Entries from Aconcagua

First and foremost, with great honor, we want to congratulate this team for reaching the summit of Aconcagua! For those of us that made it, however, I believe we would all agree that it came with a cost and it was very bittersweet. This team truly became a family, and it's rough given that not all of us made it. We are so happy and excited for those of us that did, but heartfelt and bummed for those of us that didn't. Not having all of us stand on top left a mark on us, but it also brought out a bond in us that was truly inspiring.  

As guides, we couldn't be more proud of this team from start to finish. Everyone busted their asses, supported each other, and we are all better climbers because of it. We look forward to climbing together again, and what brought us together wasn't just a goal to climb a big mountain. We are a team consisting of an author, a coach, a mother, an entrepreneur, a father, an adventurer, someone going through a mid life crisis, an explorer of life, and someone living their dream. 

We will let all of you decipher who is who. ;)  A huge thanks to this team for coming together in every situation, pushing on, and being part of something even bigger than Cerro Aconcagua herself. 

Congratulations team!! :)

RMI Guide Ben Luedtke

As we left Basecamp, we wondered what toll Aconcagua would ask of us. As we sit in high camp, Camp Colera, at 19,600 feet, with just over 3,000 feet remaining to summit, the mountain’s toll is clear. 

A different question weighs on us now, “What will we ask of ourselves?” Ultimately, this begins at a simple but complex source: Why do we climb? Do we climb to reach new heights? Do we climb to meet new people? Do we climb to show our kids what badasses they can be if they follow their hearts? Do we climb to check boxes, boxes that we alone create and complete out of our own otherworldly competitiveness? Do we climb because the power of mountain vistas must be experienced through our own eyes? Do we climb because it’s a calling, a career, and we know we change lives by guiding others to the heights we’ve experienced? (thank you Ben, Ray, and Batti, you have our unending gratitude) Do we climb because it changes who we are as humans when we see these sights, bond with our team, and reach deep inside ourselves, to reserves we didn’t know existed, to complete a mission? Do we climb because sometimes you have to risk something to truly feel alive? (special shout out to Jonny and Shane, who we carry with us in heart and soul) Do we climb because in some way climbing makes us feel like we’ve figured out a small piece of the universe? Do we climb simply because, “It’s there.”

Maybe we all hold multiple reasons for climbing. Maybe we don’t even know our own reasons. And maybe our reasons change.

Personally, I first climbed just to hang out with a few buddies. To be honest, I didn’t love the training, and the climb was pure misery. But somewhere between Rainier’s summit and the Paradise parking lot, we all asked each other, “What are we climbing next?” Now I climb because I love the entire challenging process of it, and with each climb, I become a better father, friend, and family member. I become a more compassionate and dedicated person for the world around me.

When you climb, you realize that each time you climb, summit or no, something changes in you for the better. You become a stronger, more confident version of the old you. In a way, you are born again. 

It’s fitting that high camp on Aconcagua, Camp Colera, is jokingly called Camp Cholera. One of my favorite quotes about life comes from Gabriel Garcia Marquez in his masterpiece Love in the Time of Cholera. 

“..... human beings are not born once and for all on the day their mothers give birth to them, but that life obliges them over and over to give birth to themselves.”

In today’s Argentinian tongue it reads beautifully: “.....los seres humanos no nacen para siempre el dia en que sus madres los alumbran, sino que la vida los obliga otra vez y muchas veces a parirse a si mismos.”

Aconcagua, summit or not, your slopes and peaks and valleys have forced us to become better versions of ourselves. Your people have welcomed us to this sacred place with open arms, and created new love in our hearts for a people and a place. Centinela, we thank you for being you and creating this opportunity to renew ourselves.

RMI Climber Jared Wood

Apologies for the short and sweet blog entry, but I promise Jared will make up for it tomorrow. Today our team carried gear and food to cache at Cholera, Camp 3. At 19,600ft above sea level it was a high point for almost all on the team. The slog uphill in snow was peaceful with beautiful views all around, but damn hard. Elevation gain of 1600ft in 3 hours at the altitude we’re at had us utilizing our rest steps and pressure breaths the entire way up. 

Returning to camp for an afternoon nap was what we all needed, or maybe that was just me. Yes, Brian, I actually took a nap in the middle of the afternoon. Please mark the occasion. We spent the rest of our time mentally preparing ourselves for the next two days which will have us moving to high camp and making a summit attempt. 

