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Feliz Navidad from Mendoza! Yesterday was a whirlwind day for our team. We woke up at high camp after a much needed night's sleep. Still tired from our push the day before, it was an effort to haul ourselves out of the sleeping bags and begin packing up - despite the call of the little luxuries found at lower altitudes. A round of coffee helped motivate us (Via tastes amazing at 19,000'+!!) and we soon had our pack loaded up and began walking downhill. Descending all the way to Base Camp put into perspective the distances and elevations we covered over the past week. It was a long walk down the sides of Aconcagua and we were more than relieved to finally hit flat ground when we stepped into Base Camp. We dropped our packs and sought out shade underneath the tents, along with some deliciously cold instant orange juice! We were fortunate to spend only a few hours at Base Camp before catching a ride in helicopter out to the trailhead. Within a few minutes we were bound for Mendoza as the sun was setting over the Andes. We reached Mendoza well after dark but town was buzzing with Christmas Eve festivities. The courtyard of a church just down from our street was filled with practitioners sharing a meal beneath strings of lights and decorations, families strolling through the main square, and palm trees wrapped in Christmas lights. After well-earned showers, we collapsed into our beds and promptly fell asleep, relishing the feel of sheets and pillows! This morning we took full advantage of the breakfast buffet before Tom and Thomas left for the airport. It was a wonderful Christmas morning and we enjoyed all of the little things like cotton t-shirts, fresh fruit, and warm sunshine. It's always a strange experience to step off of a mountain as big as Aconcagua back into the hustle of life in town, but a pleasant one. The expedition over the past few weeks was a true adventure and we're looking forward to heading home to share more stories. RMI Guide Linden Mallory

Hi! This is Solveig Waterfall checking in from our Cabana at the La Malitzi Resort at the base of La Malinche. We had a great acclimatization hike this afternoon and made it all the way to 13,000ft! Everyone did great and the weather held off nearly long enough. At the first sounds of thunder we began a hasty descent back to relative safety below tree line and then motored all the way back down to our cabins under heavy rainfall. Everyone is in great spirits after a delicious dinner and we are all cozied up drying out clothing and boots next to the fireplace enjoying the sounds of the continued rain and thunder. Quite the first day here in the mountains of Mexico! Tomorrow we will travel to the Altzomoni hut near the base of Ixta and begin preparations for our first big climb. Crossing our fingers for an improvement in the weather!! RMI Guides JJ Justman and Solveig Waterfall

On The Map

Jambo everyone! Day three here on Kilimanjaro was a little windy and cloudy. But those conditions allowed us to make good time on our hike by keeping us cool but not cold. We hiked up the Shira Plateau for a few hours and reached our high point around 15,000' (new heights for some) at a place called Lava Tower. We stopped and took a nice break and enjoyed the limited view then easily descended down into the Barranco Valley to camp. Along the way we saw some of the unique vegetation that only grows in this part of the world. The giant Senecio trees that look like something out of a Dr. Seuss book, groundsels,and lobelias. We are all currently relaxing in camp either taking naps or playing cards. Everyone is doing great and having a good time! RMI Guide Casey Grom and crew

On The Map

The team woke early today to make our move to Camp 2. Just over three hours after leaving Camp 1, the group rolled into our new home under bright sunny skies and a chilly breeze. Everyone was relieved to shed the weight of packs at 18,000 feet. Tents are up and everyone is resting and beginning the process of acclimating anew. Tonight and tomorrow are supposed to be very windy, so we will see in the morning if we are going to do our scheduled carry to Camp 3, or whether we will sit tight. We'll let everyone know tomorrow! Today's stoke meter is resting between 6 and 7. We worked hard, but everyone is excited to be that much closer to our objective. Until tomorrow, The RMI Aconcagua expedition

Thunderstorms rolled into the Baksan Valley last night as we ate dinner, temporarily cutting the power, but again the morning broke clear, with a few scattered clouds dispersed across the sky. We packed up our bags and left our hotel, climbing onto the first tram of the morning with all of our gear for the mountain. Two tram rides and another rickety single seat chairlift later we reached the toe of the glacier. Perched along a fin of rock jutting uphill into the glacier sits the Garabashi Huts, also known as the Barrel Huts. Consisting of several massive fuel barrels retrofitted into bunk rooms and painted in the colors of the Russian flag, the collection is a bit odd looking compared to the alpine huts most of us are used to. But when the winds start to blow nothing could be more inviting up here. After setting in we headed out for a small acclimatization hike, climbing up the glacier a ways, getting ourselves back in the habit of walking on snow and giving our bodies good exposure to still higher elevations. Above us Elbrus' twin summits danced in and out of the clouds whirling around them. Returning to the huts for lunch, we watched the clouds descend down the mountain, growing ever darker and occasionally spitting rain on us as the afternoon progressed. But by early evening they once again dispersed and the skies have cleared, giving us gorgeous views across the Caucasus into Georgia, the peaks illuminated in evening light. Tomorrow we will head out on a more substantial acclimatization hike before returning to rest at the Barrels. We will check in tomorrow night.

Hello!

Today we had another great day exploring Cusco city. We started at the Temple of the Sun and then headed above the city to Sacsayhuamán! The quality of the stone work tells you the importance of a site and it was exquisite.

After, we headed back down into Cusco proper where there was a huge parade happening in the town square. Music, dancing and lots of colors! A sight to see. We got to explore one of the main cathedrals in the city square before lunch.

We had the afternoon to pack and do some last minute shopping before we hit the trail tomorrow.

We’re all headed to bed for a very early wake up and very much looking forward to starting our trek.

RMI Guide Jess and the Machu Picchu Crew

It was another relatively slow day at 14,000’ Camp. As promised, there were some strong gusts that shook the tents last night into this morning, but the wind settled, and it continued to snow through most of the day. We did laps of camp, socialized, laughed about the army barracks of RMI tents that are now up here as we have four RMI Expedition Teams at 14,000’ camp. One climber asked for street signs, since he got confused, took a wrong turn, and tried to enter the wrong tent.

The team got a solid Start on an igloo, and a couple of folks in camp got rad new haircuts designed for speed. The forecast is giving us some hope that this weekend will give us a chance. We will be up early tomorrow to look uphill and see if things look good enough to launch. If so, our summit push will start.

RMI Guides Pete VanDeventer, Henry Coppolillo, Tatum Whatford and Team

Saturday, June 29th, 2013 After a good sleep, we woke up and started packing. The goal for the day was to get as low and as far as possible to set us up for flying off the mountain tomorrow. The crux of the walk out is timing the walk out on the lower Kahiltna Glacier. We have to walk across this part while the snow bridges over the crevasses are frozen. This means a late night/early morning walk to the air strip. We made it all the way to 11k Camp so we are set up to walk the glacier at the right time...as long as we only sleep for two hours! Wish us luck and good weather so we can fly tomorrow! RMI Guide Mike Haugen and the RMI Summit Team 6 P.S. Grasshopper wants to thank Annie and Rose for the support and sacrifices!

On The Map

The team did well practicing mountaineering skills today in preparation for our Mt. Shuksan summit bid in the morning. The weather was perfect and we had a great time out on the glacier today. We'll check in from the summit tomorrow. RMI Guide Mike Walter

The Four Day Climb June 3 - 6 led by RMI Guides Brent Okita and George Hedreen reached the summit of Mt. Rainier.  The ropes teams were walking into the crater rim around 6:30 am PT.  It's a beautiful day with clear skies.  This marks summit #599 for RMI Guide Brent Okita.  Wow!

After enjoying some time in the crater the teams will descend to Camp Muir and then Paradise later today.

Congratulations to all of today's climbers.