Entries from Expedition Dispatches

Hi team, it's my turn to write this blog from afar. For say goodby and thank you. I am so happy because we achieved our goal, and I'm not just talking about the summit. In my first blog, I asked myself why we come to the mountains, and I discovered it was to find challenges. Well, Aconcagua was a great challenge for everyone. I met amazing, strong people and a very united group. That's not easy, and we did it. I truly enjoyed the days we shared, guiding and speaking English. I just want to say thank you, and I hope you enjoy the asado and vino in Mendoza. Writing in English isn't easy for me, so it's not a very long blog, but it's from the heart. 

A big hug and after so much adventure, I hope your return to home will be tranqui panki.

Grajales and RMI Guide Batti 

This morning brought more pleasant weather in the form of overcast skies as opposed to yesterday’s endless, torrential downpour. We shoved out of Quito a bit ahead of schedule and were able to complete the four-hour loop hike of Laguna Cuicocha without incident.

Along the way people continued to connect with each other and share knowledge and experiences. On this trip we’ve learned a good deal from each other discussing a variety of topics: geology, biology, medicine, piloting an aircraft and how to keep your worried passengers at ease, as well as countless other topics. A lot can also be learned about a person through their fast-food preferences.

Even as we turn our sights towards Cayambe, we have done a great job of focusing on the task at hand (acclimatization) and taking in some lovely cultural experiences.

RMI Guide Dustin Wittmier & Team

After a restful couple nights in Puebla, team Mexican Koala has arrived in Tlachichuca to prepare for our ultimate challenge, 18,500ft Pico de Orizaba!

Yesterday we took advantage of the beautiful rooftop of our Hotel Colonial to do some sunset Snow-School Review, then everyone got to explore their favorite culinary adventures. 

Reports from the mountain are great route, good weather, and cold! 

Wish us luck!

We just got as wet as I can imagine a person can possibly be. It may be dryer standing in the shower. 

Skeptical of the day's forecast (as always in Ecuador), but also based on the pattern that was observed prior to our arrival, we headed into the cloud and rain on Rucu Pichincha. It was one of those hard shells all day kind of days. Actually, the rain let up for one moment, we took the hard shells off and it immediately began raining profusely and never let up. The weather was in fact so wet that the gondola never reopened for our ride down and we took a steep, slippery trail down an extra 2700'. That was honestly pretty neat with water cascading down the trail and by that point, we couldn't possibly have gotten any wetter, so it was nicer to be warm and wet than cold and wet (waiting for the gondola to reopen).

The team was patient, flexible and overall got a decently nice hike in. In a region that doesn't have centralized heating in buildings due to the stable, comfortable weather, our hanging backpacks, jackets and hiking clothes will surely still be somewhat wet in the morning when we depart the hotel and head for our next acclimatization hike. Oh well, everyone is taking it in stride and at a minimum, today was memorable.

RMI Guide Dustin Wittmier & Team

Why do we do this?

No showers, marginal nutrition, bitter cold, stifling heat. Don't forget the heavy packs tired legs, strong winds, and thin air. As our minds wander, step after step, I think it's the dichotomies of climbing that keep is coming back. Always yearning for the next far away peak. The calm within the chaos, the humbling yet empowering nature of the mountain, the isolation and the strongest connections a group of people can make. Mountaineering is the greatest team sport I have found in my short but varied 25 years on this earth. People from all walks of life coming together for a common goal. Summit or not it is a fast track to making friends for life. I would be mistaken if I didn't recognize the people along the way who made this journey possible. I am grateful for our team of climbers who were brave enough to try, my fellow guides , Ben and Batti, who supported the team every step of the way, the kind and organized staff of RMI and Grajales expeditions, Shane and Jonny, our friends and families back at home, and most importantly Aconcagua herself. I love this shit.
PLG

- RH (RMI Guide Ray Holt)
P.S. Happy Birthday Andrew!

Team Mexican Koala was in high spirits on the van ride to Ixta Base Camp. We played “What’s That Song?” to our guide Joe’s epic 80’s playlist, and even managed to get phone reception for a bit to send quick updates to family and friends.

Once we arrived at base camp, the team refueled with soup and chicken tacos, then made our way up to high camp at 14,500 feet. The scenery was unreal, and some of the most beautiful any of us had ever seen-tall yellow prairie grass dotted with pine trees across massive mountainsides, and the Popo volcano belching ash and smoke. 

After an alpine start, the team tagged the summit of Ixta, even with Mother Nature throwing us a curveball in the form of a full-on whiteout and a quarter inch of rime ice on helmets, backpacks, sunglasses, goggles, eyelashes, everything……

Huge thanks to our incredible guides, Joe and Bailey, for getting us up and down safely!

Now we’re looking forward to a hot shower and a rest day in Puebla before our summit push on Orizaba.

RMI Climber Matt Hirschberg-Team Mexico Koala

First and foremost, with great honor, we want to congratulate this team for reaching the summit of Aconcagua! For those of us that made it, however, I believe we would all agree that it came with a cost and it was very bittersweet. This team truly became a family, and it's rough given that not all of us made it. We are so happy and excited for those of us that did, but heartfelt and bummed for those of us that didn't. Not having all of us stand on top left a mark on us, but it also brought out a bond in us that was truly inspiring.  

As guides, we couldn't be more proud of this team from start to finish. Everyone busted their asses, supported each other, and we are all better climbers because of it. We look forward to climbing together again, and what brought us together wasn't just a goal to climb a big mountain. We are a team consisting of an author, a coach, a mother, an entrepreneur, a father, an adventurer, someone going through a mid life crisis, an explorer of life, and someone living their dream. 

