Entries from Ecuador
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Categories: Expedition Dispatches Ecuador
Hi, this is Mike Walter calling from Chilcabamba.
We awoke last night at 11 pm to check the weather for our summit attempt on Cayambe. I took a quick check out side and was greeted with a strong wind, some snow and poor visibility. We kept checking the weather to see if it would improve but by 3 am it became apparent that the storm wasn’t going to let up. It wasn’t going to be our day on Cayambe.
Instead we enjoyed a leisurely breakfast in the warm and dry comforts of the Cayambe climber’s hut. After lots of coffee, hot chocolate, oatmeal and cinnamon rolls, we packed up, put on our Shell jackets and headed down to the trail head and our waiting vehicles.
We headed to south to Chilcabamba where we will rest and prepare for our next climbing objective: Cotopaxi. Chilcabamba is located just outside of Cotopaxi National Park, on the flanks of Cotopaxi and has great views of the mountain and our climbing route.
We are hoping for more cooperative weather down south and our climb of Cotopaxi. In the mean time We are all in good spirits and enjoying each other’s company and the wonderful culture of Ecuador. Right now I am standing outside of Chilcabamba on a cloudless morning looking at Cotopaxi.
So all is well and we’ll check in later from the Cotopaxi hut.
RMI Guide Mike Walter
Hey it’s Mike Walter checking in on Sunday night from the RMI Ecuador's Volcanoes Climb. We are here at the Cayambe climbers hut. We arrived here last night. Today we did some training and review of climbing techniques: cramponing, ice axe arrest and roped travel.
It's been pretty windy and off and on snow and rain. We're hoping for better weather and good climbing conditions tomorrow. There's a lot of snow on the route so we will hopefully be able to climb tomorrow. Maybe some deep trail breaking but we'll give you a shout tomorrow hopefully from the summit and if not, then we’ll check in once we get back down.
RMI Guide Mike Walter checks in from the climbers hut on Cayambe.
Good luck, guys! We’re proud of you and look forward to the pictures. Have a safe climb!
Posted by: Susan Felke on 6/27/2011 at 2:58 pm
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Categories: Expedition Dispatches Ecuador
The team enjoyed a delicious dinner at the Hacienda San Luis. We're a colorful bunch of climbers, and the evening was filled with belly laughter.
After a good night's rest, we packed up our bags and headed north to visit the world famous Otavalo indigenous market. We are currently enjoying the market as I write this. Here you can buy all sorts of hand-made items, ranging from alpaca and sheep wool woven goods to wood carvings to jewelry to artwork. The whole experience is nearly overwhelming to the senses; vivid colors, a unique shopping experience, locals dressed in their traditional clothing, and a beautiful setting surrounded by the Andes all come together to make this an unforgettable experience.
After a few hours of enjoying the market, we will regroup for lunch and then make our way up to the climber's hut on Cayambe for the night. Tomorrow we will rest, acclimate to the altitude, and review climbing techniques like cramponing and ice axe arrest, in preparation for our summit bid.
RMI Guide Mike Walter
This morning we packed up our bags, checked out of our hotel, and headed north. The first stop was at La Laguna Mojanda, a high alpine where the trailhead for our second acclimatization hike is located. We drove through clouds and rain to get there, but when we arrived we where above the clouds and could see the day's hiking objective, Fuya Fuya. Fuya Fuya is a peak that is situated on an ecological reserve, north of the town of Otovalo. The clouds moved in and out throughout the day, and we climbed up through the high-altitude grassland with periods of rain, hail, and wind. The most challenging part of the climb was staying on your feet, as the volcanic soil became quite slippery in the rain. The final 200' of the climb included a fun rock scramble to the summit. Everyone did great, and rose to the challenges that the weather presented.
Now we're warm, dry, and comfortable at the beautiful hacienda San Luis. A big dinner and a good night's rest is on tap for tonight. Tomorrow morning, we'll head to the Indigenous town of Otovalo, and spend a large part of the day enjoying the world famous Otovalo Market. After a leisurely day at the market, we'll head to the climbers' hut on Cayambe for the night. We'll spend two nights there during our summit attempt.
Ciao for now,
RMI Guide Mike Walter
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Categories: Expedition Dispatches Ecuador
Today we enjoyed our first acclimatization hike, climbing the ~15,500’ Rucu Pichincha, a volcano whose flanks form part of the western perimeter of Quito. In order to access the hike, we rode a gondola from Quito to ~13,500’. The hike begins at the top of the gondola and heads west, gradually climbing up a broad ridge. Dramatic views of Quito were afforded, a few thousand feet below us. The weather was great for hiking, with only a light breeze and comfortable temperatures. As we neared the top of Rucu, the trail steepened, climbing up to a col; from here a quick rock scramble led to the top. Views from the top were limited, as we were in the clouds at this point. But as we descended, the clouds dissipated a bit. Everyone did great on this high-altitude climb, especially considering that most of us were at sea-level a day or two before this!
Once we got back to Quito, we had a couple of hours of free time to rest before we headed out for a well-deserved meal where we sampled typical Ecuadorian cuisine, including shrimp ceviche, chicken, pork, and even baked cuy, or guinea pig—a classic dish from the Andes.
Tomorrow we’re headed north for our second acclimatization hike to Fuya Fuya, a small mountain near the town of Otovalo. We’ll touch base again tomorrow.
