Entries By nick hunt
Hello again everyone!
Today the team left behind the hustle and bustle of Quito and headed just north of the Equator to the comfortable and quite rural countryside. Once outside the city the landscape quickly turns into rolling farm land with farms pitched on steep slopes and isolated eucalyptus forest. Along the way we stopped by a smaller mountain called Fuya Fuya where we stretched our legs on a acclimatization hike. Normally we like to reach the top of this mountain but cloudy skies and the occasional rain kept us off the steep and slippery upper slopes.
We are just on the outskirts of a town call Otavalo, which is known for its massive market and we are relaxing at a wonderful Hacienda called "La Casa Sol". The team is doing great and looking forward to a nice quiet night here.
RMI Guide Casey Grom and crew
On The Map
We stretched our legs today with the first acclimatization hike of our Ecuador's Volcanoes program. Despite a slow start due to weather, we were able to successfully summit Rucu Pinchincha, a 15,400' volcano in Quito's backyard. The day started off with a short taxi ride from our hotel to the base of the Teleférico, a gondola that brought the team to just above 13,000'. Upon arriving, we ducked into the upper station to wait out the clouds and moisture that seemed to be hanging in the air. We drank coffee, told stories, and used the time to get to know each other a little bit better.
Soon our waiting was rewarded with a break in the rain. Grabbing our packs, we headed out into the clouds. The views were obscured, but at least we remained dry. A three hour hike and a bit of scrambling brought us to the top, where we grabbed a couple of summit shots and prepared for our descent; we didn't stay long because the rain seemed eager to return!
Moving as a team, we made it back to the gondola in about half the time it took to go up, but not soon enough to outrun the rain. We had to shoulder our rain jackets for the last leg of our descent; thankfully the team was strong and spirits were high.
Now, back at the hotel, we're packing our duffels in preparation of our move out of Quito tomorrow morning.
Hasta mañana,
RMI Guides Nick Hunt and Casey Grom, and the rest of Team Ecuador
Hello Everyone:
All is well here in Ecuador! After some long flights and a little bit of sleep the team is doing well. We started our day with a team meeting where we did our usual round of introductions and discussed the game plan for our upcoming adventure.
After the meeting we headed out on the town to explore this beautiful historical city with our tour guide Angel. He took us to the older part of town where we visited many old churches and the president's palace that sit on the old town square. Next we headed to a small hill that overlooks the city before heading north to visit the Equator from which Ecuador gets its name.
We finished the day with a small break and then a quick gear check to make sure everyone has all the gear needed for our climbs. We then went to dinner at a nice Ecuadorian restaurant where we were joined by some good friends from back home who were here visiting on their own.
RMI Guide Casey Grom and crew
Keep the photos coming! You look like a team that will really embrace Ecuador.
Both it’s mountains and it’s people! Magical!
Regards to Sockie. “Good on ya, mate!”
Posted by: Jeff Peck on 1/25/2015 at 11:12 am
Looks like a fun time - I’m jealous and sorry that I’m not there. Casey is probably glad though! I look forward to seeing the adventure unfold.
Posted by: Happy Dancer on 1/22/2015 at 1:38 pm
January 17, 2015
Posted by: Adam Knoff, Nick Hunt
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Ecuador
Elevation: 19,348'
We are thrilled to report that today's challenging climb of Cotopaxi, elevation 19,348 feet, was a complete success! Things started off a bit shifty when more than twenty climbers and guides all prepared to begin climbing the glacier at the same time. The opening three hours of this climb are extremely steep and without any relief. Our team's strong and steady pace uphill proved their readiness both with skill and acclimatization. Despite some lessening of the slope angle, I would say this mountain takes the cake for difficulty. After an hour or so the crowds spread out and all we had to do was climb. The weather changed two or three times from steady snow fall to cold and windy to picture perfect. We could not have asked for a better day! This was truly ending on a good note.
We then packed up at Tambopaxi, ate a great lunch at an amazing road side pizza place and are now rushing for the showers at the Ancient and haunted Hosteria of La Cienega. We need to get some sleep because there is a big day of football ahead when we head back to Quito.
GO PACKERS!
RMI Guide Adam Knoff
On The Map
Congrats to Dusty and the rest of the team from sunny Carbondale! Love, prayers and safe travels to all.
Posted by: Terry Claassen on 1/18/2015 at 9:53 am
Awesome!!!! Way to go team that is truly a lifetime accomplishment!!! Or is that an accomplishment of a lifetime?
Posted by: Greg Smith on 1/17/2015 at 4:19 pm
Greetings from the beautiful Eco Lodge of Tambopaxi, located inside of Cotopaxi National Park. We are all resting nicely despite our elevation being well above 12,000 feet. In the ten days we have been in Ecuador, eight of them have been spent living or climbing above 14,000 feet so despite this lodge being higher than any staffed tourist joint in the US, we are all feeling dandy. It is amazing how after three days away from civilization the internet can trump even a shower. But now that we all got our fix, 19,400-foot Cotopaxi is taking center stage in our heads and out the window.
