Most Popular Entries
Posted by: Mike King, Jenny Konway, Nick Scott
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Aconcagua
Elevation: 9,000'
We spent the day walking up the Vacas Valley, the terrain is rocky and filled with various shades of red, brown and greens. Due to heavy snow fall up high and the rain showers lower down the happy desert plants are blooming with yellows and purples. The Team is doing great despite some really hot sections today. We'll spend the remainder of the afternoon relaxing in the cool breeze, watching a fox inquire about camp and eat the most amazing Argentinean asado (BBQ for those who don't speak Spanish). The meat and cooking display by the Mule Drivers has become legendary. Guides wax poetic about the "scent of Leñas" that fills your clothing for days, weeks or even years to come. Ruth Chris doesn't even compare to the quality of steak cooked and served near the soot stained brick building...muy authentico! Listen to the song "Big Rock Candy Mountain", really listen to the lyrics and you'll only get a glimpse of how sleeping under the stars at Leñas is. Milky Way dust for nights on end. Until tomorrow.
RMI Guide Mike King
On The Map
Posted by: Brent Okita, Jess Matthews
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mount Rainier
Elevation: 14,410'
RMI Guides Brent Okita and Jess Matthews led their Four Day Summit Climb August 15-18 to the summit of Mt. Rainier this morning. The teams enjoyed blue skies and cool temperatures.
Congratulations to today's climbers!
This was an epic climb on an amazing and unusual route. Thank you so much to the guides for working so hard to create a viable route to the summit for our team, and special thanks to Jess for guiding us successfully to the summit! I can’t stress how grateful I am to RMI for the brilliant experience and excellence of the team.
Posted by: Andrew Norris on 8/22/2017 at 9:43 am
To Brent: I’m following you, son ! Take care, be safe, enjoy! Do send more photos.
Love, mom
ALSO, love to Julie
Posted by: Marjorie Okita Johnson on 8/19/2017 at 10:26 am
Posted by: Dave Hahn
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Kilimanjaro
Even on vacation, it was worth getting up early today to get over to Ngorongoro Crater. We left Plantation Lodge at 7 AM and were up on the crater rim just 90 minutes later. It was cold, cloudy and windy, but we figured things would be a little more user friendly down in the "crater". Technically, it is a caldera... not a crater. And animals like a good caldera, apparently.
We got down inside and the weather was indeed better, but it never got exactly "good". We wore jackets and sweaters (which is par for the course at 7000 ft) but we still opened up the top of our Landcruiser and rolled down the windows. Immediately, we encountered zebras, and then more zebras. Wildebeest and then more wildebeest, Cape buffalo by the dozen, Kori bustards and Secretary Birds and ostriches. And then we saw lions. Four big fully maned males lounging about and one female who seemed a bit more restless. We watched hippos doing what hippos do (not much) some more lions, hyenas, jackals, elephants, eagles, vultures and several flavors of gazelle. We saw tons of animals and kept constant watch out for more. We came up empty in our rhino search, but that happens. Not many of them left to see in Tanzania. Adamson and Makubi, our extremely knowledgeable driver/guides took us all over the crater/caldera. We climbed back up the steep walls around 4 PM with most everybody a bit sleepy. Which worked out fine because we were back frolicking in the swimming pool and sipping coldies by 5 at the Plantation Lodge.
We'll be well rested and ready for another deluxe safari day tomorrow.
Best Regards
RMI Guide Dave Hahn
Still enjoying every moment of this marvelous adventure! Thank you for sharing. BIG HUGS
Posted by: Yolanda Deveaux on 8/11/2017 at 6:34 pm
On Sunday, the Five Day Summit Climb team hiked out of Paradise to the training area to learn the necessary skills to summit Mt. Rainier. The following day the team hike to Camp Muir for their first night on the mountain. They spent time yesterday gaining more experience cramponing and working as a rope team then return to Camp Muir to prepare for their summit attempt. All of their training paid off and the team enjoyed the views from the summit of Mt. Rainier this morning, reaching the crater rim around 5:30 am. After celebrating their accomplishment and taking photos, they will descend to Camp Muir to rest and repack before continuing their descent to Paradise. They will end their program with a celebration at Rainier BaseCamp this afternoon.
Congratulations to today's Five Day Summit Climb Team!
Posted by: Eric Frank, Avery Parrinello
Categories: Expedition Dispatches North Cascades
Elevation: 8,816'
Hello, this is Eric Frank calling from Boston Basin in the North Cascades. Just wanted to let everyone know that the West Ridge of Forbidden team was back down in camp safe and sound. We had a full day of adventure today. We climbed the West Ridge to the summit. Everyone on the team made it, which was great. (transmission lost)
RMI Guide Eric Frank
RMI Guide Eric Frank calls in from Boston Basin post Forbidden Peak summit.
