Wednesday, July 4, 2018 - 9:14 AM PT And we came out! We finished our trek and arrived into Cashapampa, where we unloaded donkeys, grabbed a drink and celebrated that once more, the mountains provided adventure, challenge and the unexpected. But more so, that we're safe, back and ready to plan the next adventure. Thanks for following! RMI Guide Elias de Andres Martos

Greetings from Icchi Coccha. We're on our way out, camped at our same first camp on the way in... Since we were heading out earlier, it took a bit more logistics to organize our "donkey train". But these awesome guys made it happen for us and came with short notice. It's amazing how things work in these places, with no written contract, just a verbal agreement, and a satphone call to a distant neighbor of our cellphone-less mule driver, human sense is the common norm. "Someone needs me, I must assist" they must think. And a two-day journey uphill becomes a sprint so they can bring us back to our commodities. We left midday instead of early morning and decided to keep soaking in the greatness of the Andes, since pushing it all the way out with our late departure, would have us arriving late. So, here we are, enjoying another great meal from our cook Emilio, breathing thicker air, and witnessing the mountains getting bigger above us, as we descend. We look forward to a shower and clean clothes tomorrow, to catch up on emails, to a meal in a restaurant and to a room with clean sheets... but surely, and despite the "no summit" this year, the magnitude and majesty of these peaks will always be greater than any mundane human desire. RMI Guide Elías de Andres Martos and team

Sunday, July 1, 2018 - 6:57 PM PT Greetings from Alpamayo Base Camp. We descended today and arrived to our tents and good meals from our cook. We're bummed we couldn't climb, but it was the right decision. We're headed to bed soon in hopes of hiking out tomorrow. We'll check in when we're in Huaraz. RMI Guide Elias de Andres Martos

Good evening from Alpamayo High Camp. We are sad to report that the SW face is not in safe condition to be climbed, and we're not going to aim any higher. Everyone did a great job today and pushed through the upper glacier that is steep as usual, but we will descend tomorrow to Base Camp. RMI Guide Elias de Andres Martos and team

Friday, June 29, 2018 - 5:00 PM PT Good evening! Alpamayo crew reporting from Camp 1, a.k.a. moraine camp. We just had a nice dinner with the most beautiful alpenglow so far on this trip. Gaining elevation today to our camp was an easy task, and everyone did a great job managing the rocky and slabby terrain carved by the glacier that drops from the Alpamayo-Quitaraju Col. We ditched 20 minutes from our carry day... and it's only a 2h journey! That's a big chunk and these climbers are keeping these guides psyched. We're ready to move to high camp tomorrow, should everyone have a good night tonight... So wish us sweet dreams, and stay tuned! RMI Guide Elías de Andres Martos and team.

Good evening from Alpamayo Base Camp. We had a good rest day, where we ate, slept and socialized, all while getting excited for tomorrow's move to Camp 1. We're also excited to see many teams come down, and know it's not going to be too crowded up high... Fingers crossed! Stay tuned for updates on our progress up high. RMI Guide Elías de Andres Martos and team.

Good evening from "infinite skies land"! It is quite amazing to enjoy the deepness of the night we're having right now. The clouds have moved away and moon lit ridges reign above us, giving us a sense of smallness amongst these Andean fluted snow walls. All of it wouldn't be as overwhelmingly haunting, if it wasn't because of the task we have in store for us. But having carried to our first camp today, and witnessed those very walls get smaller with our progress uphill, makes us feel that the power of the mountains is on our side. And so, we had a great day reaching the 5,000m mark and dropping half of the equipment we'll use to venture even higher, and eventually, to climb to the top. It's now been four days of activity, and we're ready to go to bed and welcome a well earned rest day at dawn. Although, it is worth mentioning that, we sure could keep going as there is no challenge that can't be fueled by our cook Emilio's food; tonight, meat and carrot soup, followed by breaded chicken breast filled with cheese and ham, accompanied by french fries... Yes, we're here right now climbing Alpamayo! RMI Guide Elias de Andres Martos

Hello from Alpamayo Base Camp. We finished our approach to the mountain on an almost rainy day, but the clouds decided to respect us, as now, right before dinner, skies are open and we're enjoying a nice evening. Alpamayo, Quiraraju, Paron, Artesonraju... only a few of these "Andean Giants" that we're able to contemplate from our tents. We're about to enjoy another dinner from our cook Emilio; vegetable soup from his very own garden as first course, and it seems that grilled fresh trout with natural mashed potato and rice with cilantro are on the menu... Yep, living large here! More to come tomorrow. Cheers, RMI Guide Elías de Andres Martos and team

Good evening from Icchi Coccha "Small Lake", where we have pitched camp for the night on our way to base camp, at 3800m. We had a very pleasant day, perhaps the best this guide remembers, as it is usually a pretty hot day climbing up the valley in the lower elevations. But the cloud cover provided the best temps to do the hike, so we're happy we didn't bake! We shared the trail with a few dogs, cows and of course, our donkeys. But the highlight was the curious fox that ventured into our camp. We're now about to enjoy the first of our meals from our cook, Emilo, in our dining tent. That's all for now, stay tuned for more! RMI Guide Elias de Andres Martos

Sunday, June 24, 2018 - 9:13 PM PT Good evening from Huaraz! It never gets old... our standard acclimatization hike (in picture here) to Churup Lake at 4,400m is a half day endeavor for virtually every Alpamayo Expedition in the last five years. A couple thousand feet of elevation gain to an incredible glacial lake below a radical looking peak baring the same name, provided for us the perfect exercise on after all the travels. A speedy descent brought us to our private van, and we were shuttled to Peruvian delicacies in downtown, before retreating back to the hotel to pack for tomorrow's hike in to the Santa Cruz Valley and start our approach to Alpamayo Base Camp. The real adventure is about to start! Everyone is excited and motivated. Next post will be from the woods... stay tuned!!! RMI Guide Elias de Andres Martos and team