Hasta luego!
RMI Guide Mike Walter
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Categories: Expedition Dispatches Ecuador
Greetings from Ecuador!
Today was the first official day of our Ecuador Volcanoes trip. After an excellent breakfast at our hotel (which included fresh fruit and juices from the region, like papaya, pineapple, watermelon, and guanabana), we set off on a tour of Quito. Led by our local city guide and expert historian, Jorge, we traveled to the historic Old Town Quito. We toured the Basilica and other historic churches in the district, learning the history of their creation and their unique architectural styles. We also visited the Presidential Palace, Ecuador’s House of Congress, and Independence Square. Then the team headed up to the hill on the outskirts of Quito known as El Panecillo. Here, in addition to seeing the large statue of the Virgin of Quito, we were afforded a panoramic view of Quito.
The next stop on the trip was at a beautiful restaurant/hotel for lunch, where we all sampled classic Ecuadorian cuisine; the meal started with an empanada, then a potato/cheese/avocado soup known as locro de queso. The main course was Fritada, or fried pork, accompanied by corn, plantain, and potatoes. The meal finished off with a delicious homemade ice cream with a fruit sauce made of babaco and guanabana.
With full bellies, we headed north to visit an ethnographic museum located exactly on the equator, where we were able to stand with one foot in the northern hemisphere and one in the southern hemisphere!
The day concluded with a great dinner, lots of joking around, and laughter at the well-known Magic Bean restaurant. Tomorrow we will go on our first acclimatization hike to the volcano Rucu Pichincha.
Everyone is doing great and we all send a big “Hola” to everyone back home. I will be in touch tomorrow with pictures and an update of our hike.
RMI Guide Mike Walter
Thanks for the updates! Have a great and safe climb.
I’m looking forward to lots of pictures
Posted by: Mike Erstad on 6/23/2011 at 9:56 am
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Our climbing team is rested and well-fed, and we’re all back in Quito enjoying some free time as I right this last dispatch for our trip. We had a great trip, jam-packed with activities during the past week. In addition to summiting 3 high peaks in 4 days, we had time to enjoy a great hacienda on the flanks of Cotopaxi, some sightseeing in Quito, as well as enjoying each others’ company. We’re already starting to plan the next climbing trip! We’ll have a celebration dinner in Quito tonight, and then we’ll head our separate directions…most of us are heading home, but two of the climbers are headed to Mendoza, Argentina tomorrow to begin a RMI expedition on Aconcagua. Be sure to check their dispatches to follow how they are doing!
Hasta la próxima montaña… RMI Guide Mike Walter
Hi Seth:
Johnny and I were close to Kotapaxi a few years ago—have fun.
Love, Brigid
Posted by: Brigid on 1/30/2011 at 1:56 pm
What a beautiful picture. Great job to the team. Love to my brother, Bob. See you soon!
Posted by: K Deeds on 1/28/2011 at 12:29 pm
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We're all down from Cotopaxi, healthy and happy after a successful summit climb! We woke up at midnight and left the climbers' hut at ~1:30 am... headed for the summit. The weather was spectacular: no wind, moderate temperature, and a crystal clear, starry sky. Our team climbed strong, and 7 1/2 hours later we were all congratulating each other on top! The snow conditions were perfect for cramponing--a good thing because we had some exposed traverses and a steep ice chute to negotiate up near the summit. The route was very enjoyable, and challenged us not only with its altitude, but its variety.
This team of climbers attempted Cotopaxi last summer, but we were denied its summit by a violent storm. Persistent folks we climbers are; we scheduled this reunion trip and it paid dividends. We had great climbing weather and summitted 3 peaks in 4 days... all of which are higher than any peak in the Continental US!
Now we're getting some much needed rest at the hacienda Chilcabamba. After a leisurely breakfast we'll head back to Quito tomorrow morning. I'll be in touch tomorrow.
RMI Guide Mike Walter
Congrats!
3 peaks in 4 days!?! That’s great.
Posted by: Nuno on 1/27/2011 at 8:26 pm
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Categories: Expedition Dispatches Ecuador
Mike called at 6:10 a.m. PT from the summit of Cotopaxi.
The entire team reached the summit at 9 o'clock local time. It was a beautiful day with not a breath of wind.
Everyone was doing great. They were planning to descend shortly and will provide a written dispatch later today.
Congratulations to the RMI Cotopaxi Team!
Hello from the Cotopaxi climbers' hut!
We awoke this morning to a crystal clear sky and a beatiful veiw of Cotopaxi from our haciena. After a relaxing breakfast we finalized our packing and drove into Cotopaxi National Park, and up a scenic road towards the climbers' hut. A series of switchbacks and 45 minutes later we arrived at the hut. We spent the bulk of the day hydrating, eating, relaxing, chewing the fat, and getting used to the thin air at 16,000'.
We're heading to bed early in preparation for an alpine start and our summit push. The weather looks good right now...keep your fingers crossed for us. Hopefully our next dispatch will be after we summit. We'll try to send some good climbing photos tomorrow also.
Hasta entonces...
RMI Guide Mike Walter
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Best of luck for good weather on Cotopaxi——kick in some steps for next week’s team.! Safe climbing.
Posted by: Darryl Schimeck on 6/28/2011 at 11:58 am
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