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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

Monday, January 26, 2026

Hello again everyone 

The team had a really nice day here on Kili today, waking to clear skies and a beautiful view of Kili right above camp. We had a light cloud layer which helped keep us cool while on the trail, which was nice as the sun can be quite intense here near the equator.

We started the day waking at 6:30 to start packing up before moving into our dinning tent for a nice breakfast with porridge, fried eggs, toast, avocado and even some fresh fruit, and most importantly plenty of hot Tanzanian coffee. 

We hit the trail shortly before 8am and slowly made our way up the rocky trail with occasional views of Kili above, while sharing the trail with all the porters. 

The trail climbed up a blunted ridge and eventually out of the trees and allowed for some truly spectacular views of the valley below. The team hiked for a little more than 4 hours before reaching out next camp that sits on the Shira plateau, which is the remnant of an ancient lava flow. 

Everyone is doing very well and we are currently relaxing in camp. 

RMI Guide Casey Grom and crew

Ecuador continues to deliver beautiful scenery as we travel south of Quito. The long driveway for the hacienda was lined with 100’ tall eucalyptus trees providing a refreshing smell as we drive out this morning. The country side is covered with verdant fields dotted with cows or greenhouses growing red and yellow and pink roses. The roads are lined with vendors selling ice cream and hot snacks and the freshest fruit. And the skyline is dotted by the giant glaciated volcanoes we came here to climb. We’re lucky to enjoy this beautiful country with a group of lovely people.

With a little spare time at our new hotel we enjoyed some more training in the warm sunshine.

Tomorrow we begin our final climb on this trip to Ecuador, the tallest of the Ecuadorian volcanoes: Chimborazo.

RMI Guide Walter Hailes and team

All is well here on Kilimanjaro!

Once again we woke to beautifully clear skies with even better views of Kili and clouds obscuring the valleys below. Our morning ritual has been waking around 6:30 and getting everything in our tents packed up before heading into our very spacious dinning tent for hot coffee and breakfast. Obviously our crew is taking wonderful care of us. 

We hit the trail once again around 8am and hiked for an hour before taking our usual 10-15min break, then back on the trail for another hour. All total today we hiked for just over 7 hours before reaching camp which is set up and ready for us. 

Along the way we passed around the famous and beautiful Lava Tower reaching just over 15,000ft, setting new altitude records for some and we also chatted with a few other climbers who are on the same schedule with us. All in all it was a really nice day with clouds gathering in the afternoon to help keep the temperature comfortable for hiking. 

That’s all for now. 

RMI Guide Casey Grom and the Kili crew

Sunday, January 25, 2026

Today the team had an early start and left behind our incredibly comfortable lodge as we have headed to the mountain towards the start of the climb. We left around 8 am and drove along the rural country side passing small villages for 1.5 hours before reaching the park entrance called Machame. We also had great views on the drive of Kilimanjaro looming high in the distance, intimidating and exciting at the same time. 

Once we arrived at the park gate we had all of our gear weighed and divided into loads for our 51 porters and other staff to carry before hitting the trail. With everything in order we’ll start our climb slowly make our way up the winding trail that ascends continuously through the thick forest. Thankfully the overhead canopy of the surrounding forest will provide a huge relief from the hot sun overhead. 

We are about to start our 6ish hr hike to camp that sits around 10,000ft and most likely won’t have reception so I’m sending this from the entrance. 

Everyone is doing well and looking forward to starting this adventure. 

RMI Guide Casey Grom and the Kili crew

Tuesday, May 19, 2026 - 5:49 pm PT

We left La Paz in the wee hours of the morning, navigating the maze of city streets to the highway leading to Huayna Potosi. As we neared the base of Huayna we could see headlamps high on the summit ridge, an exciting preview of what's to come. The sun was just beginning to rise as we turned north on a road that seemed improbable at best in a passenger van, but our driver navigated with ease and precision while we took in breathtaking early morning views of the west face of Huayna. After creating a 16000+' pass the "road" dropped down towards the Condoriri valley, and we hopped out of the van to stretch our legs for the final few miles to the Rinconada trailhead. We set up camp in the meadow surrounded by grazing llamas and alpacas. After lunch the rest of the afternoon was spent napping and organizing gear into loads for the mules that will help us move up to Condoriri base camp tomorrow. It's great to be out of the hustle and bustle of the city and under the spectacular Milky Way sky.

