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Started today before sunrise with a 6:00 a.m. departure from the hotel. We drove along scenic roads high into the hills around Quito and were rewarded with beautiful views of the city and some of the surrounding volcanoes, including our future objectives: Cayambe and Cotopaxi! When the road ended and we reached the trailhead, we began hiking toward Rucu Pichincha. We walked through gorgeous grasslands and scrambled over rocks, moving in and out of the clouds all day. A few hours and a few thousand feet later, we reached the summit (15,407 ft). After a quick descent back into warmer weather, we arrived at the top of the TelefériQo just before some afternoon thunder. We waited out a brief storm while enjoying coffee in the restaurant before taking the gondola back into town. Most of the team spent some time at the spa, testing their mental fortitude in the cold plunge before dinner. Another great day enjoying Ecuador and acclimating to the altitude!

Thanks for following along—we’re all looking forward to tomorrow’s adventures!

RMI Guide Jackson Breen & Team

The sun hits the tents here at Plaza Argentina around 7:30 am, until then it’s difficult to justify getting out of a warm sleeping bag. The Team experienced a range of sleep and rest last night, and everyone seems to acclimating well. We had breakfast together and then got to work sorting gear and food for the upper mountain. After a quick visit to the doctor’s for the mandatory check up, we went for a walk uphill to stretch our legs and lungs. Plaza Argentina is situated on rock covered glacial moraine. The area is filled with many shades of red, brown and orange rock. The first stretch out of base camp is a good opportunity to see if your mountaineering boots are going to cause any blisters. The terrain is all scree and large talus so the group gets to see how the rigid boots behave when compared to walking in snow. Back down for lunch and people are enjoying some tent time to escape the wind and finish packing. Tomorrow we will carry food, fuel and some personal gear to Camp 1. We hope to have light winds and blue skies as the Team continues to acclimate by doing some work at higher altitude while still sleeping here at Aconcagua Base Camp. Thanks for following along. RMI Guides Mike King & Nick Scott

Hello again from Ecuador! The team woke up today to a tranquil setting at a beautiful mountain lodge, Chilcabamba Eco Lodge. A late breakfast was followed by walks around the local area, discovering an albino cow, and a few folks trying their hand at horseback riding. The team then had a nice discussion on packing for our next objective, Cotopaxi. This discussion led into an excellent pasta dinner. Another night of rest and we will be active again the in mountains. RMI Guide Chad Gaffigan

Today we woke at 6:30 after a wonderful night of well deserved sleep, had a quick breakfast, then enjoyed a few goodbye songs from our hardworking and kind crew of porters, cooks, and local guides. We finished the little celebration by handing out their well earned tips and then hit the trail one last time descending back into the thick forest surrounding Kilimanjaro. It took about three hours to reach the park gate where the team had lunch then hopped aboard our awaiting bus for the ride back to the lodge. The team is doing great after relaxing for a few hours and some and well deserved long, hot showers. Everyone is looking forward to our game viewing safari which starts early tomorrow! RMI Guide Casey Grom and a happy Kilimanjaro crew

Last night was chilly once again, but today the sun is out in full and has warmed us up. It's a beautiful day on Denali today, with barely a breath of wind at 14,200' (there is some visible wind up higher on the West Buttress), and partly cloudy skies. We're taking a "rest" day today, although it will be somewhat active. After a leisurely breakfast that rolled into brunch, we headed out to the Edge of the World, a dramatic rock outcrop at the far eastern edge of Genet Basin that looks down to the Northeast Fork of the Kahiltna Glacier, some 5,000' below. Next we will be reviewing and practicing fixed rope travel in preparation for moving above our camp. And finally, before dinner, we will work on building snow walls to protect our tents and our kitchen from strong winds. All in all, a good day of active rest. Tomorrow, weather permitting, we plan to establish a cache high on the West Buttress in order to have enough supplies available to us for our move to high camp. We'll keep you posted. RMI Guide Mike Walter