As I lay in my tent reflecting on the last 10 days on this mountain, I am again filled with gratitude. I’m grateful I get to spend yet another night on the mountain in good health and spirits. I’m grateful for my gear that is going to keep me warm and moving on summit day. I’m grateful for my teammates who are always encouraging each other. I’m grateful for technology that can get sick climbers off the mountain and to the help they need quickly. I’m grateful for the incredible views from the pee spot at Camp 2. I’m grateful for strong legs to carry me up the mountain. I’m grateful for my tent mate Andrew who doesn’t give me a hard time about having to unzip the tent in gusting winds to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night (sometimes twice). I’m grateful for all my people who love and support me and never tell me to stop doing this thing I love. And lastly, but most importantly- I’m grateful for a guide team that calmly snaps into action and handles urgent situations with the utmost professionalism. Ben, Ray and Batti continue to give us all the confidence we need to get up this hill. I can’t imagine there are finer guides on this mountain than the ones we get to call ours. 

Jojo, CMan and IzBiz- thank you for giving up your mama for a few weeks. I’m almost there! BPerk- paint a picture…

RMI Climber Christine Perkinson 

In my brief mountaineering experience over the last 3 years, the quality of these journeys have largely been influenced by the quality of the guides and the people you are climbing with. We have been fortunate to hit home runs on both. 

On day 10 of our adventure as we attempt to summit Aconcagua. Today was a rest day at camp 2. We stretched our legs with a short hike up to 18,500’ where we had a crampon tutorial with guides Ray and Bhati. Ray even let me try his crampons on. We returned to camp 2 to rest, and prepare our gear for the push to camp 3 a.k.a. “high camp“. 

I’ve often compared climbing a mountain to a football season and how fitting that analogy is for this time of year. The trek to base camp is like the regular season. In terms of distance it’s the longest part of the journey just as there are more games in the regular season than in the playoffs. For those fortunate enough, the regular season/trek to base camp is only the preamble for why we do this. We didn’t come here just to get to basecamp and we don’t play football to put the pads away when the playoffs start. 

We do this to push ourselves, to see what’s inside our competitive souls. To join forces with other like minded individuals to work together so we can all stand on the mountain top or hoist the championship trophy. And for some of us, it’s to see if maybe we can shine the sun on our physical accomplishments once more before Father Time starts the slow sunset of our bodies. We are not looking for an easy path, we are looking for a challenge that requires our individual & collective best.

As the playoffs/push up the upper mountain began. Each climb to the next camp or round of the playoffs gets tougher. When climbing every step we take will be greeted with less oxygen, less sleep, more wear and tear on our joints and muscles. Unlike a football game the action is slow and monotonous. It is tedious work. We have to overcome the mental hurdle of knowing that each and every step will be harder. To the point of pure exhaustion, and yet we push on. Why, many will ask. Why would you put yourself through that? The reality is those who ask such questions will never quite understand the answer. In simplest terms I would sum it up like this; if you want to have “Fun” go to Disney World or the beach. If you want an incredible sense of accomplishment, one that few people on this earth will ever know, grab a pack, a pair of boots, a few friends or meet some new ones, hire some experienced guides and hit the trail!

As we stand here at camp 2 looking up at the highest peak in the Western Hemisphere, 22,842’ in sky stands the summit of Aconcagua. The next round of our playoff push is the carry and move to camp 3. Survive and advance is the motto we use during a playoff run and that certainly applies to climbing Aconcagua. Regardless of how our bodies feel and our mind telling us to tap out and return to a hot shower and good night’s sleep in Mendoza, we WILL press on. The “Mountain Don’t Give A F*<£” (MDGAF) and we are determined to “Find A Way!”

It is a battle of ultimate respect between the mountain and the climber. I don’t know if I/we will be turned around or if I/we will dance on the summit in the next few days. I do know that regardless of the outcome, the thousands of hours training we have put in and years of preparation are worth it. Life is about your process and your approach day after day, month after month and year after year. The score/outcome will take care of itself.

I want to thank everyone who has supported my teammates and myself on our respective journeys to this point. The collective commitment of time and resources is substantial. To Shelley, Avery, TJ and Luke I love you all! To the CGG it’s been an amazing 30+ yrs doing life together…it truly is a great day to be alive!

RMI Climber Tim Schafer

Here at camp 2 (18,000’) while enjoying the views of this Sentinel of Stone - There’s a moment on every expedition that I live for - we’ve reached it. 

When Strangers Become a Team

It happens somewhere between the initial introductions and the summit push we have ahead of us, in that subtle shift when a group of strangers transforms into something more. We’re not just individuals sharing a mountain anymore. We’re a team.