RMI Guide Henry Coppolillo

The June 9th Mt. McKinley Expedition has loaded up in Talkeetna in the K2 Aviation Twin Otters and is heading to Kahiltna Base Camp. Their next check in should be from the glacier.

Good luck team!

Today was a rest and travel day as we made our way from Otavalo to a climbers hut on the lower slopes of Cayambe. On the way we stopped at the Otavalo market to shop for a few last minute essentials and some things we didn’t know we needed. Negotiating prices in Spanish was a challenge and we had varying levels of success, but most of us walked away with what we think was a good deal. The big purchase of the day was a somewhat large painting and the group is now brainstorming ways to get it back to the US intact.

We spent the afternoon reviewing knots and now we’re organizing gear, looking forward to the next couple days and our first climb of the trip. 

RMI Guide Nick & Team

Thursday, January 8, 2026 - 6:41 pm PT

Our second day in Quito started with a leisurely breakfast followed by a taxi ride to the Teleferico ( gondola ) that took us up to 13,000 feet and the first of our many volcanoes of the trip. We hiked to the top of Rucu Pichincha (15,407 ft.), one of the many peaks of the pichincha volcano that overlooks Quito. Most of the day was spent in the clouds until we reached the summit and they cleared for a view of the city below. This marked a new high point for some members of the group, being higher than any point in the continental United States. Our decent went smooth and most of us escaped with only minor sunburn.

On our way back to the hotel we worked on our Google Translate communication skills and after a brief rest we walked to a local Ecuadorian restaurant for dinner, managing to avoid the worst of the evening rain. Our biggest takeaway from the day was to trust the local taxi driver’s weather forecasts. 

RMI Guide Nick Sinapius

Walking back from dinner tonight, we were talking about the daily dispatch and I asked, “so… what should we include?”

Unanimously, everyone said: “the tornado hurricane lightning downpour.”

This was said as we stepped over fallen tree branches and ducked under hanging power lines. So yes today was eventful.

Was that the worst weather of the trip? We sincerely hope so. Ideally, we’re getting it all out of our system now while we’re still in Mendoza.

Picture this: it’s mid-afternoon. We’ve just wrapped our big orientation meeting (what to expect, how to pack, what’s the mountain actually like…) and finished gear checks. Everyone is scattered around town doing last-minute shopping, soaking up the city. I’d just gotten back to the hotel and noticed the sky turning that color. You know the one. As the wind started picking up, I crossed my fingers that everyone had already made it back. 

Spoiler alert: they had not.

Cardboard was flying through the air. Tiny birds were fighting for their lives. Water was pouring through elevators and doorways. Hail, graupel, and torrential rain come down all at once. Streets flooded. Ancient trees went down. One of us got stuck at a gear shop for over an hour and eventually just… swam home. Another tried to wait it out under the awning of a music store (with guitars in the window, for added drama), but eventually gave up and sprinted through the flash floods back to the hotel.

It was truly wild.

So while today was supposed to be a calm, uneventful Mendoza day, it turned into something a little more chaotic. But the skies eventually cleared, we walked past town clean up crews to a delicious dinner, and now we’re all back, dry(ish), and ready to hit the trail tomorrow.

Hopefully it will be a sunny bluebird day. 

RMI Guide Jess Wedel and the Aconcagua team 

P.S. Yes, of course we had more gelato. I think amongst the team we’ve tried at least 15 flavors since arriving. The great debate about the best one will continue until we’re back off the mountain for more.