Entries from Ecuador
Hola from 15,300 feet at the Cayambe hut. I will be keeping this dispatch short today because it is getting late and the wind outside chills one to the bone. Now that we are out of internet range, we must connect our modem doo-hicky to the SAT phone thingamabobber and send our report that way. It can be time consuming and cold to say the least.
Today we woke up- The End. JK. After breakfast we went to Ecuador's largest indigenous market in the beautiful town of Otavalo. Here we bought gifts for all blog followers and a few others we might like. At noon we finished shopping, ate lunch, piled into the bus and set sail. All was going well until five miles from the hut our driver said, "No mas!" The road did resemble the easy parts of a motocross track but we couldn't walk that far so I said, "Yes mas," and made him drive further. This happened two more times until we could go no further. We loaded the remaining bags into Henry's jeep and walked the remaining hour to the Refugio. Once there we drank tea, tied knots, untied knots, ate Nick and Adam's famous mountain lasagna, took deep breaths and went to bed. The team is doing great adjusting to these new heights. We are excited to go to the glacier for some training tomorrow. Stay tuned.
RMI Guide Adam Knoff
On The Map
Posted by: Adam Knoff, Nick Hunt
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Ecuador
Today team Ecuador departed from this countries capital. As stimulating and convenient as things are out the door of our hotel, it was time to say adios to the blaring horns, thick bus exhaust and raucous night life, which we never saw. So this morning we checked out and loaded some 30 giant duffle bags into the mini bus transporting us to our next acclimating climb. I figured if we were to stack everyone's bags on top of each other we could claim the world's tallest pile of mountain climbing stuff. Instead we just put a deep sag into the bus's rear tires.
Ecuador is a beautiful country with growing oil wealth which is obvious in many new infrastructure projects throughout the country. They still have a long way to go though so the 100 miles we drove today took almost three hours. Our stopping point was high above the beautiful town of Otovalo, where tomorrow we will buy all blog followers nice gifts at Ecuador's most famous market. We eventually reached Laguna de Mojanda, a beautiful high mountain lake, once a giant crater, and began our climb toward the summit of Fuya Fuya. The trail up led us through gorgeous grasses and flowers to a steep final section before reaching the 14,000 foot summit. Blessed again by fairly clear skies, we had great vistas of Quito in the distance and lush green mountain sides closer to us. The team got goofy for our summit photo so we chose to rename the mountain Fuya Kung Fuya. Seems to fit...
After returning to the bus we refreshed ourselves by washing up in the lake (no one took the skinny dip challenge) and headed to our house of sun or Casa Sol where we enjoyed cold beers and a delicious dinner. As of yet, no one is going hungry. Nick and I start cooking for the group tomorrow night so that could change.
But for now all is well. We look forward to putting our bargaining skills to use tomorrow and then heading up to our first BIG mountain.
Buenas Noches from Casa Sol.
RMI Guides Adam Knoff, Nick Hunt and Team Ecuador
Hola amigos y familia,
Today team Ecuador finally got some needed exercise. Yes I will admit, curling cervesas and walking around Quito does count as calorie burning activities but after a long travel day and substantial city tour, we were ready to go up! And up we went.
After breakfast today we met one of our local guides here at the hotel, his name is Henry. Henry owns a beautiful old Toyota Land Cruiser which unfortunately fits only four team members. This space deficiency created a need for two taxis to shuttle the rest of us to the starting point of the day's hike. I had luck working on my side it seems when myself and three others loaded into one yellow cab and Nick and his team piled into the second. Why were we lucky you might ask, because we made it to point B from point A without an accident. Nick's cabby thought "all street signs, traffic lights and street lines were merely suggestions". Three close calls and a fender bender with another cab later, we were all together. I always say let the adventures start as soon as possible.
From our gathering point, the next mode of transport was a cable car or gondola starting at 10,000 feet which swooshed us without even breaking a sweat to 13,000 feet. Luckily no accidents on this stretch. Those might be less forgiving. From the top of the gondola, the 15,400 foot summit of Pinchincha Rucu, which was the day's objective, looked sunny and inviting. A rare case in my experience. With a bit of heavy breathing and 60 minutes walk time, 6 of our team's 10 climbers had reached a new personal altitude record. With a bit more breathing, two more hours walk time and all of our warm cloths on, the entire team reached the summit. It was a glorious start to what should be one grande adventure. Barring the vans and jeeps keep between the lines.
We are now preparing for a well deserved dinner and otra cervesa. Follow along tomorrow to hear about mountain number two.
Adios de Quito,
RMI Guides Adam Knoff, Nick Hunt and Team
Posted by: Adam Knoff, Nick Hunt
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Ecuador
We are officially underway!
