Private Ecuador High Altitude Expedition - Dispatch #2

Private Ecuador High Altitude Expedition, Part 1

July 5th to July 14th, 2011

Climbers: Jennifer Peeks and William Barrera

Guide: Pepe Landazuri

Pepe called at 10:30 pm Ecuador time Friday, July 8^th with this dispatch:

“Hello again from Ecuador.

Today we climbed Guagua Pichincha, and Jennifer and William did great!  It was a little windy but very clear, and we had excellent views of Cayambe, Antisana, and Cotopaxi – all in a row in the eastern cordillera.  It was beautiful.

We’ve been taking lots of photos since the weather has been so cooperative – not just sunny, but the atmosphere is very clear too.

I should say – these guys are really fit and fast.  Usually when I lead climbers on Guagua Pichincha it takes at least four hours to summit.  These crazy guys did it in three.  I was very impressed!

So after the climb we drove up north to Hacienda Guachala which is on the flanks of Cayambe.  We had a great dinner, and Jennifer and William have headed off to bed.

Dinner was potato soup – a traditional colonial dish – and a big salad.  This is one of two harvest times for Ecuadorian avocados, so we’re eating lots of them.  They’re perfect.  Oh, and one of us had a frittata for dinner.  The chef at Guachala is quite good, both with fancy dishes and with simple things like we had tonight.  I should also tell you that the three of us are dinking LOTS of fresh squeezed orange juice.  They’re in harvest now too and are great.  There are two kinds here, one type grown in the jungle on the Amazon side of the mountains and the other grown in the coastal region to our west.  They are a little different from each other and both really good.

So in summary, we are eating well, feel excellent, and having a great time. 

Tomorrow we head to the Cayambe hut and for some more hiking up high.  We will call again when we can.  By for now.”