Entries By jack delaney

Buen Dia!

We woke up to our final breakfast on the mountain, one more time we put our hiking shoes back on and bid farewell to Jimmy and Daniela - the amazing Grajales team at our last camp.

The wind stayed at our backs as we descended the final 8 miles of the Vacas Valley. Today, the conversation was flowing - more air, full bellies! We saw lots of lizards and butterflies and even a couple mice scurrying across the trail. Signs of life reminding us we are no longer at high altitude.

With ample amounts of dust and dirt embedded in our clothes, we made it to Punta de Vacas. The place we started 2 weeks ago. We took one final group picture and headed to Penitentes to grab our duffel bags.

Before we knew it, we were on the van headed back to Mendoza! But not without a stop for empanadas along the way.

What an end to an amazing trip! We’re all safely back in the comforts of the Diplomatic Hotel - hot showers, pool time, rest and recuperation is on the agenda before we all fly back home.

Thank you for following along!

RMI Guide Jess Wedel

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 

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 

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

Hola!!

We made it to Campo 3! Got our tents set up (no easy feat at 19,600ft) and just finished a delicious freeze dry dinner - it’s just after 5:00pm and we’re headed to bed soon for an early summit start!

We’ve been so inspired by all the amazing people we have met on this mountain — who day in and day out have inspired us with their insane work ethic and positivity. Who always greet us on the trail with a smile and a word of encouragement. By far, the best part about climbing Aconcagua are the people we have met along the way. 

Anne and I were talking about this on the trail today as one of our favorite porters and climbers, Greggo, came sailing down from Camp 3 to help carry some of our tents back up. We remarked how after months on this mountain guiding, climbing, cooking, carrying loads, he always shows up with such joy and big smiles. 

We decided we want to channel that energy to tomorrow when the going gets tough, when we want to quit or when we are fed up with the cumulative suffering, instead we will remember the positivity and kindness of the Argentinians who have shared their mountain with us and carry that strength with us to a hopeful summit.

Here we go!

RMI Guide Jess Wedel and the team 

Good evening from beautiful Guanacos camp!

The sun is setting and it’s a radiant orange and pink sky surrounding our tents. This is our third night here and we are feeling good. Today we carried a load of gear up, up, up to Camp 3 - new altitude record for the whole team at 19,600 feet! The saying of the day was “stress the system, rest the system.” We stressed our bodies moving up to that altitude in the hopes that it will help us on summit day. But before our headaches were too bad, we started downhill back to Camp 2. We got back in the early afternoon and then it was time to rest the system.

We prepared for our summit push with a big talk about what to expect, what to carry, tips and tricks to stay warm and so much more. We know some anxiety is normal as there are so many unknowns as we head uphill but preparing as much as we can helps.  Jack also led us in some improv games where we laughed and joked and that helped too!

Tomorrow we head to Camp 3 with a hopeful summit on the horizon.

RMI Guide Jess Wedel and the "Skittles" team 

The team is thriving here at Camp 2, acclimatizing at just over 18,000 feet. Spirits are high, and everyone’s feeling strong as we continue to prepare for the next steps on our journey. This altitude is no joke, it can feel like you have the flu or a fever, but with proper rest and acclimation, the team is handling it like pros.

This morning kicked off on a high note—literally and figuratively—with an incredible breakfast courtesy of guides Jess and Jack. They whipped up breakfast burritos that had everyone’s appetite soaring, proving once again that good food can work wonders at altitude.

Of course, camp life always has its quirks, and we have experienced cases of mountain “loud streaming.” For those unfamiliar, this is when someone in a nearby tent decides to play music or watch a movie at full volume without headphones, sharing their entertainment with the entire camp. While it added an unexpected movie soundtrack to our attempts to sleep, we’ve all taken it in stride and had a few laughs about it.

Aside from the impromptu movie soundtracks, the team is doing great. We’ve spent the day packing gear for tomorrow’s carry to Camp 3. The plan is to haul supplies up, then return to Camp 2 to sleep and rest. The next few days are critical as we move higher and prepare for the summit push.

The weather outlook is promising—clear skies and manageable winds—so we’re all excited to get rolling. With strong morale and solid progress, we’re ready for what’s ahead. Stay tuned as we move closer to the top!

RMI Climber Elburz Sorkhabi

Hello friends and family!

The team made a strong move today, climbing from Camp 1 to Camp 2 in great form. It was a challenging push, but everyone handled the route with grit and determination. Now, at over 18000 ft, we’re resting at Camp 2, which will be home for a little while as we wait for the right weather window to move up to Camp 3 and prepare for our summit push.

Camp 2 is buzzing with activity. Climbers from different expeditions are coming and going, creating a lively atmosphere. Despite the hustle and bustle, we’ve managed to carve out a little corner of the camp for ourselves. We made the best (and flattest) tent platforms possible by “reading the green” - I’ll be honest, that’s a new term for me but not for all the golfers in the group!

Of course, space is tight up here, which makes our usual card and dice games a bit of a challenge. Finding a flat spot where things don’t roll away is harder than you’d think! But we’re getting creative and working on a setup that’ll keep the fun going as we rest.

The team is doing great—strong, motivated, and full of positive energy. For now, it’s all about resting, fueling up, and staying sharp. The summit is getting closer, and we’re ready for the next step when the mountain says it’s time. Stay tuned for more updates from Guanacos Camp.

RMI Guide Jess Wedel and the Team

A lovely day out.

After a night of less than stellar sleeping due to gusty winds and adjusting to the altitude we awoke to still skies and lovely sunshine. We ate a quick breakfast and we packed up all the gear we would carry up to cache at Camp 2 (Guanchos 3). The slow trudge uphill was a test and a new highest altitude reached for a majority of the team. Even though the air was thinner by the step we moved smoothly and efficiently. 

Once we arrived at Camp 2, we sorted our gear and lounged about for an hour stressing our bodies to ready them to stay at this new altitude of 18,000'. Tomorrow we will move to up to make this camp our home, but today we followed the tried and true acclimatization method of climbing high and sleeping low. After returning to Camp 1, everyone relaxed for the rest of afternoon and enjoyed the now thick seeming air. After a hearty dinner of loaded mac and cheese it was off to bed for what will hopefully be a more restful night of sleep.

RMI Guide Jack Delaney and the team

Hello!

Checking in from a breezy Camp 1 after a great day on the mountain - everyone is doing well!

We said goodbye with big hugs and lots of encouragement from the incredible Grajales base camp team. Back on the trail with heavy packs, but this time we knew what to expect as we weaved our way through steep scree and rocks. We made it to Camp 1 in about 3.5 hours - almost an hour faster than our carry day which means our bodies are adapting to the altitude well!

We worked together to get the camp set up and Jack and I soon began making dinner. Though we were not alone as everyone on this crew is always pitching in to help in whatever way they can - getting water for tent mates, offering up extra hot drinks - we have each other’s backs out here and that’s a good feeling. Even though the cold wind is blasting through camp, we’re all tucked in and warm in our sleeping bags.  Tomorrow we’ll carry loads and acclimatize up to camp 2 and back down to sleep at camp 1.

RMI Guide Jess Wedel and the Team