Entries By steve gately
January 31, 2017
Posted by: Nick Hunt, Steve Gately
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Ecuador
Elevation: 13,400'
Greetings once more from Ecuador!
Today was what climbers like to call an "active rest day". After our successful summit of Cayambe yesterday, our bodies need some time to recover and prepare for our next objective. But rather than just napping all day, we took the opportunity to exercise our minds and learn a few new technical skills.
We moved this morning from the hacienda to our Base Camp for Antisana, where we pitched a bunch of tents in the rolling meadows at the base of the peak. After a little bit of afternoon napping, we donned our thinking caps and filled the evening hours refreshing our knowledge on knots and practiced a crevasse rescue scenario around camp. This was followed by an incredible pasta dinner cooked by fellow guide Steve Gately. If he wasn't such a good guide, he'd make a pretty good chef!
With full bellies, we crawled in to our sleeping bags to get another good night of rest. Tomorrow morning we'll head out to the toe of Antisana's glaciers for more training in the field.
Stay tuned for updates tomorrow as we prepare for our second summit attempt!
Until then,
RMI Guides Nick Hunt and Steve Gately, and the rest of the Ecuador Team
January 30, 2017
Posted by: Nick Hunt, Steve Gately
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Ecuador
Elevation: 18,997'
Cumbre! Today we successfully summited Cayambe, our first big objective of this seminar.
We woke up this morning (last night?) at 11PM and were greeted with the closest thing to ideal climbing conditions: clear skies, no wind, and cool temperatures. Whatever sacrifices were made to the weather gods last night clearly worked out for us!
After a quick breakfast in the hut, we geared up, turned on the headlamps, and began our long day of climbing. We started our climb with about an hour of scrambling over rocky terrain, making our way to the toe of the glacier. Once there, we donned our crampons, ice axes and climbing ropes to begin the technical climbing. Unlike most mountaineering routes in the United States that utilize many switchbacks to ease the pain of ascending steep slopes, the route on Cayambe is fairly direct, cutting straight up "the gut" of the slopes. You gain altitude quicker, but the climbing is bit more strenuous.
Our team persevered, however, and as we neared the summit ridge, we were ready to tackle the crux of this climb: a steep, exposed traverse through a maze of seracs and crevasses. Although the traverse is relatively short, gaining roughly 200 feet of vertical elevation, managing that type of terrain at 18,800' above sea level is never easy. This team handled it in good style, though, and we gained the summit ridge just after sunrise this morning, giving us stunning views of Antisana, Cotopaxi, and Chimborazo as we walked the final 15 minutes along the ridge to the summit of Cayambe.
We successfully made our way down, and we are now relaxing at the oldest hacienda in Ecuador, giving our bodies a chance to recover as we prepare to move tomorrow to the base camp of Antisana, our second objective of this trip. I'm sure the entire team is looking forward to a good night's sleep tonight!
Until tomorrow,
RMI Guides Nick Hunt and Steve Gately, and the rest of the Ecuador team
On The Map
January 29, 2017
Posted by: Nick Hunt, Steve Gately
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Ecuador
Elevation: 15,300'
Winds plagued the mountain throughout the night, but luckily our hut kept us fairly sheltered from the raucous. The winds persisted through the morning with off and on showers as we enjoyed our breakfast of scrambled eggs, yogurt and granola. With the weather not letting up we opted to do some training inside our hut in hopes that it would dry out later and we would be able to to move up to the glacier for more training. We spent a few hours discussing anchor building and construction. The team enjoyed getting hands on and nerding out some of the more technical aspects.
Just as we had begun our second topic the skies cleared a bit and the sun popped out! We opted to gather our things, take advantage of the nicer weather and head up to the glacier for more training.
The climb up to the glacier takes about an hour and meanders its way through loose talus, sand and a few rocky steps. The wind persisted through this area and kept the temperatures cool. Once to the glacier we spent the next few hours discussing and practicing efficient walking techniques, cramponing, team and self arrest, as well as rope travel on a glacier. The winds died down shortly into our first topics and we were glad to stay warm and dry for the remainder of the session.
