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Entries From Cotopaxi Express 1-31-13

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

On The Map

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Cotopaxi Express:  Beren & Team Ready for Summit Climb

Posted by: Ben Liken, Jake Beren | February 05, 2013
Categories: *Expedition Dispatches *Ecuador
Elevation: 16,500'

After a solid day training up here at around 16,500’ on Cotopaxi, we are bedding down for a night’s sleep as best we can this evening. We are going to wake up here in a bit and go for a climb. The weather has been in and out so we need everybody back home to cross their fingers for a good weather pattern for us.  And with any luck we will be calling you from the top tomorrow. So, I guess that’s all. I’ll talk to you tomorrow.

RMI Guide Jake Beren

On The Map

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Cotopaxi Express: Jake Beren & Team Spend time Acclimating

Posted by: Jake Beren, Ben Liken | February 04, 2013
Categories: *Expedition Dispatches *Ecuador
Elevation: 16,000'

Greetings from 16,000’ on Cotopaxi!  This is the Ecuador Cotopaxi Express climb calling to check in.  We are up at the hut relaxing, drinking some tea, and acclimatizing. We’re getting ready to do a little bit of training tomorrow but for right now we are just bumping ourselves up a little higher into the atmosphere and we’ll hang out and acclimatize for a bit before doing some training tomorrow and get ready for our attempt at the top the day after. So all is well up here; it’s snowing lightly but we anticipate it clearing out just in time for us.

RMI Guide Jake Beren & Team

On The Map

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Cotopaxi Express: Beren & Team Acclimatize on Illiniza Norte

Posted by: Jake Beren, Ben Liken | February 03, 2013
Categories: *Expedition Dispatches *Ecuador
Elevation: 15,500'

Today gave us a chance to check out our rain skills…. We spent our time hiking to the Refugio de Horizontes on the Illinizas was great and somewhat dry. The weather was all over the place with showers and sun on a repeat cycle. But luckily the skies parted when we reached the hut and we were able to dry any wet layers and enjoy some time at 15 and a half thousand feet. A leisurely cruise back to the trail head, and it was off to the Chilcabamba Eco Lodge for the night.  We arrived at the lodge in a lightning storm and checked into pre-heated rooms and settled in for hearty meal and a good night’s rest. Tomorrow we ride higher and take our perch at the Jose Ribas on Cotopaxi. Wish us luck and good weather for the next few days.

RMI Guide Jake Beren

On The Map

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Cotopaxi Express: Acclimatization in Quito

Posted by: Ben Liken, Jake Beren | February 02, 2013
Categories: *Expedition Dispatches *Ecuador
Elevation: 15,696'

Buenas Noches from Quito! 

Today was a great day by all accounts. We hit the trail early today, catching a ride to the teleferico for the first can up the mountain. A quick ride and we were perched well above Quito, looking down from 13,500 feet above the sea.  As we readied ourselves for our hike, Cotopaxi even graced us with an appearance. Solid start to a day.

Walking towards Rucu Pinchincha we spent a few hours ascending to 15,500 feet. The team did a fantastic job today, brushing up on some skills and generally impressing Ben and I. A great day of acclimatizing is never complete without a cup of coffee for the ride down to town, so we obliged happily.

After an afternoon rest it was dinner time and we enjoyed our best meal so far, carbo loading like champs in fine style and waddling home to rest up for our trip to the Illinizas tomorrow. Off to a great start over here.

RMI Guides Jake Beren & Ben Liken

On The Map

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Cotopaxi Express: Beren & Team Tour Quito and the Equator

Posted by: Jake Beren, Ben Liken | February 01, 2013
Categories: *Expedition Dispatches *Ecuador

Great first day on the ground here in Quito. After a leisurely breakfast here at our hotel, we met up with our trusty city tour guide Jorge and hit the streets. Touring the Basilica and Old Town districts and paying the Virgin of Quito a visit, we got a pretty good set of views this morning. The afternoon took us to the Equator where we marveled at how easy it is to jump from one hemisphere to another and tested which way the water spins (or doesn’t) in the North and South.

Now it’s time to rest before getting an early-ish start and exploring Rucu Pinchincha, an extinct volcano accessed by a Teleferico from town.

Buenes noches,

RMI Guide Jake Beren

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Cotopaxi Experess: Jake Beren & Team Arrive in Quito

Posted by: Jake Beren, Ben Liken | February 01, 2013
Categories: *Expedition Dispatches *Ecuador

Hello Everyone,

We are off to a good start here in Quito!  Everyone (and all their bags) has arrived and today we are hitting the streets to check out Ecuador’s capital city.  We will also take a jaunt to the Equator,the Mitada del Mundo.  We’ll let you know how the day’s adventure unfolds when we get back, but it sure feels good to be off to a good start.

RMI Guide Jake Beren & Team
   

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