Entries By jess wedel

Hola!

We left Cusco long before sunrise, trading city lights for a winding, bumpy road that climbed steadily into the Andes. By the time we reached the trailhead, the sun was out and so were the mountains. The serac-laced slopes of Humantay and Salkantay both standing over 20,000 feet stopped us still. Today we met the rest of the team who will make this journey possible. Diego is joining us as a guide, and Pancho is our head chef (he's already far exceeded our expectations by serving up trucha, local trout, for lunch that we all deemed the best we’ve had this whole trip.) After days of travel, packing, reorganizing and checking gear, it was a relief to finally shoulder a pack and start hiking. We quickly settled into the simple rhythm of the trail: one step after another through mountains that people have called home and traveled across for generations. The highlight of the day was arriving at our camp at nearly 15,000 feet. We’re right at the foot of Salkantay — the mountain towers over our camp and we couldn’t stop looking up. Watching the clouds and the fading sunlight in a dance across the jagged slopes.

A pinch me moment for every single one of us.

We piled in the dining tent for an early dinner. One full of laughs & ease. After getting our hot water bottles (a necessity, it’s brrr cold up here) we headed for an early bedtime. But not before seeing the Milky Way and one million stars holding the sky.

What a dream.

Jess and the Machu Picchu team

Hello from Cusco, on our last night before the trail!

Today started about as well as a day can start: alpacas, llamas, guanacos, and vicuñas, all of them looking slightly like cartoons come to life, all of them very willing to be fed by hand. Pure, uncomplicated joy.

We learned all about the fibers and the natural dyeing techniques from bugs to plants and had a chance to shop, of course.

From there, up to Sacsayhuamán, the massive stone fortress above the city, and then down on foot into Cusco itself for a walk through the old imperial center. “Stone with stone, no element in between,” Edgar told us, pointing out joints so tight you couldn’t slide a knife between the blocks. Limestone, interlocking, no mortar, nothing but precision holding it together. The Incas had a passion for perfectionism.

After a few more stops at the convent and the cathedral, we took some time to go through our gear and pare it down for the trail. We also have a passion for perfectionism, or something.

And then, the main dinner event — cuy. Guinea pig. A full plate and a genuinely brave showing from this group. Verdict, once everyone had worked up the nerve: chewy. Very chewy. Chewy cuy, we said. Would we order it again? Debatable. Do you have to try it once in Cusco? Also yes.

Bags are packed, boots are ready, and tomorrow we drive to the trailhead.

RMI Guide Jess Wedel and the Machu Picchu team

Hello from the Sacred Valley! Today felt like someone hit a fast-forward button on wonder.

We started at the Maras salt mines, which are, visually, out of this world. Thousands of small terraced pools cut into the mountainside, all fed by a single underground spring. Salty because this land used to be ocean floor millions of years before it was mountains. The Andes basically pushed the sea up and out and left the salt behind. People have been harvesting it by hand the same way for centuries.

We also met Edgar, our local guide, who’s with us for the rest of the trip. He walked us through the history and the agriculture of it all with this quiet, easy authority. The kind of person you feel lucky to be learning from.

From there, Moray. An old agricultural site built in circular terraces. Each ring its own microclimate which the Incas apparently used to figure out what would grow where. Hot sun, curiosity and a lot of walking and talking.

Lunch was box lunches by a still lake, Urubamba mountains in front of us, two baby alpacas grazing about ten feet away. The cutest little faces you’ve ever seen. Genuinely one of the better lunch spots of my life.

After a little rest, we had dinner in Cusco square: Japanese-Peruvian fusion. Does it seem like we’re only eating the best food ever? Okay good. Because we are…

Big day but we’re all doing well adapting to life at nearly 11,000 feet and looking forward to more tomorrow!

RMI Guide Jess Wedel and the Machu Picchu team

Hello from Cusco!

We made it. Though “made it” is a relative term for a group that survived delayed flights, rebooked tickets, and enough all-night travel to qualify as its own endurance event. But every duffel and every human is here, upright, and (mostly) coherent. We’ll take it.

Today’s whole job was: recuperate. And that we did. Some wandered the streets a bit, some rested and most of us consumed our first coca and muña teas. Definitely not our last.

Then this afternoon we gathered for our first team meeting — introductions, the shape of the next 10 days, and the buzz of a team coming together.

Cusco is not a city you see, it’s a city you feel. With its narrow cobblestone streets, worn smooth by about a thousand years of foot traffic. Terracotta pots hang off white walls. Immovable gray stone sits shoulder to shoulder with European facades, and somehow none of it argues with the other. Then color just erupts everywhere it can: pinks, blues, greens, color forever.

We closed the day with our first team dinner. Authentic Peruvian — lomo saltado, osobucco, potatoes and corn galore. (Nom nom nom, no notes.)

Ten days, one incredible crew, and Salkantay and Machu Picchu waiting on the other side. We’re just getting started.

RMI Guide Jess Wedel and the Machu Picchu team

The All Women's Four Day Climb led by RMI Guide Jess Wedel Reached the Summit at 5:15 am this Morning. The team reported beautiful views and great weather. They are on the descent and will be back at Camp Muir Shortly. 

Congratulations Team! 

RMI Guides Jess Wedel, Dylan Anderson, and Stella Johnson led their team to an early morning summit of Glacier Peak today. After descending back to high camp, the team took some time to rest before packing up and continuing down to their lower camp, where they will spend the night. Tomorrow morning, they'll complete the final leg of their journey with the descent to the trailhead.

Congratulations to the entire team on a successful summit!

RMI’s Five Day Climb took advantage of the first of two potential summit opportunities and successfully reached the summit of Mt. Rainier this morning. A warm morning and light breeze on the upper Disappointment Cleaver had the team descending from the crater at 6:45 a.m. They’re currently making their way back to Camp Muir, where they’ll enjoy one final night on the mountain before returning to Ashford tomorrow.

Nice work team!

RMI Guides Jess Wedel and Joe Crawford led their teams to the summit of Mt. Rainier this morning, reaching the crater rim just after 7 am.  Jess said it was a perfect day on the mountain with a slight breeze.  Once they enjoy a bit of time on the summit, they will descend to Camp Muir, take a short break and then continue down to Paradise.  Their program will conclude this afternoon at Rainier BaseCamp.

Congratulations to today's climbers! 

RMI Guide Jess Wedel led the four day climb to the summit of Mt Rainier this morning around 7:30am. They reported some notable winds, but otherwise a beautiful morning on the summit. They are on their descent back to Camp Muir and will be back in Ashford this afternoon. 

Great work team!

The Four Day Climb June 14 - 17 led by RMI Guides Joe Hoch and Jess Wedel were turned around by high winds at 10,300'.  The telemetry at Camp Muir is showing wind gusts up to 48 mph. The teams returned to Camp Muir and enjoyed a bit of rest and perhaps a nice sunrise.  They plan to descend from Camp Muir around 9:30 am.  We look forward to seeing them at Rainier BaseCamp this afternoon.