Entries from Expedition Dispatches
Sunday, November 10, 2024 - 3:46 pm PT
We are settled in at Cayambe for the night. All reports are that the route hasn’t changed since I was on it two weeks ago, which is great news because the route is scenic and fun! We are planning for the classic middle of the night start and hope to be on top just after sunrise. Wish us luck and safe passage please!
RMI Guide Dustin Wittmier
New Post Alerts:
Ecuador's Volcanoes November 5, 2024
Ahhh, Orizaba! The climactic conclusion to our Mexican Volcano sojourn.
But before we recount the day I feel it important to regale the dear RMI blog post reader with events of this illustrious RMI sponsored event!
The trip begins with a meeting of strangers, aficionados of adventure if you will, led by our mountain guide whose skill and competence is only exceeded by his devilish good looks and excellent calves.
After meeting in Mexico City, we headed to conquer La Malinche; our mission successful and quite moist, we Summited the beast and befriended a cadre of stray dogs- LFB you have a home in America whenever you see fit.
Our journey then took us to Ixta High Camp in a single day. After a few hours of sleep a few of us conquered the salacious Medusa of a mountain.
Our next two days we spent in Puebla. To be honest, nothing to report but everything was incredible! Unfortunately, it was over too quickly, and we were off to Orizaba.
After a brief stop at an old soap factory run by a lovely old man, we were off to Orizaba base camp….what awaited was an alpine start- for the uninitiated, alpine start is a euphemism for the following “I don’t care if it’s midnight, wake up we gonna go summit that monster”-……after 7 hours of suffering and straight uphill trudging at 5 am in the dark on a glacier with a steep pitch, Orizaba was conquered! The remarkable thing is everyone in our group made it to the top! We headed down back to the soap factory for dinner and now pack to head home on Sunday!
To our new friends I will say this….
It was a true pleasure getting to know all of you. Very rarely does a group of complete strangers absolutely click and find so many commonalities. From sharing jokes to gaining intimate knowledge of each other, it was an experience of a life time. Serendipity never ceases to amaze.
Sure Does!
RMI Client Joe Musial
New Post Alerts:
Mexico's Volcanoes November 2, 2024
RMI Guide Ben Luedtke and Team checked in today at 6:49 am PST letting us know that the entire team was standing on the summit of Orizaba. When they get settled this evening they will have a great summit day story to tell!
New Post Alerts:
Mexico's Volcanoes November 2, 2024
Posted by: Dustin Wittmier
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Ecuador
Saturday, November 9, 2024 - 6:14 am PT
The team is on the move now. From this point on there is only one day of the trip that does not involve hiking, climbing or traveling. Yesterday, as an example, we left Quito in the morning, drove three hours north, got out and hiked for about four hours and then back on the bus for a 45 minute ride to the Intiyaya Residences. That's a full day, but hey, it's what we signed up for and we all were able to enjoy the lovely hike around Laguna Cuicocha. Everyone also enjoyed the serenity of the Intiyaya Residences; most people had a full night's sleep before the neighborhood dogs started barking at about 6:30am.
Today, we head for the market in Otavalo to experience some local culture, shop for souvenirs or just drink a nice latte. Following that sensory overload, we will hop on the bus and head for the town of Cayambe and eventually the lower Cayambe hut. Our group is really coming together as a team; meals have been spent telling stories and much of our time on trails has been spent trying to get some pro bono physical therapy from Malina.
In just a day and a half we will put our bodies and minds to the test on Cayambe!
RMI Guide Dustin Wittmier
New Post Alerts:
Ecuador's Volcanoes November 5, 2024
Hey Dustin!!!
Hopefully you have Perfect weather for this summit!! Climb Strong!!
Farmer Dave
Posted by: Dave Kestel on 11/10/2024 at 4:18 am
Posted by: Ben Luedtke
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mexico
After a well-earned siesta and with bellies full of mole, we are off to Orizaba! We left this morning and have arrived in Tlachichuca. We are carefully packing and unpacking and repacking, making sure we have everything we need. After enjoying another nice lunch served by the wonderful Servimont staff, we are ready to hit the 4x4 trail up to Refugio Piedra Grande.
Upon arrival, we will go out for a "light" hike, enjoy dinner, and be off to bed early in preparation for an alpine start on Orizaba.
¡Hasta Mañana!
