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Hard to believe we were at 10,000' in the "Giant Heather Zone" just this morning. We had a big blue sky overhead, which hasn't been exactly common on this trip. It rained at some point in the night, cleaning the dust out of the air and making everything fresh and new. After breakfast, we watched as our 57-man support team sang and danced through an excellent song about our shared adventure. We were once again amazed at the talents of our porters, cooks, guides and camp staff. The morning hike down 4000' to the Mweka Gate of Kilimanjaro National Park was easy, by our standards. We quickly got into the forest zone and the big trees and listened to birds singing as we walked. We reached the end of our climbing trip by mid-morning and were amazed and surprised to sit down to a fine outdoor picnic set up for us at the park gate. The ride back down through Moshi and along the highway toward Arusha kept each of us glued to the windows, gazing at people, shops, farms and Tanzania in general. Coming back to the Dik Dik Hotel was quite relaxing. We were greeted as friends by the staff and made very welcome. It was an afternoon of showers and catching up with the electronic world. Our victory dinner was a chance to take stock of the trip so far and an opportunity to say goodbye to Richard and Kurenai who will fly out tomorrow as the rest of us go on safari. Best Regards, RMI Guide Dave Hahn

On The Map

Sometimes, climbing is about a new experience. Sometimes, climbing is about the people. Sometimes, climbing is about the experience you get to enjoy with the people you are with while doing something epic, unexpected, and downright enjoyable. That is what we had. We may not have achieved the objectives we signed up for, but we got to experience something we never have before; an incredible four days with an incredible team on objectives that very few people ever get to be a part of. After an incredibly incredible yet long day that we'd rather not discuss, we then still got to go ice climbing (in August) on the lower Coleman Glacier of Mount Baker. Outside of that, we'll keep the jokes we shared, the sandals we made, and the amount of caffeine we consume amongst ourselves. Thanks to all our loved ones for supporting us on these crazy left field objectives. We are back where it all started at Chair 9 with limited service and celebrating. 

RMI Guides Ben Luedtke, Calvin Jiricko, Bailey Servais, and team

With dust in our eyes (it hasn’t snowed here since early January) and a dream in our hearts (no matter how dirty and tired we are, we all continue wanting it), we awoke at 12:45am this morning to climb Iztaccíhuatl (Ixta). Actually, we were all awake around 10:45pm to overhear the saga of two of our climbers trying to get a mouse out of their tent. Either way, these alpine starts always seem to come a touch too early.

Our day started with a sleepy ascent of “The Knees” section of the route. Once atop “The Knees”, there was a moderate wind that stuck around all day. Most of us wore parkas for nearly the entire climb; it was chilly but beautifully clear. Once the sun came up, we could clearly pick out skyscrapers in downtown Mexico City, which is unassumingly, the fifth largest city in the world.

The group powered through cold, wind and dust and everyone who made the attempt today also reached the summit! Congrats to this bus full of climbers who will enjoy their well-deserved Tacos Arabe in Puebla this evening.

Dustin

Sunday, January 1, 2023

It was clear cold night, the stars shone like diamonds in the Andean sky. We awoke early in order to beat the heat of the day that was surely on its way with the rising of the sun. The days trek began with an icy cold crossing of a glacially cold stream. It was a painful but effective way to remove any last trace of sleepiness from the group. 

Today is our greatest elevation gain of the trek to reach Plaza Argentina Basecamp.  Gaining 3,600' of elevation is no joke when you’re starting from 10,000', but the team was well fed and ready to start the New Year right. We styled it. We enjoyed sunny skies, cool temps, and stunning vistas as we made our way up the Ralincos Valley and into Basecamp by midday. 

We are playing dice & eating pizza. Some are napping and journaling. Regardless it’s been a good afternoon in the sun to dry out gear and tomorrow morning is a rest day.

Thanks for following along.

RMI Guides Jack, Dom & Mike

Today we left behind the comforts of civilization and began our trek to Aconcagua Basecamp. The first day turned out to be a hot and dusty one, with only the occasional breeze to cool us down. After several hours of walking through the desert we reached Pampa de Lenas, our camp for the night. Our outfitter Grajales was waiting for us with pitchers of lemonade to relieve our parched mouths and a spread of orange slices and snacks to replenish our energy. While our accommodation for the night may be modest, our dinner certainly won’t be. Tonight is the night of the famous Lenas Asado! A traditional Argentine BBQ cooked over an open fire under the stars. After such a long walk today, you can be sure our appetites are primed and ready for the meal to come.

All the climbers did well today, but another long day is in store for us tomorrow as we make our way closer to basecamp and deeper into the mountains.

