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It's a cowboy lifestyle. Our Aconcagua team is currently sitting by a campfire under the Andean stars telling stories and enjoying a little of the good life. Sometimes it's nice to slow down, look around and enjoy the good life. Yes, we are on a high altitude mountaineering expedition. However, this is part of that adventure. We can hear a Gaucho..."cowboy" shoeing a mule. These mules go through a lot of hard work getting all our food and gear to base camp. And it's nice yo see how the cowboys look after their animals. Tomorrow we will arise to another sunny day as the team hikes into Aconcagua Basecamp. We are all excited to arrive and settle in permanently. We will also be a little sad to say goodbye to the cowboys who are like family to us. RMI Guide JJ Justman

On The Map

We have had a nice relaxing recovery day here in the beautiful city of Puebla. Geoff and I met up with a few of the team members for coffee in the morning while the rest of the team slept in. The city has an almost European feel with lots of sidewalk cafés near our hotel. Later in the day some of the guys explored the cathedrals while others visited a local climbing shop. We all met back up for dinner and now we're back at the hotel getting ready for the Big day tomorrow. Here's a pick from our approach to Ixta a few days ago. RMI Guide Seth Waterfall

Our Four Day Summit Climbs led by Brent Okita and JJ Justman were standing on Columbia Crest at 7:05am PST this morning. According to Guide Brent Okita “It’s a beautiful and clear morning up here with a chilly breeze from the north." The teams will be spending some time on the summit before they make their descent back to Camp Muir. Our Expedition Skills Seminar - Paradise led by Adam Knoff also checked in this morning their training is going very well. RMI Guide Seth Waterfall reached the summit of Mt. Rainier today for his 100th time! Congratulations to our Four Day Summit Climb teams and a special congratulations to Seth Waterfall!

May 17, 2024 9:53PM PT

Well, I can't speak for the rest of my team, but my pictures are definitely not doing this place justice. I keep thinking about my sister, who's a professional photographer. She'd lose her mind over the views. (shameless plug - check her out at Alaska Light Photography). So far, the team has participated in some excellent bonding. We've covered important topics like the merits of various dinner bowls, pros and cons of carrying frozen carrots up 2,000 vertical feet, and what types of rare Pokémon would live up here. (Or is it Pokémen? Pokémon’s? Unknowable at 11,000 feet). Time and distance are different up here.  15 minutes can feel like 2 hours. The vastness of the terrain tricks the eye and a camp "just around the corner" is still an hour away. So, we take one step at a time, one breath at a time, and trust that every step is one step closer to the goal we’ve been working towards for months.
We’ll do it all over again tomorrow.

- Sarah and the Team 

June 2, 2014 - 11:16 pm PT With things looking up for us, we got up early and packed camp this morning. With full packs and a lot of excitement to be moving again, we headed once more up towards the head wall and the fixed lines. We were not by any means the only group with this idea though and a train formed pretty quickly. As we worked our way up the lines in traffic the wind started to pick up, at first just occasional gusts that swirled through the basin, then becoming steadier, stronger, and carrying snow with them. By the time we reached the col at 16,200' conditions had deteriorated significantly. It was a frustrating decision, but this was the type of weather that was too much for us to continue on in, and we decided quickly to turn back down the fixed lines to 14,000' camp, out of the winds. Once camp was reset, we had a tough team meeting over dinner. We've invested a lot of time, energy, and sacrifice into this endeavor, both on the mountain and all of the preparation and training, but we've been here for a long time, and it's time to think about heading down. Everyone agreed that tomorrow, we will pack camp again, but this time will turn our boots downhill and head for the airstrip, home, and families. The team has worked so hard, and come together so well, and it's a disappointment for all, but with any luck we'll be at the airstrip tomorrow, and fly in the evening or next morning. Thanks for reading, and we'll see everybody soon. Best, RMI Guides Pete, Robby, Josh, and team

On The Map

May 29, 2014 - 11:07 pm The team got through their first night here at 14,200' in splendid shape. Most actually got their best nights sleep of the trip. Although we got a few extra winks of sleep this morning, we got up early enough to pick up our cache at 13,500' and were back before noon. This allowed us plenty of time to get in some training before we hopefully make a carry up the fixed ropes and finally on to the West Buttress, the namesake of our route up Denali. But before we could call it a day and enjoy some quality time relaxing in the tents, we built a 'proper' latrine complete with high walls to protect us from the wind and blowing snow. These walls do double duty to afford us some much appreciated privacy as well. Walls were also built up around our tents, which will be of huge benefit if the forecasted winds appear tonight. We'd like to end with a parting shout out to three generations of Greg's family celebrating their birthday today. Happy Birthday Sarah, Robin and Ken! Good night everyone. RMI Guides Brent, Leah and Nick

On The Map

May 24, 2014 - 11:21 pm PT Going to sleep last night we didn't know exactly what morning would bring. The winds last night had picked up and was blowing spin-drift all around. We could hear the winds coming off Kahiltna Pass into the wee hours, but when we finally awoke and peeked out the vestibule of the tent we were happily surprised to find gloriously beautiful weather. Our move up to our new camp couldn't have gone better. The team crushed it! What a nice change from the loads we had making our single carries. Tomorrow we will head back down to our old camp to pick up the cache we buried there. Getting in to camp at 1:30 this afternoon was almost like having half a rest day. We even built a 'proper' Posh House. This is a big shelter under which we cook and can all dine together. Tonight's menu: Indian cuisine, served on a bed of rice and preceded by a tasty soup. Of course, this is always followed by an after dinner drink. Coffee, tea, hot cider or everyone's favorite: hot cocoa. Wish us luck on the weather front. It's been good so far. But regardless of what happens, we're sitting pretty right now and everyone is doing well and in good spirits. A bientot from 11,200' camp. RMI Guides Brent, Leah and Nick

On The Map

We woke up early to a beautiful morning today: cloudless and calm, but very cold. After fueling up for the day with a good breakfast, we started up Motorcycle Hill in the shade, bundled in warm clothes. Our packs were loaded with supplies to cache up high. The weather couldn't have cooperated much better for us today. After the initial chill on Motorcycle Hill and Squirrel Hill, the temperature was very comfortable on the Polo Fields and around Windy Corner to our cache sight at 13,600'. We climbed and descended about 2,500 vertical feet today before arriving back at our camp at 11k. We had a big meal and plenty of fluids, and now we're all horizontal for the night. Our next step will be to move camp to 14k. We'll keep you abreast of our progress... RMI Guide Mike Walter and Team

The Four Day Summit Climb July 23 - 26 reached the summit of Mt. Rainier this morning. The team reported light winds, clear skies above and cold temperatures. There is a cloud deck below at approximately 9,000'. The team will descend to Camp Muir and then continue down to Paradise this afternoon. Congratulations to today's Summit Climb!

Hello from Mt. McKinley. We woke up early this morning to clear skies and no wind at 14k Camp. Elias and I got all dressed, left the tent, and took a look at the ridge at 17,000'. There were huge cloud plumes flowing over the ridge and spiraling into the sky; an obvious indicator of weather no bueno. Given the recent snows up high and the high winds, we decided to sit it out a day and give it a go tomorrow if weather cooperates. The forecast calls for improving weather trends, so we should be in position when it gets "nice". The weather did actually turn out to be pretty nice today, so no need to send Joe Horiskey any harassing emails! We will check in again soon. RMI Guide Mike Haugen