RMI Expeditions Blog
More than a few of us got up this morning saying we’d slept better than on any other night on the mountain.
Mweka Camp was calm and quiet… except for the now familiar sounds of our kitchen crew going to work to get breakfast on. We enjoyed one last meal on the mountain and then threw packs on for the final walk down. We needed to get rid of four thousand feet of elevation. Almost immediately, we were into the rain forest and the trail was slick and a little treacherous as a result. We picked our way carefully down muddy stairs as porters from various expeditions ran at full speed a few inches to one side of our team. We reached the Mweka Gate at 11:15 a.m. and signed out with the Kilimanjaro National Park. A short bus ride took us to our celebration lunch hosted by our fabulous mountain staff. They sang a few traditional songs and got our gang dancing. We took the opportunity to distribute tips and thank the entire team of hard working men.
A two hour bus ride got us back to Rivertrees Inn and showers and fresh clothing. We relaxed and started the process of shifting gears from climbing to safari-going.
We’ll head out first thing tomorrow to see what we can see at Lake Manyara.
Best Regards,
RMI Guide Dave Hahn and team
August 8, 2022
Posted by: Alan Davis, Matias Francis, Tatum Whatford, Tyler Meyers, Brian Walters
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mount Rainier
Elevation: 14,410'
The Four Day Climb August 5 - 8, 2022 led by RMI Guides Alan Davis and Matias Francis reached the summit of Mt. Rainier early this morning. The teams reported windy conditions. They left the crater rim around 5:20 am and as of 7 am were at the top of Disappointment Cleaver on their descent. Once back at Camp Muir the teams will have a quick break before continuing the remaining 4.5 miles to Paradise. They will then conclude their program this afternoon at Rainier BaseCamp.
Congratulations to today's climbers!
August 7, 2022
Posted by: Dave Hahn
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Kilimanjaro
Elevation: 19,341'
We reached Mweka Camp at 2:50 PM to finish our 16-hour climbing day.
The “day” began last night at 11 PM when we woke for our summit bid. After a little breakfast, at 12:05 AM we hit the trail behind Naiman - our lead guide.
Our team made rapid progress, passing several other teams on the dirt and rock switchbacks. It was a fairly cold night, and that was before the winds started up. By our second rest break, a few hours into the climb we were adding clothing layers and putting on bigger gloves. By our fourth break, most of the team had all available clothing on. We hit the crater rim at Stella Point by 5:40 AM and took just a brief pause there for food and water before pushing on toward Uhuru - Kilimanjaro’s summit. The light of day came slowly and beautifully on as we walked on the rim at 19,000 ft. Sunrise was most welcome at 6:30 but by then our attention was on the phenomenal shadow cast by Kilimanjaro in the skies to the west… exactly over the summit of 15,000 ft Mt Meru.
We hit Uhuru at 6:40 AM and shed a few tears, shook hands, hugged, and snapped photos. It was an amazingly beautiful time of day. But it was also bitterly cold and windy, so we got out of there at 6:55 and headed back to Stella without delay. Winds were really picking up at Stella then and putting a lot of dirt and dust in the air, so we cruised right on over the edge and started dropping altitude. The descent was a combination of careful steps and full-on boot skiing through steep gravel and pumice.
We were back to camp at a respectable hour 9:40 AM, rubbing our eyes and wiping dirt and dust off our faces. Our fabulous staff treated the team to a full brunch/lunch of 15,000 ft pizza and coffee, after which we left camp bound for Mweka - 5000 ft lower. The trail down is direct and rough, we certainly were cautious and ready to be done for much of it.
Now it is a relief to be camped in the forest for one more night. The air has moisture again… and oxygen in abundance.
Best Regards
RMI Guide Dave Hahn & team
Congratulations! Enjoy the safari!
Posted by: Jeff Tracy on 8/8/2022 at 12:43 pm
Congrats to all! I am in awe…
Posted by: Mnica on 8/7/2022 at 2:39 pm
August 7, 2022
Posted by: Brent Okita, Christina Dale, Ben Luedtke, Erika Birkeland, Josh Geiser, Trevor Katz
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mount Rainier
Elevation: 14,410'
The Four-Day teams reached the summit this morning at 5 am! RMI Guides Brent Okita and Christina Dale reported great route conditions and no winds on the summit. They are currently finishing their descent to Camp Muir for a quick break before packing up camp and starting their descent to Paradise in the summer sunshine.
Congrats team!
Congratulations to everyone! Special thank you to Lead Guide Christina, and to Trevor for all his help with me on the descent. So very proud my son Christian Rainier Culbert summited a 2nd year in a row with RMI. On an even more beautiful day this time when they got to see the sunrise from the summit. I’ll always remember (rue?) the unique challenge of Disappointment Cleaver. Pre-dawn on the Ingraham Flats with Gibraltar Rock looming behind us in that early light, a canopy of stars just beginning to fade above us…a moment I will treasure. Appreciated everything so much; RMI you are a credit to your stewardship of our beloved Mt. Rainier.
Posted by: Geoff Culbert on 8/8/2022 at 7:35 am
August 6, 2022
Posted by: Dave Hahn
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Kilimanjaro
Elevation: 15,100'
Yet another perfect weather day, calm and sunny… clear above and cloudy below. We ate breakfast in Karanga Camp and then said a temporary goodbye to two of our climbers. John Bobbitt aggravated an old knee injury and Erika Bobbitt wanted to make sure he got down safely. They set off for the Mweka Gate of the park as we set off for high camp at 8:30 AM. In an easy three hours, we had climbed the 2000’ vertical feet up to Barafu and begun to settle in. From 15,100 ft, we now had unobstructed views of our climbing route to the top.
