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Wednesday, February 4, 2026 - 10:23 PM PT

Today was a carry high, sleep low kind of day.

We hauled big loads up to Camp 1 at 16,400 ft. The winds were a little spicy, and combined with heavy packs it made for a hard push. Slow steps. Focused breathing. Lots of internal pep talks.

But wow. The views.

The colors up there are unreal — reds and oranges — like someone dropped us on Mars. It’s wild how brutal and beautiful can coexist so loudly.

We stayed up high for about an hour and a half to cache our gear and give our bodies time to adapt. Eat. Drink. Breathe. 

Then we turned around and sailed back down to base camp. We don’t use the f-word on this mountain — fast. But we did move very, very efficiently. Skiing down the scree with light packs.

And waiting for us when we got back?

Our local team, Grajales, welcoming us with an incredible recepción: fresh fruit, cheese, meats, crackers, and endless cups of jugo. Truly elite hospitality.

Right on cue, the clouds started building — and almost the second we made it back to camp, the snow arrived. A quick squall of wind and snow blew through, reminding us who’s in charge up here. Luckily, we were already in our  warm dome tent, listening to the wind do its thing outside while we stayed cozy inside.

It’s been an unpredictable weather year on the mountain, so we’re watching the forecast closely and hoping those bigger winds ease up soon.

The good news?

We’ve earned another rest day tomorrow. 

More mountain soon,

RMI Guide Jess Wedel & the Aconcagua team

Greetings from Torres del Paine! 

We had another beautiful day here in Patagonia! 

Today the team woke to clear skies and astounding views after an evening of rain that certainly had us worried as to what morning would bring. 

We left camp and once again made our way through dense and majestic forest, with surrounding views of glaciers off in the distance. It’s incredibly beautiful and we are slowly leaning why this place is so special. 

We have just arrived in our new camp for the night after about 5 hours on the trail. Our timing was perfect today as we hardly encountered anyone else on the trail, which is rare as there are about 50+ other hikers making the same journey as us. We’ve met many kind people from all over the world here in camp, where at any point you can hear 4 or 5 different languages being spoken. 

RMI Guide Casey Grom and team!

One final hola from Argentina,

We’ve had a lovely couple days recuperating in Mendoza. Enjoying the calm pace of life, being tourists in a town of sunshine, and yes — exploring a gorgeous winery, Casa Vigil.

While enjoying one of the best meals we’ve had in a long time, a quote showed up on the wine bottle:“Final del camino sólo recuerdas una batalla, la que libraste contigo mismo, el verdadero enemigo; la que te hizo único.”

“At the end of the road you only remember one battle — the one you fought with yourself, the true enemy; the one that made you unique.”

It stuck with all of us. Because after a trip like this, you realize pretty quickly it’s not about the summit, the altitude reached, or proving anything to anyone else.

It’s the quiet negotiations you had with yourself.

Getting out of the sleeping bag.

Turning around when you needed to.

Trying again the next day anyway.

And now, learning how much gelato counts as recovery.

Those are the moments that stay.

Most of us are heading home now, and I think we’ll all keep chewing on this experience for a long time.

Thank you, team (heeeeeyyyy you!) for trusting Leandro and me, for showing up every day, and for making this such a good chapter to be part of.

Would happily walk into (or against) the wind with you again.

RMI Guide Jess Wedel

Hello again Everyone. 

The team is doing great here in Patagonia. 

Today we thankfully had a relaxed start with breakfast just after 8 and then packed up our things, met our porters and hit the trail shortly after 10am. 

It was hot starting out in the sunshine, but luckily the Patagonian weather and wind arrived to help keep us cool for nearly the entire day. 

We had a few passing light showers that kept us guessing if we should be wearing our Gore-Tex or not, but that’s pretty standard here. It only took about 5 hours hiking with breaks to reach our next home for the night, called Seron.  We quickly settled into camp, took showers and before we knew it, our two amazing Chilean guides (Mauricio and Hector) had a huge charcuterie board laid out for us. Clearly we are being well taken care of and the team is doing great great! 

RMI Guide Casey Grom and team

That’s a wrap. We are back at the hotel in Puerto Natales, having completed the full O Circuit with our cups full both figuratively and literally. What an incredible adventure, made even better by a truly great group of people who now feel like old friends.

We woke up this morning to the same strong winds that ushered us into the park at the start of the trip. This time, though, they felt easy to shrug off. A hot shower and a real bed were waiting, which has a way of putting everything in perspective. As we made our way back, we couldn’t help but gawk at the towering mountains and hanging glaciers welcoming us into this beautiful corner of Patagonia, all while reflecting on just how far we had traveled to arrive right back where we began.

The weather on this trip was the best I’ve ever had out here, and that good fortune belonged entirely to this team. From start to finish, it felt like everything lined up just right. Now the only luck we need is choosing which wine to taste next.

This is the Torres trek signing off. Thanks for following along.

