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Last night our crew assembled for the first time in the lobby of our hotel to start the process of building a team. There is quite a lot of experience spread throughout our squad and I look forward to seeing everyone get to know a few of Mexico's big mountains. Today we will leave this bustling metropolis and head for La Malinche, our first acclimatization hike. We ought to be on the trail this afternoon for our first taste of some thin air. Tonight we will stay at the old Olympic training facility to sleep around 10,000 feet above the sea. We've hit the ground running (or efficiently jogging) and look forward to getting started. Off to a good start! RMI Guide Jake Beren

Our Mount Rainier Summit Climb teams, led by Walter Hailes and Pete Van Deventer, were just reaching the summit at 7:10 a.m. Walter reported winds of about 20mph, cool temperatures, and they were just below the clouds hanging right above the summit. Both teams began their descent at 8:15 a.m. Elias deAndres Martos and the Expedition Skills Seminar - Kautz team checked in and were at 12,600’ working their way to the summit.

Hola from the climber's hut on Cayambe! We just enjoyed a high-altitude soup and bread dinner at 15,300'. Everyone is doing great up here. We'll touch base soon. RMI Guide Mike Walter

On The Map

Hey, just dropping a line really quickly. We have been running around like crazy here in Los Penitentes getting all of our things ready for the big trip ahead. Needless to say it was a bit of a late night last night but we seem to be caught up with everything. The effects of the airline delays and the late arrival of our baggage have put us behind schedule but I think we are about to leave the hustle and bustle behind. We plan on finishing up the last of the packing this morning and hitting the trail for the mountain sometime around noon today. Everybody in the group is really excited about the journey ahead, if not a bit anxious. We will check in via sat phone sometime tonight from our first camp on the approach, Pampa de Lenas. Wish us luck

RMI Guide Brent Okita and Four Day Climb July 14 - 17 climbed to 13,300' this morning before poor weather and conditions forced them to turn around. The group will continue their descent to Paradise later this morning.

Kilimanjaro trip number 2 for 2019 is underway! The team arrived late last night after their long flights from the US and after a short drive to our lodge the team had a quick dinner and then headed for bed. Today after a hearty breakfast the team met for RMI's official orientation where we did a round of introductions and discussed the upcoming plan for the next few day and the gear essential for our climb. We spent the remainder of the day packing and relaxing here at this tranquil and private lodge that has numerous wild animals roaming the grounds. There are two different types of monkeys here, the Velvet and the Blue. Several Dik Dik that have been rescued, a few Guinea fowl, and we even managed to see a mongoose sneaking around today. We are being well taken care of here at the Arumeru River Lodge by their gracious and kind staff. Everyone is doing well and looking forward to a little uphill exercise tomorrow as we head to Kilimanjaro. RMI Guide Casey Grom and Kili Team 2

The team made a carry to our high camp at 15,400'. We will attempt to climb Edurne Peak in a few days. Tomorrow or perhaps the next day, three climbing Sherpa and two other team members will head back up to our high camp and begin putting up fixed line on the route. The entire route will be fixed from high camp. If they decide there is not enough rope or it is not possible, we will not climb. The team as a whole does not have enough experience to climb without the fixed line. The rest of the team will rest and do some training at basecamp tomorrow. Fingers crossed the weather remains good and the route can safely go. Namaste, RMI Guide Hannah Smith

The clouds were right down on top of us again as we started the day at the Arumeru River Lodge. We were ready to go soon after breakfast and so we set sail at 8:15 in the bus with a collection of duffel bags strapped to the roof. The hustle and bustle out on the highway was continually interesting to us as a window into Tanzanian life. We studied the crops in the fields, the shops at roadside, the signs and vehicles and the people. This partially compensated for our inability to see Kilimanjaro in the distance. After nearly two hours we reached the busy Machame Gate to the National Park at 6000 feet. After an hour in a chaotic mix of climbers, porters, buses, trucks, monkeys and backpacks, we set out walking with our local guides. John, Eric, Philip and Philbret led us up a path in the thick rainforest. By this point we were in the clouds and things were just barely drizzly enough to justify wearing rain jackets. The trail was a little greasy, but nobody slipped or tripped as we steadily gained elevation. We marveled at the giant camphor trees, decorated with vines and hanging moss. In six hours, we saw a few birds, but no other animals as we transitioned to a different type of forest in the “heather and mooreland zone”. At 10,000 feet we came into camp and were happy to see that our incredible staff had tents in place and all ready for us to move into. We retired to the dining tent for delicious food, some adventure stories and a little bragging about past trips... and of course some scheming as to a plan for the present trip. We look forward to a well-earned rest tonight. Best Regards, RMI Guide Dave Hahn

On The Map

Saturday, June 23, 2018 - 9:47 pm PT Greetings from Huaraz! We're happy to announce the start of RMI's fifth season in Peru with our first day of the Alpamayo Expedition. Everyone arrived in Lima yesterday, and we did the long drive into the Andes today. The team arrived at our hotel in time to relax a bit after the long hours on the bus, and we enjoyed a nice dinner at Hotel Andino. Stay tuned for updates on our progress! RMI Guide Elias de Andres Martos

We all turned in early last night with an anticipated 2 AM wake up call. The guides woke at 2 only to see snow, wet tents and zero visibility. Ear plugs back in and snooze until 4:30 AM. The clouds had thinned out, snow was drier and still falling but the saving grace was we could see the lower skies of Mt Francis and the airstrip markers. The Team got ready to go after a quick breakfast and hot drink. The walk down heartbreak hill with big sleds and breaking trail through new snow went surprisingly well. No one broke down and asked to return to Talkeetna so we walked into the thick clouds, think if you were trapped inside of a ping pong ball. There was a faint trail from the teams who arrived late in the night and all of a sudden there was nothing. We plodded through the snow and up the main fork of the Kahiltna Glacier navigating by GPS and the occasional bamboo pole that is placed for just these conditions. Wet snow was falling but not a trace of wind. Sweaty with sore hips we rolled into camp as the cloud bank lifted just enough to see camp at the base of Ski Hill. We are all tucked in our tents and resting up for our carry day to 9600' tomorrow. Our hope is to travel early when the temperatures are cooler and place our cache of food and fuel. Everyone is dry, warm and re-hydrating after a tough day. Thanks for following along. RMI Guide Mike King

On The Map