Our day began with the first official team breakfast at the hotel. Everybody made it safely to Quito, and almost all of the bags arrived. One team member did need to return to the airport early this morning to attempt to track down his two missing duffels. Last we heard, the bags were still unaccounted for, but the team has high hopes! We had a 100% recovery rate for lost luggage last year, and have no reason to believe the same won't be true for us again.
After a hearty meal and a round of introductions, we took a quick walk around the block to familiarize ourselves with the area surrounding the hotel, taking time to locate a couple of the shops we can obtain provisions from and to scout a few restaurants for our team dinners the next two nights in Quito. Upon returning to the hotel, we met our local city tour guide for the day, Wilson, who promptly collected us on the bus and started off our day of sightseeing. As an Otavalo native, Wilson was full of information about everything we could ever want to know about Ecuador: politics, economics, art, culture. His good humor kept the atmosphere light and energizing while still providing a highly educational experience.
Our first stop of the day was the Mitad del Mundo, or the Middle of the World. This small (but highly entertaining!) outdoor museum allowed us to observe a number of demonstrations that showed the unique effects of gravity along the equator, as well as the variations between the northern and southern hemispheres. We hopped back on the bus and transferred to Colonial Quito, were we took a walking tour of Independence Square and the surrounding area. One of the more memorable moments of this tour was squeezing our way through an extremely narrow, steep and dark staircase in the back of an ornate cathedral, working our way to the roof for a fantastic view of the area. Clear skies allowed us to catch a few glimpses of Cotopaxi and Cayambe, two of our bigger objectives on this trip.
We were finished with the tour by early afternoon, giving the team plenty of time to relax and get organized for our first acclimatization climb tomorrow up Rucu Pichincha. Our evening tonight will be filled with gear checks, naps, and a team dinner in town.
Until then!
RMI Guides Nick Hunt, Adam Knoff, and the rest of the team
100% on the Cotopaxi summit! Everyone is safe back at the hacienda. Once we are back in Quito, we'll check in again.
Congratulations team!
RMI Guide Casey Grom
On The Map
So glad to hear everyone made it.
Great job Team.
Looking forward to seeing you back home.
Daddy
Posted by: Roger Osmun on 12/19/2014 at 4:01 pm
Congrats….great photos and blog. And hugs to Jared from Maine.
Posted by: Crystal on 12/18/2014 at 4:51 pm
Posted by: Casey Grom, Leon Davis
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Ecuador
Hello again everyone.
We've spent the last two days relaxing in Chilcabamba and are finally ready for our next climb. The team packed up this morning and headed closer to Cotopaxi. Our home for the next few hours is another nice hacienda call Tambopaxi, and sits just a short distance from the base of Cotopaxi and will be our launching point for tonight's climb. Our plan is to wake up around 10pm, have a quick breakfast and hopefully be out the door close to 11. Then we'll hop in our bus and drive to the base of the mountain where we'll begin our climb.
Based on how well this group did on Cayambe, I'm guessing it will take us around seven hours to reach the summit if all goes well.
Keep your fingers crossed for us!
RMI Guide Casey Grom and crew
I’m with you in spirit. Stay strong on the climb. best of luck, you guys and gals, you can do it.
Love you Sydney, take care of them Casey and Leon.
Daddy
Posted by: Roger Osmun on 12/17/2014 at 9:11 pm
Go Team!Thinking of you all as you make for the summit.
Doug - be safe and climb with grace.
Love, Belladonna
Posted by: Donna on 12/17/2014 at 5:58 pm
Posted by: Casey Grom, Leon Davis
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Ecuador
Hola from Ecuador!
Things are great here on the equator. We had a fantastic climb on Cayambe in the most amazing weather I've ever had. We started our climb by waking up at 11pm to ensure we had plenty of time for the day ahead. Everyone did a good job of getting ready in our tiny hut that was a little cramped for the 11 of us. Once the team was ready and had plenty of fresh coffee we were out the door at midnight as expected. The weather was clear and calm all night which was perfect, and the team saw dozens of shooting stars and even an amazing lightning storm far off over the Amazon. We made our way steadily up the mountain climbing close together and stopped for short breaks every hour to eat and drink. The sun rose shortly before we climbed the final steep section where we took a little time to snap pictures and put on our sunglasses. We summited just after 6am with the entire team and spent about a half hour enjoying the unbelievable view we had. Not a cloud in the sky and all of the mountains in view, it was spectacular to say the least.
The descent went relatively smooth and before long we were back at the hut tired but very happy. We took a short break then packed up all of our gear and then headed south to the always wonderful food and hospitality of hacienda Chilcabamba. Check it out for yourself.
After some much deserved and needed sleep the team spent the day relaxing around the hacienda. Everyone enjoyed the day watching the endless hummingbirds visit, playing lots of cribbage and a few of us went on a short horseback ride in the countryside.
