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This morning brought more pleasant weather in the form of overcast skies as opposed to yesterday’s endless, torrential downpour. We shoved out of Quito a bit ahead of schedule and were able to complete the four-hour loop hike of Laguna Cuicocha without incident.

Along the way people continued to connect with each other and share knowledge and experiences. On this trip we’ve learned a good deal from each other discussing a variety of topics: geology, biology, medicine, piloting an aircraft and how to keep your worried passengers at ease, as well as countless other topics. A lot can also be learned about a person through their fast-food preferences.

Even as we turn our sights towards Cayambe, we have done a great job of focusing on the task at hand (acclimatization) and taking in some lovely cultural experiences.

RMI Guide Dustin Wittmier & Team

After a restful couple nights in Puebla, team Mexican Koala has arrived in Tlachichuca to prepare for our ultimate challenge, 18,500ft Pico de Orizaba!

Yesterday we took advantage of the beautiful rooftop of our Hotel Colonial to do some sunset Snow-School Review, then everyone got to explore their favorite culinary adventures. 

Reports from the mountain are great route, good weather, and cold! 

Wish us luck!

The whole team stood on top of Cayambe today! An 11 p.m. wake up had us leaving the hut shortly after midnight, winding our way up rocky trails for a little over an hour to the base of the glacier. From there we made great time up the moderate slopes that make up the lower half of the route. Somewhere in the 17,500’ range the glacier becomes much more complex and the slope angle increases significantly. Slow and steady movement up firm and exposed terrain brought us to the seemingly endless summit plateau, but by 6:45 a.m. the entire team was on top at 18,997’! Winds were gusty throughout the night and most of us were in all our layers for the latter half of the ascent. But as we started down the temperatures soared under the equatorial sun and we were soon in base layers trudging back towards the hut. We climbed through intermittent clouds and fog all night, but by morning most of the clouds cleared out and we were treated to our first clear views of Cotopaxi and Chimborazo! After a long and tiring day we’re all looking forward to a full night’s sleep and a rest day tomorrow before heading south to Cotopaxi! 

--RMI Guide Henry Coppolillo and team

Hello from Phakding — a little village hugging the Dudh Koshi river at 8,700 feet and our first stop on the trek.

We made it to the trail.

But not before being genuinely humbled on the helicopter ride from Kathmandu to Lukla. The mountains don’t ease you in — they just appear, enormous and right. there.

The humbling continued when our pilot Priya mentioned, casually, that in Nepal they don’t consider anything below 7,000 meters a real mountain. We nodded along like we knew that. Then we looked at each other, because by that definition, basically none of us have ever climbed a mountain.

Good to know where we stand.

Getting on the trail this morning involved a lot of hurrying up to wait, then hurrying again — obscure checkpoints, duffels flying in every direction, the usual chaos of travel through the domestic terminal of the Kathmandu airport.

Eventually we were walking, on a trail made of stones, trending gently downhill, which felt like a dream.

We also got to meet our local guide team: Dawa Nuru, Nawang, and Melan — all born and raised in these mountains. They know this terrain the way most people know their own neighborhood.

The afternoon was spent at a bakery next to our teahouse, laughing and talking with no particular agenda.

It’s a good feeling. All of it.

RMI Guide Jess Wedel and the team

Namaste, everyone!

We’re here. We actually made it.

If you’ve been following the news out of this region lately, you know those three words are doing a lot of heavy lifting. Getting to Kathmandu this season took rerouting, rebooking, and a particular brand of stubbornness that — good news — also happens to be useful when we head to 19,000 feet. Before a single boot has hit the trail, this team has already proven something about themselves.

And what a team it is. Nine strangers and one very lucky guide — no old friends, no familiar faces, just nine individuals who each made the same slightly audacious decision and ended up (most of us) in the same Kathmandu hotel lobby.

Six arrived in time for dinner — some fresh-faced and buzzing, others with the thousand-yard stare of someone who hasn’t slept horizontally in 40+ hours. (Maybe that was just me).

Three more are still in transit (they should be landing any minute!) and honestly, after the travel week we’ve all had, we’re just glad everyone is on their way.

Kathmandu greets you at full volume whether you’re ready or not and after the journey it took to get here, that felt about right.

There’s always a spark when a group like this first meets and realizes they’re all cut from the same weird, wonderful cloth. Tonight, there was plenty of it.

Nine strangers, not for long.

Tomorrow brings our team meeting, gear checks, and a proper introduction to this chaotic, beautiful city. Then we fly to Lukla — and the real adventure begins.

RMI Guide Jess Wedel and the team

We have made our way north, through a variety of detours that have served to continue or process of acclimatization, keep us well fed and give us the opportunity to learn about the culture. Yesterday, we went for a loop hike around the beautiful Laguna Cuicocha. Over just a short distance, the fauna changes drastically as one side of the lake is far more arid than the side that sits right up against Volcan Cotacachi. It was a thoroughly enjoyable hike as we rambled through a variety of microclimates and had the chance to see condors in flight. But you know, there is always something new or interesting to see along the way. Sometimes at the end of the day it's something small, like a cheese ice cream, that stands out.

After a relaxing night at the Intiyaya residences, which in Kichwa (the native language in parts of Ecuador and slightly different than Quechua) may roughly translate to "Father Sun", we departed for the busy streets of the Otavalo market. It was a drizzly day, but Saturday is always bustling in the market. The usual bartering took place, copious espressos were consumed and then we made our way to the Yanacocha Hut, on the lower slopes of Cayambe. Everyone is tucked into bed here in the comfort of a hut we have all to ourselves. On deck for tomorrow is one last leg of travel that will take us to the main Cayambe hut (15,400') and the base of the climb.

