Just keep walking, walking, walking. We said goodbye to basecamp today. We would begin our walk down through the Relinchos Valley to the Vacas Valley. As we walked, we took in the last views of Aconcagua. Taking in those last views naturally makes you reflect on your journey. What a journey it has been. Our walk down was full of Guanacos sighting. Everyone loves a wildlife sighting. We weaved our way across many stream crossings. The cool water felt magnificent on the feet. It was a long day covering two days worth of walking. The end result was worth it. We were greeted with fresh cut melon and pineapple at Lenas. The dinner was the grand finale, carne asada BBQ. Beef and chicken cooked over a fire by the arreyeros makes all the walking worth it. Instead of pitching a tent, like we have done so many times, we chose to sleep under the stars like the Argentinean cowboys do. Its always a surreal moment, having been so high on a mountain then two days later sleeping in a desert valley floor under the stars. Tomorrow we will finish our walk. Our feet are tired. Our bodies are tired. The incentive though is big to keep walking...a shower in Mendoza. The excitment is high for what tomorrow brings, a shower and a bed. So it is off to bed for us.
Amazing accomplishment everyone. We are excited to talk to you Pops!
Posted by: Noel Imfeld on 1/24/2020 at 5:15 pm
This is truly a major accomplishment & you are wrapping it up with an Argentinian flare! The sleeping under the stars & the BBQ just sound like perfection. We have so enjoyed your descriptions! Thank you so much!
Judy & Dale
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
I couldn’t have asked for a better guide team in Christina, Grayson and Alan! It was an absolute pleasure meeting some great climbers and getting ourselves up some mountains. Keep climbing everyone!!
Posted by: Mychal Wooldridge on 1/27/2019 at 12:47 pm
Jefe Mule and Doc deserve all the credit for making this the best RMI trip yet. Hope our paths cross again! Breezy
Posted by: Andreas Renner on 1/27/2019 at 12:42 pm
Hello all!
Another day here in the beautiful Ishinca Valley! However, unlike yesterday’s rain and snow, today was splitter and bluebird! We took advantage of the sunshine and made our way up to the toe of the Ishinca Glacier for some on-snow training. The views of the massive Ranrapalca as well tomorrow’s objective, Ishinca, were second to none. We all got some much needed rest this afternoon, and are tucked into the tents already this evening, in anticipation of a 2am breakfast and an attempt on 18,143’ Nevada Ishinca tomorrow. Wish us luck!
RMI Guides Robby Young, Alan Davis and Peru Team ‘Con Gas’
Hello everybody, Casey Grom checking in. Just wanted to let everyone know that those of you who didn't receive a phone call from the summit of Kilimanjaro, we had 100% success today!
Like I said last night, we left pretty early to beat some of the traffic, but unfortunately I think many of those people have the same idea as well. It was a busy day on the trail for us which wasn't too much of an inconvenience, but it definitely made things a little more challenging with breaks and trying to keep a nice steady pace. But the team did fantastic and as they know that goal number 1 is to take care of yourself, and they did a fantastic job today of taking care of themselves. A little after about 7 hours of climbing, we were able to reach the summit of Kilimanjaro along with most of those other people that started the night with us. So there was I'm guessing close to 100 people on the summit, some before us, and a handful after us. Up there all the same time, it was a little bit of a struggle to try to get people in to get their photos at the actual sign. It's pretty painless on Kilimanjaro, but we managed to get quite a few.
Unfortunately still no cell service, so I haven't been able to get any pictures out. And that's going to happen tomorrow for sure, as we have descended all the way back to the Mweka Camp tonight. We're at about 10,000'. Tomorrow we get to the park gate...our hotel and freshly showered, at about 3-4 in the afternoon.
Anyway, all is well; team's doing great. Everyone's very tired after a very long day, but again 100% success and looking forward to sharing some of those pictures with you guys alright.
RMI Guide Casey Grom checks in after the team reaches the summit of Kilimanjaro.
After a tough day the team is chilling at high camp, tired but very happy. We woke up early this morning to beat the heat on the glacier, though inevitably it caught us. Slow and steady was the name of the game as we pushed into the 17,000 foot world. After a couple hours on the lower glacier we got the the steep steps leading to the Col. Two pitches of steep ice and snow, with full packs, put us on the Col and looking right at the impressive south face of Alpamayo. Another two minute stroll brought us to our high camp. Once we had tents set up everyone settled in to get out of the sun and catch a few zzz's before dinner. Despite being tired the team is happy, healthy and excited for our climb. We will take a full rest day tomorrow so we can make our summit bid with all our reserves roped off.
That's all for now.
