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June 5 - 15, 2009 Ecuador's Volcanoes Expedition
Lead Guide: Mike Walter
June 5, 2009
Expedition begins with flights into Quito.
June 5 - 15, 2009 Ecuador's Volcanoes Expedition
Lead Guide: Mike Walter
June 6, 2009
Hello from Quito, Ecuador!
Everyone's planes have arrived, and we had our first official team meeting at breakfast this morning. We discussed logistics for the trip and got to meet everyone,
as well as enjoyed our breakfast buffet spread of fresh, local fruits, juices, and pastries. We spent the rest of the day touring the capital city of Quito with
our very knowledgeable local guide, Jorge. We visited the colonial parts of Quito, and learned the city's cultural and political history, and then traveled to the
"Mitad del Mundo", or the middle of the world. Here we got to stand on the equator and see examples of Ecuador's different cultural groups in the interpretative museum.
Right now we're relaxing for a couple of hours before meeting for dinner. I'll be in touch tomorrow after we return from our first acclimatization hike to the Biological Reserve, Pasachoa.
Mike
June 5 - 15, 2009 Ecuador's Volcanoes Expedition
Lead Guide: Mike Walter
June 7, 2009
Hola.
We had a great acclimatization hike today at the Ecological Reserve Pasachoa, an ancient volcano which now hosts a cloud forest ecosystem. We hiked up to 12,300', and everyone did great.
The weather was nice today, and it was great to stretch our legs and work our lungs a little bit. The altitude of this hike will serve us well, as tomorrow we're off to the climbing refugio at the Ilinizas, where we'll hopefully gain an altitude
of over 15,000'. Then we're off to a Hacienda on the flanks of our first climbing destination, Cotopaxi.
This evening we enjoyed fine Ecuadorian cuisine on before leaving Quito; adventurous palates even tried the Ecuadorian delicacy of fried guinea pig (cuy) and the locally fermented corn drink called chicha. We're all enjoying the culture of Ecuador and the conveniences of Quito.
But we're also very anxious to head for the mountains and leave the city behind. Tomorrow we'll do just that.
We'll keep you up to date on our adventures.
Mike
June 5 - 15, 2009 Ecuador's Volcanoes Expedition
Lead Guide: Mike Walter
June 8, 2009
Saludos from the beautiful hacienda, Chilcabamba, at 11,500' on the flanks of Cotopaxi. The weather is great, and we have amazing views of our climbing destination, Cotopaxi from our bedroom windows.
We left the city behind today, and ventured south down the 'Avenue of Volcanos'. After an hour and a half of driving, we began our 2nd acclimitization hike. This time we climbed to around 15,400', to the climbers' hut at the saddle between the Ilinizas. This hike travels above treeline, through the rolling hill grassland known as the paramo. Good weather afforded us views of the expansive valleys below, but clouds kept the Ilinizas obscured from view.
Everybody did great on this foray into thinner air. It looks like we've got a very strong team for our summit attempt, and the weather looks promising. But, you take it day by day in the mountains...
Tomorrow we'll head to the cliimbers' hut on Cotopaxi, at 16,000'. But right now, our minds are on dinner, the beautiful setting of our hacienda, and comfort and warmth of the woodburning stoves in our bedrooms. Life is good.
Thanks for following our trip, I'll keep you posted with updates.
Mike
June 5 - 15, 2009 Ecuador's Volcanoes Expedition
Lead Guide: Mike Walter
June 9, 2009
Buenos dias from Ecuador.
Yesterday we traveled into Cotopaxi National Park; en route to the climbers' hut we were lucky enough to see six Andean Condors! They were very close to the road and were defintely an impressive sight, with wingspans of more than 6 feet.
Upon arrival at the end of the road, we shouldered our packs and hike 45 minutes to the climbers' hut on Cotopaxi. The rest of the day was spent resting, eating, drinking, playing cards, and telling stories ...the time spent here, at nearly 16,000' will help us get used to the (even)thinner air that awaits above.
This morning we are getting ready to head out to the glacier, in order to stretch our legs and review ice axe and crampon skills.
The weather is very nice and we're looking forward to our summit attempt tonight. We will likely leave the hut around 1:00 am, and hopfully we'll be on top at 6 ot 7. We'll be in touch, and I'll send pictures when we have access to the internet in a couple of days.
Hasta luego
Mike
June 5 - 15, 2009 Ecuador's Volcanoes Expedition
Lead Guide: Mike Walter
June 12, 2009 - Cotopaxi Summit!
Bueno dias from Ecuador. Yesterday our team reached the summit of (the nearly 20,000') Cotopaxi! When we awoke at midnight, it was snowing lightly. By the time we had breakfast and were ready to start climbing, the snow had let up; some clouds lingered, but stars were visible. The weather for our climb remained excellent: mostly clear skies, calm wind,
and relatively mild temperatures. Our team stood on the summit at 7:15 a.m., and was treated to excellent views of the 20,700' Chimborazo, the Ilinizas, and the active volcanos, the Pinchinchas, which rise above Quito. After descending, we traveled out of Cotopaxi National Park to our current location of the hacienda La Cienega. This beautiful hacienda was built in the late 16th century, and has a rich and interesting history, including having housed the first volcanological study of Cotopaxi, and a European geographical expedition to measure the meridians.
We all enjoyed hot showers and a great dinner, before getting some much needed rest. Today we will travel north to our next hacienda, Guachala. We'll rest our legs today before starting our next climb, Cayambe. Tomorrow morning before heading to the climbers' hut on Cayambe, we'll visit the world famous market at Otovalo.
We'll keep you up-to-date with our whereabouts.
Ciao,
Mike
June 5 - 15, 2009 Ecuador's Volcanoes Expedition
Lead Guide: Mike Walter
June 14, 2009 - Cotopaxi Summit!
