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Alaska Alpine Seminar: Elias & Team Fly into the Alaska Mountains

June 8, 2017

Posted by: Elias de Andres Martos, Chase Nelson

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Alaska Seminar

Good evening from the Pika Glacier! We flew in yesterday on schedule, and continued with a busy afternoon of camp building for what's going to be home for the next week. We woke to warm temperatures that made the forecasted precipitation fall in the shape of rain, which kept us tent grounded for the morning. A beautiful afternoon provided a good review of skills, and the motivation is high for our first venture into the nearby formations tomorrow. Stay tuned for more! RMI Guide Elias de Andres Martos

Denali - West Buttress Expedition: Jones & Team Move to 11,000’ Camp

May 29, 2016

Posted by: Tyler Jones, Blake Votilla, Caleb Ladue

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mt. McKinley

Elevation: 11,000'

May 29, 2016 - 2:38 p.m. PDT Tents were broken down early this morning. The team hit the trail a quarter before five after a 3:00 am wake up and a quick breakfast. The midnight sun cast a soft blanket of gold and pink on the north faces of Hunter, Foraker, and the Kiahiltna Dome. Low winds, cool temps, and the unique lighting of a summer Alaskan night made for an enjoyable start to the morning walk. These conditions were especially welcome after having to deal with 25 mph head winds on our carry day two days ago. We made efficient stops and good time to our cache site and beyond up to 11 camp. Upon arrival, camp saw it's first daylight as other groups began their ascent up the mountain. Some renovations, and more digging and our camp is up and ready for whatever the mountain throws at us! We will be all restocked and digging deep in the lunch sacks hopefully buy this time tomorrow and will keep you updated. RMI Guide Tyler Jones & Team

Leave a Comment For the Team (2)

Inquiring minds want to know - Did you make it to the top?

Posted by: Dad on 5/31/2016 at 7:15 am

Hi team!

These pictures look amazing- it’s a winter wonderland on the mountain there is so much snow! Tyler’s description of the sunrise sounds beautiful. What an early start for the day—3am—like army style! I hope youre staying warm and taking care of your backs and shoulders from the carry days!

I wanted to give a quick hello to Ongun- I miss you!! I’ve been reading the newspapers in the morning that are coming for you—lets see if in 3 weeks I become converted to reading the newspaper in its paper form :) sending the warmer temps from NYC your way and all my hugs.

Have fun team, stay strong and keep sending those gorgeous photos and updates.
Xoxo
Karina

Posted by: Karina on 5/29/2016 at 8:45 pm

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Aconcagua: Nugent & Team Carry to Camp Two

January 20, 2016

Posted by: Billy Nugent, Katrina Bloemsma

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Aconcagua

Elevation: 16,400'

Hola! Billy here back at Camp 1 chilling (out) and filling (up on food) after a flawless carry to Camp 2. We moved well and had little trouble putting in our cache of the usual food, fuel, and cold weather/summit gear. We bumped into friends and acquaintances all along the way enjoying the better than decent weather. There were a few minutes of flurries and even a little thunder in the distance but nothing of consequence. As I write this we're basking in the sun, satisfied with the day's work. Oh, we also met our third guide who traversed the mountain from the other base camp (Plaza de Mulas) and descended with us back to camp. His name is Pato, which means "duck," and he's a pretty cool dude. Not much else to report other than some inclement weather in the forecast, hopefully it doesn't slow our roll too much... Until our next dispatch, RMI Guide Billy Nugent and team

On The Map

Leave a Comment For the Team (2)

Randy…sounds like things are going well so far. In fact with all your chilling and filling and basking in the sun it sounds like you are on a very leisurely vacation…makes me a little jealous…haha. I know better but I hope you are enjoying the challenge. Lucas wanted me to tell you his great news that he just passed his MIG certification for a vertical up weld. He is so excited!
I miss you and I’m hoping Mother Nature remains kind to you.
Love Lisa

Posted by: Lisa Irwin on 1/21/2016 at 10:26 am

It’s National Hug Day, so a great big hug with warm thoughts to Dr. H from all of us! Have a good climb today!

