Entries from Expedition Dispatches

Windy windy windy. We left Pampa de Lenas amd continued our journey up valley. What started as a light breeze grew stronger and stronger throughout the day. The wind whipped down valley creating dust clouds. Our mouths became gritty. Our skin felt rough. Our bare skin got sand blasted. It felt like tiny stings on our shins. It was as if mother nature was trying to push us away. But we put our heads down and leaned into it. Right before camp we were rewarded with our first views of Aconcagua and her neighboring peak Amigino. They look so big from where we stand. Towering 12,000 feet above us sits the summit. Fingers crossed, all the stars align and we will be standing up there in just shy of two weeks. But before that we are going to focus on our next goal, arriving at basecamp.

Talk to you all tomorrow from Plaza de Argentina,

RMI Guide Hannah Smith and team

Day Two

It is a rare blessing here in the highlands of Ecuador if we see the snow-capped summits of Cayambe, Cotopaxi and Antisana two days in a row.  Heck, I’d bet my son’s favorite LEGO set on the odds of that happening even once.  But due to abnormally clear skies, warm temps and some cashed in Karma points, we have received that blessing. 

Taking advantage of the good weather, team Ecuador Seminar enjoyed a great breakfast, packed our bags and headed out of Quito to our first “real” mountain, Pichincha Rucu.  Please keep in mind when I say “headed out”, I’m referring to a 15-minute bus ride and when I say “real”, I’m referring to a ho-hum 15,400 foot extinct volcano.  These two realities shine light on another of Ecuador’s overlooked blessings, the ability to go really high really quickly.  Not to mention a cable car which whisked us from 10,000 to 13,000 feet in a matter of minutes, making sure our unacclimatized bodies got the full effect.  

With the surreal summits still scraping the sky far off, we all hit the trail huffing and puffing but enjoying the warm sun and beautiful conditions.  Two and a half hours of steady hiking put us at the summit around 12:30 in the afternoon.  Here the temperatures changed to jackets and light gloves but not unpleasant by any stretch.  After 20 minutes on top, we headed down. 

Just as our team crushed the city tour yesterday, our first mountain was no exception.  Solid performances from every member proved we should be ready, when the time comes, to take on one of the high ones. 

Once back at the hotel everybody was set free to explore, rest, eat a guinea pig or go shopping.  We will reconvene for dinner and prepare for another mountain tomorrow.  

Stay tuned.

RMI Guide Adam Knoff

Jambo from Kilimanjaro!

Today we awoke to partly cloudy skies and descent views of Kilimanjaro looming above. Amazing to see how much new snow is on the mountain since it’s been a pretty wet winter here.

Our morning routine has been waking around 6:30 and getting everything in our tents packed up before heading into our very spacious dining tent for quite the feast.

We hit the trail once again around 8am and hiked for an hour before taking our usual 15-minute break, then back on the trail for another hour. All total today we hiked for just over seven hours before reaching camp which is set up and ready for us. Eventually the clouds rolled in and obscured the mountain for the final few hours.

Along the way we passed around the famous and beautiful Lava Tower, reaching just over 15,000ft, setting new altitude records for some of the team. Everyone enjoyed the day and there was plenty of good conversations amongst the crew.

Spirits are high!

RMI Guide Casey Grom and the crew

On The Map

The day that seemed like it would never come. The day the team has been training for for months. The day that starts it all, has finally arrived! We checked in with the rangers at the Parque Provincial Aconcagua, took a team photo, and started walking. It definitely felt good to get the legs moving after days of travel and sitting. The desert valley is beautiful. We walked along the riverside following the contours of the valley. After a few breaks and a juicy melon we arrived at Pampa de Lenas where we were greeted with snacks and juice. After our refreshments we put up camp as the wind picked up. The dust swirled around us.  One day in and we are covered in dirt and look as if we have been here longer. With tents up and filled with sleeping bags, we took an afternoon siesta before dinner. Dinner was magnificent! Tomato avocado salad, potatoes, bread, and carne asado. The salt burns the sun-kissed lips but it tastes so good. Bellies full, once again, we head off to bed happy.
Tomorrow brings another day walking in the Vacas Valley.

Buenos noches,
RMI Guide Hannah Smith and team

Day one of our long awaited Ecuadorian adventure has officially begun.  All of the grueling training with unthinkably heavy packs, sweat burned eyes and crippling soreness is finally over and world’s finest mountain climbing team is ready.   It’s been a long time coming, a year at least, for this elite team from Chicago, Minneapolis, San Fransico, Philadelphia and other mountain meccas to unite. 

Today in Quito, Ecuador our team took an incredible tour of this ancient city impressing the locals with powerful, athletic bus riding skills, strong gravitational resistance and uncanny focus.  This is no joke.  Our first stop was 20 miles north of downtown Quito at a mysterious place known as… “The Equator”.   This unique place has exhibits which make water spin in opposite directions twenty feet from the painted red line, make a seemingly simple DUI test almost impossible and miraculously provide magic nails that somehow can balance an egg, the long way, on their tiny heads.  Fortunately, I was able to choose who would be climbing on my rope by each person’s performance and strength.  Those who got an egg diploma, didn’t fall sideways to the south and had the strongest upward pull against our guide’s superhuman strength, passed the test.  

