RMI Expeditions Blog

Saturday, January 18, 2025 - 3:35 pm PT

We are settled into bed at Chimborazo High Camp. The afternoon was a little stormy, with off and on graupel storms and a few lightning strikes in the distance. However, right now it is only partly cloudy and the mountain peaks out from time to time.

The road has gotten long, and we have done a nice job of adapting to the uncertainty of climbing big mountains in a country with sometimes precarious infrastructure. Challenges have included BUT HAVE NOT BEEN LIMITED TO: bumpy car rides, food-borne illnesses, rapid ascent to high altitude, trying to get a table for 15 weary people to eat lunch and so on.

Now, we face one last mountaineering challenge, and the group is up for it. If the current weather holds, we will make our attempt tonight! However it shakes out, the group can be proud of everything they have learned throughout this trip.

RMI Guide Dustin Wittmier

Yesterday’s blog was about awe; this one is about how awe-full the fricken wind can be sometimes. As we nestled into our sleeping bags for the night we traded the guitars, laughter, and bustle of Basecamp with freight train after freight train of wind roaring down valley at us in Camp 1. It’s such a unique thing to hear, wind a couple kilometers away from you raging at you until finally WHOOSH you get the brunt of it all at once. I’d look over at Ben every once in a while as I held up my side of the tent with my hand. Nothing but log cutting as flaps of fabric tapped him on the head like an impatient toddler. “ Good for him” I thought.
We awoke with wind still howling and a full day of climbing ahead of us. Cold, cutting wind ever present as we saddled up and head out for our carry to camp 2. The wind only intensified as we worked our way up the switch backs to The col between Ameghino, a towering 19,300 ft peak, and Aconcagua, the stone sentinel. But eventually reaching beyond the col and catching our first glimpse of this side of the mountain. La Mano, Mercedario, Link, Fitzgerald, they just keep going, each a staggering peak in their own right and eye candy for the remainder of our climb to camp 2. We reached our destination, said a quick happy Birthday to Tori, and headed back down to the “comfort” of our camp 1 site. We can’t wait to be up at camp 2 and were hoping for a little less wind tonight.

To all family members or blog followers, we’re pretty trivia obsessed right now so give us your best.

RMI Guide Dominic Cifelli
 

Saturday, January 18, 2025 - 6:23 am PT

We’re back!

Yesterday’s climb was tough. Possibly the hardest climb of Kilimanjaro I’ve had out of 34 trips. It was very windy and cold all night as we tried to rest at high camp and unfortunately it continued howling for the majority of the climb. It took us about eight hours to successfully stand on the “Roof of Africa” and this team fought courageously the entire time. 

After a few photos, phone calls, and just catching our breath, the team descended back down to our high camp where we greeted by our staff with songs and a little dance. It brought smiles and a much needed boost after all the hard work. We then descend for a few more hours to reach our last camp on the mountain. Amazing how 10,000' can feel so comfortable after such a big day.  

Our final day on the mountain! 

Today the team got up at 6 am mostly refreshed after a much needed nights sleep, we had breakfast, then hit the trail one last time. It took about 3 hours to reach the park gate where the team had lunch and said our final goodbyes to our amazing crew of 35 that took such great care of us on the mountain. We finished the little celebration by handing out their well deserved tips and then hopped aboard our awaiting bus for the ride back to the lodge. 

Finally we are all safe and sound, cleaner, and smelling fresh after an exciting seven day journey up and down Kilimanjaro that has no doubt bonded us from the experience. 

I also asked the team for one word that best described their experience on this adventure. 

And he’s what we all came up with. 

Strength 

Pride

Gratitude 

Teamwork 

Defining 

Fortitude 

Stayed tuned, Safari starts tomorrow!

RMI Guide Casey Grom and crew

This morning we awoke up to a beautiful, crisp bluebird morning. A stark contrast to yesterday afternoons snowstorm. We broke camp while the moon set behind the mountains, packed our gear, enjoyed one last base camp  meal in our heated dome. Over breakfast we shared a some good laughs about our epic Farkle battles, shared irritations, and how wonderful it must be to fly fish in Patagonia.  

We bid farewell to the base camp crew with lots of hugs and encouragement. It’s impossible to overstate how incredible the Grajales team is. Their warmth, attention to detail, and love of this mountain are contagious. In addition to saying goodbye to the people who have supported us for the past few days, we said goodbye to WiFi, electricity, and our heated dome. All small sacrifices for the adventure that lay ahead. The team’s energy is high and everyone is excited for our move to Camp 1.  

We started up the mountain, through a glacial gully which lead to a field of glacial debris that I can only imagine is what the moon looks like. We quickly smoked our besties on the way up, which admittedly felt satisfying. We day dreamed of polar plunging in the glacial lakes as we passed by and felt like we were on another planet when we navigated the human sized penetentes. The final push was steep, loose and challenging. Nothing this group couldn’t handle though!  

We reached camp just before 1pm and were treated to our tents already put together. I want to give a HUGE shoutout to the porters who ferry our gear up the mountain and help make this experience possible for us. After getting organized and completing our camp set up we relaxed and soaked up some of the beautiful mountain sun. 

