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The Four Day Summit Climb July 20 - 23 led by RMI Guide Steve Gately reached the summit of Mt. Rainier this morning around 6:30 AM PT. The team radioed from Columbia Crest at 7:10 AM. It's a beautiful day with warm temperatures and clear skies. The team will return to Camp Muir and continue to Paradise. We look forward to seeing them this afternoon at Rainier BaseCamp. Congratulations to today's Summit Climbers!

Our last morning on the mountain was an easy and enjoyable one. Everyone reported getting some real sleep for a change -a great thing about 10,000 feet as opposed to 15,000 feet- and when we woke, the weather was perfect. After a relaxed breakfast, we gathered outside to meet with our entire staff. They gave us a wonderful send off, singing and dancing with much laughter as "Bongo" -a porter and talented performer- came out in costume and led the team through a few favorite ballads. We then distributed tips and tried to verbalize just how grateful we were to the entire staff. We began walking downhill at 8:30 and soon went from a forest of heather to a jungle of giant trees. Trail conditions were nice and dry and the walking went well. We caught sight of velvet monkeys and even a family of colobus monkeys playing in branches overhead. Making fine progress, we left the park at 11:30. Our staff hosted a last picnic lunch for the team at a venue just a few minutes down the road from the Mweka Gate, and then our bus took us on the long road back to the Arumeru River Lodge. We were hoisting "welcome" drinks at 2:30 and heading for showers soon after. The gang that showed up at dinner bore little resemblance to the mob that had checked in. Hair was clean and beards were gone... clothes were free of dust and grime. But the team was still recognizable by their smiles. Earlier we'd been smiling because the hard work had been completed, now we were smiling because of indoor plumbing and electricity and internet and the way things feel so easy after you've gone without for a time. We aren't done adventuring though... safari begins tomorrow, but we'll miss Joe, who is flying out tomorrow as planned. Best Regards, RMI Guide Dave Hahn

Hello again everyone! Today the team left behind the hustle and bustle of Quito and moved just north of the Equator to the comfortable and quiet rural countryside. Once outside the city limits the landscape quickly turned into rolling hills with farms pitched on steep slopes and dozens of small eucalyptus forest. Our plan was to visit a smaller mountain called Fuya Fuya where we stretched our legs on a nice steep and short acclimatization hike. Thankfully the weather wasn't too bad which allowed us to see some amazing views of the beautiful surrounding landscape. We are just on the outskirts of a town call Otavalo, which is known for its massive market and we are currently relaxing at a wonderful Hacienda called "La Casa Sol". The team is doing great and looking forward to nice quiet night here. RMI Guide Casey Grom and crew

Hi folks, Well, it's time to say goodbye to Aconcagua Base Camp and hit the dusty trail back to Las Lenas. Given the grim outlook on this mountain for the next week, the team is rather excited to be able to get back home to you all just a little bit sooner. We're hoping that the promise of huge slabs of steak cooked over an open fire will motivate us along the 18 or so miles we have ahead of us today. Hopefully we can stay hydrated and blister free. You used to call us on our sat phone, RMI Guides Pepper Dee and JJ Justman

The Five Day Summit Climb August 22 - 26 reached the summit of Mt. Rainier today, the final day of their program. RMI Guide Gloria Roe led the team to the summit. As of 8:40 AM PT they were starting their descent from the crater rim. We look forward to seeing the team at Rainier BaseCamp this afternoon for their team celebration. Congratulations to today's climbers!

Friday, May 6, 2016 - 9:40 p.m. PDT We held our breath this morning peering outside the vestibule, expecting to see a foot of snow and nothing else. Instead we found an inch of new snow and a cloudy glacier with low visibility. We enjoyed a pancake breakfast and packed as much gear as we could without taking the tents down. By late morning the cloud ceiling rose just high enough for us to see and that was good enough. By one o'clock we we walking down Heartbreak Hill with enough supplies to last four days. It was a beautiful quiet walk up the main flow of the Kahiltna and by 4:30 we were at the base of Ski Hill making camp next to Mike Walter's Denali team and a group of soldiers. Our crew is strong and looking forward to moving camp tomorrow to 10,000 ft, provided we can double down on our bet that the weather forecast will prove wrong one more time. RMI Guide Leon Davis

Tough job today. Had to get up, pack for safari, and game view the day away. What a great contrast from mountain life. Nice banquet last night- summit certificates for all and a special cake to boot. Once again the team excels at any challenge put in front of them. To take on a safari you have to be, let's say "awake", well most of the time. Napping is an option, especially after a great lunch in the bush. While dining at lunch in Lake Manyara National Park, we observed a troop of baboons frolicking in close proximity. Always a bit unnerving when no bars separate human from beast. Goes to show we are still living on the edge here in deepest Africa. A bit breezy today, which kept the dust and bugs at bay. Off to Ngorongoro Crater in the morning, the eighth wonder of the world. RMI Guide Mark Tucker

The Four Day Summit Climb teams for August 24 - 27 led by RMI Guides Dave Hahn & Andy Bond were unable to reach the summit today. Upon reaching the top of Disappointment Cleaver, high winds forced the teams to turn back to Camp Muir. The team is planning to descend from Camp Muir around 9:30 AM and we look forward to seeing them at Rainier BaseCamp this afternoon.

The Team packed up and moved the bear necessities to Cholera, located at 19,600'. Camp is built and we are enjoying a calm and warm day, which is a plus since this camp is named after the fierce winds that plague this part of the mountain. Tomorrow is our summit day and there is some nervous energy and excitement to be finally nearing the objective of the climb. Everyone sends their best back home. Not much else to do but eat, pack, try to sleep and enjoy the thin air. We'll call in from the summit should Aconcagua bless us with calm winds and a wicked cramponable route. RMI Guide Mike King

On The Map

There was some reason for optimism today. Even though we woke to the same old clouds with light snowfall, the forecasters called for clearing... which is what we got. But that took a good chunk of the day, and ultimately the weather turned out to be not up to snuff at the other end. So we saw sun and felt a little warmth and finally got a great view of the jagged mountains all around us, but Vinson Basecamp ended up in fog. That is a dealbreaker when you aim to fly over in a Twin Otter on skis in order to land uphill on a valley glacier at 7,000 feet. We passed the day playing games and reading, some attended a history lecture dealing with the 1897 Belgian Expedition -the members of that trip had a few significant weather delays as well. We each went outside from time to time in order to stretch, walk and ride bikes around camp. Dinner was still quite pleasant, even as we had to give up on this particular day for starting our climb. Best Regards, RMI Guide Dave Hahn