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Hello from 3800 Assault Camp (as our Russian friends call it). Since we were reunited with all of our gear yesterday and had some time to contemplate the piles, today was the perfect day to once again bump up a portion of that gear to our next camp at Lenz Rocks (about 15k). We woke to brilliant azure skies and cooler temps: perfect climbing weather. By 9 am we were donning harnesses and crampons, and clipping in to the climbing rope for the first time of the trip. The terrain below Lenz was our first snow climbing of the trip, and the conditions were perfect for cramponing. The group moved very well through the first stretch, but it began to feel like we were racing the weather a bit. First, a few errant clouds drifted across our climbing route on a light breeze, temporarily reducing our visibility. Then, just as we neared our destination, there was a distant rumble of thunder. At Lenz we didn't rush with our cache, using the time at a new altitude to help our acclimatization, but we didn't linger either. With our gear stored, we headed down into very low visibility and a couple of more distant rumbles. We moved very well downhill with light packs and some motivation, ultimately beating the weather to camp. Not long after we were tucked into tents snacking, the first flash of lightning alerted us that the storm had arrived. We sat, counting the seconds between flashes and cracks, listening to the tattoo of hail and graupel on the tent walls. By dinner time things had calmed down, and we ate dessert while watching spectacular colors play on the clouds as the sun set. We are hoping that our luck with the weather continues, and that tomorrow will give us the opportunity to move camp once again. We'll be in touch tomorrow. RMI Guide Pete Van Deventer, Jeff Martin, and Crew

Patience was the name of the game for Ixta. The team awoke multiple times during the night to find various conditions. First snow, then total whiteout, then a menacing cloud cap over the upper mountain. Knowing the patterns of the local mountains we decided to take the cloud cap as our opportunity to climb and we’re rewarded. As we climbed, the cloud dissipated, and team was able to keep ascending under the full moon and cool temps. We reached the summit at 7:50 AM with views of the surrounding peaks and the route we had just ascended. No time to waste though, it was time to descend. We knew of the incoming weather and descended without incident to the parking lot.

Off to Puebla we went to enjoy our much-deserved showers, tacos, and real beds. Great effort by all the team members and we look forward to exploring Puebla tomorrow.

RMI Guides Dominic, Abby and Team

Things are winding down for the night here at the beautiful Hacienda San Luis - The team had a big day. By 8am we had eaten breakfast and loaded our duffels into the bus transporting us for the day. A two hour bus ride brought us north of Quito to our second acclimatization climb on Cerro Negro, 13,976 feet. Despite being lower then our previous days climb, the team found the terrain quite challenging. The trail led us up some slippery, nearly vertical sections of grass and short bits of rock climbing before the summit cone. On top we were treated with clear skies and stunning views of a nearby lake. We all felt that we had put in a hard days work by the time we returned to the bus 3.5 hours later. After stopping for some roadside refreshments, we arrived at Hacienda San Luis, a working Ecuadorian ranch that also boasts modern amenities. We spent the afternoon relaxing, getting gear in order and catching up with the outside world. We hope all is well and appreciate everyone who is following along on our adventure. RMI Guide Eric Frank and the Ecuador Team.

On The Map

The team convened in Kathmandu today to kick off our Everest Base Camp Trek and climb of Island Peak. A heavy rain blew through Kathmandu last night, clearing the skies this morning for gorgeous views of the surrounding hills and the peaks of the Himalaya looming in the distance. Everyone arrived as scheduled today, easily retrieving bags and passing through customs. We loaded all of the gear into the back of the van and plunged into the busy streets of Kathmandu, navigating between the taxis, buses, rickshaws, street vendors, and pedestrians on our way to the hotel. Life in Kathmandu happens on the streets, from buying daily groceries to sipping tea and we slowly made our way through it all, taking in everything as we navigated the streets. We will do the final round of packing our gear for the mountains tomorrow before heading out to visit the streets and landmarks of Kathmandu. After months of preparation and days of travel we are excited to be here with the trip finally underway. RMI Guide Linden Mallory

