Most Popular Entries

Rest is important for the body and mind. It allows both to replenish the energy it has lost from hard work. And today we did just that. The morning began with a casual breakfast with copious amounts of hot water for coffee and tea. From there we enjoyed the warmth of the sun and pleasant conversation as we lounged among the rocks. Of course there was plenty of snacking all day long. As we say in the mountains lunch begins after breakfast and ends at dinner. Now that we are rested and getting a little antsy to start walking uphill again, we are ready to move to Camp 2 tomorrow. Buenos dias, RMI Guide Hannah Smith and Team

Hello everyone We spent yesterday touring Tarangire National Park which is known for its abundant elephants, in fact, it has more per square kilometer than any place on earth and it didn’t disappoint. There were plenty of other animals as usual, and we got close to a few big Giraffe, which was amazing plus a leopard sighting too. We ended our day at a remote and off grid camp within the National Park and surrounded by wildlife. The camp has screened in rooms that allow the night sounds of Africa in. There pretty nice rooms to be honest, so maybe “glamping” is a better description. It's been a memorable experience for everyone and great friendships forged. But finally it's time to return home to our families. Thanks for following! RMI Guide Casey Grom and the Safari crew!

Today we got wet! The city tour is over, the team is gathered and the mountain was calling. On any other day a group of motivated hikers would look out the window, see falling rain and decide its not a good idea to stick with the plan. When that same team is on a schedule though, we gotta go when the bus arrives. After a nice caffeine-laden breakfast, a short introduction to our local guide Peter, and some quick sneaking of the great chocolate croissants into our lunch sacks from the bakery, we were on our way to 15,700' Rucu Pinchincha, a active volcano only ten minutes from our hotel in downtown Quito. Form the get go rain splattered the windows. We knew things could get interesting but we didn't know how much. After unloading from the van, a quick walk landed us at the ticket office of the gondola we planned to take form 10,000' to 13,000'. The ride was uneventful with dense fog obscuring any views on the way up. Once at the top of the gondola we took refuge inside a building and put on our Gore-Tex for what looked like a rainy start. It was...... Two minutes after beginning our initial walk, we turned around and headed back to shelter as the rain was too much. We decided to wait it out for twenty minutes which paid off because the rain let up and we made our move. We got one good hour of walking in making it to the elevation of 14,700 feet before the rain and terrain turned us around. Back at the shelter we all exchanged hard shell jacket performances reviews and admitted how nice it will be to get out of our wet, soggy clothes. On the ride down in the gondola lightning began flashing and thunder crashing, stopping the machine two or three times in a matter of minutes. Down at the station, the real downpour started. So goes the unpredictable weather in the mountains. By 2:30 we were all back at the hotel ready for some lunch and relaxation. Tomorrow we try again on another peak north of Quito. Stay tuned for more reports. RMI Guide Adam Knoff signing off.

As expected, when the sun went behind the mountain at Low Camp last night around 3 AM, the temperature took a dive.,. probably down around zero F. It made it past the mountain again at 10:30 this morning, making it just about ten times easier to get out of our sleeping bags and unzip the tents to begin the day. We went for a carry up the fixed lines to 11,500 ft today. Shifting gears a bit, yesterday it was dragging sleds and using ski poles, today it was crampons and ice axes and no sleds. We got going at about 1:40 and hit the top of the ropes at 7PM. It was a fine day for climbing with nothing but blue skies and calm and still conditions, which made it a little easier to concentrate on good techniques for climbing continuously steep snow. We carried food and supplies for our summit push and cached at the top of the lines, basically at the beginning of the long, tilted summit plateau. Descent back to Low Camp took us two hours. It was nice, after the last few days, to come into an existing camp. It didn’t take too long to get dinner and a bunch of water for drinking. We’ll rest tomorrow, which also makes it easier to relax tonight. Best Regards RMI Guide Dave Hahn

May 6, 2017 11:34am PST We had perfect weather yesterday that made for smooth flights from Talkeetna to the Kahiltna Glacier in two of K2 Aviation's ski planes. After a couple of hours sorting gear and digging our Base Camp cache, we donned our backpacks and started pulling sleds en route to our first camp. Beautiful weather continued the entire day and we're now at 7800' at the base of "Ski Hill". After a solid night's rest, we have the stoves back up and rolling for breakfast. Our plan today is to carry a cache supplies (mostly food and fuel) up another couple thousand feet and then return back to this same camp tonight. We'll keep you posted on our progress. RMI Mike Walter & Team

This is Mike, we had a long descent from the Ixta summit and high camp. Everyone is well and getting cleaned up in Puebla. Tomorrow is a day off to rest, eat tacos and hangout at the beautiful square in historic Puebla. Your loved ones have Internet and cell coverage, hit them up for details on the trip thus far. Friday we are off to Piedra Grande to prep for our Orizaba attempt! RMI Guide Mike King

Today brought our team within striking distance of base camp! We battled strong down valley winds for most of the day, but were rewarded with our first glimpse of Aconcagua just shy of our current camp at Piedra Parada. Our team is growing more and more practiced in the art of alpine resting, and put their skills to use this evening munching on asado and watching our hardworking mules take dust baths. Everyone is strong, happy, and healthy, and looking forward to checking in from 14K! Hasta manana! RMI Guides Mark Tucker and Pepper Dee

After a very good night sleep we woke shortly after the sun kissed our tents and had an elegant breakfast of coffee, quinoa porridge, pancakes, and toast. Once we had had our fill we packed up camp, and started off for the day's hike. A light breeze kept the temps comfortable as we continued up the Santa Cruz Valley this morning. Shortly before noon we broke off the main trail and headed up a series of switchbacks to gain the high valley where base camp was waiting for us. Here we also caught our first glimpse of Alpamayo. We arrived into BC and settled into our tents and relaxed for the afternoon before tea time and then dinner. Our cook Hilario, is fantastic, every meal is better than the last, the team is becoming spoiled. It will be a sad day when we have to eat our freeze-dried dinners. Everyone is doing great, staying healthy and happy. Thanks for following along, more tomorrow. RMI Guide Geoff Schellens

RMI Guide Eric Frank & Team decided to swap the smoky air of the North Cascades for the cleaner ocean air of Mt. Erie. The downside to the change is less significant peak objectives, but still quality rock climbing and rock movement training grounds. The team ended the program on a high note and under blue skies. Forecasts for the coming days in the North Cascades are predicting that the smoke will clear out and should provide ideal climbing conditions for climbs on Mt. Baker, Mt. Shuksan, and in the Boston Basin.

This morning our Mt. Rainier Summit Climb teams reached the highest point in Washington in beautiful, clear weather. The teams also met up with our Expedition Skills Seminar - Emmons team that ascended from Camp Schurman. After many high-fives and handshakes, they all began their descent down their respective routes. A great job by all teams!