Entries from Locations
Buenos Dias from the Cayambe hut. Today was the first "real" day spent training on our first "real" mountain. It always amazes me how a simple acclimatizing hike ten minutes from our hotel in Quito puts us well over 15,000 feet in a matter of hours accomplished in simple hiking boots and a day pack. So when I say "real" it must refer to something big. Our first mountain,
Cayambe seems to fill those shoes. Sitting at 18,997', even the shortest climbers on the team will have the privilege of saying their throbbing noggins broke the respectable altitude of 19,000 feet. Breaking this psychological barrier should make climbing
Cotopaxi, a whopping 400 feet higher, a walk in the park.
This morning the group woke slowly having slept surprisingly well for the large jump in altitude. Our luxurious hut sits at
15,200', a casual one hour hike below the tongue of the glacier. Regardless of our groups strong résumé, we began hiking from the hut revisiting breathing techniques, rest stepping and minor drooling. After an hour hiking upward, we chose our high camp location and cached some tents, stoves and climbing headwear. After a brief rest we moved to the start of the glacier where we revisited self arrest, cramponing and rope travel. This three-hour exercise proved more taxing than expected so upon our return to the hut, eyes were closing sitting at the table so our next training skill was napping at altitude. So far the groups favorite skill to practice. We then practiced knots and hitches before sitting down for dinner. The altitude and full day caught up with all of us so we are looking forward to hitting the sack early. Tomorrow we move to high camp.
RMI Guides
Adam Knoff and
Casey Grom
On The Map
We are cooking with gas now...and fire! Team 3 is at 11000 feet at
Casa de Piedra. We had a beautiful day trekking in the warm sun surrounded by the high Andes mountains.
Now, the dining table is up, the chickens are on the grill, the homemade pesto is sautéing, and the angel hair pasta is cooking.
Everyone is doing fantastic and our motto is "a well fed climber is a strong climber". So we are going to sit down to a nice meal and get ready for our final day of trekking into
Aconcagua base camp.
RMI Guide JJ Justman
We are back in the mountains again! And it feels great! Our team had a leisurely walk with light packs in the Vacas Valley. The clouds kept us cool and the sun off our backs.
After a nice picnic lunch along the
Vacas River we arrived at our first trekking camp. The team is relaxing and we are about to prepare some snacks before we sit down with the cowboys as they prepare an asado meal of steak, corn on the cob and grilled vegetables. There's no need to start eating ramen just yet.
Everyone says hello to friends and family and the guides say hello to our RMI family back in Ashford, WA.
Chau from Pampa de Lenas!
RMI Guide JJ Justman
We had a nice leisurely start to the day today and met at 8:00 for breakfast and more importantly COFFEE! There was no rush today as our agenda was to visit the market of
Otovalo. It just happens to be one of the largest open air markets in all of South America. There were hundreds of vendors selling everything imaginable. Lots of handmade goods and endless nick-nacks. Everyone enjoyed the market and had fun practicing their bargaining skills.
After the shopping spree we loaded up the vehicles and made our way towards
Cayambe, which is the third largest mountain in Ecuador at 18,997'. It was a long and bumpy drive through the rural countryside. We stopped just short of the hut that we will base out of the next few days and hiked the remainder to further help with acclimatization.
The team has just finished a nice pasta dinner and are currently sipping some hot drinks and making our plan for the next few days. Everyone is doing well and looking forward to training tomorrow.
Casey,
Adam, Jaime ( our wonderful local guide) and crew.
It has been a whirlwind few hours for the team, but we are all safe and sound in
Mendoza, about to enjoy the comfort of a hot shower, actual bed and a celebratory meal. These things are certainly fine, but it will be tough to beat the meat cooked by our friends the herreros under the stars. I guess we'll just have to take it as it comes.
It sure has been a great trip with an awesome team. Thanks to the squad and everyone's people back home for letting them out for the holidays!
RMI Guides
Jake Beren,
Leon Davis &
Zeb Blais
We have arrived in the quaint little ski town of Penitentes. It was nice enjoying the "good life" in Mendoza. However, it's a refreshing change getting into the high desert mountains near
Aconcagua.
The team organized our gear to be carried in by the mules. Then it was quickly off to dinner at Hotel Ayelen. I'd like to joke that it was the team's last good meal. However, we have several kilos of filet mignon and fresh chickens to grill and I'm planning on making my 2001 award winning homemade pesto served over hand made angel hair pasta. Sorry, we won't send photos of that, don't want to make you too jealous.