Posted by: Linda Sitton on 1/21/2016 at 6:55 am

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Aconcagua: Justman & Team at Base Camp

January 10, 2016

Posted by: JJ Justman, Pepper Dee

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Aconcagua

Elevation: 13,800'

Hello folks, Team 3 is resting and doing well back at base camp on Aconcagua. There are a lot of teams that have retreated from the upper mountain and have departed base camp. Last night Pepper and one of our team members, Brian, played guitar and sang for the entire base camp and yes, they received a standing ovation. As for our team, we are not quite ready to throw in the towel but I have to be honest, the weather and the forecast is looking horrible with extremely high winds continuing for several days. We will keep you posted to our progress. As for now, the team is really happy not having to hold tents up from the inside and actually enjoying visiting the bathrooms. RMI Guides JJ Justman and Pepper Dee

Leave a Comment For the Team (2)

Bonjour Éric,

Un petit message qui j’espère t’arrivera où que tu sois. Je suis sûr que tu réussis à atteindre tes objectifs. Et pour une fois, oublie ce vieux dicton qui dit : “Quand tu as atteint le sommet de la montagne, continue de grimper”. On pense à toi, on t’aime et n’hésite pas si tu as le moindre problème pour redescendre à m’appeler : je ferai le max ! À tantôt, Phil

Posted by: Phil on 1/11/2016 at 7:36 am

Hey Brad! We sure hope the weather turns enough for you to summit. We can’t wait to hear all about your trip and hope it will include a summit. If not, it sure will be great memories for yall, just stay safe. As big as that mountain is, just know that you are loved even more, way more!! We think about you every day. We love and miss you! Love Mimi and Dad XO

Posted by: Mimi Rearden on 1/11/2016 at 7:18 am

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Aconcagua: Justman and Team Trek to Casa de Piedra

December 9, 2015

Posted by: JJ Justman, Christina Dale

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Aconcagua

Elevation: 10,550'

Hey, everyone. This is the Aconcagua team with Christina and JJ. Everyone's doing great. We woke up early this morning and began our hike to our second trekking camp, which is Casa de Piedra. We're in a little bit of an argument as to what Casa de Piedra means. I said it means house of Piedra, but they don't believe me. If any of you know what Casa de Piedra means, if you could, just write in the comment section what it means so I can settle this with the team. Other than that, we're doing great. Good walk up to about 11,000 feet. We set up camp. We weren't able to get a look at Aconcagua. It was a little cloudy today, but down here the weather is really nice. So we're just relaxing, acclimatizing, drinking water and just hanging out. Tomorrow we will be trekking to Base Camp of Aconcagua at 14,000 feet. We're hoping for a good day. It was definitely a littler blustery up at Base Camp today. We're glad we're down a little lower. The team says hi to all their family and friends. Stay tuned and we'll touch base from Base Camp tomorrow. RMI Guide JJ Justman

RMI Guide JJ Justman from Casa de Piedra.

Leave a Comment For the Team (2)

Casa de Piedra means House of Stone; sounds like everyone had a great trip!

Posted by: John Boicourt on 12/10/2015 at 5:35 am

I bet you guys all wish you had your cell phones to ponder over the meaning of “Casa de Piedra”. The internet came of no help after 20 minutes of searching. Only the lonely planet had a snippet saying that it was a beautiful stone….something since the page no longer existed. Perhaps you will find the answer down the road or more like up the road.

Hoping you guys are having a blast and absorbing all the beauties of mother nature.

Ava saw Tibor’s photos and says “That’s my Daddy!” She, myself, and the entire Kelemen Clan is very happy to see these post. We miss you Aps and be safe!

Kisses from California,
Tam & Ava

Posted by: Tam & Ava on 12/9/2015 at 10:01 pm

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Kilimanjaro: Hahn & Team Visit the Ngorongoro Crater

August 3, 2018

Posted by: Dave Hahn

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Kilimanjaro

We bounced along rough dirt roads in the Landcruisers as sunrise came on. It was the rare clear and dry morning up on the rim of Ngorongoro Crater and we were thrilled with the views into the giant caldera. The air was crisp and cool as we made our way down in, fully on the lookout for critters. We began to see countless Cape buffalo, gazillions of gazelles, and absurd numbers of zebra. We saw a set of lions getting frisky between catnaps. Big solitary bull elephants marched to and fro in the distance. Hippos were relatively hyper, moving from one mud bog to another and performing barrel rolls in the soup. Ostriches and Kori Bustards strutted about. We saw hyenas and jackals, wart hogs and a few thousand gnu. A picnic lunch and some French pressed fresh coffee prepared us for a final flurry of game viewing. We saw a lone and distant rhino to make it a “big four day” (elephant+lion+Cape buffalo+rhino = The big five minus a leopard) and then Ibrahim and Francis expertly piloted the Landcruisers up the steep switchback road to the 8,500 feet crater rim and we headed back to the tranquility of the Plantation Lodge in late afternoon. Best Regards, RMI Guide Dave Hahn

