Entries By nick hunt

Hello from the middle of the world! Our Expedition Skills Seminar in Ecuador is now officially underway! Despite most of the team arriving to the hotel after midnight last night, everybody was excited and eager to kick off our program this morning. All of the people made it, all of the luggage made it... I'd say we're off to a great start! After only a few hours of sleep last night, we all gathered in the hotel lobby at 8am this morning after breakfast for our first of many team meetings of the trip. Introductions were made and travel tips were shared, and before we knew it, we were all sitting on a bus beginning an incredible tour of the city. Our first stop was at Independence Square, home to the Presidential Palace of Ecuador. Unlike the overwhelming security of our White House, we were able to coax the guards in to letting us walk behind the fences and steal a look in to the main courtyard of the palace, the political center of the country. After waving goodbye to the President (not really), we continued on our way to one of the most beautiful churches in the country: La Compañia. Taking over 150 years to complete, La Compañia is a Jesuit church finished in 1765. It offers a good a good demonstration of various architectural styles, including Baroque, Moorish, and Neoclassical construction styles. Its other claim to fame is the fact that its interior is almost completely covered in gold foil! Our tour then took us from the modern part of the city to the early, colonial districts of the city. By driving to the top of El Panecillo and visiting Quito's Virgin (a 45 meter tall statue overlooking the city), we were able to get great views of the entire expanse of the city. Cloudy skies prevented us from getting our first glimpses of our climbing objectives, but we were happy to be staying dry. Our final stop of the tour took us to the equator, where we explored an interactive museum demonstrating some of the unique properties of life at 0 degree latitude. Only a few of us were able to balance an egg on the head of a nail, but I still have high hopes for this team... Now, back at the hotel, our mission is simple: kick back, relax, and catch up on some much needed sleep. We'll be stretching our legs tomorrow on our first acclimatization hike of the trip, but until then, it's time to get some shut eye. Until tomorrow, RMI Guides Nick Hunt and Steve Gately, and the rest of the team

Hola from Banos Ecuador. I am sorry to announce we did not summit Chimborazo today. Here's why. This morning the team woke up at high camp and we couldn't tell if we were in Ecuador or Alaska. As I mentioned in the previous dispatch, the snow level on this mountain is as low as Ive ever seen it. Normally the precipitation falls during the later hours in the day as the clouds build. By midnight those clouds usually dissipate leaving clear skies and good climbing conditions. Of course this didn't happen the day we attempted to climb. When I got out to the tent at 11:30pm, we could barley see our neighbors, let alone the mountain. Light snow was falling and the wind didn't seem overly oppressive but the clouds were as thick as pea soup and air was cold. By the time we geared up and put in a solid hour of climbing, the skies actually began to clear enough to see what lay ahead. Everyone was climbing really strong and the conditions, despite the new snow were the best I've seen that high up. By the time we reached 18,900 feet, the mountain had had enough of playing Mr. Nice Guy. The clouds built, the wind began to blow a solid 25 and the snow began to fall quite hard. With all of these things happening at once, the safety margin in which we felt comfortable climbing in disappeared. The avalanche hazard became to high and the only reasonable option was to turn around. This was a hard blow to the team but everyone handled it well. Chimborazo dealt us a hand we couldn't beat. So goes the tough game of mountain climbing. You win some and you lose some. Fortunately, even the loses create experiences, memories and adventures we won't soon forget. So after the climb, the team descended to the hut, packed up all our gear and headed down to a jungle town called Banos, translated, meaning baths. There are many naturally heated hot springs here as well as good restaurants and pubs. We even found one that serves IPA and Stout. A well deserved treat after two hard weeks of climbing. Add on top of the beer a good beat down by a local group of teenagers on the basketball court next to the hotel and I would say our day ended better than it began. Now we return to Quito for our farewell dinner and travels home. We hope you've enjoyed following along. Thanks for the support. RMI Guides Adam Knoff, Nick Hunt and team saying adios and muchas gracias.

This morning was the best we have had in almost a week. No one set an alarm, our ride to the next mountain didn't arrive at the hacienda until ten and there was no set schedule for breakfast which always feels stress free. Rumor has it that the beautiful, old Spanish style hacienda is haunted with the ghost of an old woman who's lover died there over 150 years ago but she must have thought our group smelled too bad leaving us alone. So by the time we left this morning, we felt rested, clean and ready to head off to the highest mountain in Ecuador. Rising to 20,700+ feet above sea level, this mountain is renowned as both the furthest point from the center of the earth as well as the closest point to the sun. This may be coincidence but it is also considered the hardest peak to climb as well. Our strategy is to break the climb up putting in a High Camp at 17,500 feet which we will be climbing to tomorrow. This makes our summit day much shorter than those climbing from below. Here on Chimborazo there are two Refugios where climbers can stay. We are at the newly refurbished one sitting close to 15,000 feet. I have been here three times in the past and have never seen snow this low but today our bus barely made it here because of two inches of slush and fifty aimless teenagers trying to hitch hike up because their tour bus got stuck a mile down the the road. Staying here should help us acclimate and prepare even more for our big climb to come. The sour taste of turning around so close to the summit of Antisana has us eager for another shot at a major peak. We are looking forward to another long night's rest which should feel better than our first night at this altitude on Cayambe. We will report form high camp tomorrow. Chow Chow for now from Chimborazo. RMI Guide Adam Knoff