Thanks for staying with us throughout this incredible adventure
RMI Guide Geoff Schellens
May 12, 2017 - 9:13 pm PT
Nice day here at 10,000' on the upper Kahiltna Glacier. The team slept in a bit after the hard day yesterday. We kitted up and waddled through a few feet of snow to the base of the ridge for some fixed line travel and snow science. A few of us kept our snow shoes on and put in a track up the ridge of Kahiltna Dome for an eventual attempt early tomorrow if the weather holds. All is well here in Alaska. Keep your fingers crossed for good weather!
RMI Guide Leon Davis
The main weather concern here on Aconcagua during the Summer is the wind. A typical day almost always produces blue skies. Every couple of weeks a system will roll through and produce some cloud cover and a little precipitation, but it's quite rare to have layered cloud decks and boiling fog out of the valleys.
This morning though we had quite a nice change of scenery! Clouds had moved in overnight bringing along some moisture that glazed our camp in a layer of frost. At about 7:15am when the sun would normally hit our tents, heating them up and forcing us outside, we had cloud layers more typical of our native state of Washington. The layers were weak and broken. The sun beginning to burn them off produced pockets in which the sunlight could make its way through. From Camp I you have a beautiful view East down the Relinchos Valley where the evaporating cloud layers were putting on a tremendous light show. A nice treat on a mountain that routinely gives you blue skies and high winds!
The team today will rest and prepare themselves for our move to Camp II. Everyone is excited to move up. Getting to Camp II means that, if the weather cooperates, we will have one more rest day and then move to Camp III to attempt the summit. There's finally a light at the end of the tunnel! But before we get too far ahead of ourselves, as with any expedition, you have to live in the now, and now we take care of ourselves. Eating, drinking, resting. Sounds luxurious, yea? Haha almost. Climbers always underestimate just how boring the rest day can be and how it can easily become anything but relaxing. Luckily our team is doing great with just about every aspect of expedition life, so if you were looking for some drama you might want to look at another blog!
Everyone sends their best. All is well. Stay tuned!
RMI Guide Steve Gately
We’re thinking of you here and wishing you well. The clients are all impressed with your ambition. You go girl!
Posted by: Linda on 1/16/2015 at 7:34 am
Ok Sue, Jo & Robert,
R&R and then motor up to camp 2 then tag the top and that’s an order (so long as weather and safety cooperate)!! Holding positive thoughts for you kits and cats!
Posted by: Russ Frederickson on 1/16/2015 at 6:29 am
The Expedition Skill Seminar - Emmons team May 31 - 5 June led by RMI Guide Dominic Cifelli endured some epic wet weather during their six day training and climbing program. After two days of technical training and climbing school the team headed to the White River Entrance of Mt. Rainier donned their packs and climbed to the lower Emmons Glacier. The team spent two days in rainy and snow weather before descending to the trailhead and returning to Ashford. On Wednesday the team spent another day training to complete their program.
The Expedition Skills Seminar - Emmons led by RMI Guide Andy Bond climbed throughout the day yesterday and reached the summit of Mt. Rainier via the Emmons Glacier. Andy and team have spent the week honing their alpine mountaineering techniques including: crevasse rescue, anchors and running belays, route finding, and fixed line travel. It is currently snowing, so the team is breaking down camp and will be descending and making their way off the mountain today.
Congratulations team!
I was part of the two person team that climbed along side you guys. Congrats to everyone on the team. Also wanna say thanks for keeping others in mind you guys had a fantastic professional team and it was great hanging out.
Posted by: Donnie Stephens on 7/4/2019 at 3:47 am
That’s awesome!
Posted by: Jenni Campbell-Watt on 6/21/2019 at 8:33 am
Hello from Cafe La Vaca, in the town of Cayambe. We have all arrived safely from the mountain and are getting ready to power down massive hamburgers to replenish our bodies after 11 straight hours of climbing this morning.
Oh, did I mention the team made a successful summit of Cayambe? I am so distracted by hamburgers I almost forgot the important details.
We woke at 11:30 this morning to cloudy skies but warm temps. We started up the mountain at 12:30 and were standing on top in perfect weather by 7:15am. It was one of the most glorious summit days I’ve ever had on this mountain. Somebody cashed in some big karma bucks to get this forecast.
Once at the hut the wind picked up and the clouds rolled in. Perfect timing again!
Now we will feast, bathe and sleep. Our big mountains are just beginning so rest is imperative to staying healthy and strong.
Sending big hugs to all of our family and friends back home.
Will write again tomorrow.
RMI Guide Adam Knoff
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Amazing accomplishment everyone. We are excited to talk to you Pops!
Posted by: Noel Imfeld on 1/24/2020 at 5:15 pm
This is truly a major accomplishment & you are wrapping it up with an Argentinian flare! The sleeping under the stars & the BBQ just sound like perfection. We have so enjoyed your descriptions! Thank you so much!
Judy & Dale
Posted by: Judy collins on 1/24/2020 at 11:40 am
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