Kilimanjaro: Okita & Team Scale the Barranco Wall

August 3, 2018

Posted by: Brent Okita

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Kilimanjaro

Elevation: 13,160'

Day 4 and we're knocking on the summit door of this mountain. This morning we scaled the Barranco Wall right out of camp. Ditching the trekking poles so we can use our hands to better grasp the rock on this steep part of the climb the team moved like pros. Exclamations of how much fun the climbing was was universal. Yes, we had to wait several times for groups of porters to pass by, but no one was complaining of the chance to catch our breath. Plus, it was a chance for us to appreciate the coordination and athleticism of these folks as they negotiate this steep terrain, balancing 32 pound duffels of gear on their heads. Our high point was never more than 14,000' as we traversed up and down several drainage to come around to the SE side of Kilimanjaro where our camp is situated. During this slow walk we were constantly rewarded with magnificent views of this special place. Today was also a day of solidifying the acclimatization gains of yesterday before we venture to our high camp tomorrow. Measuring our oxygen saturation levels this morning indicate that everybody is doing great! But we already knew that just based on how well we're all walking. We're excited to get to high camp! We'll be back in touch tomorrow from 15,200' camp. RMI Guide Brent Okita

On The Map

Aconcagua: Tucker & Team Depart Mendoza, Head for the Mountains

January 13, 2018

Posted by: Mark Tucker, Hannah Smith, Avery Parrinello

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Aconcagua

Elevation: 9,000'

Great news! The team has now received all of our bags and we are ready to hit the trail... tomorrow! We checked in with the Aconcagua National Park Service to secure our climbing permits before leaving Mendoza. After gathering one more delayed bag, we made the three hour drive to Los Penitentes. We had plenty of time to re-arrange our gear and get it ready for the mule loads. Now after a great dinner, we are ready for our comfortable hotel and really looking forward to that pillow. Jet lag sucks. The team is doing great and we are having a good time. RMI Guide Mark Tucker

Kilimanjaro: Hahn & Team tour Maasai Village and Explore Tarangire National Park

September 14, 2017

Posted by: Dave Hahn

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Kilimanjaro

We began the day with a "so long" to Cory, who headed off -as planned- to compete in a marathon down in Capetown. Then we set out from the delightful Plantation Lodge for our next Safari destination: Tarangire National Park. Along the way, we toured a traditional Maasai village, watching tribe members dance and build fire and asking a lot of questions along the way about how the Maasai are able to hang on to their traditional ways in a modern world. We entered Tarangire just after noon and within just a few minutes were seeing Impala, Zebra, and Wildebeest in numbers difficult to keep track of. We saw great elephants and giraffes in the immense park and a few lions here and there, but for certain the highlights came close to the end of the day when we saw seven lion cubs playing and napping together while their mom/babysitter lounged nearby. And that prepared us for the final sighting -a leopard napping in a tree with a freshly killed Impala stored in the crook of the same tree. He/she didn't pay much attention to us, but we payed plenty of attention to such a beautiful and formidable animal. A few short minutes later we drove into Balloon Camp, our safari hotel. Tonight we are back in tents, but more correctly they are tent-cabins and quite comfortable ones at that. The staff put on a fine barbecue for our team, out under the stars near the swimming pool. While dining, we could still hear nearby elephants trumpeting. Just one more day to go, hard to imagine though that it will surpass today. Best Regards, RMI Guide Dave Hahn

Mt. Rainier: Four Day Summit Climbs Team Reach Summit

August 17, 2017

Posted by: Casey Grom, JM Gorum

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mount Rainier

Elevation: 14,410'

The Four Day Summit Climb August 14 - 17, 2017 led by RMI Guides Casey Grom & JM Gorum reached the summit of Mt. Rainier around 6:30 am today. The teams enjoyed a bit of time on the crater before starting their descent. They will return to Camp Muir for a short stop before continuing down to Paradise. We look forward to seeing them at Rainier BaseCamp later today. Congratulations to today's Summit Climb team!

Leave a Comment For the Team (2)

I was a part of the group from NY and I only made it to the Disappointment Cleaver (DC). However I had a great time and learn a lot. JM & Casey were both great leaders and lots of fan to be with. Thank you both .

Keyhan

Posted by: keyhan arjomand on 11/30/2017 at 11:49 am

What a great team and awesome accomplishment! Congrats!

Posted by: Nancy on 8/17/2017 at 6:35 pm

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