Private Ecuador High Altitude Expedition
July 5th to July 14th, 2011
Climbers: Jennifer Peeks and William Barrera
Guide: Pepe Landazuri
Pepe called at 3:50 pm Ecuador time with the following news:
“Hi! This is Pepe calling from Ecuador. I have good news for you! Today we summited Cotopaxi. As planned, we woke up at eleven pm, had some food and drink, and were climbing by midnight.
Conditions were good, and our little team was as strong as ever. We climbed to the summit in just seven hours. Jennifer and William performed wonderfully. They are really fit, and they did a great job with their alpine skills – very secure and poised all the time.
After the clear afternoon and evening, we were surprised to find that it was cloudy when we first started climbing, but the few clouds and fog cleared out gradually, and it turned into a clear and cold morning as we gradually climbed this big mountain.
We had excellent views of Ecuador’s many high peaks and of course of the summit crater.
Jennifer and William and I are very happy. Jennifer and William kept up a great pace going up and coming down, so I can say they are happy and tired.
So I am sorry to say, this is the end of our trip together. I wish we could do some more climbing, but it is time to head home. They fly home tomorrow. I have really enjoyed their company, and we have had a great time together. I would like them to come back to Ecuador again and climb the other peaks. They are calling out to this great climbing team!
OK – that’s the news. We are heading back to Quito for a final dinner. Thanks for following our trip! It was fun to know we were being followed on our hikes and climbs. Thanks!”
Quito with Cotopaxi in the distance