Entries from Expedition Dispatches

We set out early, eager to hike up Ruca Pichincha, ready for an adventure that would take us to 15,000 feet. The ascent was fun, despite a few headaches and light-headedness that came with the altitude—nothing unusual for our first high-altitude climb. Unfortunately, the clouds were thick for most of the hike, hiding the breathtaking views we had hoped to enjoy.
Afterward, we enjoyed some delicious traditional Ecuadorian food to fuel up, savoring the flavors while sharing stories and laughter.

RMI Guide Walt Hailes & Team

Oh boy what a day. 

Another day on the trail and today, is one of the longest distances. 

What started as a light drizzle transformed into moody cloudy overlooking the vast scenery that Torres Del Paine offers. Baby blue glacial lakes, jagged ridges, and jurassic valleys were the theme of the day as we walked the Patagonian flat trail. To top it off? The Paso de Vientas showed us what it was made of. Just enough wind to make it fun, not quite enough to lift us off our feet like a kite. 

Lago Dickson was the destination of the day, and it's like a mirage here. A small peninsula surrounded by the lake that feeds the Paine River. We walked the beach, played farkle (of course) and tried out a new (Alex and Jackie created) card game. 

The team goes to Camp Pedro's tomorrow, our most rustic of the trip. We'll get ready for the big climb and descent over John Gardner pass. Wish us good weather and safe travels! So far, the weather has been just our luck, Patagonian perfect. 

RMI Guide Dominic Cifelli & Team

Rest: A period of time when you relax, sleep, or do nothing after being active.

Although this sounds nice, it's not all sunshine and rainbows doing nothing at almost 14,000 feet.  Fortunately for us, we did get to sleep in this morning, but we also got to go on a short climb along the first leg of our route to Camp 1. Active rest days are important. We take the time we need to rest our bodies and our minds, but it helps a lot to also keep those muscles busy with small activities. Mindfully, we also packed our large backpacks for our first big carry day tomorrow. It may be heavy, but we're feeling ready. We are excited to start our second half of the trip: the climb.

Per request, a huge congratulations to Daniel and Sydney on the new baby! 

RMI Guides Ben Luedtke, Hannah Blum, & Team

100% Team Summit of Ixta!

Fresh off our successful summit of Malinche dodging thunder storms, our Mexico Volcanoes team pulled into La Joya, our basecamp for Volcan Iztaccihautl, to find dime-sized hail falling and lightening cracking just overhead. 

We overheard a trip report from some nice climbers who had camped at 15,500'. “Our hair was buzzing. We threw everything metal out of the tent, then the lightening struck! I still can’t feel my thumbs!”

This pretty well made our decision for us to not walk out into the storm to our high camp on a ridge. Easy decision, but it meant that summiting Ixta the next day would be anything but easy, and could only be done in a single push from La Joya. 

We discussed with the team that this would be a very long and demanding day, and they were all excited for the challenge. 

And they crushed it! We left camp at 1am and walked the normal three miles and 2,000 feet to high camp, then turned to the upper mountain, and no one flinched. Eight and a half total hours of climbing later we all stood in the sun on the 17,169' summit of Ixta. 

Our total time on the climb was a little over 14 hours, with somewhere around 5,500 vertical feet. Half of which we normally do in a big day the day before. Strong work by our whole team!

As we pulled into Puebla around 6pm for our much needed rest day, there wasn't an open eye in the van. 

RMI Guide Joe Hoch

Buen Dia!

We woke up to our final breakfast on the mountain, one more time we put our hiking shoes back on and bid farewell to Jimmy and Daniela - the amazing Grajales team at our last camp.

The wind stayed at our backs as we descended the final 8 miles of the Vacas Valley. Today, the conversation was flowing - more air, full bellies! We saw lots of lizards and butterflies and even a couple mice scurrying across the trail. Signs of life reminding us we are no longer at high altitude.

With ample amounts of dust and dirt embedded in our clothes, we made it to Punta de Vacas. The place we started 2 weeks ago. We took one final group picture and headed to Penitentes to grab our duffel bags.

Before we knew it, we were on the van headed back to Mendoza! But not without a stop for empanadas along the way.

What an end to an amazing trip! We’re all safely back in the comforts of the Diplomatic Hotel - hot showers, pool time, rest and recuperation is on the agenda before we all fly back home.

Thank you for following along!