Posted by: Mike Walter, Robby Young, Lucas Haaland
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Alaska
Elevation: 7,800'
May 6, 2017 11:18 pm PST
We had a very successful day today, carrying a load of supplies up to around 10,300' where we buried it under a couple meters of snow so that the ravens won't dig it up. Then we returned back to our camp at the Base of Ski Hill (7800') for the night. After a good hot dinner, we've all retired to our sleeping bags for well earned rest. Tomorrow we are hoping to move camp up to 11,200'. We'll let you know how it goes.
RMI Guide Mike Walter & Team
Mike, Thom, Todd and David
Wishing you fabulous weather and all the best
From Sunny South Africa
Adelle
Posted by: Adelle on 5/7/2017 at 11:30 pm
Posted by: Steve Gately, Hannah McGowan
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Aconcagua
Elevation: 16,200'
The team did an incredible job today with our Carry to Camp 1 (16,200ft). The route starts off traveling up the moraine to the Glaciar de Los Ingleses. The terrain is loose and awkward, peppered with penitentes as tall as 6 feet. Penitentes are towers of snow and ice that form from different melting patterns in the snowpack, specifically from wind transported glacial pumice. After that the terrain eases off as we pick our way through a maze of rock debris covering old glacial ice. We finish with what is normally steep loose scree but we had the pleasure of ascending snow which made the walking much nicer. This portion is a lot of work as we're carrying 40-50lbs packs and are entering an elevation of over 16,000ft. We reached Camp 1, left some gear, teased our bodies with a new high altitude to jump start the acclimatization process and took in the views. We're now back at basecamp and everyone is resting before another enormous basecamp dinner. Tomorrow we look forward to a well deserved rest day. Keep your fingers crossed the weather stays nice for us! Hasta mañana!
RMI Guide Steve Gately
On The Map
The wind finally quit this morning, about 20 minutes before the sun hit to start a much better day. It still wasn't a climbing day for us though. There were still winds blowing snow off the ridge we needed to crest. They were dying down, but not quickly enough for my tastes. We dug out and dried out down at Vinson's Low Camp... Licking our wounds, so to speak, after the epic storm. The team up at high camp seemed to have survived the blow and similarly, dug out and rested today. The teams with us at low camp went for a late afternoon start on moving up, We'll give it a shot tomorrow. Finally with a couple of days of semi stable forecast in our favor. After several days of a constant roar it is great to be back to profound silence... the kind that stretches to the horizons.
Best Regards,
RMI Guide Dave Hahn
On The Map
I’ve been praying for good weather for you. Good luck!
Yuki
Posted by: Yukiko Loritz on 12/6/2016 at 8:57 am
Posted by: Pete Van Deventer, JM Gorum
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Elbrus Northside
Elevation: 8,300'
The mountain was calling and we answered. We spent the last two days making our way towards Elbrus. Our apologies for the lack of a dispatch yesterday, but the small city of Kislovodsk that is our jumping off point is not a hotbed of wifi access. Some smooth flights got us that far yesterday, and we spent the afternoon shopping for food and putting the final touches on our expedition preparations. We were overjoyed when the bags for three of our team members finally arrived in Moscow, and they were able to grab them and rejoin us late last night. The woes of travel.
This morning we boarded a new off-road sprinter van type machine that our driver Alexei referred to as his "Russian hammer," and started the winding drive through the steppes of the Caucasus. After an hour and a bit we left the pavement and set out along the four wheel road - which at times had our hearts creeping towards our mouths with the precipitous slopes that drop from the side of the road - that takes us to base camp at 8,300'. We arrived, said goodbye to Alexei, whose jolly laugh had kept the mood light, and set up our compound. An afternoon hike into the surrounding hills let us stretch our legs and find an incredible waterfall that cuts straight through a large rock ridge, reemerging on the other side. An afternoon siesta led to dinner, and just as we were ready to serve it up, the rain started with a few flashes of lightning. We retreated to our tents with our meals, and are now getting ready to hit the hay as we listen to rain drops beat a percussion on our tents, happy to be dry.
All the best from here,
RMI Guides Pete Van Deventer, JM Gorum, and team
On The Map
The Expedition Skills Seminar - Kautz, led by Mike Haugen, spent the week training as they built up to their summit push. With an alpine start from their high camp on the Kautz Glacier, the team began their quest. They accomplished their summit goal just after 7:00 a.m. this morning and then began their descent via the Disappointment Cleaver Route. Mike reported moderate winds and snow. The team will make their way back to Ashford later today.
Previous Page
Next Page
We are still watching you trek here at Anna McDonald School in Manhattan! Stay safe, it looks crazy!
Posted by: Christina on 2/1/2018 at 12:32 pm
And I thought you were eating freeze dried food and bars. Glad to hear you are dining well. We miss you (especially Rocket) and love you Papa.
Posted by: Rebecca Wallace on 1/24/2018 at 4:15 pm
View All Comments