It is quite a quick transition from mountain to mountain but the team's successful summit of Antisana, the first by any RMI team, is proving a strong motivator to push our tired legs upward one more time. Our legs won't be the only tired things because with the famous Cotopaxi hut closed for the time being, Tambopaxi sits a short 45 minutes away from the trail head, which in turn sits a short 45-minute hike from the mountain's normal starting point so our wake up call will casually be at 9:30pm. We expect a long night and day so resting now is crucial. We will be taking dinner in an hour then getting ready for our final mountain climb. We will report tomorrow with the outcome.
Wishing all of our families and friends the best. We miss you all and look forward to coming home soon.
RMI Guide Adam Knoff
January 15, 2015
Posted by: Adam Knoff, Nick Hunt
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Ecuador
Elevation: 18,891'
Summit of Antisana! Adam Knoff and team called in to let us know they were at Antisana's Basecamp after a successful summit. They had great route conditions clear skies, stars and a beautiful moonrise. The climb was engaging with steep headwalls and crevasse crossings. The team did a fantastic job. At about 17,000ft the winds picked up and temperatures dropped enveloping the summit in a cloud layer. As the team started their descent, they broke out of the clouds. They are breaking down camp and will be taking a short walk back to the bus, which will take them to Chilcabamba Eco Lodge where the team will have well-deserved rest for the night.
RMI Guide Adam Knoff
Great job Dusty!
Posted by: Mark on 1/16/2015 at 12:22 pm
So proud of you Anne!
Posted by: JVS on 1/15/2015 at 7:27 pm
January 14, 2015
Posted by: Adam Knoff, Nick Hunt
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Ecuador
Elevation: 13,400'
Good evening, this is Adam Knoff at the Antisana Basecamp. It is 6:30 our time, which is the same as east coast time. Every one is tucked into bed after a long day of training on the glacier at the base of Antisana. The training was spectacular with crevasses and ice walls and many people ice climbed for the first time. We are now headed to bed with a wake up call roughly four hours from now at 10:30 PM. We have a long day ahead of us tomorrow and we anticipate an exciting climb. We've had views of the mountain all day and looks spectacular and we're very excited for the day to come and the climb to come tomorrow. We will keep you informed on how the climb goes and touch base tomorrow. Have a good evening. Bye.
RMI Guide Adam Knoff
RMI Guide Adam Knoff calls in from Antisana Basecamp.
January 14, 2015
Posted by: Adam Knoff, Nick Hunt
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Ecuador
Elevation: 14.400'
Hola from Antisana Base Camp,
Here at base camp, elevation 14,400 feet, the view of the mountain, stars and surrounding landscape, as declared by the entire team is purely worth the price of admission. The team is feeling great and excited to be spending our first night in tents. The team was also psyched to break in our new base camp tent. An 8 person mini hotel perfect for dinner on cold evenings. We will be training tomorrow.
Adios for now!
RMI Guide Adam Knoff & Team
Early this morning we made our summit attempt on Cayambe. Although we were unable to make it to the top, we gained some invaluable mountain experience and made many new personal high points. Spending the time at altitude will also help us be better acclimatized for our next two targets, Antisana and Cotopaxi. Just after leaving our break at 17,000 ft on Cayambe, we were faced with exceptionally high winds and freezing rain, conditions that just don't allow us to continue moving uphill safely. The decision was made to turn the entire team around descend back to the refugio (our mountain hut).
After making it back to our camp, we went right in to packing our gear and preparing for our descent. No rest for the weary! We made the short hike downhill to our waiting bus and started our journey to Termas Papallacta, a natural hot-spring resort that we called home for the evening. A nice, long soak in the hot springs does wonders for sore legs! The rest of our evening will be spent organizing and packing our gear, preparing for our move to Antisana in the morning.
Until next time,
RMI Guide Nick Hunt and team
Sorry about your summitt bid, good luck with the next one! Just catching up with your latest adventures. Stay safe, have fun and great posts. Hope you summitt the rest.
Love from cold MN! Kris, Jon and Boys
Posted by: Kris Bowditch on 1/13/2015 at 8:29 pm
January 11, 2015
Posted by: Adam Knoff, Nick Hunt
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Ecuador
Elevation: 15,300'
Hi there. This is Adam Knoff calling from the Cayambe Hut at 15,300 feet. We had an unexpected bad weather day today. We had hoped to climb to the glacier and do some training, but we were bouted by high winds, blowing raining and cold temperatures. We did manage to squeeze in a good amount of training around the hut here and the team is feeling psyched that now, this evening, the clouds departed and we have a clear view of the mountain. We are getting up in about four hours to start our climb of Cayambe at around midnight. Things are looking much better than they were earlier in the day so we are optimistic that we have a good shot at making the top. We will call tomorrow with a progress report until then, buenes noches.
RMI Guide Adam Knoff
Previous Page
Next Page
RMI Guide Adam Knoff calls in from the Cayambe Hut.
Missed the update today. Hope all is going well. Greetings to Michael.
Posted by: sesixth on 1/24/2015 at 10:34 pm
View All Comments