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We woke this morning to sunshine and French toast for breakfast... and coffee of course. Not a bad way to wake up. After our leisurely breakfast we geared up and headed out on another acclimatization hike this time to nearly 15,000'. We were on the trail for around 3 1/2 hours and over the course of the hike the weather gradually deteriorated. We felt a little bit of hail on our way back to camp but nothing terrible. Still, there are signs of the snow forecasted for tonight and tomorrow starting to show up. We won't mind a little weather on our last training/rest day before heading on our summit push Friday. Friday's forecast is looking good so we have our fingers crossed that it won't change. After our hike the gang went down to the cafe at the top of the gondola and hung out a bit... Good times over here in
Russia.
Til tomorrow!
RMI Guide Billy Nugent
The
Mt. Rainier Expedition Skills Seminar has spent the last six days training along the Paradise Glacier and moved to Camp Muir yesterday. The team, led by
RMI Guide Billy Nugent, went to bed hoping for a break in the precipitation. The guides checked the weather through the early morning hours with no such luck of weather cooperation. Although a summit did not come to fruition, the team walked up to Ingraham Flats and will descend from the mountain later this afternoon.
May 16, 2016 - 11:45 p.m. PDT
We woke this morning from a deep, deep night of sleep to sunny skies and a thin coat of snow over everything that sparkled brilliantly white. It was a gorgeous morning that energized everyone as they glanced up at
Denali, down the Kahiltna, and across at Foraker. We had a leisurely breakfast of hash browns and eggs, listening to teams pack and walk out for carries to Windy Corner or moves to 14. We eventually made our own move, returning to our cache of food and fuel at 10, and hauling it back up the hill to camp. We reviewed some climbing techniques that we'll need above here, then crawled into the tents as the clouds crept up glacier to rest and relax. Tomorrow we hope to make our own carry up to Windy Corner if conditions allow. Until then, we'll eat more food, tell some tall tales, and catch several more hours of deep, deep sleep.
Best from 11,
RMI Guides
Pete,
Jess,
Robby, and Team
The
Mount Rainier Summit Climbs, led by
RMI Guides Elias de Andres Martos and Jake Beren, called in at 7:38 a.m. The first teams began their descent from the crater rim at that time and the second teams followed at 7:53 a.m. The guides report a little wind from the WSW but all-in-all, good weather.
Congratulations to today's summit climbers!
To all of those who have been following our climb; this is our creed:
There's no room in the dome, but we make a dash,
To secure a spot, for our breakfast hash.
Echoes from strangers across the room,
Embarrassing moments might be our doom.
Blue bags are missing, or so we think,
But the lung juice is dripping, no one dares blink.
All that matters now, is who wins at farkle,
For the highest champion, is sure to sparkle.
Out for a walk, we endeavor with pleasure,
Many photos were taken, that was our treasure.
Back at Camp 2, we rest and we wait.
We ponder our bets, about our own weight.
Back in the dome, we need to recharge,
There goes Nate, he is now at large.
We spotted some birds, going mach Jesus.
But we finish our night, with pizzas full of cheeses.
RMI Guide Ben Luedtke & Team
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Aconcagua Expedition January 8, 2025
Tuesday, June 11, 2024 - 11:29 pm PT
Good evening readers!
Today we woke to squirrely clouds, moving in and out. Snow would start and stop. We dragged our feet and when the weather looked right we made our move. It was a long, heavy, tiring move to 14,000' Camp. It snowed for parts of it, we were in the clouds for most of it, and had a few moments of blasts of heat. The team did well and is excited to be one step closer. We ate a late dinner of mac and cheese and are now snuggled in our sleeping bags. Everyone has earned a good night's rest. Tomorrow we will back carry and then relax the rest of the afternoon. Thanks for the good weather vibes. Keep them coming!
RMI Guide Hannah Smith and Team
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New Post Alerts:
Denali Expedition June 2, 2024
Sue and I spent one of my favorite nights I've ever had in Mexico, camping on the slopes of
Orizaba last night. We slept on a floor of pine needles surrounded by blue bunch grasses. Yesterday we hiked from the town of Tlachichuca to a camp at 12,000 feet on the forested side of the mountain. We had a fire and watched cows till the sun set leaving us chilled and ready for bed. This morning we lounged around our precious camp with enough time for two cups of coffee. Then set off for Piedra Grande, the typical starting point for climbers on Orizaba. We are grateful for the extra days of acclimatizing and time to enjoy this countryside. Tonight we bed down at 14,000 feet hoping for some good rest.
