Happy Thanksgiving from Patagonia!  The RMI Vinson team has assembled, there are three of us.  Under normal circumstances, it is a little bit of a big deal to successfully negotiate and navigate through airlines and airports to reach Punta Arenas, Chile complete with climbing equipment, ready to take on Antarctica.  In this pandemic year, it is a really big deal to accomplish such a feat.  We’ve been testing constantly and jumping through bureaucratic hoops in order to travel safely internationally.  And now we are almost there.  Today, our gear will be collected and weighed and packed on the jet.  We hope to fly to the Ice tomorrow, but we will hear more later as to current weather and what is possible.  These last few days, Rajat and Mark and I have been walking the streets of Punta Arenas (in masks), flashing our “mobility passes” to get into restaurants, and tracking down last bits of essential gear.  We’ve had some good walk and talk sessions along the shores of Magellan’s Straight, gazing out at Tierra Del Fuego and a million wind-driven waves.  We hope that today is the end of our hotel based “testing period” to ensure nobody brings the virus to Antarctica. 

Best Regards

RMI Guide Dave Hahn