Entries from Ecuador
Cotopaxi is 19,300 feet short and considered the Jewel of Ecuador. Yesterday we arrived at the mountain and were welcomed with beautiful views and pleasant temps. Hopes were high that our good fortune would continue and the next few days might give us stars at night and sun during the day. Last night however those hopes were dashed as the mountain came into a mood hammering the hut with high winds driving sleet.
These unfavorable conditions didn’t threaten us like they did the climbers attempting the summit today but they did squash some of our training plans.
At 8 am this morning everyone was up feeling much better than they did after their first night on Cayambe. Despite that refugio sitting at 15,000 feet, our acclimatization was so much better that a night at 16,000 feet here on Cotopaxi produced fewer headaches and more restful sleep than the latter. Which is good because an altitude hangover feels like you drank a bottle of whiskey but had none of the fun that goes along with it. All in all a lose lose.
So after breakfast we watched the climbers roll in looking much like a popsicle left in the freezer too long so we took a nap and waited for the weather to settle just a bit. Which it did by 10:30, opening a small window for us to climb into and train for just a bit. It only took an hour for everyone to begin getting cold and wet, standing in a cloud blowing 25 mph so by 1 pm we were pulling the plug and heading back down to the security of the hut. During the afternoon we snacked on good meats and cheeses, thanks to John, and then studied anchors and crevasse rescue on coat hangers and picnic tables. Setting up a pulley system while drinking coke is sometimes better than doing the same while shivering in the howling wind.
So after training we crawled into bed for some nice down time and will be having dinner shortly. As of now the wind has mellowed a bit so we are hoping that for our 11:30 wake up call the mountain will be over her mood and things will be nicer. But in mountain climbing you never know! It is the mystery we all enjoy.
Stay tuned for news of our summit attempt.
Buenas Noches,
RMI Guide Adam Knoff
Tuesday, January 15, 2019 -
After a full night's sleep and delicious breakfast at Hacienda Guachalá, our re-energized team loaded up the bags and went from a centuries-old hacienda to a modern Ecuadorian shopping mall. After a bit of food shopping and lunch, we made the drive up to the refugio at the base of Cotopaxi. On our drive up, a sudden break in the clouds offered a stunning view of this iconic mountain. After a great dinner in the hut the team is settled in, feeling acclimatized, and ready to learn more mountain skills tomorrow!
RMI Guide Adam Knoff
On The Map
Hello from Cafe La Vaca, in the town of Cayambe. We have all arrived safely from the mountain and are getting ready to power down massive hamburgers to replenish our bodies after 11 straight hours of climbing this morning.
Oh, did I mention the team made a successful summit of Cayambe? I am so distracted by hamburgers I almost forgot the important details.
We woke at 11:30 this morning to cloudy skies but warm temps. We started up the mountain at 12:30 and were standing on top in perfect weather by 7:15am. It was one of the most glorious summit days I’ve ever had on this mountain. Somebody cashed in some big karma bucks to get this forecast.
Once at the hut the wind picked up and the clouds rolled in. Perfect timing again!
Now we will feast, bathe and sleep. Our big mountains are just beginning so rest is imperative to staying healthy and strong.
Sending big hugs to all of our family and friends back home.
Will write again tomorrow.
RMI Guide Adam Knoff
This mountain looks awesome. Hope you are enjoying your adventure.
Mary (Chris’s mom)
Posted by: Mary Accettura on 1/14/2019 at 9:19 pm
This mountain is awesome, congratulations, hope you are enjoying the good time.
Mary Accettura (Chris’s mom)
Posted by: Mary Accettura on 1/14/2019 at 9:18 pm
We started our day bright and early at the Cayambe refugio with a simple breakfast and coffee. Although the first night sleeping at 15,100' can be a little rough, the team rallied from the altitude hangover to the toe of the glacier to review climbing skills. After some time practicing rope travel and self arrest, the guides demonstrated a crevasse rescue scenario and anchor building principles. After a lesson in rope ascension in the hut, we began packing for our summit attempt. The team is feeling good up high and ready for the climb!
RMI Guide Adam Knoff
On The Map
La Casa Sol means The house of sun in English. This happens to be the name of the beautiful hacienda we were staying at before leaving to go into Otavalo and then transport to the high mountain hut located at 15,000 feet on the southern flanks of Nevado Cayambe, Our first “big” objective and the highest equatorial point on the planet. Luckily the house of sun lived up to its name and for a few brief hours we were blessed with the hot Ecuador rays we had been lacking most of the trip.