RMI Guide Adam Knoff checked in this afternoon from Hacienda La Cienega. The team had a beautiful day on Antisana with a fun climb on challenging terrain but were unable to reach the summit. The team was happy with their effort and accomplishment and are now resting in one of Ecuador's beautiful haciendas. Tomorrow they will move toward their final objective, Chimborazo.

Hello from our cozy basecamp on Antisana! Our second day here is almost finished and preparations are underway for our next big summit attempt of the trip. We were able to sleep in a little this morning and we had a nice full breakfast with coffee, bread, cereal, and quesadillas. With full stomachs and a full night's rest, everybody was feeling strong and ready for our second training day of the trip. The lower glaciers of Antisana are literally an alpine playground--with open crevasses, firm ice, steep slopes, and towering seracs--and we made good use of it throughout the morning. We set up a challenging, yet fun, alpine skills course and spent the better part of the day practicing a variety of intermediate mountaineering skills: steep fixed line travel, vertical rappels, and a number of challenging ice climbs. The team is composed of members of a variety of backgrounds and skill levels, but all were able to learn something new today and we had a good time doing it! We were back at our basecamp by 1pm this afternoon, just in time to beat the afternoon rain storms that have been visiting us these last few days. But despite the marginal afternoon weather, we remain optimistic for our chances of summiting tomorrow! The pattern seems to be afternoon showers that clear in the evening, giving us a good window tonight for our summit push. With one major peak and a couple of days of technical skills training, this team is more than prepared to tackle a second summit. We plan on an early dinner tonight, giving us plenty of time to pack our bags and get some shuteye in preparation for another midnight start. Wish us luck in our attempt and we'll check back in with you tomorrow afternoon with a full report! Until then, RMI Guides Nick Hunt and Adam Knoff, and the rest of the ESS-Ecuador team

Buenas Noches from Antisana Base Camp.   It always amazes me how one difficult mountain climb puts the little things back into perspective.  For our climb of Cayambe, we were on the move by midnight and did not stop until twelve hours later.  Even after the climb is finished, exhaustion has set in so thoroughly that the only thing that really matters is one good meal and a warm bed. The simple joys continued this morning after ten solid hours of sleep with fresh brewed coffee, a delicious smoothie, farm fresh eggs and warm bread.  It's not every day you wake up and feel so thankful for what you have.  Suffering, if even for a day helps us remember what really matters.  After our lovely breakfast we packed the bus, said adios to Ecuador's oldest hacienda and hit the road.  Two hours later we found ourselves back to the busy life shopping for food at a market equal to Fred Meyer, having lunch at KFC and eating pastries from the mall's bakery.   Two hours after that, we were back in the boonies, driving across a landscape above 12,000 feet with not a house, or other road in sight. By 3pm we had landed at Antisana Base Camp.  This place is wild with Andean condors flying overhead, wild packs of alpacas coming right into camp and no other people anywhere.  We are in a place of pure natural beauty. Our elevation is 14,800 feet and the team feels great.  The more time we spend at altitude the easier it gets.  Everyone misses their families and friends but very happy to be in such a unique place. We will train tomorrow and report before getting ready to climb. RMI Guide Adam Knoff and Team Ecuador out.

Team Ecuador is excited to announce that we reached the summit of Cayambe this morning at 7:30am. We woke up, or should I say got out of bed at 10:45pm to clear skies and warm temperatures. We began our ascent at exactly midnight and had great climbing conditions the entire way up. Having been on this mountain ten times I have never had a summit day this beautiful! Not a breath of wind, temperatures in the 30s and views that you rarely get to see. The team climbed strong and performed really well, especially for reaching 19,000 feet six days after arriving in the country. We were grateful to be finished early because as soon as we reached camp, the perfect weather that graced us up high took a 180 and began snowing, raining and sleeting on us. By the time we got to town, the downpour was so intense we couldn't hear each other at lunch because of the rain hitting the roof. Now we are settled into the oldest hacienda in Ecuador and ready for a nap. We are relieved to have gotten the first big climb under our belts and look forward to Antisana in a couple days. Stay tuned. RMI Guide Adam Knoff

