Entries from Expedition Dispatches

If you were with us last night you would have slept out under the stars of the southern hemisphere, and when you woke after midnight you’d stay up a few minutes longer watching the Milky Way stretch from ridge to ridge. You might have dreamed of this trip for years or signed up only a month ago.You might be back for your second attempt, comparing this to your trek up Denali, or counting down for an Everest attempt. After all the prep and planning you’d be settling into the pace of the mountain and getting to know our guides. You’d hear about their careers in social work, Iowan ice climbing, and physics research and be grateful both for their expertise on Aconcagua and experience guiding together before. You’d want family back home to think you’re roughing it, and might not tell them about the malbec, bistec, and fresh vegetables prepared over an open fire for dinner - then, as the morning light grew in the Vacas valley you’d laugh again about mummy 10 movies and make your way to the tent for coffee. As you linger over a first-class breakfast Jess races from the kitchen to teach us the Spanish word for toothpick - palillo – with hip and hand motions to ensure correct enunciation for each syllable.

Then, we start to hike. Tim might teach you about the physiology of mammals in the Andes mountains, David would explain the nuances of altitude’s effect on the body, and Jack points to geological features and tells you how they came to be. At breaks we sample apple-flavored kettle corn and sandwiches with every sauce mixed together, cheer as a water bottle is rescued from the glacial river, catch our first sight of guanacos traveling together, and wonder how many birds we could name if put on the spot. Most exciting, and just before camp, we catch our first glimpse of the summit. It stood proudly with the snowfield in view and a wisp of cloud scarfed near the peak. Now, we stay out of the sun, read, and rest - thinking both about those we love back home and the big push that waits for us ahead.

Trusting our training, hoping for good weather, and gaining confidence from the group we passed who made the summit, we settle in for our last night before base camp.

RMI Climber Hudson Baird & Team

P.S. Jane, Shane says hi. 

What a day!

The team topped out on the tallest peak outside the Himalayas at 1pm this afternoon.

We stood tall and proud at 22,838'.

While not a technical climb, this climb still requires grit and to give it all you have - mentally and physically. The team did amazing! We are all safely back at our tents with bellies full of Ramen and letting our feet air out from a long day of walking.

Tomorrow, we begin our long descent back to Basecamp. There will be tired legs, feet, and backs but there is a huge incentive to get down: bathrooms, showers, pizza, beer, and wine. All of which each member deserves.

We would like to thank all that asked for good weather for us today, because by golly, it was a gorgeous day.

Now it's time to suck in what little oxygen there is here and rest up for tomorrow.

Well done team,

Hannah, Ben, and Dan

The team arrived in Mendoza with all of their gear. The first hurdle of any expedition is the logistical hoops one must jump through in order to pack and prepare. It can feel like quite a challenge to ‘feel ready’ when you step on to the gravel at the trailhead, but the team has it dialed in and we’re truly ready for the expedition ahead of us. Uspallatta, a small town a little ways outside the mountain, was our humble abode last night. We took the time to enjoy the creature comforts of the hotel after packing our bags for the journey ahead. Laying in grass, reading our respective books, and taking naps is how we spent our time after the work was done. The night wasn’t complete until the team and other hotel guests were singing and dancing in a Congo line with live music to boot. Expedition life can be so tough sometimes. Today we leave the comforts of hotels and head out on the trail for our first mountain day. We will do one more pack in the town of Penitentes and prepare our gear for the rigorous journey up the Vacas Valley to Plaza Argentina. Wish for tailwinds, scattered clouds for shade, and cool temps for the trek into Basecamp!

Thanks for following along!

RMI Guides Dominic Cifelli, Jack Delaney and Jess Wedel

Well, a summit of Chimborazo was not in the cards this time. In Ecuador, we lack the same resources that are available to us in the United States for weather and avalanche forecasting. The team headed to the mountain physically and mentally prepared, but upon arrival it became apparent that we would not be climbing. Teams from the previous two nights reported deep snow above 5800 meters and the high camp staff gave us their snow report from the past several days. The guides ventured out to look at the structure of the snowpack and we determined that it did not even make sense to go to 5800 meters on a mountain known for avalanching. The team, being prepared for this possibility, was happy to sleep at a new sleeping altitude record for almost everyone and then practice avalanche rescue in the morning.

The morning was a touch lethargic, it's tough waking up at 17,400'. After a few pressure breaths, a handful of Ibuprofen and some pizza and eggs we were all feeling a touch better. Henry led the team in avalanche transceiver searches while we were also treated to views of the upper mountain. It was tough to look at the false summit on such a calm, sunny day and not be able to climb, but our decisions were confirmed when we looked up and saw some evidence of avalanche activity on the route this morning.