Good things come to those who wait. We got out of good old Union Glacier Camp at about a quarter to five this afternoon. The weather was beautiful at Union and clearing at Vinson for much of the day. Our Twin Otter flight through the Ellsworth Mountains was an absolute delight. For forty five minutes we cruised through jagged crags and over gigantic glaciers. Ice and/or mountains stretched to every horizon. The mountains got progressively higher as we approached Vinson and at 5:30 we touched down ever so gently at basecamp on the Branscomb Glacier. We were busy enough then, unloading gear and building a camp, but we stopped every few minutes to stare in wide-eyed wonder at our surroundings. The western escarpment of Vinson rises a dramatic 2000 meters just a few miles away, And down below our 7000 ft home, the Branscomb pours into the larger-still Nimitz Glacier. With our sleeping tents up and secure, we dug a deluxe living room in the snow and topped it with a cook tent. We sparked up our stoves and then sat down for a late but great meal... not quite as great as the fine food served up at Union all of this last week, but it is possible we enjoyed it more for finally being in the right place after such a long journey. It is now 1AM, the sun is shining brilliantly -although it will dip behind the mountain in another hour and introduce us to real cold in a hurry. We’ll figure tomorrow’s plan, carrying or moving, when we s7ee how the night treats everybody. Best Regards RMI Guide Dave Hahn

On The Map

A long day was had as we reviewed our climb to come and covered some important ideas that will make our big adventure as safe, successful and fun as possible. Kilimanjaro is a great mountain to get ones feet wet on given its non technical nature, but the fact that it's seven days long does present a bit of a steep learning curve for us in many ways. We're all ready now for the climb to begin tomorrow! The hard work of today was nicely softened by massages for all coordinated by brother Brad. Such a great idea! We're looking forward to a big day tomorrow and finally getting underway. All for now from the comforts of the Arumera River Lodge. Next stop, the flanks of Kilimanjaro. RMI Guide Brent Okita

June 10, 2017 12:07 am PST It was a day of decisions. The team sadly broke apart today, with the main group heading down, and two strong and driven individuals opting to stay on the mountain to give 'er another try. Caught in the middle I was torn between sticking with the two and going for the summit, or sticking with the main part of the team. After anguishing over the decision, I chose to finish off the expedition with the team, rather than lead our two erstwhile members to the top. A sketchy forecast helped me in my decision, and I think my two climbers will have a better chance of summiting with the groups I left them with. They'll be joining Tyler and Jake's teams, who have a bit more time than I to wait for good weather. So here we are, in our tents at 11,200' camp waiting for the night to referee the glacier so we can travel over its frozen surface to minimize the risk of crevasse falls that have been occurring much more than normal lately. It's sad separating from our two teammates, and leaving the mountain without a summit under our belts. For me it's been twenty five trips since I've not summited. But folks are in good spirits. I think we all really appreciate the time we've spent here, the friendships developed, the hard times as well as the fun times. In two hours we awaken for one last day on the glacier. That is, as long as the air service can pick us up in the morning. With any luck, next time I chat with you I'll have had a shower, eaten a big ol' steak and perhaps consumed an adult beverage or two. Good night from 11,200'. RMI Guides Brent Okita, Christina Dale and JT Schmitt

On The Map

May 27th, 2017 We woke to another day of bitterly cold temps and strong winds above. The weather forecast looks promising for the next few days, so we are optimistic that we will finally get our shot. We're hanging in there and trying to be patient with this long wait. Hopefully it will pay off. RMI Guide Mike Walter

On The Map

Hello from Kilimanjaro: Today the team did a fantastic job climbing the intimidating looking Barranco Wall. It was the technical hurdle of this expedition and everyone did great and I believe thoroughly enjoyed the challenge. Of course the porters made it look easy as they climbed the wall with their loads carefully balanced on their heads. Once above the wall we took a well-deserved break to enjoy the views of the valleys below, but unfortunately the upper mountain was obscured by clouds. Nonetheless, the team climbed slow and steady as we made our way up and down a few ridges before finally arriving in camp for the remainder of the day. Everyone is still enjoying the climb and are looking forward to heading to our high camp tomorrow where we will start our summit bid from. That's all for now. RMI Guide Casey Grom and the Kilimanjaro crew

On The Map