Aconcagua: Team Settles Into Camp 2
Here at camp 2 (18,000’) while enjoying the views of this Sentinel of Stone - There’s a moment on every expedition that I live for - we’ve reached it.
When Strangers Become a Team
It happens somewhere between the initial introductions and the summit push we have ahead of us, in that subtle shift when a group of strangers transforms into something more. We’re not just individuals sharing a mountain anymore. We’re a team.
You can feel it in the way we move now. Tasks that once required coordination or instruction just happen. The little things that make life at altitude manageable—we just get done, because we’ve all started thinking as one unit rather than separate climbers. We have the same goal in mind, but it takes a team to reach it.
And when someone struggles—whether it’s battling altitude sickness, fumbling with tying a tent knot in 40 mph wind, or simply having a rough day—the response is immediate. We help each in those moments. There’s no judgment, no hesitation. Just hands reaching out to help, encouragement offered freely, and the quiet understanding that today it’s them, tomorrow it might be me.
This is what I love most about mountaineering. Not the summit, not the views (though both are incredible and Yes, the ultimate goal).
It’s this: the alchemy of shared hardship that turns strangers into teammates, and teammates into something that feels a lot like family.
RMI Climber Andrew Hall
Climbing High
Ultimate Battle
Reaching Up & Beyond
