Entries from Expedition Dispatches

Today we hiked 11 miles through rolling forest and grasslands. The views of the Paine River and Lake were enjoyable. The team enjoyed sun, wind & rain. Often these happened all at once.

We are relaxing at Lago Dickson, a beautiful camp along a glacial lake that often has ice floating in it. All is well in Southern Patagonia.

RMI Guide Mike King and Team

Hola readers,

Today the team got to stretch their legs and expand their lungs hiking on El Rucu Pichincha. This peak stands at roughly 15k at the foothills of Quito. The nice thing about this hike is we get to take a gondola to 13k before we start walking. The team performed well and looked strong and ready for the volcanos to come.

The clouds rolled in and out through the day, creating some mystery on where we actually were. Were we in Lord of the Rings? Would a dinosaur appear? Who knows! You truly can't beat the beauty out here.

Next, we go to Fuya Fuya to continue to allow our bodies adjust and compensate for the decrease in pressure and less oxygen molecules to suck in. We say goodbye to Quito and hello to the rest of the journey!

Avery, Hannah, and Team

We got picked up in Puerto Natales and enjoyed seeing rehas, guanacos & a fox during our scenic drive to the park. Our hike to Seron was 8.5 miles. The trail winds through beech trees with dry rolling grasslands along the Paine River. We had nice weather, wind to keep us cool & cloud cover for the UV. At camp, the team is enjoying some down time, charcuterie & dinner to conclude the day. All is good down in Patagonia. Camp Lago Dickson tomorrow.

Thanks,

RMI Guide Mike King

Wednesday, February 8, 2023

Hello readers,

Today officially kicked off our Ecuador Seminar! The team gathered in the hotel lobby to introduce their selves, say why they chose the Seminar, and where they are coming from. From first glance it appears we have a fine looking team, who is going to be a hoot to climb five peaks with. After running through the itinerary for the next twi weeks, we grabbed a quick day pack and loaded the vans to go on our city tour. First stop was the equator where we learned many fun facts about the region, the culture, and how to make delicious chocolate. We also learned who has steady hands and the patience to balance an egg on the head of a nail. After the Equator we drove to a magnificent view of the city and walked the streets of old Town. It felt good to stretch the legs and see Quito. A casual night out for dinner wrapped up our day. Today we hit our first acclimatizing hike where we get to hopefully hit 15k feet and get our bodies adjusting to the high altitudes. The team is psyched and ready to go high.

Adios,

RMI Guides Avery Parrinello, Hannah Smith, and Team

The Torres del Paine trek team arrived over the last two days in Punta Arenas. Flying this far south requires a lot of plane, airport & layover time. We got an early start for our boat trip to Magdalena Island where a colony of magallenic penguins live.One and a half hours out the Straights of Magellan (if you haven't figured out that he's kind of a big deal down here) where the currents of the Atlantic & Pacific oceans collide resides a lot of penquinos. An hour loop got everyone a full dose of penguins, gulls & skuas. The baby penguins that hatched in November are big and still have trace amounts of their fuzzy down. 

We'll transfer to Puerto Natales this afternoon and get our gear check done. A quick meeting with our Chilean partners will get everyone ready to begin our trek of the "O" & "W" circuit of Torres del Paine National Park.

So far the weather has been nice, seas calm and winds low. We are eager to start walking towards Seron camp in the morning. 

RMI Guide Mike King

Last night we celebrated our return to Basecamp with an incredible meal of salad, eggplant, meat with chimichurri sauce and of course, wine. Most of us connected to Wifi and let family and friends know we were well and they were missed. The mood was celebratory and the conversations light and airy. We chatted, laughed and played Farckle late into the night knowing our task was not complete. We woke early and hiked for a total of 17.5 miles, spending the day processing the experience we are completing and what lessons it has taught us. But, how do you incorporate the lessons of the mountains to make yourself a better person? A better partner? A better parent? A better friend? Can you remember to enjoy the simple and minute moments in your day? Can you filter out the sounds of the wind, the background noise, and focus on what matters? Can you remember to take a break, take care of yourself and take care of your “team”? By the time we rolled into Leñas we were reminded that we have only a short walk out to civilization and all the pressures of the real world will be back but tonight we feasted again and laughed again and enjoyed the moment.  Whether that was petting a mule, watching the light fade on the mountain tops, feeling the cool breeze sweep through the valley or catch the stars brighten in the sky. Maybe that is the lesson of the mountain, being present and immersed in the moment, maybe that’s what keeps bringing us back to the mountains. 

