Entries from Expedition Dispatches

Today, we had an early start, however we weren’t sleepy on the trail for very long. 

We crossed the river on foot five minutes away from our last trekking camp. The frigid waters came up to our knees as we crossed. Yikes! All this before sunrise.  We quickly dried our feet and legs, and put on warmer foot wear to make our way up to Aconcagua. Six hours of hiking later, climbing 3,300 feet over seven miles, we walked into base camp.

We’re finally here!  A few days to acclimate, and we should head up to Camp 1.

RMI Climber James Esrey

After a well deserved snooze in the Grajales Dome at base camp, the team started the day with our typical Grajales breakfast - cheesy bread, eggs, and a new edition, palta! We said our goodbyes to our incredible base camp staff, and began our trek down from the mountain.

Around noon, we bid farewell to Aconcagua proper and entered the Vacas Valley. Guide Jack stopped us for a lunch break at a small spring adjacent to our final river crossing.

Finally, after sixteen miles of undulating hills,  sticker plants, and rocks of all shapes and sizes, we arrived at our final camp of the trip. We were greeted by familiar Grajales staff faces, jugo, and apples! The team rallied for a delicious dinner in the Grajales dome, and is now setting up sleep systems for one last night in the mountains. Bittersweet feelings all around, yet we know this mountain has held so much for us and will be here for those of us yearning to return. 

Climber Anne Bradford 

In the land of mountains, where peaks touch the sky,

We started the day, with a breakfast to try.

At Camp 1, the feast was a wondrous delight,

Eggs and bacon, oh my, a savory morning sight!

Ben burst into song, with a voice so bold,

He rapped like Eminem, stories untold!

We cheered and we clapped, with joy in our eyes,

What a way to start the day, with a musical surprise!

We packed up our gear, and set off with zest,

A 6-hour hike ahead, to Camp 2, we did our best.

Ten miles of trails, winding and steep,

But the scenery was breathtaking, our spirits did leap!

At last we arrived, at Camp 2's friendly door,

Where staff greeted us warmly, with treats galore!

Fruit and charcuterie, a mountain delight,

We savored each bite, in the warm sun's light.

But the best part of the day, the most wonderful sight,

Was seeing Aconcagua, our goal, shining so bright!

From afar, we gazed, with hearts full of cheer,

Our destination, so grand, drawing us near!

To William, Alina, and Julia, three silly little friends,

I hope you're having adventures that never end!

May your days be filled with laughter and glee,

And may your dreams be big, like the mountain we see!

RMI Climber James Loudin

Jambo one last time everyone! 

Today we headed to Tarangire National Park known for its abundant animals and plentiful elephants, and it didn’t disappoint. Not sure how many elephants we saw, probably several hundred at the least. It wouldn’t seem like we could get tired of seeing elephants, but there were so many that eventually we had to keep driving so we could see other animals. 
There were lots of giraffes, impalas, monkeys, ostriches, and many others. 

We are spending our last night here in Africa at Nyikani Camp, which has beautiful tented rooms with screen windows to allow the sounds of the African night in. If you’ve ever heard the term “Glamping” that’s exactly what we are doing, it’s not exactly roughing it. 

Everyone is doing great and we hope to catch a sighting of a few more cats on our way out tomorrow. Then we will head back to our main lodge near Arusha for a quick shower before catching our evening flights home. 

Come join us for an adventure sometime!

RMI Guide Casey Grom and the safari crew

100% Team Summit of La Malinche!

We arrived to La Malinche cabins at 10,000 feet under sun and puffy clouds. Everyone enjoyed a pleasant walk to stretch the legs, then went to rest and prepare for our big climb in the morning. 

Around 5:30pm our tranquil mountain setting was rudely interrupted by dozens and dozens of lightening bolts and thunder that was way too close. Then the heavy rain started and as we went to bed, waterfalls and lakes were forming around the cabin grounds. 

Surprisingly, 5 am brought a starry sky and perfect climbing temperatures! And as we made our way past tree-line at 12,800 feet, a rare sight greeted us-La Malinche covered in snow almost like the old timey photos in the basecamp restaurant. 

The team was expecting a ‘training hike’, not a ‘mixed snow and ice alpine climb’, but the new snow was good walking, and after a couple belayed sections on the summit block we all gathered for a quick summit photo. Quick! Because as we smiled for the camera, thunder clapped right above our heads and it was time to go!

We walked down through dime sized hail and more thunder, which will only make the meat tower at dinner taste that much better!

