Entries from Expedition Dispatches

Monday, November 25, 2024 - 4:55 pm PT

In the mountains, the weather isn’t just a backdrop—it’s often the main character. True to form, it wasted no time reminding us who’s in charge by throwing a wrench in our plans. With a low-pressure system on the horizon, we seized the opportunity to push forward and fly to the Ice.

Expediting our packing, organizing, and weigh-ins, the team worked efficiently to hit the narrow weather window—and nailed it. The reward? A safe landing at Union Glacier, a gateway to one of the most remote and breathtaking places on Earth.

From here, we have just one more flight before we begin our climb at Vinson Basecamp. The anticipation is palpable as we cross our fingers for favorable weather tomorrow. For now, we’re soaking in the crisp, frigid air and marveling at the stunning, otherworldly views that only Antarctica can offer.

The icy landscapes stretch endlessly, painted in a palette of whites and blues that seem to defy imagination. It’s a reminder of the raw beauty and sheer scale of this continent, and we’re humbled to be here, ready to take on the challenges ahead.

Wish us luck as we embark on the next leg of this adventure. Here’s to clear skies, strong teamwork, and the climb of a lifetime!

RMI Guide Dominic Cifelli

That's a wrap on another great trip to two of Ecuador's highest volcanoes. Unfortunately, we did not get the chance to summit Cotopaxi this time. The risk of lightning was too high for us to continue past 16800'. It was unfortunate to run into those conditions as we had a strong team who had all proven themselves on Cayambe. I felt confident we were all headed for the top of Cotopaxi as well. But it was a good moment to look inside ourselves. Sometimes more important than a summit is what we have learned about ourselves along the way and the confidence we have gained through diligent preparation. For this group, there will be many more mountains and they will be prepared when the opportunity for a summit exists.

With some spare time and due to our early finish, we did some light birding at Limpiopungo, a lake in the national park with a well-maintained trail around it. The time was spent identifying species of birds and reflecting on our experience on the mountain. This was a good reset for our minds and a nice way to round out an overall lovely trip to the Ecuadorian highlands.

Thanks for following along with us!

RMI Guide Dustin Wittmier & Team

Cayambe Summit

The first six days of this trip feel like they move slowly. Acclimatization is not a quick process and it certainly makes the anticipation build. Each day it feels as if we are inching closer to Cayambe, literally. From the Hotel Mercure in Quito on day one, Cayambe occasionally pokes out in the distance. We hike Rucu Pichincha to get a slightly better view. As we drive north to go hiking, it occassionaly comes into better view, except that it often dips behind a nearby ridgeline. But then comes the day we move to the lower Cayambe hut and there it is, right in front of us in all of its beauty. We watch the sun rise and set on the mountain, the moon lights it up at night. The anticipation reaches a maximum the day we drive to the upper hut, where you can strap on your boots and climb the mountain. No more bus rides inching closer, no more distractions.

With all the time spent prepping and thinking about climbing this big mountain, the day finally came and when it did, the entire group made it to the top! We were fortunate enough to have a perfect weather day, practically windless and some slight overcast that was both picturesque and helped shade us from the intensity of the sun. The route itself was also in great shape, with just one serious crux to navigate near the top in the form of a large crevasse system at 18,500' that we had to descend into and then climb steeply out of. It honestly made for a great distraction from the difficulty of the high-altitude exercise. By 7am we were on top, high fiving, taking in the views and snagging a few photos before making what turned out to be a pretty quick descent of just under three hours.

Now we find ourselves on the move towards Cotopaxi. However, this time we do not have to repeat the same acclimatization schedule. Instead, we traveled for six hours yesterday to reach the Chilcabamba Eco Lodge, our lovely Andean home for two nights. We were jostled in pickup trucks coming down from the hut, jostled on the bus getting back to town and then fought traffic from the town of Cayambe to Machaci. Along the way we did stop to eat some lunch and resupply on snacks so that we could arrive at this peaceful place and enjoy a full rest day today. Tomorrow, we head for the Cotopaxi Hut with plans to climb in the night again. But for now, eating well, hydrating, stretching and reading are our focus.

RMI Guide Dustin Wittmier

PC: Dustin Wittmier

Sunday, November 10, 2024 - 3:46 pm PT

We are settled in at Cayambe for the night. All reports are that the route hasn’t changed since I was on it two weeks ago, which is great news because the route is scenic and fun! We are planning for the classic middle of the night start and hope to be on top just after sunrise. Wish us luck and safe passage please!

RMI Guide Dustin Wittmier

Ahhh, Orizaba! The climactic conclusion to our Mexican Volcano sojourn. 

But before we recount the day I feel it important to regale the dear RMI blog post reader with events of this illustrious RMI sponsored event!

The trip begins with a meeting of strangers, aficionados of adventure if you will, led by our mountain guide whose skill and competence is only exceeded by his devilish good looks and excellent calves. 

