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Congratulations to the team who was the highest people in North America today, assuming no one is climbing Denali or Logan. We had a restless night of sleep listening to the winds howling but by the time we awoke at 11:30pm they were just gusting. The team did a great job taking care of themselves and climbing well. One of our favorite parts of this trip has been the people in this group. The other night at dinner we came up with trail names for everyone. Breezy is an up for anything Appalachian Trail through hiker. Flama Blanc is a high energy positive Greek restaurant owner. Payday is a world traveler and mountaineer who makes everyone feel comfortable. Lorenzo is the backbone of our team, supporting us with snacks and good advice. Posh is a calculated climber who can take on whatever he wants. Major Tom is a photographer who captures the beauty in the land and smiles on our faces. St. Ronaldo is a fun loving athlete who makes a ten-hour day look easy. Data is a brilliant and curious life long learner who always has a great story to share. Endurance is the calm and confident leader who everyone wants to follow for his perfect form. Baklava is a smart trail chatter who is great for trail distractions. Then the guides: Muel has the strength of a lion and the courage of a bear, Doc is a determined and amazing leader, and lastly me named Jefe, who has the pleasure of traveling and climbing with this great team! Thank you all. -Jefe

On The Map

If today hadn’t been a rest day, it would have been a weather day. I have never seen snow so far down the valley before. It snowed well below basecamp, and almost to the Vacas River, where we were trying not to overheat in shorts just a few days ago. It looks like we’re in the clear as far as more precipitation goes, but it is still quite cold. I would say it’s Denali cold. Despite the mountains best efforts, we still managed a filling brunch of hash browns and cheesy eggs. I call it brunch because that sounds hip, but really it was just too windy and cold to cook breakfast any earlier. After brunch, most of the day was spent hiding from the weather. When the sun was out, we could be outside moving around, but otherwise we were snuggled up. We’re planning on moving to Camp Two tomorrow, but if the weather is the same we will most likely just stay here. If it’s cold here, it’s colder there, and we’re still getting plenty of good acclimating done at 16,200 feet. The team sends their best from their cozy sleeping bags. RMI Guides JM Gorum, Hannah Smith and Avery Parrinello

The Team arrived over the last few days with most bags in tow and we are now in Penitentes. We took the afternoon to pack and sort gear for the mules and our trek to Aconcagua Base Camp. The warehouse is at the base of a defunct ski hill and looks like something out of the Argentine version of Hot tub time machine. We have a great local logistics company in Grajales Expeditions to help us get our gear through the high Andean desert valleys that we will hike through during the next three days. The Team is doing well and excited to get walking tomorrow. We will be checking in each day, fingers crossed for clear weather and light winds. Thanks for following along. RMI Guide Mike King

So far, so good. We left our Punta Arenas hotel at 6 this morning to come out to the airport. After a little wait-and-see period, we’ve loaded onto the plane at 9:45 and the engines are spooling up. All systems are go. With any luck, the next dispatch will be from Antarctica. Best Regards, RMI Guide Dave Hahn

The Four Day Summit Climb team led by RMI Guide Kel Rossiter reached to summit of Mt. Rainier early this morning. Kel reported a great day of climbing with beautiful clear skies. The team has started their descent and are en route to Camp Muir Congratioulations to today's team!

Rotation 2... ready, set, go! We're at Depot Camp (aka Advanced Base Camp), starting our dinner. We left Base Camp this afternoon after lunch, and after a small snow storm that made us initially question our departure. The weather cleared, and in a mere three hours we were already in our tents at the edge of the glacier. The team is feeling quite well and strong, as it is proved by the fact that we ditched one hour from our time last week. Tomorrow we'll be ascending to Camp 1, and then, the intentions are to reach Camp 2 and spend some time there afterwards. But we'll keep you posted as we go. That's it for now, we'll check in tomorrow after our move to Camp 1. Regards, RMI Guide Elías de Andres Martos and team

June 22, 2014 - 11:26 pm PT Hey, it's Billy checking in here from 14,000' on Denali. Our team had a great day up on the West Buttress today. We were able to carry a load of food, fuel and supplies up to 17,000' and get the cache in at 17,000' Camp. It was a long day on the Buttress though. We had mostly clear skies but lots and lots wind and lots of blowing snow. So it made for a tough day all in all everyone did really well. Everyone is hanging in there and we are hoping to rest tomorrow and then set up for our summit bid whenever the weather decides to open up. That is all for now. RMI Guide Billy Nugent

On The Map

Weather in Talkeetna and on the mountain has prevented the pilots from dropping off or picking up teams on the Kahiltna Glacier. Brent's team is on the list and ready to be picked up once the weather clears. The next RMI Team heading on to Mt. McKinley will be lead by Tyler Jones. Tyler and his team are packed and ready in Talkeetna and hope to be flying on soon.

Up at 2:30 AM this morning to start the stoves and go for a climb. It had been a still and calm night until around midnight when a wind began, but it wasn't a very strong wind and we considered ourselves quite lucky as we set out around 4 AM under starry and clear skies. The team wore crampons from the outset as our "trail" was packed snow on a long traverse to a camp called "Black Rock" on the normal Aconcagua route. We have been climbing the "False Polish" route and this is where it joins the Routa Normal. Everybody was climbing well, the production teams got their sunrise shots (sunrise on the rest of the planet, we were in shadow) and we were making good progress. It seemed just a matter of time until the whole team stood on the summit, but as we reached 21,400 ft we saw the first signs of wind-driven clouds ripping from the summit ridge and the odd sheet of low cloud scudding over the summits far below us. We began the traverse to the Canaleta, the key gulley giving access to the summit ridge, but we were turned back by wind and cold. Peter made the decision to wait for sun in a sheltered spot at around 21,300 ft where the team could recharge and get ready for either a brutal push up into the wind or a quick descent should conditions deteriorate. Conditions worsened before our eyes as a cloud cap built and lowered on the mountain. The smart and easy call to head for high camp was made and we were easily in camp again by 9:15 AM. The snow started at around 10:30 AM and we climbed into our tents to rest and relax. Our hope, of course, is that today's foray, a record breaker in altitude terms for some of the team, will turn into the perfect rehearsal for our successful summit bid... maybe tomorrow. For now, we are safe and sound and warm... the winds seem to be calming and although it is still snowing, there is plenty of reason for optimism.

Today we headed to Tarangire National Park known for its abundant elephants, and it didn’t disappoint. Not sure how many we saw, but it was quite a few, and we got pretty close once again. 

There were lots of giraffes, impalas, monkeys, ostriches, and many, many birds. Unfortunately we haven’t seen any more big cats, but we will head out early in the morning with hopes of seeing them in the cooler temperatures. 

We are spending our last night here in Tanzania at Nykani Tented Camp, which has beautiful tented rooms with screened windows to allow the sounds of the African bush in. So, if you have ever used or heard the term “Glamping”, this is an extreme version of that. 

Everyone is doing great and hoping to see a few more big cats on our way out of the park tomorrow morning. Then it will be back to our main lodge near Arusha for a brief stop before catching our flights home. 

Thanks for following, your loved ones will be home shortly 

RMI Guide Casey Grom, and an amazing crew!