Everyone is in great spirits and looking forward to another good night of sleep before tomorrow night's upcoming climb.
Buenos noches from Ecuador!
RMI Guide Casey Grom
Hunny, you have this! Listen to your body and be safe. It’s okay to take things a bit slower for extra precaution. I can’t wait to hear how it went on Friday when you get back and am so proud of you! Love you!
Posted by: Liz on 12/17/2014 at 6:13 am
What a great post!!
I hope Dale got on a horse (he’s never ridden one before!) Enjoy Cotopaxi, team!
Erin
Posted by: Erin on 12/16/2014 at 11:52 pm
Quick note from RMI Guide Casey Grom on the Cayambe summit:
100% on top!
Once the team is back to camp, Casey will send photos and a dispatch.
Congratulations to the Team!
On The Map
Great work Gang! What a view. Glad to hear everyone made it up and back. Now rest and get ready for the next one.
Congratulations Squid. I knew you could do it. I’m with you in spirit!
Daddy
Posted by: Roger Osmun on 12/15/2014 at 6:20 pm
Love the pictures—hanging out on some clouds! Enjoy the next one and be safe! Go Dale!! Erin
Posted by: Erin on 12/15/2014 at 11:36 am
Hello again everyone,
All is well here in Ecuador. We had a slight technical issue yesterday which delayed our ability to send a dispatch.
So let me bring everyone up to speed. Yesterday we checked out of our warm and comfortable hacienda and made our way to the famous Otavalo market. It's the largest market in Ecuador and one of the largest in all of South American. The team spent a few hours negotiating the endless maze of goods for sale and worked on our bartering skills- some did better than others. :)
After everyone satisfied their shopping desires we headed uphill towards Cayambe, our first major climbing objective. The road to Cayambe is long, rough, and an accomplishment in itself. We were amazed that our bus was able to make it so far on what is clearly a 4x4 road. There were several times I was sure the mud was going to win, but somehow Hector, our daring driver was able to make it through. We hiked the final hour to the hut at Cayambe to help with our acclimatizing and spent the remainder of the evening relaxing.
Today the team woke early with a big breakfast and plenty of coffee. We then hiked up to the start of the glacier which is about an hour away, and spent a few hours refreshing our skills for tomorrow's climb. While out on the glacier we were not only amazed at the beautifully clear day, but also incredibly lucky to see a condor soaring not far away! Once back at the hut we reviewed the plan for the upcoming climb and got everything packed up and ready to go. A special thanks to Leon for whipping up one heck of a nice meal for everyone.
The team is off to bed now as we are waking early for tomorrow's climb. Wish us luck!!!
And one more thing... Keep your cell phones handy tomorrow morning. One lucky trivia winner will be making a satellite call from the summit if all goes well.
RMI Guide Casey Grom and crew
On The Map
Good luck tomorrow! Sending good vibes from Cali. Go Dale!!!
Love, Erin
Posted by: Erin on 12/14/2014 at 7:54 pm
So glad you all had good weather today! Hope it continues on for the summit!! Glad to see an update and that besides updating the blog there haven’t been any other issues! Keep on keeping on!
Posted by: Liz on 12/14/2014 at 7:32 pm
Posted by: Casey Grom, Leon Davis
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Ecuador
Hola from Ecuador!
Today the team left the busy city of Quito and headed north to the much smaller and far more rural town of Otavalo. We were hoping to do a acclimatization hike on a small mountain called Fuya Fuya, but due to a little rain, thunder and lightning, we opted for a little acclimatization while eating pizza! And based on what happened to all the pizza, it was a huge success.
It was an enjoyable drive along the Pan-American highway through the Ecuadorian countryside. We passed many farms magically perched on hillsides and what seemed to be endless rose plantations. We spent the remainder of the afternoon playing cards, reading, taking naps and a review of all the gear we'll need for our upcoming climb. We are currently relaxing in the comfort of La Casa Sol.
Everyone is doing great and looking forward to tomorrow's adventure.
RMI Guide Casey Grom and crew.
Go Team! Wishing all a safe and successful climb.
Go Doug- be safe and climb with grace…is that all you’ve got!:)
Love, Belladonna
Posted by: Donna on 12/14/2014 at 8:25 am
Hey team, I hope you had a wonderful day. Send us updates when you can. Go Dale!!
Love, Erin
Posted by: Erin C on 12/13/2014 at 11:00 pm
Wow! You guys are having way too much fun! Great job, I’m so proud of you!!
love from Orange County, Mom
Posted by: Ondria Kernan on 1/10/2015 at 11:07 am
Following your adventures, best of luck and grand success
MOM
Posted by: Jane on 1/10/2015 at 4:53 am
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