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Hello modern world! We're back in the bustling city of Huaraz after a week in the Ishinca Valley of the Cordillera Blanca Range. After any significant amount of time in the mountainous wilderness, even if just a week, it is certainly a shock to the system to return back to the modern world, especially when it's in the form of the chaotic city of Huaraz. With that chaos, however, comes showers, cervezas, real beds, warm temps, and flip flops! I'd say that it's nice to eat real food, but our reality is that we've been eating better in the mountains than most do in the cities (no joke)! That's all thanks to our wonderful cook from Alvarado Adventures, Emilio, once a guide here in the Range, and now a mountain chef extraordinaire that has been taking care of RMI teams for as long as we've been climbing in Peru. We had some great successes this week in the Ishinca Valley. We went through the (sometimes) painful process of acclimatizing our bodies to high altitudes, and we were able to successfully summit two beautiful mountains; Ishinca (18,143') and Urus Este (17,782'). The mountains and glaciers here are quite dry this season, which made for more interesting climbing, and more challenging, than our other trips down here. Our team attacked that challenge with an 'enthusiasm unknown to mankind', and were able to accomplish some personal goals and set new altitude records in the process. Tonight, we're just relaxing city-side at the wonderful Hotel Andino. We've got a little bit of repacking to do, as tomorrow morning we set out for our third and final climb of the trip; Pisco Oeste. We're looking forward to spending the next 4 days in the Llanganuco Valley and giving our bodies and minds another test of endurance as we look to approach the 19,000' mark and climb the beautiful west ridge of Pisco. We'll keep you updated on our progress. For now, enjoy some pictures from our most recents adventures in the Ishinca Valley. RMI Guide Robby Young, Alfie, WIlliam, and Team 'Showers and Flip Flops'

One and all were singing the praises of Jo's Garden in Phak Ding this morning. After confusing days of travel and hustle and bustle and jet lag, it was wonderful to sleep deeply with the sound of whitewater from the nearby rushing river masking everything. As is typical, it was a clear and crisp morning with plenty of blue sky when we started walking at 8:30 AM. The first hour of our six-hour journey was spent either in forest or in the gardens that pass for farms along the river. Magnolia and rhododendron were in bloom, but then so were the apple trees. Before long we were looking up at the glaciers and impossibly steep ridges of Thamserku, perched several vertical miles in the sky. Within a few hours we'd reached the National Park entrance at Jorsalle. Then it was time for a relaxing lunch at the last of the teahouses before we crossed the river and got busy with the Namche Hill. We crossed the ultra-high cable bridges near the start of the hill and then plugged away in the heat for several thousand feet of vertical gain through the pine forests. At one point we heard the thunderous crashing of tons of ice cascading down the steep gullies on the opposite wall of the canyon. Finally, we eased into the magical village of Namche Bazaar. The town is built as a series of concentric half circles, facing the giant peak of Kwangde, across the valley. We strolled through the tight "streets" (there are no cars and probably never will be) until we reached our hotel for the next three nights, Camp De Base. Best Regards, RMI Guide Dave Hahn

On The Map

We're at Shira Plateau Camp! We had another great day on the trail and everyone is adjusting to mountain life. We got up with the sun and had a great breakfast. Fruit and eggs and of course the wonderful bread from the Dik Dik is a great way to start a day. Unfortunately for us though one of our team had to head home due to a work emergency. We'll miss him sorely and feel bad that he had to leave the trip. After our goodbyes we hit the trail for a 4 hour and 45 minute hike to camp. The weather was mostly cloudy which meant we were inside the clouds all day. That is until we hit the top of the Shira Plateau where we moved out of the cloud deck. Once we topped out we were greeted with an amazing view of the summit. It's still a long way off but tomorrow we'll get right up under it! A message from team member Gayle: She wanted to say hi to her Mom. RMI Guide Seth Waterfall

On The Map

Welcome to the start of RMI's Denali climbing season! All of the team members have arrived in Anchorage, and we're on our way to the small town of Talkeetna. Talkeetna is the main access point for climbers heading into the Alaska Range. We'll start the day tomorrow with breakfast at the historic Talkeetna Roadhouse, and then spend the bulk of the day packing equipment for our expedition. We'll also check in with the National Park Service and go through their informative orientation slide show. That's it for now. We'll keep you posted with another update tomorrow. RMI Guide Mike Walter & team

On The Map

We have spent a few days in Mendoza City enjoying the great weather that this place offers in January (southern hemisphere summer). The swimming pool was the RMI meeting center during the afternoons... Dinners (Argentinian beef and Malbec wines) have been excellent according to the taste of our team. The team members began to depart to the U.S. today. This was a great trip, with a lot of fun, unique views, amazing people, and a safe, successful ascent. Cheers and thank you for following our progress on this expedition to the top of South America. RMI Guides Gabriel Barral, Pete Van Deventer and Garret Stevens

Hi there!

We left base camp early this morning and made our way to Lobuche high camp. We said goodbye to everyone that made our stay so wonderful.

The trail was crowded with yaks and trekkers but we ducked and dodged and eventually made it back to Gorek shep and then on to Lobuche.

After a quick lunch, we headed uphill to Lobuche high camp! It was a windy day and the forecast looks like the wind will continue for the next few days. We plan to climb tonight and see if we can safely make it to the top and back down.

We’re headed to bed early to try to get some rest before an early wake up.

Two of our teammates that planned to just trek made it safely back to Pheriche where they will wait for us to get down from the climb.

Cross your fingers the wind dies down!