We started back down at around 1:30pm in hopes to get back early to rest and relax before dinner at 5:30PM. The rain has returned since our arrival back to camp and we'll meet in a moment to discuss our summit attempt tomorrow morning! The team is excited and anxious for the challenge of their first volcano of the trip, Cayambe! It's not uncommon to get afternoon rains here so we're optimistic things should clear overnight, pray to the weather gods for us. Thanks for following along!
RMI Guide Steve Gately
January 28, 2017
Posted by: Nick Hunt, Steve Gately
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Ecuador
Elevation: 15,300'
Hello again,
This is the Ecuador team checking in from 15,300' on Cayambe. We have successfully made the transition from comfortable city living to our slightly less glamorous base camp, and our excitement continues to grow. Through gaps in the clouds, we are finally able to catch a few glimpses of what lies ahead, with the summit looking as good as ever!
Before heading uphill this morning, we were able to enjoy a little more of a relaxed start. We slept in a bit, partook in some fantastically hot showers, ate a good breakfast, and headed in to the Otavalo market. This market is the largest market of its kind in Ecuador, offering miles (literally) of artisanal souvenirs: paintings, textiles, wood carvings, clothing, you name it. It can almost be a bit of sensory overload when you first step in, with the endless stalls of crafts and cuisine. Our team did an admirable job of filling the extra space in the duffels with goodies!
When its all said and done, though, we were ready to move on and head to the hills. The real work starts tomorrow, so the evening tonight is all about taking it easy. We are just about to head in for a nice hot meal and then prepare for our mountaineering skills refresher course tomorrow.
Until then,
RMI Guides Nick Hunt, Steve Gately, and the rest of the RMI team
On The Map
nice friends speak spanish add on facebook profile samanta romeo mail .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Posted by: samanta on 6/1/2017 at 2:16 am
January 26, 2017
Posted by: Nick Hunt, Steve Gately
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Ecuador
Elevation: 15,700'
This morning the team woke again in Quito, had a short breakfast provided by the Hotel Mercure Alameda and meet in the lobby at 8:30AM. Today's agenda took us a short distance from downtown to the Quito Teleferico where we would take the Gondola to 13,200ft and begin our acclimatization hike to the summit of Rucu Pichincha. The old extinct volcano sits at a height of 15,700ft and offers an excellent opportunity for our team to begin its acclimatization.Â
The acclimatization process consists of climbing to a higher elevation, in our case 15,700ft and only spending a short amount of time there. This provokes the body into producing more blood red cells to help carry more oxygen throughout the body. We then return to a lower elevation to sleep in order to recover and allow our bodies time to readjust.Â
The day started off slightly overcast with a few sprinkles but by the time we made it to the top of the gondola the weather was dry and cool. Perfect for hiking! We enjoyed a short glimpse at the Northwestern flanks of the stratovolcano Cotopaxi, which is still currently closed to climbing due to recent activity. The trail takes us over rolling terrain and a few short but exciting easy rock steps before climbing moderately to its summit block. From there the trail dissipates and we begin picking the path of least resistance through blocky terrain. At this time the clouds descending upon us and a light rain began falling. We summitted Rucu Pichincha at around noon in a white out.
The team did fantastic with the new altitude and enjoyed getting out of the city, seeing more of the country and stretching the legs. We're now back from dinner feeling a little guilty about the amount of pizza we just all consumed and are looking forward to some sleep. Tomorrow takes us a few hours out of the city where we will enjoy another acclimatization hike up Fuya Fuya (13,980ft) and a night in the city of Cayambe.Â
Thanks for following along. Stay tuned for more!
RMI Guide Steve Gately
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TED PORTER!
Posted by: Denise reynolds on 1/27/2017 at 9:56 am
Safe and happy on your first ascent! Great job!
Posted by: Denise Reynolds on 1/27/2017 at 9:54 am
January 25, 2017
Posted by: Nick Hunt, Steve Gately
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Ecuador
Elevation: 9,350'
Hello from the middle of the world!
