Ecuador High Altitude Expedition: Dispatch 3

Ecuador High Altitude Expedition: November 26- Dec 10, 2010Guide: Pepe LandazuriClimbers: Diane Evans, Robert Krueger, Timothy Pattee, John Stephenson, Scott Curtis.
Pepe called Monday at 5:55pm Ecuador and Eastern time.
“Hello again!  Yesterday we hiked up to 4700 meters on the Illinizas and everyone did well.  This is a  strong group of hikers.
After the hiking, we returned to Quito for the night.  It rained during the day, and we got pretty damp, so it was nice to dry out at the hotel.  Today we drove up to Hacienda Guachala below Cayambe and did some more hiking, this time up to the hut at 4600 meters.  We are spending the night at the hacienda – it’s very comfortable! – and tomorrow we will move up to the hut on Cayambe and stay there.
Today the weather was nice and sunny and the mountain was very clear.  It’s a beautiful mountain, and we all enjoyed the views.  We especially appreciate it after having cloudy weather.
 It has actually been very fortunate for us that there was stormy weather this past week.  There’s been a lot of new snow in the mountains, and it may be enough to put Chimborazo (above) in really good shape for us.  It has been icy again lately, and it needs this periodic refreshment to make the climb possible.  So the timing could be very good for us.
Tomorrow we will go back to the Cayambe hut and then take a hike up to about 4900 meters.  That should be good for pushing the acclimatization just a little more.  In the afternoon we will review some climbing and glacier travel technique at the hut.
OK – we’ll call from the hut tomorrow and let you know how we are doing.”