If the weather cooperates tomorrow, then right about the time they are awarding the Super Bowl MVP we will be waking up for our alpine start on Cayambe. The climbing takes place at night here for a variety of factors, which can all be summed up by saying that the weather at night tends to be the most stable when the air is coolest. In addition to that, it is very difficult to trudge uphill during the daylight in this region as the sun's radiation is so intense, so we hope to be headed downhill by just after sunrise.

Check back on Monday afternoon to find out if the mountain allowed us passage this time around!

RMI Guide Dustin Wittmier

Monday, March 30, 2026 - 3:30 am PT

The RMI Lobuche team reached the summit of Lobuche peak at 20,075' today with seven climbers and four Sherpa.  RMI Guide Jess Wedel reported a great summit day and by far the most sun they have had this trip. Everyone is tired after a hard effort, but doing well.

They have returned to High Camp to spend another night. Tomorrow they will descend to Pangboche.

Nice work team!

Photos courtesy: Guide Lopsang - High Altitude Dreams

Safari Day 2

Today we visited the famous Ngorongoro Crater, considered by some to be the 8th wonder of the world. The crater is roughly100 square miles and is home to roughly 30,000 mammals that have taken up residence. We hit the road early with hopes of catching a few of the big cats before the heat of the day sent them in search of shade.

There were many sightings today of hyenas, jackles, ostrich, and countless other birds. We manage to see quite a few lions including one large male up close.

The team also managed to see four Black Rhinos.

We have just finished another wonderful meal here at the Plantation Lodge and the team is off to bed after a long, but very rewarding day on safari.

RMI Guide Casey Grom and the safari crew

I’m typing this from the back of the sprinter van that’s hauling us and all our dusty duffels from Penitentes, the tiny old ski town just outside Aconcagua National Park. I’m watching the southern stars one last time out the window as Carlos (you may remember him from the beginning of the trip for sending us off with AC/DC) sails down the highway back to Mendoza.

We woke up this morning after a lovely night at Plaza de Mulas base camp - warm showers, wifi, a hot meal, and a gorgeous sunset. It gave us all the energy we needed for the ~16 mile walk out. We round it up to 20 miles so feel free to do the same when you ask us how it was.

We walked and walked down from over 14,300ft to the entrance at 9,500ft. You won’t be surprised to hear that the wind carried us out. Just as it carried us in and up and back down. Our faithful friend. Or something.

We mostly walked in silence, some with music, some with only the windsong but all of us reflecting on the adventure.

Most teams spread out throughout the day on the hike but we stayed together in our faithful formation, one in front of the other, moving as a team one last time.

We stopped to stare up at the south face of Aconcagua. We hadn’t seen it yet — fierce and gorgeous with its hanging seracs and vertical rock and ice.

You may wonder, why are you just now driving back to Mendoza in the dark? Well, sometimes things don’t go according to plan and today the mulas carrying all our gear were a little behind. So we waited for a few years, err hours, at the Grajales warehouse with all the other teams that hiked out today.

We stayed positive, mostly, and passed the time by learning the intricacies of Mate (the local beverage of choice) (pronounced Maaaa-Te) from Leandro. What to do — look your friend in the eye when you pass the cup. What not to do — never, ever ever touch the straw.

And finally just as we were finishing our last bag of Honey Nut Cheerios that went up and over the whole mountain with us — the duffels arrived.

Or most of them. But don’t worry, the rest will come tomorrow.

Soon we’ll be in Mendoza and back to a soft bed and hot water on demand and all the comforts we now appreciate a lot more than 2 weeks ago when we left.

RMI Guide Jess Wedel and the A-team

The team absolutely styled Cotopaxi this morning, or more accurately, last night. Midnight departures are more or less the standard here in Ecuador, as the hut staff typically provides hot water for coffee and tea and bread rolls with butter and jam at 11 pm. We started out on a winding sandy trail above the refugio that quickly turned to firm crunchy snow, and were soon traversing the lower slopes of the glacier.

A brief but intense rain storm rolled through yesterday afternoon not long after we had arrived at the hut, so we approached the steeper upper mountain with caution due to some uncertainty around how much snow had fallen up there and how the resulting avalanche conditions might manifest. The tropical high-alpine snowpack on these peaks can behave in strange ways and is often unlike anything we'd typically encounter in the mountains back home. But this time around Dustin and I were pleasantly surprised to find an unreactive interface and minimal slab formation from the previous day's weather. The few inches that had fallen did however make for excellent climbing conditions, allowing us to move through the steep and exposed switchbacks below the summit confidently and efficiently.

Perhaps the only detracting factor of the climb was our few moments on the summit itself, which were kept rather brief due to lots of nasty smelling sulfuric gas, and lacked the iconic views of Cotopaxi's massive crater which was largely obscured by clouds. Once on the descent however the team continued to crush it, and we were back at the Refugio Jose Rivas before 8 am! This meant we've had most of the day to catch up on sleep, food and hydration at Hacienda La Cienega. Tomorrow we'll head to Chimborazo Lodge and start preparing for our last big objective! 

RMI Guide Henry Coppolillo

PS- I failed to take a single blog-worthy photo today, but I think Dustin has a few decent ones. I'll ask him to send them when he wakes up from his nap.