RMI Expeditions Blog

Hello again everyone!

We are finally back in Quito after a successful climb of Cotopaxi! 

Today was redemption day for us with the weather. We had incredibly clear skies with moonlight to help illuminate the way. The team hit the trail right at midnight and slowly made our way uphill, and I mean uphill. Seems no one here in Ecuador got the memo that we (North) Americans prefer switchbacks to lessen the steepness and make it easier. Anyway, the team did great and 4 of the 6 climbers were able to stand on top for sunrise this morning. 19,347 feet to be exact. If that sounds familiar it’s because it’s 7 feet higher than Kilimanjaro!

We are all safely back in our hotel freshly showered and catching up on some much needed sleep. It’s been a wonderful adventure and cultural experience here in Ecuador. And I hope the team brings these stories home to share with you all. A huge thank you to our excellent local guide team (Fatima, Gustavo, Ronaldo and Daniel) for keeping us safe, making it fun and enjoyable, and sharing their local knowledge. 

As I have done before, I’ve asked all the team members to share just one word that best sums up their trip. So in no particular order here are our words. 

Grateful 
Nostalgic 
Camaraderie
Ellipsis
Inspiring 
Alive
Awesome 
Educational 

Hope you enjoyed following and if any of this sounded enjoyable, come join us for an adventure sometime. 

RMI Guides Casey Grom and Jackson Breen and the Cotopaxi conquistadors

A dozen bright eyed cyclops laboring through the labyrinthine network of undesigned trails, clinging to each breath knowing the next will have less to offer. A cough escapes. For some of us this is the highest we've been, for all, the highest in recent memory. More to go.
Many hours later our team reached the summit of Iztaccíhuatl under a warm sun and brilliant blue sky. No small feat. And neither was the return. Though the views of the day extended far beyond the dusty trail of the night. Deep glacial valleys whose soft rock has been reworked by more recent year's liquids- delicate degradation of cyclopean castle walls. A gently erupting neighboring volcano, dispensing its vapors toward the valleys below.

Now as we look back up through the haze, the bittersweet, almost somber, feeling of a difficult journey tholed holds the occupants of our van; pensive and grateful.

RMI Guide Will Ambler

Tuesday, November 11, 2025 - 5:50 pm PT

Greetings from Ecuador.

Today was a scheduled rest day and that’s exactly what everyone did!

 We are staying in an incredibly beautiful and comfortable Hacienda just a stones throw from Cotopaxi with stunning views of the mountain right out the window.

The team ate well, read books, napped, and just generally lounged around to recharge after our challenging time on Cayambe. We’ve had some great conversations about life, shared cooking tips and some exciting and funny stories about being in the mountains.

Everyone is in good spirits and looking forward to one more night of good sleep before heading to our final climb tomorrow.

RMI Guides Casey, Jackson and the 6 amigos.

"Hard weather says the old man. Wrap me in the weathers of the earth, I will be hard and hard. My face will turn rain like the stones." Cormac McCarthy 

In our efforts of acclimatization our team enjoyed frosty wet winds, an in-depth tour of the grand interiors of a cloud. Our climbers bedazzled in rime; hooded migrants iced for a birthday. Happy birthday Nate! The summit of Volcan Malinche reached and no grand views but the middle floors of our gaseous estate. Soggy and satisfied we descended through scree, sand, and mud. Lungs and legs the better for it. Welcomed by the quadrupedal locals back to our interim homes at La Malintzi, we find the sub cloud world refreshing and rewarding. Another feast at 10,000 feet. Another cozy night in beds and cabins. Onward now to Iztaccíhuatl. Vamos viajeros. 

RMI Guide Will Ambler

Weather is such a fickle beast when it comes to mountain climbing. As climbers we train, plan, prepare, have the right equipment, and know how to use it, but at the end of the day we can only control so much.

Today we hoped to climb Cayambe. When we woke up to begin our climb in the middle of the night we were greeted with rain, snow, and wind. We waited in the warm Refugio to see if conditions would improve. Precipitation continued to fall with periods of relative clearing and torrents of angry wind and snow. We eventually decided to give it our best shot and go out and climb as high as we safely could. After a few hours of climbing through the storm, breaking trail, and getting all of our jackets soaked to the core, the team decided it was not safe to continue.

We made it back to the hut, hung some gear up to dry and crawled back into bed for naps before breakfast and our departure from the Refugio. After stopping for lunch outside of Quito with our Ecuadorian guides we continued to Cotopaxi where we arrived at our hacienda. We continue to dry out our gear while we enjoy warm showers, hot dinner, comfy beds, a full nights sleep, and some much needed rest.

