Entries from Ecuador
Posted by: Casey Grom, Solveig Waterfall
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Ecuador
Elevation: 18,997'
Summit!
We did it, most of us anyway, but I have to wonder if those that turned around short of the summit didn't make a better decision. I say that because it was one of the toughest days I've had on Cayambe in a long time. It was cold, windy, and snowy almost the entire day. The conditions were safe to climb in, but it was far from enjoyable. Six of our nine climbers made the summit and the three that chose to head down early did so because I believe they simply weren't enjoying it.
We started our day rather early with breakfast at 11pm and were walking shortly after midnight. The first hour of the climb went rather smoothly as we made our way to the start of the glacier. We took a short break to adjust layers, put our crampons on and rope up for the ascent. It seemed like as soon as we started walking the wind picked up and the snow began to blow. Unfortunately for us the blowing snow was coming straight down the glacier and directly into our faces. As we painfully made our way uphill, we had to stop and put on our Gore-tex to protect us from the conditions. We slowly battled our way for the next few hours taking short breaks and finally after seven trying hours stood on the summit. It was so windy on top we only stayed for just a few minutes before quickly descending back down the glacier.
Once safely back at camp the team made quick work of getting packed up and we headed down valley to thicker air and a wonderful cafe where we filled bellies before heading south to our home at Chilcabamba for the next few days. I'm sure everyone will sleep soundly tonight and we are looking forward to taking a rest day tomorrow.
Everyone is in good spirits!
RMI Guide Casey Grom and crew
On The Map
Posted by: Casey Grom, Solveig Waterfall
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Ecuador
Elevation: 15,300'
Greetings everyone back home. This is Casey Grom checking in from the RMI Ecuador Volcanoes expedition. Just wanted to let you know that everyone's doing fantastic. We are up here at the Refugio or the hut this sits at the base of glacier on Cayambe. We just finished dinner and packed our bags for tomorrow's climb. We took the day to get up early and go for a nice hike up to the glacier to do a little climbing review. Everyone did fantastic. The weather is looking pretty good. It was incredibly nice today; sunny almost all day. A little bit of clouds now but the forecast is pretty good. So we are going to be getting up about 11 PM and hopefully walking a little after midnight. We'll do our best to check in from the summit. I'm anticipating is is going to take us about seven hours to reach the summit. Sorry we are having some technology difficulties with charging some of our iPhones up here but will hopefully have some pictures sent tomorrow when we descend after our climb and we get cell reception or Wi-Fi access. Everything's great and looking forward to sending some pictures to you guys. Thanks.
RMI Guide Casey Grom
Casey Grom calling in from Cayambe's Refugio.
On The Map
Posted by: Casey Grom, Solveig Waterfall
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Ecuador
Hi Everyone!
We are enjoying a relaxing evening here at the beautiful La Casa Sol near the city of Otavalo.
We left the comforts of Quito this morning and headed into the mountains (where many of us actually feel more comfortable!) for our second acclimatization hike. As we watched the city disappear in the rear view mirror we traded well paved roads for cobblestones and washboard. The van bumped along, and our driver skillfully negotiated the hazards of rural driving... while we all fought the urge to hold our breath and cross our fingers. Maybe we should have, because our luck soon ran out and Friday the 13th delivered us a logistical sucker punch.
With a loud crack, our vehicle let us know it was done going uphill for the day. A dislodged cobblestone had broken the axel and stopped us, quite suddenly, in our tracks.
Fortunately, our group has the perfect easy going attitude, and after getting the baggage and van transfer sorted out, we shouldered our daypacks and set off for some slightly more oxygenated exercise. Nearly three hours and five miles later we arrived at the trailhead!
One of our local guides, Esteban (nicknamed Topo), had been busy reorganizing our logistics while we strolled, and he and a few others arrived to our rescue shortly thereafter in shining Toyota Hilux's.
Delivered safely to our hacienda we enjoyed a delicious dinner and are now all busy packing our gear and getting organized and prepared to tackle our first big objective. Wish us luck as we travel towards Cayambe tomorrow!
