Entries from Expedition Dispatches

We are settled in at the Cayambe Hut. It has been raining constantly since early this morning, so we are hunkering down until we see a weather window to review some climbing skills.

Our plan is to climb tonight, but we do need the weather to improve. Despite that, every individual's preparations have already been made and now it's just a game of wait and see. We will update you tomorrow!

RMI Guide Dustin Wittmier

Today the we had an early start and left behind our comfortable lodge as we have headed to the mountain towards the start of the climb. We left around 8am and drove along the rural country side and small villages for 1.5 hours before reaching the park entrance called Machame. Which is also the name of the route we are climbing. 

Once we arrived at the park gate we had all of our gear weighed and divided into loads for our porters and other staff to carry before hitting the trail. Once everything was in order we started our climb slowly making our way up the winding trail that ascends continuously through the thick forest. Thankfully the overhead canopy provided a bit of relief from the hot sun overhead. 

We are about to start our 6 hour hike to camp that sits around 10,000ft and most likely won’t have reception so I’m sending this from the entrance. 

Everyone is doing well and looking forward to a good nights rest. 

RMI Guide Casey Grom and crew

Onward and upward! 

The team begins its transition into the high alpine, leaving behind the comforts of city life as they begin their first climb of Cayambe. After a casual morning enjoying the Otavalo market, the team drove to the lower Cayambe hut where they sorted gear for the climb and did final fit checks on all the technical gear. After a freshly prepared Ecuadorian dinner, the team is settling in for their last full night of sleep before moving up to the high hut to begin their climb. 

RMI Guide Mike Bennett

January 25, 2025 – Carry to Camp 1 and Scree Sliding Fun

Today was a big day for our team as we carried a lot of our gear—about 50 pounds each—up the route from basecamp to Camp 1. It was a true test of endurance and teamwork. The route itself kept us on our toes (literally), with plenty of loose scree underfoot to make things tricky. Every step demanded focus, and the weight of our packs reminded us just how serious this climb is.

Despite the challenge, we pushed through as a team, reaching Camp 1 and caching our gear for the days ahead. After all that effort, we headed back down to basecamp, tired but proud of what we accomplished. Sliding down the scree on the descent was a surprising highlight of the day—it’s hard not to feel like a kid again when you’re essentially skiing on loose rocks! Laughter echoed across the slopes as we let gravity do most of the work.

Now back at basecamp, everyone is feeling the weight of the day’s effort (and the packs!). We’re well-tired but in great spirits, ready to take a much-needed rest day tomorrow. Rest is key in a climb like this, and giving our bodies time to recover will help set us up for success as we move higher up the mountain.

The team is doing fantastic—strong, motivated, and full of camaraderie. With every step, we’re getting closer to our goal, and today was a big step forward. Stay tuned for more updates as the adventure continues!

RMi Climber Elburz Sorkhabi

 

Checking in with RMI's Kilimanjaro Climb!

All is well here in Tanzania and most of the team arrived late last night after some very long flights (20+hrs). It was a short and uneventful ride to our Lodge that is nestled in between Arusha and Moshi and not so far from the base of Kilimanjaro. The team had a quick dinner and headed for bed as the time change has us all feeling just a little off and pretty tired after all the traveling.

Today we had a leisurely morning with our official meeting at 9am, where we did a round of introductions and then discussed the upcoming program for the days ahead. We spent the remainder of the day getting our gear packed up, exploring the grounds of our peaceful lodge and avoiding the marauding
gang of monkeys that occasionally visit.
Vervet, Blue and Colobus are the 3 different species that are found close by.

We wrapped up the evening with another delicious meal and plenty of friendly conversations. Everyone is doing well and excited to hit the trail tomorrow and get a little bit of exercise.

RMI Guide Casey Grom and the Kili crew!

Today, we acclimatized at base camp. We woke up and indulged in a delicious breakfast of yogurt, fruit, pancakes, and cheese bread. 

Afterwards, our amazing guides Jack and Jess took over our Grajales dome to organize our group gear into piles for each of us to carry to Camp One tomorrow. Comprised of bottles of white gas, ingredients for our mountain meals, and miscellaneous other items, us climbers packed our backpacks with our group gear and as much of our personal gear as we could muster.

In the early afternoon, all seven of us met with the base camp doctor. She assured us we were acclimatizing beautifully and ready to push on up in altitude! Many of us watched downloaded movies while lounging and napping in our tents throughout the afternoon before pre-dinner bananagrams. 

Dinner was delightful, as always. Our Grajales staff Carla brought us soup, lentil and beef stew, and a s’mores-like parfait for dessert. 

Packed, fed, and rested, the team is headed to bed, prepared to take on another spectacular mountain day tomorrow! 

RMI Climber Anne Bradford 

Today was a bitter sweet day for all of us.  Post decent day after celebrating a successful summit push, descending 4500’ from Camp 3 to thicker air with post celebrations at base camp, and waking up in the dome tent with the team sprawled out on the floor catching up on some much need rest as well as a reset for the journey back down through the Relinchos Valley and Vacas Valley and into the comforts at Pampas de Leñas at 9582’ in total a 19 mile hike.  Along the way, we saw a heard of Guanacos, a quick glimpse of the infamous poisonous tailed mouse, stopped by this mysterious spring coming out from the side of the mountain, and was able to cool down at the Fountain of Youth.  A much needed reset and  everyone, seems to have knocked off a couple years as the youth came out in everyone with lots of laughter and a nice reset!  After the 7.5 hour trek, we as a team celebrated with cervesas, fresh fruit, juices, and a delicious BBQ to replenish the calories we consumed during the grind through group suffering.  The group ended the night discussing how to properly eat hotdogs, the origins of a sandwich, and many other important topics that makes the world turn. 

