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What a day we had here in Chile! 

While technically there isn’t a “summit” day on this trek, today was officially our big day. 

The forecast had us slightly concerned we were going to be hiking all day in rain, but the weather gods were very good to us. We left camp in the dark at 5:40am and made relatively good time up to John Gardner Pass, our high point. Then descend slowly and steeply back down to the elevation of the surrounding lakes. All in all it took the team just under 11hr with breaks to finally arrive in camp for the night. 

To say the views were amazing would be an understatement, and it’s difficult to put into words how truly beautiful this part of the world is with all the mountains, huge glaciers, turquoise lakes, and peaceful forest that we’ve experienced thus far. 

We have just wrapped up another delicious meal and I’m happy to say the whole team is freshly showered too! 

RMI Guide Casey and Team

Hello dear readers,

As I lay down in my tent after another eventful day on Aconcagua, I can hear what sounds like a freight train. And as I type that, the sides of the tent bend into my face as that freight train reaches camp — in the form of 40+ mph winds.

This has become a fairly normal occurrence for the 2026 Aconcagua season.

Here’s what you need to know. Today we carried loads up and up a traverse we’ve been staring at since the first time we saw Aconcagua nearly a week ago. Near the top, we stopped, pulled on our hard shells, and braced ourselves. We knew we were about to get blasted as we crossed the Ameghino Col.

We were right.

Huge gusts ripping through. A brief moment of calm, then another hit. And another. We kept moving. Sometimes stopping to brace. Short breaks. Then back to it.

Before long, we dropped into Camp 2 — snow spinning off the ridgelines, winds strong enough to knock you off balance if you weren’t paying attention. We dove into the dome tent as fast as possible, grateful for even a small reprieve.

There’s plenty more wind in the forecast, but there’s also still hope. If we keep doing the right things, day after day, we may earn a chance at the top. For now, we stay right here in the moment.

Tomorrow we move to Camp 2. Hopefully with less wind. But either way — we’re ready. We’re ready.

I’m beyond proud of this team for charging hard, staying mentally and physically strong, and still laughing with me along the way.

RMI Guide Jess Wedel

P.S. did you figure out who Lady Whistledown was? That’s a secret I’ll never tell. ��

We had a hearty breakfast at Malinzi Resort and loaded up small day packs to head up to the summit of La Malinche today. Everyone seemed to be feeling well. We had absolutely perfect weather for our hike. 

If you like the Disappointment Cleaver then you will love La Malinche. We had alot of loose scree and rock until the final scramble. 

Everyone made it to the gorgeous summit, our camp dog "Lizzy" included! We spent some time at the summit gathering 360 views and memories to share! 

We had an easy decent and made it back in time to relax and shower before dinner. 

Tomorrow on to the next mountain!

RMI Climber Maria McCoy

“The wind you really got to dread is the one that howls inside your head…” -Muni, but perhaps adapted from somewhere else.

Hello hi there,

Today we climbed again to Camp 3 — Colera — at 19,600 feet.

Another windy, cold day. At this point it almost feels… expected. Normal, even. We wake up, we zip the tents carefully so they don’t become kites, we layer up, we check each other’s hoods and buckles, and we move.

We are dialed now. Dialed with our breaks. Dialed with our systems. Dialed with how to open a snack without sending it to Chile. We don’t rush. We don’t waste energy. We just keep taking the next step.

The stretch from Camp 2 to Camp 3 is one of my favorites on this mountain. Aconcagua reigning to our left — massive and unmoved. The Andes rolling out to our right in layers of red, gold, and shadow. Brutal and beautiful, side by side, as they so often are up here.

Colera is a stark place. The wind doesn’t whisper here — it announces itself. This is where the normal route meets the false Polish Traverse (the route we took up), the lines of climbers converging under the same summit skyline. The camp is tucked into large white rocks that jut upward like a jagged crown. We nestle ourselves into their protection as best we can.

Life at nearly 20,000 feet is not casual. Every movement costs something. Simple tasks feel consequential. But the team is steady. Eating. Drinking. Checking in. Doing the small things well.

Tonight we crawled into our tents early to let our bodies rest. Tomorrow is a big question mark. We’ve done everything we can to put ourselves in position.

Now we wait to see what the mountain says.

RMI Guide Jess Wedel and the Aconcagua team

Hola,

Well, the forecast came true. We hunkered down at Camp 2 today and endured big winds. As I speak, the mountain is hidden in a cloud and light snow is falling.

Lots of teams moving in to Camp 2 and carrying loads so even though the weather was tough, there’s lots of activity up at 18,000 feet.

Tonight, we’re staying warm with bowls of ramen and an early bedtime. We’re hopeful to carry a load of gear to Camp 3 tomorrow but let’s see what the mountain says when we wake up.

