RMI Guides Tyler Jones and Jess Matthews led their Four Day Summit Climb September 5-8 to the summit of Mt. Rainier this morning. The winds are light but there is a cloud cap near the summit. The teams began their descent from the crater rim at 7:15 en route to Camp Muir. They will continue their descent to Paradise later today.
Congratulations to today's Summit Climbers!
I man’s reach should exceed his grasp or what’s a mountain for!
Neil, I’m awed by what you are doing, but I won’t be happy till I know you are back on terra firma.
Much love.
Posted by: Marilyn Chapman on 9/9/2017 at 5:58 am
We are proud of you. Want to hear all about it.
Bible Isaiah 55:12 “for you shall go out with joy, and be led out with peace; the mountains and the hills Shall break forth into singing before you.”
Posted by: Larry and Virgie Henry on 9/8/2017 at 10:55 am
We dropped down from our high camp on Mt. Shuksan last night to avoid the wildfire smoke, and made our final walk out easier. An open bivy with breathtaking views of the mountain and Lake Anne were our reward. We enjoyed them in the fading light while eating dinner. A first-light start got us back to the car early enough to hit a local coffee shop for lattes on the way down valley.
This last week of climbing has been phenomenal. The perfect weather and excellent conditions in the mountains came together for an unforgettable experience. Here are some photos of our best moments...
RMI Guide Eric Frank
Hello, this is Eric. I'm checking-in from the comforts of Hotel Colonial in Puebla. Today the team is resting after our major effort to get to the summit of Ixtaccihuatl yesterday. It is a very abrupt change to go from the challenge of a grueling descent straight to the luxuries of a major city. After a lazy morning, we met to explore a local market, eat gelato and soak in the stunning architecture of the city.
Tonight the team will have a group dinner and then get in bed to rest before we launch early tomorrow for our next major objective, Orizaba.
Here are a few shots from our climb of Ixta.
RMI Guide Eric Frank
Our attempt on the highest mountain in Antarctica is coming together. We've got our entire team -four climbers and one guide- pulled together in Patagonia to kick this thing off. The "normal" air travel is finished... we even got all of our baggage through the system. We celebrated by walking about the town of Punta Arenas, Chile in unseasonably warm and comfy weather. The team fought off jet lag long enough to enjoy a great meal together. We've got to get to work in the morning to prep for a Saturday morning departure for the Ice, but now it is time to sleep hard and recover from overexposure to those evil airline seats.
Best Regards,
RMI Guide Dave Hahn
Stars at night climber's delight. Clear below brought out the city lights of Moshi, the town we will drive through on our way back to the Dik Dik after the climb. Look up and it's star gazing at its finest. A restful night for the whole team, with a later wake up call to give us the climb of the Barranco Wall without a lot of other climbers. A number of the team had a nice intro to some real rock scrambling. A fine job by one and all, not without a few gasps and grunts prior to topping out on what ended up being a highlight and lots of fun. The support team pulled off some impressive maneuvers, carrying supplies and equipment, on their heads to boot. Our local guides coached and protected on the more difficult sections. A bit more leisurely today compared to yesterday but no less beautiful. We arrived at Karanga Camp by early afternoon, and were quickly greeted by some steamy hot spaghetti to fill our tanks for the climb ahead. Carb load is on! The team continues doing very well.
RMI Guide Mark Tucker
This is Zeb Blais and team checking in from 16,000-foot, Moraine Camp on Pisco Oeste. We had a great day today moving up to camp- pretty leisurely. We are now tucked in, fueled up and ready to make a charge on Pisco Oeste early in the morning. So we'll check in when we get back. Until then.
RMI Guide Zeb Blais
RMI Guide Zeb Blais checking in from Pisco Oeste, Peru.
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
RMI Guide Leon Davis and the Mt. Rainier Summit Climb teams checked in at 7:00 a.m. They were at 13,000' on their descent and Leon reported that it was really nice day on the mountain.
We woke at midnight to cold temps and light gusts. After a quick breakfast we packed and stepped into our crampons. Just after one in the morning we left camp and began our traverse across the glacier leading to the start of the technical climbing. After a quick break we pulled out our sexing ice tool and started up the narrow ice runnel. Cold temps, a hand full of other teams, and the altitude made for a challenging climb but everyone did a fantastic job climbing and made good decisions. Shortly after sunrise the team topped out on the summit of Alpamayo to find a strong cold wind out of the east. This made for a short summit celebration before starting the rappels back down the icy face. By 10AM we were all safely back at high camp where we ate, hydrated, and napped all day. We will spend one more night here before descending to base camp tomorrow.
I'm very proud of how the team did on this difficult climb today.
That's all for now,
RMI Guide Geoff Schellens
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
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
I man’s reach should exceed his grasp or what’s a mountain for!
Neil, I’m awed by what you are doing, but I won’t be happy till I know you are back on terra firma.
Much love.
Posted by: Marilyn Chapman on 9/9/2017 at 5:58 am
We are proud of you. Want to hear all about it.
Bible Isaiah 55:12 “for you shall go out with joy, and be led out with peace; the mountains and the hills Shall break forth into singing before you.”
Posted by: Larry and Virgie Henry on 9/8/2017 at 10:55 am
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