RMI Guide Jess Wedel and the team
 

Tuesday, June 18, 2024 - 8:47 pm PT

Hello readers!

Today we waited for our two guides to rejoin the team. A light wind kept the air chilly even with the intensity of the sun. Although the air temperature may read negative five, with the sun it feels a lot more comfortable and the tents can get well into the 70s. Freeze or fry they say on the mountain. We are well rested and our bodies adjusting to the altitude. We are ready for tomorrow. Tomorrow is the big day that we have all been waiting and training for. Tomorrow we try to summit Denali. The weather forecast looks promising. Maybe a bit windy at times but we are hoping it holds fair and allows Us to stand on top. Everyone is excited and anxious for the day to be here. Please send all the best of vibes our way. We will take them all! Hopefully the next dispatch is us saying we stood tall on the tallest peak in North America.

Goodnight all,

RMI Guide Hannah Smith and Team

Ngorongoro Crater was worth getting up early for. We were on the road by 6:30 AM. It was cloudy and as we climbed up to the rim of the old collapsed volcano, we were in thick fog.  This did not prevent us from seeing a handful of elephants in the forest up there though.

Our first hours in the “crater” were actually a little cool and drizzly, but we were seeing abundant wildlife and so we didn’t really care.  We saw everything from Cape Buffalo to Jackals. The giant herds of Zebra and Wildebeest were a big hit. During the course of the day, we crisscrossed the valley floor and saw eight lions (beating yesterday’s total). We got to see a number of happy hippopotamus pile-ups in the mud and shallow waters. 

By mid-afternoon we were climbing out of the bowl to visit a Maasai village on the crater rim. We danced with the villagers, and they showed us some of their traditional methods for building fires and living in the wild.  The team got back to the Plantation Lodge in time for a sunset swim in the pool before dinner.

Tarangire tomorrow!

Best Regards,

RMI Guide Dave Hahn & Team

Last night as we prepared for our summit attempt, we could not get American football off of our minds. With Dustin and a couple others praying for a Seahawks win and myself along with all my Ecuadorian recruits pulling for the Packers, the howling winds, soaking mist and ominous cloud cap almost seemed to take a back seat. I say this because it was the mind frame I was in but in reality the weather was front and center. When we arrived in Ecuador, I gloated on our fortune of grand vistas and warm temperatures, but we all know how quickly things can change. And change they did.

With a 6:00 pm dinner and 7:00 pm lights out, we never learned the score but went to bed wondering. This is the main reason I didn’t sleep a single minute but my 11:00 pm alarm showed up unwelcomed anyway. As I ventured outside to inspect the winds, I was immediately greeted with a soaking mist ramming into me at 25 mph. This did not inspire me so I held off waking the group up for another hour thinking things might improve enough to warrant going up. And to my surprise it did! At 1:00 am the rain had turned to snow which made the prospect of climbing a bit more bearable, but the wind still screamed as it whistled through the Cayambe Refugio.

At 2:00 am five out of our eight climbers set off for what would be an uncertain ascent. The other three climbers stayed behind because of lingering chest illnesses they felt would improve with rest over cold, windy, snowy climbing.

It only took 15 minutes or so before our local guides began to express concern about ice covered rock and strong winds. We made the decision to go as high as we safely could, which led us through some steep rock steps and a sandy traverse back towards the glacier, which we visited a mere twelve hours previously. It was on this traverse we got the full taste of the wind’s furry. I know how strong a wind gust needs to be to blow me around and this giant fan was blowing at a constant, strong enough to have me leaning into it looking like Michael Jackson in mid performance, I’m guessing a steady 50 mph.

Shortly after passing this exposed spot it was clear our shot at the top was going to be thwarted. It wasn’t cold and the snow had even subsided a bit but the wind, through its howls, made the decision for us, we needed to turn around. This is never an easy decision to make but in the end it was the right one. Back at the hut we took a little cat nap and then woke to horrible instant coffee and some rope practice. We then packed up and headed out, back to the warmth of 8,000 feet and the fantastic burgers of Cafe LA Vaca, my favorite lunch place.

Now we are settled into one of the oldest haciendas in the country enjoying internet, a laundry service and hot showers. Our failure to reach the summit of Cayambe has only fueled the fire to get to Cotopaxi, also known as the jewel of Ecuador, tomorrow. We will keep you updated as we prepare for this 19,400' snow cone. Thanks for following.

RMI Guide Adam Knoff

Another day of perfect weather on Kilimanjaro. We’re starting to feel lucky. A few of the team ventured out in the dark last night to capture long exposure shots of the night sky and the moonlit mountain. At dawn we were far above the clouds and in perfectly calm and clear conditions. We set out from 13,300' Karanga Camp around 9:00 AM on a moderate but steady grade. Before long we reached the end of any vegetation and came into the Alpine zone. Without tree cover, we could see all of our neighboring expeditions and all of their associated porters moving as if in some mass migration. Hundreds of people with loads on their backs and or heads, all moving steadily toward Barafu Camp (Swahili for “ice”) at 15,000'. We arrived in short order at 11:30 AM, with everybody feeling strong. Our purposely easy afternoon was spent lounging about, eating, drinking and prepping for tonight’s summit bid. Normally folks lose their appetite at altitude, but Chef Tosha prepared a fine spaghetti dinner and none of our team let it go to waste. After dinner, it was a tough thing to quit watching the beautiful sunset and fading light, but the gang retired to the tents early. We’ll be up in just a handful of hours for our alpine start and a climb to the Roof of Africa. Best Regards, RMI Guide Dave Hahn

On The Map