Our climbing team had a great morning climbing to within a few hundred feet (16,500') of Iliniza Norte's summit (16,818'), before the wind was too intense and we had to turn around. Climbing up the rocky, exposed ridge from the climbing hut, the clouds would momentarily part, affording us intermittent views of Iliniza Norte's austere summit, covered in rime ice. The climbing was a very enjoyable 3rd class rock scramble and everyone did great. The wind was literally making it hard to stand up, much less climb a high altitude mountain. So we retreated back to the safety of the climber's hut. After a bowl of soup and a cup of tea, we descended back down the trail to our vehicles. Now we're at the beautiful hacienda Chilcabamba, outside of Cotopaxi National Park, where we're resting before heading out to climb our final objective, Cotopaxi. We'll keep you in the loop... RMI Guide Mike Walter