I woke up to check the weather early this morning (last night, actually) and was pleased to see a clear sky full of stars. The problem was that it was so windy outside I could barely stand up. So, back into the hut I went to wait for the weather to improve. Winds died down a bit (it's all relative) and we began to prepare to climb around 2:00 am. We were on the move by around 3:30 am. Everyone climbed very strong, despite fighting the wind to keep our balance. Clouds were interspersed with stars as we ascended. By the time we reached 17,500 ft. we had walked into a cloud cap with winds gusting into the 50 mph range with about 100 ft. of visibility. It was time to throw in the towel and start our descent. Everything went smoothly and soon we arrived at the climbers' hut. We enjoyed a fun and challenging day of climbing, even though we came up a bit shy of the summit. Now we're headed for the Papallacta Hot Springs where we'll get a good night's rest before heading out tomorrow on another climbing objective. We'll keep you abreast of the latest. RMI Guide Mike Walter