After our interactive visit to the center of the world, we flexed our bus muscles once again and proceeded 25 miles back into the heart of Quito.  The entire ride we were blessed with very rare views of Cayambe, Cotopaxi and Anitsana, three of Ecuadors highest peaks, two of which we are going to climb on this trip.  Thankfully I saw no fear in the eyes of my group indicating nerves of steel and complete readiness.   

After two hours of enjoying grand vistas of the bustling city, visiting beautiful churches and walking the old town streets, the team made it back to the hotel, not even winded, ready for a power nap.  I can’t wait to get on a mountain with them! 

For now, all is well, the group is healthy and excited so we will sign off until tomorrow. 

RMI Guide Adam Knoff

Wednesday, January 8, 2020 3:56 AM PT

Hello again everyone

The team had a really nice day here on Kilimanjaro today, waking to mostly clear skies and hiking in just a light cloud layer which help keep us cool.  We started the day waking at 6:30 to start packing up before moving into our dinning tent for a nice breakfast with porridge, fried eggs, toast, avocado and even some fresh fruit, and most importantly plenty of hot coffee.

We hit the trail shortly after 8am and slowly made our way up the rocky trail with good views of Kili above. The trail climbs up a ridge and eventually out of the trees and allows for some truly spectacular views of the valley below. The team hiked for a little more than 4 hours before reaching out next camp that sits on Shira plateau, which is an ancient lava flow.

Everyone is doing very well and we are currently relaxing in our tents.

RMI Guide Casey Grom and the Kili crew

On The Map

Jambo Everyone

Today the team got off to a moderately early start this morning leaving behind our beautiful lodge and have headed to the mountain towards the start of the climb. We left around 8am and drove along the rural country side and small villages for 2 hours before reaching the park entrance.

Most of the area surrounding Kilimanjaro has been cultivated and primarily used for coffee production and for a variety of other agriculture needs, but there are still some areas that have been untouched and resemble more of a savannah that Tanzania is known for. The base of Kilimanjaro is more forested and looks more jungle like and is called a cloud forest.

Once we arrived at the park gate we had all of our gear weighed and divided into loads for our porters and other staff to carry before hitting the trail. Once everything was in order we started our climb slowly making our way up the winding trail that ascends continuously through the thick forest. Thankfully the overhead canopy provided a little cover from the rain that arrive around midday.

The team hiked for a little over 5 1/2 hours and managed to not get too wet before we reached our camp for the night that sits around 10,000ft.

After settling into camp and get situated the team was served a nice warm meal for dinner.

Everyone is doing well and looking forward to a good nights rest.

RMI Guide Casey Grom and Kili crew

On The Map

Evening everyone! Today was a busy day full of the good ole duffle shuffle. We gathered our things and loaded into the Grajales van to make our way to Penitentes. Winter here, Penitentes is a ski resort but for us its the launching pad for Aconcagua. Our main goal today was to separate our gear into two piles: one that rides the mules straight to basecamp and one that rides the mules to each of our camps on the way in. We were rewarded with a delicious dinner after our hard work. Tomorrow is the big day...the day we hit the dusty trail. Before we start our big journey though we have got to rest up. So good night everyone. Talk to you all in the Vacas Valley.

RMI Guide Hannah Smith and team

Hello everyone!

Our Aconcagua 2020 season is starting off swimmingly. The entire team has made it to Mendoza with all 19 duffles accounted for. After getting settled in at the Hotel Diplomatic, showering off the days travels, and having a team meeting, we headed over to one of our favorite restaurants, Anna Bistro. The meat and wine are as good as all the hype. With bellies full of delicious food and the air full of pleasant conversation, we made one final stop for gelato, because there is always room for dessert. But the jetlag is starting to settle in so its off to catch some Z's and dream of the days to come. Tomorrow we head to Penitentes, our launching pad for the trail. Before we know it we will be saying goodbye to beds, wifi, and luxury items and hello to sleeping bags, a dusty trail, and the brightest stars blanketing the night sky. 

Good night all,

RMI Guide Hannah Smith and team

Casey Grom here checking in with RMI's Kilimanjaro Climb!

All is well here in Tanzania and most of the team arrived late last night after some very long flights. It was a short and uneventful ride to our Lodge that is nestled in between Arusha and Moshi and not so far from the base of Kilimanjaro. The team had a quick dinner and headed for bed as the time change has us all feeling just a little off and pretty tired after all the traveling.

Today we had a leisurely morning with our official meeting at 10, where we did a round of introductions and then discussed the upcoming program for the days ahead. We spent the remainder of the day getting our gear packed up and exploring the grounds of our peaceful lodge.

We wrapped up the evening with another delicious meal and plenty of friendly conversations. Everyone is doing well and excited to hit the trail tomorrow and get a little bit of exercise.

RMI Guide Casey Grom and the Kili crew!