You can feel it in the way we move now. Tasks that once required coordination or instruction just happen. The little things that make life at altitude manageable—we just get done, because we’ve all started thinking as one unit rather than separate climbers. We have the same goal in mind, but it takes a team to reach it.  

And when someone struggles—whether it’s battling altitude sickness, fumbling with tying a tent knot in 40 mph wind, or simply having a rough day—the response is immediate. We help each in those moments. There’s no judgment, no hesitation. Just hands reaching out to help, encouragement offered freely, and the quiet understanding that today it’s them, tomorrow it might be me.

This is what I love most about mountaineering. Not the summit, not the views (though both are incredible and Yes, the ultimate goal). 

It’s this: the alchemy of shared hardship that turns strangers into teammates, and teammates into something that feels a lot like family.

RMI Climber Andrew Hall 

Climbing High 

Ultimate Battle

Reaching Up & Beyond

We continue to progress up the mountain. The cold windy night gave way to light winds and warm tranqui panki sun today. Camp 1 (16,400') is where we pitch our tents and we carried and cached gear today at Camp 2 (18,000'). The group continues to move quickly and the nicer weather acted as chubrub, smoothing the way. Soon enough we will call Camp 2 our home.

As we walk up the mountain to accomplish our goal, I can't help but notice another, other worldly thing on its journey down the mountain. A journey that is measured in Eons. These are the stones of the Sentinel and there are many kinds. There are sharp edged stones, smooth rounded stones with inclusions that glint in the shine of the light. Stones that get overwhelmed and buried by others. Dull stones that go unnoticed and stones that are the source of postcards. The life of a stone is long and hard. It begins as part of something larger, but like all those on a journey, it too must find its own way. The path, the goal is mostly the same for stones. To reach the ocean. The way is filled with change, with treachery, pain, success, and help. Sometimes it is a burrowing animal that dislodges the stone that is stuck under the weight of others. Bringing it to the surface where it can see the light again and continue down the mountain. The pull of gravity keeps the stone on its path. Once separated from the slab, the stone searches out the creek, the creek that twists and bends towards the next goal, the river. This is the gathering place of stones. This is where the stone can finally see its destination in sight. One big rainstorm or snowmelt could transport the stone to paradise in one quick rush. But no stone knows if they will be the lucky one. The one that still has some life left when it reaches the ocean. Some shape of its former self that is recognizable.

You see, the journey itself grinds the stone, buckles it, scars it and takes from it. Many stones slowly break down into the sands and gravels that litter the river bed and they never reach their destination. But the lucky stones, the stones that reach the end goal intact, enjoy peace on the ocean floor and take in colorful corals and strange animals swirling around them. There, The stone can reflect on its journey and contemplate the meaning of it all. For when it is finally done, the stone will be transported deep under the ocean floor where it will be melted down into its component parts by an unending pressure. where it will be transformed into something new. Something that will form new mountains in another part of the world. Once cooled, these new stones can start the journey all over again. And so the cycle continues.

RMI Climber Colin Young

Why we come to the mountains? I believe we find challenges here that make us feel alive. I feel alive in the mountains. This is my first season on Aconcagua, and I feel very much alive and ready to accept new challenges. Now a new challenge begins for me: try the summit while guiding and speaking English. Speaking English has always been a big challenge for me. The little English I know I learned on the mountain, talking with people from other countries.

This expedition definitely has everything I come to the mountains to find. I'm very happy to share this experience with this team.

I know it's just beginning, but I'm sure that in the worst-case, it will be a beautiful challenge and that's why I'm in the mountains.

Grajales Guide Batti (Tomas Battistin)

It’s rest day here. The last day at Plaza Argentina Basecamp before we assail the defenses of the Sentinel of Stone, Aconcagua. Little left to do. Everything in our possession either comes with us or goes to Mulas. Eat, rest, see the doc, stretch our legs. Wait. As I sit here in anticipation, I am struck by a simple fact: There is no control on the mountain.  

I’d love to tell you that there is control on the mountain, but there are only degrees of influence and occasionally getting what we intended. But control? El no existe. 

I’d love to say we control our actions, but if we had control of our actions we’d simply sprint up the mountain to the summit. If we had control we’d never bend or slacken to lack of oxygen, muscular fatigue, or the dangerous effects of high altitude sickness. 

I’d love to say we control our thoughts on the mountain, but if we had control of our thoughts on the mountain we’d never doubt ourselves, never experience the effects of low oxygen on our thinking skills, never need checklists, never need an encouraging word from another to keep us focused on the task at hand.