THE WIND FELT PERSONAL 

The tent slapping against my face is not my favorite way to wake up. Alas that is how the team's final night at high camp was spent. I personally continued to feign sleep until finally enough rays of sunshine peaked over the horizon that it was reasonable to start rousing everyone from their summit climb exhausted slumbers. Needless to say, most of the team was already awake due to similar wind induced tent slapping. They say it takes a village to raise a child, well they should also say it takes five climbers to take down a tent in high winds. Well teamwork made the dreamwork and soon we were headed downhill towards Camp 2 with our packs over encumbered with everything that had originally taken us two trips and a porter to get there. Camp 2 was a warm, windless paradise at what now felt like a very refreshing 18,000 feet. Sadly, we still had a long way to go to get to base camp. Thankfully, gravity assists on the downhill and the air only got thicker as we descended. Soon we arrived to an enthusiastic welcome home at Plaza Argentina with the various amenities we loved, namely fresh fruit and cerveza! The rest of the afternoon was spent reorganizing, showering, packing, eating, and celebrating our safe return. A rotating cast of our favorite base camp people stopped by for a drink and a laugh. A perfect final night enjoying the incredible hospitality of base camp. After a restless night at 19,600 and then descending nearly 6,000 feet - a well-deserved sleep will be had by all tonight. 

Cheers, 

RMI Guide Jack Delaney and the Sleepy Sies 

You’re back! Let me tell you about our day. 

We woke up early after a night of fun. We finished our packing, ate a fabulous breakfast, and hit the road. Vamonos! Not to the playa. To start our trek amidst some of the biggest mountains in the world. 

Today we walked eight miles, along a roaring river, in the blazing sun. Hoods up, sweat dripping, mouths like cotton. Overwhelmingly beautiful and entirely humbling, we made our way to Trek Camp 1. 

We were greeted at camp with fresh, juicy watermelon, lemonade, and beautiful smiles. We milled around for a bit and soaked up the place while we waited for dinner. The grill was fired up, and by early evening, we were chowing on endless meats and grilled vegetables. Such luxury! 

Of course, we ended the day with an exciting and strategic game of Farkle. Laughter, followed by big yawns, and then off to bed. Another good day awaits! 

And per special request, a very Happy Birthday to Michael & Daniel! 

RMI Guide Hannah Blum

Hello everyone,

Today we visited the world famous Ngorongoro Crater, considered to be the 8th natural wonder of world. The crater is roughly 100 square miles and is home to roughly 30,000 mammals that reside here year round, as it’s one of the few places that has natural springs. We started early with hopes of catching a few big cats before the heat of the day sent them in search of shade.

All the usual suspects were there, zebras, wildebeest, Cape buffalo, hyenas, jackles, ostrich, many many birds, and even manage to get very close to a few lions. There was a Black Rhino spotted not to far off. Everyone was amazed at the abundance of wildlife to say the least.

We have just finished another wonderful meal here at the Plantation Lodge and the team is off to bed after a long, but very rewarding day on safari.

RMI Guide Casey Grom and the safari crew

Hello? Can anybody hear me? Maybe not, but hopefully, you are willing to read this out loud. Our climbers are counting on YOU to keep eyes and ears on our adventure as we attempt to climb the Stone Sentinel, AKA Cerro Aconcagua, here in Argentina. But don't stress, we haven't started our walkabout just yet.

Today was a day of preparations. Pack your duffle, unpack your duffle, eat some food, drink some wine, go grocery shopping, and pack your duffels again. As we complete these final preparations, we are getting more and more excited to be part of this journey and see what the mountainside really has to offer. We know it will be fun, and we know it will be challenging, and we're gonna look good doing it.

Cheers to Mendoza for being such a gracious host, but tomorrow, the real reasons we are here begin. Climbing Aconcagua begins with a three day trek to Basecamp at Plaza Argentina, so gather your loved ones for some upcoming and intense storytelling. We look forward to starting the trip and sharing it with you all every step of the way (all puns intended).

Until tomorrow, Buenas Noches.

RMI Guides Ben and Hannah & Team

Hello to our friends and family!

We talked about this as a team yesterday before we went to bed “the possibility exists that we could make it to the top!” But if we knew for sure then my job (as a guide) would be so boring and mountains wouldn’t be that fun for anyone to climb.

You don’t come here because you know you are going to succeed. You come to the mountains because you are open to both - success and failure.

Today some of the team stood on the summit of this beautiful and brutal mountain and some of us turned around. But each one of us was pushed in a different way and most definitely beyond limits we had previously set for ourselves. We endured strong, cold winds from start to finish, learned something about ourselves along the way and are all safely back in our tents at campo 3. I’ll call that a successful day - summit or not.

After such a tough climb, most everyone is snoozing in their tents. Going to 22,841 feet really takes it out of you.

Jack and I will wake everyone up soon for their favorite meal ever, FREEZE DRY (hopefully the last one of this trip) and then we’ll all head straight back to bed to sleep better than we’ve ever slept at 19,600 feet.

Big, big winds are moving in so we’ll get an early start tomorrow on our descent to base camp.

I’m so proud of each person on this team and the courage they had to try something so hard.

RMI Guide Jess Wedel