Buenas tardes from Ecuador.
Our team is all safely back in Quito now, enjoying hot showers and rest before our final team dinner/celebration tonight. Yesterday we spent the morning in Otavalo, enjoying the expansive indigenous market. Then we headed up to the climbers' hut on Cayambe. After dinner we hit the sack early, in preparation for our alpine start and summit attempt. We awoke to perfect weather...no wind, clear skies (you could see both the Southern Cross and the Big Dipper from the same place!). After a midnight breakfast of oatmeal, bread and jam, and coffee and tea, we ventured out for the climb.
The snow conditions were perfect, and it was most likely the most beautiful morning of our trip. The climbing went well, and we neared the nearly 19,000' summit when our climb was thwarted by a huge, impassable crevasse that guarded the summit. The snow bridge that had been used to cross the crevasse had recently collapsed, and we searched back and forth for another option. But in the end, we had to turn around ~250' shy of the true summit. The objective hazards were just too high to press on with any of our other possibilities.
Such is life in the mountains; the team did great, and we enjoyed a spectacular day of climbing. But we were kept ~250 feet away from topping out on the true summit. We dubbed our high point 'cumbre (summit) de los gringos.' Everyone was content with our climbing experiences today, and the great experiences of the entire trip to Ecuador.
Thanks for keeping track of us. Our team members will be on their way home soon. Check back on the 6/20, as RMI's 2nd Ecuador's Volcanoes trip of the summer begins. I'll be back in touch then!
PS...on the descent we scoped a new route, which I'm confident will enable us to get to the summit next week...if the weather cooperates. Stay tuned!
Mike
RMI Guide
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Mike Walter
Climbing Team
Mike, Chris, Wes, Chad, John, Ruth and Jack
Itinerary
Day 1: Depart U.S.A. Most flights arrive in Quito in the late evening. Your guides will meet you at the airport and transfer with you to our hotel. Overnight at Hotel Mercure Alameda in Quito.
Day 2: We meet in the hotel lobby for an orientation meeting and our first team breakfast. The day is spent exploring Colonial Quito with a local tour guide. We visit Independence Square, church of La Compania (1605) and the church and monastery of San Francisco (1535). We will also travel 15 minutes north of Quito to the Equatorial Line where we can jump from the northern to the southern hemisphere. There is also time in the afternoon to relax and recover from our flights. Overnight at Hotel Mercure Alameda in Quito. (B)
Day 3: After breakfast we leave the city to explore
Pasachoa Forest Reserve, a 1,000 acre park at the base of the
extinct volcano. The Pasachoa caldera, with its steep flanks and
dense vegetation, is surrounded by some of the last remaining
high altitude forest of the highlands. This enjoyable hike helps
with our acclimatization and prepares us for our upcoming
climbs. We return to Quito and overnight at Hotel Mercure
Alameda. (B)
Day 4: Leaving the city of Quito we travel to Illiniza
Norte, a jagged peak just west of Cotopaxi National Park. This
is our second acclimatization hike; this time to 15,000 feet. We
spend the night in a traditional Ecuadorian farmhouse, located
near the base of Cotopaxi. Overnight at Chilcabamba Eco Lodge.
(B, D)
Day 5: After breakfast, a short drive from Hacienda El
Porvenir takes us to the end of the road at the base of
Cotopaxi. A short 45 minute hike leads to the Jose Ribas Refugio
at 16,000 feet. Overnight at Jose Ribas Refugio. (B, D)
Day 6: In the morning we hike out to the toe of the glacier to focus on reviewing basic mountaineering techniques that will prepare us for our summit attempt. We settle in early in anticipation of our alpine start. Overnight at Jose Ribas Refugio (16,000'). (B, D)
Day 7: Summit day on Cotopaxi (19,348)! With an early alpine start, we use the first hour to approach the glacier. A long, initial pitch gains access to an interesting maze of crevasses on the lower slopes of this beautiful volcano. The ascent then weaves through impressive crevasse fields for several hours before ascending the final steep slopes to the summit. The deep, sheer-walled volcanic crater is an incredibly impressive sight. After our summit celebration and photo session, we descend safely to the hut. Upon reaching the vehicles, we head out of the park to one of Ecuador's most beautiful colonial haciendas, the 300-year old La Cienega. Climbing time is approximately 10 - 12 hours. Overnight at Hosteria La Cienega. (B)
Day 8: Our adventure continues after breakfast as we
travel to the town of Cayambe to relax and explore some of the
local culture. We have the option to visit Otovalo, a town known
for its beautiful woolen products or Cotacachi, a town famous
for its leather industry. After shopping and sightseeing we
transfer to Ecuador's oldest and possibly most historically and
socially important hacienda, the Guachalá. Overnight at Hacienda
Guachalá. (B)
Day 9: Using 4 x 4 vehicles, we drive to the hut at the base
of Cayambe. The afternoon is spent preparing for our summit
attempt, with the option of a short hike. Hiking time is
approximately 1 - 2 hours. Overnight at the climber's hut
(15,300 feet). (B, D)
Day 10: Summit day on Cayambe (18,997')! With an
early alpine start for the summit, our route begins by climbing
through some low rock outcroppings before stepping onto a
spectacularly crevassed glacier. Once on the glacier, the route
climbs directly to the upper reaches of the mountain, where a
challenging final push to the summit awaits us. After enjoying
our success, we descend to our private vehicles, and drive to
Quito for our celebration dinner. Climbing time is approximately
10 - 12 hours. Overnight at Hotel Mercure Alameda in Quito. (B)
Day 11: Early morning transfer to the airport for our outbound flights.
Key: B, L, D = Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner included.