RMI Expeditions Blog

The Five Day Climb August 20 - 24 reached the summit of Mt. RaInier on Tuesday, August 23rd led by RMI Guides Dominic Cifelli and Joe Hoch.  The teams were able to spend time in the crater enjoying the beautiful morning.  After taking all the photos, the teams started their descent to Camp Muir.  Climbers enjoyed some rest and a final night on the mountain.  They plan to start their descent to Paradise around 9 am.  We look forward to seeing them at Rainier BaseCamp early this afternoon.

Congratulations team!

We hiked from the hotel to the parking lot in approximately 30 seconds this morning.  Which was our climbing goal for the day.  Then we shifted into Safari mode, driving out of Usa River at 8 AM.  Saimon and Izach, our safari guides/drivers, had us through the outskirts of Arusha (population 2 million) and out into the arid countryside in about an hour.  We cruised westward, watching Maasai tribesmen and boys moving cattle to water.  By late morning we’d reached Lake Manyara National Park.  We popped open the tops of our Landcruisers and stood up to search for wildlife.  The park was a little sleepy today, but we saw elephants and giraffes, Cape buffalo and eagles.  We drove along bumpy dirt roads through forest and occasional clearings to see impala and bushbucks, Dik Dik and vultures.  We spied Hirax and banded mongoose, crowned cranes and baboons.  There were monkeys galore.  During the course of the day, we enjoyed a picnic lunch in the park.  We looked up every tree for lions and leopards but came up a little empty on that score.  Still it was a fine day of exploring.  In the evening we drove out of the great Rift Valley and into the highlands to Karatu where the Plantation Lodge welcomed us with comfortable rooms and a delicious dinner.  Tomorrow we’ll venture out for Ngorongoro Crater. 

Best Regards

RMI Guide Dave Hahn

It was a relief to sleep “low down” at 10,000 ft last night.  The air had oxygen and humidity and everything we’d been missing up high on Kili.  We ate breakfast at 7 AM and got walking downhill through the rainforest at 8 AM.  The trail was in better-than-expected condition.  It can be slick and muddy, which can make the 4,000 ft descent treacherous, but today we found it pretty easy going.  The team flew down the track at a record setting pace, making the Mweka Gate in just two hours and fifteen minutes.  Hot showers can be a powerful motivator.  A short distance from the National Park, our Barking Zebra staff treated us to one final picnic lunch.  We then thanked each of the 46 men who’d put so much effort and kindness into helping us climb the mountain. After tips were passed out, the staff sang a few very fun and traditional songs while pulling us in to dance along.  We then said our goodbyes and got on board the bus for the two hour ride back to Usa River.  We checked into the Rivertrees Hotel and sprinted for the showers.  When we next met to plan our four days of Safari, the team was nearly unrecognizable in fresh clothing and shampooed hair.  We enjoyed a dinner outside under the big trees and wished our climbing partner Rob a safe journey homeward since -as planned- he’ll head home and come back for Safari on a future trip. 

Safari starts in the morning!

Best Regards

RMI Guide Dave Hahn

The Four Day Climb August 19 - 22 led by RMI Guides Casey Grom and Dustin Wittmier reached the summit of Mt. Rainier this morning.  As of 7 am the teams were enjoying time in the summit crater.  There are currently a few broken clouds but otherwise a clear and sunny day.  Teams will be returning back to Camp Muir and then descending the remaining 4.5 miles to Paradise.  There program will conclude with a celebration at Rainier BaseCamp later this afternoon.

Congratulations to today's climbers!