On The Map

Today the group woke up having spent the night at 15,300ft.  Now I don't usually let team members drink while we are on the mountain, and last night was no exception, but that did not keep the team from waking up with a solid hangover.  In the game of high altitude mountaineering, no one ever looks forward to the first night at a new height.  Headaches, upset stomach and simply feeling like bad is very common the first morning after moving up.  So in short, a hangover.   This unpleasant start to the day was quickly cured with caffeine, breakfast and preparing for our walk to the glacier.  By 8am the group had sprung to life and we made our way from the Cayambe hut to the toe of the glacier at 16,000 feet.  Another new altitude record for all but one climber.  Once on the glacier Nick, Cosme (our local guide), and myself reviewed the core skills to safely get us up and down this giant volcano.  For the first two hours we enjoyed sunny skies with swirling clouds but by noon the clouds had swallowed up the good views and the temperature dropped.   Back at the hut we took a shot nap, worked on some more training skills and ate dinner by 5:00.  It is 6:30 now and we are all tucked in trying to get some sleep before our 11pm wake up call.  We will call tomorrow with details about the climb.  Wish us luck. RMI Guide Adam Knoff

January 7, 2017 Hello friends and family! This is Nick Hunt, reporting in from the high-altitude huts on Cayambe. I'm the co-leader of this trip, along with Adam Knoff, and I'm excited to be leading another trip down here in Ecuador with another great team! We spent last night in the city of Otavalo, at a beautiful hacienda named La Casa Sol. This trip has been feeling a little more like a leisurely vacation so far, rather than a climbing expedition, and La Casa Sol didn't disappoint. Hot coffee and fresh eggs in the morning, beautiful rooms and a breathtaking view of the mountainous region around us. As nice as it was, though, the team has been getting antsy and everyone was more than ready for our move to the mountains today. After a relaxing morning at the hacienda, we packed our bags and made one last stop in town: the Otavalo street market. This market is the largest of its kind in Ecuador and stretches on for miles with all sorts of crafts, textiles, spices, and souvenirs. It can be a bit of sensory overload at first, but we spent a few hours shopping for friends and families at home, then waved goodbye to the city and headed for the hills. The road to Cayambe is a legit 4x4 road and after driving a few hours, the bus could go no further. We exited the bus, loaded our backpacks and finished the approach on foot. A little more than an hour of walking lead us up in to the clouds and to our home for the next few days at 15,000 feet above sea level. The clouds parted just enough for us to sneak a quick peak of our first serious objective before dinner. Our plans for tonight are simple. We are going to spend the rest of the evening taking care of ourselves, getting a good meal in us, and preparing our packs for a full day of training on the glaciers tomorrow. The level of excitement is growing as our first objective looms overhead. We'll check in tomorrow afternoon as we prep for our first big summit attempt of the trip. Stay tuned for updates! Until tomorrow, RMI Guides Nick Hunt and Adam Knoff, and the rest of the ESS-Ecuador team

On The Map

Good evening from Otavalo, Ecuador.  Today was a good day.  It started as all the others have.  Breakfast and coffee at the hotel, light rain on the streets and an eagerness to see something new.  The exception was we left Quito.  It is easy to fall into the creature comforts of city life but we know that bigger and wilder places await outside of the country's capital. Once loaded onto Victor's magic bus, we weaved our way through the maze of streets which eventually took us to the Pan-American Highway heading north.  After two hours of driving we arrived at the foothills of a volcano called Fuya Fuya.  Even though it's altitude topped out at 14,300 feet, it still posed a worthy hike.  Unfortunately the weather had it out for us.  Just like yesterday, a soggy rain fell all around and the prospect of hiking for three hours up a slick mud trail didn't sound worth the benefits gained by going up 2,000 feet.  Much like yesterday though our team of determined climbers showed strong will so we stopped the van 5 km from the parking lot where our climb would have started and walked the road to our waiting van.  This idea proved sound when five minutes after arriving the heavy skies opened up and soaked everything with a downpour no hiker would want to be in.  This is what Ecuador can do.  So after Fuya Fuya we headed down into town for lunch and then moved 11 men and 20 duffel bags into our beautiful hacienda. After a couple of hours settling in we gathered in the sun room, ordered some cervezas and listened as Nick taught everyone knots, hitches and bends. The weather hasn't been perfect but we still seem to have fun times. Tomorrow we visit the largest crafts market in Ecuador.  Pray for sun. Hasta Manana, RMI Guides Nick Hunt, Adam Knoff and team

On The Map