The Four Day Summit Climb August 10 - 13 was unable to reach the summit of Mt. Rainier today. Poor weather delayed the team from leaving Camp Muir this morning. Unable to make their alpine start, the team did opt to ascend to Ingraham Flats which will be their high point today. RMI Guide Robby Young reported that the weather had improved and they were above the clouds as the reached 12,000'. The team will return to Camp Muir and descend to Paradise today.
So sad for you all that you couldn’t make it to the summit due to weather… Anthony, You have trained so hard for this and I am so proud of you!!
Xoxo
Love Kerri
Posted by: Kerri Viverito on 8/13/2017 at 12:28 pm
Today was our much deserved rest day, but we'd have been hanging here at 9200 ft even if we weren't deserving. It was a storm day on Vinson. Not so bad where we are, but pretty obviously bad up above. The upside of having all of the cloud cover was that temperatures were moderate this morning. We had our traditional noon breakfast followed by naps, books, daydreaming, water drinking and snow block stacking. The forecasts aren't so positive for the next few days, so fortifying our tents is in order. Otherwise, we're staying positive and enjoying a typical day at altitude in the interior of Antarctica.
Best Regards,
RMI Guide Dave Hahn
Damn, I wish I was there again. It’s such a special place. Like being on another planet. Speaking of other planets, or moons, did you guys hear that Buzz Aldrin was down there with you? Had to have a medical evac from the South Pole.
Early departure from one of the world's largest cities. Traffic not so bad as we made the three-hour drive to our first big mountain, La Malinche at 14,636 feet. A nice lunch was had near this peak that is surrounded by fields of corn and beautiful stands of pine trees. We made a quick turn of unloading our equipment in the digs for the night, which is a comfortable cabin with fireplace and even a hot shower. It was all uphill from there. Great to get out and hit the trail. The idea was to the top but getting used to the altitude and some new equipment was the priority. We made good time up the lower forested area and found the team on the summit ridge at the same time as a strong weather impulse hit the upper mountain. Hail, rain in the clouds, no visibility and wind a howling gave us great training with the kit that was pulled from our packs to keep us protected from the nasty weather. A number of our team hit new altitude records and a smooth descent has us fed and clean in the digs for the night. All is good wish u were here.
RMI Guide Mark Tucker
The entire team has arrived in Tanzania. We spent last night at the Dik Dik Hotel in Usa River and have been enjoying the great food and hospitality.
After a leisurely breakfast, part of our team traveled to a local orphanage to pass along some items they brought from the US. It was well received and very much appreciated.
Our equipment checks went smoothly, thanks to the great preparation made by the team. We should be all set for our time on the mountain.
We have experienced a bit of light rain this afternoon and cool temperatures in the lowlands of Usa River at around 4,000'. Unfortunately it wasn't warm enough for anyone to appreciate the beautiful Dik Dik swimming pool.
We will get to bed early tonight to help recover from our long flights and so that we are rested and ready to head into Kilimanjaro National Park tomorrow morning.
Stay tuned,
RMI Guide Mark Tucker
After a full day of rest in the historic and colorful city of Puebla the team is ready to attempt to reach the highest point in Mexico! We left Puebla this morning for Tlachichuca and Señor Reyes' climbing hostel and former soap factory. Here we ate a hardy lunch and admired the climbing history that has passed through on the way to Orizaba before loading up in a 4×4 truck to making our way to our camp for the night at 14,000 feet. Its sunny up here with gusty winds and clouds below to the East. Now we are getting ready for some sleep before waking up to climb through the night.
RMI Guide Grayson Swingle
There is nothing like the mountains shadow on clouds below as the sun turns everything pink. We were fortunate to experience sunrise on the summit of Orizaba this morning after spending the previous 6 hours slowly rest-stepping and pressure-breathing our way to 18,500 feet.
RMI Guide Christina Dale
Evening!