RMI Guide Solveig Waterfall
On The Map
Posted by: Casey Grom, Solveig Waterfall
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Ecuador
Elevation: 15,000
Hello again everyone
Today we had a very nice hike to help with our acclimatization on a nearby peak called Pichincha. It is one of the many local peaks that is situated above Quito and is used by many climbers to help adjust to the higher altitude here in Ecuador. We made use of the gondolas to help us gain access to around 12,500 ft then hiked the additional 2,500 ft to the summit. It took our team roughly 3 hours to gain the top after a little scrambling up the final bit to reach our high point thus far. It was a personal high point for a few of us, and the entire team did a fantastic job. After spending a bit of time on the summit and getting are photos we descended all the back to our hotel for a brief nap before dinner.
Everyone is in good spirits and looking forward to tomorrow.
RMI Guide Casey Grom and crew.
On The Map
Posted by: Casey Grom, Solveig Waterfall
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Ecuador
Hello from Quito everyone!
After some very long flights the team has arrived safe and sound here in Ecuador. We started our day with a group meeting where we shared a little about each other and discussed the plans for our expedition. We then headed out on a city tour which was mostly spent visiting the colonial old town and it's many churches built in the 17th century. We also visited the Virgin de Quito, which is a statue that overlooks the entire city and is similar in importance to our Statue of Liberty.
After our tour we headed back to our hotel to allow the team some time to rest before meeting and discussing the gear needed for our upcoming climbs. After making sure everyone was well equipped with the essentials we took a short walk to a nearby restaurant and patiently waited for all of our food to arrive. The food was delicious and everyone left with smiles on their faces.
It looks like a great group of people and everyone is looking forward to stretching their legs tomorrow.
RMI Guide Casey Grom and crew
Brian,
Safe travels my friend and I wish I was with you! Enjoy the views for me!
Klay
Posted by: Klay on 12/16/2013 at 11:43 am
HI Brian
have a safe and fun time! We missed you at the Easterday family Christmas gathering!
Marcia and Dave send their best!
xo
Posted by: Kim on 12/14/2013 at 7:50 pm
We woke to a starry sky and calm winds last night, perfect conditions for our summit attempt on Chimborazo. We had altered our plans because the volcano Tungurahua, to the east of Chimborazo, was spitting out ash two mornings ago. So, instead of establishing a high camp in tents, we attempted our climb from the lower climbers' hut. We had our work cut out for us, with about 5,000 vertical feet of climbing, and a circuitous route to avoid the current rock fall hazard on the normal route up Chimborazo. Fortunately the weather cooperated all day for us, and we had a very strong and experienced team, and we were able to summit Chimborazo! We had a very, very long day of hard climbing. We started climbing in the dark, and got back to the climbers' hut a few hours after dark. We encountered steep and firm climbing conditions on Chimborazo, which made climbing and descending particularly slow as we had to concentrate on good cramponing and climbing techniques for hours on end. Our team proved up to the challenge, and we climbed safely the whole day. In the end, it was one heck of an adventure.
We're headed back to Quito now, and we should be at our hotel just slightly after noon. We'll have plenty of time to enjoy leisurely walking around the city (after a much anticipated hot shower!) before we have a celebratory dinner tonight. Then it's back to the old US of A on our respective flights tonight and tomorrow.
RMI Guide Mike Walter
WOW!! Nice job team! Way to go! Wishing the whole time that I was there with you!
Congrats to all of you!
Sounds like a heck of a climb!! Can’t wait to hear all about it!
Posted by: Anthony Tarantino on 7/16/2013 at 11:48 am
Hey Jeff, congrats on Chimbo! Sounds like you had another tough one, can never take the easy way, huh?!
Nicely done.
Your Argentinean tent mate.
Posted by: Greg Barber on 7/16/2013 at 8:54 am
Posted by: Mike Walter
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Ecuador
Mike Walter called today at 11:15am PST. The nearby volcano Tungurahua erupted yesterday. They are OK and received some spectacular views from the event. Tungurahua is on the opposite side of Chimborazo relative to the groups camp. While there was a lot of ash wrapping Chimborazo yesterday it is all below them in the clouds today. Mike and team are preparing for their summit attempt later tonight/early tomorrow morning. Mike said he will do his best to call from the summit. Wish them luck!
