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The
Four Day Summit Climb Team led by RMI Guide JM Gorum reached the summit of Mt. Rainier early this morning. The team climbed well above the heavy marine layer, and reported clear skies with summit temperatures of 25 degrees and winds from the southwest of about 25 mph. The team has started their descent and are en route to Camp Muir.
Congratulations to today's team!
The normally intimidating
Barranco Wall wasn’t so intimidating for my team today. We cruised up it. Perhaps it was because we all got pretty good sleep in Barranco Camp last night. Or it might have been Bruno’s outstanding 8 AM breakfast. Maybe we were energized by the staff breaking into a spirited singing and dancing session in honor of our 9 AM departure. In any case we set off up the network of lava ledges and gullies and none of the team seemed the least bit concerned with the drop-offs and consequences for mis-steps. Nobody puzzled over how to pull up onto the next ledge or on how to let porters with loads squeeze by in such tight spaces. We were up the whole thing in 90 minutes and joking about going back down to do it again. The morning had started out clear but we were in familiar clouds from the top of the wall all the way to Karanga Camp which we reached by about 12:30 PM. Our crew blew us away with another excellent lunch and a well-built camp for us to relax in at 13,100 ft. The clouds fell away just before sunset, enabling us to see Kibo shining and majestic with recent snow. The winds got going a little around camp as we ate dinner and sheltered in the dining tent. With it a little on the cold side, we were inclined to linger a bit longer over hot tea for an after-dinner storytelling session before bed.
Best Regards
RMI Guide Dave Hahn
On The Map
We are standing on top of
Mt. Baker after ascending the North Ridge. 100% of our team summited! The weather is beautiful with light winds and clear skies. We will begin our descent back to camp shortly.
RMI Guide Mike Walter
Wednesday, June 20, 2018 -- 11:14 PM PT
As it turns out, the sun does still exist!! We saw it last night— well actually just the cold sunlight that reflected off the moon— but it was surrounded by bright blue sky and we finally got to see the gorgeousness of the landscape we’ve been inhabiting for days.
We woke in a white out but made the move to
11,000' Camp anyway, with the thought that we must be right at the top of the clouds. Sure enough, we were right! Our new home at 11,000' welcomed us with sunshine to dry out our gear and allow for lounging not in a tent. After a big burrito dinner we are fat and happy back in our sleeping bags, but this time they’re dry and our alarms aren’t set to wake up every hour for shoveling. Much love to all of you who care enough to listen in! Sending special birthday wishes to Cody, Lindsey’s brother!
With love,
RMI Super Crew
On The Map
We are all back safely in town after a successful summit of
Pico de Orizaba! The entire team stood on top after a long day climbing up the Jamapa Glacier. We had thunder and lightning last night that turned into snow all the way down to the hut. The skies cleared around 12:45 am and we were out the door at 1 on a warm night. The Team is sorting gear for flights home in the morning and looking forward to a good dinner and restful nights sleep. Thanks for following along.
RMI Guide Mike King
We woke up in clear and cold splendor down in the Barranco Valley. Kibo seemed directly overhead with glaciers and icefields hanging at impossible angles. We were done with breakfast and packing our packs when our entire staff... forty porters, guides, camp and kitchen boys surprised us with a singing and dancing session. Led by Mbongo... a highly talented porter in an “American” costume, the team laughed their way through five or six sing-alongs while we joined in, clapping, dancing and cracking up. It was good fun and also served to ease any anxiety folks might have had about tackling the imposing
Barranco Wall right out of camp. We set out at about 9:30 and within just a few minutes were putting hands on cold rock to pull ourselves up from one set of ledges to another in order to negotiate the wall. Traffic was pretty light -there have only been a handful of other teams sharing camps with us- which made things a good deal easier. By 11 AM we were atop the wall and the sky was clouding over -repeating the pattern of the past few days. We crossed down into the next valley to continue our traverse of the south side of
Kilimanjaro. By the time we hit the steep sides of the Karanga Valley, we were enveloped by swirling mists again. A final thirty minute climb out of the valley brought us to Karanga Camp at 13,160 ft. We ate a late lunch and relaxed in camp for a few hours while the clouds and a few sprinkles came and went. Stepping out after dinner, we discovered the clouds were gone and that a million stars were out overhead while a carpet of lights far below pinpointed Moshi and a few other towns. All in all, we thought it was a pretty good Super Bowl Sunday even without TV.
Best Regards
RMI Guide Dave Hahn
On The Map
Good afternoon everyone!
The team woke today to a fresh dusting of snow. It looked as if the heavens above had sprinkled powder sugar on all the peaks. We packed up all our belonging and hit the trail to our new home,
Camp One at 16,200 feet. After walking a handful of hours in an environment that looked like Mars we arrived at camp in some snow flurries. In no time our tents were up and we were enjoying some well deserved relaxation. The snow continues to lightly come down as we get ready for dinner. The team is doing fantastic and is climbing strong. We hope to carry to Camp Two tomorrow. Till then, enjoy your day everyone!
RMI Guides Hannah Smith, Avery Parrinello, and Mark Tucker
On The Map
A great day in the mountains . We had a nice breakfast then a two-hour ride to the
Kilimanjaro Park entrance. The check in process went smooth as can be and off we went to start uphill. Clouds but no rain made for perfect conditions. The team crushed it and here we are at 10,000ft in our very comfortable dining tent. A big shout out to all the moms out there. Your boys are a-ok.
RMI Guide Mark Tucker
On The Map
May 27th, 2017
We woke to another day of bitterly cold temps and strong winds above. The weather forecast looks promising for the next few days, so we are optimistic that we will
finally get our shot. We're hanging in there and trying to be patient with this long wait. Hopefully it will pay off.
RMI Guide Mike Walter
On The Map
All good on the
Alaska Mountaineering Seminar front! A cold and clear wake up had us briskly packing up camp and beginning the sun-baked hike up to the base of Kahiltna Pass at about 9,800', where we established our next camp. The way was smooth but hot, and we are rewarded with sweeping views of Mount Capps, Kahiltna Dome and the entire Kahiltna glacier. Some snow is faintly swirling through the air adding to the grandeur of our setting as we prep dinner. Tomorrow we look forward to an active rest day with a whole set of new mountain travel skills to take in.
RMI Guide Jessie Poquerusse & the team
Congratulations on this GREAT accomplishment to be so proud of ! Happy that you are all safe, hoping the return trip is just as good for all of you. Way to go Bob !!!!
Posted by: Barbara waugh on 8/4/2018 at 10:16 am
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