Summit Part II

Wes said they left for the summit this morning at 12:30 am. He said it was pretty challenging. They had to meander through a lot of crevasses and some of them were really huge - you could fit a mobile home in them! He said you couldn't even see the bottom of a lot of the crevasses. There were also a few snow bridges to cross. This was kind of creepy because as they crossed over they couldn't see to the bottom of the crevasse and weren't sure if some of them would hold. As they got closer to the summit they came upon a section where they had to use their ice axe and the tips of their crampons to climb up - it was that steep. They summited at about 7:00 a.m. Wes and Curtis were the only two people up there. Wes said he thinks about four people summited yesterday. He said the weather was great - not too windy, the clouds were all below them, and it wasn't too cold, maybe around 10 degrees. He took a cool picture of the shadow of the mountain that looked like a pyramid. The guys got back to the hut around 9:30 am. Freddy came and picked them up at noon and they got back to Quito at about 3:30 pm. They rested for a little bit and then went out for steaks! Tomorrow they plan on relaxing and enjoying their last day in Quito (although Wes said he is ready to leave because his allergies have been so bad there). Their flight leaves at 12:20 am on Saturday morning but they have to be at the airport three hours early to go through customs (so they will be there at 9:30 pm tomorrow night). They also have to pay $40 each to leave the country. Wes said they had a lot of fun climbing and it was a great trip!

Summit!!!!!

By the pictures posted on the web, Wes and Curtis must have summited Cotopaxi this morning! I will write a more complete update (or Wes will) tonight when I hear from him.

At Cotopaxi Hut

Wes and Curtis are at the climbers' hut on Cotopaxi. They are at about 16,100 feet. They got picked up by Freddy at 10 am. A Russian guy rode up with them. Wes thought he was rude because he kept complaining the whole time about the crime in Quito, etc. It was also making Freddy angry since this is his country. He was defending it saying it is a big city and you can get mugged in New York, Mexico, etc. They got to see a llama on the drive up. Also, the land is pretty fertile so there were a lot of corn crops but primarily potatoes. He said it was very pretty. Freddy took them to about 15,000 feet and then they had to hike the rest of way up to the hut. Wes said it took them about 45 minutes. They got up to the hut at about 3 pm. On the way it kind of sleeted a little bit but stopped pretty quickly. Then the clouds would come and go but it isn't too bad up there right now. Wes said the hut on Cotopaxi is pretty nice. He thinks it is nicer than Cayambe. The bathroom is a separate structure about 40 feet from the main hut. The toilets at this hut do not actually flush. It is what they call a bucket flush toilet. So, you do your thing and when you are done you put the toilet paper in a trash basket. Then you scoop out a bucket of water from a large drum and toss the water into the bowl and that "flushes" it. Wes said that he and Curtis just took it easy for the rest of the day. There are about 10 other climbers at the hut. This one guided group is going for the summit tonight. They only spent one night at 12,000 feet and now are planning on going to over 19,000 feet in a day! This German guy in his early 20s was complaining to Wes about having a severe headache. Wes advised him not to go any higher in elevation since the group wasn't really acclimated and it would be pretty dangerous. Not sure if the guy will listen to Wes or not. There is also a young couple from the UK. Wes said they are about 21 years of age. He said they rented all their clothing and equipment and have never used them before! He doesn't understand these people who think they can just climb a mountain without ever having climbed one before or even training for it. Anyway, the guy comes up to Wes and asks him what country he is from. Wes says the United States. The guy looks at him and then makes a thumbs down motion and boos him! The guy's girlfriend was angry and told him he was being really rude. Wes didn't stoop to his level, he just introduced himself and said he was proud to be an American! Right now Wes said everyone is asleep. He is outside taking pictures. There is a fox that keeps hanging around him. He comes right up to Wes! He is foraging for food or something but is not scared of Wes at all. He said the clouds are all below him and he can see a reddish glow in the distance which is Quito. There is a half moon highlighting Cotopaxi which is really cool. Both guys are feeling really good. They actually contemplated going for the summit tonight but decided since they aren't in any hurry they will stick with the original plan. Tomorrow they will take it easy and do a short hike on the trail to see where they will be heading. Then tomorrow night they will again get up at 11 pm to be on the trail by midnight for their summit push.

