Today was our first full view of the Towers! We walked around the final corner of our trail today and pow! The towers jumped out at us and took our breath away. Then we proceeded to have drinks and dinner with the most incredible view out our dinning room window. We all feel so fortunate for this beautiful place and how well the land has been preserved. The weather has been outstanding with hot sun and light winds instead of the typical rainy days and strong winds. This morning the group took a speed boat to the base of the Grey Glacier where we scrambled up the nunitac put on crampons and walked around to see the sculpture garden made by running water over the ice. Our long days on the trail are making muscles sore and feet tender but spirits are high and our faces all hurt from smiling all day. We feel lucky to be here and sharing this experience with such a fun group of people.
RMI Guide Christina Dale
Dear Mom, I’m having a blast, yesterday Kate took a compass bearing and we set out for a woods walk. Chase and I hiked along a big brook of snow melt, we layed in it. We snuck up on a couple of turkeys and almost had them by the tail. That put me into a frenzy, I LOVE chasing game birds. I get salmon on my breakfast and sleep it off by the wood stove. Chase and I have taken over Kate’s side of the bed! Hope you’re lovin’’ it! Love, your loyal Charlie-girl
Posted by: Charlie Sanders on 2/25/2018 at 6:32 am
This is Christina calling in from Patagonia. We had a long day on the trail today 11 hours of walking from Los Perros Camp to Lago Grey we went up and over John Gardner Pass. Everyone did really well going up this steep, long hill and we rewarded ourselves with beautiful views looking down on to the Gray Glacier. It look like white caps on the water all frozen in stillness, a huge glacier draining the Southern Patagonia ice cap all the way to the Grey Lake. As far as the eye can see was glacier. We walked down the other side of the pass and along the trail in and out of forest, across streams that you can drink out of without worrying about any bacteria here, the water is that clean. They say that drinking lots of glacier water here makes your skin look younger so we have all been staying hydrated. We got into camp feeling tired and very proud of our long day. The team is doing great.
RMI Guide Christina Dale
RMI Guide Christina Dale checks in after a long day on the trail in Patagonia.
Today was a hot and sunny day, which is not typical here in Patagonia, so we are feeling lucky. We walked on a trail that everyone calls Patagonian Flats because it really means that it goes up and down all day. Today we walked mostly under the cover of a beech tree forest and along raging rivers with the sound of woodpeckers following us through the trees. Arriving at camp hungry and tired, we were met with salami, cheese, and wine. The group is full of laughter and moments of appreciation. It will be an early bedtime for all of us tonight because John Gardner Pass is tomorrow and demands an early start. Keep your fingers crossed for us to continue in good weather as we head over the pass. Everyone's healthy and happy and one of our team even said, "This is the best vacation I've ever been on."
RMI Guide Christina Dale
RMI Guide Christina Dale calls in from Torres del Paine.
Drink that clear, clean glacial water of the Andean fountain of youth! We are tracking you from southern Florida where it is a balmy and breezy 87 degrees. Explored little islands off west coast in small boat! Off to Selby Gardens for orchids and Andy Warhol today.
Posted by: Sharon hostler on 2/24/2018 at 8:04 am
Dear Kaki, Deb and Catherine, Thinking of you crossing the Gardner Pass and wishing you clear skies, great views and sure footing. We took ferries from Pune Island to Cabbage Key to North Captiva. My kind of day on the water. Looking forward to your stories. Love Moms
Posted by: Sharon Hostler on 2/23/2018 at 12:41 pm
This is Christina with the Torres del Paine Trek. We had another perfect day in Patagonia with winds, light rain, showers, hot sun and beautiful views around every corner. We walked up the Paine River today to the Dickson Hut where we got our first views of the towers and some tremendous views of the Dickson Glacier as it flows from the Patagonian ice cap to the river that we walk along. The group is enjoying the photo opportunities, great lunches and stimulating trail conversations about which political figure or popstar we would go backpacking with. This trip is truly about the landscape that we travel through. Even the best photographers could not capture the 360-degree panoramas with the crisp air and smell of lupine in the breeze. Truly a place to have the "see for yourself" to understand. Now we're off for hot showers, fresh bread, and a nice dinner.
RMI Guide Christina Dale
RMI Guide Christina Dale calls in from the Torres del Paine Trek.
Today we started our full circuit trek of Torres del Paine trek with beautiful blue skies and no wind. We saddled our packs and headed off across the open sage bush landscape. We wandered across glacial fed streams and through beach tree forests. With guannaco and Caracara bird sightings we took lots of pictures. We had hot tea along the trail for lunch and pulled into our camp with a few hours to take a shower and hang out before dinner. After dinner we listened to live music by the local cowboys and even participate in the traditional Chilean dances. After the first day with these packs I noticed people were trying to share their snacks first and offer Cliff bars around to lighten the load. Everyone is in great spirits and enjoying the warm sunshine here in Patagonia. Hopefully, tomorrow brings another photogenic day on the trail as we head around the more remote parts of the towers.
