Entries from Expedition Dispatches
I am happy to announce that our team reached the summit of Cayambe today at 7:45 this morning. Much like the driving challenges we have faced in the last few days, the mountain played the same game. With unusually high snow falls lately the mountains have been seeing few ascents. Cayambe has not seen a successful summit since before the new year. So we knew our chances were 50 50 at best.
With an 11 pm wake up call, we hit the snooze only once and soon got motivated to power down instant coffee, white bread with Nutella and some weird cheese I don’t eat if I can help it. The morning was clear and warm so our psyche was high. We left the hut at 12:15 am with hopes to make the glacier by 1:30. Walking was smooth and efficient, so we made good time on the first two stretches. It was around 17,500’ things began to change. The solid supportable crust layer which had made walking so easy down lower began to turn more into punchy post-holing making climbing extremely taxing. By 18,000’ we were literally on the fence on whether to go down or not. The temps were well below freezing and it was clear some storm clouds were building over the mountain.
With a long discussion between the guides and the mountain gods, we decide to press on. Pedro, or Peter in English, our Peruvian local guide, who’s legs are like giant pistons, broke trail up the 50 degree headwall landing us on the summit ridge just as the wind started to howl and the snow began to blow. 15 minutes after reaching the summit ridge we stood happily on top.
The descent was fairly uneventful with the storm clouds offering welcomed shade from the intense sun that can cook your nose in a matter of minutes if you let it.
By noon we were loading the trucks and making our way down to the warmth and comforts of Hacienda Guachala. Ecuador’s oldest operating hotel.
Tonight, we will enjoy a nice meal, get some clothes washed and prepare for our next adventure which begins tomorrow. Wish us luck as we move to 16,000’ on the flanks of Cotopaxi.
Buenas Noches….
RMI Guide Adam Knoff & Team
With a portion of our gear safely stowed away at
Aconcagua Camp 1, the team took a well-deserved rest day to soak sore feet and massage aching leg muscles. The guides let the climbers sleep in as they prepared a nutritious and delicious egg and bacon breakfast followed by an alpine pizza lunch. Meals designed to replenish lost calories from the taxing carry the day before. Basecamp was buzzing as climbers and guides from other outfits prepared for their own move up to the next camp, at 16,400 feet, despite an unsettling weather forecast. As the RMI crew strapped on their booties for an acclimatization hike, we wished our friends good luck and watched from a safe vantage as they ascended into the low hanging clouds. When the last climber disappeared from view, we were all left to wonder what the weather would look like tomorrow and if
Aconcagua would grant us safe passage. What the future holds is uncertain, but this RMI group is in high spirits and ready to get moving.
RMI Guide Nick Scott
The Team is back down at base camp after a successful carry to Camp 1, located at 16,400'. There is no snow between Plaza Argentina and Camp 1 which means lots of scree. This makes footwork more difficult and the combination of high altitude means the Team ate a lot at dinner and are anticipating a good night's sleep. We will have a rest day tomorrow before moving up the mountain.
The weather has been good despite some high winds, we are anticipating deteriorating weather over the next 36 hours. The Team is gelling and getting to know each other, lots of laughs and some inside jokes already, so we're doing just fine. Thanks for following along.
RMI Guide Mike King & Team
Yesterday the team started the day with a leisurely breakfast at La Casa Sol followed by a trip to the Otavalo Market to do a little shopping. The market was full of color and everyone was able to find a few souvenirs to bring home. In the afternoon it was time to head to the climber’s hut on
Cayambe. The heavy rains down low brought a significant amount of snow to the mountain. So, again we had to rent 4x4 trucks and see how high they could take us. Our packs were loaded heavy, and we were ready for a long hike. One by one our trucks pushed snow out of our path. Thanks to our adventurous drivers, this left is with only abut 20 minutes of hiking to get to the hut. A lot further than most of us thought! By mid-afternoon we were settled into the hut. We spent the rest of our evening relaxing and going over more knots. We had our first restless night’s sleep as we are all getting used to life above 15,000’.
This morning we were treated to an excellent breakfast prepared by our Cayambe Hut staff before starting our training day. In all the times I have visited this hut, I have never seen so much snow! With crampons on we headed out to the toe of the glacier to refresh our mountaineering skills. The new snow made for great glacier travel and setting anchors. Everyone did a great job! We are back at the hut now listening to the thunder, lightning, and light rain. It is an 11pm wake up call for us. The summit awaits!
Wish us luck!
RMI Guide Adam Knoff & Team
We have shifted back to city life, and the intent of the blog has shifted as well. Some of the team members have changed their flights and gone home early, and while we miss them dearly, we want nothing more than to make them jealous, because that's what friends are for.
So Kevin, Casey, and Patty, we're glad you made it home safely, and we hope you're enjoying the below zero temperatures in Minnesota and the NE. Because today we sat by the pool, soaked up some sun, and enjoyed a delicious southern summer feast for dinner. Tomorrow I think we might travel around and sample the
Mendoza regions fine wines, while enjoying the sun's warming rays, and a nice cool breeze. We'll let you know how it goes.
RMI Guide JM Gorum
Hello from Expedition Skills Seminar Ecuador.
Today we finally packed our duffels, checked out of our nice hotel and headed for the mountains. It may sound a bit confusing that we stood in ankle-deep snow yesterday at 15,200 feet but weren't actually "in the mountains". Strangely enough, yesterday's mountain took ten minutes by taxi to get to followed by two hours of hiking. Not exactly the adventure one thinks of when breaking the 15,000-foot barrier.
