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June 6, 2016 - 10:20 pm PT Welcome back folks! Our team woke this morning to clearing skies down the Kahiltna Glacier with views of Mount Frances, Mount Hunter and Mount Foraker. This is really the first opportunity our team had to get a sense of where we were and what's around us. What a brilliant way to start our day after a stormy evening yesterday! After a quick breakfast we broke down camp, packed our sleds and headed north towards 11k Camp. This day is hard work. Faced with about 1,800ft of vertical and 100lbs of gear per person, it's easily the hardest day we've had so far this trip. But, it's also our last day with heavy sleds until we start our descent. Our team quite excited by that prospect basically drug us to 11k! Okay, well, not quite drug us but they out performed our expectations by a long shot! We're now settled into camp after a few hours of hard work shoveling and digging tent platforms. The clouds have eased there way back in but were hoping for clearer skies tomorrow for the first well-earned rest day of the trip. Thanks for following along! Stay tuned for more! RMI Guide Steve Gately

June 2, 2016 - 1:27 pm PT The 2016 Upper West Rib team met today in Anchorage after months of preparation, training, and anticipation. With the team and all our gear in Alaska we took a shuttle up to Talkeetna, had a great group dinner at Twister Creek, went to bed. Tomorrow is our in town prep day and meeting with the NPS. Thanks everyone for following along as we begin our expedition. RMI Guide Geoff Schellens

Great days at Tarangire. Wonderful night at Kikoti Camp. Checked back in at Dik Dik for shower and dinner, then off to the airport. Busy times, but good times... I'll send a roundup from Amsterdam. Regards, RMI Guide Dave Hahn

Hey, this is Dave Hahn checking in from Kilimanjaro. We summited this morning. We had a beautiful morning. We left High Camp at about 12:30, and we were at Stella Point on the crater rim at 7 a.m. Perfect conditions up there no wind and clear, very nice. We were on Uhuru Peak, the highest point in all of Africa by 8 in the morning. And we all made it down safely to our high camp, Barrafu, and now we're going to continue on down, and we'll send you a dispatch from the Mweka Camp. All is well. RMI Guide Dave Hahn

On The Map

Greetings from inside the tent! Well we hoped to get a break today and move our bodies across some glaciers, but, the sky gods had different plans. Lots of snow falling and we can't see much past the tents, but the team is taking it in stride and they are master knot technicians! Tomorrow is a new day so stay tuned. Good night and good luck, RMI Guide Leon Davis

Hello again everyone, The team is feeling good and well rested especially after a good nights sleep. Our stay in Papallacta was enjoyed by all even though it was short. We have traveled back into the countryside to very near our next climbing objective Antisana. Originally we had planned on camping tonight, but due to the forecasted thunderstorms we opted to stay at a wonderful hacienda not far from the mountain. After getting so soaked on Cayambe we thought this would help keep us stay dry and set us up for a successful climb. So we spent the afternoon doing a little technical training and reviewing some of the skills we hope to put to use tomorrow on the glacier. The valley we are staying in is famous for condors and we even managed to see several gliding not far above us. It was amazing to see these beautiful and elusive birds to say the least. That's all for now. RMI Guide Casey Grom and crew

Hello Everyone, We had a nice relaxing morning here in Ecuador today, leaving the hotel just after 10am. After loading all of our duffels on our bus we slowly made our way through the traffic of Quito and headed south along the Pan-American highway. Our goal for the day was to reach the base of the Illiniza’s, two extinct volcanoes not too far from Cotopaxi. We stopped along the way for a really nice lunch at “Cafe de la Vaca” cafe of the cows, where most of us had hamburgers and fresh juices that they are known for. We continued driving just a little further to reach our quaint little hacienda tucked in the hills not too far from the mountain. We spent the remainder of the afternoon exploring around the hacienda and discussing tomorrow’s game plan for climbing Illiniza Norte. Everyone is doing well and excited about stretching our legs again early in the morning. Casey and crew

This morning at 5:45 a.m. the RMI Summit Climb team led by Christina Dale was on top of Mt. Rainier. The team is working their way down the mountain in blue skies and warm temperatures. Congratulations to the team!

May 21, 2017 After a brisk wake up, we stretched our legs by heading up glacier to the base of Radio Tower, east of camp. Threatening seracs and a maze of crevasses thwarted our progress further towards Radio Tower, so after a brief lesson on glaciology and safe glacier navigation, we quickly adapted our itinerary to the conditions and headed to the base of the northeast ridge of Mt. Frances instead. A thinly veiled sun and intermittent clouds provided an eerie ambience to our travel. Once at the basin, we donned crampons and practiced up and downhill climbing and cramponing techniques, a helpful review. A well-deserved downhill walk back to camp and a long-sought after dinner wrapped up another excellent day out in the hills with a most energetic and engaged team. RMI Guide Jessie & the AMS-E crew

It may have been a holiday in North America, but down here at the lower end of South America, it was a big work day. Meeting after breakfast in our hotel, the team got to know one another a little better and then got right into the details and mechanics of how the trip might proceed. We discussed the protocols for arranging gear for the ride down to the ice... the peculiarities of dressing in summer on one continent to take off, and of then landing in perpetual winter in the middle of another continent. We talked over how it might just go smoothly and right on schedule from one flight to another culminating in Vinson Basecamp... and of how it might get weird if bad weather delays flights at some point along the way. We reviewed the necessity for checking our gear and clothing for dirt and vegetation that has no business being transported to Antarctica. And then the team endured a series of nosy and tedious equipment checks by the leader. The afternoon then got easier with lunches and strolls about town. We got together for another fine dinner and then a good walk up the shoreline of Magellan's Straight, checking out old shipwrecks and even an odd dinosaur or two along the way. The endless twilight and the Patagonian wind sculpted clouds kept us mesmerized for our return to town.. The gear needs to be packed and ready by tomorrow morning. It will get stowed in the big plane and things will start to get real. Best Regards, RMI Guide Dave Hahn