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I woke up to check the weather early this morning (last night, actually) and was pleased to see a clear sky full of stars. The problem was that it was so windy outside I could barely stand up. So, back into the hut I went to wait for the weather to improve. Winds died down a bit (it's all relative) and we began to prepare to climb around 2:00 am. We were on the move by around 3:30 am. Everyone climbed very strong, despite fighting the wind to keep our balance. Clouds were interspersed with stars as we ascended. By the time we reached 17,500 ft. we had walked into a cloud cap with winds gusting into the 50 mph range with about 100 ft. of visibility. It was time to throw in the towel and start our descent. Everything went smoothly and soon we arrived at the climbers' hut. We enjoyed a fun and challenging day of climbing, even though we came up a bit shy of the summit. Now we're headed for the Papallacta Hot Springs where we'll get a good night's rest before heading out tomorrow on another climbing objective. We'll keep you abreast of the latest. RMI Guide Mike Walter

Wednesday, June 17th Our Ecuador Seminar trip is officially under way. We met this morning for breakfast and group introductions, and then hit the ground running. First on our to-do list was head out to the Panecillo, a statue and view point overlooking Ecuador’s capital city, Quito. Surrounded by mountains and sitting at nearly 9,000’, the views were beautiful, including a glimpse at tomorrow’s objective, Volcano Rucu Pichincha. Next up, we toured the streets of colonial Quito. Here we got history lessons from our local guide and visited churches, the presidential palace, independence plaza, and more. Finally we were off to the Equator to simultaneously place a foot in both the northern and southern hemisphere. At the Equator we visited an ethnographic museum and learned about the various cultures of this diverse country. We also saw some simulations explaining the Coriolis Effect and the significance of being at mitad del mundo …literally at the middle of the world. The evening ended with a team dinner with traditional Ecuadorian food. One bold team member ordered the local delicacy, cuy, or guinea pig. With day one in the books, we’re eagerly awaiting our first acclimatization hike tomorrow. We’re headed to the Volcano Rucu Pichincha, one of the major volcanoes forming a geographical boundary of Quito. We’ll be in touch tomorrow! Ciao, RMI Guide Mike Walter

We are back at our Mt. Shuksan camp after a successful day of training on the slopes near our camp. The clouds have settled back in around us and we are having a round of hot drinks to keep morale up before dinner. RMI Guide Alex Halliday

Today was our first day of safari and we headed northwest to visit the beautiful Lake Manyara. The lake is a brief stopping ground for many migratory animals and home to more than 300 different birds. Everyone enjoyed the day cruising around in our safari vehicles with cold beverages in hand while seeing the animals up close. We managed to see a few wildebeest, zebras, Cape buffalo, lots of baboons, a few impalas and many hippos, and several elephants pretty close. It was a nice introduction to the incredible diversity of wildlife that Africa has and the team is looking forward to seeing more tomorrow. We wrapped up the evening with a wonderful meal at our new lodge, The Plantation Lodge, and even celebrated one of our teammate's birthday with a cake and plenty of singing. RMI Guide Casey Grom and the Safari crew

Hello again Everyone It’s been a bit cloudy the last few days, but the team awoke to beautifully clear skies and views of Kilimanjaro looming above us. We started our day with fresh fruits, eggs, porridge and plenty of coffee, before setting off on our second day. The trail out of camp slowly ascends through the last remaining trees and makes its way along a rocky ridge that climbs up onto the Shira Plateau. We hiked a little more that four hours to reach our next camp arriving shortly before the clouds returned and a light drizzle started. Everyone enjoyed the warmth of the sun and the views of the valleys below as we continued slowly moving upward. We are currently relaxing in our camp enjoying good conversations and stories from team members. RMI Guide Casey Grom and the Kili crew!