Today we finished our last day of driving. After a three hour drive in a jeep with a muddy finish we arrived in Talkot. After many selfies, mostly taken by the local people and a delicious dinner, we are readying for bed. Tomorrow we start walking!
RMI Guide Hannah Smith
Wednesday, June 13, 2018 - 9:59 AM PT
Our Denali Expedition Team is assembled in Talkeetna and ready to climb! After the last hectic few days of travel and packing, we are loaded in the plane and ready to be on our way to the mountain. We are looking forward to the adventure and challenge we are facing. Wish us luck!!!
RMI Guides Mike Haugen, Hannah McGowan and Gloria Roe
Josh,
Just heard from Keith. Fire has been contained and evac has been lifted.
We are all headed out for our helicopter tour! Hope everyone is doing well. Love and hugs!
Posted by: Sarah Levy on 6/15/2018 at 12:48 pm
Hey Glo! So sorry about the blocking situation. I love and admire you and I wish your team safe adventures. What a great weather day to start out.
Posted by: Michelle Weekly on 6/13/2018 at 11:34 pm
At some point in the early morning hours, the clouds cleared away, the full moon and stars came out, along with the great volcanic cone of Kibo, Kilimanjaro's central peak. First light was our first sighting of the mountain we've been climbing. All were thrilled to see it, but it must be admitted that some were a little intimidated by the steep icy mountain flanks rising into the sky. We ate our breakfast and got walking toward the peak at about 8 AM. The walking was pretty easy compared to the tricky trails we'd become accustomed to, but it was taking us steadily higher. Within a few hours of marching through the high desert vegetation, we were breaking altitude records. In fact, by our high point of the day, the Lava Tower, at 15,200 ft, we'd crushed records for Cory, Jen, Don, Syd, Carol, Naomi and Curt. Only Sarah and Martha had been to greater altitude. Cumulus clouds formed up with the heat of the day to rob us of some views, but generally, we were blessed with a fine, calm and dry day for hiking. We worked our way down into the Barranco Valley-back down into the garden of giant Senecios and Lobelias. We reached camp at 13,000 ft by three o'clock. Our staff of porters, cooks, camp boys, waiters and guides seemed pleased with our performance. A few men began clapping, and within minutes, fifty of our best mountain friends were clapping, dancing and singing. Eventually, we all joined in -some of the team managing to get down and shake it while still wearing packs. Not bad after a seven-hour hike and a trip to new heights.
We rested away the afternoon, listening to stories and Swahili at the foot of the Great Barranco Wall.
Best Regards,
RMI Guide Dave Hahn
All is well here at Meweka Camp 10,000'. It is raining a bit but we are dry in our tents.
We had a very nice climb today. We started around midnight from Baranco Camp and reached the summit of Kilimanjaro at 7am. There was very little wind and clear skies. We enjoyed a beautiful sunrise and a nice morning shadow of the mountain with clouds below. Once we returned to High Camp, we packed up quick and pushed down the remaining 5,000' of, at times, steep trail in a few hours. It's our last night on the big hill and sleep is going to come easy. Our mountain staffs preparing dinner. We have a great crew taking care of us. And I had the pleasure of leading a fine team up to the Roof of Africa today.
Audio Message from summit of Kilimanjaro:
Hey, Mr. Mark Tucker here on the top of Kilimanjaro. We left as a team from the High Camp and still on top as a team. Awesome job by the whole group here and little bit chilly, but wow very little wind so we had a very very very nice climb. So we're going to probably start heading back down here in just a minute, and we're all doing great. So we're going to head down hill and we'll get back to you a little bit later. Ciao for now.
RMI Guide Mark Tucker
RMI Guide Mark Tucker calls in from the summit of Kilimanjaro.
So sad for you all that you couldn’t make it to the summit due to weather… Anthony, You have trained so hard for this and I am so proud of you!!
Xoxo
Love Kerri
Posted by: Kerri Viverito on 8/13/2017 at 12:28 pm
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