The afternoon was taken up with resting and getting our gear and clothing ready for our planned alpine start. Chef Benson’s fine spaghetti dinner was served early so that we could get to bed just before sunset. We want as much rest as we can get before our 11:15 PM wake-up time.
Best Regards,
RMI Guide Dave Hahn & Team
You’re almost there! Enjoy every step of the way!
Posted by: Sarah & Ella on 8/7/2022 at 5:44 am
This is an experience of a lifetime. We can’t imagine natures beauty as you climb tonight, the stars must be spectacular. Good Luck to all! Can’t wait to hear the stories and see the pictures! As I write you must be getting up and ready. Mom and Dad
Posted by: Bruce Cumback on 8/6/2022 at 1:26 pm
August 6, 2022
Posted by: Mike Walter
Categories: Expedition Dispatches North Cascades
Elevation: 10,781'
RMI Guide Mike Walter and Team opted to climb Mt. Baker via the Coleman-Deming route after they had discovered rain deteriorated conditions on the North Ridge. The team climbed strong and were 100% to the top, making the best of their days on the mountain.
Congratulations Team!
August 6, 2022
Posted by: Casey Grom, Ben Ammon
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mount Rainier
Elevation: 14,410"
The Four Day Climb led by RMI Guides Casey Grom and Ben Ammon reached the summit of Mt. Rainier early this morning. It was a cool morning until the sun came up. Ben reported a cloudless sky with very light winds. The team is in route back to Camp Muir and will return to Paradise in the early afternoon.
Congratulations Team!
Congratulations to Andrea and Matthew and the whole team!
Posted by: John and Kate on 8/7/2022 at 2:13 pm
Hope you are having a great adventure Kassandra and Chris!! Can’t wait to hear about it!!
Posted by: Lisa Tapia on 8/7/2022 at 7:20 am
August 5, 2022
Posted by: James Bealer, Henry Coppolillo
Categories: Expedition Dispatches North Cascades
Elevation: 8,816'
RMI Guide James Bealer and Henry Coppolillo checked in from camp after their successful summit of Forbidden Peak. Despite rain early on in the program, the team persevered and made it to the top. The team will enjoy some much-needed rest before their walk back to the trailhead and back to cell service.
Congrats to the team for being our first summit on Forbidden this season!
August 5, 2022
Posted by: Dave Hahn
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Kilimanjaro
Elevation: 13,150'
Greetings from 13,150 ft in Karanga Camp on Kilimanjaro. The team started the day in the garden-like Barranco Camp below the great rock wall of the same name. It was a perfect weather day right from the outset. There were no winds and no upper level clouds although the lower sea of clouds continued to hide the rest of the world from our view. We got moving toward the Barranco Wall just aft 8:30 AM. The lower third of the lava wall is a set of ledges that tend to get one’s attention. Both hands are needed on the rock holds and the feet need to be carefully placed as we move from ledge to ledge. It all gets a little more exciting as several hundred porters (from our own team as well as from the numerous surrounding teams) attempt to politely squeeze by with awkward and heavy loads balanced on their heads. The wall relents in its middle sections and turns into steep switchbacks with occasional odd steps. At the top, we were back to hands on rock to get over the final escarpments. All told it took us about two hours to get on top of the wall. It was a great feeling to pull onto the flat and have unimpeded views of Kibo’s cliffs and ice fields above. We then moved down and East across several shallow valleys before we crossed a deep and steep sided one -the Karanga Valley- to reach our camp on the opposite rim. It took roughly four hours to reach Karanga. We were just in time for lunch and an afternoon snooze. After dinner we stared up at the Milky Way and the southern cross and Kibo glowing in the moonlight.
Best Regards
August 5, 2022
Posted by: Ben Luedtke, Augi Fleer
Categories: Expedition Dispatches North Cascades
Elevation: 10,781'
Friday, August 5, 2022 7:15 am PDT
Baker Easton Glacier100% summit! Great day of climbing with a Strong Team!
Thursday, Augsut 4, 2022 6:31 pm PDT
We woke up this morning to some light rain that started sometime during the night. We remained in our tents most of the day taking advantage of the time to nap, rest, and enjoy some of our snacks. Before dinner we freshened up on some more skills in preparation for our climb. We are now cozied up in our sleeping bags and will try for the summit early in the morning. All is well and everyone is excited!
RMI Guides: Ben Luedtke and Augi Fleer
Congratulations! A question: I wonder if the trip leaders know what the winds were like on summit day (Mon Aug 8)? I too submitted (independently with my climbing partner) and we experienced persistent winds throughout but also gusts at Disappointment Cleaver that felt quite stiff. Might your own team(s) have a sense of how high the winds actually were (as opposed to forecast)? Thank you,
Posted by: Larissa M on 8/10/2022 at 3:11 pm
Congratulations to the whole team for summiting, but I would like to give a special “Bravo” to my wonderful husband who reach the summit!! So proud of you Stéphane!! You did it!!!!
Posted by: Annie Quinal on 8/8/2022 at 8:01 am
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