Entries from Ecuador

Buenos Dias Bloglandia,

I’m sure many of you out there have been gnawing on your steering wheels and passing up Instagram to check on today’s happenings of the Ecuador skills seminar. Well, wait no longer because the moment has arrived. 

Beginning with last nights dinner (food and drink report) the team all gathered around a big table in a classic Ecuadorian restaurant, sharing stories and laughs eventually waiting for Dan’s guinea pig to arrive, his main course.  After realizing it didn’t really taste like chicken, we all focused back into our potatoes and meat happy we didn’t follow the adventurous Dan’s lead. 

Come morning we all returned to the table for breakfast while preparing for our bus ride to the giant volcano just out of the city where our first team climb would take place.  

After 15 minutes of solid Quito traffic we arrived at the trailhead.  Except here, as it should be on all mountains, the trailhead is actually the ticket office to the cable car waiting to zip us up the first 3,000 feet so our legs won’t get too tired.  No one botched getting into the moving car so we were off to a good start.  

With swirling clouds and occasional views of the city thousands of feet below, we all made quick and steady progress up to the 14,000 foot mark.  Soon afterwards my GPS began to rock a lady Gaga song as we broke the 15,000 foot barrier, marking the altitude PR for half the team.  Thirty minutes later we were all giving high 5’s on the summit of our first real mountain.   Pichincha Rucu, 15,300 feet!

The descent was uneventful except for a hummingbird which almost flew full speed into my face but crisis averted due to my lightning reflexes.  Maybe that’s exaggerated.  

Anyhoo, the team did great and gets the green light from both Hannah and me to climb again tomorrow.  I expect the same results barring anything loco!!

If Yellowstone wasn’t enough, give Ozark a try.  It will get you through until tomorrow.

RMI Guide Adam Knoff

Welcome to day one of the February, Expedition Skills Seminar - Ecuador.    From this day forward, you as the blog follower will be stuck to the edge of your seat for the next two weeks, waiting with more anticipation than those waiting for the next episode of Yellowstone.  You will hear harrowing tales of long bus rides, lots of food and drink and perhaps some occasional mountain climbing.  

Today however, the excitement was kept to a minimum with a brief orientation in the hotel lobby with all team members present, followed by a four hour city tour covering the equator to the north then back to the old town of Quito in the south. 

I would say our most adventurous moments came during our visit to the Mitad Del Mumdo, or center of the world, where eggs mysteriously balance on nails if one posses the proper mojo and strange gravitational forces affect raised arms if hailing the sun god.  No one seamed possessed by evil spirits so my first impression is every one should climb well.

Beyond that the city blessed us with good weather, good views and nice people.   After the tour our weary travelers retired for a quick nap before our first of many group dinners. 

Tomorrow we will venture into the mountains for the first time stretching our legs and lungs while quickly breaking the 15,000 foot ceiling on the active volcano, Pichincha Rucu, 5 miles from our hotel.  Stay tuned for that report. 

Until then, watch some Yellowstone.

RMI Guide Adam Knoff

Good morning,

I am happy to report that on a beautiful morning the team made the summit of Cotopaxi.  Sunny skies and light winds made for great climbing conditions.  The local guides have departed and the team is headed back to Quito for an afternoon of relaxation and a celebration dinner.  This trip has thrown some curveballs, but I'm proud of the team for sticking with it and being flexible along the way.  Everyone, regardless of whether they went to the summit of Cayambe or Cotopaxi did a really fine job pushing themselves towards goals they have worked so hard for.  Cheers to this team!

Thank you for following along with our blog and please continue following the final RMI Ecuador trip of the season which starts next week!

RMI Guides Dustin, Avery and Team!

Good morning,

The team is getting a final bit of relaxation at Chilcabamba Eco Lodge this morning.  It's blue skies and the mountains are out.  The group seems to be in good spirits as they prepare to head to the Jose Ribas Refugio today, where they will rest for the evening before a very early start tonight.  The summit of Cotopaxi and the climbing route is visible from Chilcabamba this morning, giving everyone some additional motivation!

