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It started to seem like we’d get fog and rain for the rest of the trip just to pay for the sweet summit weather we’d been granted. But when we woke today at Mweka Camp, we were under blue skies and high above the white clouds. After breakfast, we enjoyed a gathering of the entire staff for the traditional tipping ceremony. We expressed our great thanks and the guys serenaded us with a few more memorable sing-alongs in the bright sunshine. Then we shouldered packs and hit the muddy trail downward at about 8:30 AM. It was just a few more hours of careful walking in slippery conditions to get down through the rain forest. We stopped at one point to see a couple of colobus monkeys high in the tree canopy, but mostly we paid attention to the treacherous track and to where we were putting our feet. At the Mweka Gate we were down in the clouds again and had a brief rain shower just after signing out of the park. A short walk in the deep dirt of a road construction project took us to our lunch venue and the bus parking lot. We enjoyed a fine picnic and a round of Kilimanjaro and Serengeti beers along with Savanna ciders. Two hours on the bus through the Tanzanian countryside got us back “home” to the Arumeru River Lodge. Showers and a few shaves made the team presentable by evening. We finished with a delightful victory dinner out on the veranda and discussed just how much the climb and our interactions with each other and with the staff have come to mean for us. We are excited to begin the safari tomorrow but we will miss our climbing buddy Tim who will begin flying toward the States and home. Best regards, RMI Guide Dave Hahn

The clouds stayed with us through much of the night at Machame Camp, but it was a treat to wake to clearing skies and our first views of Kibo -Kilimanjaro’s central peak- rising to impossible heights in the distance. We set out at 8 AM on a steeper and rockier track than yesterday’s trail. It was as if we were on an endless staircase through a forest of giant heather. We could see a layer of cloud a thousand feet below us, stretching to the horizons, and there was some cloud up near the top of Kibo, but we were in the clear for big chunks of our journey. Our climb ended up being along the spine of a ridge radiating out -like a spoke in a wheel- from the central peak. We began a leftward traverse toward the Shira Plateau when the clouds caught up with us, making things a bit murky, but not as damp as our cloud-walking yesterday. At 12,000 feet, we began to pick out the giant senecios and lobelias endemic to Kilimanjaro and we got used to the large white-necked ravens performing crazy aerial maneuvers and waddling around on the ground to scavenge for food. By 1 PM we walked into our new camp at Shira at 12,500 ft and quickly got settled. Most enjoyed a good afternoon nap following lunch, but we all came out to watch the sunset and moonrise before dinner. Luckily the clouds faded away again and we could easily pick out Venus, Jupiter and Mars in the brilliant sky. Kibo was lit up magically by the moonlight. Word is that a lunar eclipse will occur between 2AM and 4AM tonight and several of the team vowed to take advantage of their lingering jet lag to get up and witness such a thing in this memorable setting. Best Regards RMI Guide Dave Hahn

Tuesday, July 3, 2018 - 7:43 PM PT Greetings! Today we set our sights even higher than the day before. The team’s goal; Laguna Churup at 14,600’. We took a quick bus ride this morning after a Hotel Andino coffee fiesta, and before we knew it, we were staring at the crystal clear blue and green waters of Churup, gazing up the steep moraines at the first glaciers of the trip. The scene at Laguna Churup is surreal, and we spent a good amount of time soaking it in, and letting our bodies register the new altitude record for our trip. A quick descent led to an afternoon of packing, resting, eating, and Huaraz City-living. We capped off our acclimatization days with yet another exquisite dinner here at Hotel Andino! We even had the chance to catch up with Elías de Andres Martos and team upon their return from Alpamayo. Tomorrow, the climbing begins as we make our approach into the Ishinca Valley, and build our Base Camp at 14,500’. The comforts of city-life will soon be in the rear view, but the joys of the alpine will soon follow. Until then, thanks for following. RMI Guides Robby, Alan, William, and team Lomo Saltado

We are all in Mendoza...the last 2 bags arrived late this evening and the Team is turned in and getting their last night of artificial air conditioning before heading out tomorrow. We will head to Los Penitentes to pack for the mules and sleep around 8,000'. Everyone is excited to begin the trek and escape the 100 degree weather here in town. Will be sending updates on our trip each day. Leave comments for your friends and loved ones in the blog comments, the moral support from back home goes a long way. RMI Guides Mike King, Jess Matthews and Nick Scott

With a pre-midnight alpine start from the Cayambe climbing hut, we woke to a starry sky and light winds; all systems were go. We had a quick breakfast, got geared up in the hut, and were walking by midnight. The weather was perfect for our climb and so were the mountain conditions, with firm (but not icy) snow for efficient cramponing. The climbing was varied: rock scrambling to reach the glacier, gentle glaciated slopes, a steep 200’, 45° headwall, and a narrow summit ridge. Six hours later we were all standing on top of Cayambe, at 19,000’ that lies directly on the equator. We enjoyed great views of Cotopaxi, the Ilinizas and Antisana to the south, and Cotacachi and Imbabura to the north. We spent a half hour on top, high-fiving, hugging, taking pictures, and even singing. As we descended, winds increased and clouds were rising from the rain forest to the east. Soon a nasty-looking lenticular cloud formed over the summit. But our timing was perfect; we were well below this by now and smoothly descending back to the climbing hut. In less than an hour after arriving at the hut we were packed up and loaded into four-wheel drive vehicles and headed back to the hacienda Guachala for hot showers, delicious food, and comfy beds. Tomorrow we’ll head back to Quito for the night. RMI Guide Mike Walter

