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The team woke to blue skies and firm snow. The smiles grew even more as they devoured Bagel Bacon sandwiches for breakfast. They are hard not to love when the crisp texture of bacon and lightly, toasted bagel has been cooked to perfection by our leader Christina. We suited up and headed out on firm snow in boots under the tower which cast a shadow and gave us a delightful coolness from the beating sun. We traversed under a few seracs before we donned crampons on the hard-packed snow up to the top of Radio Tower. With sweeping views we visually inspected and learned about the intricacies of the phenomenon of Glaciers and Mountains. We descended under some growing clouds to a spectacular basecamp where we are now lounging in the sun and sipping on La Croix. The team is so strong and impressed us all by climbing a peak like this on day 2. We wanted to take advantage of the beautiful weather and were proud that everyone climbed so well. RMI Guide Lucas Haaland

Morning was easier at Karanga. The sun was on camp early and we weren’t parked down with the cold air in a valley. It was a leisurely start to the day since we didn’t have far to go to make High Camp. There wasn’t a cloud in the sky, but since we knew they’d form up soon, we drank in views of Kibo’s giant rock walls and tenacious glaciers. We marched out of Karanga at 9 AM and worked up a broad and tilted plateau. The clouds did indeed form up, but that didn’t bother us. We concentrated on efficiency techniques in walking and breathing and told tall tales from high places to pass the time. Things steepened just a bit as we came to the final ridge but we were feeling strong and arrived in Barafu -or “Ice” Camp at 12:15. After an incredibly good lunch of fresh foods cooked from scratch at 15,000 ft, we strategized and plotted our summit bid and then packed and prepped for it. Dinner was early, and so was bedtime, with folks turning in just after 6 PM. We’re aiming for a midnight breakfast and an alpine start. Hopes are high... just as they ought to be with everything running smoothly. Best Regards, RMI Guide Dave Hahn

On The Map

Well, the whirlwind is finally over... We enjoyed a breezy, sunny, but not too hot walk down from Plaza Argentina into Pampa de Leñas complete with multiple river crossings and the sore feet that come with a seemingly endless rocky trail. The camp at Pampa de Leñas turned out to be a ghost town... only the Rangers were there along with us and one herriero who was running a small mule team with our gear. The head ranger at the camp, Hugo, wished for me to pass on his hello to several RMI guides including JJ, Garrett, and Katrina. It's fun to see familiar faces like Hugo's over the years, and even though we only get to hang out over maté once a year we still feel like we know eachother. Anyway, our ragged team enjoyed a truly amazing meal prepared by Barco, our lone herriero which we devoured sitting around the fire. We ate a typical Argentine asado complete with roasted veggies, slabs of grilled beef, bread, and of course wine. The next day was a bit of a slog but we managed to dispatch the remaining miles to the trailhead before the afternoon and before we knew it we were packed and on the van back to Mendoza. While the Rodrigo and the friendly staff at the Nutibara hotel are totally used to returning Aconcagua climbers there were certainly looks from other hotel guests while we were checking in. I guess they're not used to crews of people coming in dusty, sweaty, bleary-eyed, and stinking of mule farts with over a dozen filthy duffel bags piled in the lobby. Lucky for the people of Mendoza we cleaned up nicely and ate a casual meal at a nearby restaurant because we were a bit tired. We're saving our big celebration dinner for tonight at a fancy pants restaurant even though some of our comrades are gone already and others will be headed out this afternoon. Sorry amigos, you'll be missed. I wanted to thank our whole team for their hard work in making this expedition a smashing success... but I especially wanted to thank Hannah and our local guide Rolo for working their butts off for the rest of the team. You guys are rad. Well, that's about it... Until next time. RMI Guide Billy Nugent

Nap time at 13,000+. Team is doing great! Said goodbye to La Malinche this morning and hello to the mountain Ixtaccihuatl (The Sleeping Woman ). A four-hour drive has brought us to a nice hut. Our local staff made us a fantastic dinner so we are well taken care of and fired up for an early morning ascent to our high camp. Loads are reasonable but not light. Weather has been a bit unsettled but not bad. Lots of gear shuffling and we are looking prepared. All is well. RMI Guide Mark Tucker

On The Map

June 16, 2016 - 6:07 PM PT Hello from the top of Denali. We were lucky today and the mountain let us to the tip top. We are all doing fantastically well, the weather is just about perfect and we will soon start our descent. But we just wanted to check in, we will enjoy the views for a little bit longer, but the team has done great, everyone worked super hard. I'm quite proud of all of them. We will give you a shout from the lowlands. Take care all. RMI Guide Jake Beren

On The Map

Saturday June 20th 8:45 a.m. PT First day moving on Mount McKinley was a tremendous success. As a guide, I was impressed with our crew's ability to move smoothly and efficiently despite the very heavy loads and the cumbersome nature of the sled rigging and climbing rope. Usually it's a couple of days before a team will hit its stride like we did today. We enjoyed clear skies and perfect temperatures. For a moment we had considered moving onto the night schedule but a cool down glacier breeze and excellent snow coverage made for safe and comfortable travel during the day. We are all in great spirits, bonding as a team and enjoying our relatively new environs. More from our expedition as it develops. RMI Guide Billy Nugent

Hey everyone out there. Hopefully you can hear me, my voice is a little raspy. This is Team 4. We are on the summit. Feel free you guys to give a hoot-and-holler... We are on the summit of Aconcagua! It is a beautiful day up here. The weather man was way wrong with the winds. Maybe a little breeze, but really nice day on the summit of South America's highest peak. Everyone give a shout out... Everyone says hello to friends and family. We still have some work to do to get downhill, but everyone's doing real well. They say hi and we''ll touch base when we get down to Basecamp tomorrow. We got a lot of work here to get down and recover and refuel, but everyone's doing fantastic. Take care everyone. This is Team 4 out on the summit of Aconcagua. RMI Guide JJ Justman

On The Map

We are still hanging out at Camp 1 waiting for the weather to improve high on the mountain. While sleeping through the gales is a little tough overall conditions are not bad. It's hard to complain when you get to lay around all day and relax, read, play cards, and nap? So yeah, we all would have been excited to move higher today, but this alternative isn't too bad. RMI Guide Walter Hailes

This is always a big day, permits, buying last minute supplies, traveling to Penitentes, gear checking, and packing. Luckily it went as smooth as possible. Our one hiccup was accidentally ordering everyone the same special at lunch which was made for two people. So each of us ate a two-pound steak, papas Freitas, salad, and two empanadas. Or as much as we could handle of the giant meal. Well it's off to bed for our final night in a bed for several days... I can't wait RMI Guide Walter Hailes

We did it! We successfully climbed to the highest point in Europe. It wasn't easy, in fact it was far from it. We started our climb in pretty windy conditions and battled our way for several hours before the weather finally eased off. I have to admit I wasn't sure it was going to happen for us, but a big thanks to our local guides for working hard and to the crew for doing a great job of taking care of themselves. We had our heads down most of the climb due to the blowing wind and surface snow that continuously made it difficult. The team worked extra hard today to make it happen, wearing parkas and goggles nearly the entire day. We have finally descended all the way back to Cheget and just finished another wonderful meal, washed down with endless vodka in Russian style! Everyone is in great spirits and looking forward to taking in the sites and relaxing in beautiful St. Petersburg. RMI Guide Casey Grom and Team

On The Map