Despite some nasty weather and a disappointing outcome our team all had smiles on their faces when we finished the climb and a great respect and appreciation for this incredible place we have the privilege to visit!

RMI Guides Casey Grom & Jackson Breen

The Mexico Volcanoes team led by RMI Guides Dustin Wittmier and Will Ambler arrived in Mexico City on Saturday. The team headed out of the city the following morning to La Malintzi resort, located at 10,000ft. They enjoyed a relaxing afternoon and began their acclimatization process.  Today the team stretched their legs and lungs on a hike to the summit of La Malinche, 14,636', it was cloudy and a bit cold.  They will return to the cabanas at the base of the mountain for a second night.  Tomorrow they will make their way to the base of Ixtaccihuatl.

Hello again everyone,

After a relatively good nights sleep the team woke early to have breakfast and head higher up the mountain to do some training, acclimating and put ourselves in position to climb Cayambe.

Unfortunately the clouds had gathered and some light rain greeted us for breakfast, and didn’t let up until this afternoon. However, we made the most of it by moving up to the climbers hut (Refugio), getting settled and we were able to sneak out for a quick hike to help our lungs prepare for the deep breathing we’ll be doing tonight. 

Here in just a short while we will have our summit talk, where we will review the climb and game plan for tonight. Then we’ll have an early dinner before hopefully climbing into our sleep bags for a few hours of rest. The plan is to wake up around 10:30pm (yes…you read that right) have breakfast and hit the trail around 11:30.
I’m expecting the climb to take in the neighborhood of 7-8  hours to reach the summit if weather cooperates.

Everyone is doing well, a little excited and a little nervous, but that’s all very normal for climbing big mountains.

We’ll touch base as soon as we make it back down tomorrow.

Wish us luck with the weather!!

RMI Guides Casey, Jackson, Fatima and the Cayambe crew.

After a good nights sleep and a wonderful breakfast we loaded up the bus and left our cozy hacienda for the famous Otavalo market! We wandered between vendors picking out souvenirs to bring back to all you lovely people reading this blog. With our new treasures in tow we headed to a beautiful restaurant for lunch on Lago San Pablo. After filling up on delicious steaks, seafood, and a variety of classic Ecuadorian dishes like ceviche we made the long drive to our spectacular hut on Cayambe. We rearranged some gear and had another delicious meal prepared by our incredibly kind Ecuadorian hut keeper. As I write this, people lay about, relaxing, reading, and sawing logs before we move yet higher again tomorrow!

RMI Guide Jackson Breen

Buenas tardes, amigos!

All is well here in Ecuador. Today the team left the modern comforts of Quito and made our way north for our second acclimation hike. It was incredibly clear on our drive with amazing views of Cayambe, Cotopaxi and Imbabura. We were also joined by our amazing local guide and all round superwoman Fatima. She will also be guiding and providing her local knowledge to further enrich our experience here in Ecuador.

We drove about three hours north to visit and hike around the beautiful Laguna Cuicocha. It’s a hidden lake that sits high above the town of Otavalo where we are staying the night. The hike was just under four hours and took us from dense forest, Andean highlands, to surreal views of the lake and city beneath. Everyone enjoyed the day even if it was a little hot at times with the sun shining nearly all day.

The team is currently relaxing in our new very comfortable lodge for the night and looking forward to a peaceful and good night's rest.

Casey, Jackson, Fatima and the RMI amigos!


 

Started today before sunrise with a 6:00 a.m. departure from the hotel. We drove along scenic roads high into the hills around Quito and were rewarded with beautiful views of the city and some of the surrounding volcanoes, including our future objectives: Cayambe and Cotopaxi! When the road ended and we reached the trailhead, we began hiking toward Rucu Pichincha. We walked through gorgeous grasslands and scrambled over rocks, moving in and out of the clouds all day. A few hours and a few thousand feet later, we reached the summit (15,407 ft). After a quick descent back into warmer weather, we arrived at the top of the TelefériQo just before some afternoon thunder. We waited out a brief storm while enjoying coffee in the restaurant before taking the gondola back into town. Most of the team spent some time at the spa, testing their mental fortitude in the cold plunge before dinner. Another great day enjoying Ecuador and acclimating to the altitude!

Thanks for following along—we’re all looking forward to tomorrow’s adventures!

RMI Guide Jackson Breen & Team