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Ecuador Seminar: Grom & Team Summit Cotopaxi!

Posted by: Casey Grom, Ben Liken | February 15, 2015
Categories: *Expedition Dispatches *Ecuador
Elevation: 19,348'

The Ecuador Seminar team, led by Casey Grom and Ben Liken reached the Cotopaxi summit this morning!  Check out the photos Casey sent us this morning from their summit bid.

Congratulations team!

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Ecuador Seminar: Grom & Team at Hacienda Tambopaxi

Posted by: Casey Grom, Ben Liken | February 14, 2015
Categories: *Expedition Dispatches *Ecuador

Happy Valentine’s Day Everyone,

We spent the day relaxing here at Hacienda Tambopaxi that sits just at the base of the beautiful volcano Cotopaxi. It’s one of the highest active volcanoes in the world and we’ve been told that Cotopaxi is a pre-inca name meaning “neck of the moon”. The area surrounding the volcano is mostly high plateau grasslands and is home to a thousands of wild horses, which we could easily see just outside of the hacienda.

The team is doing great and everyone is well rested and excited for our last big climb. We’ll be waking up at 10pm and hopefully hitting the road shortly after breakfast and if all goes well, standing at 19,347ft above sea level right after sunrise.

We will check in tomorrow when we are safely back down.

RMI Guide Casey Grom and crew

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Ecuador Seminar: Grom & Team’s Rest Day Near Cotopaxi

Posted by: Casey Grom, Ben Liken | February 13, 2015
Categories: *Expedition Dispatches *Ecuador

Greetings from Tambopaxi Lodge,

Today we took a full day to rest our weary legs and heal our slightly sun burnt faces.  After a breakfast with a view of Cotopaxi a few of team members went horseback riding while the rest of us drank coffee and swapped stories from our Antisana climb.  The riders got all dressed up in Ecuadorean ponchos, cowboy hats, and alpaca chaps.  We then wasted no time getting to our next activity…... A four course lunch.  We did manage to get in some training in during the afternoon but were easily distracted by views of the mountain and galloping wild horses. 

We look forward to a good night of sleep because tomorrow there will be no such luxury.  Tomorrow we will be up and at ‘em around 10 pm to ascend our final peak, Cotopaxi.

Everyone hear wishes their special someone at home a very happy Valentine’s Day!

RMI Guide Ben Liken and Amigos

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Ecuador Seminar: Grom & Team Summit Antisana

Posted by: Casey Grom, Ben Liken | February 12, 2015
Categories: *Expedition Dispatches *Ecuador
Elevation: 18,891'

Congratulations to our team of climbers on their climb today!

It wasn’t easy, in fact far from it.
We started the day with a 10:30 pm wake up call that no one ever enjoys, but everyone made it to breakfast relatively quickly and seemed excited as the weather looked to be in our favor. We then hoped into our 4 wheeled vehicles and drove about 20 minutes to the start of the climb. The weather continued to improve as we made our way to the the start of the glacier where we put on our crampons and roped up for the rest of the climb. The initial part of the glacier was mostly bare ice which made for rather easy climbing and slowly increased in angle and crevasses. Everyone did a great job of taking care of themselves and stayed calm even though the terrain was challenging.

After several hours of climbing we reached the final headwall that looked to be too much, but with perseverance the team surmounted the last steep slope and made our way to the top of Antisana. All in all it took 9 hard hours to reach the summit where we enjoyed the views and took a few photos. The descent was no easy task either having to reverse the climb, but we all made it back safely in a couple of hours.

Everyone is in good spirits and maybe just a little tired ;)

Special thanks to Sally for the wonderful Sahale mixed nuts that were sent along, we enjoyed them!

RMI Guide Casey Grom and a happy albeit tired crew

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Ecuador Seminar: Grom & Team Ready for Antisana

Posted by: Casey Grom, Ben Liken | February 11, 2015
Categories: *Expedition Dispatches *Ecuador
Elevation: 13,400'

Hello everyone,

Tonight we are heading for the summit of Antisana!  We arrived this morning to our camp and did a bunch more technical training.  The site is like something out of the Lord of the Rings, with tall grasses, roaming horses, and thatch-roof structures all lit by the glaciers of Antisana.

Wish us luck as you head to bed because we will be waking up at that time to go climbing.

We’ll let you know how it goes!

RMI Guide Ben Liken and the team

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Ecuador Seminar: Team Travels to Antisana

Posted by: Ben Liken, Casey Grom | February 10, 2015
Categories: *Expedition Dispatches *Ecuador

Hello again everyone,

The team is feeling good and well rested especially after a good nights sleep. Our stay in Papallacta was enjoyed by all even though it was short.

