Most Popular Entries
Well we've finally arrived at
Kilimanjaro's High Camp!
It was a very short jump from Karanga camp up to Barafu camp, which is our launching point for the summit. The team did great and we arrived in just over three hours and shortly before some light snow started falling. I won't mention any names, but one climber from Canada accidentally put their pants on backwards, which brought a little laughter this morning.
Everyone is currently relaxing or getting packed up for tonight's climb to the highest point on the African continent.
This evening we'll have a summit talk where we discuss the teams strategy for tomorrow and then it will be off to bed right after dinner to get a little sleep before starting to climb around midnight.
The team is celebrating John Ready's 30th birthday today. Hopefully it's one he'll always remember!
Keep your fingers crossed for us, and there's a chance, weather permitting, some of you back home might receive a satellite phone call from the summit. So keep your phones handy. My best guess is we'll be on the summit around 8 am our time.
RMI Guide Casey Grom and the Kilimanjaro crew!
On The Map
June 3, 2016 - 8:32 pm PT
Today was another cold morning with a quick breakfast. We shouldered our loads for the carry to above the fixed lines at 16,200ft. The team climbed well and efficiently. The weather was white, like walking in a milk jug, and the wind light until the last few moments when we pulled up on the ridge of the
West Buttress the brisk wind and gray sky had us in our biggest warmest layers. We quickly dug a cache and dropped back onto the fixed lines where the wind calmed and we made our way back to camp for a relaxing afternoon and a trip meal highlight of quesadillas with fresh veggies and all the fixings. Tonight the team will sleep well and we are planning a rest day tomorrow with a short acclimatization hike to the Edge of the World, which is on of the nicest vistas in all of the Alaska range. The final kit of summit gear and food is stashed up high, and we're ready to make the push once the weather allows. Thanks for following along.
RMI Guide Tyler Jones
On The Map
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
This is RMI's last expedition of the
Aconcagua season. Our team enjoyed a scenic drive through the Andes and arrived in the rustic ski town of Los Penitentes. Our team rallied and got bags packed for the mules. Everyone is excited to hit the trail when we begin the trek to Base Camp tomorrow.
RMI Guide Mike King
Today was a day of weather on
Mt. Rainier. Unfortunately, that weather was not cooperating for the summit climb teams and they were turned back at 8,500'. Mountaineering has its weather uncertainties- we take what Mother Nature deals to us. Today was not a day for aces but there will be more days in the mountains.
A great effort by the team today.
The
Four Day Summit Climb September 3 - 6 led by
RMI Guides Brent Okita and
JT Schmitt were walking up Columbia Crest just before 7 AM PT today. Brent reported a beautiful day and great climb. They will enjoy some time in the crater before starting their descent. Once back at Camp Muir they will repack and continue down to Paradise. They will end their program with a celebration at Rainier BaseCamp this afternoon.
Congratulations to today's summit climb teams!
Tuesday, May 29, 2018 - 9:08 pm PT
We had our first overcast day today and it was a nice break from the intense sunshine. Temperatures were much cooler under the cloud cover and that made the climbing more pleasant for us all. After an early dinner we all kicked back in the cook tent and enjoyed movie night. Tonight's feature was "The brothers grimsby". Back to climbing in the morning when we head to Camp at 11,200 ft.
RMI Guide Walter Hailes
On The Map
Today we started our full circuit trek of
Torres del Paine trek with beautiful blue skies and no wind. We saddled our packs and headed off across the open sage bush landscape. We wandered across glacial fed streams and through beach tree forests. With guannaco and Caracara bird sightings we took lots of pictures. We had hot tea along the trail for lunch and pulled into our camp with a few hours to take a shower and hang out before dinner. After dinner we listened to live music by the local cowboys and even participate in the traditional Chilean dances. After the first day with these packs I noticed people were trying to share their snacks first and offer Cliff bars around to lighten the load. Everyone is in great spirits and enjoying the warm sunshine here in Patagonia. Hopefully, tomorrow brings another photogenic day on the trail as we head around the more remote parts of the towers.
RMI Guide Christina Dale
Tasidelek from Phakding! We flew to the famous Lukla airstrip this morning, and after uniting with our Sherpa guide and our porters, we had a quick breakfast and hit the trails. The majesty of the Himalayas quickly overwhelmed our senses, and despite the fact that low in the valley the crowds are somewhat sizeable before they disperse, we embraced what the cobbled trails started to offer out of the gates.
We're now about to have dinner and an early bed time to compensate for the early wake up today for the airplane ride. However, the slow pace of life in the Himalaya is setting in, and we love it.
RMI Guide Elías de Andres Martos and team
At exactly 8 AM -the targeted departure time- we left the Arumeru River Lodge and drove East. We did some people watching from our bus as we cruised the 90 minutes to the Machame Gate of
Kilimanjaro National Park. That had to suffice since we had no views of the mountain. It was a solid carpet of cloud making things a bit gray, but we focused on the close-in views as we drove through a few changing vegetation levels getting to the 6,000foott elevation of the gate. As usual, it took a bit of time getting checked in and registered with the Park, but we finally got to the good part -the walking- by 10:50 AM. We set out in a big forest of moss covered trees. The trail was pleasantly dry and fine for walking -since I'd warned the team that it would be slimy and muddy. We gained elevation steadily as the hours went by. The team did admirably and walked well, but all were quite impressed with porters zipping by at twice our speed with heavy loads balanced on their heads. The gang was also impressed to come into a fully built, comfortable camp in the giant heather at 10,000 ft. Our local staff of fifty porters, camp builders, cooks and guides had been busy. We made it up in five hours and twenty minutes, surely a new world's record, which we celebrated with afternoon tea and then a dinner and story-telling session in our dining tent. There were many comments of surprise that Tosha, our head cook, could have produced such a great meal, so quickly, so far up a volcano.
Rain sprinkles began intermittently just after we reached camp but of course that didn't bother anybody.
Best Regards,
RMI Guide Dave Hahn
On The Map
.JPG)
Congratulations on conquering the summit!!! Where are you now? News, group, we need an update on Catherine, Deborah and Kaki!!! Downhill is difficult, too, I understand. News please!
Posted by: Sharon Hostler on 1/15/2017 at 8:09 am
All the Best on your summit push to reach the top of Africa.
Have been watch your progress every day. Really cool. Right behind you on the next climb.
Posted by: Kim Gibson on 1/15/2017 at 6:16 am
View All Comments