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Jambo everybody! This is Casey Grom checking in from the Kilimanjaro climb. Just wanted to let you know that all is going really well. Today we left behind the comforts of a nice lodge and hopped in our vehicles and made about a two-hour drive up to the base of Kilimanjaro. Once we arrived at the gate, we had to unload all of our gear and then start off uphill. That all went pretty smoothly. After we started walking, we climbed for about six hours to a high point about 10,000'. On the way we were passing through dense and beautiful forests that surround the base of Kilimanjaro. Everyone did fantastic, spirits are high and we are excited to be here. We finally found the camp and just wrapped up dinner. The team is looking forward to a well-earned night of rest. We'll check in tomorrow. We are hoping that we will have cellphone service up here so we can maybe get a few pictures out to you guys. RMI Guide Casey Grom

On The Map

The Four Day Summit Climb led by RMI Guides Elias deAndres Martos and Leon Davis reached the Summit of Mt. Rainier early this morning. Elias reported beautiful clear skies, but very cold temperatures. Congratulations to today's team!

We have officially made camp up at 12,500 feet on Mount Elbrus. Today the team woke early and grabbed all our gear and headed up the mountain. Arriving early we decided to continue up to 13,500 to acclimatize. The team is now back at camp resting and enjoying our first day on the mountain. RMI Guide JJ Justman

On The Map

June 19, 2016 - 8:33 pm PT Happy Father's Day!! We love all our dads, and hope they're having a great day wherever they may be- enjoying breakfast in bed, playing golf, sunbathing on Ping Island, or beekeeping. The weather went from bad to worse over night. We took turns every hour tightening guy lines and shoveling snow from around the tents to prevent any wind incidents or tent buryings. The crew was in great spirits as we ate our way through the day staying comfy in the tents. We had a great Ramen and veggies meal to which we added sriracha sauce and called it Mountain Pho. The weather seems to be improving a tiny bit and we are hopeful that tomorrow will bring sunshine, rainbows, and the ability to move up to our next camp! Send us your best weather vibes, RMI Guide Mike Haugen

Summit day on Chimborazo. Not only were our bodies still recovering from the two previous big climbs of Cayambe and Antisana, we saved the trickiest and tallest climb for last. Towering over the surrounding landscape at 20,700ft, Chimborazo was our final objective. And boy, did it deliver! Even in the best conditions, this peak isn't an easy target. But coupled with uncharacteristically dry season this year, this climb proved to be the most physically and mentally demanding of the trip. We hiked up yesterday to our High Camp at around 17,500', made some dinner, and hit the sack. Our climb this morning began with our 11pm alarms waking us from our sleep. After tidying up camp, slamming some calories, and chugging some coffee, we pointed our tired feet uphill towards the summit. The climb began with about an hour and a half of walking on trail, exposed ridges, and a couple of 5th class climbing moves. As the trail steepened, we cramponed up and prepared to hit the glacier. Because of the dry spell Ecuador has been experiencing, the glacier was a challenging beast! Steep, firm, icy, exposed. Perfect footwork was required for the entire ascent, but our team delivered! From challenging cramponing to sections of pitched-out steep ice, this team persevered and tackled everything that crossed their paths. After a grueling 7.5 hours, we reached the Veintemilla summit at 20,561', 30 minutes later we had turned tail and began the descent. The steep ice and exposure made the descent as difficult as the ascent, but the team kept their heads in the game and we made it safely back to high camp by 2pm. Our porters had already packed up camp for us, making it easy for us to continue on our final descent back to the bus. The (thoroughly exhausted yet happy) team is now back at Estrella de Chimborazo, enjoying some much earned beverages, and reminiscing about these crazy last two weeks. It's hard to believe we're heading back to the big city tomorrow and flying home! We will have one more update for you guys tomorrow, but we'll all be home to tell you more stories firsthand before you know it! Until tomorrow, RMI Guides Nick Hunt and Adam Knoff

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

Against all odds... we each made it through the highways, security checkpoints, airplanes and airports, baggage carousels, and immigration officers lacing together half the globe to assemble in little Usa River, Tanzania. Eight climbers and one guide dribbled in over the course of 24 hours to form a Kilimanjaro climbing team. We still haven’t all seen each other in the same place... that will happen at 9 AM tomorrow after we’ve stretched out in the comfy beds and bungalows of the Arumeru River Lodge for a night. That is when we’ll get serious about preparations for our week-long Kili climb. Best Regards, RMI Guide Dave Hahn

Greetings from Icchi Coccha. We're on our way out, camped at our same first camp on the way in... Since we were heading out earlier, it took a bit more logistics to organize our "donkey train". But these awesome guys made it happen for us and came with short notice. It's amazing how things work in these places, with no written contract, just a verbal agreement, and a satphone call to a distant neighbor of our cellphone-less mule driver, human sense is the common norm. "Someone needs me, I must assist" they must think. And a two-day journey uphill becomes a sprint so they can bring us back to our commodities. We left midday instead of early morning and decided to keep soaking in the greatness of the Andes, since pushing it all the way out with our late departure, would have us arriving late. So, here we are, enjoying another great meal from our cook Emilio, breathing thicker air, and witnessing the mountains getting bigger above us, as we descend. We look forward to a shower and clean clothes tomorrow, to catch up on emails, to a meal in a restaurant and to a room with clean sheets... but surely, and despite the "no summit" this year, the magnitude and majesty of these peaks will always be greater than any mundane human desire. RMI Guide Elías de Andres Martos and team

Hello, this is RMI Guide Eric Frank calling in from high camp on Ixta. Unfortunately, we haven't been able to send out dispatches the last few days. We've had some technical difficulties with our satellite modem, so for at least the next few days, will be checking in with voice dispatches like this. All-in-all, the team is doing really well. We had a great day climbing up to our high camp here at 15,100' on Ixta. The weather is partly cloudy but this morning we had blue skies and am anticipating the same tomorrow for our climb. We're all settled into our tents and going to nap for the afternoon. We will have an early dinner and then get tucked into bed so we can get up in the middle of the night and climb tomorrow. Wish us luck. Thanks for following along. RMI Guide Eric Frank

On The Map

This morning around 12:30 we woke for our Ixta summit day. We had a relatively clear sky above us with a bright moon, but out to the east was a small cloud bank with some lightening radiating through the clouds. We got ready to climb since the storm looked to be moving away from the mountain. As we approached our first break the storm clouds began to creep our way with the lightening increasing in the distance. The guides turned the group around and made the call to pack up camp and head to lower elevations. The team responded and broke camp quickly, transitioning into downhill mode. Carrying heavy packs in rocky terrain at night isn't easy and we all arrived tired but thankful to not be up at Ixta's high camp. Upon reaching the trail-head all signs of the storm had disappeared, clear above visibility unlimited. Some frustration and confusion pulsed through the team members and guides. When you're in the mountains it is important to take the information available to you and make a conservative decision. Sometimes the storm rolls in and sometimes the skies clear. We spent the morning resting and sorting gear for the next few days. Like clockwork, the skies turned grey, hail fell and thunder rolled high on Ixta. Our shuttles arrived to take us to Puebla for the next 2 nights. The Team will enjoy a day off in the historic district and then we are off for Orizaba, the 3rd highest peak in North America. RMI Guide Mike King & Team