Ecuador Volcanoes Expedition Dispatch

November 9, 2010 – Climbing to 4800 Metres in the Rain

This is Leila Silveira reporting from Hacienda Cusin after a long day. Our goal today was to climb Imbabura. We had a 5am breakfast, quickly packed our lunches for the day in our rooms and we left the hotel at 6am. We could tell from the beginning that we were not going to have the greatest weather today; it looked like rain from the start but we knew that we had the right gear and we were prepared for whatever might happen.

The team moved really well, the bonding has started and everyone is getting along really well. Around lunch time the rain started coming in strong but we kept moving until we reached the summit around 4pm.

We had an extra guest in our group; a dog followed us all the way to the summit; of course the fact that we were giving him some treats kept him motivated.

On the way down, we fixed some lines since it was exposed and the rocks were slippery. Berg Adventures groups have always used fixed lines for descent from the top of Imbabura, but it was especially important today. David and I decided to slide down on the grass, after falling many times, it was just faster. Hugo refused that option, not wanting to get his high quality Gore Tex pants too muddy.

We got back to the bus around 8:15pm, we were completely wet and tired of course, but spirits were high. On the ride back in the van we took off much of our wet clothing . Luckily, Hacienda Cusin was again top notch; they closed their dinner time at 9 but had no problem in serving our dinner at 10:30 at their dining room in front of the fireplace; what a nice treat.

Everyone also was happy to have their fireplace in their bedroom; it allowed them to warm themselves and get their gear ready for tomorrow when we will move to the “refugio” known as Cayambe Hut and get ready for our next climb, Cayambe.