Our Expedition Skills Seminar in Ecuador is now officially underway! Despite most of the team arriving to the hotel after midnight last night, everybody was excited and eager to kick off our program this morning. All of the people made it, all of the luggage made it... I'd say we're off to a great start!
After only a few hours of sleep last night, we all gathered in the hotel lobby at 8am this morning after breakfast for our first of many team meetings of the trip. Introductions were made and travel tips were shared, and before we knew it, we were all sitting on a bus beginning an incredible tour of the city.
Our first stop was at Independence Square, home to the Presidential Palace of Ecuador. Unlike the overwhelming security of our White House, we were able to coax the guards in to letting us walk behind the fences and steal a look in to the main courtyard of the palace, the political center of the country. After waving goodbye to the President (not really), we continued on our way to one of the most beautiful churches in the country: La Compañia.
Taking over 150 years to complete, La Compañia is a Jesuit church finished in 1765. It offers a good a good demonstration of various architectural styles, including Baroque, Moorish, and Neoclassical construction styles. Its other claim to fame is the fact that its interior is almost completely covered in gold foil!
Our tour then took us from the modern part of the city to the early, colonial districts of the city. By driving to the top of El Panecillo and visiting Quito's Virgin (a 45 meter tall statue overlooking the city), we were able to get great views of the entire expanse of the city. Cloudy skies prevented us from getting our first glimpses of our climbing objectives, but we were happy to be staying dry.
Our final stop of the tour took us to the equator, where we explored an interactive museum demonstrating some of the unique properties of life at 0 degree latitude. Only a few of us were able to balance an egg on the head of a nail, but I still have high hopes for this team...
Now, back at the hotel, our mission is simple: kick back, relax, and catch up on some much needed sleep. We'll be stretching our legs tomorrow on our first acclimatization hike of the trip, but until then, it's time to get some shut eye.
Until tomorrow,
RMI Guides Nick Hunt and Steve Gately, and the rest of the team
Your team photo sure shows a good looking group of people! Y’all have a great time and be safe…..I need my husband back in one piece please. Prayers and hugs from Bailey’s Prairie, Texas - Lisa Outterson
Posted by: Lisa Outterson on 1/26/2017 at 11:56 am
Happy to hear everyone made it okay. Make sure to give that Ted Porter a hard time on his 4-0 birthday! Be safe and have an amazing time! Looking forward to the updates. Love, Stephanie Areen
Posted by: Stephanie Areen on 1/26/2017 at 7:25 am
December 31, 2016
Posted by: Steve Gately, Hannah McGowan
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Aconcagua
Our last night at Las Lenas we didn't use tents. After our asado we simply rolled pads out onto the ground and spent the night under the stars as they say. With the moon unable to be seen that night the star show was one of the best I've seen. The next morning we trekked the last four hours out of the Vacas Valley back to Los Penitentes. We meet the second RMI Expedition lead by Mike King and JM Gorum getting their gear prepared for the walk into the Vacas Valley the following day. We stopped at the Estancia de Elias and ordered 40 Empanadas to go for the remainder of our drive back to Mendoza. Once we arrived to the hotel we all split, took the famed first shower after a long expedition and met in the hotel lobby at 8:30 to walk to dinner. We made reservations at a famous Italian restaurant in the city called Francesco's. The owner of the establishment Maria Teresa, pushing into her 90's still works at the restaurant making pasta from scratch. We all enjoyed a magnificent dinner and celebrated a wonderful and safe trip into the heart of the Andes and the roof of South America. This will be the last blog of the trip. Thanks to everyone for following along. We had an amazing group of climbers and I look forward to hopefully climbing with all of them again in the future. Muchas Gracias, hasta luego!
RMI Guide Steve Gately
Sounds like quite an adventure! We can’t wait to hear all about it Boyd! Thankful you and your team returned safe and sound. I can’t even imagine a trek like that. Impressive!! Happy New Year !!!
Posted by: Linda & Pete on 1/1/2017 at 3:30 pm
Steve, Thanks for bringing everyone back safely!
