Most Popular Entries

The Expedition Skills Seminar - Paradise led by RMI Guide Mike King wrapped up their week of mountaineering training with a successful summit of Mt. Rainier. The team will descend off the mountain and be back in Ashford this afternoon to celebrate. Congratulations!

Hello from Africa everyone Today the team woke to a beautifully clear sky above the valley clouds, and it was a warm day as we made our way from camp directly into the sun and heading straight at Kilimanjaro. Once again we made good time across the Shira Plateau stopping for breaks and that endless line of porters headed to our next camp. As we headed uphill everyone was astonished at the beauty of Kilimanjaro and the remnant glaciers still hanging on. Our climb took us up and over a landmark called Lava Tower which sits at just under 15,000ft and lays beneath the massive and steep southern breach wall. As usual we stopped to enjoy the wonderful view and then slowly made our way back down into Barranco Valley. The trail weaves its way between rocky outcrops, giant groundsels and the massive, yet strange Senecio trees that look like something out of a Dr. Seuss book. We are currently relaxing in our camp which has amazing views not only of Kilimanjaro but also of the valley below us. It's indeed my favorite camp of the trip. Dinner will be ready soon, so that's all for today. All is well! RMI Guide Casey Grom and crew

On The Map

June 15, 2025 - 8:38 pm PT

Gooooood evening Denali blog followers and welcome back to your personal tell all of mountain news, gossip, and glory. Today, just like the itsy bitsy spider we climbed that spout again. We were gently awoken by our guides at  5:30 and left for a 6:45 start back down the mountain to our cache below. At 10,000 feet we… and by we I mean our relentless guides…  dug out our cache filled with snacks, solar panels, clean clothes, and summit gear. And thank god I was reunited with my cheese. ‘Twas a short jaunt back up to 11,000' Camp where we enjoyed bagels with bacon and honey jalapeño cream cheese. Contrary to yesterday’s blog, the American Canadian peace balance now falls in the hands of the Oilers and Panthers. 

We then got a quick refresher course on how moving up the rest of the mountain will go as we ditch our snow shoes and move into crampons. A few of us gathered in a big circle and traded cheeses of all kinds until we made certain none of us would ever poop again.

Tomorrow we await to see what the weather brings in hope of moving more gear up to the next cache.

I continue to think about and question why a person takes on an effort such as this. Perhaps there’s answers we think the mountain holds, perhaps a bottomless pit of an ego we are trying to fill, the need for contrast from our everyday lives, or maybe it’s just the love of mountains and pushing ourselves to the jagged edge of our capabilities. No matter the reason, it’s an honor to be here with such talented and kind human beings. Sitting here at 11,000 ft our team has no idea what the future holds, to that I raise a toast to my fellow climbers at all stages on Denali… To the mountains we are meant to summit, and the ones we are not, may we enjoy the company, the views, and the climb either way.

I want to say thank you to my parents, I wouldn’t be here without you, and a special shout out to Moose Hockey Alaska, and the 525 bulldogs, YBYSA!

Love,

RMI Climber Mikayla

We left the comforts of Mendoza following the windy Mendoza River to Penitentes. The landscape is red, rocky, Martian looking land with bright green trees here and there. Before we arrive we make a mandatory empanada stop so we have the energy to get down to business when we arrive. It's a sea of duffels and gear as we sort through our belongings making a pile that will go straight to basecamp and one that will follow us up the valley on the mules. Excitement is growing bigger as we finish packing. Tomorrow we hit the trail. As for tonight we will enjoy a delicious dinner and our last night sleeping in beds. Talk to you all next on the trail, RMI Guide Hannah Smith and team

Not much to write about today. We had a breakfast burrito brunch after a few rounds of coffee. The weather has continued to be warmer then expected with light winds tugging at the tents. We are all in the tents with sleeping bags clipped to the outside to lower the temperatures. While anxious to move to Camp 2, everyone needs this time to continue acclimating. Tomorrow we move camp to 18,000’ and will be in a better position for the next summit window. Currently there is a large lenticular cloud sitting on the summit, several teams moved to high camp yesterday for a summit attempt today, hopefully they are on their descent. RMI Guide Mike King

