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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!

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!

Dearest Gentle Reader,

As February marches forward on Aconcagua, many of us are left wondering: who will be this season’s diamond?

Perhaps the honor goes to our esteemed mountain guides, Duchess Wedel and the Viscount, Leandro. This author stood amazed at the rapid and seemingly flawless execution of logistics this morning, as they sorted, weighed, divvyed and divinated, all in service of our move to Camp 1. The Viscount in particular turned heads when he produced, somehow, two rounds of delicious hamburgers for dinner at 16,400 feet.

Or perhaps this season’s incomparable is Cuca and her indefatigable base camp court. The Ton left camp this morning bellies full and spirits high, in no small part thanks to their industrious efforts hosting us for five restorative days at Base Camp.

Perhaps it is not one diamond her majesty selects this season, but rather six. The whole Ton huffed and puffed for hours today, carrying loads to our newly appointed estates at Camp 1. Many a bead of sweat fell beneath an azure, cloudless sky and a relentless Sun more overbearing than the mother of any eligible lady in her debut season.

This author suspects the season’s true diamond, as in all climbing seasons, is indeed Her Majesty herself: Aconcagua! But will our climbers reach the capricious perch of her much sought after summit? Each season many claim her crown while many others return to greener pastures humbled by her many challenges.

And so the Ton proceeds to the upper mountain, in pursuit of her favour. Marching upward and onward, eager to climb ever-higher in elevation, if not in her esteem. But challenges enumerable await them as they leave behind the comforts of base camp. Will the Ton’s thus-far tireless bonhomie survive the indignities of high camp and strong winds? I suspect, dear reader, that only time will tell. 

— Yours as always, Lady Whistledown

PC: Jess Wedel

Tuesday, June 30, 2026 - 9:16 am PT

Still at 14,000. We were hoping for slightly more encouraging weather up high this morning but there was a ragged cloud cap on the upper mountain through midday. A move up high didn’t look to be impossible, but it certainly would have been tougher in the weather. We opted for plan B, a rest and recuperation day at 14K. Eventually the sun came out and life was easy. We sorted gear and tried to cut down on the pounds that we’ll carry up to high camp. Everybody caught up on hydration and reading. Tomorrow is our day for moving up.

RMI Guide Dave Hahn

6/13 1. Guest dispatcher Zach checking in with the DDM team here at 14k camp.

The day began with another cold morning easily battled by bellies filled of hot beverages and CTC (Cinnamon Toast Crunch). The team looked incredibly strong and efficient today as we made an acclimatization push up the fixed lines. 

The entire way up was gifted with incredibly clear views in every direction. Once at the ridgeline we got out first glimpse of the entire northern side of the range and beyond into the endless expanse of Alaskan tundra. From there we made our way back down to camp for a relaxing afternoon just as a storm closed in behind us. The afternoon was a combined mix of snow and sunshine making for a wonderful ambiance.

The status que around the team is consistently being upheld as the world's best #1 rope team continues to stealthily slide under the radar and avoid demerits. Team Erik and the Squatters aka the New Mexico Allstars continue to excel at every aspect of Denali life- something all of us common folk can only dream to achieve.

Finally Team Hoarding Marmots including yours truly, continue to evolve our domicile. What began as the chateau marmot, then the fortress of demerits and finally the marmot chalet has again evolved through the course of the trek. The warm, sunny afternoons have turned the tents into a sauna like relaxation pods and with the addition of hours of spa music on loop the Marmot Spa has opened for business... until the speaker dies. While actively attempting to bribe our wonderful guides to help add the finishing touch to the Marmot Spa by providing facial massages, they have respectfully turned us down citing a lack of fresh cucumber slices and thawed facial cream.

Tomorrow is another scheduled rest day just in time for the next storm system to flow through. After that we wait for the next 3 day weather window to begin our summit push

Mia and Beckett, I hope you get to experience places like this when you get a bit older. Hi mom! 

Hoarding marmot,  

Signing out

- RMI Climber Zack

The last 24 hours have been a bit of a blur, but we are happy to report that everyone on the team summited Illiniza Norte this morning. It is only an "acclimatization peak" on our itinerary in preparation for the upcoming attempts on Antisana and Cotopaxi, but this morning's climb was exhilarating in its own right. 

Yesterday morning we left Quito under sunny skies with high excitement and a questionable forecast. Midway through our approach to the Illiniza Refugio the skies opened up and we walked in a deluge for 30+ minutes. The rain tapered a bit for the final hour, but we arrived at the refugio quite wet. Gore-tex can only stop so much water! 

Nevertheless, the team did a great job staying motivated and even though it rained off and on through the night we woke up at 5am to make the best of it. Our motivation paid off and by 6:15am we were headed uphill under partly clear skies. The rain through the night did leave a nice coating of snow over the entire mountain, which added to the challenge. Scrambling sections that normally would be easy were slick with slush and required careful movement. 

Two and a half hours of climbing later, we reached the summit and quickly decided to descend before the weather turned on us. A slippery and muddy descent brought us back to the trailhead. 

RMI Guide Eric Frank

Good morning from Mexico City!!!

What a beautiful place. After a wonderful plate of tacos for dinner, a good night of rest, and a relaxing breakfast, we are packed, mingled, and ready to roll. We are off to the cabins at La Malintzi. Today will be an easy day of acclimitization, but tomorrow will be our first true test to reach the top of Malinche at 4,461 meters. (14,636 feet) Dormant for the last 3,100 years, Malinche's original name was Matlalcueitl, meaning "lady of the blue skirt," a goddess of rain and song. Hopefully the goddess helps keep the rain away so we can reach the top to sing our song tomorrow. 

RMI Guide Ben Luedtke & Team

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

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

Hello world!

Greetings from Alaska! After a long day of travel from all over the US and Europe, we all assembled at the Ted Stevens Airport in Anchorage. We then loaded up the shuttle bus with our eccentric driver Ross and drove the two hours to Talkeetna. We then checked into the Swiss Alaska Inn and got the lowdown on the winter Talkeetna gossip from the Inn's proprietor Critter. After a brief break to get settled in we enjoyed some fine pizza at Mile High Pizza Pie. The team finished the evening off with a walk to the river front where we witnessed a large ice flow break up at the confluence of the Susitna and Talkeetna rivers.  Then it was off to an early bedtime to prepare for an early start the next morning to begin gear checking and packing. 

Thanks for tuning in -

RMI Guide Jack and the Team!