Entries from Expedition Dispatches

A shower never felt so good! We spent the night sleeping under the stars. The sky held more stars than one can imagine. No light pollution makes every star twinkle. No alarms were set, we just woke with the sun and the rustling of the other teams at camp. Breakfast looked like a continental breakfast, bagels, oatmeal, cereal. Of course copious amounts of coffee were consumed as well. Everyone can feel the compounded effects of the last few days. This day held a lot inventive to keep moving. Today we would walk to the end of the Vacas Valley and wrap up our expedition. Today we would enjoy a shower and wash Aconcagua off of us. Today we would sleep in a bed. The team walked in style all the way to the end. They earned their shower and bed. All clean and looking presentable the team took the night to relax. Tomorrow we will do an official closing to the exepedition and maybe some laundry too. Before we sign off for good, we would like to thank everyone for the kind comments on the blogs and endless encouragement.

Thank you all and good night,

RMI Guide Hannah Smith

Yesterday as our team of acclimating, moth parenting, cloud touching gringos strolled up Rucu Pichincha, a storm was unleashing 40 miles to the south.  In Espanol they might say it was raining perros y gatos, but luckily we never felt a drop.  Ever since the team arrived, our weather has been a bit squirley leaving us to wonder if we might actually get wet somewhere along the line.  

As we packed Victor’s magic bus today, the clouds swirled above but not as noisily as the traffic around us.  Forty-five minutes after departing our gracious hotel hosts, we gathered speed around a four lane roundabout and were literally shot out of the city like something breaking free from a strange orbit.  Three hours and 50 miles later we found ourselves at a beautiful crater lake named Largo Mojanda.  As Americans we want to pronounce this with a true "j" sound, making this lake sound like some kind of volcanic jelly, but in Espanol, the "j" sounds like an "h" and the "o" is long giving it a more majestic feel. 

The mountains we climbed don’t take as much tutoring to figure out.  Fuya Fuya is the name of the twin peaks we ascended leaving only images and not so much phonetics to the imagination.  Much like yesterday, the weather held and we were blessed with another summit and beautiful vistas of the deep blue lake and surrounding peaks.  The climbing wasn’t difficult but watching Jerome plunge into the frigid water was.  When he asked me it it was okay to swim, I looked at him and said, “I don’t know, is it?”  I certainly wasn’t risking my skin against fresh water volcanic flesh eating trout.  He went in but came out quicker. 

From the lake we descended the bumpy cobble road to our favorite lunch spot and then to the hacienda for some rest, packing and preparing for tomorrow’s big move to 15,000' on the flanks of Cayambe.  This is a big jump so wish us luck.  But, before we go to the mountain we will go shopping!  All faithful blog followers get a gift.  

Stay tuned.

RMI Guide Adam Knoff

On the third day of our expedition we woke early and climbed reluctantly from the warmth of our sleeping bags. Today, we would leave the Vacas valley and climb steadily over 3000 feet through the Relinchos valley to Plaza Argentina, and home for the next three days. The increase in elevation brought some much needed relief from the heat as the temperature dropped with every foot gained. The team traveled together in good spirits under blue skies and marveled at the scale of their surroundings. Early in the afternoon, tired and dust covered, we found ourselves in the small city that is Aconcagua Basecamp. After three days of wandering through the high desert of the Andes, the team welcomed the comforts of the camp with open arms. Tomorrow we have a well earned rest day to lounge and do a bit of packing to prepare for the upper mountain. The team is in good spirits, and despite being tired from the three day trek, are eager to move higher up the mountain. We can only hope the good weather continues and that the mountain allows us the opportunity to climb. 

RMI Guide Nick Scott

Jambo everyone back home!

We had a slower start today to allow the many porters to get a jump start on the route and ever narrowing trail.

Right out of Barranco Camp we were faced with the only significant technical obstacle for this climb of Kilimanjaro. This hurdle is the great Barranco Wall, which rises about 1,000' and looks as intimidating as it sounds. Thankfully there is a nice narrow trail that weaves its way up and through the wall and all the way to the top. Most of it feels more like steep hiking, but there are a few places that require the use of our hands to help us climb up.

The team did a good job of moving steady and allowing a few porters through with their loads precariously balanced on their heads. Which was astonishing to see, especially since everyone did it in the rain which has been with us for two days now.

After reaching the top we took a nice break hoping to see the mountain, but the clouds only teased us. The team continued our hike for a few more hours up and down through a few valleys before reaching camp.

All in all, it took only about 4 hours for us to reach our next camp called Karanga, named for the big and beautiful valley which it overlooks and revealed itself only when we were headed to bed.

Spirits are high and there have been no complaints from this tough and fit crew!

RMI Guide Casey Grom and team!

On The Map

Today we practiced the art of chill and sought a much needed day of R&R at lower elevation in the lively, colonial city of Puebla. From visits to the pyramid in Choulula, to various mole covered samples, and viewing historic buildings, our goals were fulfilled. Tomorrow, we head to our final objective of the trip, Pico de Orizaba (18,491’). The weather is looking a bit wet in the morning, however improving through into tomorrow evening. According to our local staff and some weather models, we may even be lucky enough for some fresh snow on the upper portion of the route. But for now, we will worry about enjoying some creature comforts throughout our final evening in this quaint and polished hamlet that is Puebla!

