Ecuador High Altitude Expedition and Antisana/Illiniza Expedition: Final Dispatch

Ecuador High Altitude Expedition and Antisana/Illiniza Expedition: 

Dec 17-31, 2010
High Altitude Expedition climbers: Tim Turay, Kat Lange, Stuart Lowden, Tamsin Ainscow, Ahmad Baasiri, John Davis, and Ruth Hartmann.

Illiniza / Antisana Expedition climbers: Ty Speer and Natalie Garner.

Lead Guides: Pepe Landazuri and Henry Moya

December 31, 2010. Pepe called today at 6:00pm Ecuador and US Eastern time.

After the long challenge of Chimborazo, everyone was pretty tired yesterday, but we still had the energy to do some fun things.   For example, Ruth went for a walk around the town, Tim went biking, and I walked around (and ate) with Ty, Tamsin, and Scott.  We're eating a lot right now - rebuilding of course!

Today we arrived to Quito around 11 o’clock.  By noon they were beginning to close many of the streets for the New Years Eve festivities.  Tonight there is going to be a lot going on in Quito and all of Ecuador's cities.  It's really a fun time for people.  There will tons of people in the street!  There is also a big competition with masks, costumes, and paper mache effigies, as well as games for kids and adults.  Every few blocks there will be music:  live bands playing different styles of music.  Some of our climbers will be going home pretty early tomorrow and won't be staying up very late, but some of us will be out wandering around people watching and checking out all the activities.   It's a great atmosphere so it will be a lot of fun.

I think everyone had a really good trip, and I’m sad to see the group go.  It’s been a lot of fun for me and the rest of the guides have so many people come together for these climbs.  There was great group spirit and we really enjoyed trying our best together on each of these ascents.  So now we'll have a little more visiting, some New Year's fun, and then it will be time to say good bye.  I hope we can climb together again in the future.

Everyone in the group wants to send an enthusiastic "'Happy New Year' to family and friends back home.

Happy New Year everyone!"