11 PM sure seemed like it came early last night.  Some got a little sleep, some got none, but we all got up to go climbing.  We had an 11:30 “breakfast” before leaving Barafu High Camp just after midnight.  It was magically clear and calm.  We could see the lights of Moshi and a thousand other towns.  The moon didn’t rise until about three so there were plenty of stars to see as we marched by headlight.  Naturally, all the other climbing teams were getting going at the same time, so Naiman -who led the way- had to do some bobbing and weaving to get us free of traffic jams.  Eventually we broke free and were able to set our desired pace up the steep, zig zag of pumice and lava steps.  We took short breaks every 60 to 90 minutes, generally adding clothing layers as we got higher and colder.  It was still dark when we hit the crater rim at Stella Pt at 5:48. We took a short break and the guides broke out thermoses of sweet black tea which the team devoured.  Then we walked the rim to Uhuru as daylight slowly came on.  There is a lot to look at on a 19,000 ft stroll at sunrise.  We hit the tippy top… Uhuru… at 6:47 AM   There were a few tears and cheers, then a bunch of happy photographs.  We sat to eat and drink and then -after 25 minutes on the top of Africa- we began our descent.  The team made good time, boot skiing down thousands of feet of loose pumice.  In three and a half hours we were back at High Camp. Our staff welcomed us with cups of fruit juice and joyful songs.  Tosha -our chef- prepared a 15,200 ft pizza lunch to fortify us for our continued climb down.  The team pulled out of High Camp at 11:40 AM and got down 5000 ft of rocky and dusty trail in three hours.  It is clear and sunny still at 10,000 ft Mweka Camp.  Our team is tired but happy.  We’ll sit down to our final dinner on the hill in a few minutes and we’ll review the highs… and the hard parts of an excellent day.  There will certainly be a few mentions of the amazing job our guides and staff did to get us living out a dream. 

Best Regards

RMI Guide Dave Hahn

The Four Day Climb August 18 - 21 reached the summit of Mt. Rainier this morning at 6:05 am.  The teams enjoyed clear skies and a light breeze during their climb.  They began their descent from the crater rim at 7:20 am to return to Camp Muir.  At Camp Muir they will repack and take a short break before continuing the final 4,500' descent to Paradise. 

Congratulations to today's climbing teams!

Photo credit: Ben Luedtke

RMI Guide Henry Coppolillo and team had a successful climb of Mt. Shuksan yesterday. After a hazy morning wake-up call, the team ascended the Sulphide glacier and enjoyed some Class 4 scrambling on the summit pyramid before topping out yesterday. The team has made it back to the trailhead and team members are on their way home.

Nice work team!

RMI Guide James Bealer and team have made it to the summit of Mt. Baker this afternoon. After the team's walk into camp yesterday, they enjoyed a late afternoon training session where they covered self-arrest, cramponing, and rope travel before heading to bed in preparation for their climb today. The team will return to camp tonight and walk back to the trailhead tomorrow.

Congrats climbers!

We did not have so far to go today, so we took it easy getting started at Karanga Camp.  We got walking at 9 AM in the perfect morning weather we’ve become accustomed to.  The team practiced the “rest step” and some “pressure breathing” on the gradual but steady ascent to 15,200 ft.  We took two rest breaks along the way and made the move in less than three hours.  Our amazing support team had camp well established at Barafu and that made it quite easy for us to just roll in and rest up.  We sat down for lunch together and then lingered for a comprehensive talk about our summit bid.  Things had clouded up a little, as we’ve found to be normal in midday, but less sun just made it a little easier to lounge in the tents for the afternoon.  Early dinner was in order, because we’ve got big plans for the night.  Just when the team thought the day was done, our fabulous chefs and waiters surprised Rob with a birthday cake (brought specially and secretly by runner from Arusha yesterday) and a round of singing and dancing.  The entire team will remember Rob’s high altitude birthday for a long time.  It is 7:30 PM now and all are in bed.  We’ll wake at 11 PM and walk at midnight.  We’ve got mountains to climb. 

Best Regards

RMI Guide Dave Hahn

The Four Day Climb August 17 - 20 led by RMI Guides Mike Walter and Nikki Champion reached the summit of Mt. Rainier this morning.  Mike reported moderate winds and a busy route.  Camp Muir sandwiched between two layers of clouds, dense clouds above Camp Muir and a light marine layer above Paradise currently.  The climbers will take a short break at Camp Muir to repack and re-hydrate before starting down to Paradise.  Once at Paradise the shuttle will return the climbers to Rainier BaseCamp where they will conclude their program with a short ceremony.

Nice work today everyone!