RMI Guide Jess Wedel

Hello Hello,
Checking in for our Torres trek. It's been a whirlwind couple of days, but we arrived safely, are somewhat rested, and are packed and headed for our first hike of the circuit. 

Though the trip started with a slight snafu with the penguin tour. We pushed our departure back and were rewarded with dolphins, whales, seals, penguins, you name it. An unbelievable ride across the Magellan strait. A day spent in Puerto Natales, a port town at the edge of fjord, had us rearranging gear, catching up on some much-needed rest, packing our backpacks, and shopping for some souvenirs. Situated in this valley, we get sweeping views of the mountains across the way. 

Now we are at Camp Serón, our first camp and a relatively gentle hike to warm up our legs and take in the view that Torres Del Paine National Park has to offer.  Today was international flat not just what is called “ Patagonia Flat” it was a joy to start walking after the few days of hotels and the cherry on top? Condors and a Puma. Just our luck.

We’re excited for tomorrow and we’re each hoping to not lose in farrow or get skunked in our now daily cribbage tournament. Till tomorrow

Thanks for following along,

RMI Guide Dominic Cifelli

Although some of us were a bit worn out from the late-night flights, we rallied together for a whirlwind tour of Quito. Our first stop was the Equator, where we attempted (often unsuccessfully) to balance eggs and marveled at the Coriolis effect, which shifted just 10 feet from the equator.

Next, we ventured into the historic old city, filled with presidential mansions, grand city squares, ancient churches, and bustling crowds. It was a blast taking in the sights while chatting with our teammates. Exploring and challenging ourselves in the mountains is always a highlight, but the true magic of these trips lies in the people we meet and the friendships we forge along the way. We are off to a great start on that front.

After the tour, we headed back to the hotel for a quick gear check, followed by plenty of time to nap, explore the city further, and enjoy an early dinner. The goal was to rest up and catch up on sleep before the real challenges ahead.

RMI Guide Walter Hailes

Today, we had an early start, however we weren’t sleepy on the trail for very long. 

We crossed the river on foot five minutes away from our last trekking camp. The frigid waters came up to our knees as we crossed. Yikes! All this before sunrise.  We quickly dried our feet and legs, and put on warmer foot wear to make our way up to Aconcagua. Six hours of hiking later, climbing 3,300 feet over seven miles, we walked into base camp.

We’re finally here!  A few days to acclimate, and we should head up to Camp 1.

RMI Climber James Esrey

After a well deserved snooze in the Grajales Dome at base camp, the team started the day with our typical Grajales breakfast - cheesy bread, eggs, and a new edition, palta! We said our goodbyes to our incredible base camp staff, and began our trek down from the mountain.

Around noon, we bid farewell to Aconcagua proper and entered the Vacas Valley. Guide Jack stopped us for a lunch break at a small spring adjacent to our final river crossing.

Finally, after sixteen miles of undulating hills,  sticker plants, and rocks of all shapes and sizes, we arrived at our final camp of the trip. We were greeted by familiar Grajales staff faces, jugo, and apples! The team rallied for a delicious dinner in the Grajales dome, and is now setting up sleep systems for one last night in the mountains. Bittersweet feelings all around, yet we know this mountain has held so much for us and will be here for those of us yearning to return. 

Climber Anne Bradford 

In the land of mountains, where peaks touch the sky,

We started the day, with a breakfast to try.

At Camp 1, the feast was a wondrous delight,

Eggs and bacon, oh my, a savory morning sight!

Ben burst into song, with a voice so bold,

He rapped like Eminem, stories untold!

We cheered and we clapped, with joy in our eyes,

What a way to start the day, with a musical surprise!

We packed up our gear, and set off with zest,

A 6-hour hike ahead, to Camp 2, we did our best.

Ten miles of trails, winding and steep,

But the scenery was breathtaking, our spirits did leap!

At last we arrived, at Camp 2's friendly door,

Where staff greeted us warmly, with treats galore!

Fruit and charcuterie, a mountain delight,

We savored each bite, in the warm sun's light.

But the best part of the day, the most wonderful sight,

Was seeing Aconcagua, our goal, shining so bright!

From afar, we gazed, with hearts full of cheer,

Our destination, so grand, drawing us near!

To William, Alina, and Julia, three silly little friends,

I hope you're having adventures that never end!

May your days be filled with laughter and glee,

And may your dreams be big, like the mountain we see!

RMI Climber James Loudin