On The Map

Today is our third and final rest day before we head back up the Ice fall to begin our second rotation. If all goes as planned, this rotation will consist of spending one night at Camp 1 and then four nights at Camp 2 before returning back down to Base Camp. Our plan after that is then to rest for a couple of days, then to climb back up to Camp 1 and 2 and sleep as high as Camp 3 before returning back down. This would be our third rotation and the final rotation before our summit bid. Then we will rest for a week or so. If all goes well, we will make our summit push sometime in the latter part of May. Mentally and physically, this next month will be the hardest month of my life. I worry that I won't be physically strong enough to climb through all of these rotations, and that I might lose my focus. It's so mentally difficult climbing down when it took so much effort climbing up to that spot, but I do know that every time I do climb up to a point where I've been before I feel stronger and I can breathe easier. I also completely understand why we have to climb up and down for acclimatization purposes, but doing so has been a huge challenge. As difficult as it may seem, the first month of this trip has been one of the most extraordinary experiences of my life and I know this second month will be just as amazing. I've met some incredible people, and never in my life have I been more breath taken at the place that I'm in. Base Camp has begun feeling like home. I want to say hi to all my family and friends, and I want to thank everyone for the comments and support. Sara McGahan

Summit! RMI Guide Jake Beren and his team reached the top of Mt. Rainier, the highest point in Washington! The team enjoyed blue skies and warm mountain temperatures. After spending time on the summit, the team is currently on their descent to Camp Muir.

The Four Day Summit Climb July 28 - 31 led by Jason Thompson along with the Five Day Summit Climb July 28 - 1 August led by Linden Mallory reached the summit of Mt. Rainier today! The teams reported windy and cold conditions from the summit with a slight cloud cap descending on the mountain. They began their descent from the summit at 7:00 a.m. en route to Camp Muir and then will continue down to Paradise. Congratulations to today's Summit Climb teams!

Sara and I left for this adventure on March 23rd, which seems a long time ago. Since that time we have had many treks and climbs, but it seems that "the next climb" - whatever that is - is the "most important" climb, and the one that will be the hardest and the biggest test. Our climb tomorrow is no different - it is our "most important climb" so far. Tomorrow we will be climbing from Everest Base Camp (at about 17,500 feet) up to Camp 1 (at nearly 20,000 feet) through the Khumbu Ice fall. The climb through the ice fall would be difficult at sea level, but the altitude makes it much more challenging. Dave Hahn and Linden Mallory (our guides) have spent weeks preparing Sara and me for the climb tomorrow. We have been "coached" on most everything - from what to eat before and during the climb, how to wear all our equipment, how to go across crevasses on ladders, how to use our crampons on vertical ice - I know that there is not a situation we will face that they have not prepared us for. But I still worry. I hope that my months and months of preparation are enough. And I hope that we have good luck. But if we are strong (and fortunate) enough we should be arriving at the top of the ice fall for 3 nights by mid-day. Then, once we make camp we will spend one of the days climbing up towards Camp 2. One of the reasons that I climb is that I get to spend time with Sara. And every time I climb with her I come away more and more impressed. She is such a confident young woman - so easy to share her thoughts and feelings, and so easy to laugh. It is great to hear her talk about her friends, her classes, and the sports teams she plays on. I like to hear about all the details about the social situations, but I really love to hear how she thinks about things. The only way I get to hear about these things is to spend time with her - she is like a ship passing in the night at home. I wouldn't even know to ask questions about the things we talk about on these trips. I will treasure the time I have spent with her forever, for I know in two years she is off to college. But I will always have in my memory the months we have spent climbing together. Thank you for following our blog. Bill M.

Buenos dias everyone. Our team has all safely arrived in Mexico City and after a team meeting and dinner last night, we are about to head out for our first scramble at altitude. Today we will leave the big city for an acclimatization mission to La Malinche, an extinct volcano a few hours from Mexico City. Thanks of following along and we will check in from down the road! RMI Guide Jake Beren

RMI Guide Ben Liken and the Four Day Summit Climb team June 17 - 21, 2017 made their summit attempt of Mt. Rainier this morning but were forced to turn around at 13,800' due to high winds and icy conditions. The team is making their way back to Camp Muir where they will take a short break and re-pack their gear before continuing their descent to Paradise. We look forward to seeing them at Rainier BaseCamp this afternoon.