Entries By dustin wittmier

With dust in our eyes (it hasn’t snowed here since early January) and a dream in our hearts (no matter how dirty and tired we are, we all continue wanting it), we awoke at 12:45am this morning to climb Iztaccíhuatl (Ixta). Actually, we were all awake around 10:45pm to overhear the saga of two of our climbers trying to get a mouse out of their tent. Either way, these alpine starts always seem to come a touch too early.

Our day started with a sleepy ascent of “The Knees” section of the route. Once atop “The Knees”, there was a moderate wind that stuck around all day. Most of us wore parkas for nearly the entire climb; it was chilly but beautifully clear. Once the sun came up, we could clearly pick out skyscrapers in downtown Mexico City, which is unassumingly, the fifth largest city in the world.

The group powered through cold, wind and dust and everyone who made the attempt today also reached the summit! Congrats to this bus full of climbers who will enjoy their well-deserved Tacos Arabe in Puebla this evening.

Dustin

Feliz Día de San Valentin :)

We are now settled in at high camp on Ixta after a day of good Mexican eating and a four hour hike with heavy packs.

Everyone is in good spirits as we enjoy another nice sunset and prepare for our first big summit attempt of the trip.

Dustin

Today we are headed to Ixtaccihuatl via a several hour bus ride from the La Malintzi resort. It was a restful evening feasting on a parrillada and watching the Superbowl on a Spanish telecast. A well-deserved restful evening after successfully summitting La Malinche, which is hit or miss and dependent on how much argument (in Spanish) you’re willing to engage in with a heavily armed police officer. This time they left us alone, perhaps because it was such a nice day with no threat of lightning or rain.

Now we are in transit to Amecameca for some last-minute supplies. Today is mostly a travel and organization day, not quite a real rest day yet. We will update via InReach from the mountain so you can follow our progress!

RMI Guide Dustin Wittmier

The dry weather held out for us and we summitted Antisana at 6:30am yesterday. Clouds threatened in the distance, with a fantastic lightning show in the direction of the Pichincha Volcano. However, it was mostly calm and clear at Antisana, until the summit where wind and rime ice conditions convinced us to not hang too long.

Antisana is well-liked by climbers for it's challenge and aesthetic beauty. The mountain is heavily-crevassed with numerous seracs. The largest snow bridge we crossed yesterday stretched nearly 20 meters! The use of steep snow climbing techniques and running belays are required, especially in the final 1500 vertical feet of the ascent.

Climbers on this trip have now summitted the fourth (Antisana) and third (Cayambe) highest peaks in Ecuador. If future trips bring them back here, they have Cotopaxi and Chimborazo to round out the top four. But for now, Cotopaxi continues to erupt, so those plans will need to be on hold.

After the 11-hour day of climbing, we descended to camp, ate one final Locro de Papas (potato soup), packed up camp and made one last trip in 4x4s down to the bus. We said our goodbyes to the Ecuadorian guides who have taken care of us along the way and we rejoined Victor on his bus for the two-hour ride back to Quito. The afternoon was spent relaxing in the hotel and I'll say the cold plunge felt better than ever. Today, most folks head back to the United States to regale their families with stories from another successful climbing trip.

Thank you all for following along and consider joining us next year!

RMI Guide Dustin Wittmier

Our rest day at Casa Ilayaku was just that, restful. For most people, reading was the main source of entertainment. We are also close enough to town that some folks made a trip into town to kill some time and do a little shopping. Avery and I went to a climbing gym and funny enough the only other two people there when we arrived were two of our local guides from Cayambe, Fatima and Fernando.

Casa Ilayaku is a wonderfully relaxing hacienda. It is modern, but built on what used to be the owner's grandfather's farmland. Due to this, much of the food served here is very local, sometimes even from the garden. Fresh avocados, tree tomatoes and a variety of other vegetables are grown right here on the property. The owner, Marco, comes from a family of farmers so even the coffee they serve is grown and roasted by his family, just outside of Cayambe. Mountaineering is hard, but the hacienda life is pretty easy. The contrast between the two activities really makes these trips special.

