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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

Hello this is Elias, 11:00 local time in Peru. We just summitted Ishinca! I have some folks right next to me that would like to say something. [Team cheers!] Alright, that's what you get when you climb in style with RMI. We are going to initiate our descent in the next few minutes and we'll be blogging tonight with a recap of what we did. Tomorrow we're going to take a rest day and we'll be revitalized for the next climb up Urus. Stay tuned. Take care. Bye. RMI Guide Elias de Andres Martos

June 4, 2016 - 5:02 pm PT After yesterday's mission caching our summit kits at the top of the fixed lines, the crew is ready for a rest day. We went to bed last night to clear skies and low valley clouds rolling around Foraker and awoke to more perfect views above. Many of the slopes around camp are accruing ski tracks, and providing great entertainment! Today's breakfast was high class gourmet, with salmon and cream cheese bagels and a side of cheesy bacon hash browns. The fresh food has spirits high as we hope for the great weather to continue. Until then we'll continue to chill and watch skiers enjoy the fresh snow. RMI Guide Tyler Jones

On The Map

Sunday, May 31st 11:45pm PDT Today the weather was wonderful! We woke up with the sun warming the tents. With a leisurely breakfast of pop tarts and grits we then sauntered down to hit our cache at 10,000ft. The groceries now in hand, we walked back up hill on firm snow dawning our crampons which was a pleasant change from waddling like platypus in snowshoes! Do platypus even walk anyway? Back at camp our food bags were calling us as we climbed in our tents to beat the afternoon radiation. We welcomed RMI teams Walter and Van Deventer back to 11 camp fresh from the summit yesterday. Great work teams! After giving high-fives to our friends, we worked on fortifying our camp. We built walls, bathrooms and a new cook tent. Camp looks good and we are snug as a bug in a rug here at 11,000ft. RMI Guide Tyler Jones

Well, we made it back to Basecamp. Big loads and tired feet made for a tough day but we were greeted at Basecamp last night by a spread of snacks and cold drinks, but more importantly, hugs and congratulations from Anita and Grizzelda the Basecamp managers. We dined on steaks and real salad and vegetables which were absolutely delicious after over a week of mountain food. This morning we woke up had a quick breakfast before readying the mule loads and are now about to hit the dusty trail for Pampa de Leñas. The herrieros will be preparing a traditional asado there for us tonight but I anticipate that we´ll be out of touch for the evening because it´s hard for the satellite phone to stay connected down there. The canyon walls are just too narrow. The long march home continues... RMI Guide Billy Nugent & Team

The time is here! We woke today to clear skies, a welcoming sight from yesterday's mean looking clouds. It was time to move up to Aconcagua High Camp and put ourselves in place to go to the summit. With efficiency, we packed up camp. By now the team is seasoned pros at camp disassembly and assembly. Packs loaded, we hit the trail and made our way to 19,600'. There we made camp and got settled in. The rest of the afternoon we took care of ourselves and got ready for summit day tomorrow. Staying hydrated, getting calories on board, resting the body and mind are all important. Its early to bed tonight because we will have an early start tomorrow. All we can do now is try to catch some Zzz's and hope the weather holds for a beautiful summit.

Wish us luck!
RMI Guide Hannah Smith and team

On The Map

Under the shadows of the Torres del Paine towers we spent a mellow day enjoying the sights, sounds, and smells around us. Our legs and feet are all tired from the past few long days of trekking so it was nice to have a short day with a long lunch break next to a river that we plunged our feet in. Even when every muscle hurts this group still has a wonderful sense of humor and positive energy. We have a nurse from Virginia whose pack is bigger than she is but she is always the first person to throw it on and head down the trail. Her husband is an avid biker who could go for days with a few snacks, beers, and people to chat happily with. Our other cyclist could climb any mountain he put his mind to and is always up for a hill and good photo opportunity. Our honorary guide is a federal judge with a Texas accent who has joined RMI for 13 expeditions. His better half is the kindest woman who would take care of everyone else before herself. Our token Canadian has legs of pure muscle and by far the best dance moves! Our group is lucky to have a man knowledgable in everything from alpacas, to cyber security, to the history of Eastern Washington. Then we have the three giggle gals who are always ready for a laugh. One who has climbed all over and could keep up with anyone. One gal who has an amazing ability to ask insightful questions and spot all wildlife including a pygmy owl. And the last character is the best vet in Maine who can laugh at herself and doesn't let the wind push her around. Then there is me, and I'm just a simple guide who loves to walk. We are having a great time exploring Patagonia and getting to know each other. RMI Guide Christina Dale

Здравствуйте (hello) from Russia! We had an early start to the day as we left Moscow this morning and have traveled via plane and bus to the beautiful Caucus mountains. Our flight took us to southern Russia not too far from the Black Sea to a place called Mineralnye Vody, which simply translates to Mineral Water. This part of the country is predominately rural and is responsible for much of the agriculture that the larger cities depends on. We were meet by our trustworthy guide Yuri, whom I've climbed with many times. Then hopped in our van for the 3 hour drive up the Baksan Valley to the base Mt. Elbrus. Things went pretty smooth minus a few little traffic jams with cars, motorcycles and cows all humorously trying to use the road. The small town we are in is called Cheget, and it doubles as a ski town in winter and converts to climbing town in the summer. We didn't do a ton of exploring this afternoon due to the adjustment of the time that we are all still feeling and having started so early. However, tomorrow we will do our first acclimatizing hike and do a little exploring too. All is well here as we are looking forward to a little exercise tomorrow. RMI Guide Casey Grom and crew

On The Map

We left the Dik Dik Lodge after breakfast and made our way to the start of our climb from the Machame Gate (6000 ft). After obtaining our permits we set off, starting in overcast conditions that were very comfortable. Four thousand vertical feet in just under six hours brought us to Camp 1, also known as Machame Camp. Our fantastic local guides and staff had all tents ready to be invaded. After dinner and a most beautiful sunset, we were settling in for the night, knowing tomorrow will bring a full set of challenges. The sun may have gone down but the team's excitement grew well into the night. RMI Guide Mark Tucker

On The Map

The Four Day Summit Climb Teams got an early start from Camp Muir today and reached the summit of Mt. Rainier. RMI Guides Brent Okita and Kel Rossiter and their climbers began their descent from the crater rim at 7 am PT. It's a beautiful summer day with warm temps and clear skies. This is what Brent Okita calls a bluebird day. Congratulations to today's climbers. We look forward to seeing them at Rainier BaseCamp this afternoon.