RMI Guide Christina Dale
After some coffee and chit chat this morning the group spent three hours deciding which baselayer to pack and which hooded puffy to bring and how many pairs of socks to carry---you know what I'm talking about if you're reading this. We got our packs down to about 30 pounds and didn't leave any chocolate behind. Then we hopped in a boat and crossed the Straits of Magellan to walk around a huge penguin colony in the middle of the ocean. It was fun to see them so close and hear them talking to one another. Now in Natales we're going to get some treats before hitting the trail for the next nine days.
RMI Guide Christina Dale
Everyone arrived from hours of traveling to a sunny Punta Arenas. We walked around the streets of this once booming port town that was essential for all boats moving across the Americas before the Panama canal. It is now a sleepy town with a rich history of Magellan and all the boats that have passed through. We went to the cemetery where all the trees are perfectly pruned and saw the giant bronze statue of Magellan that rumor has it if you rub his toe you'll be back to Punta Arenas some day. We all had a great dinner of local seafood and lots of potatoes. The group is looking forward to spending a week trekking and taking in this remarkable place.
RMI Guide Christina Dale
Leaving a message for my girl Karen Serblowski ❤️
Hey girl!!!!! Every step you take is another in the right direction -sending you my love. Courage, my Heart…. can’t wait to see you xoxo
Posted by: Christine Fortier on 2/28/2018 at 8:30 am
Happy sailing to Magdalena island! Bet ya can’t just take 1 pic of the penguins.i had 1000’s! Luv ya and happy trekking.
Hello from Tlachichuca,
We are all exhausted from a wonderfully successful summit day on Orizaba and are now enjoying the hospitality of Dr. Reyes in the beautiful town of Tlachichuca. We awoke at midnight this morning to clear skies above, and began our climb with cautious optimism. The weather held for us and we were treated with perfect conditions for our climb. The skies were clear and the snow was perfect for cramponing. With the sunrise we were treated with abounding views of the Mexican country side, including the towering vistas of Ixta and Malinche. We were ecstatic to have 100% of our team make it to the summit!
After descending the mountain and taking a long bumpy truck ride back to town we enjoyed hot showers and a delicious meal. It was a great day to top off an amazing week!
RMI Guide JT Schmitt
I had the privilege of climbing on the October 9 trip to the Mexico Volcanos with a great team led by RMI Guides Christina Dale and JT Schmidt. Thank you Christina and JT for your seamless leadership that inspired all the members of our team to 100% success on both Ixta and Orizaba. Thank you to the team members who worked so well together. Our team was perhaps more “mature” in age than most and relatively experienced. Christina and JT made this trip extraordinary in all ways, continuing to teach and add to our knowledge base.
This was truly one of the very best climbing experiences I have ever had and I will cherish the fond memories of our time together.
Lorenzo
Hey, this is Christina calling in with another wonderful summit from the Mexico's Volcanoes team. We have gotten yet again a hundred percent of our team to the summit. Everyone's feeling really well and super happy to be here, up on the top. We have a gorgeous blue sky day with very light winds, absolutely gorgeous new blanket of snow covering this mountain making it wonderful climbing. We are looking forward to heading back down to hot showers congratulations to the RMI Team.
RMI Guide Christina Dale
RMI Guide Christina Dale checks in from the summit of Pico de Orizaba.
This is Christina with the RMI Volcano Mexico team, and we are currently eating tacos, chicken tacos, in a hut at 14,000 feet on the side of Pico de Orizaba. The weather is in and the peak above us has a new blanket of snow that reaches all the way down to our camp for the night. After our extreme weather on Ixta, we're hoping for calmer winds and clear skies. We'd even settle for clouds at this point. The two-hour jeep ride up here to our high camp today was the perfect illustration of our group this week. We found ourselves laughing at David's stories and turning to Rob for his pop culture references. Craig was there with his ever joyful spirit and always had M&M's to offer around. Lorenzo made sure everyone was comfortable and happy. Steve constantly amazes us with his strength inconsistency. Then there's Patty who rocks at everything she does and always enjoys a good laugh. Somehow this group was able to make a bumpy dirt road fun. JT and I feel so lucky to have spent this week with these wonderful people and climbing in the high mountains of Mexico. Orizaba tomorrow. Hope for good weather. Thank you.
RMI Guide Christina Dale
RMI Guide Christina Dale calls in from Pico de Orizaba High camp.
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Dear Mom, I’m having a blast, yesterday Kate took a compass bearing and we set out for a woods walk. Chase and I hiked along a big brook of snow melt, we layed in it. We snuck up on a couple of turkeys and almost had them by the tail. That put me into a frenzy, I LOVE chasing game birds. I get salmon on my breakfast and sleep it off by the wood stove. Chase and I have taken over Kate’s side of the bed! Hope you’re lovin’’ it! Love, your loyal Charlie-girl
Posted by: Charlie Sanders on 2/25/2018 at 6:32 am
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