rest and hydration. The storm did hit... there were a few nervy hours in the evening trying to account for the teams that had gone onward and upward. All turned out ok in the end and we are secure in our fortress at 17,000' Camp. We’ll climb when the weather improves. Best Regards RMI Guide Dave Hahn

On The Map

Another beautiful day on Denali for the team. I think most folks woke up around 7 or 8 this morning, but we all rolled around in our sleeping bags for a while until the sun hit us at almost exactly 9:30. No sense in being cold if we don't have to. After the sun warmed our tents, we enjoyed a leisurely breakfast, and some more limitless views. As we walked downhill to dig up our cache, Mounts Foraker and Hunter dominated the skyline while valley glaciers spilled farther than we could see. The team wasted no time retrieving their stashed goodies, and we were back in camp within an hour and a half. With the remainder of the day we snacked, napped, practiced using ascenders, and snacked some more. We will try to cache some gear above the fixed lines tomorrow if the weather is favorable. Talk to you all then. RMI Guide Walter Hailes

On The Map

Hello from High Camp. Today we woke up with the sun hitting our tents at Moraine Camp and not a cloud in sight. We had breakfast and coffee and packed up. This was our first time with crampons and ice tools of the trip. It took a stretch or two but we all fell into a good cadence. Soon we found ourselves nearing the Col but a few steep steps of snow and ice separated us from camp. Though it was difficult with heavy backpacks we all climbed very well up to the Col. Here we finally got our first view of the southwest face of Alpamayo that we will climb. It is perhaps one of the most beautiful mountains I have ever seen and our line is striking and direct. Everyone is very excited for the ascent. The team did very well today and everyone is happy and healthy. Most likely we will take a rest day tomorrow and climb on Friday. Thanks for following along with us. RMI Guide Geoff Schellens and the Alpamayo Team!

We enjoyed our last evening in St. Petersburg with an early dinner and a boat cruise through the canals of this beautiful city. Thanks to our group for a great climb of Mt. Elbrus and a wonderful adventure in Russia. Until next time, RMI Guide JJ Justman

June 8, 2015, 6:16 pm PT Not too much to report from camp today. The weather was moderate, but not good enough to coax us out for a walk or carry up hill. At this point the team is just focusing on resting, meeting the neighbors and getting ready to utilize the next window of good weather. Speaking of neighbors, the most exciting news of the day is that we are joining Tyler Jones' team for dinner tonight. After ten days on the glacier together, the whole team is ready to interact with some new faces and hear new stories. Tyler's team was nice enough to invite invite us over for a round of loaded quesadillas. The only remaining question is what we should take as a house warming gift. RMI Guides Geoff Schellens and Eric Frank

On The Map

The Four Day Summit Climb team led by RMI Guide Brent Okita was unable to reach the summit of Mt. Rainier this morning. Low visibility and windy conditions prevented the team from climbing above 13,200 ft. The team will descend back to Camp Muir before continuing on to Ashford this afternoon.