Entries from Expedition Dispatches

On the road again! We woke this morning to the hustle and bustle of the other teams packing up their camp. The sun creeped into camp warming our tents. This was our alarm to get up. Everyone had a good night and were feeling good this morning, so we continued with our plan to carry gear to Camp 2. Group piles were made while the stoves roared. Toasted bagels with cream cheese and bacon would fuel us to 18,000' and make the rest of camp jealous with its aroma. It was a busy day on the trail with almost all of Camp 1 occupants moving to Camp 2. After a few hours of walking and getting new views of snowy mountains we arrived at Camp 2. A new sea of tents scattered the rocky camp like skittles. We cached our gear, watched the other teams set up their camp, and then we packed up our things to head down hill. We arrived back to a peaceful Camp 1 with only our tents plus one other still standing. The rest of the afternoon we enjoyed the warm sun and fresh popped popcorn for an afternoon snack.
Having the camp to ourselves is nice and will be even nicer tomorrow on our rest day. The quiet will be much appreciated for sleeping in. The air is chilly now, so we are all off to bed to get warm.

Till next time,
RMI Guide Hannah Smith and team

On The Map

Hola from 16,000 ft on the northern flanks of Ecuador’s most famous mountain, Cotopaxi. We apologize for not sending a dispatch yesterday because we were so excited to get here, we simply forgot. I assure all of you faithful followers the effects of altitude on memory are minimal, I just forget things naturally.

Once moved in last night we endured a very restless evening because apparently the workers knew we were coming and couldn’t stop painting, pounding, dragging and talking well into the night.  So this morning we drank our coffee, packed our bags and headed to the glacier for some skills training unrelated to our climb. The weather is a vast improvement over the weather on Cayambe and all the teams that climbed last night made it to the top.

Not it is 4:30 pm and the hut is busting with tourists and climbers hoping to attempt tonight as well.  Everyone is in good spirits and excited to climb!  We all feel our chances are good.

Stay tuned for tomorrow’s dispatch.

RMI Guide Adam Knoff

Today we visited the famous Ngorongoro Crater. The crater is roughly 100 square miles and is known for its abundance of animals that call the crater home.

We hit the road early with hopes of catching a few of the big cats before the heat of the day.

We managed to see several lions, including two young males up close. We also saw seven Black Rhino, which have become very rare due to poaching.

We wrapped up the day with a visit to a Maasai village not far from the craters rim. The Maasai people are a semi-nomadic tribe that exist almost entirely off of their cattle. The team spent time asking questions and enjoyed being shown around their small and simple village.

We have just finished another wonderful meal here at the Plantation Lodge

RMI Guide Casey Grom and crew

Bye bye basecamp! We left the comforts of basecamp and continued our journey uphill. Having been on this terrain just the other day on our carry, made today just a little bit easier. After conquering the final 100 feet, we strolled into a crowded Aconcagua's Camp 1. A sea on tents scatter the camp. Although there were many tents, it was quiet since the occupants were carrying their gear to Guanacos 3 Camp (our Camp 2). We claimed tent spots and got settled into our new home for the next three nights. Tomorrow we will carry to Guanacos 3 Camp, as long as we are all feeling good in the morning. As the sun drops behind the rocks, the temperature drops, and everyone begins to wander back to their tents where their warm sleeping bags lay. So begins spending 10-12 hours in our tents.

Goodnight all,

RMI Guide Hannah Smith and team

On The Map

Jambo everyone!

Today was our first day of safari and we headed west to visit the beautiful Lake Manyara. The lake is known for its many migratory animals and home to more than 300 different birds. Everyone enjoyed the day cruising around in our safari vehicles with cold beverages in hand while seeing the animals up close. 
We managed to see a few wildebeest, zebras, Cape buffalo, lots of baboons, a few impalas, and a few elephants pretty close, but sadly no lions. 

Hopefully tomorrow the big cats come out. 

All in all it was a really nice introduction to the incredible diversity of wildlife that Africa has and the team is looking forward to seeing more tomorrow. 

We wrapped up the evening with a few cocktails and a wonderful meal at our new lodge. Plantation Lodge - See for yourself!

RMI Guide Casey Grom and the Safari crew

Relax and chill! Today's main goal was resting the body for tomorrow's move to Camp 1. The team enjoyed warm naps in the tents (maybe a little too warm at times), reading books, playing cards, listening to music, and watching Netflix. The winds stayed calm all day which was a nice change from the rather windy days we have had. A highlight of the day was most certainly the dessert at dinner, a slice of cake. The flavor could not be pinpointed but is guessed at possibly lemon, coconut. Regardless of the actual flavor it was delightful. Tomorrow we leave Basecamp and the delicious dinners and desserts we have been enjoying, along with all the amenities. We will trade our plastic chairs and tables for rocks and dirt. But it also means that we are moving higher up the mountain and are that much closer to our goal.

