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What a wonderful adventure we have had here in Ecuador. We woke last night to a beautifully clear and warm night. With all of the weather we have been having we were quite surprised to see a sky full of stars. We had our standard morning breakfast of not so delicious oatmeal and washed it down with some nice coffee. We left the hut with many other teams trying to take advantage of the exceptional weather. The route from the Refugio (climbers hut) was full of surprises nearly the whole way to the summit. With crevasse crossings, steep slopes, and even a snow/ice tunnel to negotiate, the most exciting part for the team was climbing down into and then back out of a crevasse in order to continue on the route. Even with all of these obstacles, the route took us just over 6 hours and we stood on top of Cotopaxi around 7:15am with barely a breath of wind. It was so clear we could see all 10 of the 15,000' mountains in Ecuador. Having no wind and warm temperatures allowed us to linger on top for nearly an hour without getting chilled. Then it was back down to the hut to pack up and leave before the daily hail/thunderstorm moved in. We arrived back in Quito and have just finished up our last supper and have said goodbye to our team mates. Thanks for following and we'll see you next time. Team Ecuador

Greetings from beautiful Kahiltna Base Camp! Despite breezy conditions this morning the guys at K2 Aviation were able to get us on the glacier later this morning. We spent the rest of the afternoon setting up a simple camp and getting everything ready to head out on the route early tomorrow morning. The views on the flight in were spectacular as always but this time especially so because there wasn't a cloud in the sky. The team has been hanging out and soaking in the immensity of our new environs. We'll check in tomorrow from our next camp around 7,800' or so. Ciao for now, RMI Guide Billy Nugent

On The Map

And we are off! RMI's second team of the Aconcagua season has officially begun.

Everyone has arrived in Mendoza feeling well. It's been a busy couple days sorting gear, grocery shopping and locating duffels. We are ready to hit the dusty trail, but first we needed to do some introductions and toast a glass of wine to celebrate being a team with the same goal of having fun, learning something new, and hopefully standing on top of this tall, tall mountain.

No good night ends without something sweet, so the team enjoyed some yummy Gelato before sinking into their beds. Only one more night in a bed before we take to the sleeping pads and sleeping bags. Tomorrow, we hit the road to Uspallata where we will do more gear sorting for the mules and our journey to basecamp. A 3-day hike up the Vacas and the Relinchos valleys will bring us to basecamp where we will gear up for the upper mountain. For now, we rest our heads on our comfy bed enjoying the simple comforts.

Buenos Noches,

RMI Guides Hannah Smith, Ben Luedtke, Dan May, and Team 

Today was the day! Cayambe summit bid. 

The guides “woke up” at 11pm to check the weather outside and stepped into an uncharacteristically warm and cloudy night. Glimpses of stars came in and out of view with the wind dull and chilled. We decided it was go time and, given the hour we estimated it would take the team to gear up, we put our chips on an improving trend. Clear it did, as we donned our backpacks and set up the rocky, first section of the route.  It takes us about an hour plus to get to the base of the glacier on Cayambe due to the varied, and sometimes involved terrain you navigate to get there.  Our nerves quickly gave way to the necessity of focus on the tricky terrain and that’s when it gets fun! 

After a quick break at the glacier to eat, put our crampons on, and rope up, we were climbing. That warm night gave way to a clear, chilly, moonlit night with views of the surrounding peaks and towns. With perfect conditions and beautiful weather, the team climbed in style for the 4000ft and 7 hours of ascent. 

100% of the team stood on top of Cayambe today. An accolade not often achieved by teams attempting these tall peaks.

Proud of the grit, dedication, and attitude this team has. While it’s a shame the trip is ending, I know I’ll see these climbers back in the mountains soon enough. 

This is the Cayambe Express trip.

Signing out. 

RMI Guides Dominic Cifelli, Seth Burns and Team

The Four Day Climb led by RMI Guide Mike King reached the very top of Mt. Rainier early this morning. The team had clear weather, a solid route, and climbed strong to reach the Summit.  They are back at Camp Muir and will be returning to Ashford Basecamp to celebrate their success this afternoon.

Congratulations to Today's Team! 

