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May 27, 2016 - 6:06 pm PT
We woke up this morning to blustery but clear skies. With ridge top winds ripping all around us we decided to dig in before getting underway. The team learned about wall building and tidying up camp before separating all of their gear to be carried. Then we were off! Bright skies and a stiff breeze gave us great conditions to schlep our loads up toward Kahiltna Pass. The great visibility highlighted the big three: Hunter, Foraker and
Denali standing tall against the wind. After a quick transition we had a load of gear stashed in the ground and were returning back to camp to hide away for the rest of the day.
RMI Guide Tyler Jones
May 19, 2016 - Thursday Evening Post
After much deliberation on the part of the pilots, management Basecamp personnel of our flight service the teams launched for Basecamp. Weather was uncertain but K2, our air service, wanted to at least try to get us in the mountain.
The first plane landed, but with a ground fog rolling in the second of our planes had to turn back.
So, here we are, enjoying life on the mountain finally. Although our partners in Talkeetna are sleeping in beds and enjoying burgers and beer, this is what we've all come here for.
The drama of the spectacular mountains around us has been sometimes muted by clouds moving in, but the team is excited to be here and eager to learn. Before setting up camp we practiced numerous skills, hoping our partners would get lucky and be able to fly on. But such was not the case tonight.
Unfortunate though that might be, I'm delighted to be with folks so psyched to be here and learn and help out. What a great trip this will be.
RMI Guide Brent Okita
May 20, 2016 - 4:30 pm PT
A snowy morning greeted us as we finally crawled out of our sleeping bags after our
first night on the mountain. Unfortunately, the visibility was poor too, so our intentions of bringing a cache of supplies further up the mountain were thwarted. Instead, breakfast flowed into lunch as we enjoyed the comfort provided by our cook/dining tent. Stories were shared over a breakfast of biscuits and gravy, followed by more hot drinks and culminating in a hot pot of Ramen for lunch as we make the most of this weather day holding slim chance of having our other half of the team fly in to join us.
A quick satellite phone call to Christina and the team in Talkeetna let us know they have been making the most of their time by training and practicing skills that we'll need later in the trip.
The Kahiltna crew has not been slacking either, regardless of how the previous narrative sounds. Knots, tent set up, anchors, rescue systems and stove operations have been reviewed and practiced. The team is firing on all cylinders.
Wish us better luck with the weather tomorrow.
RMI Guide Brent Okita and the Kahiltna crew
May 20, 2016 - 12:24 am PT
Stupendous day here on Denali! We fought saucy winds through the aptly named
Windy Corner, but the sky stayed pristinely azure, and the team ducked their heads into the chilly breeze and powered around the corner, where the winds promptly died. We rolled into 14 looking like a fresh pair of socks, and started building our own fortress next to that of Mike Walter's crew. As the temps dropped, we ate a hearty dinner and retired to the tents. We have a light day on tap tomorrow, returning to our cache to retrieve food and fuel and fully move into 14.
Best from our new abode,
RMI Guides Pete, Jess, Robby, and team
On The Map
Checking in from
Guanacos Campo 3, or Camp 2 for us at well over 18,000'. We are moved and settled in, enjoying yet another perfect afternoon with coffee, cribbage, prosciutto, and of course, siestas. We felt the altitude before but with this most recent move higher we are all moving a bit slower and scratching our heads a bit longer when trying to figure out where that one stuff sack with our snacks went. The team is staying positive despite a tough looking weather forecast and we are hoping that Mother Nature will give us an opportunity to sneak in a trip to the top. Not much else cooking up here besides our broccoli and rice dinner...
RMI Guide Billy Nugent
On The Map
Hello everyone and welcome to
RMI's second
Kilimanjaro's trip of the season.
The team arrived late last night after our very long and tiring flights from the U.S. We were greeted by the wonderful staff from the Dik Dik Lodge with warm smiles and a little champagne to toast our arrival.
After a short and quiet ride to our lodge we had a quick dinner then headed off to bed to catch up on some much needed sleep.
The team met this morning at breakfast with fresh fruits, homemade bread and jam, and plenty of good Tanzanian coffee.
We then got together for a formal round of introductions and an overview of the upcoming adventure. We discussed our plan for the climb and made sure everyone has all the necessary gear to keep us safe and warm on
Kilimanjaro.
After a short break some team members took a short stroll on the beautiful grounds hoping to catch sight of some of the monkeys that often visit and some even managed to spot Kilimanjaro in a break in the clouds. The rest of us did a little packing and caught up on a little more sleep to help get adjusted to the big time difference.
We have just wrapped up an amazing five-course meal with great conversations, and everyone is squared away and looking forward to hitting the trail tomorrow as well as stretching the legs a bit.
RMI Guide Casey Grom and crew
Good Morning,
After waiting for the rain to stop, which really didn't happen until afternoon, we were too late to depart for an attempt on the North Ridge. So, we left camp at 2:30pm for a sunset climb of the Coleman-Deming route, which was still enjoyable and quite scenic. The team went 100% to the top and is back in camp for a good night's sleep!
RMI Guides Dustin, Ray & 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
Jambo Everyone
Once again we woke to beautifully clear skies with even better views of
Kilimanjaro since moving up on the mountain. Our morning ritual has been waking around 6:30 and getting everything in our tents packed up before heading into our very spacious dining tent for our breakfast feast. Normally there is fresh fruit, fried eggs, porridge, bacon, and plenty of hot coffee awaiting us, obviously we’re being well taken care of by our gracious staff.
Today our route took us up and around the well known and beautiful Lava Tower reaching just over 15,000', setting a new altitude record for some.
We also passed by many of the giant groundsels and towering Senecio trees that made us feel as if we were in some crazy Dr. Suess story book.
All in all it was a really nice day with clouds gathering in the afternoon to help keep the temperature comfortable for hiking. We are now comfortably set up at Barranco Camp beneath the Great Barranco Wall.
RMI Guide Casey Grom
On The Map
Friday, June 1, 2018 - 4:58 PM PT
Today we awoke to a clear and cold morning in camp and after breakfast we began the hour long climb up
Ski Hill. Taking advantage of the brisk temperature, it allowed us to stay cool and good snow conditions had us walking in just our boots. Walking without snowshoes let us set a good pace to our cache site at 10,200 ft. At the cache, we left some group meals, extra personal food and gas that we don’t need for a few days. After burying our gear, we descended back to camp in bluebird skies, sun and incredible views of the Lower Kahiltna glacier. Soon enough however, the heat of the sun had us retreating back down to camp and into our tents for some rest and relaxation after a hard morning. The menu for tonight calls for some quesadillas, which is most often a favorite meal on the mountain! If the weather holds true tomorrow, we hope to make the ascent again tomorrow and move our camp to 11,200'.
RMI Guide Tyler Jones
On The Map
The September 4 - 7
Summit Climb teams reached the summit of Mt. Rainier this morning around 6:30 am PT.
RMI Guides Elias de Andres Martos and Christina Dale led their teams. After enjoying some time in the crater the teams started their descent. They will return to Camp Muir and then continue to Paradise this afternoon.
Congratulations to today's Summit Climb teams!
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Let’s Breck !
Posted by: Dad on 5/29/2016 at 11:10 am
Hi Tyler -
Good luck with this years team! I still have great memories of our 2011 and 2012 expeditions.
-Larry Seaton
Posted by: Larry Seaton on 5/29/2016 at 10:45 am
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