Day two of the Ecuador Skills Seminar started well with a healthy breakfast, the thankful arrival of Shannon who missed his Quito connection by a bitter ten minutes no thanks to mad airline boondoggling. He did manage to save the day when he was able to pick up my "lost" duffel, which flew down a day later than I did but must have told Shannon's duffel it was uncool to arrive on time so we are still one bag short for the group. After our morning rituals were complete it was off to our first mountain which, by most people's standards is no gimme with its summit pushing 15,700 feet. No gimme indeed but a 3,000-foot gondola ride did help our cause. Nick and I keep wondering why we don't have such a luxury to take us to Camp Muir on Mt. Rainier and all we could figure out is because Rucu Pichincha has erupted a few times in the last fifty years, a cable car makes good sense. The hike went off without a hitch, or major rain event which was forecasted but never materialized and the team enjoyed a great first Ecuadorian summit. Thank you volcano gods! After the hike we returned to the hotel to pack, rest and prepare for tomorrow's adventure. Everyone is doing great and getting along famously. Tomorrow we leave the big city for the big mountains. Yippee. RMI Guide Adam Knoff

On The Map

Hello blog followers for the freshly started Ecuador Skills Seminar. Adam Knoff here, I am the team's fearless leader and occasional dispatch sender. As our group assembled this morning for our first full team meeting, there were no delusions about rule number one of international travel- expect the unexpected. Half of us are still missing bags, one of our team members hasn't even arrived yet and the weather forecast for the next three days looks more unsettled than the streets of Quito. I am pleased to say despite all these immediate challenges, everyone is in good spirits and excited to face the adventures ahead. But one day at a time right? After breakfast and a nice team orientation meeting, we all piled into a comfy bus and took a roundabout tour of some of Quito's classic sites. From the old town we headed north to the Mitad del Mundo, or middle of the world, for some wacky equator tricks and small history lesson of this magical line. Now back in the hotel we are resting up for a nice family dinner tonight and our first push to altitude tomorrow. Stay Tuned. RMI Guide Adam Knoff