Ecuador High Altitude Expedition:
Dec 17-31, 2010
Climbers: Tim Turay, Kat Lange, Stuart Lowden, Tamsin Ainscow, Ahmad Baasiri, John Davis, and Ruth Hartmann.
Lead Guide: Pepe Landazuri
Pepe called with this great news:
Hello! Good morning. This is Pepe calling from the summit of Cayembe. We are above the clouds enjoying the view. We arrived at 6:30 in the morning! We left at midnight, so we made great time. [Antisana to the south of Cayambe poking above the clouds]
[because of poor transmission quality, it was hard to tell if everyone summited; it sounded like everyone did, with one team descending before the others, but the transcriber is not certain]
Ruth wants to get on the phone:
‘We just made it to the summit. I almost cried when I made it, but I was laughing hysterically! It is absolutely beautiful. We can see all the volcanoes peaking above the clouds that surround us. I am so happy I made it to the summit. Really exciting! We’re really tired and can’t wait to go down now. Hello to my friends and family. I miss everybody. I’m going to come back with lots of pictures and stories. I’m really, really, happy right now.’
John wants to leave a message:
Hello, this is John! Sending my love to my friends and family. Think of you ALWAYS. We’re on the top of Cayambe, and it’s absolutely beautiful. It was a very hard but beautiful climb. We can see Antisana, Cotopaxi, and Chimborazo in the distance. It’s a fantastic day. Now we’re looking forward to getting down and resting.
This is Pepe again, we’ll call again soon!!!”
[Afternoon clearing]