Today was a different story. By 8:00am, we were packed and ready to load all 22 duffel bags into Victor's magic bus, point that thing north and drive for three hours toward a large concentration of volcanoes which includes the 19,000-foot
Cayambe, famous for being the only location on the actual equator to hold year-round snow. Things started smoothly, picking our way slowly through heavy Quito morning traffic. By 11am we had reached our turn off in the renowned market town of Otavalo. From the main road our plan was to turn off and head up a large extinct volcano to a beautiful crater lake and then hike 2,000' to the sharp summit of
Fuya Fuya.
Two miles up the road we ran head on into a sign that read Detour! We quickly asked another driver what the road was like and he responded by saying no big buses could make it to the lake. With some quick phone calls, a bit of luck and some willing participants, we hired two 4x4 trucks, loaded them full of 12 climbers and powered upward. Thirty minutes later we arrived at Laguna Mojando. From the lake, two hours of strenuous hiking brought us to our first Ecuadorian summit. We had light rain and distant thunder but overall very pleasant hiking conditions.
The team did great sticking together reaching the summit in very good style. Although this summit was only 14,000', we still felt the strain and know it will play an important role in preparation for our bigger objective starting tomorrow.
After the hike our trucks returned and carted us back to town where Victor and all of our things were waiting.
Once regrouped, we drove directly to the "House of Sun" or Casa Sol, where we enjoyed learning knots by the fire and had a fabulous traditional Ecuadorian dinner.
Reports keep coming in from the higher mountains of deep snow and abnormally bad road conditions. We have plans around these challenges but it should keep things interesting. Stay tuned for what's to come......
Everyone sends their best to loved ones back home.
Buenas Noches,
RMI Guide Adam Knoff
We were up before the sun having breakfast by headlamp and quickly packed up camp to catch our mule ride across the Relinchos River. Shortly after 7am, we were making our way up the narrow Relinchos Valley on our way to thinner air. After two days of gentle terrain in the Vacas Valley, it felt good to head uphill and gain some elevation. We enjoyed another pleasant, sunny day with a light breeze that stayed with us all the way to Basecamp, and we had another brief Guanaco sighting. We are now all settled at
Aconcagua Basecamp and getting ready to switch gears for the days to come. Everyone is in good spirits and looking forward to seeing what the upper mountain has in store for us.
RMI Guide Mike King
On The Map
This morning we awoke to steady rain in Quito. Despite the conditions and the midnight fireworks disrupting slumber, the team rallied in the lobby of Hotel Mercure excited for our first acclimatization trek up
Rucu Pinchincha (15,700ft). As we loaded up on coffee and croissants the rain began to taper to a drizzle and we embarked on a short taxi ride to the Teleferico, a gondola that carried us high above the city to 13,000 feet. We began our trek towards the summit with a light rain and snow mix and good visibility. We may not have had bluebird skies but we did get the unique experience of undercast clouds wafting in out of the peaks around Quito. The team cruised the rolling alpine meadow ridge that makes up the first half of the climb, showing their prowess at the high elevation by chatting the whole way. We stopped to take a break just before the route changes character and shifts to steeper, rockier traversing leading around the spiny pinnacle to a saddle just before the final ridge scramble. As we entered this more challenging terrain we encountered snow that had managed to accumulate, a rare occurrence on Pinchincha. As we continued the snow deepened to about 6”, increasing the challenge of the already demanding terrain. The team took these obstacles in stride and made it to the saddle just shy of 15,300’ in style. We decided to make this our high point having accomplished our goal of acclimatization and not wanting to risk the decreased friction on the third-class scramble to the summit. The wet snow and muddy ground demanded our attention on the descent, but we made it back to the Teleferico in good time with only a few muddy hands and backsides. After some much deserved rest we’re off to explore the local cuisine of Quito. Tomorrow will take us up Cerro Fuya Fuya for another round of acclimatization then our first big one, Cayambe!
RMI Guide Jordan Cargill
Happy New Year from Argentina. The Team made short work of the hike today, partially due to cloud cover which kept the temperatures and wind low and because they were eager to get our first glimpse of
Aconcagua! We got to see some wildlife on the hike with a fox and some guanacos (Alpacas' smaller cousin) hanging out along the way. True to form, Casa de Piedra is HOT in the midday sun. Team members are busy napping, reading and trying to stay cool for the remainder of the afternoon.
We will have dinner and get to bed so that we can catch an early mule ride across the Vacas River tomorrow morning. One more day to finish our trek to Plaza Argentina. Not a bad way to spend the beginning of another trip around the sun!
RMI Guide Mike King
On The Map
Guess who's back, back again...we are. We finished the
walk out to Penitentes this morning, and are now eating hamburgers, french fries, and salads, believe it or not. After lunch, we're going to load up our bags, and fall asleep on the van ride to Mendoza. Once we get to Mendoza, we're going to eat even more. The summit is great and all, but this is the best part of the trip. Time to gain back all that weight we lost.
RMI Guide JM Gorum
Sweet adventure, congrats on summit. Thank God for Pedro Piston pumps! (Loved that description)
Posted by: Patrick on 1/6/2018 at 8:39 am
Amazing! Bravo! I hope Cotopaxi goes well! Great blog update! Thanks!
Posted by: Susan Mulvey on 1/6/2018 at 7:47 am
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