Entries By dustin wittmier

We caught a nice sunny day for our move out to Shira Camp. Kibo -Kilimanjaro’s central peak- was shining in the morning sun when we took off from Machame Camp. The team seemed to have no trouble with the steeper hills we confronted right off the bat.  We climbed up rocky steps through a forest of Giant Heather to attain a ridge crest, then we walked straight toward Kibo for a while before making a turn to the west.  We got to use our hands on the rock in a few places as we traversed some cliff bands on the way out to the Shira Plateau.  By 1:30 PM we were in our new camp.  It was a relaxing afternoon of eating, drinking and resting at this new and significant altitude.  The team is getting ready for a beautiful sunset out towards Meru, the fifteen thousand foot volcano on our western horizon. 

RMI Guide Dave Hahn

Sunday, September 6, 2026 - 8:30 am PT

Machame Camp, 10,000 ft.  Our team of nine set off precisely on schedule this morning at 8 AM.  Our bus driver negotiated the busy highway to get us to the Machame Gate of Kilimanjaro National Park in a tidy two hours.  There were papers to be filed and permits to be issued and finally we set out walking through the big forest at 11 AM.  The team crushed it today, cruising from 6000 to 10,000 ft in 5 hrs, 20 min.  We took a few breaks, listened to a few birds and surprisingly, saw the mountain.  We began the day under thick clouds but they dissipated as we climbed and we ended up with blue skies and great views in our new home.

RMI Guide Dave Hahn

Saturday, September 5, 2026 - 10:10 pm PT

We’ve got the makings of another fine expedition to the highest point in Africa.  Nine of us got together at Rivertrees Inn yesterday to plan and pack for the mountain.  This morning we are setting out!

RMI Guide Dave Hahn

Congratulations to the Four Day Climb team, led by RMI Guides Stella Johnson and Dustin Wittmier, on reaching the 14,410-foot summit of Mt. Rainier early this morning!

Despite cold temperatures and strong winds, the team was rewarded with clear skies above the cloud layer surrounding Paradise. They are currently descending and expect to arrive back at Camp Muir shortly.

Well done, Team!

RMI guide Dustin Wittmier and his team reached the summit of Mt Shuksan on August 18th via the Sulphide Glacier. 

Great work up there!

RMI guide Dustin Wittmier and his team summitted Mt Shuksan via the Sulphide Glacier on July 28th, 2026. 

Great work!

The Four Day climb led by RMI guide Mike Bennet and Ray Holt reached the summit this morning. They reported strong winds at the summit, depsite low wind speeds throughout the climb. They were leaving the crater around 7:55am and are currently on their descent back to Camp Muir. They will return to Ashford this afternoon.

Great work up there!

The Four Day Climb teams June 29 - 2 July led by RMI Guides Dustin Wittmier & George Hedreen reached the summit of Mt. Rainier today after 6 am.  The teams enjoyed some time in the crater, crossing to the true summit, before beginning their descent from the crater rim.  The teams will return to Camp Muir for a short break before continuing down to Paradise later today.  They will conclude their program with a short ceremony later today.

Nice work team!

Our Five Day Emmons Expedition led by RMI Guides Dustin Wittmier, Rosie Hust and Liam Moore left Camp Shurman early this morning in hopes of reaching the top of Mt. Rainier. At 7:45am they acheived their goal, summitting the 14,410' volcano. They're on the decent back to camp and will stay one more night at Camp Schurman to rest up before walking out tomorrow morning.

Nice work team!

RMI Teams led by guides Dustin Wittmier and Tom Skoog made it to the top of Mt Rainier this morning around 6:15am. After several days of extremely high winds, they reported light winds and nice temperatures. They will return to Ashford this afternoon. 

Great work, team!