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Monday, May 30, 2022 - 2:40 pm PT

Happy Memorial Day. After a few early mornings, we finally got to "sleep in". Waking up as the sun hit our tents, we were all drinking coffee and making breakfast burritos by 8:30 am. With clear skies above, and the cloud deck sitting right below 11 Camp we loaded up our empty packs and sleds to head downhill into the cloud to grab our cache. After a few short minutes downhill, we filled our packs and sleds back up with the gear and food we had left. The short uphill went by quickly compared to the last few days, and it felt good to shake out the legs before spending the rest of the day resting.

Tomorrow we begin this whole process again, with hopes to cache somewhere above Windy Corner. Until then we will be resting, napping and snacking at camp.

RMI Guide Nikki Champion and Team

Today we got started around 8:30 after a light breakfast. We had a windy and rainy night but woke to some sunshine and a light breeze in camp. Our walk took us through rolling fields interrupted by dense thickets of brush and small stunted and twisted birch like trees. We followed the Paine River and eventually towards its headwaters at Lago Dickson which is created by the Dickson glacier.

We had clouds, wind, rain & sun, or some mix of the three for 12 miles. As we approached Lago Dickson, we got views of the glaciated peaks and valley glaciers that carved and continue to dominate this landscape.

The camp lies on a peninsula filled with dense trees and a large field. We ducked into the Refugio as the rain intensified. The group is having a fun time, lots of laughing and a few sore feet.

Tomorrow we head for Los Perros camp. Getting a message out from Perros can be difficult as we are in a tight valley with large alpine peaks on each side. If you don’t hear from us, we’ll check in Friday once we reach Refugio Grey.

Thanks for following along,

RMI Guide Mike King and Team

Thursday, July 1, 2021 - 2:19 pm PT

Just a walk in the park,

A short nap began our long walk out. A 10pm wake up and a midnight start got us to basecamp an early hour. Heavy sleds and packs were no match for our motivation to shower away 22 days worth of smell. Walking the Kahiltna in the middle of the night (granted its always light out) is peaceful. A great time for reflection. Its been a fun, albeit hard, 22 days on Denali. We had it all, snow, wind, sunshine, all three at once. What we didn't have was any illness or injury and that's the important part. Showered, fed, and full of oxygen-rich air, we are all ready for our journey home. Its been a memorable expedition but now its time for family, friends, and recovery. 

Well done team, well done,

RMI Guide Hannah Smith and team

The Four Day Climb with RMI Guides Casey Grom and Ben Luedtke climbed to Ingraham Flats early this morning. The team enjyoyed the sunrise and a beautiful morning soaking in all the views. They are back at Camp Muir and will be starting their descent to Paradise soon. 

The Five Day Climb led by RMI Guides Dominic Cifelli and Sam Hoffman reached the summit of Mt. Rainier on Friday Morning. The team took advantage of the cooler temperatures which made for good climbing on the route. They spent the night at Camp Muir sharing stories and soaking in their success and all the views. The team will descend to Paradise in the early afternoon today.

Congratulations team! 

The Four Day Climb led by RMI Guide Andy Bond and Leif Bergstrom climbed to Ingraham Flats today. The teams were above the smoke and enjoyed a wonderful sunrise. While at the Flats the team learned crevasse rescue and did some ice climbing. The team will finish up their training soon and return to Paradise later this afternoon.