More news from Quito...

Wes and Curtis will be picked up at 10 am tomorrow morning for their trip to Cotopaxi. After doing some shopping today they took a cab over to the basilica. Wes said it reminded him of some of the churches in Italy. He said there was a lady outside the basilica selling corn. Wes didn't want any corn but he gave the lady a $1. She looked really confused as to why he was giving her money but didn't take any corn - so then he took a picture of her which made her even more confused. The main currency there is the US dollar. They do have their own currency that are coins but it you give them a $20 and need change it will come back to you in US dollars. They did get a bunch of coins but it turned out to be US dollar coins. The ones with Sacajawea on the back. Wes and Curtis also took a very long hike up to the top of this hill. It took them about 40 minutes to get to the top and it was made up of all stairs and narrow passageways. At the top is a statue of the Virgin Mary. There was also this chicken wire structure in the shape of a donkey. He thinks it is lit up at night or something. Wes said the steps up to the top of the hill reminded him a little bit of the streets of San Francisco - what with the human feces and all! Wes' allergies have really kicked in due to all the diesel fumes in the city. They will spend tomorrow hanging out at the Cotopaxi climbers' hut.

Resting in Quito

Today we are resting comfortably in Quito with scattered clouds slowly building in the horizon. Of course the temperature is perfect as usual and a lot of hustle and bustle throughout the city streets. I'm expecting some light showers similar to yesterday afternoon's cleansing of the diesel fume that saturated the Quito air. After breakfast we casually walked the streets aimlessly with no real goal, but ended up impulse shopping on a few items. The rope we were originally using is about twice as long and twice as hefty as needed so we decided to purchase a smaller diameter and a much shorter rope for our upcoming climb on Cotopaxi. Besides, the bright fluorescent green looks cool. Looking cool seems to be about 9/10's of climbing. The remaining 10th is feeling miserable at altitude asking yourself again and again, "Why did I choose this as a sport?" There is a local laundry shop about 100 meters from where we are staying so we decided to have a few of our clothing items cleaned from our first adventure, climbing Cayambe. The rest of the day we will be unpacking and repacking getting ready for our 2 1/2 hour drive to Cotopaxi. I'm wondering if 2 1/2 hours translates into 4-5 hours?

Made it to 17,800 feet

Wes and Curtis are back in Quito safe and sound. They got up last night at 11 pm and were on the trail by midnight. The weather was very calm, no wind and a small moon. However, apparently the mountain is not letting anyone summit this season. The bergschrund was way too big to try and cross. They saw some other guided groups up there trying to figure out how to cross it but couldn't find a way either. Wes said they were supposed to stay to the far left on the trail but for some reason they went to the far right and were in the middle of all these crevasses and seracs. He said it was very cool but dangerous. Curtis ended up falling into a crevasse up to his knees but he made it out okay. They got as high as 17,800 feet at the bergschrund and that is where they had to turn around. All the other groups turned around there, too. They made it back to the hut at 10:30 this morning. The guide that drove them back to Quito said that no one has summited Cayambe for awhile. He said that there was a natural snow bridge that was allowing people to cross but it collapsed about a year ago. Wes said that even though they weren't able to summit Cayambe they had a really good time on that mountain - doing the ice climbing and repelling, etc. The guys got back to Quito at about 3:30 pm and are at the Sierra Nevada Hotel. Wes said the first room they got did not have any hot water and the shower wouldn't drain. So they got another room which has two beds but is really, really tiny and they are surrounded by all their gear. He said this one doesn't have hot water either so they have to go to the front desk every time they want hot water to let them know. I guess the pilot light or something is not working. Tomorrow the guys will be resting in Quito. On Tuesday they will be driven to Cotopaxi. Wes heard that Cotopaxi has been having some really high winds lately so they will just have to see how it goes.