After meeting in Mexico City, we headed to conquer La Malinche; our mission successful and quite moist, we Summited the beast and befriended a cadre of stray dogs- LFB you have a home in America whenever you see fit.

Our journey then took us to Ixta High Camp in a single day. After a few hours of sleep a few of us conquered the salacious Medusa of a mountain.

Our next two days we spent in Puebla. To be honest, nothing to report but everything was incredible! Unfortunately, it was over too quickly, and we were off to Orizaba.

After a brief stop at an old soap factory run by a lovely old man, we were off to Orizaba base camp….what awaited was an alpine start- for the uninitiated, alpine start is a euphemism for the following “I don’t care if it’s midnight, wake up we gonna go summit that monster”-……after 7 hours of suffering and straight uphill trudging at 5 am in the dark on a glacier with a steep pitch, Orizaba was conquered! The remarkable thing is everyone in our group made it to the top! We headed down back to the soap factory for dinner and now pack to head home on Sunday!

To our new friends I will say this….

It was a true pleasure getting to know all of you. Very rarely does a group of complete strangers absolutely click and find so many commonalities. From sharing jokes to gaining intimate knowledge of each other, it was an experience of a life time. Serendipity never ceases to amaze.

Sure Does!

RMI Client Joe Musial

RMI Guide Ben Luedtke and Team checked in today at 6:49 am PST letting us know that the entire team was standing on the summit of Orizaba.  When they get settled this evening they will have a great summit day story to tell!

Saturday, November 9, 2024 - 6:14 am PT

The team is on the move now. From this point on there is only one day of the trip that does not involve hiking, climbing or traveling. Yesterday, as an example, we left Quito in the morning, drove three hours north, got out and hiked for about four hours and then back on the bus for a 45 minute ride to the Intiyaya Residences. That's a full day, but hey, it's what we signed up for and we all were able to enjoy the lovely hike around Laguna Cuicocha. Everyone also enjoyed the serenity of the Intiyaya Residences; most people had a full night's sleep before the neighborhood dogs started barking at about 6:30am.

Today, we head for the market in Otavalo to experience some local culture, shop for souvenirs or just drink a nice latte. Following that sensory overload, we will hop on the bus and head for the town of Cayambe and eventually the lower Cayambe hut. Our group is really coming together as a team; meals have been spent telling stories and much of our time on trails has been spent trying to get some pro bono physical therapy from Malina.

In just a day and a half we will put our bodies and minds to the test on Cayambe!

RMI Guide Dustin Wittmier

After a well-earned siesta and with bellies full of mole, we are off to Orizaba! We left this morning and have arrived in Tlachichuca. We are carefully packing and unpacking and repacking, making sure we have everything we need. After enjoying another nice lunch served by the wonderful Servimont staff, we are ready to hit the 4x4 trail up to Refugio Piedra Grande.

Upon arrival, we will go out for a "light" hike, enjoy dinner, and be off to bed early in preparation for an alpine start on Orizaba.

¡Hasta Mañana!

RMI Guide Ben Luedtke and Team

Hello friends, family and everyone else who plans to follow along! We are off to a great start on another RMI Expeditions Ecuador Volcanoes trip. On this itinerary we plan to (hopefully) visit the summits of both Cayambe and Cotopaxi, the third and second highest mountains in Ecuador, respectively.

To kick of the acclimatization, we traveled around Quito yesterday seeing various sights, mostly related to gaining independence from the Spanish and to the cultural history of indigenous peoples. Of course, that takes us in and out of a variety of old churches as we all marveled at the architecture of these places. In addition to learning some interesting things about Ecuador, it was also a chance to dust off the jet lag and get the bodies moving around a bit.

To continue in that direction, we hiked Rucu Pichincha today. The day started off a bit hazy, but as that layer moved we had glimpses of Cayambe, Antisana and Cotopaxi amongst other high mountains of the Ecuadorian highlands. The group all did well today and we are about to head out for one more dinner in town before we leave for the countryside tomorrow.

RMI Guide Dustin Wittmier & Team

Hola de Puebla! Yesterday, the team woke up early for our summit attempt on Ixta. It was a long day. After having some breakfast and hot drinks, we set out on the Ayoloco route. Crossing some difficult terrain on loose dirt, over boulders, and up a steep snow slope, we eventually made the summit just before sunrise! After enjoying the beauty of the morning sun, we descended back to high camp. Once we were packed up, we continued descending back down to La Joyita, enjoyed some lunch prepared by the wonderful Servimont staff, and loaded the van for our drive to Puebla. We all enjoyed a good rest and much deserved shower. 

Today we are enjoying the sights in Puebla for a much needed rest. Stay tuned for one more adventure as we make our way towards Orizaba tomorrow!

RMI Guide Ben Luedtke and Team