Ecuador Expedition: January 3 - January 17, 2014
Guides: Jose (Pepe) Landazuri
Climbers: Charles P., Fred E., Donna M., and Andy O.
Pepe call at 8:52 pm on January 10th with the following update 10
Today we we drove from Guachala about four hours to Tambopaxi. We got there around 2 pm and had lunch. We will stay here two nights which will provide very comfortable rest and maintain our acclimatization. We are just across a pretty plane from Cotopaxi. It is quite close and very beautiful.
We will climb from the parking lot instead of going up to the hut. It’s just a 30 minute hike to the hut, and it’s not a great place to be this month. The government is rebuilding it, and there aren’t any services there – even though you can sleep there.
The parking lot is 4600 meters, and we will leave from there to start the climb at 10:00pm Saturday night.
I won’t call from the mountain, but I will call from Hacienda La Cienega after the climb. We’re all doing well, and that’s the news for now.
Pepe called again Sunday night, January 12 at 7:14 pm with the following news:
We tried Cotopaxi but the snow conditions were very bad from all the recent precipitation. This is great for the health of the glaciers, but not great for our climb! The snowpack was very soft, and as we got higher the danger of avalanche increased.
We climbed to 5500 meters and everyone did a great job and was feeling good, but the snowpack was just not good enough. The weather was good – it was clear. We were happy about that!
We are at beautiful Hacienda La Cienga now, and we have decided to try Cotopaxi again tomorrow. It will be great to have another chance. This time I’ll call from the mountain if I can get a good connection. We are excited to have a second chance! That’s all for now. Talk to you soon.
Pepe call at 8:52 pm on January 10th with the following update 10
Today we we drove from Guachala about four hours to Tambopaxi. We got there around 2 pm and had lunch. We will stay here two nights which will provide very comfortable rest and maintain our acclimatization. We are just across a pretty plane from Cotopaxi. It is quite close and very beautiful.
We will climb from the parking lot instead of going up to the hut. It’s just a 30 minute hike to the hut, and it’s not a great place to be this month. The government is rebuilding it, and there aren’t any services there – even though you can sleep there.
The parking lot is 4600 meters, and we will leave from there to start the climb at 10:00pm Saturday night.
I won’t call from the mountain, but I will call from Hacienda La Cienega after the climb. We’re all doing well, and that’s the news for now.
 |
| Cotopaxi sits large on the horizon. AAI collection. |
Pepe called again Sunday night, January 12 at 7:14 pm with the following news:
We tried Cotopaxi but the snow conditions were very bad from all the recent precipitation. This is great for the health of the glaciers, but not great for our climb! The snowpack was very soft, and as we got higher the danger of avalanche increased.
We climbed to 5500 meters and everyone did a great job and was feeling good, but the snowpack was just not good enough. The weather was good – it was clear. We were happy about that!
We are at beautiful Hacienda La Cienga now, and we have decided to try Cotopaxi again tomorrow. It will be great to have another chance. This time I’ll call from the mountain if I can get a good connection. We are excited to have a second chance! That’s all for now. Talk to you soon.
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