A Little Ice Climbing

Wes was able to go outside the hut tonight to make his phone call. He said it is very clear with no wind and he can see a ton of stars. He said the moon is reflecting off the mountain and it is pretty cool. He hopes the weather will be like this tomorrow night when they go for the summit. Curtis and Wes had a hard night last night with really bad headaches due to the altitude. However, they are feeling strong and good today. They hiked over to the base of the glacier and did some ice climbing. Curtis belayed Wes while he would climb up and set an ice screw and then clip in. Then Wes would climb a little higher and set another ice screw, etc. Then Wes belayed Curtis while he climbed up. They set up a repel station and Curtis repelled off the glacier. Wes said it was a good day. The three girls that were going for the summit last night said that it was a lot harder than they expected. They left at 11:30 pm last night and made it about halfway before they turned around. They got back to the hut at 8:30 am. A guided group from IMG got to the hut today. They have 12 climbers in their group. They are also planning on going for the summit tomorrow night. Wes said there is a bergschrund (crevasse) that has to be crossed on the way to the summit. They have to cross it on an aluminum ladder. Tomorrow they plan to take it easy, do some short hikes and maybe do some ladder work to prepare for their summit attempt. They hope to leave by midnight tomorrow to go for the summit.

At the Cayambe Hut

Wes and Curtis are at the climbers' hut on Cayambe. Wes said he was in a squat position on top of a kitchen counter with the antenna of the phone sticking out of a 1 x 1 foot window. That was the only way to get reception in the hut. He wanted to go outside but found out they were locked in! What if there was a fire or something? Wes said the elevation at the hut is actually about 14,800 feet. Freddy had told them it would take about an hour and a half to get up to the hut - that was code for four hours! They rode in an old four cylinder Land Cruiser with a leak in the right rear tire. They actually had to fill it up with air before they left. The drive up to Cayambe was pretty interesting - the road is right on the edge of a cliff and with the Land Cruiser all weighted down with their gear and six people they did not have any power at all. Wes wasn't sure the SUV would make it up the mountain! He said it was like a Go-Kart with oversized wheels. They actually rode up with three girls - two are from Germany and one is from Denmark. They have no mountaineering experience. They've never even put on crampons yet they are going for the summit tonight! I wonder how that will work out? There is also a guy from Canada staying at the hut with his guide. He is planning on staying there until Sunday or Monday and they are doing basic mountaineering skills. Not sure if he is planning on climbing to the top or not. Wes said the town of Cayambe was very small and ancient. He also mentioned that the hut is pretty decent. It is three stories. The first floor is the bathroom. They actually have toilets that flush so that is nice. There are two kitchens on the second floor. The third floor is the sleeping area. Everyone gets a cot, too. Not too shabby! Better than cramming in a two man tent. Wes said inside the hut there is a very wretched smell of diesel fumes and turpentine - you need to have a strong stomach to be able to handle the smell all night. After the guys got settled into the hut they decided to take a short hike. They climbed above the hut to about 15,800 feet. They saw a very pretty lake - Wes doesn't think it is one that you would want to drink out of though. They could also see the first part of the trail leading to the summit. The weather was decent today. It was mild, kind of warm, and breezy. The wind really picked up when the sun went down but now it has settled back down again. Tomorrow they will take it easy. They may hike over to the face of the glacier and check it out - maybe do some ice climbing.

Rucu Pichincha

Wes & Curtis finally met up with Freddy at about 2:20 pm today to make arrangements for tomorrow. During the afternoon they took the Teleferico (sky tram) up to Rucu Pichincha. This peak is about six miles from Quito and rises to 15,413 feet. The guys did a short hike up to about 14,100 feet to help them get further acclimated. It took them about two hours round trip. They then came back to Quito and had a good dinner of steak and wine. Wes said the weather is still nice and mild. Tomorrow they will be picked up at 10:00 a.m. to make the drive to the climbers' hut on Cayambe. The trip should take about an hour and a half. Depending on the conditions, they could be driven all the way up to the hut - if the conditions aren't so good they will have to do a very short hike up. The elevation at the Cayambe Hut is 15,255 feet. They plan to spend the rest of the day tomorrow taking it easy and getting used to the higher altitude.

