Entries from Expedition Dispatches

Hannah and I are thrilled to announce to bloglandia that every RMI team member, all 13 of us, summited Cotopaxi this morning around 6:15 am.   I gotta say, this team is batting the perfect game.   Every climber has successfully reached the top of all four mountains without as much as a few blisters.   Granted I taped those blisters up this morning at 12:03 am and I was happy they weren’t mine, but it goes to show that stamina and toughness go a long way up here.   

Potentially assisting in the team’s great success is the unbelievable weather.   I was awe struck at how beautiful Cayambe was but surprised even more at the perfection of today’s weather and route conditions.   Whoever cashed in their karma chips certainly deserves a Pilsner Grande for their investment.   We simply could not be blessed with better luck.  Adding to the beauty this evening was a near full moon which lit up the glacier so brightly we were able to climb without headlamps.    Usually one element, wind, rain, snow, fog or cold is waiting for you at the top.  Today all we had was an intense rotten egg smell from the still active lava tube belching sulfurous gas but other than that nada mucho.   

After a spectacular climb and full blown photo shoot extravaganza, we descended quickly to the hut for homemade pancakes.  Again, this is how mountain climbing should be?   (When do we get cooks again at camp Muir?)

A brief packing session and 600 vertical foot hike down to the bus landed our exhausted carcasses into our assigned seats and off to the Hacienda for a needed shower and big dinner.   I think the average calorie burn on peoples watches indicated between 7 and 9 thousand calories for the day so some papas fritas and lots of meat shouldn’t tighten the belt too much.  

We hope this trend continues tomorrow as we head further south to attempt the grand finale of Chimborazo.   This mountain is notorious for its difficulty so stay tuned.

RMI Guide Adam Knoff

Today was a day we have all been hoping for.  No alarm clocks, no rush to load the small mountain of duffles in the bus and internet all morning.  

By the whipping crack of 1pm we had pacticed cravasse rescue, drank a gallon of coffee and packed our mountain bags.

A short bus ride up a road bumpy enough to make our seats feel like vibrating massage chairs, landed us at 15,200 feet.  A 40 minute cruise took us to the Jose Ribas refugio on the flanks of Cotopaxi.  We can definitely feel the 16,000 foot altitude. But after Cayambe we are all well prepared.   We even have the privilege of waking up "tomorrow" because our alarm clocks won't ring until one minute past midnight.   Wish us well as we are once again a full team with Maria's knee feeling much better. 

Climb on!!

RMI Guide Hannah Smith

Patience was the name of the game for Ixta. The team awoke multiple times during the night to find various conditions. First snow, then total whiteout, then a menacing cloud cap over the upper mountain. Knowing the patterns of the local mountains we decided to take the cloud cap as our opportunity to climb and we’re rewarded. As we climbed, the cloud dissipated, and team was able to keep ascending under the full moon and cool temps. We reached the summit at 7:50 AM with views of the surrounding peaks and the route we had just ascended. No time to waste though, it was time to descend. We knew of the incoming weather and descended without incident to the parking lot.

Off to Puebla we went to enjoy our much-deserved showers, tacos, and real beds. Great effort by all the team members and we look forward to exploring Puebla tomorrow.

RMI Guides Dominic, Abby and Team

The estimated mileage today was 13.1. It was totally worth it. We left around 6 am and had the trail mostly to ourselves. The hike was mostly “matt approved” but it did require some climbing and large steps that after nine days made several of us glad that we were nearing the end of our trek. Last night in Refugio Torres Central there was a disco that kept some awake and those in tents dealt with a cantankerous set of crepuscular song birds that wouldn’t be silenced, but I digress. The Towers were out upon our arrival in the large granite cirque and the wind was moderate. We watched wannabe influencers take photos and more than a couple almost wreck themselves doing the “jumping” 80’s photo thing that won’t die. The contentious total was 93.4 miles and 16,000' elevation gain over the last nine days.

The entire group is showered and ready to dive into some pizza and continue to quench that irresistible thirst that has stalked us since Lago Dickson. When we distill the trip down, Patagonia is beautiful, sore feet were experienced by all, fun and laughter abounded and now two grown adults dressed in penguin onesies are delivering drinks to say “salud” to a great group and trip together. 

RMI Guide Mike King

Greetings all,

With a body exhausted from little sleep and climbing a volcano the team enjoyed a great nights sleep. Sleep apps showed we all slept so well we were basically comatose. As we all rose from our slumber we casually allowed our bodies to wake while sipping coffee and basking in a beautiful morning. 

Today is a rest day as we transfer to Tambopoxi and run through some skills. A three hour drive through more beautiful scenery brought us to the park entrance. Once again you can feel the excitement as we get ready for Cotopaxi. The mountain is being shy tonight, so no views of this beauty yet. Maybe in the morning she will reveal herself. 

Before dinner the team gathered around a playground set where we pretended the monkey bars were the edge of a crevasse. In this scenario the team learned how to self rescue if they had fallen into a crevasse. Using the previous skills of learning about friction hitches, we all ascended the rope pretending we were climbing out of crevasse. Cookies and a glass of wine/beer wrapped up our skill session. 

