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Sunday, May 4, 2025 - 10:44 pm PT

Hello from the Ruth Gorge! We landed in the amphitheater today to some fickle weather and unsettled clouds, but K2 was able to sneak us on. After trudging through some knee deep snow for 3-4 hours, we got to work building camp below the granite spires of the gorge. 

Seems like more weather is on the horizon so we will cross our fingers and take what we can get!

RMI Guide Dan May and the Ruth Glacier seminar

Tuesday, June 17, 2025 - 9:12 pm PT

Rest day, what a glorious phrase, after 6 days of moving ourselves and our supplies up and down this mountain, we were able to sleep in. We awoke at the late hour of 9:30 am to a leisurely breakfast of bagels, cream cheese, and salmon. After that per our leader Dom’s insistence, we all took laps around the 11,000' Camp or up to Motorcycle Hill to get our blood pumping and make sure our “gears didn’t rust up”. The afternoon was a mix of reading, chatting, napping, grazing on our heaviest snacks, and playing games, the hottest dice den on the mountain is right here at 11,000' Camp.  Tonight we prepare for tomorrow for our move to 14k and to the next stage of our journey up this mountain. 

Today is also extra special for this blogger, I want to wish a happy anniversary to my wife Sophia here on the mountain with me. It’s been an amazing 8 years of marriage with my adventure partner for life. I’m so lucky to be here with you tackling this challenge together. I’ve loved spending every day of the last year with you through all the training, debating every ounce, gram, and calorie in our packs, and supporting each other at home and on the mountain.

I love you dearly Sophia, and am thankful for every moment we get to adventure together.

- RMI Climber Tait

The June 23 - 26 Four Day Climb is made of climbers associated with Black Diamond Equipment and led by RMI Guide Jess Wedel.  This all women's team reached the summit of Mt. Rainier today putting together their skills, training and equipment. Although the forecast was not stellar the team awoke to good conditions with clear skies above and moderate winds.  The cloud deck below sits at around 9,000' but that was not of concern as the team ascended the upper mountain.  Reaching the summit around 7:45 am the team enjoyed a bit of time in the summit crater before starting their descent.  The team will return to Camp Muir for a short stop and then continue the final 4,500' down to Paradise.  Their program will wrap up this afternoon with a celebration at Rainier BaseCamp.

Congratulations to these Black Diamond Climbers! 

It was a snowy night at 11,000' Camp, followed by a snowy morning and snowy day. We stayed put.  The team ate a slow and leisurely breakfast in the dining tent, followed by a protracted debate and story telling session, followed by naps books, tv and podcasts.

By afternoon and evening we were getting a little sun and blue sky but it was still snowing lightly.   It was a storm day… which worked pretty well as a rest day too.  We hope to be back in action tomorrow.

RMI Guide Dave Hahn

Sunday, June 23, 2025 - 8:15 pm PT

Another rest day. Right now we are in waiting mode, as the winds have picked up at the summit and we await a break in the weather for our summit push. Luckily, there are few waiting rooms more majestic than 14 camp.  

Breakfast is a leisurely affair of breakfast burritos - democratically voted as the best breakfast yet. Then, it’s time for a Hot Girl Walk up and down 14’s Main Street. The fashion is a bit different though - in lieu of Alo yoga matched sets are brightly colored sun hoodies, face shields, and triple boots - but never just down booties. We have standards. 

Post fashion walk, it’s time for stretching, hydrating, and a carnival classic: knocking over the cook pot with a snowball. It becomes readily apparent we won’t be forming a McKinley softball league anytime soon. 

Next up on the agenda is home improvement. Tents must be moved and foundations leveled with caddy-like precision. Hot tip for the golfers out there - get yourself a McKinley climber - we are happy to carry heavy bags over hilly terrain, can read the slope on any surface, and are likely broke from funding this hobby. 

Since the NPS won’t share the wi-fi password, the rest of the day is a mix of hydrating, reading, card playing, napping, snacking, and reapplying sunscreen. At 7pm the NPS weather report and daily trivia will crackle over the radio - unintelligibly, despite our direct line of sight to their tents. 

Post dinner, it’s time for another stroll up and down Main Street, though it’s giving more Fart Walk than Hot Girl Walk at this point. I’ve heard Fart Walks are the new summer wellness fad, so at least we’re trending. 

To everyone at home reading this blog, leaving comments, sending messages to our Garmins - you have no idea how much your love and support means everything to us. Thank you. 

- Sophia Bishop

Thursday, June 12, 2025 8:54pm PDT

Denali dispatch -Don’t let her savagery fool you. This mountain has a mind of her own. Sun turns to snow and calm turns to wind. A cyclical pattern as unpredictable as the market’s response to earnings beat these days. Volatility is the name of the game, and a patience rooted in readiness is a must. When she cooperates never expect ideal but tolerable is enough. Embrace her wind and moodiness, it makes her that much more endearing.

We spent the day eating, resting, and visiting the edge of #4 the world. Let me tell you, it did not disappoint. Here are some more lessons learned for the loved ones back home.    

1. If it has a name, it means the mountain wants it to be named. For example, Squirrel hill is “squirley,” that may take a minute to digest. The names mean obstacles, and the obstacles mean hard. Don’t let the inviting nature of the titles fool you. If your guide calls a part of the mountain anything other than the route, you know you’re in for it.