Posted by: Peggy on 12/31/2016 at 7:51 pm
December 29, 2016
Posted by: Steve Gately, Hannah McGowan
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Aconcagua
Elevation: 9,000'
This morning we woke before the sun hit basecamp, had a simple breakfast of oatmeal and prepared our duffels once again to survive the journey on the back of a pack animal. The trek to Las Leñas is a long one, taking around seven hours, most of which is in a hot, shadeless landscape. Upon our arrival we took a few minutes to arrange an area to sleep and then gathered around the fire the Arrieros prepared to cook our asado for the evening. We enjoyed carne and vegetables cooked over open flame along with a few bottles of Malbec that we had carried in to celebrate the trip. Tomorrow, four hours of trekking brings us out of the Vacas Valley and back to Los Penitentes where we will meet our transfer back to Mendoza!
RMI Guide Steve Gately
Wow what an adventure of a lifetime. What great experience and all returned safely. Will want to hear all the stories when you are back in Denver, Boyd.
Posted by: Pam on 12/31/2016 at 10:28 am
So glad Boyd and the team are safe have a safe trip home Boyd!!
Brenda J
Posted by: Brenda on 12/31/2016 at 7:10 am
December 28, 2016
Posted by: Steve Gately, Hannah McGowan
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Aconcagua
Elevation: 13,800'
A little snow was falling after dinner last night but this morning the skies were clear. We began breaking down camp and enjoying our last views from 18,000 ft. The team was excited for the thicker air of basecamp at 14,000ft. Thicker air at 14,000ft!!?? Well acclimatized after a long expedition the air at 14,000ft feels like we're at sea level as it's nice to finally be able to fill the lungs each breathe. Our decent went smooth without any hiccups and we were welcomed at Base Camp with sweet bread and juice by our staff. The team spent the afternoon reminiscing and revisiting memories of our trip. After a big dinner we were all ready for bed. Tomorrow we make the long trek back down the Vacas Valley to our first camp of the entire trip, Las Lénas, where we'll enjoy a carne asado prepared by our Arrieros and a night under the stars.
RMI Guide Steve Gately
On The Map
December 27, 2016
Posted by: Steve Gately, Hannah McGowan
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Aconcagua
Elevation: 18,000'
The team is all back at Camp II safe and sound. Today was a very demanding day. I was up at 2am this morning checking the weather and temperature every 30 minutes looking for clear skies and moderate temperatures. I woke the team up at 4:30am. An hour later we were off on our way. Attempting a summit from Camp II is an extremely ambitious endeavor and the pace needed to be kept in order to be successful would daunt even the fittest of athletes. We gave it our best try and despite valiant efforts our pace fell short of what was needed to climb safely. On top of that the recent wind and snow events created steep, firm slopes of wind deposited snow. Imagine a 6,000ft+ snow slide at 45 degrees. We encountered these slopes at roughly 21,500ft and decided the risk was not worth the reward! All in all a tough day, mentally and physically. But that's exactly why we take on adventures like these, to test ourselves mentally and physically. To me, any expedition that returns with climbers safe and sound is a success for me. You get used to days like this the longer your mountaineering career. It's important to remember that the substance of experience lies in the in betweens, not the ends. A lesson that us climbers have to learn quickly! We'll spend one more night here at Camp II then descend to basecamp tomorrow to get organized for our trek out of the Vacas Valley. We'll post a couple more blogs during our descent. As always thanks for following! What a wild ride it's been!
RMI Guide Steve Gately
I love the comment that the heights of this experience are in the ‘in betweens’. That makes such sense! What a feat - just so incredible. So very proud of your effort and it is not over yet! We all await your return and the stories thereof. Safe travels home!
Posted by: Patty and Brian McConaty on 12/28/2016 at 9:26 am
WOW!!!!! 21,500 feet…..what a terrific accomplishment! We can’t wait to hear all about it! Safe travels back!
Posted by: John on 12/27/2016 at 7:57 pm
I am ecstatic to read this news this morning! Congrats to everyone, and sincere thank yo to the weather gods!
Posted by: Denise reynolds on 1/31/2017 at 8:20 am
Nice work ! Congrats Nick and team !
Posted by: Jim Nixon on 1/30/2017 at 8:26 pm
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