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May 27, 2017 10:15 pm PST During our break on the Polo Field at 12,800',someone asked if we could keep our big down parkas on. Good question. It was pretty darned cold and the wind was directly into our face. I'd never had to climb in my parka at that elevator before, but it sure sounded like a good idea to me. Our attempt yesterday really set us up for success today. The team learned how to keep their faces protected while not fogging up their glasses or goggles. And that allowed us to travel in some chilly conditions today. A great skill to have before we get to the higher, colder parts of the mountain. Our time thus far has been particularly cold and unsettled. I'm just glad we haven't been hanging up at 14,200' this whole time like our other two groups. With luck, we'll get there just as this predicted high pressure system comes through, hopefully with the expected rise in temperatures too. We wore those parkas all the way around Windy Corner to our cache site at 13,500', where we were finally sheltered from the wind and could bask in some sunny, warm weather. Amazingly, we all opted to keep those big coats on all the way back to camp. With the wind at our backs and nothing much in our packs, we could gloat just a bit as we passed by the madding crowds on the uphill slog into the cold wind. Our hard work was done, and we were headed back to camp. There's something to be said about being up early and back early even at the cost of breaking trail each morning. If we get another break with the weather tomorrow, we might just make the move to 14,200' camp. That would be fantastic, especially how everyone is doing so well. That's it from 11,200'. It's been a big day. RMI Guides Brent, Christina, JT & Team

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

June 30, 2016 12:55 pm PDT RMI Guide Mike Haugen and team have landed safely in Talkeetna, AK after a successful summit of Denali. They are happy to return to civilization where warm showers and much celebration will be in store. Congratulations to the entire team!

May 29, 2016 - 10:36 p.m. PDT Our stint at 14,200' has started to stretch for a bit, but we think we see the light at the end of the tunnel. Winds are forecast to drop starting Tuesday, and that looks to be the start of our window. We'll look at moving up tomorrow, depending on winds, but if not, one more rest day won't hurt before our big push. In the mean time, we've been keeping ourselves entertained by brushing up and sharpening our crevasse rescue skills, and today our avalanche rescue skills. Fourteen Camp on Denali provides a stunning backdrop for a classroom! While we've steadily improved our compound here into a quite comfortable home, we won't be sad to put it in our rear view. We'll let you know what tomorrow brings. Best, RMI Guides Pete Van Deventer, Jess Matthews, and Robby Young, and team

On The Map

May 28, 2016 - 11:20 p.m. PDT Luck has been with us as today turned out to be a nice day for a walk. And walk we did, moving camp up to 14,200'. We retraced our route from yesterday, passing by our cache just long enough to pick up a couple extra shovels to help build camp. The team crushed it going to 13,500', but as is normal, felt the altitude on the last 700'. Unfortunately, we weren't lucky enough to find a vacated camp to move into, so had to build camp from scratch. What's nice though is that our neighbor is the RMI team before us. Graciously, they filled water bottles for our thirsty crew upon arrival. We're all in bed now looking forward to some well deserved rest after our big push. Good night from 14,200'. RMI Guides Brent Okita, Christina Dale, and Chris Ebeling, and the team

On The Map

May 28, 2016 - 12:06 am PT 'The Great One' once again showed her might. Another night of hammering winds kept us from deep sleep. Despite unrelenting gales, Denali Storm Evans finally gifted us with sunny skies this morning. Today was a day to lick our wounds, repair and fortify camp, and dry our clothes; wet from the rigors of battling the passing storm. It was a day to be grateful for the sun. Cinnamon Toast Crunch provided a dose of childhood nostalgia, followed up by Pete's world famous power dinner; quinoa, lentils, squash, beans, and mustard. Our bodies and our minds still await our chance to experience the upper slopes of this great mountain. With mother nature's cooperation, we're hopeful this shall soon come to fruition. Until then, Namaste. RMI Guides Robby, Pete, Jess, and Team

Saturday, May 14th - 3:32pm PST We put our intention to move to 11,000' on hold today and decided that after a couple of big days with big loads, a rest day was in order. A leisurely wake up and breakfast led to naps and lunch, which led to more naps, photography sessions, and dinner. All together, the perfect rest day. Tomorrow, we'll wake, pack up this lovely camp, and make the move to 11,000'. This has been a great home but everyone is excited to move on and check out some new scenery. We'll check in tomorrow. Best, RMI Guides Pete Van Deventer, Robby Young, Jess Matthews, and team

The first Expedition Skill Seminar - Winter gathered in Ashford on Sunday for a day of technical training and gear checks. With large packs and a daunting weather forecast the team headed for Paradise as soon as the park gate opened. The team camped above Paradise for their first night out with better than expected weather. After breakfast the following morning the team broke camp and made the ascent to Camp Muir. They have spent the remaining days training at 10,000'. Unfortunately the weather forecast did become accurate and the team experienced a full winter storm on Mt. Rainier which prevented them from climbing higher than Camp Muir. The seminar wraps up tomorrow. We look forward to seeing them at Rainier BaseCamp tomorrow afternoon.

Wednesday, May 14, 2025 - 7:34 pm PT

It’s been a quiet, calm day here at 11,000 ft Camp. We slept in as sun doesn’t reach camp until 9:20 AM, though it never gets dark either, and then cooked up some blueberry pancakes. That started the conversation of Canadian or Vermont maple syrup of which there is only one correct answer. But all agreed New York maple syrup loses to both. We set out just after noon for a quick and light mission to retrieve our cache from below. The rest of the day has been spent relaxing and resting after a big couple of days on the lower Kahiltna. We are now done for the time being with sleds and snowshoes - and there was much rejoicing. It’s snowing lightly in camp and there are snow showers in the forecast for the next several days, so we’ll look for the right moment to get our cache put in at 13,500'.

RMI Guides Pete, Ben, Nick, and team.

RMI Guides Adam Knoff and Hannah McGowan led the Expedition Skills Seminar – Muir to the summit of Mt. Rainier this morning. Hannah reported breezy (~20 mph) and chilly conditions on the summit. The only clouds to be found were the ones hugging the low lying valleys thousands of feet below them. The Expedition Skills Seminar - Muir will return to Camp Muir for one more night on the mountain. The team will descend to Paradise and then to Ashford tomorrow afternoon. Congratulations to the Seminar Team!