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Update: 5:00 pm PST - Brent and his team got to within 5 minutes of Basecamp on the second flight before having to turn around and fly back to Talkeetna. The weather was just not cooperating. As of 5:00 pm, the weather is improving and they are going to try it for the third time. Hopefully they will be in Basecamp in a few hours. We’ll keep you posted. Update: 1 pm PST Brent called, the team got about 20 minutes from the airstrip when a ground fog rolled in that prevented their landing at Basecamp. The plane is all packed with their gear ready to go, so right now they are back at the K2 Aviation Hanger having a great time celebrating Maile Wade’s birthday…Happy Birthday Maile!

At our first break, I walked over to Tom and said “how are you doing?” and he looked up at me from the only bit of shade we had seen in the last hour and said “good, this feels like home.” And that’s the best way to describe this whole day.

We’re finally on the trail - after all this time planning, all the big travel days and this morning’s final packing shenanigans. Even though the first few hours were hot, hot, hot there was a sense of ease.

Sometimes we walked in silence and I’d look back and see everyone just taking it in, sometimes we chatted about life and our jobs as we strolled along surrounded by vivid cliffs of rosy rock.

I’ve laughed more in the last few days than in the last few months combined as we’ve gotten to know each other. A few days ago we were all strangers and now we are a unified team ready to climb, ready to face the excitement and unknowns of the mountain.

After five hours of hiking, we arrived at our first camp, Pampa de las Lenas, just as some (welcomed) clouds rolled in. At dinner, we peppered Bill with questions about teeth (he’s a dentist) and he gleefully educated us. We decided maybe every night we’d just deep dive into someone else’s profession. There’s so much curiosity and so much life!

Off to bed we go for our first night of many in our little tent homes.

RMI Guides Jess Wedel, Jack Delaney and the Aconcagua climbing 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

The Mt. Rainier Summit Climb teams were unable to summit due to winds and a high level of precipitation. They will leave Camp Muir at 10:00 am and return to Rainier Basecamp early this afternoon.

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

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

We enjoyed more fine game viewing as we exited the park and our Safari guides continued to impress spotting out cats all over the place this morning. Things went as smooth as you could expect even on 4 wheel drive roads. Our great drivers and local support assisted us as we continued focusing on some of the things we do best, eating and shopping. After a quick stop at the Dik Dik Hotel to gather our climbing gear and have a quick dinner, it was off to the airport. We said our good byes happy to be heading home but still smiling from our grand adventure. Happy October, it's time to come up with my Halloween costume. Until the next adventure. Cheers, RMI Guide Mark Tucker

The Mount Rainier Four-Day and Five-Day Summit Climbs reached the summit early this morning. The teams reported winds and a small cap forming, as they started their descent the winds have calmed and it is a beautiful morning.

Hola Amigos! Things are good here in Ecuador and the team is well rested after two nights at the wonderful Chilcabamba Lodge. Everyone is excited for tonight's climb on Cotopaxi. Today we bumped up to another Lodge that is nestled in right below Cotopaxi itself. Normally we stay at the Refugio on the mountain, but it is currently under renovation so we'll be climbing from here. We have done this on the last few climbs and it has worked out well for the past teams and I expect the same for us. Tonight our plan is to have dinner around 4:30 then head right to bed. We'll wake at 10pm and have a sit down breakfast and then hit the road around 11pm. We'll drive our bus to the base of the mountain and start our climb close to midnight. Based on how well everyone did on Cayambe, I'm guessing it's going to take us somewhere around six to eight hours to reach the summit. The weather has been improving each day and we have our fingers crossed it will continue for one more day. We'll check back in tomorrow hopefully with good news. Wish us luck! RMI Guide Casey Grom and crew

Sunday, December 7, 2025 - 7:03 am PT

Tim and I spent a restful day and night at Union Glacier.  It was another very calm and sunny day here… easy to enjoy. We alternated eating and napping with attending lectures and riding fat bikes on a groomed 10K track. 
We are on course for flying back to South America later today and so we are both experiencing the usual mix of excitement for moving on and regret at leaving this wonderful place.
Best Regards
RMI Guide Dave Hahn