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The team was on standby this morning to potentially move up to 17K camp. But the early morning "now forecast" looking out of the tent wasn't as good as we were hoping for with snow and building clouds that ended up developing all day. We once again got to spend the day at 14K camp preparing the rest of our gear to go up to 17 and stretching our legs. Tomorrow morning we hope to move up and that the forecast holds true for a summit bid in the next few days! Stay tuned! RMI Guide Tyler Jones

On The Map

June 4, 2017 Excitement, nervousness and apprehension are some of the emotions running through the group right now as we try to relax and get some sleep before going for the summit in the morning. The sky is clear, winds are light and it's warm right now as the sun is still shining at 9:30pm. The morning will be quite different though. Sub zero temps will make getting out of these tents hard at best. No need for an alpine start here on Denali. We'll rise around 7:00-7:30am since we really don't need to stop get back to camp early like on normal alpine climbs. The crew is ready, and so are we! Wish us luck. RMI Guides Brent, Christina and JT

On The Map

Greetings! Our whole team has officially arrived in Russia without a hitch... even all of our bags made it! Most of the the crew was pretty travel weary so we grabbed a quick dinner here in Moscow and headed back to the hotel to crash early. Jet lag is always a bit of a hurdle at the beginning of these trips but we'll hit our stride soon enough. Excited for a city your tomorrow of Red Square and the Kremlin! Talk tomorrow, RMI Guide Billy Nugent

May 28, 2016 - 12:19 am PT Strong winds buffeted camp this morning to the extent that we actually cut snow blocks to form walls around our beloved Posh tent before having breakfast. That done, pancakes were the order of the morning as we looked on at the winds up high and wondered if we'd have any chance to make our carry today. Pancakes, hot drinks and lively conversation carried the morning, but our eyes kept track of the goings on up high. So when a significant downtrend in the winds was noticed, we rallied and went for it, albeit later than we would have liked to start off. Our carry to 13,500' went off perfectly, with everyone climbing really well. Let's hope tomorrow allows us some break in the winds. As I finish this dispatch the winds have calmed, so I'm optimistic on our getting to 15,300' tomorrow. But who knows? Your team at 11,200' camp, RMI Guides Brent, Christina and Chris

On The Map

RMI Guides Casey Grom and Leon Davis along with their Four Day Summit Climbs remained at Camp Muir overnight due to high winds. The teams were unable to make a summit attempt and will start their descent from Camp Muir later this morning. We look forward to seeing the teams at BaseCamp later today. 9:00 am PST Guide Casey Grom checked in with the RMI office. With a bit of a break in the weather the team was going to take a walk on the upper mountain and plan to depart Camp Muir at around 11:30 am today.

Today was our first day of safari and we headed to Lake Manyara National Park. It took a little over 2 hours to get there as we drove through Arusha and then the vast rural savannah of Tanzania. 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

The team got some much-needed rest at the hacienda Casa Ilayaku over the last two days, enjoying sunny weather and local food. Down time was spent lounging out in the sun, reading books, and doing some light yoga. The team also continued to work on their technical skills, dialing in some more rope work. The team spent time learning the fundamentals of anchor construction, rappelling, and belaying techniques. They depart to the Cotopaxi hut today with the intention of climbing tonight. 

RMI Guide Mike Bennett

The Four Day Climb led by RMI Guides Mike Haugen and Hannah Smith reached the top of Disappointment Cleaver before winter like conditions and a snow loaded trail forced them to turn. Mike reported that the team is on the descent just reaching Ingraham Flats en route to Camp Muir. Congratulations to Today's Team!

RMI Guides Mike King & JT Schmitt led their summit climb teams to the summit of Mt. Rainier this morning. Mike reported cold temps and wind at the summit. The team descended from the crater rim at 8:00 am. They will continue their descent to Paradise today. We look forward to seeing them at Rainier BaseCamp this afternoon. Congratulations to today's Summit Climb teams!

Today started the same as most days do. Breakfast from the hotel, coffee to wash it down sparking us awake and getting us close to the chocolate-filled croissants we have all learned to take with us on the mountain providing a superior snack to any energy bar. This morning was different however because we checked out of the hotel, loaded the Magic bus and powered north through traffic thicker than sea level air to a mountain two hours north of Quito called Fuya Fuya. Don’t get this confused with the famous mount Kung Fuya Fuya located next to Mt. Fuji in Japan, it is a lesser objective but important in our acclimating nonetheless. After all the traffic, winding cobblestone roads and slow going, we reached Laguan Mojando, a beautiful high caldera lake very similar to Crater Lake in Oregon. Situated at 12,000 feet, we had in-and-out views of the surrounding peaks, including our objective, Mt. Fuya Fuya. With a summit sitting right at 14,000 feet, it was not as high as our mountain yesterday but offered steep hiking and challenging footwork. I always start this day off with a quickened pace just to get the blood flowing. As the team assembled after seven minutes of power walking up a hill over 12,500ft, Dirk looked at me and said, “Man, altitude is no joke, but it’s still kind of funny”. Which said it all considering we were all hunched over like we had just run the hundred yard dash but smiling at the pain we were all in. A steep hour later the entire team stood on the summit with warm temps, periodic views of the deep blue lake far below and a growing respect for the Ecuadorian experience. It was another good day for the team. Once we returned to the bus our flip flops greeted us and we headed back down the hill to eat lunch and relax at Casa Sol, a beautiful hacienda located high above the town of Otavalo. It is in this town we will all attempt to spend as much money as possible buying gifts for all the blog followers and maybe some loved ones at the giant craft market located in the center of town. Until then we will relax with a beer, tie some knots, repack our bags and prepare for tomorrow. Wishing you all well in the states, RMI Guide Adam Knoff