Ecuador Adventure - Day 2: Today the gang got their first taste of real altitude with an acclimatization hike and scramble on slopes just above the western edge of the city. After a quick breakfast we hopped a few taxis over to the Teleférico, Spanish for gondola, and rode it up high out of town. Blue skies and clear views were an uncommon treat for us and the top of the gondola revealed Cayambe in the north, Antisana to the east, and Cotopaxi and Chimborazo to the south. From there we started moving up the slopes of Pichincha, the volcano closest to Quito. We even had a chance to spy a couple of condors gliding below us and then riding thermals high, high above. These are rarely seen birds with wingspans as large as 3 m, quite the treat. Anyway, after a few hours of hiking and a little scrambling here and there we found ourselves on the summit enjoying 360-degree views of Quito and the caldera. The mountain we climbed was called Rucu Pichincha meaning the old part of the volcano, and we were catching views of the Guagua Pichincha, the baby volcano. We snapped some photos from the peak (4,697 m) and then made short work of the descent. Our acclimatization hikes will continue tomorrow but we are gonna hit the road and leave Quito headed north. More tomorrow! RMI Guide Billy Nugent

The Four Day Summit climb led by Thomas Greene and Billy Nugent reached the summit of Mt. Rainier this morning. Thomas’ team was starting their descent from the crater rim at 7:45 am. They reported high clouds building, cold temperatures and calm winds. The teams will continue their descent. We look forward to seeing them at Rainier BaseCamp this afternoon. Congratulations to today's summit climb teams!

Yesterday's carry to 14,000' left many members of the team knackered, so today is a very relaxing rest day in our well-appointed camp at 11,000'. A leisurely morning was the main agenda, with coffee, bagels, cream cheese and smoked salmon on the breakfast menu. A pan of hash browns and cheese is on deck for the afternoon snack. The posh house, our group meeting location, kitchen, and dining room is in heavy use today, with its many panel seams radiating out from the center pole like the legs of an octopus. Under its protective canopy we've been solving the various problems of the world and making sure we stay hydrated. Team members drift in and out, while conversation and laughter drifts across camp. Fortunately the light snow we have had the past couple of days is tapering off, and the sun is working to dry out our moist sleeping bags and tents. We are conserving our energy for tomorrow's move to 14K camp, which will put us over the halfway mark and in good position for the higher reaches of the mountain. Climbing a mountain like Denali is a long process, and taking time to get to know one another is a big part of that. Today's rest is allowing the team to strengthen our group dynamic, and get to know each other more intimately. What started as a group of strangers more than a week ago is quickly morphing into a solid team of friends, ready to tackle the rest of the "Great One." But we'll leave the hard work for tomorrow, and enjoy the down time today. Stay tuned for more! Dan, Robin, Jess, James, Lori, Justin, Tyler and Garrett

On The Map

Hello from Karanga Camp! Barranco Wall fails to stop RMI team from getting closer to the summit! We slowed our departure from camp in hopes of missing rush hour on the wall. No view of the top but nice temperature because of the clouds. Four hours later here we are at Karanga Camp at 13,000-feet plus. Snacks on the way to a hot lunch at camp. Lunch consisted of spaghetti and tomato sauce, which was a big hit. With the team eating and drinking as needed, it helps fuel us and keep our strength up as we move closer to summit day. A nice short climb today and tomorrow will get us ready for the summit climb tomorrow night. We are looking down at the sea of clouds below, which is not unusual for the lower regions. Another great reason to be up here! Darn the luck missing out on the upper mountain views, so we continue to enjoy the incredible geological features we pass as we go. During the descent into the Karanga Valley you pass this 60-foot overhanging cave that I know I could atleast get a few moves on. Another time, we have a mountain to climb! It's so nice that none of our gear is wet from the rain, and our packs and boots are working well. It sure helps make the climb a bit more manageable. Nice easy afternoon with stories a-flying, reading , and taking in the views. RMI Guide Mark Tucker

On The Map

Just as the Mt. McKinley weather report predicted, we got six inches of snow last night at our 14,200' camp. There wasn't any wind to go with it though, so the night was an easy one. Most of today was spent "inside the ping pong ball" -in a white world of cloud and falling snow. So most of us passed the time in the tents, sleeping, reading, listening to music or talking about the weather. A high point to the cloudy part of the day was a reading of the comments posted to the RMI blog. We can't bring up a web page, but the comments were cut and pasted into an email for the team and were very well received. Thank You. Finally, around dinner time, the clouds began to clear and we were treated to stunning views of Foraker, Hunter and Denali. Now, at 9:30 in the evening it is crystal clear above and cloudy down below. This clear and dry evening defies predictions but we'll gladly take it. The big hope now is that tomorrow will stay nice and we'll get to move up to high camp. Spencer wishes his Mom a happy birthday from Denali... And his teammates second that. RMI Guide Dave Hahn