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Posts for Ecuador from 02/2013

Ecuador Volcanoes: Beren & Team’s Decision on Cotopaxi

Posted by: Jake Beren, Ben Liken | February 18, 2013
Categories: *Expedition Dispatches *Ecuador
Elevation: 18,400'

Greetings from Quito! 

Early this morning (or rather late last night), our team set off to try to climb Cotopaxi. When we woke there was a little precip, but we knew we could handle it and continued with our preparations to go see what we could do. Breaking trail through the new snow for hours this morning did little to slow down this team and we found ourselves high on the mountain before the sun had risen. At around 18,400 feet above the sea, crossing a reactive windslab above a gaping crevasse stopped us in our tracks, too risky to chance a crossing and our high point today. The team impressed me with their dedication to safety and a good time in the mountains over standing on a summit and Cotopaxi rewarded our judgment with a break in the storm to take in the sights of this beautiful mountain.  Crossing crevasses, down climbing ice steps and navigating seracs in the early morning light was a real treat and we appreciated these features of the route even more as the weather rolled in for our last few moments before returning to the hut. A short nap and then down to the bus in the snow, so much for life in the tropics. It has been a real treat to share these climbs with such a good team, thanks everybody.

RMI Guide Jake Beren

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Ecuador Volcanoes: Beren & Team Ready for Cotopaxi Summit Bid

Posted by: Jake Beren, Ben Liken | February 17, 2013
Categories: *Expedition Dispatches *Ecuador
Elevation: 16,000'

Hello, this is Jake Beren in Ecuador calling in for the RMI team down here. We had a fantastic day yesterday just resting and recouping after a pretty big week so far here in Ecuador. And this morning we’re going to head up to the hut on Cotopaxi. And with any luck, tonight we will be making our bid for the summit. So wish us luck and keep sending those good weather vibes down here and I will check in tomorrow.

RMI Guide Jake Beren

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Ecuador Volcanoes: Beren & Team Relaxing after a Successful Cayambe Summit

Posted by: Jake Beren, Ben Liken | February 15, 2013
Categories: *Expedition Dispatches *Ecuador

Hello, this is Jake calling in from Ecuador. Just to let everybody know that after our successful climb of Cayambe today, we have made it safely, soundly and well fed back to Chilcabamba where we will be spending tonight and tomorrow resting to get ready for Cotopaxi.  All’s well after a big day and we’re looking forward to a little bit of R&R.

RMI Guide Jake Beren

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Ecuador’s Volcanoes: Cayambe Summit!

Posted by: Ben Liken, Jake Beren | February 15, 2013
Categories: *Expedition Dispatches *Ecuador
Elevation: 18,997'

Buenos dias from the top of Cayambe!

We had an absolutely stunning day for our climb today, first clear day up here in weeks and perfect cramponing conditions all the way up. So we will give you guys a shout on the way down and super proud effort by the team today. Everybody did a fantastic job and we’ll give you shout when we’re down safe and sound.

Alright, thanks.

RMI Guide Jake Beren

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Ecuador’s Volcanoes: Beren & Team Check in from the Cayambe Hut

Posted by: Jake Beren, Ben Liken | February 14, 2013
Categories: *Expedition Dispatches *Ecuador
Elevation: 15,300'

Feliz Valentine’s Day from all of us in Ecuador. We are at our hut on Cayambe.  About to bed down for the night after a good day of training up here.  And with any luck tonight, we will be giving Cayambe a shot. So wish us luck. And again, Happy Valentine’s to everybody back home.

RMI Guide Jake Beren

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Ecuador Volcanoes: Beren & Team Exploring the Otovalo Market

Posted by: Jake Beren, Ben Liken | February 13, 2013
Categories: *Expedition Dispatches *Ecuador

The team is currently exploring Otovalo, the market town near the base of Cayambe. The sea of brightly colored goods in the town square is a fantastic place for a little cultural souvenir shopping. After our outing, we will head towards our next climbing objective, Cayambe. With a positive trend in the weather, it seems as though all the crossed fingers up North have made a difference. Keep it up amigos and we will check in from the hut!

RMI Guide Jake Beren

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Ecuador Volcanoes: Beren & Team Acclimatizing on Cerro Fuya Fuya

Posted by: Jake Beren, Ben Liken | February 12, 2013
Categories: *Expedition Dispatches *Ecuador
Elevation: 14,000'

The rain was borderline torrential in Quito last night, but as we got closer to our acclimatization hike, it let up for us. We had a great hike today, topping out on Cerro Fuya Fuya at over 14,000 feet!  The team again did a great job climbing up this mountain and making the most of our time up high. Tomorrow we will head to Otovalo and do a little exploration of the market town. Afterwards it’s up to the Cayambe hut!  So far so good down here.

RMI Guide Jake Beren

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Ecuador Volcanoes: Beren & Team Hike to Top of Rucu Pichincha

Posted by: Jake Beren, Ben Liken | February 11, 2013
Categories: *Expedition Dispatches *Ecuador
Elevation: 15,696'

What a day!  After breakfast the rain let up for a bit and we boarded the teleferico for a ride up to 13,200 feet. Nice way to travel. We caught a quick glance at Cotopaxi before the clouds rolled in and enjoyed perfect walking temperatures up to the ridge of the extinct volcano Rucu Pichincha. With a weather window to work with, we roped up and climbed to the summit, everyone standing tall at 15,700 feet above the sea. The team did great and we even managed to get down to the trail before the rain came in. The rain stayed with us until we got back to town, but everyone’s spirits remained high and now we are relaxing before dinner. Tomorrow we leave Quito and head for even higher ground.  Wish us luck!

RMI Guide Jake Beren

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Ecuador’s Volcanoes: Team Explores Quito

Posted by: Ben Liken, Jake Beren | February 10, 2013
Categories: *Expedition Dispatches *Ecuador

Buenos Dias from Ecuador!  The team arrived last night ahead of schedule, with all our gear and we hit the town running today. After a team meeting this morning, we loaded up on coffee and breakfast and took a short drive to the equator to perform a few experiments. After some testing we were able to verify the precise location of the Middle of the World and head to lunch. Post traditional Equadorian food, we returned to the Southern Hemisphere to explore the Old Town of Quito. We were able to get some great views of the city from the ramparts of the Basilica before an afternoon lightning storm encouraged our descent. The Guilded Church, Presidential Palace and Virgin of Quito followed and we returned to the hotel for some rest before a gear check and dinner. Off to a great start down here!

RMI Guides Jake Beren & Ben Liken

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Cotopaxi Express:  Summit Day!

Posted by: Ben Liken, Jake Beren | February 06, 2013
Categories: *Expedition Dispatches *Ecuador
Elevation: 19,348'

Boy did we luck out this morning! 

After three days of being totally obscured, Cotopaxi was out and about in the stars when we woke up. The team assembled for breakfast and loaded packs for what would be a long and successful day of climbing. Breaking trail all the way up, navigating through crevasses and seracs, and enjoying spectacular views and unpredictable weather gave us a full value day in the mountains. Safely up, our thoughts turned to getting safely down and the team made it happen.

Now we are showering at the Hacienda La Cienega and getting set for a victory meal!  Thanks to everyone back home, we’ll see you soon.

RMI Guide Jake Beren

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