Entries from Expedition Dispatches

Done and dusted! The team just crushed what is objectively the most difficult day of the trip outside of summit day. The packs are the heaviest, the altitude change is the hardest, and nerves and anxiety are usually pretty high. Everyone is always wondering how they will perform. Well, every member of this crew absolutely styled the carry! I couldn’t be prouder of all of them and all of you friends and family at home should be equally as proud. Now they have the rest of the afternoon to chill and enjoy a huge BBQ lunch prepared by our killer basecamp crew. Woohoo! Feels good to have the first one done. We will be taking another rest day tomorrow to help increase our chances of better acclimating before making the move to Camp one. High fives all around!

RMI Guide Nick Scott

Ode to the Rest Step

My dearest rest step, you are the absolute best

With every foot placement you give us a micro rest

These tests that make climbing the alpine possible 

Even with the heaviest pack you make us feel invincible!

And when you remember to pressure breath we can climb with no reprieve.

Oh rest step, with you we will never stop,

And we will always make the mountain top!

Signed

-unknown 42yr old Portland Poet

In an effort to maximize the suffering and thus achieve the greatest level of mental training, we hiked Rucu Pichincha during the rainiest, snowiest portion of the day.  Alright, that was not the intention but mission accomplished!  Here on the equator, weather forecasts can only tell you so much.  If you ask a local about it, they typically look at the sky and tell you what is currently happening.  It was basically cloudy, raining or snowing all day but we did get some glimpses of Quito beneath the clouds.  On the way back down the trail we also dried off a bit in the warmth of the afternoon so everyone was in good spirits back on the bus.  Tonight we are headed to a local favorite restaurant to fuel up on baba ganoush before heading north towards Cayambe.

RMI Guide Dustin Wittmier

Finally! A day to rest, relax, and check out the worlds highest art gallery! Yes you read that correctly. Today, we all had a nice sleep-in before stumbling into our dining tent for a lazy breakfast. The basecamp air was cold and crisp this morning. A welcome change from the hot, dry weather down in the Horcones Valley that we trekked through the day before. After breakfast, the team was given packing lists to prepare for our gear carry to Camp 1 tomorrow. The first carry of the trip is arguably the hardest day outside of summit day due to the weight of the packs. But for now, everyone is putting the thought of back breaking loads out of their minds and focusing on acclimating to our new elevation here at basecamp. Many have already toured the art gallery and purchased a few souvenirs for those of you reading this at home in the States. We will spend the rest of the day watching the frequent mountain showers pass through camp and waiting for the next opportunity to stuff our faces with the amazing food provided by our logistics company Grajales Expeditions. Everyone is doing well and excited to move higher up the mountain! Fingers crossed we have good weather for our trip to Camp One.

RMI Guide Nick Scott

Hello,

The remainder of the group arrived yesterday, on time and COVID free.  This morning we all met and headed out for a tour of Quito and La Mitad del Mundo.  We learned quite a bit of Ecuadorian history and had a chance to get our bearings in the second largest city in Ecuador.  More importantly, one member of the team was able to balance a raw egg on the head of a nail.  There is now a shiny certificate that comes with this achievement as compared to when it just came with lifelong bragging rights.  

With our first day at altitude under our belt we are headed to Rucu Pichincha tomorrow for another day of acclimatization.  Everyone is looking forward to getting the legs and lungs working!

RMI Guide Dustin Wittmier

We woke up early today for the long hike to basecamp. The tents were wet from the fog that rolled through moments earlier and was still visible slowly making its way down valley. After a quick breakfast, we packed our duffles for the trip to basecamp began the longest walk of the climb. It would be 10.7 miles over dry, undulating terrain and across streams fed by snow and glacial melt as we slowly gained elevation. It was the clearest and sunniest day so far. Great for sightseeing, not so great when trekking through a high altitude desert. The summit of Aconcagua even managed to make a brief appearance once or twice along the way. After 10 miles of hard walking we made the final push straight up hill for the last .7 into basecamp. The team crushed the trek coming in two hours under the expected time, far outpacing both guides estimates. This team is Muy Fuerte, as they say here in Argentina. We are definitely feeling the altitude here at 14,500', but it’s nothing a rest day can’t fix. Tomorrow we relax and soak in the base camp vibes while planning our move to the upper mountain.

RMI Guide Nick Scott

Tuesday, January 11, 2022 - 10:22 am PT

Our acclimation day at Confluencia Camp started with a hearty breakfast and clear skies.  We then began our day hike to see the South face of Aconcagua.  The ascent was beautiful and paralleled a glacier as we approached Aconcagua.  Finally we reached the view.  Even with the upper portions of the mountain obscured by clouds, the face looked impressive.  On our way down, we found a little rain, but thankfully it let up once we returned to camp.  Now our attention turns to preparing to move to basecamp tomorrow.  