Talk to you from our new camp tomorrow,
RMI Guide Hannah Smith and team

On The Map

Last night as we prepared for our summit attempt, we could not get American football off of our minds. With Dustin and a couple others praying for a Seahawks win and myself along with all my Ecuadorian recruits pulling for the Packers, the howling winds, soaking mist and ominous cloud cap almost seemed to take a back seat. I say this because it was the mind frame I was in but in reality the weather was front and center. When we arrived in Ecuador, I gloated on our fortune of grand vistas and warm temperatures, but we all know how quickly things can change. And change they did.

With a 6:00 pm dinner and 7:00 pm lights out, we never learned the score but went to bed wondering. This is the main reason I didn’t sleep a single minute but my 11:00 pm alarm showed up unwelcomed anyway. As I ventured outside to inspect the winds, I was immediately greeted with a soaking mist ramming into me at 25 mph. This did not inspire me so I held off waking the group up for another hour thinking things might improve enough to warrant going up. And to my surprise it did! At 1:00 am the rain had turned to snow which made the prospect of climbing a bit more bearable, but the wind still screamed as it whistled through the Cayambe Refugio.

At 2:00 am five out of our eight climbers set off for what would be an uncertain ascent. The other three climbers stayed behind because of lingering chest illnesses they felt would improve with rest over cold, windy, snowy climbing.

It only took 15 minutes or so before our local guides began to express concern about ice covered rock and strong winds. We made the decision to go as high as we safely could, which led us through some steep rock steps and a sandy traverse back towards the glacier, which we visited a mere twelve hours previously. It was on this traverse we got the full taste of the wind’s furry. I know how strong a wind gust needs to be to blow me around and this giant fan was blowing at a constant, strong enough to have me leaning into it looking like Michael Jackson in mid performance, I’m guessing a steady 50 mph.

Shortly after passing this exposed spot it was clear our shot at the top was going to be thwarted. It wasn’t cold and the snow had even subsided a bit but the wind, through its howls, made the decision for us, we needed to turn around. This is never an easy decision to make but in the end it was the right one. Back at the hut we took a little cat nap and then woke to horrible instant coffee and some rope practice. We then packed up and headed out, back to the warmth of 8,000 feet and the fantastic burgers of Cafe LA Vaca, my favorite lunch place.

Now we are settled into one of the oldest haciendas in the country enjoying internet, a laundry service and hot showers. Our failure to reach the summit of Cayambe has only fueled the fire to get to Cotopaxi, also known as the jewel of Ecuador, tomorrow. We will keep you updated as we prepare for this 19,400' snow cone. Thanks for following.

RMI Guide Adam Knoff

Today we woke at 6:30 feeling good, had breakfast, then enjoyed a goodbye song and dance from our gracious crew of porters, cooks, and local guides. We finished the little celebration by handing out their well-deserved tips and then hit the trail one last time. 
It took a little over three hours to reach the park gate where the team had lunch then hopped aboard our awaiting bus for the ride back to the lodge. 

Finally we are all safe and sound, and a little cleaner after an amazing seven-day journey up and down Kilimanjaro. 
The team is currently relaxing and looking forward to Safari which starts tomorrow!

RMI Guide Casey Grom and a happy Kilimanjaro crew

Sunday, January 12, 2020

Scree...every uphill travelers worst nightmare. Today we got to see more of the mountain as we did our first carry. We left Basecamp, packs loaded up with food and fuel and made our way through the rocky terrain. The middle portion of the day looks like a cratered martian land. We weave our way around the craters to the final scree hills to camp. The last 100 feet are a butt kicker. Everyone showed determination and that they were willing to embrace the suck. After taking a well deserved break, we unloaded our packs, made are cache, and enjoyed the scenery of camp one. A couple hours of much easier downhill travel, we were back to the comforts of basecamp. The team did a fantastic job navigating the terrain and the altitude. We are looking strong and getting ready for our move. Now we will enjoy one more rest day before leaving basecamp.

Adios,

RMI Guide Hannah Smith and team

On The Map

Last  night our team endured the first full night at what many would consider a serious altitude.  15,200 feet to some serious mountain people would be cause for a scoff and teenage eye roll but for us, it means lots of huffing and puffing on top of waking up with a hangover that is not alcohol induced.  We look forward to that headache later but for now we are holding fast to acclimating and training.
So after shaking out the webs we ate a good breakfast, suited up and made the 1.5-hour hike to the toe of the glacier.  The wind blew hard all night and did not let up during the day.  This made reviewing skills a bit challenging but true-to-form everyone did great. 
After returnimg to the hut we enjoyed a great lunch, some life giving cola cola and a nice power nap.  
Now we are packing for the summit climb hoping the wind will die down just a bit.  Right now it is blowing a steady 25 miles per hour making the thought of 19,000 feet a little cold.  
So wish us luck as we climb through the night tonight.   We will let you know tomorrow how it goes.

RMI Guide Adam Knoff

On The Map