With a nice morning shaping up we left Casa Sol and headed into town for our shopping extravaganza. The market in Otavalo is unique in many ways. Cooking stalls, spice merchants, local goods and unlimited crafts make this shopping experience hard to do in 90 minutes. But the team did well not filling the bus so by lunch it was off to meet the 4x4 trucks that would drive us all up the Cayambe road which makes New York potholes seem like cereal bowls.
Of course the sun didn’t last long and by midway through the drive the skies opened up and the rain poured down. So like all mountain weather just wait ten minutes and it will change. Which it did. To snow. And then to clear and then back to snow.
By dinner we had a few great views of the mountain which got us excited to train the next day. For the rest of the evening we will focus on hydration and breathing to keep us feeling healthy at this new head throbbing altitude. Once again the team is doing great and getting along famously. We look forward to another mountain day together.
RMI Guide Adam Knoff & Team Ecuador signing off.
Best of luck on your climbs. Pray that rain holds off. Enjoy
Posted by: Jane Knoff on 1/13/2019 at 6:17 pm
Today started the same as most days do. Breakfast from the hotel, coffee to wash it down sparking us awake and getting us close to the chocolate-filled croissants we have all learned to take with us on the mountain providing a superior snack to any energy bar. This morning was different however because we checked out of the hotel, loaded the Magic bus and powered north through traffic thicker than sea level air to a mountain two hours north of Quito called Fuya Fuya. Don’t get this confused with the famous mount Kung Fuya Fuya located next to Mt. Fuji in Japan, it is a lesser objective but important in our acclimating nonetheless.
After all the traffic, winding cobblestone roads and slow going, we reached Laguan Mojando, a beautiful high caldera lake very similar to Crater Lake in Oregon. Situated at 12,000 feet, we had in-and-out views of the surrounding peaks, including our objective, Mt. Fuya Fuya. With a summit sitting right at 14,000 feet, it was not as high as our mountain yesterday but offered steep hiking and challenging footwork. I always start this day off with a quickened pace just to get the blood flowing. As the team assembled after seven minutes of power walking up a hill over 12,500ft, Dirk looked at me and said, “Man, altitude is no joke, but it’s still kind of funny”. Which said it all considering we were all hunched over like we had just run the hundred yard dash but smiling at the pain we were all in.
A steep hour later the entire team stood on the summit with warm temps, periodic views of the deep blue lake far below and a growing respect for the Ecuadorian experience. It was another good day for the team.
Once we returned to the bus our flip flops greeted us and we headed back down the hill to eat lunch and relax at Casa Sol, a beautiful hacienda located high above the town of Otavalo. It is in this town we will all attempt to spend as much money as possible buying gifts for all the blog followers and maybe some loved ones at the giant craft market located in the center of town.
Until then we will relax with a beer, tie some knots, repack our bags and prepare for tomorrow.
Wishing you all well in the states,
RMI Guide Adam Knoff
What an experience for you, Chris..so happy you are able to do it..am enjoying the daily blogs!!
Posted by: Bobbi Jarvis on 1/12/2019 at 8:21 pm
So exited for Chris and to see all this beautiful scenery.
Posted by: janice myhrum on 1/12/2019 at 2:51 pm
Posted by: Peter Whittaker, Jess Matthews
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Ecuador
Thursday, January 10th, 2019 10:00 pm PT
It always seems to happen so fast. At the beginning of the trip our big objective felt far away, and each day brought anticipation of the new sights and experiences Ecuador would provide. But as soon as we pointed our crampons downhill from the summit, everything seemed to fast forward. Before we knew it we were gathered together in a warm, dry lodge with cold beers in hand at the base of Cotopaxi deliriously recounting the previous (beer-less and not very warm) 12 hours. Refreshed from deep sleep, and with the help of coffee we began to retrace our route back to the city. Cobblestone roads transformed into pavement, and conversation wandered to flight itineraries and last chances to purchase souvenirs. Then just like that we were back in the heart of Quito amidst the sights and sounds of city life wondering if our climb was really just a dream. After arriving, we visited a nearby artisan market and some headed to explore the old town. We gathered one last time tonight for a celebratory team dinner - we couldn’t leave without eating more empanadas! By now we’ve all started making our way home to loved ones armed with stories of adventure and visions of ones to come. Thanks for following along!
RMI Guides Peter Whittaker, Jess Matthews and Team
Today we continued our acclimatization with a hike of Rucu Pichincha (15,411'), a peak nearby in Quito. A teleferico (gondola) carried us to about 13,000', where we began ascending. Although a light rain greeted us on our arrival, the precip quickly gave way to a pleasant mixture of clouds and clear skies. The team made the summit in good style, but unfortunately the clouds obstructed our views. We made it back down to the gondola just in time to avoid a torrential downpour, and returned to the city to relax and prepare for our move to Otavalo. The team is in great spirits and everyone handled the altitude very well!
