Entries from Bolivia
Hey, this is Andy with RMI we had a successful beautiful summit today on Huayna Potosi, not a cloud in the sky! 100%! Everyone is looking forward to showers and a meal tonight in La Paz. Everyone's doing great and we'll check in with you guys later!
RMI Guide Andy Bond calling from the summit of Huayna Potosi
We enjoyed a full night's rest and had a leisurely morning of coffee and eggs as we packed up our gear to head to our high camp at about 5200 meters on Huayna Potosi. The strong wind abated overnight and left us with blue skies and sun for our two-hour walk to high camp. We are all resting and relaxing as we will attempt to summit Huanya Potosi tomorrow at 6088 meters. Everyone is doing great in anticipation of the big day tomorrow!
RMI Guide Eric Frank
The starry skies that covered us when we went to bed gave way to a thick cloud deck and by 5am this morning it was blowing and snowing on our tents in Condoriri Basecamp. Thankfully the team all slept hard from our efforts the day before and by the time we started breakfast at 8am only a thin dusting of snow and partly cloudy skies remained.
This set us up perfectly for a relaxed day of travel. After breaking down the tents, we hiked out of the valley and met the transport vehicles.
Even though only 20 odd miles separate the Condoriri Valley from Huayna Potosi the terrain requires back tracking through the edge of La Paz, making the trip closer to three hours. We were rewarded with incredible views of the mountain, which grew larger and more stunning as we arrived at our refugio.
This evening the team is relaxing and enjoying a reset before our next big push.
RMI Guide Eric Frank
Update: May 22, 2019 - 5:29 pm PT
An early alpine start at 2am had us walking under starry skies and a nearly full moon to the base of the glacier. After four hours of glacier climbing around crevasses we found ourselves at 17,400’ at a sub peak offering us amazing views of Pequeno Alpamayo and Huyana Potosi. We descended 400’ of rock, that led to steep ridges and the final 500’ of steep ice and rock to the summit. The summit did not disappoint with views of the surrounding mountains and our next mountain objective Huyana Potosi. Lucky for us, after twenty minutes of descending off the top we were engulfed in a cloud. After a twelve hour summit day we’re enjoying some relaxation before dinner.
RMI Guide Eric Frank
May 22, 2019 - 6:39 am PT
Good morning this is Eric Frank calling from 17,839' on the summit of Pequeno Alpamayo. We're having a beautiful morning up here. The team did incredibly well. We had four out of five climbers make it to the top of Tarija peak and four out of five climbers make it to the top of Pequeno Alpamayo. It's a gorgeous morning, light winds. We are sitting on top enjoying snacks with a view in every direction. We are going to hang out here for another 15 or 20 minutes and then head back downhill. We look forward to checking in this afternoon when we get back to camp. Thanks for following along.
RMI Guide Eric Frank
RMI Guide Eric Frank checks in from the summit of Pequeno Alpamayo.
Best wishes to Geoff DeFilippi and the rest of the team. It sounds like a wonderful experience. Thanks for the great blog posts!
Posted by: George DeFilippi on 5/23/2019 at 12:16 pm
A three hour walk brought us to the toe of the glacier where we spent several hours training on snow and ice in anticipation of our first summit attempt tomorrow. We’ve made a new camp at roughly 15,400’ which sits in the beautiful Condoriri Valley, where we are surrounded by beautiful peaks. We had an early dinner, and we find ourselves trying to get some rest before an early wake up and a long day tomorrow as we look to climb Pequeno Alpamayo.
RMI Guide Eric Frank
Sunday, May 19, 2019
Isla del Sol or Island of the Sun is a remote island with no cars located close to the Peruvian border on Lake Titicaca. It feels weird to be on a mountain climbing trip, yet enjoying the luxuries of home cooked meals, showers and a setting that would remind you of the Mediterranean.
At 13,500’ this is an ideal location for us to acclimatize for the higher peaks of Bolivia. Meandering through pre Incan terraced gardens allowed us to stretch the legs, breath the thin air and enjoy panoramic vistas. The day included a traditional Bolivian meal and an amazing sunset.
Tomorrow we leave the comforts of Isla del Sol and head into the mountains.
RMI Guide Andy Bond
The team let a out a collective sigh of relief today as we left the big city of La Paz for the quiet Bolivian country side. A few hours of driving, a ferry ride and five miles of scenic hiking brought us to a harbor on the Bolivian/Peruvian border. The views in all directions are incredible here. The contrast of the terraced golden field with the deep blue hue of the lake make a gorgeous contrast.
After trekking uphill we arrived at our eco lodge and settled into our rooms. A dinner of quinoa soup and trout next to a crackling fire closed out our night. We all look forward to exploring the island tomorrow.
RMI Guide Eric Frank
Friday, June 8, 2018 - 1:00 PM PT
Hard rain overnight added to our adventure this morning as we loaded up in our land cruisers and navigated the Bolivian country side. At one point a bridge had washed out and we were forced to navigate a river bed. Much like scouting a rapid on a river, we were forced to send scouts with radios ahead to find our way. But don’t worry we’re all safely in La Paz enjoying the comforts of a shower, internet and even street side shoe cleaners to clean off our dirty shoes.
We’ll enjoy one last group dinner tonight with the whole group. This trip would not have been possible without the help our amazing Bolivian staff. They’ve become like family to us and it’ll be our honor to treat them tonight for one final celebration!
RMI Guide Andy Bond
Thursday, June 7, 2018 - 2:21 PM PT
We awoke to a little bit of new snow at Illimani Base Camp, which further reinforced our decision to make our high point yesterday. We quickly packed our gear and headed out to our land cruisers in which an adventure ensued. Driving around the high country side we enjoyed splendid views as well as picking up dinner from road side vegetable farmers. Ultimately we find ourselves camping at a low elevation of 8000’ on the side of river at a retired police officers house. Surrounded by tropical fruit trees we’re looking forward to having a fire, sipping on some beers and reminiscing about the last two weeks!
RMI Guide Eric Frank
Great Job and congrats to team Eric and Andy
Enjoy your beautiful night in Bolivia
Safe trip home to all
Stephen and Julie - love to you both
Hope to see you soon
Posted by: Tina and John Zabinski on 6/7/2018 at 6:33 pm
Sounds like a perfect way to end the trip! Hope you all have safe travels home.
Dani
Posted by: Dani Munzing on 6/7/2018 at 4:47 pm
Hello there. It's Eric Frank calling in from Bolivia. It's about 1:30 in the afternoon (BOT Time) and I'm at 17,400ft here on Illimani. Unfortunately, we decided this will be our high point for the climb. It's a combination of recent storm snow, and the forecast, which has made us decide to head down hill. So at this point we're going to move back to our base camp and spend our last night in the mountains. Tomorrow we will pack up, head back to La Paz, and in two short days, be back at the airport. We look forward to seeing all of you soon. Bye.
RMI Guide Eric Frank
We are very proud of you guys especially our guy Chris! Amazing accomplishments this trip. We can’t wait to see your face.
Love,
Anna, Shelby and Sammie.
Posted by: Anna Baldwin on 6/6/2018 at 2:11 pm
Still a great accomplishment and a wise decision to trust the weather forcast
You know what they say “don’t mess with Mother Nature”
Be proud team Team Eric and Andy
Special shout out to Julie
Posted by: Tina and John on 6/6/2018 at 1:20 pm
Yay! I’ve been glued to the blog waiting to hear. Glad everyone made it and on a beautiful day too.
Posted by: Allison DeFilippi on 5/25/2019 at 10:29 am
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