RMI Expeditions Blog

We woke up early to a taste breakfast at the hacienda. Quickly loaded the bus and headed out. Our first stop was the vibrant Otavalo Market. The colors of the woven textiles, the aroma of fresh flowers, and the lively chatter of local vendors filled the space. We wandered from stall to stall, picking out unique gift. Some crazier than others.

After a few hours of shopping, we drove south toward Cayambe, passing through rolling hills dotted with grazing cattle. The road twisted and turned, leading us to a spacious hut at the foot of the volcano.

Along the way, we grabbed some hearty sandwiches, some of which were bigger than expected.
Finally, we arrived at the lower hut on Cayambe. The clouds scrouded the mountains most of the day but we did get a quick peak at the snowy slopes we hope to climb.

Nicole taught a master class on climbing knots. Everyone diligently practiced tying while laughing at our mistakes but feeling accomplished as the knots became second nature.

RMI Guide Walter Hailes

We have arrived at Refugio Grey!! 

Today is one of the hardest days of the trek, certainly the hardest of the “O” portion of the trek. That meant that getting up before the sun, scarfing down our warm breakfast that was mostly coffee, and heading out and up up up. We ascend right out of the gate up a muddy and thin trail as we navigate the last bits of the forest before the tree line. The bitter Patagonian wind woke up before the sun too and was there to greet us as soon as the trees left us. 

Wind, cold, rain, snow, but never too much of any. We persevered up the John Gardner pass and over to the other side of the circuit. And my goodness was a view. People are often asking if the glaciers they are looking at are part of the Patagonian Icefield but one good look at the Grey glacier from the pass and it’s clear to all. As dark as the eye can see right and left is rugged, broken, beautiful glacier. 

7 more hours of a big descent plus the traverse along the glacier brought us to the Refugio we’re at tonight and although there were no games tonight, there will be plenty of good sleeps. 

Tomorrow we continue to Paine Grande, the biggest Refugio in the park and the perfect spot to maybe catch a Super Bowl moment or two! 

RMI Guide Dominic Cifelli

Greetings from base camp at Plaza Argentina!

Today we had a much-needed rest and logistics day after yesterday's heavy carry to Camp One. Strategic packing, a scenic acclimatization hike, a medical clearance visit, and a tactical nap were all on the agenda for today. The day closed with an unexpected thunderstorm that soaked base camp but provided much-needed relief from the high altitude glare of the sun.

As we prepare for the higher mountain, there is a palpable sense of excitement. If we make it to the top, Aconcagua will be a personal altitude record for all but one of us. Wish us luck!

P.S. No large language models were harmed during the creation of this post :)

RMI Climber Yev "Freyverissimo" Freyvert

Friday, February 7, 2025 - 6:57 pm PT

After getting a peak at Cayambe on our hike yesterday, we were eager to make our way to the mountains. We packed our bags and set off from Quito to Laguna Cuicocha, a beautiful crater lake surrounded by jungles and peaks near to our next hotel in Otavalo. Clouds sat high up in the sky for most of the day, sunlight peaking through for the first half of our circumnavigation of the lake. Just as we hit the parking lot after our 7.5 mile hike, the light sprinkle turned into rain and we hopped in the bus to Itinyaya Residencias, our stay for the night. We chatted by the fire in the main lodge after settling into our rooms and capped off the night with a team dinner of more local meals.

RMI Guide Walter Hailes

Goooooood afternoon ladies and gentlemen, from the flight deck we would like to welcome you aboard Aconcagua 2025.

We are finishing up our final preparation before we push back from the gate. Ben and Hannah are two of RMI's finest guides and they are here primarily for your safety so please listen to their briefings even if you're a frequent climber. The climb will take approximately 10 days and hopefully reach an altitude of 22800 ft. Otherwise sit back and enjoy the trip as best as you can and we will get back to the weather and arrival information closer to our destination.

This morning's departure time was delayed for about 30 minutes due to unexpected issues but after a discussion with Maintenance, we are cleared for departure. This then began our 7hr round trip to Mountain Camp 1 to drop a large load of supplies for our climb. After 5hrs on the Mountain Stair master we started our return trip to rest and recharge at Basecamp. We had some unfortunate news today when we were told that Jim E. would not be able to continue with us due to a medical issue. We all hope for the best for him. He will be missed by our other Jim and all of us of course.