On The Map

We had a full value experience on Mt. Baker this weekend. With positive enthusiasm, 12 women met early in the morning in Sedro-Wolley with coffee and gear to hit the trail. We carpooled up to the Park Butte Trail Head on the Easton Glacier of Baker and started up the trail. The heavy packs didn't phase anyone and soon the trail conversations were running full speed ahead. After a five-hour hike into Sandy Camp at the toe of the glacier we set up camp in the rain. On the flanks of Mount Baker without any view of anything more than six feet away we had a nice dinner and early to bed to stay dry. Unfortunately, we woke to the pitter-patter of rain in the morning but managed a nice cup of coffee and some training in the rain on the snow slopes around us. Sunday morning was our anticipated summit bid but the mountain had other plans for our team. With a deluge of rain and strong winds, we decided the summit wasn't in the cards for us this time. We had the opportunity to be in a storm! Nothing beats this group of climbers. Even after naming the lakes forming in the bottom of the tents, everyone kept smiling. Never a complaint about the sopping wet boots just a choice to put our feet in plastic bags then in our boots. To the best storm fairing team ever, your guides Jessie, Lydia, and Christina thank you for making the trip a great experience. RMI Guide Christina Dale

After many drives, flights, and bag hauling, we made it to Talkeetna. The team brought about 950 pounds of gear that we promptly dropped in the K2 hanger in order to get some food and rest. Tomorrow we will attack the pile of gear and pack it into submission within our packs. In the afternoon we'll fly into the Kahiltna Glacier. Hoping for sunny skies. RMI Guide Christina Dale

Today was not going to be our day, because when it snows on Ixtaccihuatl there is apparently thunder and lightning. We spent a few hours at high camp with electrical storms pulsing through, while we held tight yesterday afternoon. Around 1 am there were clear skies all around and no wind to speak of. After climbing up the ‘knees’ of Ixta we stared out into a developing storm near La Malinche (our day hike from Day 2). watching the storm continue to spread out among the horizon, the guides decided that descending to camp and packing up would be the best call. Even though we only had 1,500 vertical feet to climb the linear distance was too long to justify staying on the ridge, should the storm pick up steam. With a slow descent through the ‘knees’ due to frozen scree and snow we arrived back in camp, packed up and headed to the trail head. As with most decisions, there is a moment of regret and asking yourself if you made the right call. Our walk down hill was sunny and bluebird that is until it wasn’t and the billowing dark clouds overtook the summit ridge. We are headed to Puebla for the evening and tomorrow we will get to explore the historic city center. After a couple nights sleep in nice beds we’ll head out for our Orizaba climb, the third highest peak in North America. While a little disappointed, everyone is glad to not be in an electrical storm and is doing well. RMI Guides Mike King & Jenny Konway

As expected, today was an easy day of mountain climbing. We met in the hotel dining room for our introductory strategy session... outlining what steps need to be taken in preparing to fly four and a half hours in a Russian jet and to disembark and go climbing in the remote interior of a frozen continent. Next up were equipment checks to be sure each climber had the necessary gear for the journey. The afternoon was then spent either walking the windy sidewalks tracking down odds and ends in the shops of Punta Arenas, or in simply resting and recuperating from the long flights and time changes we endured. Patagonian weather is living up to its crazy reputation as we had a typical spring mix of rain showers, brilliant sunshine and then ferocious gusts of wind all in any given ten minute period. We braved the elements, going for an early (7PM) dinner in another fine and friendly downtown restaurant and came out to twilight and blissfully reduced winds at 9PM. Tomorrow we’ll submit our gear for packing on the plane and we’ll enjoy what should be our last day in South America before Vinson. Best Regards RMI Guide Dave Hahn

June 12, 2016 - 10:50 p.m. PDT The Denali - Upper West Rib Team did a great job today. Blue sky and light wind graced us this morning, and despite a slower than desired departure out of camp everyone climbed really well. As soon as we stepped out of camp we sank up to our knees. This was the first day we got off the beaten path and made our own trail up to the Upper West Rib. Unfortunately with all the new snow fall in the last couple weeks breaking trail was difficult and energy expensive. Despite this added challenge the team did a great job and we worked our way up to the West Rib at 16,400'. We cached a couple days of food and fuel here and began our descent as the clouds started to roll over the ridge. We're all tired after a high output day but happy with our accomplishments. The weather forecast is calling for a storm approaching tomorrow and lasting a couple days so we will rest and prep for our summit rotation. Thanks for all the support out there! RMI Guide Geoff Schellens and the Upper West Rib Team