RMI Guide Dominic Cifelli

The team enjoyed a great first day here in Quito! We met as a group for the first time this morning and headed out to explore the city. First stop was a visit to the equator, followed by the Church of La Compania and Independence Square. With many of us arriving late last night or in the wee hours of the morning we are looking forward to catching up on some sleep and heading into thinner air on Rucu Pichincha tomorrow! 

RMI Guide Henry Coppolillo & Team

Mexico dispatch 2.27.26

Today we woke way too early, with way too little coffee, to leave our
quaint spot in Puebla to head out for Tlachichuca (or as I  call it "T+10,"
that saves everyone from my terrible spelling and even worse pronunciation)...it's time for the main event, Pico de Orizaba.

We got a great tour of the soap factory turned climbers' hut that's 100+ years old. It was good little history lesson of the Industrial Revolution as well. Who knew climbing was so educational?!

We got one last quick & delicious lunch and fingers crossed we've got all our needed gear for the next ~24 hours. Then 2 hours of hot, bumpy, dusty and smoky fun up to our campsite.

It's been an amazing journey so far with great people and many memories made. From bumpy roads, unique baños, dusty hikes, delicious dinners and everything in between. This trip is definitely one for the books and it's not over yet!

High  camp is a beautiful rocky spot where the clouds envelop us. It's quite nice minus the wildfire smoke. The Refugio was a nice little place to have our dinner after a quick avalanche briefing and hike to get the blood flowing. Next step is up.

I want to take a moment to give a big thank you to all our families and friends back home who are supporting us chasing our dreams in
the mountains.  We couldn't do this without y'all. I hope y'all have enjoyed following us along on this adventure. (And a special hug to my Scoops! I miss you buddy.)

iMuchas Gracias!

RMI Climber Anna Hern

P.S. - I just lost the game ;)
#IYKYK

Hola amigos, 

All is well here in Patagonia. 

We had a very special visitor last night and this morning before hitting the trail. 

A adolescent Puma decided to show up and walked right through camp and then again this morning we saw her again hunting in the adjacent field next to camp. Nothing to worry about though, as these cats are NOT interested in humans. They primarily hunt rabbits (which she was chasing this morning) and they hunt guanacos, a close, but smaller relative of the llama found here in Patagonia. Regardless, it was spectacular to see one in the wild. 

Today the team hiked about 7 hours with breaks through small forests, some wetlands, and open country to reach camp. The weather was very pleasant all day, allowing beautiful views very with little rain and a nice breeze to keep the temperature perfect for hiking. 

RMI Guide Casey Grom and the crew

People have asked me why I climb mountains. My answer has changed over the years. The short answer is I climb mountains so I can escape the mountains of my mind. 

I like Robert McFarland’s quote on the subject too. 

“The true blessing of the mountains is not that they provide a challenge or a contest, something to be overcome and dominated (although this is how many people have approached them). It is that they offer something gentler and infinitely more powerful: they make us ready to credit marvels - whether it is the dark swirl which water makes beneath a plate of ice, or the feel of the soft pelts of moss which form on the lee sides of boulders and trees. Being in the mountains reignites our astonishment at the simplest transactions of the physical world: a snowflake a millionth of an ounce in weight falling on to one's outstretched palm, water patiently carving a runnel in a face of granite, the apparently motiveless shift of a stone in a scree-filled gully. To put a hand down and feel the ridges and score in a rock where a glaciers has passed, to hear how a hillside comes alive with moving water after a rain shower, to see late summer light filling miles of landscape like an inexhaustible liquid - none of these is a trivial experience. Mountains returns to us priceless capacity for wonder which can so insensibly be leached away by modern existence, and they urge us to apply that wonder to our own everyday lives.”

Mountains of the Mind, Robert McFarland

To wrap up how I’m feeling right now, laying in a tent, at 13,000 ft, when I dream, when I attempt to define happiness, this is it. To be with new and old friends outdoors, doing things that allow us to walk the line of comfort and risk. A guide helps control this risk and allows for this exploration of growth. Thanks Ben.

Sometimes I climb mountains just to say I did.

RMI Climber Hannah McEntire 

Ps: Congratulations to the team today for our summit on Izta!

It was another day full of adventure here in Patagonia! 

After a much needed nights rest the team woke to a beautiful morning, and not wanting to miss an opportunity we hopped aboard a boat and headed over to explore the Grey Glacier located nearby. 

We did a quick refresher of crampons and harnesses before our glacier guides took us out on the ice to explore. Where we walked around many cravasses, took pictures, learned a little about how the glaciers have receded significantly in the last few years and move down slope roughly 80 meters a year. 

We returned to camp after about 4 hours to have lunch and prepare for the 4 hour hike to our next camp. Along the way we watched several condors soar close by and just enjoyed the stunning scenery. 

Everyone is going great and throughly enjoying each day. Although I can tell the fatigue of hiking so many days is starting to build. But this team is tough and have been on many adventures together, so I’m sure they’ll easily rally for the last few days we have here. 

We have officially left the O portion of the trek and have joined many many other trekkers on what’s call the W part. 

RMI Guide Casey Grom and team!