RMI Guide Mike Walter
Anna, I heard that only two of the team summited. Did not hear which two. It was a very long ascent, 10hrs and another 9 to get back down. All made it back to camp. They are on their way to Quito now, so I am sure you will hear soon.
Posted by: Paula Hall on 7/16/2013 at 6:38 am
It has been 48 hours since i last heard about our climbing team. Are there any family members who have heard from them? I would appreciate an update,
Thank you Anna Satterfield
Posted by: Anna Satterfield on 7/16/2013 at 5:44 am
Posted by: Mike Walter
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Ecuador
After a relaxing stay at Hosteria La Cienega, we're travelling south towards our next climbing destination, Chimborazo. At 6,310 meters, Chimborazo is the highest peak in Ecuador and higher than any peak north of it in the Americas. Due to the earth's equatorial bulge, Chimborazo also holds the distinction of being the point on the earth that's closest to the sun, and the point furthest from the center of the earth. Chimborazo will definitely test this team's mettle over the next few days of climbing.
We will head out tomorrow morning and establish a camp high on the flanks of Chimborazo. We plan to climb on Monday morning and return to camp that same night. We call in to let you know how our climb goes. But tonight we're resting in beds again in the beautiful lodge, Estrella de Chimborazo, with great views of the mountain.
Cheers,
RMI Guide Mike Walter
Enjoy every minute. Stay safe and know we are all thinking of you. Joan
Posted by: Joan on 7/14/2013 at 3:30 pm
anxiously awaiting an update and wishing you all the best
Posted by: Paula Hall on 7/14/2013 at 6:59 am
We spent the past two nights camped near the base of Antisana, at an altitude of around 13,500', getting ready for our summit bid. Last night we woke well before midnight and were pleased to find a starry sky with calm winds. The climbing on Antisana was very enjoyable, weaving in and out of crevasses and climbing steep slopes, all on consistent snow for cramponing. Everyone did very well, but as our altitude increased throughout the climb, so did the wind speed. Very strong winds and moisture were streaming in over Antisana from the Rainforest to the east and far, far below. The winds were consistently blowing 30mph with much higher gusts, and it made it challenging to stand up, much less climb a volcano that is well over 18,000' in height. We climbed strong but the winds proved too much, and we turned around about 500 meters shy of the summit.
We all arrived back at camp safely and packed up our tents and now we're headed south. Our first stop, tonight, will be the historic Hosteria La Cienega. Hot showers, warm beds, and delicious food awaits our team as we will take a much needed rest day tomorrow.
That's all for now. We'll be in touch again tomorrow!
RMI Guide Mike Walter
great effort to make that summit. best of luck with weather tomorrow. can’t wait to hear from you brother Bob
Posted by: Karen Deeds on 7/13/2013 at 9:09 pm
We've been enjoying the natural hot spring pools in Papallacta, even if it is a bit rainy. Yesterday we took an acclimatization hike up to around 14,500', but only stayed out for about an hour and a half, as rain, snow, and wind drove us back to Papallacta. We've been sleeping at 11,000' in Papallacta, so we're definitely acclimating to the high altitude.
Today we're off to base camp on Antisana, where we'll set up tents and establish camp for two nights prior to our summit bid. We're all looking forward to getting deeper into the mountains...
RMI Guide Mike Walter
So incredibly proud of the entire team, and our guys, John and Ryan! Your commitment to this expedition is so inspiring. Stay safe!
Love
Mom and Alessia
Posted by: Alessia Satterfield on 7/12/2013 at 11:30 am
so sad for you guys. darn winds that just wouldn’t ease up enough to let you make this summit. Glad you all are fine and made it back down safely. squeezes!
Posted by: Paula Hall on 7/12/2013 at 7:54 am
yay daddy!
Posted by: Marianne Mycroft on 12/16/2013 at 1:56 pm
Way to go Dad!!
Posted by: Gabe Mycroft on 12/16/2013 at 1:55 pm
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