RMI Guide Taylor Bickford
WHERE’S the SNOW!?
I’m following this because I was fortunate enough to be on Adam’s Ecuador team last year and I’m re-living it in 2019 - we made it to the high summit of Chimborazo last year ON THIS DAY in 2018! - Cumbre Whymper! 20,704’
You are in the best of hands under Adam’s guidance!
Godspeed Team Knoff!
My best -
Tom
Posted by: Thomas Mulvey on 1/10/2019 at 9:49 pm
Your views today may have been a bit blah, but you, Team Ecuador, are looking MAHVELOUS! Can’t wait for your next update. Thanks for taking the time to keep those at home in the loop.
Posted by: Tracey Wife-of-Ken Maxwell on 1/10/2019 at 7:31 pm
Posted by: Peter Whittaker, Jess Matthews
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Ecuador
Elevation: 19,348'
La cumbre! We’re happy to report that 100% of our team stood on top of Cotopaxi at 6 am this morning! After two days of downpours, we slung our packs on just after midnight and stepped outside to see the lights of Quito glowing in the distance - the clouds had broken! Alas, it wasn’t long until a chilly wind decided to follow us as we climbed toward 17,000’ and the clouds came rushing back in. Fortunately it was short-lived when we got above the clouds at 19,000’ to see dawn on the horizon and a clear shot to the summit. After 5 hours and 45 minutes of climbing we stepped up onto the crater rim. We didn’t get the spectacular view of the crater we were hoping for (we did get the pungent smell of sulfur, though!), but a lot had gone right for us and we were psyched with our team’s effort to tag 19,348’! Mission accomplished. We said goodbye to our Ecuadorian friends and guides, Nacho and Jaime, this afternoon and will head back to Quito tomorrow morning for a final celebration before hopping on flights back to our hometowns.
RMI Guides Peter Whittaker, Jess Matthews and Team
On The Map
Big congratulations to the whole team !!!!
Will the friends in NY WA beieve this adventure ?
Did Steve have the NBBJ flag ?
Posted by: Bob & Jan McConnell on 1/9/2019 at 10:04 pm
Day one of Expedition Skills Ecuador
Today the team assembled here in Quito, Ecuador’s capital and gateway to the numerous volcanoes reaching 19,000 feet into the equatorial sky which we plan to climb in the coming weeks. With no lost bags, on time flights and darn right prompt people we all gathered for breakfast, ran through a fun team intro and prepared for the day’s events all without the slightest hiccup. I hope the mountains themselves go so smoothly.
Once oriented to one another and the plan, all eleven of us loaded the tour bus, captained by a tour guide named Angel, yes we were in good hands, then headed 15 miles north to the Mitad Del Mundo, or translated to mean “The Middle of the World”. Here we learned much about the history of sun dials, the ancient indigenous knowledge of the equator, proving we don’t need GPS’s to know where things are and many cool physical effects that literally change ten feet on either side of the line.
Of course the most important test was to show how an egg can balance on a nail much easier on the direct line as opposed to 15 feet to the north or south. Whomever managed to earn their master egg balancing certificate gets to climb on my rope because I now know their focus is superb!
After we were all convinced the equator does exist and the world is not flat we headed into the old town of Quito to experience the sights and sounds of a truly bustling city. With clear vistas from the Panecillo hill, one gets a true sense how far stretched this city really is. From north to south, Quito extends for more than 90 kilometers making it seem vast and expansive. From the hill we moved into the old town where we saw the golden church, the presidential palace and the main square of the city. The weather was warm and pleasant and at one point we could see the snow capped summit of Cayambe, our first big objective coming in five days.
But before we do that we must acclimate on lower mountains. Tomorrow we climb a 15,700 foot tall volcano 15 minutes out of the city. It’s a big jump but the team seems experienced and healthy so I am looking forward to a good day. Stay tuned for how that climbs goes.
Hasta Luego or Until Later.
RMI Guide Adam Knoff
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Congrats to all one my success. Best to all on #2!! Safe and enjoy!
Posted by: Jane Knoff on 1/16/2019 at 5:48 pm
Wow… What a spectacular mountain! Have a great climb! Thinking of you all!
Beck (Chris’s wife)
Posted by: Beck Condon on 1/16/2019 at 10:57 am
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