RMI Expeditions Blog
Posted by: Steve Gately, Leif Bergstrom, Hannah Blum, Charlie Harrison, Layne Peters, Rosie Hust
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mount Rainier
Elevation: 14,410'
The Five Day Climb August 25 - 29 led by RMI Guides Steve Gately and Leif Bergstrom reached the summit of Mt. Rainier this morning around 6 am PT. The team did some additional training yesterday and previewed the route from Camp Muir up to Ingraham Flats. Today they put their training and fitness to the test and reached 14,410'. Climbers are currently on their descent to Camp Muir, once back at Camp they will pack gear and continue the final 4,500' to Paradise. There program will conclude this afternoon with a celebration in Ashford.
Congratulations climbers!
Monday, August 26, 2024
Good evening,
Checking in from high camp - we summited today around 11:30am! We had sun, clouds, a bit of rain, and even a rainbow on our climb. Now we eat and sleep hiding from the rain. Hoping for clear skies and sun tomorrow! Special shout out to James for his first summit of Mt. Shuksan.
RMI Guide Sam Hoffman
Posted by: Josh Geiser, Evan Redman, Jack Ritterson
Categories: Expedition Dispatches North Cascades
Elevation: 10,781'
Tuesday, August 27, 2024 - 2:54 pm PT
We have just completed our Easton Glacier climb of Mt. Baker August 25 - 27. We hiked up to Sandy camp on our first day, took a short break, and then got into skills training in anticipation of climbing on day 2 with a better weather forecast. After an early alpine start, we called the crater rim our high point due to snowpack conditions and deteriorating weather. After coming back down we practiced some anchor building and crevasse rescue before retreating to our tents due to rain. We managed to stay dry on Day 3 as we hiked back down to the trailhead and enjoyed a closing lunch as a team.
RMI Guide Josh Geiser
Posted by: Pete Van Deventer, George Hedreen, Raymond Holt, Tom Skoog, Miles Watson, Hannah Billings
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mount Rainier
Elevation: 14,410'
The Five Day Climb August 23 - 27 led by RMI Guides Pete Van Deventer & George Hedreen reached the summit of Mt. Rainier this morning. The teams enjoyed clear skies, a funky cloud and a light breeze for their climb and were able to enjoy some time this morning in the summit crater. The team began their descent from the crater rim around 9:30 am. They will return to Camp Muir and enjoy another night on the mountain. Tomorrow the teams will pack their gear and descend the remaining 4.5 miles to Paradise.
Congratulations team!
PC: George Hedreen
Posted by: Jess Wedel
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Machu Picchu
Hola hola hola!
This morning, some of us woke up early just one more time - we took the buses back up the hill, went through the entrance of Machu Picchu and climbed Huayna Picchu.
You know the mountain in the background of all those iconic photos of Machu Picchu? That’s Huayna Picchu! We rallied (even after 6 days of trekking!) for just a *few* more steep stairs to the summit.
We were greeted with sunshine and full views of Machu Picchu and all the surrounding landscape. We celebrated a birthday (HBD Courtney!!) and took all the photos. It was beyond remarkable and a great way to wrap up this trip.
This afternoon on the 4-hour train from Machu Picchu back to Cusco, we had some time to reflect on our adventure. We stepped out of our comfort zones to explore new cultures, new altitudes, new food and so much more. We came together as a team and learned so much about ourselves along the way.
Tomorrow we’ll all fly home but we’ll carry everything — the hard moments, the funny moments, the inspiring stories of the Incas and their ancestors — with us for a lifetime.
Until next time, Peru!
