Ecuador Volcanoes Cybercast

Hi Everyone,

Stephen checking in here from Ecuador. Despite some moody weather on our approach to the Cotopaxi Hut, the clouds cleared overnight and we had a beautiful summit day on the highest active volcano in Ecuador. Everyone on the team made it to the summit and safely back down. We had a second breakfast at the hut then made our way down to Baños, another area closer to the Amazon with famous hot springs. We’ll just tour around here tomorrow; checking out some waterfalls, soaking in the hot springs, and most importantly recovering in some thicker air before we head towards our final challenge, Chimborazo, on Thursday. Here’s some photos from our climb:

Hi Folks,

We had a great rest day yesterday. We learned about traditional Ecuadorian cuisine by cooking our own lunch with the guidance of Claudia. We picked herbs from the garden, ground corn, prepared pork and salads. After lunch we headed to the Otavalo market, where everyone got to practice their bartering skills while they shopped for hats, ponchos, and blankets. After a comfortable night at the hacienda we’re about to head up to the hut on Cotopaxi to rest for a few hours before our second summit bid early tomorrow morning. I’ll let you know how it goes!

Stephen

Hi Everyone,

Despite a cloudy, misty evening up at the Cayambe hut yesterday, the weather cleared overnight and we were able to summit our first big mountain of the trip! The crew moved well today as we navigated around some large crevasses and some steep terrain near the summit. In classic Ecuador fashion, a wet wind met us on the summit ridge for a rimy finish to our climb. We made it back down to the hut for brunch then continued to a hacienda where we’re spending the night and enjoying some good food. This one was built in 1602!

Tomorrow we’ll be learning a bit more about the traditional cuisine of the Ecuadorian Highlands the continuing to the famous Otavalo market while we rest before heading on to Cotopaxi.

Stephen

Hey Everyone,

We had a good day of skills review up on Cayambe today. We had a really clear morning, but by the time we made it to the glacier, some clouds and mist had blown in. We still had a good few hours refreshing our snow climbing, self-arrest and glacier travel skills before heading down to the hut for a late lunch then an afternoon resting at the Yanacocha lodge. Tomorrow afternoon, we’ll head back up to the hut and finish some final preparations before our summit attempt early Saturday morning!

Hi Everyone,

We wrapped up our last acclimatization day with a hefty dose of variety. We started the day with a short tour in the cloud forest looking at hummingbirds, went on a short hike up to 14,400 feet in the clouds and mist then stopped at the equator with good views of our first big objective, Cayambe. Now we’re settled in to the Yanacocha Lodge and all packed for tomorrow. We’ll be headed up past the Cayambe hut to review some glacier travel and snow climbing techniques to prepare for our summit bid on Cayambe!