Chimborazo Summit!
We have now traveled much of Ecuador’s “Avenue of Volcanoes”, visiting some of the highest mountains in this country and having the fortune to stand on top of a few:
Rucu Pichincha (15,354′) – A warm-up hike that often sets a new altitude record for someone on the team
Cerro Fuya Fuya (14,039′) – The first agenda item after leaving Quito, another acclimatization hike
Cayambe (18,996′) – Wow, the weather almost stopped us and we were the only team to summit that day
Chimborazo (20,561′) – A perfect sunrise summit this morning
Tonight, we find ourselves in the city of Riobamba, recovering from a third alpine start within a two-week vacation. As it turns out, even with built-in rest days, that is a demanding schedule. On top of climbing, there are the long bus rides and the never-ending duffel shuffle. Every member of the team has two large duffels full of mountaineering gear and general travel items that are continuously being unpacked, repacked and subsequently toted around. Hacienda and hotel staff always get a chuckle when they see how much stuff we have.
As for last night’s climb, the weather worked out perfectly. It has been several days of wind and humidity on Chimborazo, which has been regularly stymying climbing parties’ attempts. Even yesterday, right as we arrived at camp the clouds moved in and there was hail off and on for a couple of hours. However, in the late evening the sky cleared and it was a calm, clear night and morning. It was the perfect way to cap a trip that saw us turn around on Antisana for some pretty intense weather. We can go home with a couple big summits and start thinking about our next trips!
RMI Guide Dustin Wittmier
