Most Popular Entries
May 28, 2015 - 10:12 pm PT
The weather played out as forecasted today, with strong winds blowing plumes of snow off of
Denali's summit and West Buttress. We were happy to be down here at the 14,200' camp where the winds were much more manageable. We enjoyed a leisurely brunch of bacon, eggs, and bagels while the winds howled outside. Much of the rest of the day was spent reading and napping in our tents.
The weather forecast looks good for us. We plan to rise early tomorrow (Friday) and make the strenuous climb to high camp at 17,200'. If all goes well, we'll shoot for the summit on Saturday. This is by far the best weather forecast that we've had all trip and we plan to take full advantage of it. We're well rested and acclimated, and eager to climb. We'll let you know how it goes.
RMI Guide Mike Walter & team
Hello, we have reached Machame Camp at 10,000ft on
Kilimanjaro. We left the hotel just after 7:00 am this morning. The drive to the trailhead was about two hours. That's a little bit longer than normal but the mountain was so clear this morning that we had to stop and take a few photos. The check-in process was smooth and we were on the trail just after ten. The trail is in great shape and after about six hours of hiking we made it to camp. The cooks are preparing dinner as I type this while the team is out taking photos. Our next stop is the Shira Plateau. I'll be checking in again from there.
RMI Guide Seth Waterfall
On The Map
After an early wake up call the Team enjoyed clear views of
Aconcagua on a beautiful day to finish the hike to our base camp, Plaza Argentina. We hiked through the scenic Relinchos River Valley while our bodies continued the acclimatization process. Base camp is situated on a large glacial moraine that is covered in scree. The Team is resting after setting up camp and everyone is looking forward to rest day tomorrow. With all the comforts of home except a comfy bed, we'll sort some gear and food, knock the dust off with a shower and take in the stellar views this place has to offer...rough life. Thanks for following along.
RMI Guide Mike King
On The Map
The
Mt. Rainier Summit Climb teams, led by Elias de Andres Martos and Steve Gately, reached the summit this morning! On the ascent the winds had picked up but now on the descent, it is calm, sunny and warm.
Congratulations to today's summit climbers!
May 19, 2017
The rain fell as we debarked from the plane after touching down at Anchorage International Airport. With three hours before meeting the team Christina, JT and I reviewed paperwork and plans for the trip.
Then, one by one folks started showing up, with everyone gathered well before our 4:30 departure. A good sign of things you come.
We had plenty of time to get to know each other while awaiting our shuttle to
Talkeetna and I was struck by the ease of conversation between everyone right from the start.
Having climbed with most everyone already it was fun to catch up with folks. By dinner time the mood was even looser as we enjoyed a nice meal at the West Rib.
Most of the team showed restraint in passing up calls to have 'one' at the world famous Fairview Inn, but for those of us who showed weakness and entered those decadent halls, a proper tradition was upheld. The music wasn't half bad either.
It's now time for some rest as tomorrow promises to be quite busy as we prepare for our flight on to the mountain on Sunday. I'm really looking forward to getting that one step closer to the climb we've all been waiting for for so long.
Goodnight from Talkeetna, elevation 300'.
RMI Guide Brent Okita
Our
Kilimanjaro trip 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 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 essentials 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 Genet sneaking around tonight.
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
July 4, 2016 - 5:11 am PT
Here’s a quick update from the past two days:
Yesterday wet and windy conditions kept us in the climbers’ hut until after lunch, when the weather improved…slightly. We quickly packed our bags and headed up Iliniza Norte, scrambling up a steep rock ridge with fresh rime ice on it. Due to our late start and deteriorating weather, we turned around at Paso de la Muerte (Death Pass, ~5000m), a few hundred feet shy of the summit. Strong winds and very poor visibility accompanied us for the entire descent, but we safely arrived back at the hut with plenty of daylight. It was a fun day of climbing and great acclimatization.
Today we woke early to starry skies and light winds. After a light alpine breakfast we set out for Iliniza Sur. The good weather lasted all day and, after being challenged by steep snow and ice, rock climbing, and high altitude climbing, we arrived at the summit! Seven hours after leaving the hut this morning we strolled back in for a quick lunch and some coffee, before packing our bags and heading back down to the parking lot.
I am writing this dispatch on my phone (without service) as we drive north to our hacienda for the night. I’ll upload pictures tomorrow, when I can track down some more reliable Wi-Fi…be sure to check back, we got some great pics today! Priorities tonight are showers, dinner, and comfy beds!
RMI Guide Mike Walter
Friday, May 6, 2016 - 11:19 p.m. PDT
Our
Denali expedition has hit the ground running. After flying on to the Kahiltna Glacier yesterday, we took advantage of good weather and traveled up glacier for 6.5 hours to our first camp at the base of Ski Hill at 7800'.
Light snow started after we had camp set up, and continued through most of the night. When we woke up, there was only an inch of snow and temps were warm. After a delicious breakfast of smoked salmon and cream cheese on bagels, we loaded up our packs and sleds and headed up to 9400' to cache a load of fuel and food before returning to camp.
All is going well, and we're hoping to move camp to 11,200' tomorrow. We'll keep you up to date. Thanks for checking in!
RMI Guide Mike Walter and the team
On The Map
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
Sunday, December 7, 2025 - 8:45 pm PT
Tim and I said goodbye to a lot of friends today. We had time for all of that though as the jet landed at Union at 3:30 PM. We had plenty of time to catch a lecture on jellyfish, to eat a big lunch and to go for a 10K fat bike ride out in the bright sunshine. It was another great day in Antarctica. It was a slightly novel experience to load onto a 757 with only 16 other passengers. Things were relaxed, to say the least. We both got window seats and thus had a spectacular view of Vinson as the pilot took us way closer than normal leaving Union. Four hours later we put down in Punta Arenas. It was just getting dark -an unfamiliar thing to us- as we drove into town. Checking in to the hotel at 10 PM meant that dinner would be tough to find on a Sunday evening, but we were able to find a comfortable cafe still willing to serve pisco sours. So we toasted each other and a fine adventure. We got oh so lucky… and we used that luck to achieve some dreams.
Best Regards,
RMI Guide Dave Hahn
×
New Post Alerts:
Vinson Massif Expedition, November 22, 2025
Previous Page
Next Page
.jpg)
Glad to hear that the weather gods are cooperating! We wish you all an excellent summit day and look forward to the photos and stories.
Eric - ¡ Vaya con dios hijo!
Posted by: Sally Maca on 5/30/2015 at 6:17 am
Go get ‘em team! Patience pays off with Mike and Solvieg at the helm! :) enjoy the ride and views. Cheers.
Posted by: Jeff on 5/29/2015 at 6:55 pm
View All Comments