But hey, we can't just live at Marco's place forever. This morning we will head for Antisana basecamp, which is basically just us setting up tents in the paramo (the Spanish word for a high, treeless plateau). The camp is incredible, looking down there are long-reaching views through the grasslands and an about face reveals a huge, glaciated mountain. Antisana is broad, the glaciers are heavily crevassed and it is truly a wild place. For the last time on this trip, we hold out hope for one more night of good climbing weather!

RMI Guide Dustin Wittmier

Cayambe Summit!

We topped out today at about 6:30am, to clear skies and views of the erupting Reventador and Cotopaxi. The climbing route was in great shape, due to the past several days of dry weather.

We are now settled in at Casa Ilayaku, a beautiful farmhouse outside of Quito. Tomorrow is a well-deserved rest day before heading for Antisana. Thanks for following along!

RMI Guide Dustin Wittmier

Sunday, January 29, 2023 - 10:26 pm PT

This morning we made our way up to the glacier under clear skies and moderate winds. We had a quick refresher on basic snow and glacier climbing principles and throughout the weather turned nicer.

A quick jaunt back down to the refuge was followed by most people squeezing a short nap, which was useful given we just woke up at 11pm. We’re now halfway to our first break, trying to wipe the cold from our eyes and get the engines running.

Tonight we try hard.

RMI Guide Dustin Wittmier

A leisurely morning at La Casa Sol was in order following yesterday. Particularly for Andrew, who in the bus to taxi switch before hiking Fuya Fuya, forgot to grab hiking shoes. He sent Fuya Fuya, in sandals, and with minimal issue. Jaime and I also got ourselves into a dizzying misadventure in our attempt to hike a lesser known mountain near Otavalo. It turned into us driving windy roads through the Ecuadorian countryside and running out of time to summit before dinner. We did however get some great views of Cayambe and a huge mushroom cloud over the erupting Volcán Reventador. 

After copious cups of coffee and tea, we headed for the Otavalo Market. On Saturdays, the market is bustling and extends beyond the normal square where it is held. Sensory overload is real there: colorful textiles, yelling merchants, loud music, food cooking over coals and so on. I typically choose to sneak into an alley and enjoy my favorite coffee I have found in Ecuador at a little shop called Tayta Wasi. After a couple hours, we hopped back in the bus and headed for the town of Cayambe. Once there, we enjoyed a quick lunch with complimentary bizcochos, which are basically the driest butter biscuit you can imagine. Their popularity as a staple food in this region continues to baffle me.

Finally, we made our way towards the volcano and are now settled in at the refuge. Book reading, organizing, gear adjustments and heavy breathing were the afternoon’s activities. Tomorrow we will brush up on basic glacier travel skills before our first big objective of the trip, Volcán Cayambe.

RMI Guide Dustin Wittmier

Today was our second acclimatization hike and a travel day as well. It was another perfectly clear day, about as nice as I have seen here. There is a bit of a haze in the valleys from eruptions and perhaps a bit of an inversion. Despite the haze, we were treated to views of Cayambe all day, from a variety of angles.

We are now relaxing at La Casa Sol and mentally relaxing, with our harder objectives lying ahead. Now we just hope this dry weather doesn’t run out for Cayambe and Antisana!

RMI Guide Dustin Wittmier

As our first real warmup, the team hiked Rucu Pichincha today. Of all my times on this peak, today was by far the clearest. We were able to identify numerous big mountains once we got off the Teleferico (gondola): Cayambe, Antisana, Sincholagua, Cotopaxi, Rumiñahui, Chimborazo, Iliniza Sur and Iliniza Norte. Being such a clear day also meant we did not get rained on to end the hike nor have to slip around on the muddy trails following a rain event.

We have been happy to be in Quito, adjusting to life in Ecuador, but are now ready to venture into the countryside. Tomorrow, we head for our second acclimatization hike on Fuya Fuya and will stay the night at La Casa Sol, just outside of Otavalo.

RMI Guide Dustin Wittmier