Despite our lack of a summit on Chimborazo, the team is happy, keeping in mind that we did summit two big mountains on this trip already (Cayambe and Antisana). It has been a great two weeks of hiking, climbing and learning expedition-related skills. We will have a celebration dinner tonight in Riobamba and be headed back to Quito tomorrow. If you have a loved one or friend on this trip, everyone has been challenged to learn ten more words in Spanish, so make sure to give them a pop quiz when you pick them up from the airport! This is as much a climbing trip as it is a cultural experience.

Thanks for following along.

RMI Guide Dustin Wittmier

Hello from High Camp on Aconcagua!

The team woke to some light breeze and an eagerness to move to Camp Colera. A simple breakfast of oatmeal would fuel us up the 1,600' to our new home for the the next two nights. With each step we could tell we were taking in less oxygen. It is a weird feeling exerting one self while hypoxic. After a few hours of walking uphill we rolled into a busy High Camp. We found four spots to set up our tents and get settled in. This camp has no running water so most of the afternoon is spent making water. It will be early to bed for us since we have an early morning making our way to the summit. The winds have increased but fingers crossed we can stay protected from them and stay warm enough to make the tippy top. Wish us luck as we get ready for our big day!

We got this,

RMI Guides Hannah, Ben, Dan and Team

All who attempted had a successful summit of Pico de Orizaba today!

Starting at the alpine hour of 1AM, the stars let us know we had a clear morning to climb. Everything went seamlessly as we ascended through steep rocks to the start of the Jamapa glacier. We roped up with our ice axes in hand and climbed to the summit, enjoying the sunrise and shadow of the mountain stretching far across the landscape from 18,491’. 

Although this mountain takes a lot out of us climbers, everyone was in high spirits afterwards, knowing our trip was successful and complete. 

Tonight, we celebrate our trip and our last night as a team!

RMI Guide Abby Westling

Hello all,

Another chill day on Aconcagua for the team. Since we had the time we had a fun breakfast of pancakes with white chocolate chips (the grocery was out of milk chocolate chips). After enjoying are delightful breakfast we stretched our legs on the first stretch of our hike tomorrow. It was good to fill the lungs and get the blood going and to get eyes on tomorrow's terrain. We spent most of the afternoon resting, enjoying the scenery, starring at the mountain and sorting gear for our move. Everyone is ready for our next move. This move is significant because once we leave this camp we are go go go for the next five days. The team is ready and looking strong. So here is our last Goodnight from Guanacos Camp. Next chat is from our high camp.

RMI Guides Hannah, Ben, Dan and Team

We are in the final days of our trip as we traveled from Puebla to Tlachichuca today. We packed our climbing packs one final time for Pico de Orizaba, preparing our gear for the last climb of our trip. Once loaded up in the 4x4s for our journey, we drove the dusty and bumpy road to Piedra Grande; our high camp, looking at Orizaba getting closer to us throughout the drive. After reaching our destination we set up our camp for the night and walked around the camp, stretching our legs and familiarizing ourselves with what 14,000 feet feels like once again. After our rest day, everyone feels prepared for the climb ahead! Tonight we tuck in early as we have an early start for our climb tomorrow.

RMI Guide Abby Westling

Good evening,

Not a whole lot to report from Camp 2. Our night was noisy with wind, which didn't let up till later in the afternoon. With the winds blowing in the morning making the camp look all sparkly we decided to stay put and not participate in the windy day.The carry is not a crucial part of our agenda so it is OK that we opted not to carry to high camp. We spent out day watching the snow Dance off the ridges and the top.Tomorrow will be another rest day before we make the move to high camp where we launch for the summit. The winds should be lessening as our day approaches. For now we snuggle into our sleeping bags for warmth and enjoy a other hypoxic sleep at 18,000'.

Goodnight all,

RMI Guides Hannah, Ben, Dan and Team

Upon arrival at Antisana basecamp, we had no views of the mountain and a light drizzle. Upon departure it was beginning to storm again: rain, hail and lightning. But right in the middle was a perfect weather window for climbing.

We awoke to fog in camp, which we continued to ascend through until reaching about 17,300’. From that point, the clouds would remain below us and we climbed into a starry, calm night. We reached the summit just a bit after sunrise and it was perfectly still, so we hung for a while.

The route on Antisana is not particularly long, but it is complex, featuring heavily crevassed terrain. At the bergschrund, a steep pitch of belayed climbing takes you to the summit plateau where an additional 20 minutes of high-altitude walking takes you to the summit. Due to these various complexities, our group took just over 10 hours round trip for a route that ascends 4,080’.

Back at camp we enjoyed a lovely breakfast before spending several hours in transit to the town of Latacunga and Hacienda La Cienega, where many members of the team reported sleeping eight or nine hours straight through. The wine and comfy beds were well deserved.

We are now sitting on the bus, making the several hour drive south towards Chimborazo. We will stop in the town of Ambato for hilariously large burritos before continuing to Riobamba, where we will stay the night. Summit day on Chimborazo is Saturday night into Sunday morning and we are hoping for continued good weather.

RMI Guide Dustin Wittmier and team