Many times on climbing trips you lose some weight, but on this trip we are all eating so well that who knows maybe we gain a pound. Dinner once again was delcious followed by a beautiful looking dessert. We are not sure exactly what it was but we can all agree it was delightful.

With heavy eyes, we all leave the table for bed. Showers and phone calls to loved ones wrappwd up our rest day. Tomorrow we go through some more skills before heading up to the hut on Cotopaxi. Round two here we come!

RMI Guides Adam, Hannah, and team

The team awoke early this morning to frost encasing the tents. As we broke the icey zippers and looked out we saw what the crisp morning had brought. Sprawling views of Ixtaccihuatl, a smoking Popocatepetl, and the valley below. To let the frost melt, we hit the pause button and enjoyed our delicious breakfast/coffee before we donned our heavy packs and hit the trail. Unfortunately, the weather decided to change its tune too. We battled the cold wind and whirling clouds as the team pushed on. With a quicker clip than usual, we were all business and made great time getting up to our high camp at 15,400 ft, many of the teams high points. Now we’re bundled up, eating quesadillas, and planning for the climb ahead. Hoping for good weather for tomorrow. Wish us luck!!!

RMI Guide Dominic Cifelli

*retraction* for Doug’s dad, yesterday was 15.5 miles per Doug’s phone. Some people had 14 miles…. it’s was a contentious dinner conversation. 

Today we left Francis Domes after a windy night. The dome fabric was blowing in the wind, tired hikers snored, and the geodesic dome frames shook at times. We had some uphill, downhill, “matt approved” terrain and some dry riverbed for trail. Most of the hike was along Lago Nordenskjöd which was windy enough to have white caps and spray. 5-6 condors soared above and one below us which is rare for these large birds with a 6’/2m wing span….mas o menos. We enjoyed some great views of the Horns and got our first glimpse of the Torres as we rolled into our refugio.

The insatiable thirst returned, and we are looking forward to our last day up to the Torres tomorrow morning. It has been a great trip regardless of the heavily debated terrain and mileage discussions. This group has been one for the record books…in a good way!

Thanks for following along.

RMI Guide Mike King and Team

The team has arrived at La Joya, our Basecamp for our climb of Ixta. We had a busy day of traveling, leaving Malinche to do some last minute shopping in Amecameca. Enjoying the warm Mexican sun, we walked around the markets and ate delicious street food before shipping off to our destination. It was right back to work though as we tuned up, packed and sorted our gear for the coming days. It's cool, breezy and cloudy here at Basecamp, but no rain so we are thankful!

The team is in high spirits and we are excited for the climb.  Good night to everyone at home.

RMI Guide Dominic Cifelli

Today we had a 14-mile day from Paine Grande into the French Valley. The trail was mostly a goat path into the valley with some clouds and light rain overhead. Since we are on the “W” portion of the trek, the trails have become more crowded but nothing like a busy summer day on the Muir snowfield. The views from the French valley include a large alpine cirque with massive granite spires and peaks encircling a dense forest. The clouds kept things cool, the rain made for wet rocks to focus our footwork on and the 15 miles after 7 days of walking made for sore feet. We are at Frances Domes camp for the night. The salmon and lentils were delicious, the pisco sours very drinkable. Tomorrow we’ll hike to Torres central and spend the night, which sets us up for a morning day hike to the Torres on Wednesday. It’s windy and a little rainy, into our wood stove heated domes we go. Thanks for following along. 

RMI Guide Mike King

I am thrilled to announce to the blogosphere and those actually following that our intrepid group of mountaineers all reached the summit of 18,996’ Volcan Cayambe this morning at 6 am.  Having been on this mountain close to a dozen times, I can honestly say this was likely the nicest route conditions and weather combination I have ever experienced.  Excellent snow texture, light wind and perfect temps made for a day that will be hard to follow on our next two objectives.   

Our day began slightly less than perfect with an 11pm alarm jolt which politely ripped me from my sleep which I had finally achieved a mere 30 minutes before.  Oh the joys of an honest alpine start.  

After flipping a coin to decide if I should put my harness on before doing something usually done before the harness goes on, the quarter landed tails so I harnessed up and hoped for the best.  While continuing to ready ourselves, one of our team members opted not to join the climb because of a strained knee which was heartbreaking news, so upon departure, we were six instead of seven.  Maria, you were with us in spirit the entire way! 

As the climb progressed, even the local guides couldn’t stop commenting on how beautiful the night was.  This is also Hannah’s first big mountain in Ecuador so she better not get too used to this.  Especially on Cayambe.  We all need to crack a cervesa and toast the weather gods.

With incredible summit photos and hugs proof of our ascent, the descent went as smooth as the climb.  Three hours after leaving the top everyone was safe and sound back at the hut drinking coffee and eating freshly prepared scrambled eggs.  Shortly after breakfast we loaded the trucks and headed back to town.

By 3:30 this afternoon we had put a serious dent in our hacienda's beer supply and couldn’t believe we were standing on the summit a mere eight hours previous.  Ah the beauty of not having to pack up camp and keep marching!  This is how mountain climbing should be (most of the time).

Now the team is continuing to celebrate and fight off the exhaustion that comes with ten hours on the move at altitude.  They are strong in more ways than one!

Congrats to a job well done.

RMI Guide Adam Knoff