RMI Guide Ben Luedtke and Team
New Post Alerts:
Mexico's Volcanoes November 2, 2024
Posted by: Dustin Wittmier
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Ecuador
Hello friends, family and everyone else who plans to follow along! We are off to a great start on another RMI Expeditions Ecuador Volcanoes trip. On this itinerary we plan to (hopefully) visit the summits of both Cayambe and Cotopaxi, the third and second highest mountains in Ecuador, respectively.
To kick of the acclimatization, we traveled around Quito yesterday seeing various sights, mostly related to gaining independence from the Spanish and to the cultural history of indigenous peoples. Of course, that takes us in and out of a variety of old churches as we all marveled at the architecture of these places. In addition to learning some interesting things about Ecuador, it was also a chance to dust off the jet lag and get the bodies moving around a bit.
To continue in that direction, we hiked Rucu Pichincha today. The day started off a bit hazy, but as that layer moved we had glimpses of Cayambe, Antisana and Cotopaxi amongst other high mountains of the Ecuadorian highlands. The group all did well today and we are about to head out for one more dinner in town before we leave for the countryside tomorrow.
RMI Guide Dustin Wittmier & Team
New Post Alerts:
Ecuador's Volcanoes November 5, 2024
Posted by: Ben Luedtke
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mexico
Hola de Puebla! Yesterday, the team woke up early for our summit attempt on Ixta. It was a long day. After having some breakfast and hot drinks, we set out on the Ayoloco route. Crossing some difficult terrain on loose dirt, over boulders, and up a steep snow slope, we eventually made the summit just before sunrise! After enjoying the beauty of the morning sun, we descended back to high camp. Once we were packed up, we continued descending back down to La Joyita, enjoyed some lunch prepared by the wonderful Servimont staff, and loaded the van for our drive to Puebla. We all enjoyed a good rest and much deserved shower.
Today we are enjoying the sights in Puebla for a much needed rest. Stay tuned for one more adventure as we make our way towards Orizaba tomorrow!
RMI Guide Ben Luedtke and Team
New Post Alerts:
Mexico's Volcanoes November 2, 2024
RMI Guide Ben Luedtke and team reached High Camp on Ixta yesterday afternoon. It was a long day of travelling from La Malinche.
This morning with an alpine start the team reached the summit of Ixtaccihuatl.
Congratulations to the team!
New Post Alerts:
Mexico's Volcanoes November 2, 2024
Monday, November 4, 2024 - 5:44 pm PT
Today was the bees knees!
After our rainy hike yesterday, we popped onto the same trail to attempt the summit of La Malinche. On the way up, we got more comfy with one another telling a plethora of jokes. We found that we all have a similar sense of humor. It was a steep climb of 4,500 feet in 4.3 miles, picking through screen and boulder fields, but we all made the summit and nobody threw up or passed out, so that's a win!
We rested on the summit and then started slowly making our way down the loose dirt and rocks. We finished out night with beer and a hot meal. Off to Ixta tomorrow!
RMI Climber Emily Bowling
New Post Alerts:
Mexico's Volcanoes November 2, 2024
Posted by: Ben Luedtke
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mexico
Sunday, November 3, 2024
Hola amigas y familias! Thank you all for tuning in to our blog; we are officially underway here in Mexico. After everyone arrived in Mexico City last night, we had an informative team meeting, savored a delicious dinner that included Nutella pizza, and enjoyed some of the local Dia de Muertos festivities.
This morning, we had an early breakfast and began our van quest towards the volcanoes. Arriving at La Malintzi, we got checked into our rooms and headed out promptly for a hike up Malinche towards the treeline. Just as we were enjoying the scenery, CRACK! BOOM! Lightning, thunder, rain, hail. It was enough to call it a day and head back down the slippery slopes. Hungry and ready for dinner, we plan to hike to the summit of Malinche tomorrow. Buenas noches!
RMI Guide Ben Luedtke and Team
Good afternoon, hope you guys had a scenic and safe ascent. Sending warm wishes to Karol and Alex from sunny California.
-Dan & Alena
Posted by: Daniel Yarm on 11/11/2024 at 9:05 am
Hey Dustin!!!
All the Best!!! Climb Strong!!!
Farmer Dave
Posted by: Dave Kestel on 11/11/2024 at 4:18 am
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