RMI Guide Jess Wedel and the Machu Picchu team
PC: Jess Wedel
New Post Alerts:
Machu Picchu August 15, 2024
Posted by: Dave Hahn
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Kilimanjaro
Ok we didn’t get eaten by lions that last night in Tarangire National Park. There were fresh overnight Hyena tracks in the dirt where we were loading up the Landcruisers though, so we’ll count it as a close one. It was still dark when we ate breakfast at Nyikani Tent Camp and just beginning to get light when we drove away -on the prowl again for a final morning of wildlife viewing. Our excellent naturalist guide/drivers Johnson and Chacha kept finding (and explaining) the good stuff, including a big python on an overhead branch, and “strangular“ fig trees taking over baobobs. Safari couldn’t last forever though, so at 10:30 we left the park finally and began making our way back to Arusha. We made a final stop for shopping, some culture and a picnic lunch before returning to the familiar Rivertrees for the afternoon. By evening the team was going separate ways; some to Zanzibar, some to the Serengeti and several of us back into uncomfortable airplane seats. We shared a fun and memorable adventure on the roof of Africa…more than making up for airline/airport tediousness.
Thanks for following along.
RMI Guide Dave Hahn
New Post Alerts:
Kilimanjaro Climb & Safari August 10, 2024
Sunday, August 25, 2024 - 3:26 am PT
We made it to Machu Picchu!
Wow, what a day. We woke up and walked the final few hours to the Sun Gate. It was a little cloudy but we still had views of Machu Picchu below.
We spent the morning exploring the different sites - the Sun Temple, the Palace Quarters, the Temple of the Condor and so much more! Then we took the bus downhill to Aguas Calientes where we all enjoyed a shower and delicious dinner.
Tomorrow, we get to go back to the park and climb Huayna Picchu. For now, we are sleeping happily in warm beds.
RMI Guide Jess Wedel and the team
New Post Alerts:
Machu Picchu August 15, 2024
Posted by: Henry Coppolillo, Mike Bennett, Seth Burns, Calvin Jiricko, Rosie Hust, Claire Pennell
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mount Rainier
Elevation: 14,410'
Although Paradise remains in a bit of a cloud this morning, it is sunny and clear above Camp Muir. The Five Day Climb August 21 - 25 led by RMI Guides Henry Coppolillo and Mike Bennett reached the summit of Mt. Rainier this morning. The teams found a bit of new snow on the upper mountain but the route was in good shape and the weather is beautiful, so they had a great climb to top. They started their descent from the crater rim around 7:20 am. They will return to Camp Muir for a quick break and continue down to Paradise. Their program will conclude this afternoon.
Congratulations to today's climbers!
Posted by: Sam Hoffman, Mitch Valaitis
Categories: Expedition Dispatches North Cascades
Elevation: 9,127'
Led by Sam Hoffman and Mitch Valatis, the RMI team summited mid-day Thursday. With the anticipation of poor weather, the climbers adapted and climbed a day-early. The push paid off and we enjoyed sunshine on the top!
Congrats team.
Saturday, August 23, 2024 - 6:52 pm PT
“Good morning my friend!” Elbin says every morning as he wakes us up with hot tea and coffee at our tents with a big huge smile. Today was no different. We woke up looking into a valley of moving clouds, packed all our stuff, had a quick breakfast and hit the trail. One last big day was ahead.
We stopped at archeological sites, went up and down two more passes and finally arrived at Winay Wayna - our final camp before Machu Picchu. We were on the trail for over eight hours walking the 600-year old stone path. Tonight, we celebrated all the people that helped make this trek possible - our porters, cooks, and local guides! Complete with a freshly baked cake. We can’t say enough about how incredible they have made this experience.
Tomorrow we have just two hours to walk until we arrive at Machu Picchu and we are all looking forward to it.
Woo hoo!!
RMI Guide Jess and the team
Jeff Miller and team we are super proud of you ! What an accomplishment to achieve in your life ! Way to lead the wolf pack ! Gus has the drinks ready !
Posted by: Gus on 8/25/2024 at 8:34 am
Congratulations!! Way to go team!!
So proud of you Jeff ❤️
Posted by: Jaimie on 8/25/2024 at 8:33 am
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