Friday, December 8, 2023
“I don’t know where I’m a gonna go when the volcano blow”
-The Late Great Jimmy Buffett
Well thankfully the volcano known as Cayambe did now blow today but it was in fact summitted by members of Team Cuy Frito! We rose early (11pm if you can call that early) to put the final touches on our gear organization and scarf down a little “breakfast” before heading out onto the mountain to make our summit attempt. Skies were cloudy with some light wind but spirits were high as we started our ascent via headlamp. As we continued to climb, the wind increased and as we climbed up into the clouds we found ourselves covered in ice but the team remained strong and continued all the way up to the top at 18,996 feet. I could not be more proud of how the team battled some less than ideal conditions to end up on the summit. We returned back to the high hut for a more traditional breakfast and treated ourselves to celebratory lunch before ending our day at the Casa Ilayaku Hacienda, where we will be relaxing and recovering before our final objective of the trip, the volcano Antisana. Something tells me we will all be sleeping well tonight, we have certainly earned it. Hope all is well back at home and we appreciate your support!
RMI Guides Dustin Wittmier & Michael Murray