RMI Guide Christina Dale
Half the team didn’t even make it to breakfast this morning. Which was perfectly acceptable (although it was the best breakfast we’d had in weeks). We got great sleep without so much as a ruffle of the tents due to the wind. By our standards it was warm, comfortable and easy. Union Glacier suits us just fine. As expected, the weather went from yesterday’s blue bird to today’s gray bird. It was overcast and snowing lightly all day, perfect for napping. Camp is chock full with 60 marathon runners, primed for their big event tomorrow. None of my team has yet been tempted to participate, but we’ll see if someone wakes up extra feisty tomorrow. Today we were content to sit in chairs at tables and to read books about Antarctica while sipping strong coffee.
The marathon runners were all curious about our strange tans and our experiences of the last two weeks. We told tales of the
big mountains and ate, drank and ate some more. Change is always difficult... except this particular change to comfort and easy living.
Best Regards,
RMI Guide Dave Hahn
Our entire team was in agreement that a night at 10,000 ft was just what the doctor ordered. Sure, there were some tired legs and sore backs at
Mweka Camp this morning, but so many other problems had magically disappeared with the dropping of a vertical mile in sleeping elevation. We ate breakfast as the sun started to find its way through the heather and hanging moss. Afterward, our entire staff assembled to serenade and entertain us (and themselves) with singing and dancing. Before long, we were all laughing and clapping at their costumed portrayal of a western tourist, out for a climb. The customary tipping ceremony followed in which we passed out gratuities while shaking hands and personally thanking each of 51 strong and talented men. By 8:30 we were on the trail and losing altitude once again. Quickly, we transitioned back into a thick and lush rain forest. While we’d started out with blue sky and sunshine, inevitably we entered the cloud sea that had been so far below for much of the week. We never got anything worse than the odd sprinkle and a little mist down in the clouds and that kept the dirt trail from getting totally sloppy and slippery. One certainly had to pay close attention though, so as not to slip, trip or tumble in the process of descending 4,000 vertical feet. Porters from our own team, as well as from surrounding teams, came thundering down the track -mud or no mud- with fifty pound loads balanced on their heads. By late morning we’d all reached the national park gate at Mweka. Naturally we got pics of the gang at the final signpost of the journey, then we signed out of the park and walked through a bit of road construction to where the Barking Zebra staff had laid out a fine picnic lunch at a local art gallery and tourist shop. Thus fortified, we took on the two hour bus trip down through Moshi and over to the edge of Arusha. Everyone was ready for showers and comfy furniture back at the Arumeru River Lodge. The afternoon passed quickly as we reconnected to the world, dried and cleaned gear and readied other -less serious and substantial gear- for our safari starting tomorrow morning. We had a relaxed victory dinner together to celebrate the completion of the climb and to bid farewell to Darcy who’ll be boarding jets and getting home for work while we go poke around a few more National Parks to see what we can see.
Best Regards,
RMI Guide Dave Hahn
Sunday, June 24, 2018 - 9:45 PM PT
We busted out of camp at 9,500 ft by 7:10 AM. There was still plenty of cloud out and about, but not so much in the direction we wanted to go. Of course things were a little cooler at the lofty heights we were reaching, but not unpleasantly so. We reached the corner at Kahiltna Pass in just over an hour’s time and left the mighty Kahiltna Glacier. A couple of tough uphill pushes then brought us to 11,000. Conditions were sunny, calm and nice as we built camp -we’re starting to get good at this stuff. The afternoon was spent napping and prepping for tomorrow’s carry to 13,500. In the late afternoon and evening we got a heavy and hot snow shower. We dodged it eating burritos in the dining tent. After dinner, things got fun and busy as RMI Guide Mike King’s victorious climbing team came down to share camp for an evening. They’ll head downhill in the early morning and we’ll be looking upward.
Best Regards
Dave Hahn
On The Map
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I love it when you talk about holing up to sleep and eat. It means your out of danger’s way. Windy Corner sounds uninviting. Wish there was a way around it. A mother is a mother, no matter the age of the child.
Be safe!!!!
Posted by: leanne fosbre on 5/17/2016 at 3:58 pm
We’ll keep sending those good weather vibes your way, especially for Windy Corner!!! Keep up the great work everyone!
Posted by: Patrice La Vigne on 5/17/2016 at 2:53 pm
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