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Hola from Quito Ecuador, Today began with two guides, three brothers and five individuals coming together for the first time for the Expedition Skills Seminar - Ecuador. Most climbers flying into Quito arrive around midnight and don't get to the hotel until after 1am. With an 8 am orientation and team introduction, we were blessed to have a hearty breakfast, strong coffee and warm sunshine to get the guys awake. I can say guys because we are a team with no females. From past experience I can say it is usually helpful to have at least one lady keeping the men in check but judging from our first eight hours together, I have a gut feeling we should be generally well behaved. After our breakfast and intro the team packed up in Angel's mini bus for a splendid three hour tour of some of Quito's main attractions. First we visited the "Mitad Del Mundo" or Middle of the World, where we stood on the actual equator. Here we observed visual confirmation of the Coriolis effect, balanced an egg on a nail and watched as gravity played tricks on both our minds and bodies. I would like to say we also saw aliens zipping overhead time travel portals open but unfortunately that happened last week. After we left the center of the earth, we headed into old town Quito where we visited a giant statue of the Virgin Mary, a three hundred year old Cathedral and the Presidential Palace. Having felt let down by absent aliens on the equator I was hoping for a brief chat with Rafael Correal, the country's President, as a consolation prize but we were told he was too busy. Go figure..... After the tour we had a nice lunch, nap and gear check. All in all a pretty full day. Stay turned for tomorrow's dispatch because we will be climbing a mountain higher than any team member has climbed before! Wishing everyone well back home. RMI Guide Adam Knoff & Team Ecuador

Ahh how nice it is to finally be settled into a camp in the mountains. The lowlands have treated us well but this is what we came here for! This morning we boarded a bus and said goodbye to Huaraz and began our hike into the Ishinca Valley. Mule assistance kept our packs light and views of the Cordillera Blanca inspired our trek all the way to basecamp. We built camp in a grassy meadow at 14,300 ft. flanked by our climbing objectives for the coming days. We're enjoying a bit of relaxation and adjusting to our new altitude at camp, before the real training starts tomorrow! RMI Guides Zeb Blais and Chase Nelson

Today's Four Day Summit Climb team lead by RMI Guide Mike Haugen reached the summit of Mt. Rainier shortly after 7 am. Mike reported calm winds and great climbing. They will spent a bit of time on top before beginning their descent. Once they return to Camp Muir, they will take a quick break, repack their gear and continue their descent to Paradise. We look forward to seeing the team at Rainier BaseCamp this afternoon. Congratulations to today's Summit Climb team!

Monday, May 19, 2025 - 6:37 pm PT

We took a full and proper rest day today. It has been snowing more or less all day in camp, and the winds started to pick up a bit this afternoon. That made it easy to take a long breakfast, rest and read in tents, and take naps throughout the day. We spent a bit of time building some snow walls, which everyone got quite excited about, and some more time reviewing fixed line techniques for when we go higher. We are working on a reindeer sausage jambalaya for dinner, and we'll see if the snow and wind let up over night.

RMI Guides Pete, Nick, Ben and team

This is Mike checking in from 15,300’ on Ixta. We got a casual start to the day with a big breakfast and final packing of our equipment. It’s always a bummer to have 40ish pounds of stuff for just one night out. The trail ascends a ridge with a series of weaknesses that allow for a moderate elevation gain. We enjoyed clear views of Orizaba and La Malinche. From camp you could even pick out the glimmer of glass on the high rise building of Mexico City. The traditional high camp where the Refugio sits is currently occupied by a 50+ member unit of the Mexican Army. We opted for the camp that is slightly lower to have a quiet evening. The wind is currently shaking the tents and depositing grit on our teeth. We’ll have some dinner and get our packs ready for tomorrow’s summit bid. The weather looks good, so fingers crossed for clear skies and no electrics storms. RMI Guide Mike King

We made it to high camp today under sunny skies and light winds. It was one of the nicest days of our climb so far. As usual with this crew, we set up camp quickly and efficiently. “Chillin by two” could be our team slogan. Lots of sun up here gave us ample time to dry out any items that may have been a bit damp. Not much else to report, we’re just doing all our last minute prep for our summit attempt tomorrow. Hopefully our next check-in will be from the top. RMI Guides JM Gorum, Hannah Smith, and Avery Parrinello

On The Map

Sunday, June 24, 2018 - 7:34 PM PT We had a great acclimatization climb today, tackling our first peak of the trip. It was a high altitude mark for many of our climbers, reaching the summit of Rucu Pichincha at ~16,300’. The day started off with a gondola ride where we left the city of Quito and traveled to ~13,500’. From there we continued on a well established trail for an hour or so before it gave way to a steeper single track trail. The climb culminated in a fun rock scramble to the top of the peak. The weather was great: in the morning we had clear views of Cotopaxi before clouds rolled in; the temps stayed perfect as we climbed into the clouds, and the wind up high made it feel very alpine but not too cold. Every climbed very well today, despite only being at altitude for about a day; this bodes well for our upcoming summit attempt on Cotopaxi. Tomorrow morning we will pack up and leave Quito, heading south into the countryside en route to our next acclimatization hike. RMI Guide Mike Walter

We are at WinayWayna 8,700' for the night. Today the Team enjoyed some spectacular views of the high glaciated Andes juxtaposed against the semi-tropical orchids and song birds. Our campsite is located near an incredible Incan ruin that has a series of 10 fountains and more terracing. The Team has been in awe of the manpower and resources needed to build let alone maintain this network of trails and sites that stretch from Ecuador to Northern Argentina. Tomorrow morning we will get an early start in hopes of catching the sunrise as we walk into Machu Picchu. RMI Guide Mike King

Awakening at Mweka Camp early, the feet and legs had miraculously recovered from our sixteen hour summit day. Ok, maybe not completely recovered, but everyone was moving quite well after such a huge effort. Of course, a little vitamin I (Ibuprofen) never hurt. Breakfast awaited us, to be followed by song and dance from our mountain staff in celebration of a wonderful week on the mountain. In return we expressed our appreciation of the tremendous care they gave us with tokens of gratitude. Our three hour hike to the Mweka gate ended in a final meal together. This time the food reflected the local cuisine, and was delicious! Goodbyes were made and a two hour bus ride brought us back to the comforts of the hotel and the showers everyone had been looking forward to for days. I guess the three hundred baby wipes some folks took weren't quite enough. We celebrated in style. Not just our success on the mountain, but also the birthday that motivated this whole affair, getting a group of individuals way out of their comfort zone and learning what it means to climb a mountain. The hotel staff graciously set up tables outside and built a roaring fire so that we might enjoy a final night together feasting and indulging in fabulous wines brought in special for the occasion. Toasts were made and reflections on our trip shared, all the while the Blue monkeys and little Dik Dik antelopes watched on, visible in the glow of the flickering flames, no doubt wondering what all the fuss was about. But we know what the fuss was all about. It was about an adventure shared by family and friends, and challenges that were quite hard at times, and the lessons and memories made over the course of an incredible week on Mount Kilimanjaro. Habari ya asubhui and asante sana, RMI Guide Brent Okita

Greetings from High Camp on Artesonraju. After our forced carry to high camp on Saturday, we had yet another rainy and snowy day at base camp yesterday. Regardless, today was as clear as we have seen so far this trip, and we moved to high camp early this morning, to beat the other awaiting teams to the prime real estate at this moraine. Tents are pitched, food and fuel stashed and gear ready. We're going to take another day here at 5100m to acclimatize better and be in position for launching later this week. Everyone is doing well, and the excitement is high! RMI Guide Elias de Andres Martos and team