As the afternoon waned, the temperature cooled and retreated to our tents. Only the promise of Ben’s handmade stew could draw us out. The only thing better than the stew was the conversation on proper blue bag techniques.  

Walking through this remote region of our beautiful planet today was nothing short of awe inspiring. I’ve always felt awe is a word that is commonly overused for moments that are often under deserving. 

True awe arises as you stand amidst these towering peaks, feeling both insignificant and deeply connected to the vastness of this place. It is in the shared silence, the towering cliffs, the shimmering snow and glaciers, the penitentes, and the endless expanse of sky that you realize the sheer majesty of these mountains. The camaraderie of this team amplifies this feeling, as each step toward the summit becomes a collective triumph, driven by trust, an appreciation of group suffering, a bit of good natured ribbing, and mutual encouragement. Awe is not just about the mountain’s scale but also about the resilience of the human spirit, the raw beauty of this place, and the profound sense of gratitude for being part of something so much larger than ourselves.  

RMI Climber Erica Kim 

RMI Guide Casey Grom and the ENTIRE Kilimanjaro Climb and Safari team reached the summit of Kilimanjaro this morning. Casey reported cold and windy conditions on the summit. 

Way to climb!

Thursday, January 16, 2025 - 5:32 pm PT

I don’t do blogs.  We are on day whatever having a rest day here at Aconcagua base camp.  We went on a “walk” and now we will hang around all day and eat.  We all passed our med check too, so that’s neat. 

But enough of this. Let’s chat about things that annoy you.  Things like Costco, Buc-ees and people that tell you how old their kid is in months.  No one needs a box of 47 microwaveable taquitos, 120 gas pumps and I don’t want to do math to figure out how old your kid is.  I was asking to be nice anyway. 

Tune in tomorrow for a nicely written blog. 

Wait….I thought of more….adults that are obsessed with Disney.  People that don’t use cruise control on the highway. 

RMI Climber Eric Uncapher

We have now visited the summits of two big volcanoes on this trip. This morning, just as the sun was rising, the team reached the summit of Cotopaxi. It was absolutely incredible to see the crater and striking ice features at the summit mixed with the early morning colors. As you ascend the route, you are on the north and west aspects of the mountain. We were under a dark sky for most of the climb. As we were nearing the crater rim, first light was upon us and once we crested over it, the golden glow of the sun below the horizon greeted us to the east. It was the perfect reward for all members of the group as each person had to work through a challenge unique to them.

Now we turn our sights to Chimborazo and preparing our bodies and minds to climb, if the mountain grants us the opportunity.

RMI Guide Dustin Wittmier

Thursday, January 16, 2025 - 3:33 AM PT

We've arrived at high camp on Kilimanjaro! Summit bid tonight!

It was a short and mostly uneventful move from Karanga camp up to Barafu camp, which is our launching point for the summit. The team did great and we arrived in just over 3hrs with amazing views most of the way, although it was quite windy and very busy. 

We've had our summit talk where we discussed our plan and the teams strategy for tomorrow. Final packing is taking place as I write this and we'll have dinner shortly, then it's off to bed for a little sleep before the climb. Weather permitting, we’ll have an early start to avoid the crowds and hopefully reach the summit with less climbers. As per usual, I'm expecting the ascent to take around 7-8 hours with breaks to reach the "Roof of Africa". 

Keep your fingers crossed for us, and there's a chance, if time allows, some of you back home might receive a satellite phone call from the summit. So keep your phones handy. My best guess is we'll be on the summit around 7-7:30 in the morning, Tanzania time. 

RMI Guide Casey Grom and the summit bound crew!

Hola, and thanks for tuning back in.

Today, our team completed our first carry of the trip from Basecamp to Camp 1 at 16,500 feet. None of this would have been possible, however, without an amazing breakfast provided by Grajales and a discussion regarding the crispiness scale of bacon. We traveled amongst waves of glacial ice, towers of penitentes, plains of tiny alpine lakes, and hills of what must be the real rocky horror picture show. It was nothing we couldn't handle with some light encouragement from one another. Alas, we reached Camp 1, cached our gear, and descended back to Basecamp.

A note to Tory, Brian's wife, don't worry, he wore his nose guard today, and he looks fabulous. As the day wore on, we continued discovering new things about one another. Some of us speak American real good, or as some might say, more better than others. Nathan has become Basecamp's shower time police, Ethan likes to whisper sweet nothings, Erica has a farkle mouth, and Brian is already discussing future wine tours while Eric is still nursing a wine hangover from Mendoza, allegedly.

All in all, today was a huge success. Dom and I are very excited for this team.

Tomorrow, we get to rest once more before moving uphill to Camp 1 and beyond. The climb has officially begun, and as the funniest person in this group, I would say this team is UP for the challenge. Yeet, yeet!

RMI Guide Ben Luedtke & Team

The team got some much-needed rest at the hacienda Casa Ilayaku over the last two days, enjoying sunny weather and local food. Down time was spent lounging out in the sun, reading books, and doing some light yoga. The team also continued to work on their technical skills, dialing in some more rope work. The team spent time learning the fundamentals of anchor construction, rappelling, and belaying techniques. They depart to the Cotopaxi hut today with the intention of climbing tonight. 

RMI Guide Mike Bennett