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Wednesday, July 6, 2016 - 1:38 a.m. PDT We were hoping for an accidental break in the weather today. Some morning blue sky or a little unplanned sunshine, but that didn't happen. It was cloudy at every level of the sky that we could see from our camp at 14,000ft. But we couldn't see much sign of wind. We ate breakfast and watched the weather, we got ourselves organized and watched the weather. Finally we decided to go for it... to try moving up to high camp at 17,000ft. We knew a couple of teams were coming down, which was important because we wanted to use the track they plowed through the deep snow. We didn't get much encouragement from the sky- it began to snow lightly, still we left 14K Camp a little before noon. It was tough climbing, as expected with all of the new snow, but our timing was pretty good for using the tracks hammered in by others. At 16,200ft, our high point of the other day, the weather was still a little sloppy, but the team was strong and enthusiastic, so we went on up the steep crest of the West Buttress. Normally climbers have to consciously avoid looking down the steep dropoffs under the crampons, but today, with all of the cloud shrouding the scenery, it wasn't a very airy feeling walking along the ridge. We got into 17K Camp around 7:00 in the evening in blessedly calm conditions and set in to the hard work of building a secure camp. The team is excited to have capitalized on a slim opportunity and excited to be so close to our goal now after two weeks of trying. Best Regards, RMI Guide Dave Hahn

On The Map

May 19, 2016 - 10:28 pm PT We hung out around camp again today, as the current weather nor the forecast for Denali are conducive to going higher right now. We spent a large part of the day building snow walls around our camp at 14,000' to protect against wind. Our plan for tomorrow is similar to today, as we ride out this storm and hope for better weather in a few days. We'll check in again tomorrow. RMI Guide Mike Walter

On The Map

The Four Day Summit Climb led by RMI Guides Mike Walter and Leon Davis stood on the summit of Mt. Rainier this morning. Mike reported great weather with no clouds and light winds. The teams began their descent at 7:45 am. We look forward to seeing everyone back in Ashford this afternoon. Congratulations Climbers!

RMI Guide Nikki Champion and her team flew onto Kahiltna Base Camp this afternoon and are all settled in, ready to begin their climb.

RMI Guide Mike Walter reported that it is a beautiful day on Mt. Rainier with clear skies and moderate winds. Mike and the Four Day Climb August 16 - 19 reached the summit early this morning and after enjoying some time in the summit crater started their descent. Those of us in Ashford and the lower elevations are below a heavy marine layer, Camp Muir and the upper mountain have mostly clear skies and sunshine. The team will descend to Paradise later today and celebrate their accomplishments before concluding their program. Congratulations to today's Four Day Climb team!

With every step we get closer and closer to the tippy top of this mountain and a warm bed and shower. We said goodbye to Camp 1 today and moved up to Camp 2. The air was noticeably chillier as we made our way to 18,000'. Once again we unloaded our packs and began the nesting process of moving into the tents. After some afternoon naps, we gathered for dinner. Among other topics we discussed the phenomenon of HAF, high altitude flatulence...the higher you go the gasier one gets. With full bellies and a crispness to the air our sleeping bags our calling our names. Tomorrow we will carry to Camp 3, our High Camp. Adios muchachos, RMI Guide Hannah Smith and Team

On The Map

We continued feeling like a cowboy by riding a mule across the river this morning. The river is painfully cold, so it was nice to avoid walking across. After a short ride we were back to traveling by foot. We exited the Vacas Valley and entered the Relinchos Valley. The views are gorgeous with steep rock on one side and rolling hills on the other. By the end of our walk we reach Aconcagua Basecamp just under 14,000'. Its a welcoming sight. We are greeted with juice and pizza. You feel rather civilized up here. Comfort food of shepard's pie and a welcome cake were enjoyed by all for dinner. The team is psyched and doing well. Later alligator, RMI Guide Hannah Smith and team

On The Map

We could not have asked for a better day to pack up and move our camp to 16,400’. With little wind and warm temperatures, the Team did well today. They shaved some time from the carry day, better acclimatization, slightly lighter packs and nicer weather made all the difference. Camp is located between Cerro Ameghino and one of the many rock buttresses that make up Aconcagua. There are great views to the East and often we see lighting in the clouds that develop over the high desert once the sun sets. There is still a lot of mountain left to ascend. Tomorrow we carry some food, fuel and gear to Camp 2 located at 18,000’ and return to Camp 1 for some rest and continued acclimatization. The Team sends it’s love to family and friends following along. We are all ducked into the tents to avoid the sun for a little while. RMI Guide Mike King

On The Map

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

We've arrived at High Camp! Summit push tonight. It was a short and uneventful move 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 with sprinkles of snow falling most of the way. We've had our summit talk where we discussed our plan and the teams strategy for tomorrow. Final packing is taking place as I write this and we'll have dinner shortly, then it's off to bed for a little sleep before the climb. Weather permitting, we'll be up at 11 pm, have breakfast, and hopefully hit the trail around midnight. As per usual, I'm expecting the ascent to take around eight hours with breaks to the "Roof of Africa". Keep your fingers crossed for us, and there's a chance, if time allows, 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 in the morning, Tanzania time. RMI Guide Casey Grom

On The Map