RMI Guide Jess Wedel and the Aconcagua team

Our Vacas fracas continued to Casa de Piedras (House of Stones).  The day started with a hearty breakfast where our fearless leader, Jess, discovered a majority of our team does not drink coffee. More java for the pros!

Pachamama blessed us with overcast skies and a gentle breeze as we pushed onward and upward amongst rusty red peaks and ethereal clouds.  Snow dusted distant summits down valley. Despite all this moisture, we managed to move camps without any rain!

The team passed a gorgeous herd of guanacos — a wild/native llama-like species.  We also stopped to admire a pack of mulas, getting shepherded up to camp.  The mules looked tiny, far across the braiding floodplain of the Vacas River.

We arrived at camp, where our incredible camp crew had prepared a delicious taco snack. We’ll refuel and rest ahead of our move to basecamp at Plaza de Argentina.

RMI Climber Munier and team

P.S. Today we used our imaginations as we were supposed to get our first view of the Aconcagua. The clouds had other plans but it was no problem for us because we are creative.

After the team has trickled in to Mexico City over the past two days, we all met up for a team meeting followed by a group dinner. Some folks traveled outside of the city to site see some historic pyramids while others stayed close and roamed the city museums. 

Today we head to La malinche cabins where we plan to go for an evening walk before eating dinner and getting ready for tomorrow’s hike ! 

We are sending  all of our warm thoughts to Bill, whom had to go home due to his family’s donkey ( Simone ) falling ill. We miss you already Bill! 

RMI Guide Lacie Smtih

Team Mexican Koala was in high spirits on the van ride to Ixta Base Camp. We played “What’s That Song?” to our guide Joe’s epic 80’s playlist, and even managed to get phone reception for a bit to send quick updates to family and friends.

Once we arrived at base camp, the team refueled with soup and chicken tacos, then made our way up to high camp at 14,500 feet. The scenery was unreal, and some of the most beautiful any of us had ever seen-tall yellow prairie grass dotted with pine trees across massive mountainsides, and the Popo volcano belching ash and smoke. 

After an alpine start, the team tagged the summit of Ixta, even with Mother Nature throwing us a curveball in the form of a full-on whiteout and a quarter inch of rime ice on helmets, backpacks, sunglasses, goggles, eyelashes, everything……

Huge thanks to our incredible guides, Joe and Bailey, for getting us up and down safely!

Now we’re looking forward to a hot shower and a rest day in Puebla before our summit push on Orizaba.

RMI Climber Matt Hirschberg-Team Mexico Koala

Thursday, February 5, 2026 - 8:32 pm PT

Puebla, Mexico a city founded in April 1531 was the location of the Cinco de Mayo battle where Mexican forces defeated the French on May 5, 1862 even though they were outnumbered two to one.  This is also the location where the 2026 RMI Mexican Volcano expedition team took its first day of rest after summiting volcano Ixta.  Puebla is a bustling city with beautiful churches, lots of shopping, and very kind locals.  Some of the RMI expedition team did sight seeing tours, some shopped for loved ones back home, and others just took it easy. 

Puebla is set up in a grid system so it’s easy to navigate.  Like everywhere else the team has been all the locals are excited to interact with the expedition team even know our Spanish is mediocre at best.  

During our evening in Puebla the team enjoyed a group dinner where we chatted about preparations for Orizaba and discussed how each other’s days went.  We also had the privilege to listen to live karaoke at the supper establishment.  

Highlights of Puebla, good rest, good people, and wonderful food! The expedition team is now physically and mentally ready for Orizaba.  Puebla is an absolute hidden gem of inland  Mexico.

RMI Climber Jason White

Hola amigos!

It was a simple day today but that didn’t mean it was an easy one. Our main mission was to get everything packed for the upper mountain and sneak some rest in.

But rest when you’re at 14,000 feet isn’t the same as taking a long sweet nap at home. Our bodies are still hard at work adapting to these great heights.

We’ve stressed our systems significantly and just as we start to feel pretty good here, we’ll stress them again as we head higher up. That’s acclimatization for you!

Everyone is doing well — little headaches here and there, but appetites are still strong and spirits are high.

We got our backpacks packed for tomorrow — mostly food, stoves, pots, pans, ice axes, crampons, and all the things we don’t need at base camp. They are loaded. Most of us with around 50lbs.

The winds are blowing up high, but down here it is that perfect kind of Plaza Argentina evening — sun still warm, boots off, everyone horizontal in some version of “rest.”

Soon we’ll have dinner and then fall asleep in our luxury accommodations: sleeping bags, down jackets and the gentle symphony of tent fabric flapping in the wind.

Sending all our love to everyone back home.

RMI Guide Jess Wedel and the Aconcagua team