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No flying today, as it turned out. Clouds and snow prevailed. But as far as storms go, this one hasn’t been particularly unpleasant. The wind didn’t blow hard enough to rattle our tents overnight and with all of the cloud cover, temperatures were moderate and reasonable -probably somewhere in the teens. After breakfast, we got out our harnesses and carabiners and reviewed a few basics before roping up and marching through camp a few times. In the afternoon we set out on a mission to walk a 10 kilometer groomed circuit out in mid-Glacier. Just a day or two before we got in, this circuit hosted 50+ runners competing in the Antarctic Marathon. Inspired by these athletes, my team went the extra mile today, or perhaps four, as their guide struggled to stay on course. Conditions deteriorated with snow falling steadily and for several hours we trudged on without benefit of horizon or contrast. All allowed that it was good to be out and to be stretching legs. We were back just before dinner and felt just a bit more entitled to extra helpings and deluxe desserts than we might have without the suffering and privations of the brutal 10K track. After dinner, the briefings went as expected... conditions still did not allow for flights to Vinson... bad weather may continue for several days. Visual Flight Rules prevail in these parts... smart people don’t mix twin otters, mountains and murk if they can avoid it. But as it turns out, there is more training for us to do at Union Glacier in relative comfort and safety. Best Regards, RMI Guide Dave Hahn

June 27, 2017 We are in position for a summit day. We made our move from camp at 14,000' to our camp at 17,000'. The crew did a great job ascending the fixed lines and climbing the spectacular ridge past Washburn's Thumb, a huge chunk of rock that towers above the route. It was a little windy on the ridge, but it is hard to complain about wind on a huge mountain like Denali. We made a fortified camp before the clouds came up and gave us some wind and snow. The sun is starting to peak through and we are hoping for good weather tomorrow so we can get a shot at the summit! RMI Guide Mike Haugen

On The Map

Buenas noches from our camp at Quebrada Paria. We started our approach trek today towards Artesonraju Base Camp. The long drive from the hotel was rewarded by incredible views of Huascaran and Huandoy, the towering Andean giants that oversaw our incursion into the range. After meeting our arrieros (donkey drivers) we continued with the first leg of our journey. A nice vegetable soup followed by rice and chicken on a potato cream made by our cook Emilio, all with ingredients from his own home farm, was the dinner that put us to bed. That's it for the first day of our expedition out in the field! RMI Guide Elias de Andres Martos and team.

We finally got to ski on Mt. Elbrus today! We had a nice acclimatization tour up to 14,000' in wintry snow conditions. All that rain down low has equaled nice snow quality up high, and aside from the altitude our turns felt effortless. This morning we did the three gondola "duffel shuffle" - nothing like ski lifts for approaching High Camp (beats walking!). We've got ourselves nicely situated at our home here at 12,600'. Everyone is feeling good and in good spirits. We're psyched to go a bit higher tomorrow.. RMI Guide Tyler Reid

On The Map

June 7, 2017 "Ok, I know we've been climbing for three hours straight, but let's get a quick bite to eat and drink and get out of here and back to camp." "Brent, there's like over thirty people behind us on the route." JT exclaims, trying to be heard over the winds that have just picked up. This was the scene at Denali Pass a few hours ago, high point of our midday sojourn to kick in the route, reset the anchors to the current route and mostly get some exercise so we do not waste away up here. After passing a windless evening last night I was optimistic of our chances to summit this morning. But, as our typically poor luck would have it, around 7:00am the first ripples of wind tickled the tent walls. By 9:00 we had 40 mph gusts pushing the tent walls into our faces. Yes, we were all ready to go if the weather improved since it wasn't horrible outside besides those pesky gusts. Finally, 11:45 rolled around and we decided to go for a little walk. By 12:30 we were climbing to Denali Pass. This is typically later than we'd like to start for the summit, but we didn't have the summit in mind anyways. What took me by surprise was how our little walk inspired the entire camp at 17,200' to gear up and climb. Our team really climbed well today, especially impressing me on how well everyone descended. The weather forecast is not really inspiring, but we'll hang in here for a couple more days anyways to see if we can catch a break. The team is still smiling, and we had a great experience today. All it takes is one nice day to finish this thing off. Good night, RMI Guides Brent, Christina and JT

On The Map

June 5, 2017 After our cache to 17,200' Camp yesterday, our team had earned a well deserved rest day. We cooked up some breakfast burritos this morning for brunch which included eggs, bacon and hash browns. After digesting our breakfast, we stretched out our legs by walking to the Edge of the World. Each team member was belayed out to the edge which drops some 5,000 ft to the Northeast Fork and provides some great photos to bring home. The weather outlook is calling for some windy and cold days ahead so the team may be sticking it out here at 14k camp but when our time comes we will be rested and ready to climb! RMI Guide Tyler Jones

We started the day -as usual- in a cold cloud at high camp.  We are finishing it in bright sunshine and relative warmth at Union Glacier.  It was a hard day of down climbing with heavy packs, but by late afternoon we were in Vinson Base where a plane was waiting just for us.  Our tents are up in a flat place tonight and the team is happily chatting with explorers, adventurers, scientists, guides, pilots and hard workers from around the world -all mixed in the comfortable ALE dining tent.  Chances are good that we'll fly to Punta Arenas tomorrow.  More as time allows. Best Regards, RMI Guide Dave Hahn

Today was our first day of safari and we headed to Lake Manyara National Park. It took a little over 2hrs to get there as we drove through Arusha and then the vast rural savannah to get there. It's situated at the base of the eastern Great Rift Escarpment, and is home the the famous tree climbing lions, over 450 different birds, huge troops of baboons, hippos, and most of the other African animals. It's been rather dry this year and unfortunately we didn't see the famous lions, but we did see plenty of other wildlife up close. After spending a couple of hours of safari we made our way to the wonderful Plantation Lodge where we've been enjoying being spoiled and just finished another fantastic meal. Everyone is doing great and are excited to see what tomorrow brings as we head to Ngorongoro Crater. RMI Guide Casey Grom and crew

Our Four Day Summit Climb team led by RMI Guides Adam Knoff and Pete Van Deventer reached the summit of Mt. Rainier this morning under clear skies, with warm temperatures and a light breeze. The teams enjoyed some time on the summit before starting their descent from the crater rim just after 7 am PST. The Expedition Skills Seminar - Kautz led by RMI Guide Geoff Schellens made a sunset climb last night and reached the crater with 100% of their team. All three teams will descend to Paradise today and return to Ashford to conclude their programs. Congratulations to today's climbers!

The Four Day Summit Climb team led by RMI Guide Brent Okita and the Five Day Summit Climb led by RMI Guide Pete Van Deventer reached the summit of Mt. Rainier around 6:45 am. Brent reported good weather with 25 mph winds. The teams spent about an hour on the summit before beginning their descent at 7:45 am.