Update: May 22, 2019 - 5:29 pm PT
An early alpine start at 2am had us walking under starry skies and a nearly full moon to the base of the glacier. After four hours of glacier climbing around crevasses we found ourselves at 17,400’ at a sub peak offering us amazing views of Pequeno Alpamayo and Huyana Potosi. We descended 400’ of rock, that led to steep ridges and the final 500’ of steep ice and rock to the summit. The summit did not disappoint with views of the surrounding mountains and our next mountain objective Huyana Potosi. Lucky for us, after twenty minutes of descending off the top we were engulfed in a cloud. After a twelve hour summit day we’re enjoying some relaxation before dinner.
RMI Guide Eric Frank
May 22, 2019 - 6:39 am PT
Good morning this is Eric Frank calling from 17,839' on the summit of Pequeno Alpamayo. We're having a beautiful morning up here. The team did incredibly well. We had four out of five climbers make it to the top of Tarija peak and four out of five climbers make it to the top of Pequeno Alpamayo. It's a gorgeous morning, light winds. We are sitting on top enjoying snacks with a view in every direction. We are going to hang out here for another 15 or 20 minutes and then head back downhill. We look forward to checking in this afternoon when we get back to camp. Thanks for following along.
RMI Guide Eric Frank
RMI Guide Eric Frank checks in from the summit of Pequeno Alpamayo.
A three hour walk brought us to the toe of the glacier where we spent several hours training on snow and ice in anticipation of our first summit attempt tomorrow. We’ve made a new camp at roughly 15,400’ which sits in the beautiful Condoriri Valley, where we are surrounded by beautiful peaks. We had an early dinner, and we find ourselves trying to get some rest before an early wake up and a long day tomorrow as we look to climb Pequeno Alpamayo.
RMI Guide Eric Frank
Sunday, May 19, 2019
Isla del Sol or Island of the Sun is a remote island with no cars located close to the Peruvian border on Lake Titicaca. It feels weird to be on a mountain climbing trip, yet enjoying the luxuries of home cooked meals, showers and a setting that would remind you of the Mediterranean.
At 13,500’ this is an ideal location for us to acclimatize for the higher peaks of Bolivia. Meandering through pre Incan terraced gardens allowed us to stretch the legs, breath the thin air and enjoy panoramic vistas. The day included a traditional Bolivian meal and an amazing sunset.
Tomorrow we leave the comforts of Isla del Sol and head into the mountains.
RMI Guide Andy Bond
The team let a out a collective sigh of relief today as we left the big city of La Paz for the quiet Bolivian country side. A few hours of driving, a ferry ride and five miles of scenic hiking brought us to a harbor on the Bolivian/Peruvian border. The views in all directions are incredible here. The contrast of the terraced golden field with the deep blue hue of the lake make a gorgeous contrast.
After trekking uphill we arrived at our eco lodge and settled into our rooms. A dinner of quinoa soup and trout next to a crackling fire closed out our night. We all look forward to exploring the island tomorrow.
RMI Guide Eric Frank
After a long travel day and an early morning arrival, we took a leisurely morning before heading out on a tour of the city of La Paz. In the last several years Bolivia has invested nearly $800 million into a cable car system, allowing people to move around the city, high above the buildings. It gave us amazing views of the surrounding mountains, some of which we will be climbing later in the trip, as well as adjust to 13,500’ altitude. A highlight was walking through the witches market, where people would burn offerings in the hopes that the smoke would reach the gods in the sky, and there wishes would come true. The night ended with a great dinner and some packing as we head to Lake Titicaca tomorrow for some more acclimatization and sightseeing before we head into the mountains.
RMI Guide Eric Frank, Andy Bond & Team
Your team is with the best guides anyone could ask for.. wish you guys great weather and successful climbing…heading to Denali in a week.. Julie and I were just reminiscing about last year in Bolivia..
Posted by: stephen zabinski on 5/19/2019 at 8:09 am
Hello, this is Eric Frank calling from the summit of Orizaba. I'm up here with the team and this completes three of three summits for us this week. It's been a pretty incredible time of climbing. We summitted La Malinche, then we summited Ixta and now we are standing on top of Orizaba. Everyone is stoked. We are going to spend a few more minutes enjoying the thin air and then we're going to start heading down. So we'll call to check-in once we are down. We look forward to seeing everyone soon.
RMI Guide Eric Frank
RMI Guide Eric Frank calls from the summit of Orizaba, Mexico.
RMI Guide Eric Frank checked in from 14,000, High Camp, on Pico de Orizaba. The team arrived at the hut today and will try to get a few hours of sleep tonight before their early alpine start. If weather and conditions allow they will check in tomorrow from the summit of Pico de Orizaba.
We wish them luck and a safe climb!
After our summit of Ixta, the team made the journey to the quaint Mexican town of Puebla. We spent today relaxing and soaking up the amenities of the city. The activities ranged from visiting the local artist quarter, seeing the town's oldest library, buying hand made pottery from local artists and catching an afternoon siesta to dodge the heat. We reconvened for dinner at one of the town's favorite restaurants and followed up our meal with some of the best ice cream Mexico has to offer. Currently the team is tucked in for the night, ready for another good night of sleep and looking forward to the final climb of the trip.
RMI Guide Eric Frank
What a jam packed 24 hours it has been! After a fitful night of rest at the Altzomoni Hut, the team packed up and made the climb up to our high camp at 15,300ft. Our packs weighed between 35-40 lbs and that always makes the terrain much more challenging. Regardless, the team climbed well and we were lounging in our tents by mid afternoon. Around 4 pm we roused everyone from their siestas and gathered together in the "Refugio Los Cien" to have some soup and quesadillas.
Not long after we finished eating, the first ping began. It sounded like a child was throwing small handfuls of gravel at the side of the refugio, but then the sound intensified. In a few minutes we were engulfed in a hail storm that lasted an hour. Pellets of ice, ranging from the size of a pencil eraser to a grape, covered the ground. Slowly the hail turned into snow and we all hustled out to our tents. Over the next three hours the storm turned into an epic thunder and lighting event, making us wonder if the climb would even be possible.
At 2 am this morning when the first alarm went off, everything had changed. The skies were clear, the weather warm, the wind was gone and only a few inches of snow on the ground remained to remind us of the previous evening.
The climb was flawless. I would say textbook, but it was better then textbook. We summited at 7:45 am under blue skies with small puffs of smoke from a local volcano to keep us company.
RMI Guide Eric Frank
Happy to hear this trip is going great for everyone! Dave Kestel your Rainier gang is proud of this accomplishment! Can’t wait for you to talk our ears off about it!
The stoves are whistling and the Mexican Volcanoes team is enjoying a well deserved rest in our new home for the night: the Altzomoni Hut. Today was partially a rest day and partially logistics day to get ourselves in position for the next climb.
We woke this morning up slightly sore, but proud of yesterday's accomplishment. After a few hours on the bus, we made a pit stop in the small city of AmecaMeca to grab lunch and some last minute groceries. From there we drove a winding mountain road back into the clouds.
RMI Guide Eric Frank
Best wishes to Geoff DeFilippi and the rest of the team. It sounds like a wonderful experience. Thanks for the great blog posts!
Posted by: George DeFilippi on 5/23/2019 at 12:16 pm
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