RMI Guide Dustin Wittmier

After a late start due to poor weather last night, the team got moving this morning with the promise of a nicer day.  However, conditions deteriorated once they reached the glacier with humidity and worrisome flashes of lightning in the distance.  Those flashes ended up subsiding and the weather turned marginally better making it possible to reach the summit of Cayambe.  Just a few members of the team reached the 18,997' summit, but everyone fought hard with every step.  All team members pushed themselves today and will enjoy a rest day at the Chilcabamba Eco Lodge tomorrow. 

We have our hopes for better weather on Cotopaxi and I know that any of these climbers stand a good chance to reach the summit of one of the highest active volcanoes in the world!

RMI Guide Dustin Wittmier

Today we will spend a couple of hours at the Otavalo Market looking for souvenirs and getting last-minute supplies for Cayambe. The afternoon will then be spent in pickup trucks on the bumpiest road you can imagine.

The team is doing great so far and staying patient with the acclimatization process. Over the past two days we did our warmup hikes on Rucu Pichincha and Fuya Fuya, getting us to elevations of 15,354’ and 13,986’, respectively. There was some off and on drizzle, but overall, both hikes went smoothly.

Tomorrow we will refresh basic mountaineering skills before making our attempt on Cayambe the following morning. Check back in the next couple of days for an update and wish us luck!

RMI Guide Dustin Wittmier & Team

Everyone has now arrived in Quito and I must say it was a pleasure to show up to this morning's orientation and count all nine people present.  An added bonus is that all luggage is accounted for, although one luggage lock key was lost.  Turns out those can simply be pried open with two screwdrivers.

We enjoyed a nice weather day for our city tour and Mitad del Mundo museum tour.  It was just cloudy enough to filter some of the intense equatorial sun and it also never rained.  Everybody learned at least something new about physics or practices of the indigenous peoples of Ecuador, the two main focuses at the museum.

Tomorrow we turn our focus towards getting the body moving.  As a preparation about half the team spent the afternoon cold plunging and in the sauna.  I can still taste the eucalyptus when I take a deep breath.  Anyways, that's all to say that we are feeling ready to hike Rucu Pichincha tomorrow and hopefully reach a new high point for a few of the team members!

RMI Guide Dustin Wittmier

Following a restless night of not sleeping at 17,400’, our team stood on top of Chimborazo this morning.  It was a clear morning with calm winds and the route is in excellent condition.

Interestingly, the summit of Chimborazo is the furthest point from the center of the earth, due to it’s position near the equator.  It is the only 6000 meter peak in Ecuador and it was an honor to visit the summit with this team.

RMI Guide Dustin Wittmier

Yesterday we traveled south through the town of Ambato, where we learned what a 50cm burrito looks like.  Despite an exact measurement it’s still hard to imagine.  Following a comical lunch we drove through the park, Reserva Producción de Fauna Chimborazo, and continued to La Estrella de Chimborazo where we had a quiet night with delicious food and beautiful views of Chimborazo’s grand south face.

We awoke to a foggy morning and continued to relax in preparation for a difficult 24 hours.  Some members of the team practiced crevasse rescue on the porch while other’s just chilled out, enjoying the views and some local wildlife.

In the afternoon we made the two hour trek to high camp and are settled in at our highest sleeping altitude - 17,400’.  Tonight we will get an alpine start and hope for good weather on our summit attempt!

RMI Guide Dustin Wittmier

Last night we lied in bed awaiting an 11pm wakeup for a Cotopaxi summit attempt.  But the winds picked up and the roof could be heard shaking and whistling all night.  At the sound of my first alarm, myself and the other guides went outside to find high winds and a sideways drizzle.  We then went on shifts checking every 30 minutes and hoping for improvement, but to no avail.  By 3am we decided to call it and everyone was able to sleep in.  The crew was certainly disappointed but still in good spirits.  What helped was seeing all the people who did attempt last night return soaked and covered in a layer of half inch ice, having failed to make it to the summit.  It was truly a sight to see.

After departing the hut we made the short drive out of the park and are enjoying a wonderful evening at La Cienega, one of the finest haciendas in Ecuador.  We took advantage of a sunny afternoon to learn some rope skills and are looking forward to the rest of the evening in this beautiful and historic hacienda.

RMI Guide Dustin Wittmier