I’d love to tell you we control our emotions on the mountain, but if we controlled our emotions we’d never fear failure. It wouldn’t hurt to miss our mark. We wouldn’t experience angst watching a fellow climber getting airlifted off the mountain via helicopter. Our confidence would never falter no matter how much snow, ice, wind, or elevation Aconcagua throws at us. 

Control is not a concept that exists on the mountain. There is only influence. And our lack of control is not a problem. In fact, our lack of control is an essential part of the challenge. The unknown, the lack of control, the formidable defenses of the mountain, are precisely why the challenge of Aconcagua is so tantalizing and coveted. 

Aconcagua, sacred mountain, Sentinel of Stone, Centinela de Piedra, what defenses will you throw at us? What toll will you ask? What price will you require us to pay? 

Ask what you will, Aconcagua, despite our lack of control, we are prepared to do what we can. 

We are ready to climb with a great plan, the best damn guides a crew could hope for, and tremendous support staff.

We have trained our asses off to make your summit, and we will fight fatigue with a tenacious spirit and love for the challenge you present. 

We will find a way to replace momentary doubt with the confidence that we have an indomitable will to put one foot in front of the other again and again and again. 

Most of all, we will climb with joy in our hearts from all the support we share in this group, and the tremendous sum of support we have from home. We are ready to pick each other up and find a way no matter what defenses you present to us. 

Are you ready, Centinela? Here we come.

RMI Climber Jared Wood

Ben, Ray and team carry to Camp 1. 

In a way, today was the official start of the climb portion of this adventure. Each of us has different motivation and reason for being here. Each of us, a different climbing background. Each of us, a different training regimen. However, today more than ever it was apparent that we are in total unison in moving toward our shared goal of standing atop South America. 

Teamwork was on full display with the fist bumps, high fives, and words of encouragement throughout our entire 4 hour ascent to cache gear and food at Camp 1. Walking up the last section of very loose scree and dirt is indescribable. Every step you took, the ground gave way beneath your feet. With my seriously heavy pack, I struggled to get footing. The frustration was high inside my head as I felt like a hamster in a wheel. Before I knew what was happening, Big Scree cut in front of me and kicked the most glorious steps I have ever seen as he turned his head and said “I got you”. Team work made the dream work. 

As we rolled into Camp 1 we all eagerly emptied our packs into the cache sacks and took a seat on the camp chairs inside the Grajales dome tent. When all were seated around the table, we were presented with a challenge to move as quickly but as controlled as possible down the scree fields. We were told it was a test and we were all down to take it. With a little bit of excitement in the air at the challenge at hand we took off for base camp. Scree skiing was just the fun we needed after our heavy push uphill. There was giggling, laughing, more encouragement and a feeling of freedom I can’t really explain. With the test behind us and A’s all around, we got the afternoon to relax and celebrate our own little personal victories today. 

You never know what the mountain is going to give you on any given day, or what Mother Nature is going to present you with. Heck, you don’t even know what your own body is going to throw at you. We have learned this firsthand as a group. Every day we get to spend on this mountain is a gift, including the hard and heavy days like today. We are all so grateful to be here and to be with two amazing, positive and encouraging guides- Ben and Ray. 

Jojo, CMan and IzBiz- I want you to know that what I did today was hard, but I did it. And I’ll do it again and again and again because there is no better feeling than not giving up on your goals. They’re worth it! Shoot for the moon and see where you land. BPerk- thanks for ALWAYS encouraging me, you are the best thing.

RMI Climber Christine Perkinson

Plaza Argentina Basecamp rest day number one. 

We had a relaxing morning, waking up to a thin layer of frost covering our tents and gear. Schaffe and 1/2 calf proudly entered the dining tent for breakfast knowing they were the evening winners of Farkle. This meant the rest of us schemed of personal strategies that would give us the honor of being a future Farkle champion.

Even without the prestige of a Farkle win, I woke up with an extra bounce in my step knowing that the 49ers won last night.

After breakfast we divided the group gear that will be used on the upper mountain. Ben and Ray weighed our packs, and then we individually decided if using porters was right for us. At this time we made personal choices on how much snack weight is too much snack wait or how much chub rub was too much chub rub.

With a delicious lunch meal in our stomachs we made a short group hike above Basecamp to 14,300’ to see the spectacular view of Plaza Argentina.

Games of hacky sack and cribbage with some others enjoying books and naps were used to pass the time until we tackle the upper mountain.

Spirits are high, we are anxiously awaiting the unknown challenges in our immediate future. This desire to explore the unknown to see if our bodies and minds are capable of adapting is nothing short of addiction.

RMI Climber Shane Francis