RMI Guide Nick Scott

On The Map

June 26, 2017 Today was a well deserved rest day! Yesterday was quite the endeavor and I think everyone was happy to not have an alarm clock to answer to. We stayed cozied in our sleeping bags until the sun hit our tents and the warmth beckoned us out around 9:45 am. Emerging from our tents we wet straight into a leisurely Quesadilla breakfast, a special request by Pepper Dee, who turned 26 today! Later in the day we took a walk to the Edge of the World and everyone got to strike a pose while peering out over the vast expanse of glaciers and mountain peaks. I may be bias but I think the best picture involved a blow up couch that the birthday boy had hauled up all the way from base camp! We finished the day off with a quick dinner and chat about plans for tomorrow. If the weather cooperates we will be headed to 17,000' camp in order to be in position for our summit bid! Yeehaw! Good night from 14! RMI Guide Mike Haugen

On The Map

Hello from Barranco Camp, The team did great today, and everybody is feeling strong and healthy. The unsettled weather continues for our third day on the mountain. Last night, the winds started to pick up after we arrived in camp and were still blowing when we woke up this morning. Fortunately, it was only winds today, as we stayed dry all day and the sun made a brief appearance when we got to camp. We are definitely into our mountain routines, going to bed fairly early and waking up with enough time to pack, eat breakfast, and be walking by 8:00 am. That is exactly what happened this morning. With packs on we started the climb up the Shira Plateau. We climbed directly towards the mountain for the entire morning, slowly leaving behind all plant life as we got close to Lava Tower camp. It was the first time most of this group had been to 14,900' and everybody was grinning when we got to our high point. We had some lunch and took a little extra time to just let our bodies feel what it is like being at this altitude. Then we started our descent to Barranco camp, approximately 2000' below us. This was the first downhill section of the trip so far, and since half of this climb is spent descending, you have to be able to walk downhill efficiently. This group can definitely walk downhill. A couple hours later we were pulling into camp. The highlight of the the day, besides climbing to 14,900', was the last 15 minutes of walking before we reached camp. Giant Senecios line the trial on both sides and it such a unique plant, that you can't help to feel that you might be on a different planet. Especially as the clouds roll by blocking out everything around you except for these very strange looking trees. Once in camp, it was time to get moved into our tents and relax for the afternoon. We are now all accustomed to the snacking and tea drinking that pretty much begins right after we get to camp and ends right before dinner. Tomorrow we head up the Barranco Wall. It's hard to miss as it looms above us, but everyone is excited to be standing on top of it by mid-morning. Best regards, RMI Guide Jeff Martin & Team

On The Map

Rest day at Aconcagua Camp One means only one thing. Pizza making day! You may be wondering, "How do you make pizzas at 16,500 feet"? Sorry, it's an RMI Guide secret. Today our team awoke to a fresh blanket of snow covering the entire mountain. It is a beautiful day to stay put and recover here in camp. Everyone is doing very well and we are feeling healthy and strong. The remainder of the day will see some of us playing cards, reading books and watching movies. Yes, it's rough living up here. RMI Guide JJ Justman

On The Map

There were elephants walking between our tents in the night. We went to sleep to the sound of them eating grass and shrubs. Breakfast at Lokisale was just before sunrise and so we got the maximum value from our final day on Safari. We hated to leave such a comfortable camp, but we were excited to see what we could see. Within a few minutes drive, we’d crossed back into Tarangire National Park, but a considerable distance from the main gate. Our drivers took us along a gigantic swamp which was teeming with wildlife. We had the place to ourselves for hours.  The team was still looking high and low for leopards when we found lions. Two big males, out for a mellow morning of hunting. They simply walked toward herds of hartebeest or Cape buffalo without much stealth, hoping to get lucky. 

Then we saw a lioness and her two cubs laying about and doing cat things. Before the morning was out we’d gotten glimpses of another leopard and a couple of Cheetahs.  Not close enough for photography but close enough that we felt very lucky to see them. We headed for the main gate eventually, after a hundred more eagles and giraffes, a dozen hippos, a million impala and wildebeest and zebra. There were hyenas and mongooses and darn near everything else… except bears and tigers.  And mile after mile of beautiful East African savanna and forest. 

By noon we were out of the park and driving east toward Arusha. We made a final stop at the cultural center on the city outskirts and stretched our legs while surveying the artwork. We reached our comfortable and familiar Rivertrees Hotel just after 3 PM. Then we started having to say goodbye to one another as our itineraries diverged. Some of us are flying today, some tomorrow, some are continuing the expedition to the shores of Zanzibar. It was a good team and so we are confident of seeing each other again on some future adventure. Even so, there is just a little sadness that it all has to end for now. 

It was pretty fun. Thanks for following along. 

Best Regards,

RMI Guide Dave Hahn & Team

We woke to another brisk morning. The sun slowly creeps down the mountain. Once it hits the dome tent, everything/everyone warms up.

Today we made progress up the mountain. We sorted our gear to carry all the group food, fuel, kitchen items, our mountain snacks, and upper mountain equipment. Without doing carries, our packs would be far too heavy. Carries also help with acclimatization. With our heavy packs ready and the sun shining, we made our way to 16,400'. The team did great maneuvering through the moon scape like terrain. A final steep hill brought us into Camp One. We unloaded our packs and pile everything against a rock. We will be reunited with this gear on Monday when we leave the comforts of basecamp. After hanging at Camp One for 30 minutes letting our bodies exist at this altitude, we made quick work getting back to Basecamp where we were greeted with pizza and treats.

One final day resting at basecamp tomorrow and getting ready for our move up to Camp One tomorrow. RMI's First Aconcagua team comes down from 19k camp after a successful summit yesterday. It will be nice to see familiar faces and hear about their trip. The sun has disappeared so it’s time for the sleeping bag and tent.

Goodnight all,

RMI Guides Hannah, Ben, Dan, and team