 2. Pee bottles, I know to those back home this is a grotesque thought, but up here they are a gift. Embrace your gift. Own your gift. Treasure your gift. As Lacie said, under no circumstances, zero circumstances, does she leave her tent at night to pee. Now I understand her logic.  

3. Nighttime and darkness are not symbiotic here in Alaska. Night is light and day is light. Another essential item is the eye mask but really the eye shield. It’s amazing how you can trick your “I need darkness to sleep” body into submission. The titled portions on the route are extra wreck you parts, the foundation of your hard as hell sundae, and the eye mask is the cherry a maraschino cherry on top. Does anyone even like those?

4. Ditch loops are magic. Sprinkled fairy dust when you need to throw off your pack. Punches and cream? Rumple punchskin? Puncharella?

5. Healthy is consuming the most calorie dense food you can. Frozen or thawed, who cares. Eat it and eat a lot of it. #frostingdoesnotfreeze.   

6. Blue bags are a triple bag system for a reason. Do not roll. Do not wrap. Twist tie then knot, your pack and guide will thank you. Extra tips required for solving your personal poop problems.

7. A 38-degree tent is warm, sauna like warm. No cold plunges needed on this mountain, just walk outside and you’re set.

8. Foot baths in the cook tent are a no A forever no. A never again no.

9. When the guides say you have an hour before we are walking it feels more like five minutes. If you’re sitting around at any point, you are doing it all wrong. Remember cramming for tests in school? Bring that urgency and maybe you have a chance of being on time if you’re container store organized.

10. Lather on your sunscreen Even on the days you are not sure you’ll ever see the sun again. Bathe in your sunscreen. You can never apply it too often. Pro tip: bring a sunscreen stick for the extra miserable, inopportune moments you must reapply

10.Rest breaks go something like: parka, pee, sit on pack, drink, eat, apply sunscreen, drink again, throw your pack on, repeat. Super restful, obviously. Side note, just because you see another team resting it doesn’t mean you get to “rest” there too. Best not to get your hopes up.

12. Most people don’t realize there is a dry cleaner up here. The life of luxury, truly Your sleeping bag isn’t just your haven of warmth, but it serves as your personal drying machine. You know when you do laundry and you fill the machines to capacity to fit it all in one load? Or when you’re bringing groceries inside and you load up both arms to make one trip? That’s your sleeping bag. Fill her up and let her go to work.

13. Rest step. It’s as essential to your movement efficiency as brushing your teeth is to your smile.

14. Bring a pillowcase. One that smells like home. A little bit of comfort in the uncomfortable.

15. Do not assume relationships. Father, daughter, mother, son, grandparent, grandchild etc. Sure, everything is fine when you get it right. But when you get it wrong, well, someone walks away like a small child without a piece of candy from a candy store. My aunt said she is the butterfly on my pack, or this trip and she nailed it. To all the butterflies on with us, thank you. Your encouragement and belief fuels us in the valleys and celebrates with us on the mountaintops

Thank you for the continued prayers, we can’t wait to make it back home to all of you. Weather permitting, we are on the move again tomorrow, our last big push to embrace all the hard this mountain has left for us. We may have underestimated her beauty, but we never underestimate her boss-ness.

Love,

RMI Climber Caroline and Team  

The Five Day climb June 5 - 9 led by RMI Guide Dave Hahn reached the summit at 5 am today.  It's a beatiful blue-bird day. They enjoyed an hour in the summit crater before starting their descent from the crater rim at 6 am. The team is currently on their descent to Camp Muir. Once back at camp they will take a short break to repack their gear and then continue the final 4,500' descent to Paradise. 

Nice work team!

May 23–28 Expedition Skills Seminar – Emmons: Summit Success!
The Emmons Seminar team, led by RMI Guide Sam Hoffman, successfully reached the summit of Mt. Rainier today via the Emmons Glacier route. Over the past several days, the team has been hard at work training and refining their mountaineering skills.

Early this morning, they made an alpine start from Camp Schurman and reached the crater rim around 8:15 AM. After enjoying their time on the summit, the team will descend back to Camp Schurman, where they will spend the night. Tomorrow, they’ll make their final descent to the trailhead and return to Rainier BaseCamp by late afternoon.

Congratulations to the entire Emmons team on a strong and successful climb!

Monday, June 2, 2025 - 11:07 pm PT

We slept soundly last night despite strong winds and snow thanks to the fortress our team built. After breakfast, we discussed the intense stormy weather we are currently experiencing and the forecast that has no adequate weather windows in site. This lead our team to the tough decision that we need to start heading down the mountain. The team took this in stride as they have taken everything throughout our program. With any luck we will start our journey down the mountain tomorrow picking up caches and shaking hands with other RMI teams along the way. Once back at Basecamp we will wait patiently for our brilliant pilots at K2 to come whisk us away and take us back to Talkeetna!

RMI Guide Jackson Breen

RMI Guides Seth Burns and Joe Crawford led their Five Day climb teams to the summit of Mt. Rainier this morning.  Seth radioed from the crater rim at 8:47 am. Its a goregous day on the mountain with clear skies and cool temperatures.  After spending some time in the crater the team will descend to Camp Muir and spend their second night on the mountain. Tomorrow they will continue down to Paradise.

Nice work today team!