Time for more Andes Origen Rubia cervesas and celebrating the successful trip as well as reminiscing on what this journey meant to each one of use. It sure has been memorable and one for the books! One more four hour leg back to Los Penitentes and our expedition will come to and end when we arrive back to Mendoza, Argentina.

Back to a mad game of Farkle and hopefully a first win for me.

RMI Guide Dominic Cifelli & Team

Our time spent in Puebla amongst the dozens of beautifully lit cathedrals, vibrant colonial architecture and calming atmosphere is never enough. But our two nights in the lovely Hotel Colonial and a full day of rest were just enough for the group to refresh from La Malinche and Ixta. 

After a laidback day of trinket shopping, napping and sightseeing, our group of newly relaxed climbers met for a dinner of steak and gold plated burgers last night above Puebla’s main square. The stoke was high and there were smiles all around and excitement for our final and largest mountain. 

This morning we reloaded the van and set off for Tlachichuca and 18,500’ Pico de Orizaba.

Wish us luck!

RMI Guide Joe Hoch

Friday, January 24, 2025 - 2:48 am

Hola!

We awoke early in the morning with the beautiful southern hemisphere stars shining above us. I attempted to point out constellations like the southern cross. Odds are I have lied to everyone because my memory for constellations is as bad as my Spanish. The day starts out with the team stylishly dressed in various water shoes for the crossing of the braided streams of the glacially cold Vacas river. This ice bath for our feet and calves is stronger than any cup of coffee. Everyone is now very much wide awake. Then we begin our slow but steady ascent up the Ralenchos valley. I will not bore you with all the fine details of the stunning geology, the panoramic views of Aconcagua and various sightings of adorable guanacos. All you need to know dear reader is that the trek was hard but we suffered well surrounded by incredible beauty.

Do you remember when you came home from college for the first time and your mom kept hugging you and then made all your favorite foods but like way too much? Our arrival at Plaza Argentina was just like that. We spent the rest of the afternoon waddling around camp getting settled in while taking many deep breaths as our bodies adjusted to our new altitude of nearly 14,000 feet. Finally after another incredible dinner provided by the always stellar Grajales staff, everyone was ready for sleep. It was a long day. 

RMI Guide Jack Delaney and the Sassy Six (Anne, Bill, Chris, Elburz, Jess and Tom)

P.S. they don’t know I call them that

After a beautiful day on the mountain  yesterday bookended with exhaustion and adrenaline, we awoke to the reality that Aconcagua can be an incredibly uninviting environment.  The 25 feet of snow that feel the previous night was being drifted by intense winds into every corner of our tents, packs, boots and any other unfortunate item we had left out. Any hint of moisture inside our tents had turned to ice and snow making the inside of our tents look like a winter wonderland.  

After staying in our sleeping bags as long as possible, we all eventually summoned the courage to peel ourselves out, put on our cold boots, break camp and get out of Cholera as quickly as possible.  As soon as we descended over the ridge,conditions improved.  The winds calmed some and the fresh snow made for a relatively quick decent to Camp 2.  

When we reached Camp 2 we were welcomed by a group of climbers headed up the mountain.  After some R & R and good conversation we grabbed our bags and proceeded down to the mountain.  We took in the last, beautiful views and bid farewell to the mountains before we cruised down the scree to Camp 1.  There the oxygen was more plentiful and our spirits were high. We enjoyed a few laughs in the shade of the Grajales dome, shed some unnecessary layers, ditched our boots and welcomed our sneakers as we readied for the final push to base camp. 

Boy was Basecamp a welcome site! We were greeted with the same enthusiasm we had parted with, hugs and congrats all around!  We quickly shed our packs and were treated with what may be one of the best meals in recent memory.  As we sat in our warm dome, indulging in empanadas, meats and cheeses, cerveza, and a variety of other goodies we reminisced about the adventure we had just experienced.  We talked about how a challenge such as Aconcagua is as much mental as it is physical.  

This conversation made me think about what brings five people from varying backgrounds together,  thousands of miles from home for this common, incredibly challenging goal.  We all have our individual reasons, but it’s undeniable we are all individuals that enjoy type 2 fun.  

Type 2 fun climbing Aconcagua means embracing an experience that is challenging, uncomfortable, and even miserable in the moment, but immensely rewarding in hindsight. It’s about pushing through biting winds, freezing temperatures, and altitudes none of us are accustomed to that left us feeling breathless and our legs aching. Each step up the mountain tested our  physical limits and mental resilience, forcing us to dig deeper than we thought possible. The grueling ascent, from the trek all the way to the summit, with its long days and unpredictable conditions, made us each question why we chose this journey. Yet, it’s the camaraderie with each other, our fellow climbers, the breathtaking views of the Andes, and the profound sense of accomplishment upon reaching the summit (or close to) that make it all worthwhile. Type 2 fun transforms suffering into triumph, and while some of us may swear off such adventures mid-climb (as I do everytime), we’ll likely find ourselves  craving the next challenge as soon as it’s over. 

So to all of you like minded, type 2 loving, crazy souls who have shared this adventure: thank you for an unforgettable experience.  

Now let’s play some Farkle!  

RMI Climber Erica Kim