Enjoy.

RMI Climber Nick Hanson

After a very relaxed morning drinking coffee, walking along the shores of the lake, and enjoying the views Refugio Dickson had to offer. We were off at the bright and early time of 10 am. Uphill was the first task of the day as we ascend out of the peninsula and up a ridge leading toward our next camp. For the first hour we climb about 1000 ft up to a viewpoint people salivate over. The southern Patagonian Icefield and the Dickson Glacier to our North. The first good glimpse of John Gardner pass (our day tomorrow) to the west. The shield (a granite face towering over the valley) to the south. And a teeny tiny Pygmy Owl above us in the tree to watch us gawk at it, and the views. Unreal.

We travel through so many different forests on this day as we weave and bob through the valley and eventually up toward our final destination. Perros camp. A more rustic camp than the rest, but with all the charm of any. We had a great day.

Right now, the forecast is calling for our best day yet to come on the day we need it the most. Stormy weather makes ascending and especially descending John Gardner’s Pass tricky, but if those models are right, which we know they always are, it’s going to be one hell of a day! For those keeping track, thank you for following along. The Farkle winner tonight was Dolittle (an Appalachian trail Trail Name, not someone’s actual name) it was her first time playing.

Wish us luck tomorrow! It’s a looooong day of trekking!

RMI Guide Dominic Cifelli & Team

Puebla Rest Day and Off to Orizaba

After our single push of Ixta, the Mexico Volcanoes team deserved a rest. We took full advantage of Puebla’s welcoming streets, cathedrals and parks and mostly lazed around for a day. 

Two nights of sleep, some light sightseeing, a gold plated brisket sandwich this time, and even some parking garage yoga later, we reluctantly packed the van back up and headed to Tlachichuca. 

We’re off to attempt our highest summit of the trip, Volcan Orizaba. Wish us luck!

We set out early, eager to hike up Ruca Pichincha, ready for an adventure that would take us to 15,000 feet. The ascent was fun, despite a few headaches and light-headedness that came with the altitude—nothing unusual for our first high-altitude climb. Unfortunately, the clouds were thick for most of the hike, hiding the breathtaking views we had hoped to enjoy.
Afterward, we enjoyed some delicious traditional Ecuadorian food to fuel up, savoring the flavors while sharing stories and laughter.

RMI Guide Walt Hailes & Team

Oh boy what a day. 

Another day on the trail and today, is one of the longest distances. 

What started as a light drizzle transformed into moody cloudy overlooking the vast scenery that Torres Del Paine offers. Baby blue glacial lakes, jagged ridges, and jurassic valleys were the theme of the day as we walked the Patagonian flat trail. To top it off? The Paso de Vientas showed us what it was made of. Just enough wind to make it fun, not quite enough to lift us off our feet like a kite. 

Lago Dickson was the destination of the day, and it's like a mirage here. A small peninsula surrounded by the lake that feeds the Paine River. We walked the beach, played farkle (of course) and tried out a new (Alex and Jackie created) card game. 

The team goes to Camp Pedro's tomorrow, our most rustic of the trip. We'll get ready for the big climb and descent over John Gardner pass. Wish us good weather and safe travels! So far, the weather has been just our luck, Patagonian perfect. 

RMI Guide Dominic Cifelli & Team

Rest: A period of time when you relax, sleep, or do nothing after being active.

Although this sounds nice, it's not all sunshine and rainbows doing nothing at almost 14,000 feet.  Fortunately for us, we did get to sleep in this morning, but we also got to go on a short climb along the first leg of our route to Camp 1. Active rest days are important. We take the time we need to rest our bodies and our minds, but it helps a lot to also keep those muscles busy with small activities. Mindfully, we also packed our large backpacks for our first big carry day tomorrow. It may be heavy, but we're feeling ready. We are excited to start our second half of the trip: the climb.

Per request, a huge congratulations to Daniel and Sydney on the new baby! 

RMI Guides Ben Luedtke, Hannah Blum, & Team