3 Hours and Five Miles Later

It's about 1:30 P.M. and we're relaxing back in the hotel room having almost given up on buying fuel for the stove. It seemed like a simple task and something that wouldn't take more than 45 mins. After being unintentionally misled several times we finally found a store that sells white gas for camping stoves. It only took us 3 hours and roughly five miles to accomplish our mission. Each person we asked would say, "it's two blocks down this street." Apparently, directions are always given in two block increments, but always with a smile. When we got back to the hotel we had just missed Freddy, who I had made all the arrangements with via email. We asked the young lady at the desk when he might be back and the answer was first 8:00 P.M., but quickly followed-up with maybe 2:30 P.M.. So at this point we have a window of sometime between 2:30 and 8:00 P.M. Hopefully we can finalize logics this afternoon and continue with the plan of being driven to Cayambe tomorrow. In the meantime, we're just enjoying the mild weather and taking in as much of the culture as we can. It's siesta time, so how hard could that be.

And so it begins....

The adventure began this morning at 5 am with a hair raising ride to the airport! We had a severe storm with lots of thunder and lightning - can't remember the last time it thundered here. The drive to the airport was made at no more than 40 mph on the freeway in a downpour with huge waves of water washing over the car and gusts of wind blowing the car from side to side. I dropped Wes off at 5:30 am and away he went! Even though the weather was really bad the plane actually took off only a few minutes late. Wes said the flight was pretty smooth once they got out of the San Francisco area. He met up with Curtis in Atlanta and they spent about an hour and a half in the Delta Crown Room having cocktails and peanuts! Their flight to Quito, Ecuador was on time and again a smooth one with only slight bumps toward the end of the flight. They flew over Panama and said it was all lit up. They arrived in Quito at about 11:30 pm local time. Wes said from the air he could tell there were a lot of hills, peaks and valleys with lights of the cities in between. Once they arrived in Quito a guy was there waiting for them with a sign saying "Lamberg." All of their luggage made it with no problem. They had to go through customs and Wes said the machine looked liked a cardboard box with a conveyer belt. Their driver loaded them up in the mini van to take them to their hotel and once they arrived he asked them for a tip! People usually aren't so forward as to directly ask for a tip but I guess he wanted to make sure he got one. The hotel they are staying at is the Sierra Nevada Hotel. Wes said they are very safe at the hotel as there are security bars on the windows below. He said the weather is very pleasant and it is about 55 degrees. Tomorrow is a rest day but they are hoping to do a small hike or something to help acclimate to this higher altitude. They are also planning on checking out Quito. A new thing for this blog is that you can track Wes and Curtis all along the way. Just click on the GPS Tracking link to the right and watch their progress!

Nothing like waiting to the last minute to pack. Everything is tucked away and ready for travel. Tomorrow should be nothing less than long and torturous. First flying to Atlanta, Georgia where I'll meet up with Curtis and then departing for Ecuador at 5:55 P.M. landing at 11:25 P.M. Nothing really on the agenda for Wednesday, but we're hoping to do a little hiking to get ready for base camp at Cayambe's Hut. Quito has an elevation of about 9,300 ft and the hut that we'll be driven to is a little over 15,000 ft. That's a lot of elevation to cover in just a couple days, but luckily we're planning a couple days at the hut before making a summit attempt. We'll do some route finding during the day and maybe place some markers. When we go for the summit most of it will be under the cover of darkness until we reach the summit. That should allow for more stable conditions when traversing through a "yard sale" of crevasses and seracs. Now if we can just have the weather cooperate we'll be in business.

Crunch Time!

Now it's time for deciding on number of batteries to bring, are the GPS maps detailed enough, and re-establishing contacts with those that will make the trip possible. Today should be both a struggle and fun all at the same time. Shopping for junk food is easy, but having the strength not to dive in and sample is where the struggle begins. How I love to eat.

I'm always amazed when shopping at REI. You go in with the intent of purchasing a couple items, and next you're in line staring at the cash register wondering how did this happen. How did a couple items turn into a huge pile of dust collecting trophies hidden away behind a dresser or under a bed?