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Another perfect day here in the central Andes... We woke to sunny skies yet again and took our time eating breakfast, breaking camp, and buttoning up a cache of refuse for us to grab on our way home. We climbed up to Camp 2 at 18,000' in under four hours with big, but manageable loads. As usual the team worked hard and moved smoothly and efficiently through the terrain. Before we knew it we were in camp, set up, and chilling the afternoon away. I wanted to take one last second to wish one of our teammates a happy birthday... So, happy birthday Alex! Feel free to wish him one too in the comments... Talk again tomorrow, RMI Guide Billy Nugent

On The Map

September 7, 2016 This morning we woke up in Lhasa, the spiritual and political capital of Tibet. This city sits over 12,000 feet so it is fair to say there were a couple restless nights and throbbing heads as we adjusted to our new altitude and instant coffee downgrade. After breakfast we took an incredible tour of the Potala Palace. This is without question the most famous landmark in all of Tibet. Built in 1645 as a winter home for the Dali Lama, the sheer size, engineering and magnificence of this palace inspires anyone lucky enough just to lay eyes on it. So we felt privileged to have a three hour tour arranged for us beginning right after breakfast. Once on the streets of Lhasa, this preconceived idea of a beautiful, traditional Buddhist city got zapped straight out of our brains with blaring horns, massive buildings and what one person called the Times Square of Tibet directly in front of the palace's gate. Neon lights, swanky fashion shops, fancy cars, Lhasa has it all. After our brief culture shock we found ourselves deep in the heart of the Potala Palace, sanctuary to over a dozen Dali Lamas in the past 375 years. It is difficult to describe how spectacular this place is. From Dali Lama tombs to prayer rooms to sculptures cast in gold. This place is truly remarkable. After the Palace tour our next excursion began. The 180 mile drive from Lhasa to Shigatse. With both cities holding populations greater than a half million, we simply could not believe the infrastructure projects connecting these two metropolises. Paved highways, massive tunnels through giant mountains, apartment buildings ready to house thousands more Chinese coming to this high mountain desert. Beyond all of the cultural collisions, we made it to Shigatse in just over 7 hours. If you do the math that is an average speed of 26 miles per hour. We drove so slow at times the team thought we would get rear ended by a cow pulling a cart. Ounce finally settled we had a fantastic dinner and can hardly contain our excitement for tomorrow's repeat of snail crawling our way closer to Shishapangma. We are all in great spirits and will touch base tomorrow. RMI Guide Adam Knoff

Today we moved to Camp 2, at 18,000', the team did again a great job climbing to this altitude. The weather had improved to the point that we climbed with a single layer of clothing. Hopefully it continue in this way for a few more days. Tomorrow most of the team will take a rest day and a small group of us will carry fuel and food to Camp Colera (our Camp 3). This will allow us to move to Camp 3 with a little lighter pack.

Sunday, December 7, 2025 - 8:45 pm PT

Tim and I said goodbye to a lot of friends today.  We had time for all of that though as the jet landed at Union at 3:30 PM.  We had plenty of time to catch a lecture on jellyfish, to eat a big lunch and to go for a 10K fat bike ride out in the bright sunshine.  It was another great day in Antarctica.  It was a slightly novel experience to load onto a 757 with only 16 other passengers.  Things were relaxed, to say the least.  We both got window seats and thus had a spectacular view of Vinson as the pilot took us way closer than normal leaving Union.  Four hours later we put down in Punta Arenas.  It was just getting dark -an unfamiliar thing to us- as we drove into town.  Checking in to the hotel at 10 PM meant that dinner would be tough to find on a Sunday evening, but we were able to find a comfortable cafe still willing to serve pisco sours.  So we toasted each other and a fine adventure.  We got oh so lucky… and we used that luck to achieve some dreams. 

Best Regards,
RMI Guide Dave Hahn

Hello everyone from the highest peak outside the Himalayas!! The team is doing well and sucking air. Its sunny, clear, with a light breeze. We will do another dispatch when we get back to camp.

We go high,

RMI Guide Hannah Smith and team

On The Map

After three consecutive days of hard work, we had a lighter day today. But it wasn't all rest; we had work to do, to go back down to 10,000', dig up our cache, and haul it in sleds and backpacks back to our camp at 11,200'. It wasn't easy work, but compared to the last three days it sure felt that way. The snow conditions were excellent for travel on snowshoes and the temps were enjoyable. Intermittent clouds and light snow showers added to the great day. By the time we made it back to camp it was snowing a bit harder, but with no wind it didn't really bother us too much. This afternoon we are resting, eating and drinking, and preparing gear and supplies for our next cache, which will be up around Windy Corner at about 13,600'. If the weather is good, that might happen tomorrow. We'll keep you posted. RMI Guide Mike Walter

On The Map

Day 9 and our feet are broken in, our layers are perfect, and our backs strong. We finished the circumnavigation of the Paine Massif today by walking 22 kilometers up to the base of the famous granite towers. A long and windy day on the trail but everyone did great. It was so windy at times that it was hard to walk against but we figured one or two windy days out of nine was pretty good. As this amazing trip comes to an end we all want to thank Chile for keeping the national park well preserved and thank our partners here in Patagonia for helping this trip run so smoothly. Congratulations to this RMI team from your guides; Chuma, Mauricio and Christina!

June 8, 2017 Today was another relaxed day! The crew played more corn hole and we learned a new old game from Amir and Nima. The winds were cooking this morning. The signs of uphill progress were not looking hot. The team is bonding and has high spirits for sticking out the unsettled and likely stormy weather the next few days. Brent's RMI team descended to 14,000' to skip the bad weather up high. The guides put some strong work into helping them set up camp and make water for them. Tomorrow will likely bring more laughter and good times maybe some laps around camp, we'll see. The weather has to break at some point! RMI Guide Tyler Jones

On The Map

This morning we gathered for breakfast, drank our fill of coffee, and then hopped on our van for a 45 minute bumpy ride out of Huaraz. Once at our trail head we dawned our light packs and began hiking. Soon the rolling grass hills gave way to steeper rock steps and eventually Laguna Churup. Laguna Churup is a stunning alpine lake at 14,200' with fantastic views of the central Cordillera Blanca. Under perfectly blue skies and a light wind we had lunch and soon everyone stretched out on the rocks for a little nap. After a little siesta we started our descent back to the TH and then on to the hotel. The whole team did a great job today, I had to rein them in a few times as the excitement cranked up the pace. We are resting and doing some shopping this afternoon before dinner. Spirits are high and we are all excited to get on the trail tomorrow. Thanks for following along, RMI Guide Geoff Schellens & Team

This morning we woke up around 7:00 gathered for a delicious breakfast with lots of coffee and packed a small day pack. Today's mission: a short acclimatization hike just outside of Huaraz. Shortly after breakfast we loaded in to the shuttle and drove about 40 minutes out of town to the trailhead at just over 12,000 feet. Starting out in the rolling foothills were stunning snow-capped peaks looming above us. We couldn't contain our excitement and began hiking too fast. Quickly we realized our error and settled into a reasonable pace. A few hours later we found ourselves at the beautiful Laguna Churup, 14,000 feet, where Don and Jesse promptly went swimming. We relaxed by the amazing alpine lake eating lunch and taking photos before descending back to our shuttle. This afternoon we will rest at our hotel, do a little shopping in town and enjoy another delicious dinner before hitting the trail tomorrow. Everyone is doing well and spirits are high. Thanks for following along with us on this amazing adventure! RMI Guide Geoff Schellens