RMI Guide James Bealer

Monday, January 10, 2022 - 2:20 pm PT

Today was the big day!  We woke up in Uspallata and started our drive towards the Aconcagua.  After getting our permits and entry to the park in order, we began our trek into Confluencia Camp.  We arrived in camp and picked up our bags that were delivered by mules.  Tent sites were selected and the team quickly got moved in.  We then spent the afternoon resting and eating amazing food as we begin to adjust to the altitude.  

RMI Guide Nick Scott

Sunday, January 9, 2022 - 7:22 pm PT

Today was our last day in Mendoza before heading closer to the mountains. At the thought of leaving the comforts of civilization all the climbers made sure to indulge in one last cup of gelato from the corner tienda. After ice cream we were required to complete one last covid test while in town before we would be approved to enter the park. Don’t worry! Everyone on the team was negative. With climbing permits in hand we moved higher into the mountains through the deep valleys of the Andes. We left the hot and dry Mendoza valley behind and entered the beautiful, lush village of Uspallata where we were relieved to find much cooler temperatures and a bit of afternoon rain. Soon after arriving at the Grand Hotel Uspallata, we got to work packing our expedition duffels for the mule team that would ferry our heavy gear up to basecamp for us. After many hours of packing and sorting group gear we sat down to a wonderful group dinner, our last indoors for awhile, before turning in for some much needed rest. Tomorrow we start our trek to basecamp and the first leg of our journey to the summit. Wish us luck and stayed tuned for the next episode of Aconcagua 2022!

RMI Guide Nick Scott

Sunday, January 9, 2022 - 5:05 am PT

Hola de Mendoza! The adventure has begun. All climbers and guides have, miraculously and with only a few delays, made it to Mendoza, Argentina, the starting point for our expedition to the summit of Aconcagua. Despite the jet lag and sleep deprivation, everyone managed to pull it together for a traditional Argentine group dinner of wine and steak followed by Mendoza’s famous gelato! Despite the late hour, it was nothing but smiles by the time everyone finished their ice cream. The food in Mendoza never ceases to delight and ice cream always helps calm the nerves. After, we all retired to our rooms for some well deserved rest before a busy day filled with more travel and packing for the trek to Basecamp. Tomorrow we head to Uspallata. Only one more night before we entire the park and start the long uphill march to the top!

RMI Guide Nick Scott

What a difference a day makes.  Yesterday morning we woke at Vinson high camp and finished the “day” around a campfire in Miami, Florida. 

We packed camp on another cold but beautiful Antarctic morning and started climbing downhill at 11:30 AM.  Getting down the steep “fixed rope” section was the tricky part, but we managed it without great difficulty and pulled into low camp at 1 PM.  We switched gears, pulling off crampons and rigging sleds for the lower angled glacier walk to Vinson Basecamp.  There were some low clouds about and a forecast for more to come, so it wasn’t certain that we’d be able to fly out.  But we didn’t think too much about that as we walked the amazing walk down the Branscomb Glacier to VBC.  We pulled in at 4 PM… minutes after Russ landed his ski equipped Twin Otter.  We were greeted at VBC with fist bumps, champagne and COVID tests.  We did the duffel shuffle into the plane and shared a last cocktail with the top notch ALE staff.  Bidding Scott and Hannah goodbye, we loaded up and flew to Union Glacier.  Our timing being perfect, as always, we showed up at 6:30, just in time for an excellent dinner -sitting in chairs at a table in the comfortable dining tent.  By then we knew our Bombardier jet was inbound and so we simply extended dinner for a few hours to sit and talk and mingle with the other adventurers.  Nimsdai, the great Nepali climber and expedition leader, walked in fresh off a plane from the South Pole, and regaled our team with accounts of skiing the “Last Degree”

The “Global” landed at 11PM on the blue ice runway as we watched and cheered.  We took our last steps on the glacier and up the ramp to the luxury of the plane.  Within minutes, Sniggy transformed from Vinson climber to Pilot and lifted us off the Ice.  In less than four hours we were back to Punta Arenas, but only to refuel and say goodbye to Ed Viesturs -who stayed behind for a planned second Vinson climb.  The team toasted Ed as we flew through the South American night.  By early afternoon we were in Miami, Florida and welcomed “home” by Sean “Stroker” Gustafson.  Stroker -the famous F16 pilot and former Vinson climber- had us out to his place for a memorable evening of jet skiing, fishing, and fabulous dining.  Stroker’s family made us quite comfortable and welcome around a campfire to finish the “day”.  The team told stories of mountain climbing and space travel.  We laughed and plotted future adventures long into the night.  It is rare to end an Antarctic journey with a campfire in the sand, but I highly recommend that you try it. 

Best Regards

RMI Guide Dave Hahn