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Our McKinley Prep Course wrapped up a highly successful few days of training in the Edith Creek Basin. The team practiced sled pulling, camp craft, crevasse rescue, and a range of essential alpine skills they’ll rely on this upcoming season during their climb of the West Buttress of Mount McKinley.

A big thanks to experienced lead guides Mike King and Dan May for sharing their knowledge and helping the team sharpen their skills. With a mix of sunny skies and periods of low visibility, conditions provided a realistic preview of what life can be like on the slopes of McKinley—making the training both challenging and invaluable.

Tonight’s haiku brought to you by Jaylynn:

Snow wind clouds and more

Forever stuck at camp 2 

Please let us leave soon

This morning we woke up more optimistic, there was no snow falling from the sky, and the tents were quieter than past mornings As the stoves were rolling, we paid attention to the winds up high. It was obvious that snow was moving, so we waited to see how things continued. Would the winds die down, or continue? As we ate our oatmeal the winds only continued, we continued to wait and watch. By noon, the winds still hadn't backed off, and our call for the day became obvious. Yet another weather day at 11 camp.

We settled into our tents for the afternoon, played some more card games and took some naps until our big evening of pizza!

Tomorrow we shall try again to carry!

RMI Guide Nikki Champion & Team

Thursday, April 2, 2026

Hello there,

The trail from Namche to Lukla is long — longer than you remember — but yesterday it was lined with rhododendrons in full bloom, which makes just about any suffering tolerable. On the way down, we carried out bags of trash collected for the Sagarmatha Next and SPCC clean-up efforts. Small contribution, but it felt right to leave the trail a little better than we found it.

The real story of the day, though, happened at dinner.

In Lukla last night, we gathered around a shared table to honor the porters and guides who made this entire expedition possible. These are the people who carried our loads, knew the trail in every kind of weather, kept us moving when we were tired, and kept us laughing throughout. No summit happens without them — and we wanted to make sure they knew we knew that.

The meal turned into dancing. Someone produced a boom box, and for many hours after dinner, we celebrated together — not as clients and crew, but as a team that had been through something real. It was one of those nights you don’t want to end.

Tomorrow we fly to Kathmandu!

— RMI Guide Jess Wedel & the Team

Some days on the trail just go right. Today was one of those days.

We left Namche this morning under blue skies which felt like such a plot twist from yesterday’s weather. Fresh snow coated everything — the mani stones, the prayer flags, the rhododendron forests — and the whole valley looked like someone had hit reset. It was, without a doubt, one of the most beautiful days I’ve had in the Khumbu.

The trail wound up through snow-loaded trees, where every branch is bowed just a little too low and you’re basically walking through a tunnel of white. We stopped for tea but mostly just to stare up at all the great peaks.

At one point the sun pushed through a thin veil of clouds and threw a perfect halo around itself above the holy mountain, Thamserku.

We descended to the river and then began a big climb after lunch to Tengboche — one of the most sacred and ancient monasteries in the Khumbu. We were lucky enough to receive a blessing inside. White katas draped around our necks and sundis from a lama. It’s a hard thing to describe, standing in that space with this group, on this journey. Let’s just say nobody was in a hurry to leave.

Tonight we’re sleeping at a tea house called Rivendell, which feels on point for where we are in this adventure.

The Khumbu keeps delivering.

—  RMI Guide Jess Wedel and the team

Hello one last time from Chile!

It has been quite the adventure down here for us, and today we hiked the final few miles back to the trailhead to complete the O Trek.

Thankfully the weather held out one more day to allow for spectacular views in all directions and comfortable temps. We made our way on what we are calling Chilean Flat, but you back home would call rolling terrain. More ups and downs than just easy strolling. It took us about 5 hours to reach the park gate and connect with our van for our return to Puerto Natales for our last night here. The team will head to Punta Arenas tomorrow and catch flights home.

It’s been an incredible journey here with some of the most enjoyable friends we could all have. Full of great stories, laughter, nicknames, and all sorts of joking along the way, for 8 days and over 80 miles.

I asked each team member to pick just one work that best describes their experience, and in no particular order here they are.

Undulating
Gratitude
Puma
Resolve
Friendship
Rocks
Extraordinary
Thankful
Grit
Perseverance

A special thanks to our amazing local guides Mauricio and Hector for sharing their beautiful country with us.

RMI Guide Casey Grom and the best team!

Day two in Ecuador and we are already tagging 15,000'! The teleferico (gondola) whisked us up to 13,000, and then we started the hike through the gently rolling highlands below Rucu Pichincha. Swirling clouds throughout the day kept us from getting our first views of Cayambe and Cotopaxi, but also kept the sun at bay and made for pleasant hiking temperatures. After an hour or so of hiking through the grasslands the gradient kicked up and we started to pick up elevation quickly, traversing exposed slopes around to the far side of the peak, where a short but fun scramble brought us to the summit of Rucu Pichincha at 15,407'. With overcast skies and rain in the forecast we were on the lookout for afternoon thunderstorms, but the team moved well and we made quick work of the descent before any rain drops could reach us. 