The team met after breakfast for an introduction and strategy session. We discussed short and long term plans for climbing the mountain, gear and clothing needs, timing and itineraries and finally, the staffing by our outfitter, Barking Zebra Tours. The climbers then endured a rigorous, detailed and demanding equipment check by their lead guide before a lunch out on the covered patio of our dining room. Clouds were right down low and drizzly for most of the day, obscuring any views of Kilimanjaro and Meru -the two big and prominent volcanoes in the neighborhood. We focused on the scenery closer at hand -the immaculate and lush gardens of the hotel grounds. We watched and listened to exotic birds, monkeys and a small herd of Dik Diks roaming the grass and chewing the shrubs. The afternoon plan was a bit easier once things were packed and duffel bags were labeled and weighed. We simply relaxed and tried to recover from so much travel and the many time zones crossed in the process. We got together for dinner outside again, with most opting for a sweater or two since things were a little chilly (it being mid-winter, naturally). We’ve got plans for setting out early tomorrow and for getting started on the mountain of our dreams. Best Regards, RMI Guide Dave Hahn

Almost as if to make up for rain and sloppy conditions yesterday evening, today we were granted a perfect morning. We made good use of it. It was great to wake to birds singing... a reminder that we’d come all the way from the alpine zone to the forest and the land of living things. Despite the long, hard day yesterday, everybody showed up smiling at breakfast. After refueling, we stood out in the bright sunshine for a goodbye ceremony with our mountain staff. We tipped them, which is merely normal practice when forty men have worked their tails off to help you accomplish your dreams, and they sang to entertain us... and themselves. We knew -and they knew- that we’d done a lot more than just work together for a week, we’d become friends -which was worth commemorating. The singing and dancing with Kilimanjaro as an enormous and majestic backdrop won’t be forgotten. We then shouldered packs and dropped down the four thousand vertical feet separating us from the Mweka Gate. The trail was in surprisingly good condition -suggesting that yesterday’s rains had only fallen on our heads and weren’t widespread. We got into safari mode on the hike out by spotting a few black and white Colobus Monkeys in the trees. At trail’s end around noon, we signed out with the National Park, had a fine lunch and got rolling down the highway. We drove out of the cultivation zone, full of bananas and coffee, and then cruised through the outskirts of Moshi. It took a couple of hours in the bus to reach our garden sanctuary at the Arumeru River Lodge. Showers and cold beverages were very much in order. We each took a stab at reconnecting with the virtual world before meeting for a great dinner and lots of laughs and recollections about the real world of Kilimanjaro. Tomorrow our adventure will continue... time for a safari! Best Regards, RMI Guide Dave Hahn

A thunderstorm skirted us late last night as we fell asleep to the occasional flash of lightning and clap of thunder. Luckily, it was short lived and we dozed off listening to the tapping of heavy, wet snow hitting the tent late into the night. As the sun hit camp this morning, we crawled out excited to see all of Camp 1 and the slopes above us coated in a couple inches of fresh snow - quite the refreshing contrast to the myriad of browns, tans and grays up to this point. The team enjoyed a long, leisurely breakfast and hot drinks to start off the rest day with some quesadillas to follow for lunch. Sometimes rest days can be just as tough, testing one's patience a bit, but everyone is doing a great job taking advantage of today to continue getting stronger for our next big push to Camp 2. We'll be keeping our eye on the weather which looks to have more snow in store for us, but in the meantime we're taking full advantage of some really beautiful, calm days here at Camp 1. Hopefully the next time you hear from us we'll be settled in at Camp 2 with a hot drink in hand, feeling accomplished, but still aware of the effort that lies before us high up on the Stone Sentinel. RMI Guide Mike King

On The Map

It was a short and uneventful move from Karanga Camp to Barafu Camp,which is our launching point for the summit. The team did great and we arrived in right around three hours. Perfect weather, in fact a bit hot with how intense the sun is here at around 15,000ft. Not much atmosphere above us to filter the sun. We've had our summit talk where we discussed our plan and the team's strategy for tomorrow. Final packing is taking place. Relaxing and of course eating is the job for the rest of the day, then early dinner, off to bed for more rest. Weather permitting, we'll be up at 11pm, have breakfast and hit the trail around midnight. As per usual I'm expecting the ascent to take around eight hours, breaks included, to the Roof of Africa. My goal will to give a call from the top of conditions allow. The team is in great shape and high spirits. RMI Guide Mark Tucker

On The Map

Good morning from Camp 1 on Alpamayo! There were several other teams at basecamp so we got an early start for our move uphill in order to get claim the prime real estate here at Moraine Camp (Camp 1). So here we are, all camped up, enjoying the views, and getting mentally ready for our move up to Camp 2 tomorrow. The weather continues to be perfect, our bodies are performing well, and all is pretty much lined up for us to have a good climb. That's all for now. We'll check in tomorrow. RMI Guide Elias de Andres Martos and team.