Entries By dustin wittmier
February 19, 2019
Posted by: Mike King, Dustin Wittmier
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mexico
Elevation: 15,300'
This is Mike checking in from 15,300’ on
Ixta. We got a casual start to the day with a big breakfast and final packing of our equipment. It’s always a bummer to have 40ish pounds of stuff for just one night out. The trail ascends a ridge with a series of weaknesses that allow for a moderate elevation gain. We enjoyed clear views of Orizaba and La Malinche. From camp you could even pick out the glimmer of glass on the high rise building of Mexico City.
The traditional high camp where the Refugio sits is currently occupied by a 50+ member unit of the Mexican Army. We opted for the camp that is slightly lower to have a quiet evening. The wind is currently shaking the tents and depositing grit on our teeth. We’ll have some dinner and get our packs ready for tomorrow’s summit bid. The weather looks good, so fingers crossed for clear skies and no electrics storms.
RMI Guide Mike King
February 18, 2019
Posted by: Mike King, Dustin Wittmier
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mexico
Elevation: 14,501'
It took six attempts but finally the weather cooperated for a successful acclimatization hike to the top of
La Malinche, 14,501’. A new high point for some of our Team. The ‘day hike’ is the equivalent of a Rainier summit day from Camp Muir in elevation gain. The Team did well despite having just arrived sea level more or less.
This morning we are in route to Ixta, a quick stop for breakfast and coffee then a travel day to the Altzomani Hut. There, we will pack for our hike to high camp and enjoy a nice dinner and spectacular sunset. Thanks for following along.
RMI Guide Mike King
February 17, 2019
Posted by: Mike King, Dustin Wittmier
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mexico
Elevation: 7,300'
This is Mike checking in for the
Mexico Volcanoes team. Everyone arrived with bags in tow yesterday. We will head out in a few minutes for a day hike on La Malinche. The goal today is to stretch the legs and lungs a bit and sleep at 10,000’ tonight. Our drive today takes us out of Mexico City and into the surrounding countryside for three scenic hours before climbing the lower slopes of the mountain. we’ll spend the night in little cabanas after our acclimatization hike. We’ll check in each day, thanks for following along.
RMI Guides Mike King & Dustin Wittmier
7:58 AM PT
Hi this is Bryan calling from the
Mt. Baker Coleman-Demming climb. We went up and over the Roman Wall and the team is celebrating on the summit as we speak. We have beautiful conditions, calm winds, sunny and reasonably clear. We have great views of the North Cascades, Glacier Peak and Mt. Rainier from a distance. We are enjoying our break up here and we will spend a little bit more time. We have a solid effort to get back to our camp at Hog’s Back. Everyone is doing great. When we get back to camp we will pack up and eventually we will head out back to Glacier. We will wrap of the trip with a celebration with pizza and beer. IT’s been a solid effort by the team, we are super proud of everyone. Thanks for following.
RMI Guide Bryan Mazaika
Around 7:20 AM PT the
Four Day Summit Climb August 22 - 25 led by
RMI Guide Pete Van Deventer rolled into the crater of Mt. Rainier. Pete reported a light breeze with some high clouds above and a low marine layer near Paradise. There was a beautiful sunrise this morning as they were making their ascent and the temperature was not too cold. The team will enjoy some time in the summit crater before starting their descent. Once back to Camp Muir they will pack up and continue down to Paradise. A celebration at Rainier BaseCamp this afternoon will conclude their program.
Congratulations to today's Summit Climb team!
Monday, August 6 - 9:00 AM PT
Jess Matthews checked in this morning on the
Coleman-Deming route to report that the team turned around at 8,500' due to an newly opened and impassable crevasse. They made their descent safely back to camp and back to the parking lot where they will head into town for fresh food and hot showers.
RMI Guide Jess Matthews
Today was another beautiful day on the lower slopes of Mt. Baker. We started with a leisurely breakfast and then packed our gear for a short walk above camp to reach the snow and our training site. After a good day of training, we’re relaxing in our tents before dinner and then off to bed before we gear up again early in the morning for the real thing. The team is looking forward to heading uphill to put our new skills to use with the summit in our sights!
RMI Guides
Jess Matthews,
Jessie Poquerusse,
Dustin Wittmier and Team.
We had a beautiful walk into camp today. Temps were cool, the bugs left us alone, and we made smooth work with heavy packs. We were greeted by a blanket of wildflowers and the sound of waterfalls as we made our way above the tree line into camp at the edge of the
Coleman Glacier. Everyone is feeling good and settling in to camp life here at 5,900’. We’ll take advantage of a full night of sleep before beginning our training tomorrow on the slopes around camp in preparation for our summit climb.
RMI Guides
Jess Matthews,
Jessie Poquerusse,
Dustin Wittmier and Team.
Thursday, August 2 - 5:36 PM PT
We had a great day of training on the lower slopes of the
Easton Glacier today. Some clouds moved over at times, shading us from the sun, which was a blessing. We used our type travel segment to move up the glacier and get a view of the whole route. Things look great and we are set for our summit push tonight!
RMI Guide Pete Van Deventer
The Four Day Summit Climb July 29 - 1 August led by RMI Guides Eric Frank, Hannah Smith and Dustin Wittmier reached the summit of Mt. Rainier around 5 am this morning. The team enjoyed the views from the crater before beginning their descent. They will take a short break at Camp Muir before continuing down to Paradise.
Congratulations to today's Summit Climb team!
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Have a safe journey
Posted by: Dick and Kay Seubert on 2/18/2019 at 1:12 pm
Have a great climb, and post lots of pictures!!
Posted by: Ray Wittmier on 2/17/2019 at 7:14 pm
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