Now we're all back at Hotel Mercure to rest the legs, dry out our trail shoes and pack up to leave the big city tomorrow. The team is feeling strong, psyched and ready for Cayambe! 

RMI Guide Henry Coppolillo

Today was the day, the official start of the trek. After a quaint and much-needed rest day spent packing, recouping, and doing our best to actually rest, we were ready to get rolling. We did just that, bright and early at 5:30 a.m., scarfing down breakfast and hitting the road before the sun had fully risen. 

Day one does not ease you in. Instead, it opens with one of the hardest efforts of the entire trek: the park’s namesake, Las Torres. Three striking granite spires rise abruptly from the landscape, as if carefully carved by a patient but dramatic hand. They are awe-inspiring to behold, but getting to them is not for the faint of heart. The hike takes roughly five hours on the way up, followed by a long and careful four-hour descent down a narrow, well-traveled trail. It is a big day by any measure, and the team met it with equal parts grit, good humor, and quiet determination.

Tomorrow we officially begin the O Circuit and make our way to our first camp. For now, we rest, refuel, and celebrate a job well done, along with a very Happy Birthday to our teammate Kathy. ��

Rmi Guide Dominic Cifelli 

Sunday, March 29, 2026 - 4:04 am PT

Big day today.

We made our move up to Lobuche High Camp — and the mountain wasted no time letting us know what we’re here for. 

The route climbs steep, loose rock that demands your full attention with every step. No crampons yet, just patience, footwork, and a little faith in your trekking poles. Our first real test before the climb, and the team passed it with flying colors.

High camp is something else. Settle into tents, pack our summit packs and we’re about to have an early dal bhat dinner. There’s more snow here than I’ve ever seen and that will make for a fun snow climb instead of the typical steep and slabby rock.

Cross your fingers the cloud we are in lifts! The forecast tomorrow looks like the most sun of the trip so let’s see. 

The mood tonight is that good kind of nervous. Excited chatter, quiet moments packing, a little bit of both happening in the same person at the same time. Summit day is close. We’re ready.

RMI Guide Jess Wedel

Monday, June 1st - 10:40PM PST

To the 12 readers of this blog following the journey of an unlikely, but wholly likable, group of adventurers, we welcome you to day 5 - The Journey to Camp Two! Today’s harrowing tale sees our hearty heroes punching a trail they climbed two days ago to where we cached gear, and then climbing on to camp 2. The climb today felt totally different from the first time - the blue bird sky and clear vistas were replaced with low clouds, and a few inches of new snow. We heard from other teams that it cleared up once you got closer to camp 2. And boy did it! Clear skies graced us yet again along with much colder temperatures and high winds. This is the first time it really feel like we are on the mountain. Picking up our cached gear along with way puts us in an ideal position to continue up the mountain as long as the weather holds, but the added weight made a hard climb seem REALLY hard. But, we all made it in good spirits to our goal, and I’m sure the extra effort will pay dividends in the days to come.

Now the last few days of blog posts have been amazing, am I right? (Pauses for applause) but don’t think that it’s all lofty introspection out here. Many times we end up telling dad jokes to pass the time. So here is my silly list of nominations based on what I know about people so far (please note: these are subject to change by the end of the trip. The author may in no way be held liable for the accuracy of these nominations.)

Ricky: least likely to get sunburned. Don’t prove me wrong!

Alonzo: Most likely to climb all seven summits, we’re rooting for you, brother!

Matt: Most likely to become a bush pilot.

Lizzie and Pattie: most likely to be mistaken for a married couple on their next adventure (I hear SCUBA diving may be next - at least somewhere warm)

Peter: most likely to be ready, willing, and able to help a brother (or sister) out when in need.

Ray: Most likely to entertain you with lively conversation and great stories if you are lucky enough
to be walking within earshot.

Lacie: Most likely to have a shockingly good impression of everyone by the end of the trip (ooh ooh do me first!) ��

And last but certainly not least, Jackson: Most likely to get us to the top of Denali (and back down) safe and sound!

Oh, and me. I’m the most likely to try and dodge writing the daily blog even after I sort of volunteered��

To make this blog more interactive and to let you know that we read all of the comments, I want to let our dear readers know that Pattie is just as concerned about her lawn maintenance as you are and will eagerly tackle that chore just as soon as she is done submitting this beast of a mountain.

Now for the fun part: audience participation!

1. Please nominate a climber to write tomorrow’s blog. Must be someone that hasn’t written so far. Available people are Pattie, Alonzo, and Matt. First comment wins.
2. We missed the answer to last nights trivia. Can someone please let us know how many claps there are total in the Friends theme song? 

We love all of your support. Now show some love to the RMI Team and Like, comment and subscribe!

- RMI Climber Dave
 

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