We will let all of you decipher who is who. ;)  A huge thanks to this team for coming together in every situation, pushing on, and being part of something even bigger than Cerro Aconcagua herself. 

Congratulations team!! :)

RMI Guide Ben Luedtke

As we left Basecamp, we wondered what toll Aconcagua would ask of us. As we sit in high camp, Camp Colera, at 19,600 feet, with just over 3,000 feet remaining to summit, the mountain’s toll is clear. 

A different question weighs on us now, “What will we ask of ourselves?” Ultimately, this begins at a simple but complex source: Why do we climb? Do we climb to reach new heights? Do we climb to meet new people? Do we climb to show our kids what badasses they can be if they follow their hearts? Do we climb to check boxes, boxes that we alone create and complete out of our own otherworldly competitiveness? Do we climb because the power of mountain vistas must be experienced through our own eyes? Do we climb because it’s a calling, a career, and we know we change lives by guiding others to the heights we’ve experienced? (thank you Ben, Ray, and Batti, you have our unending gratitude) Do we climb because it changes who we are as humans when we see these sights, bond with our team, and reach deep inside ourselves, to reserves we didn’t know existed, to complete a mission? Do we climb because sometimes you have to risk something to truly feel alive? (special shout out to Jonny and Shane, who we carry with us in heart and soul) Do we climb because in some way climbing makes us feel like we’ve figured out a small piece of the universe? Do we climb simply because, “It’s there.”

Maybe we all hold multiple reasons for climbing. Maybe we don’t even know our own reasons. And maybe our reasons change.

Personally, I first climbed just to hang out with a few buddies. To be honest, I didn’t love the training, and the climb was pure misery. But somewhere between Rainier’s summit and the Paradise parking lot, we all asked each other, “What are we climbing next?” Now I climb because I love the entire challenging process of it, and with each climb, I become a better father, friend, and family member. I become a more compassionate and dedicated person for the world around me.

When you climb, you realize that each time you climb, summit or no, something changes in you for the better. You become a stronger, more confident version of the old you. In a way, you are born again. 

It’s fitting that high camp on Aconcagua, Camp Colera, is jokingly called Camp Cholera. One of my favorite quotes about life comes from Gabriel Garcia Marquez in his masterpiece Love in the Time of Cholera. 

“..... human beings are not born once and for all on the day their mothers give birth to them, but that life obliges them over and over to give birth to themselves.”

In today’s Argentinian tongue it reads beautifully: “.....los seres humanos no nacen para siempre el dia en que sus madres los alumbran, sino que la vida los obliga otra vez y muchas veces a parirse a si mismos.”

Aconcagua, summit or not, your slopes and peaks and valleys have forced us to become better versions of ourselves. Your people have welcomed us to this sacred place with open arms, and created new love in our hearts for a people and a place. Centinela, we thank you for being you and creating this opportunity to renew ourselves.

RMI Climber Jared Wood

Leaving Mexico City, team Mexican Koala - our girl Bec flew all the way from Australia - was excited to tackle our first volcano, Malinche at 14,501. 

Our van ride went smoothly and before we knew it we were enjoying the crowd-favorite bbq meat towers at the Malinche cabins restaurant. Our weather was cold but clear, and folks went to bed ready for an early-ish morning. 

Alarms went off at 4:30am, and unfortunately Bec’s long trip from Australia had her under the weather. But the rest of them team rallied for her and left the cabins in the dark. At around 13,500’ we walked into a moody mist cloud, and with our army of mountain-dogs, around 11am, we climbed onto the summit just in time for a sun break! 100% for those who left the cabins!

More meat towers yesterday evening and a good night’s sleep and we’re off to Ixta!

RMI Guide Joe Hoch

Apologies for the short and sweet blog entry, but I promise Jared will make up for it tomorrow. Today our team carried gear and food to cache at Cholera, Camp 3. At 19,600ft above sea level it was a high point for almost all on the team. The slog uphill in snow was peaceful with beautiful views all around, but damn hard. Elevation gain of 1600ft in 3 hours at the altitude we’re at had us utilizing our rest steps and pressure breaths the entire way up. 

Returning to camp for an afternoon nap was what we all needed, or maybe that was just me. Yes, Brian, I actually took a nap in the middle of the afternoon. Please mark the occasion. We spent the rest of our time mentally preparing ourselves for the next two days which will have us moving to high camp and making a summit attempt. 

As I lay in my tent reflecting on the last 10 days on this mountain, I am again filled with gratitude. I’m grateful I get to spend yet another night on the mountain in good health and spirits. I’m grateful for my gear that is going to keep me warm and moving on summit day. I’m grateful for my teammates who are always encouraging each other. I’m grateful for technology that can get sick climbers off the mountain and to the help they need quickly. I’m grateful for the incredible views from the pee spot at Camp 2. I’m grateful for strong legs to carry me up the mountain. I’m grateful for my tent mate Andrew who doesn’t give me a hard time about having to unzip the tent in gusting winds to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night (sometimes twice). I’m grateful for all my people who love and support me and never tell me to stop doing this thing I love. And lastly, but most importantly- I’m grateful for a guide team that calmly snaps into action and handles urgent situations with the utmost professionalism. Ben, Ray and Batti continue to give us all the confidence we need to get up this hill. I can’t imagine there are finer guides on this mountain than the ones we get to call ours. 

Jojo, CMan and IzBiz- thank you for giving up your mama for a few weeks. I’m almost there! BPerk- paint a picture…

RMI Climber Christine Perkinson