RMI Guides Katrina Bloemsma and Steve Gately led their teams to the summit of Mt. Rainier this morning. The weather report from the top was calm, sunny, and warming up quickly. At 7:15 a.m. they began their descent from the crater rim.
Congratulations to the teams!
Hello from the Dik Dik Lodge. Everyone has arrived.
Before lunch we met for our orientation meeting and gear check. We then spent the afternoon finalizing and preparing our gear for the mountain.
Now we are all set for Kilimanjaro! Once we finished dinner is off to our rooms to finish last-minute packing or a bit more Internet time.
The plan is to meet up for breakfast at 6:30 am and be ready to go by 7:30. We have a couple of hours driving to the national park and it's good to be early.
All the gear looks good and tents and food are all set to go. The team is starting to get excited. We are all looking forward to getting the climb under way.
RMI Guide Mark Tucker
The weather was even worse today on Elbrus. The team spent the day back down in Cheget. We took a beautiful hike to a giant waterfall and then enjoyed lunch at a great spot with fresh trout. Tomorrow we head to St Petersburg!
RMI Guide JJ Justman and Team
Wow... All I can say is that it's been a crazy ride. Two days ago we were sitting tight up at Camp 2 waiting for the weather to open up and now we are down in Penitentes celebrating our escape from the wrath Aconcagua. We had decided to hold on a day or two longer and see if maybe the forecasts were wrong but alas, they were not. We made the decision to pull the plug and head down when the lowest wind speed predicted over the next 7 days was over 50 mph with several pulses up in the 70's. We woke on the morning we intended to descend to clear skies but moderate winds blowing snow and by the time we were able to pick up camp it had clouded over and the wind had intensified significantly. As we descended around and down the mountain the storm chased us all the way to Basecamp... There was no respite despite our descent into a portion of the mountain that is historically more protected. Our team was able to stick together and move well despite the challenging conditions. We were greeted warmly by the Basecamp staff upon our arrival back at Plaza Argentina. We enjoyed real chairs and a real meal (chicken Vesuvius) for the first time in over a week and then crashed hard. The next couple days we made our way down the Relinchos and Vacas Valleys and spent our last night out on the trail after devouring an amazing asado prepared by our mule drivers. We ate (beef, beef, beef!) and drank (vino, and even a little wild turkey) and went to bed happy and tired after a long couple of days. This morning we rose and walked the last of the Vacas to the road where we checked out with the park rangers and were greeted by our shuttle driver with beer and Fanta. Not a bad way to finish a long and tough expedition.
Next stop, Mendoza!
RMI Guides Billy Nugent, Katrina Bloemsma and Team
Hey, it's Billy here checking in on the expedition seminar here on the Sulphide Glacier on Mount Shuksan. Our team hiked up from the trail head today all the way up to the base of the glacier and put in a camp on a very, very dry Mount Shuksan. We actually camped a little higher than we normally would because the lower glacier is down to bare ice and it's impossible to dig tents platforms. We are still within our permitted zone so all is good with the National Park Service. We are hanging out, chewing on food and relaxing after a long day of hard work. I will check in tomorrow after a day of training, and let you guys know how it went. So long for now.
RMI Guide Billy Nugent
RMI Guide Billy Nugent calls in from the Mount Shuksan seminar.
So great to hear you all are making it up the mountain! Praying for a safe climb that continues to be fun and rejuvenating. Shoutout to my friend Jeremy - you got this!
Sunday, May 20, 2018 - 11:56 PM PT
The weather forecast for today was for 70% chance of snow. And, while I guess they got it right, we only saw light flurries for about an hour. The rest of the day was scattered clouds with great views of the Alaska Range. At times the sun was so strong that the heat was stifling. That didn't stop our team from having a successful carry day, bringing supplies up to ~10,200'. Now we have returned to our camp at the base of Ski Hill (7800') for the night. Tomorrow, if the weather allows we plan to move camp higher, to 11,200. We'll keep you posted.
RMI Guide Mike Walter
Joseph, it has become my morning routine to look at the updates and it’s so exciting to see the pictures and read about the progress you guys are making. I hope you’re having a blast. Be safe!
p.s. Hope you didn’t forget the matches :)
Posted by: Attila Incze on 5/21/2018 at 7:45 pm
Hey Alex and Tom-
Glad to hear you are on the mountain!! I’ve been riding Tom’s new bike every day…. just kidding! On a serious note, I plan to take your recycling out tonight…. so you can sleep well knowing that its taken care of!
RMI Guide Walter Hailes and the Expedition Skills Seminar - Kautz July 30 - 4 August, 2017 reached the summit of Mt. Rainier today. After several days of training in Ashford and on the mountain the team left their High Camp this morning en route to the summit of Mt. Rainier. The team arrived at Columbia Crest around 5 am and enjoyed the views from the summit before starting their descent. Today is the last day of their program and they will return to the trail head and back to Rainier BaseCamp this afternoon.
Congratulations to the Kautz Seminar team!
Our Alaska Mountaineering Seminar May 17 - 27 team is here in Talkeetna, packed and ready to fly...but sometimes ready is not enough. A Southwest flow over the Aleutians is slowly pushing that warm moisture that brings snow and rain to the range. So we played the game of waiting and lost the luck. Nonetheless the team here is of joyous enthusiasm and energy and we shall try again tomorrow.
We will hope for clear skies in the morning.
RMI Guide Mike King
Namaste everyone.
The team has arrived after some very long and tiring flights. Everyone is doing well after a well deserved night of rest here at the tranquil Yak & Yeti Hotel.
Today we met for breakfast and a team meeting to discuss all the gear and the adventure that we are about to take. After our meeting we headed out on a tour of Kathmandu where we visited the beautiful Monkey Temple and the famous Boudhanath Stupa.
It's quite the culture shock visiting this busy city packed with nearly four million people. The streets are packed with people, motorcycles, and cars that honk endlessly.
I'm sure everyone is looking forward to the peace and quietness of the Khumbu where we head tomorrow.
RMI Guide Casey Grom and crew
That’s a good looking team! Enjoy the wonders of the Himalaya with invaluable Casey’s and Christina’s expertise in the area, plus their wonderful personalities!!!!
Posted by: Elias de Andres Martos on 3/19/2017 at 1:01 pm
Everyone at home in Minnesota is excited and thankful for your updates! We love you Gary and Jan and are praying for a great trip for you and your team!!
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
Good Luck Jim & Hunter from all of us at Floorco.
Posted by: Floorco on 7/28/2016 at 1:56 pm
Go for Guys !!!!!
Posted by: Uncle Chuck on 7/26/2016 at 8:07 am
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