Our team made it down to Ecuador yesterday and this morning.  By midday we were together in Quito and ready to stretch out after travel.  We need exercise and altitude to get prepared for our climb of Cotopaxi in a few days.  We took a bus ride through the bustling and vibrant city to the tram onto the slopes of Rucu Pichincha.  The teleferico got us way up to 13,500 ft in a hurry.  It was cloudy, so we only had glimpses of the bases of the great volcanoes, but conditions were just fine for strolling along the trails.  We enjoyed seeing Caracaras (colorful hawks) and went close to 14,000 ft in altitude.  By then the hour was getting late and we decided to call it good for a big first day in Ecuador.  We had an easy walk down, a few coffees and donuts for the tram ride, and then a trip back to the hotel.  We finished with a fine dinner and a plan for setting out for further altitude training in the morning. 

Best Regards,

RMI Guide Dave Hahn and Team