Entries By Casey Grom
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
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
December 11, 2014 - 6:57 pm PT
The team here in Ecuador got their first taste of altitude today, on the hills that surround Quito. This morning we rode the teleferico to 13,000 feet and began our trek up Pichincha on the rutted trails that wind up to its rocky 15,000 ft summit. It was a day to pressure our bodies into absorbing the thin atmosphere and experience the weather patterns that commonly occur here. So the last half hour of our descent was a mixture of rain and hail and by 2:30 the team was drying off in the hotel and relaxing before dinner. This will be our last evening in Quito and our trip commences north towards Cayambe.
RMI Guides Leon Davis & Casey Grom and Team
On The Map
Hope all is well. Looking forward to seeing some summit photos. Stay safe gang, Love you Syd.
Looks like Christmas back home.
Daddy
Posted by: Roger Osmun on 12/14/2014 at 9:00 am
Looks like you’re all doing great! Good luck on the volcanoes. Go Dale!!!
Posted by: Erin C on 12/12/2014 at 5:46 pm
Hello-
Everyone has safely arrived here in Ecuador and are doing well after the long flights. We started our day with a team meeting where we did a round of introductions and discuss our upcoming program. Shortly after our meeting we headed out to explore this beautiful old city with our tour guide Edison. He took us to visit the basilica and the old part of town dating back to the 1600's. We made a stop atop a hill that overlooks the city called La Panacea, and took in the view of this long and narrow city of over 2 million.
We then made our way north to visit the equator which gives Ecuador it's name. There's a small museum there with a few interactive displays that amused us. But most importantly we stood on the equator itself!
After our brief visit we made our way back to our hotel in downtown Quito where we took a break before heading to dinner. The team opted for a place called the Magic Bean that's known for its tasty food and fresh juices.
Everyone is doing well and looking forward to getting a little exercise tomorrow.
RMI Guide Casey Grom and crew
On The Map
Great week at the beach. Hope you are staying warm, Courtney! We are thinking of you always. Love, mom
Posted by: Susan Allen on 12/14/2014 at 6:51 am
Diego (from Ecuador) says you have to try lechon or hornado if you get a chance!
Posted by: Liz Dean on 12/12/2014 at 12:28 pm
Late Thursday afternoon we made final preparations to our climbing kit and sat inside the Tambopaxi dining room watching a light rain fall across the plains surrounding Cotopaxi. We had an early dinner and retired to our bunk rooms at dusk for a few hours of rest before the evening summit departure.
At 10:00 pm we woke and ate a light breakfast in the dark dining room before loading our gear into Victor's bus and taking it up the rocky road to the base of the Refugio. We hiked in relative silence through a misty cloud to the glacier, put on our crampons and roped up. A little new snow had fallen but the climbing route was still visible and we began our climb at 16,300'.
Hour after hour we climbed the unrelenting steep slopes, pausing for breaks where we could find a relatively flat place. At 8:00 am we surpassed the final steeps and stood atop the 19,348' volcano. It was a taxing climb for the team with many altitude records achieved and much to be proud of.
Tonight we enjoyed each others company over dinner and drinks at La Cienega and in the morning we will sleep in and explore this beautiful and historic Hosteria before returning to Quito for the anniversary fiesta of its founding. Good night from a very tired and happy Ecuador team.
RMI Guides Leon Davis & Casey Grom
On The Map
So happy you achieved your goal Richard and team. Can’t wait to see you!
Posted by: Stacey Cost on 12/6/2014 at 10:00 am
Richard and team, Congratulations on your spectacular achievement! Jenny
Posted by: jenny cooper on 12/6/2014 at 7:35 am
Posted by: Casey Grom, Leon Davis
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Ecuador
Thursday, December 4, 2014 3:25 pm PST
Buenos tardes (good evening) everyone!
Today the team spent the day resting in preparation for tonight's climb. The day was mostly filled with reading, waiting on the wifi, exploring the grounds near the hacienda, and a world championship of cribbage, where Leon and Topo were crowned. We also took a ride to visit a ancient pre-Incan ruin, and a beautiful hidden spring.
We spent the afternoon discussing our plan for tonight's climb and have everything squared away. The team is very excited and looking forward to tomorrow, or perhaps I should say tonight, as we'll be getting up very early.
On another note, we had a trivia challenge today and the winner will receive a free one minute satellite phone call from the summit if all goes well. So for those of you out there following our blog, keep your phones handy tomorrow morning!
Wish us luck!
RMI Guides Casey Grom, Leon Davis, and crew
Was up a 2am sending good thoughts toward Cotopaxi. Hope you all summit and that Richard won the trivia contest!
Posted by: Stacey Cost on 12/5/2014 at 4:02 am
Topo and Leon? This team has the BEST guides! Good luck team!
Posted by: Meredith on 12/4/2014 at 10:07 pm
Today we inched our way closer to the base of Cotopaxi with a short drive to Tambopaxi and then up the primitive roads to the lower flanks of the mountain. Our mission today was to get onto the lower glacier for some basic skills review and a little more acclimatization. Under some very atypical clear skies we hiked the scree fields to the new Refugio at 16,000' and then a little further to the glacier. We were joined by our Ecuadorian guides Topo and Joaquin for a brief climbing school and a glimpse of the lower route. By early afternoon we were relaxing in the Tambopaxi Lodge for some Cribbage and another great team dinner. Things are going very well for us here and the team is enjoying every minute in a most spectacular mountain arena. Looking forward to every day here on the Equator!
RMI Guide Leon Davis
Good luck with your ascent in a few hours Brian. Glad you’ve enjoyed the experience so far. Can’t wait to hear about it and see pics!
Posted by: Craig Mohr on 12/4/2014 at 6:08 pm
KIRK MAN, HANG TEN BRO! CH
Posted by: CHARLES HOLLIMAN on 12/4/2014 at 4:47 pm
December 2, 2014 - 6:08 pm
Today the team said goodbye to the hustle and bustle of Quito and headed south early in the morning. Once outside the city we made our way through the rural countryside and headed for our next acclimatizing hike on the Illiniza's. They are the remnants of an old volcano that erupted long ago and left two nearly twin peaks. Our goal was not to climb them, but reach the saddle that separates the two beautiful mountains. The team made good time up to the saddle where we took a short break in the climbers hut and had some well deserved hot tea. After our short break we made our way back down the mountain to our waiting bus and quickly headed to the wonderful Chilcabamba hacienda. The team made good use of the hot showers and enjoyed sporting around in the ponchos provided by the hacienda. We wrapped up the evening with a wonderful meal, plenty of good stories, and one amazing view of Cotopaxi.
Everyone is doing great and enjoying the Ecuadorean hospitality.
RMI Guide Casey Grom and crew
On The Map
The team here in Ecuador got their first taste of altitude today, on the hills that surround Quito. This morning we rode the teleferico to 13,000 feet and began our trek up Pichincha on the rutted trails that wind up to its rocky 15,000 ft summit. It was a day to pressure our bodies into absorbing the thin atmosphere and although the typical afternoon clouds obscured our view from the top, we were able to stretch our legs and lungs in the mountains.
This evening our team met with our Ecuadorian guide, Jaime, and he took us to a new Ecuadorian restaurant where we enjoyed a fantastic dinner of local cuisine. Tonight is our last night in Quito as we depart for the Illinizas early in the morning.
RMI Guide Leon Davis
On The Map
Go Team Leonard!!!! We are thinking about all of you and Good Luck taking on the Summit! Love to all, Donna & Girls
Posted by: Donna Leonard on 12/3/2014 at 4:24 pm
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
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