RMI Guide JJ Justman
On The Map
This morning was a welcomed departure from the hustle and bustle of
Ecuador's largest city. Despite the plush hotel, easy Internet access and wild night life, our team was ready to relocate to the country getting us one step closer the big mountains we came here to climb. Although we haven't seen any glaciated peaks yet because of the constant cloud coverage, the guides have thoroughly convinced the team they do exist. Such confidence was not instilled in our team when our driver today told us he knew where the trail head was to our second acclimating hike on a mountain called Fuya Fuya. Doing his best to convince us he was not indeed lost, it became undeniable when the road, if one could call it that, ended in the face of a giant bulldozer actually clearing jungle so the "road" could go further. Always expecting the unexpected, we made the best of the situation by pushing headlong up a muddy, steep trail hoping to find a lake we knew existed somewhere up in the mountains above. Surprisingly we did not find the lake but instead stumbled across the main road we should have been on in the first place. With a good laugh we headed back down the muddy trail to the waiting van and then got settled into our beautiful hacienda. Chuck, Jan, Albert and I had a great soccer match and the rest of us simply relaxed. A quick packing lesson prepared us for tomorrow's departure to the mountains and a great dinner has now prepared us for sleep. The team is doing very well and in good spirits. Hasta mañana.
RMI Guides
Adam Knoff &
Casey Grom
Another windy night in a tent at altitude made getting on the road no problem for the team this morning. We loaded up our packs with everything needed to survive up high and marched down to a warmer season at
Plaza Argentina, stopping to pick up our caches along the way. In a few days time it will be summer in Mendoza and the cold we've lived in up high a memory, but until then we have many miles to walk and a grand asado with our mule driving friends.
Talk to you when we hit the tree-lined streets of
Mendoza.
RMI Guide Jake Beren
On The Map
Here we go! It is official! Team 3 on
Aconcagua is on its way. The entire team made it into Mendoza with all their climbing gear.
However, the first order of business is enjoying the good life in Mendoza. We are at one of the new, hidden gems...Siete Cocinas Restaurante.
After our bellies are full we will return to our hotel and relax getting ready for acquiring our climbing permits. Stay tuned to see what Aconcagua has in store for our team.
RMI Guides
JJ Justman,
Geoff Schellens &
Garrett Stevens
Greetings from expedition skills seminar, Ecuador!
Day two:
Not all of our mountaineering challenges down here should be considered overly stressful. Granted we aren't exactly roughing it here in hotel Mercure Alemeda, we figured starting the team off gently would ease us into the trip's first acclimating hike.
Quito is flanked on its western edge by the frequently active
Pinchincha Rucu volcano who's 15,500 foot summit makes for a perfect first excursion to altitude. Oh ya, back to a gentle start. After another delicious breakfast the team loaded into a sporty looking minivan with a sporty looking driver to match and headed ten minutes up the road to the loading dock of Quito's famous Pinchincha gondola. I don't know much, but I do know riding from 10,000 feet to 13,800 feet is better than walking. Who knew? From the top of the tram, views of Quito 's expansive size and beautiful setting blessed us before our trail was soon overtaken by the rising cloud bank. Despite the apparent fitness of our team, much hard breathing was done welcoming in the lower oxygen levels. Soon we found our rhythm and pushed steadily upward further into the cold clouds until the sign on the summit said we were there. By that time we were all in gloves, hats and warm jackets. We then descended quickly before the rain hit.
The rest of the afternoon will be spent relaxing and exploring the neighborhood around the hotel. We are all psyched to be leaving the city and heading north.
More to come,
RMI Guides
Adam Knoff,
Casey Grom and Team
We are so excited to read your blog! Thank you for keeping us posted on your adventure. Like Kris says, you never cease to amaze me, Adam. I have been searching for ice skates the last 2 days, with no success, as our little lake is frozen glass right now. Can’t wait to get out on it.
All of our Love and Prayers. Aunt, Ginni
Posted by: Aunt Ginni on 1/7/2013 at 9:44 am
Adam and crew, finally got on the blog to see how the trip is progressing. Looks like a great group and you are enjoying the “pain” of altitude! I’ll pray for safety for your group. It amazes me what you can do! Stillwater is warming up to a balmy 35 today and xc skiing has been good. I’ll keep reading your blog and keep typing it up Adam. Love ya, Aunt Kris
Posted by: Kris Bowditch on 1/7/2013 at 8:18 am
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