RMI Guide Alan Davis

Today our Ecuador Volcanoes team set out on the first of many uphill travels planned for the next ten days.  We like to think that our strategic planning plays a big role in our future success, which is why I ordered up some nice weather and arranged for a cable car to whisk us from 10,000 feet to 13,000 as to not over stress many sea level lungs.  

Our goal today was to ascend the 15,400 foot Pichincha Rucu volcano, a stone's throw outside the city in order acclimate for bigger objectives down the road.  With a starting zone of 13,000 feet, this hike is usually very manageable from the top of the cable car in five hours, give or take.  Upon arriving at the upper station the weather, unsettled for the last two days, showed signs of grumpiness but played nice as we prepared go.  A wild hitchhiker latched onto Jerome’s shirt and hand, quietly calling daddy, daddy, but after five minutes of hiking changed his mind, flying to Willie thinking his orange pack looked more suiting than Jerome’s yellow shirt.  Both would make fine fathers.  

Once on the trail we could not have asked for better walking conditions.  Thick clouds kept the temps down which was nice but obscured our view of the upper mountain.  The steep parts weren’t too slick so the entire team made good and steady progress upwards until there was no more up to be had.  After a cloudy 20 minutes on top we descended down with no issues and still no rain which landed us back at the hotel around 4:00.  

We ate a great meal and then prepared for the upcoming climb tomorrow.  Stay tuned for more sports action.  

RMI Guide Adam Knoff

The second day of the trek took us ever higher into the desert valley on our way to Aconcagua Basecamp. The trail wound it’s way through the high desert of the Andes, past scrub brush, and the occasional Guanaco. Today also provided us with the first views of the mountain. It was a beautiful bluebird day and the upper reaches of Aconcagua were in full view as they towered over the surrounding peaks, including Amighino, a mountain that tops out at the same elevation as Kilimanjaro. Tomorrow we make the final push to basecamp at 13,800 feet and start acclimatizing for the upper mountain.

RMI Guide Nick Scott

On The Map

Just keep walking, walking, walking. We said goodbye to basecamp today. We would begin our walk down through the Relinchos Valley to the Vacas Valley. As we walked, we took in the last views of Aconcagua. Taking in those last views naturally makes you reflect on your journey. What a journey it has been. Our walk down was full of Guanacos sighting. Everyone loves a wildlife sighting. We weaved our way across many stream crossings. The cool water felt magnificent on the feet. It was a long day covering two days worth of walking. The end result was worth it. We were greeted with fresh cut melon and pineapple at Lenas. The dinner was the grand finale, carne asada BBQ. Beef and chicken cooked over a fire by the arreyeros makes all the walking worth it. Instead of pitching a tent, like we have done so many times, we chose to sleep under the stars like the Argentinean cowboys do. Its always a surreal moment, having been so high on a mountain then two days later sleeping in a desert valley floor under the stars. Tomorrow we will finish our walk. Our feet are tired. Our bodies are tired. The incentive though is big to keep walking...a shower in Mendoza. The excitment is high for what tomorrow brings, a shower and a bed. So it is off to bed for us.

Our last night out,
RMI Guide Hannah Smith and team

Today we woke to sound of rain on our tents and hoped it would fade before hitting the trail. Sadly it didn’t, and we left camp clad in waterproof clothing. We hiked for a few hours before we got our break in the weather.

We hit the trail once again around 8:30am and hiked for an hour before taking our usual 15-minute break, then back on the trail for another hour and so on. All total today we hiked for just over 6 hours before reaching camp which is set up and ready for us.

Along the way we passed around the famous Lava Tower reaching just over 15,000ft setting new altitude records for most of the team. Everyone had a great attitude and managed staying dry thankfully.

Hopefully tomorrow brings some sunshine!

RMI Guide Casey Grom and the Kili crew

On The Map

Today the entire team was assembled for the first time.  With a couple last minute emergencies, the group is now down to eight.  We are disappointed some folks had to cancel, however we are happy to report that all who planned to make it here are in country with luggage in tow.

After a quick orientation we were shuffled onto the bus for a tour of Quito and a trip to La Mitad del Mundo (The Middle of the World).  This is not a reference to Middle Earth, but instead is a museum at the Equatorial Line.  We were treated to a variety of scientific representations of the Coriolis Effect.  Two members of the team were able to balance an egg on a nail.  In reality, this is possible anywhere in the world but Dustin keeps a close eye on this activity for when it comes time to assign rope teams.

Our tour then proceeded to El Panecillo and old town Quito.  It rained for most of the day, but we made the most of it and it cleared up just enough on top of El Panecillo to have a great view of the city.

By the time we returned to the hotel most of us were pretty exhausted.  Many team members' flights arrived late last night so people were given the choice to run around town or just relax in the rooms.  I think most chose sleep!

We are all in good spirits, healthy and ready for our first acclimation hike tomorrow up Rucu Pichincha.

RMI Guide Adam Knoff