July 3, 2016 - 10:35 pm PT Hey all, Today was a day of rest for our team as snow piled up and continues to pile up as I write this. We have received at least 18 inches of snow since last night and all we see is white, not a rock in sight. The team kept busy by reading, eating, and playing with electronics until they were surprised by some lunch time quesadillas; cooked up special by RMI guides Bridget and Hannah. The snow flakes are still coming down but we are locked and loaded to move up to 17,200 camp when the weather breaks. Stay tuned, RMI Guide Ben Liken

On The Map

June 22, 2016 - 9:29 pm PT We took advantage of beautiful weather and moved some supplies up to the camp at 14,000 feet. We left camp around 4:30 a.m. so we could take advantage of firm snow and cool traveling conditions. Although we are on a cold mountain, the solar radiation can be stifling later in the day. Our 3,000-foot climb up to 14k took us up several big hills with names like Motorcycle Hill, Squirrel Hill, and Windy Corner. Once we got to 14k, we dug a giant hole and then buried our super cold weather gear, food, and some fuel under 1.5 meters of snow. The team did an amazing job all day and we were back in camp in around nine hours round-trip. The plan for tomorrow is to take advantage of the good forecast and move our camp up to 14k where we will be knocking on the door of the upper mountain. That's all for now! We'll be in touch from 14 camp. RMI Guide Mike Haugen

On The Map

June 15, 2016 - 12:02 A.M. PDT Weather forecasts in the mountains can change wildly. Last night we heard a report of 70 mph winds on the summit and heavy snow forecast for today. We ended up with perhaps the clearest and calmest day we've had on the whole trip. The winds did pick up this evening as spindrift whipped off the upper mountain but we were quite comfortable in our camp at 14,200'. We rested today, organized gear, drank coffee, and relaxed in the sunshine. The forecast is showing a good weather window for the next three days so our plan is to move up to the Balcony Camp, around 17,000' tomorrow and then make a summit bid on Thursday. Everyone is doing great and very excited about the prospect of moving higher on this beautiful peak. Thanks for following along with us. RMI Guides Geoff Schellens and Steve Gately and team

May 19, 2016 - Thursday Evening Post After much deliberation on the part of the pilots, management Basecamp personnel of our flight service the teams launched for Basecamp. Weather was uncertain but K2, our air service, wanted to at least try to get us in the mountain. The first plane landed, but with a ground fog rolling in the second of our planes had to turn back. So, here we are, enjoying life on the mountain finally. Although our partners in Talkeetna are sleeping in beds and enjoying burgers and beer, this is what we've all come here for. The drama of the spectacular mountains around us has been sometimes muted by clouds moving in, but the team is excited to be here and eager to learn. Before setting up camp we practiced numerous skills, hoping our partners would get lucky and be able to fly on. But such was not the case tonight. Unfortunate though that might be, I'm delighted to be with folks so psyched to be here and learn and help out. What a great trip this will be. RMI Guide Brent Okita May 20, 2016 - 4:30 pm PT A snowy morning greeted us as we finally crawled out of our sleeping bags after our first night on the mountain. Unfortunately, the visibility was poor too, so our intentions of bringing a cache of supplies further up the mountain were thwarted. Instead, breakfast flowed into lunch as we enjoyed the comfort provided by our cook/dining tent. Stories were shared over a breakfast of biscuits and gravy, followed by more hot drinks and culminating in a hot pot of Ramen for lunch as we make the most of this weather day holding slim chance of having our other half of the team fly in to join us. A quick satellite phone call to Christina and the team in Talkeetna let us know they have been making the most of their time by training and practicing skills that we'll need later in the trip. The Kahiltna crew has not been slacking either, regardless of how the previous narrative sounds. Knots, tent set up, anchors, rescue systems and stove operations have been reviewed and practiced. The team is firing on all cylinders. Wish us better luck with the weather tomorrow. RMI Guide Brent Okita and the Kahiltna crew

Gortex was the outfit of choice when we arrived at the Kilimanjaro National Park Entrance Gate this morning. Lucky for us, the rain stopped and we had nice conditions as we climbed through the rainforest on Kilimanjaro's lower slopes and the giant heather in the Moorland Zone to reach Machame Camp. The team did well and we're all our tucked in for the night at ~10,000 ft on this beautiful mountain. Jet lag still prevails and we are looking forward a good night's sleep for our first night on the mountain. We will check in again tomorrow with our progress towards the Roof of Africa. RMI Guide Mark Tucker

On The Map