PS: I love you Mama, Teddy and Everett. Can’t wait to give you big hugs and kisses soon.

Climber David Scordino

As the clouds dissipated and the grapple settled,  we awoke in our tents and decided to hit snooze. We waited for the warm kiss of the sun to dry our tents and only then, did we creak our sore muscles and joints into working.  Our walk down was a welcome change from the cold, damp weather of our night spent at Camp 3. The cool breeze, sunny skies, and grand vistas made our travel easy as we descended to Basecamp into open arms and champagne showers. 

We’re settled into Basecamp after a delicious asado and will sleep soundly tonight. Tomorrow, we start the walk out of the Vacas valley. It will be our final full day on the mountain. As pretty and rewarding as it’s been out here, we’re excited for the creature comforts that Mendoza has to offer.  

Tomorrow is a long day, but we’re excited to see the views and experience the valley without the nerves and trepidation that the beginning offers. 

Thanks for following along! 

RMI Guide Dominic Cifelli 

Why do we climb mountains? It’s a pretty common question anybody in the mountain community gets asked. The beauty of the answer is that for each of us, it’s different. There is a common thread though. Being in the mountains, for all its tropes about toughness, grit, and partial insanity,  is uniquely vulnerable. Among the towering peaks and grand vistas it’s easy to feel small and that’s what we like about it. When you step out the door for an expedition you don’t know if you’ll come back successful, but the unknown and discomfort in each step is the allure that draws us back again and again. We find truths  about ourselves in the discomfort and vulnerability of mountain life that we can’t tap into in our everyday lives. The real truth is,  that being comfortable is overrated, and being vulnerable, the opposite. We summitted Aconcagua today. It was the best summit day I’ve ever had on the mountain. Windy, shaded traverses, that usually get my toes numb just thinking about them, were calm and warm (ish). Instead of hiding behind a buff or neoprene face mask to save skin, it was swapped with sun screen and lip balm. We made our way up the Stone Sentinel slowly, but surely, and stood atop at around 2:30pm local time. We were likely the highest people touching earth at the time. As we descended the clouds came in and by the time we were back in the safety of our tent we were happy to not hold that title any longer. Thunder, lightning, grapple the size of marbles started as soon as the last zipper zipped. We had timed the day perfectly. We will sleep well tonight, or as well as you can at 19,600 ft. Tomorrow we will descend to Basecamp and enjoy the food, warmth, and company.

RMI Guide Dominic Cifelli

Hello from Camp 3, Colera!

Today, we woke up to a beautiful day with low clouds blanketing the valley below us. We packed all our gear and headed uphill. We walked in and out of cloud cover with the slightest breeze. We all appreciated the cooler temps and reprieve from the harsh sun.

After a few hours, we arrived at 19,600 feet. Everyone was feeling great, and we all worked together to get our tents set up.

Shortly after we arrived, the clouds filled in and the thunder rolled. Every time we’d hear the rumble, the whole camp would yell “tranquilo” which definitely helped because the clouds moved by and now, we have clear skies again.

We are all tucked in our tents and ready for our early morning start for the summit. Here we go!!

Jess and team

The dry weather held out for us and we summitted Antisana at 6:30am yesterday. Clouds threatened in the distance, with a fantastic lightning show in the direction of the Pichincha Volcano. However, it was mostly calm and clear at Antisana, until the summit where wind and rime ice conditions convinced us to not hang too long.

Antisana is well-liked by climbers for it's challenge and aesthetic beauty. The mountain is heavily-crevassed with numerous seracs. The largest snow bridge we crossed yesterday stretched nearly 20 meters! The use of steep snow climbing techniques and running belays are required, especially in the final 1500 vertical feet of the ascent.

Climbers on this trip have now summitted the fourth (Antisana) and third (Cayambe) highest peaks in Ecuador. If future trips bring them back here, they have Cotopaxi and Chimborazo to round out the top four. But for now, Cotopaxi continues to erupt, so those plans will need to be on hold.

After the 11-hour day of climbing, we descended to camp, ate one final Locro de Papas (potato soup), packed up camp and made one last trip in 4x4s down to the bus. We said our goodbyes to the Ecuadorian guides who have taken care of us along the way and we rejoined Victor on his bus for the two-hour ride back to Quito. The afternoon was spent relaxing in the hotel and I'll say the cold plunge felt better than ever. Today, most folks head back to the United States to regale their families with stories from another successful climbing trip.

Thank you all for following along and consider joining us next year!

RMI Guide Dustin Wittmier