Wednesday, December 4, 2019

2019 Ecuador Cotopaxi Skills and Chimborazo Expedition (Trip 12: Nov. 30 - Dec. 14, 2019) Dispatch 1

Ecuador High Altitude Trip Report

Guide: Jose Salazar

Climbers: Jeremy B., Ian B., Anthony Q., Samantha D., Matt B., John C., and Christopher A.

December 2, 2019

Jose called today and invited John to give the dispatch for the group. Here are John's comments:

A few things really stand out to me so far about the trip.

First, Jose is clearly very focussed on safety. Both in our orientation and on today's hike, he had a lot of comments pertaining to safety that were very helpful for everyone. I should add, he was equally focussed on making sure we had fun on our hike. It was great.

Second, his communication skills are excellent. His history talk during the city tour was very good, and today he identified many of the different plants we saw on the acclimatization hike.

Finally, though we haven't started climbing yet, I can already tell he is going to be a good mentor. He appears to have a wealth of knowledge, and he has already begun sharing fundamental ideas on climbing as well as some technical aspects. I look forward to learning more through the coming days. 

We hiked Cerro Pasochoa today [4199 m/13,776 ft] as the first acclimatization hike of the trip. We all have been adjusting well to the altitude, and everyone was feeling good on this hike, so after summiting, we also did a second peak nearby which was my favorite part of the day because the vegetation was so different. I would call it a beautiful jungle environment with lots of flowers in bloom. I was really surprised.

So all is going well, and we are all really glad to be here. We will keep you posted!



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