Ecuador High Altitude Expedition
February 18 to March 4, 2011
Climbers: Sam Kisson, Robert Gay, Tom O’Connell, Dennis Uhlir, Matt DonnellyLead Guide: Benno Schlauri Assistant Guide: Ramiro Garrido February 25, 2011
Benno called at 6:30pm Ecuador and US Eastern time with this message:
“Hello! This is Benno calling from Ecuador.
This afternoon we have been exploring Cotopaxi National Park. There are some very interesting pre-Inca sites here dating back 600-800 years. We are enjoying a taste of historyh on our climbing trip and enjoying it very much.
This morning was very clear, after raining very hard last night. At the moment we can’t see Cotopaxi, but the weather is supposed to change again so we’re not worried. I think we’ll have fresh snow on the summit of our upcoming climb.
Tomorrow, we’ll head up to the Coptopaxi hut. It will be a relatively short drive from the lodge where we are staying. Then we’ll have a hike from the vehicle to the hut that will take only about an hour. I’ll call again from there.
Thanks for all the messages on the dispatch blog. Dyan at the AAI office has read them to us. Everybody has really enjoyed getting them. It’s great hearing from family and friends back home. Thanks for the advice on drinking water. Don’t worry; we’re all drinking gallons and getting healthily waterlogged.
The next time we’ll get your messages will be on Monday, but keep sending them in the mean time. We’ll be call and leaving messages at AAI over the weekend and though the office is closed, Institute staff will retrieve them remotely and post new dispatches. So keep an eye on us! More news tomorrow. Bye for now.”