We have traveled back into the countryside to very near our next climbing objective Antisana. Originally we had planned on camping tonight, but due to the forecasted thunderstorms we opted to stay at a wonderful hacienda not far from the mountain. After getting so soaked on Cayambe we thought this would help keep us stay dry and set us up for a successful climb. So we spent the afternoon doing a little technical training and reviewing some of the skills we hope to put to use tomorrow on the glacier.

The valley we are staying in is famous for condors and we even managed to see several gliding not far above us. It was amazing to see these beautiful and elusive birds to say the least.

That’s all for now.
RMI Guide Casey Grom and crew

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Ecuador Seminar: Team Weathered Off of Cayambe

Posted by: Casey Grom, Ben Liken | February 09, 2015
Categories: *Expedition Dispatches *Ecuador
Elevation: 10,800'

Hey gang,

Being on the border of the Amazon Rainforest almost always keeps some clouds floating around Cayambe, but last night it brought more than just clouds.  We awoke to a soaking mist that would have drenched the team within minutes of climbing.  So we postponed for an hour and a half until there was a minor let up.  Then we gathered our gear and started walking up hill in what can best be described as a “dry mist”.  For 45 minutes we had optimistic smiles as the moon was poking through the clouds and the team was moving strong.  But at the first break the rains came and didn’t let up. We pushed a bit further to 16,500 feet until the crew was soaked and the decision was clear to head down.  To go higher would mean freezing our wet clothes and pushing the limits of a safe climb.

The descent went well and the whole team is now at Papallacta hot springs, happy and healthy.  Everyone is turning their sights to more training and our next big climb…...Antisana!

Stay tuned

RMI Guide Ben Liken and the Team

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Ecuador Seminar: Team Trains on Glacier of Cayambe

Posted by: Ben Liken, Casey Grom | February 08, 2015
Categories: *Expedition Dispatches *Ecuador
Elevation: 15,300'

Hola Amigos!

Sleeping at 15,000’ is not a normal thing, nor is sleeping with 6 other people, but thankfully everyone managed to get a few hours of shuteye last night. 

Today the team woke around 7 am and headed downstairs for breakfast and washed it down with plenty of coffee. We then got packed up and went out for a little training on the glacier that’s about an hour away. Cloudy skies and light snowfall keep things relatively brief as we didn’t want to get too wet before tonight’s climb of Cayambe. Once back at the climbers hut we relaxed with hot drinks and a little additional training, mixed in with a few bad jokes.

Everyone is in good spirits and seems to be ready for tomorrow’s climb. Our plan is to get up at 11 pm and have a quick breakfast and hopefully hit the trail around midnight. If all goes well we should reach the summit around 7 am.

We had a trivia challenge tonight that will allow the winner a sat phone call from the summit. So keep your phones nearby to find out who the winner is.

Wish us luck!

RMI Guide Casey Grom and crew

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Ecuador Seminar: Grom & Team at the Cayambe Hut

Posted by: Casey Grom, Ben Liken | February 07, 2015
Categories: *Expedition Dispatches *Ecuador
Elevation: 15,300'

Hey everybody,

Today was a day of rest, tourism, and a car ride to our 15,000 foot hut on Cayambe.  After a light breakfast we leisurely packed our bags and headed to the famed Otavalo market.  Being a Saturday the place was packed with crafts, fresh fruits, and local people. 

Shortly after lunch we loaded the bus and drove to the cute little town of Cayambe.  At this point the clouds that had been floating around all day started to dump rain, so we changed out the bus for some 4x4 vehicles.  We then drove up the bumpiest road known to man… The Cayambe hut road.  After an hour of mud, rocks, and pot holes we made it to our home for the next few days. 

Everyone is feeling great and ready for a day of glacier training tomorrow.

From the snowiest place on the equator,  we’ll talk to ya later!

RMI Guide Ben Liken and friends

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Ecuador: Grom & Team Hike Fuya Fuya

Posted by: Ben Liken, Casey Grom | February 06, 2015
Categories: *Expedition Dispatches *Ecuador
Elevation: 13,986'

February, 6, 2015 - 6:46 pm PT

Hello again everyone!

Today the team left behind the hustle and bustle of Quito and moved just north of the Equator to the comfortable and quite rural countryside. Once outside the city limits the landscape quickly turned into rolling hills with farms pitched on steep slopes and dozens of small eucalyptus forest.

Our plan was to visit a smaller mountain called Fuya Fuya where we stretched our legs on a nice steep and short acclimatization hike. Thankfully the weather was nice which allowed us to see some amazing views of the beautiful surrounding landscape. 

We are just on the outskirts of a town call Otavalo, which is known for its massive market and we are currently relaxing at a wonderful Hacienda called “La Casa Sol”. The team is doing great and looking forward to a nice quiet night here.

RMI Guide Casey Grom

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