Ecuador Seminar: Gately & Team Wrap Up Great Two Weeks
Posted by: Nick Hunt, Steve Gately
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Ecuador
Well, our luck had to run out eventually. We've had a good run so far this trip, but Chimborazo proved to be our match. Our teams turned this morning just under 19,000' due to a variety of compounding issues, but the climb still provided us with over six hours of engaging terrain, from challenging rock steps to steep and firm snow slopes. Although we would have all loved to have reached the top, everyone agrees we made the right decision to turn around early and are all glad to be back down safely, celebrating the successful conclusion of our seminar down south.
From a guide's perspective, not summiting this morning provided us all with one last valuable lesson: mountaineering isn't always about standing on top. So much of climbing is learning to recognize when a summit just isn't in the cards and being able to make the conservative call. Chimborazo will be here for a while. We didn't make it this time, but I like to think of that as an open invitation to return again some day down the road.
Tomorrow morning we will return to Quito, say our final goodbyes, and fly home to our families. It has been an incredible two weeks, and I've enjoyed getting to know this wonderful group of people. Pretty soon, you'll be able to hear all the stories that never made it to the blog directly from your loved ones.
It's been a great adventure!
Signing off one last time,
RMI Guide Nick Hunt
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