Saturday, February 12, 2022

As I write this from my top bunk in the third row of five from the hypoxic altitude of 15,100 feet, I have a strange nostalgia of a sixth grade slumber party.   With nine grownups stacked side by side, telling jokes and having laughs, I wonder if we aren’t actually at RMI’s Ecuadorian summer camp.   

Hannah was a camp counselor in her younger years but come tomorrow, our activities should resemble more of a mountaineer trip than that bad 80s flick. 

But, before we put the cart before the donkey, let’s hear about today.  

It started famously with chirping birds, hot coffee and a lovely breakfast.   This got everyone all fired up for our mega shopping extravaganza at Otavalo, Ecuador’s largest craft market.  After we crushed our huevos, we then needed to carry our big bags down the street a ways to load up because the day before, Hector our driver, accidentally ripped a chunk of the entrance gate off with the bike rack and was put in the penalty box 50 yards away.   Wait, I don’t think Ecuador has hockey.    

Once loaded we left our beautiful hacienda and our brave group of summer camp mountaineers dispersed into the stalls of color and crafts ready to finagle the deal of a lifetime.   I highly doubt this happened but with wobbly espanol I think we all managed something.  Don’t worry significant others, you’ll probably get a gift.  

After the market we had lunch at a sandwich shop shared with some “hot and rugged” older bikers, (that wasn’t my quote) and then proceeded  to the secret rendezvous point where we did a covert transfer from the bus to the 4x4s.  

It was here we finally found some real adventure!  Fifteen miles up the windy cobblestone road, we hit a mud bog likely to make any redneck proud! With our trucks tearing up the track, only to fail 30 feet from gripable salvation, we worried we might not make it to the hut.   I think we cheered, never fear Jaime is here! And he finally won the mud track battle.  With all the trucks passed the crux we had a relatively smooth go up to the refugio.   

A fine dinner of coke marinated chicken and water grass soup readied us for bed, so here we are.  Snuggled up just waiting for someone to start snoring!  

Find out tomorrow if that happened.   

RMI Guide Adam Knoff