Ecuador Volcanoes Expedition Dispatch

November 11, 2010 – Brazilian Cuisine at 4600 Meters

This is Leila Silveira reporting from Cayambe hut. Last night was a tough night for some of us. There were a couple of teams attempting the summit so they got up at midnight but they were not exactly quiet in their preparation according to everyone. I personally slept through the entire ordeal and didn’t actually witness the confusion.

The two teams soon returned due to wet snow and risk of avalanche. The weather here has been extremely warm and it has been actually raining here at this altitude. The combination of warm weather and new wet snow can be a dangerous mix.

This morning we decided that Osvaldo and Juan Carlos would go for a climb and check the conditions carefully. They returned before lunch and it seemed to be ok for our attempt. We just needed to make sure to follow a different route than the other teams had gone and there was no problem of avalanche.

Today is our training day. We checked everyone’s gear and set up some ropes in the large living area of the hut to practice some techniques. It was fun and everyone had a good time and enjoyed using their ascenders.

We also had some great meals. We have 2 Brazilians in our team, Hugo and Helvecio. They are both from the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais, which is famous for their mountains, minerals and their cuisine. I am originally from Rio de Janeiro. One of our favourite dishes in Rio is called “Mineiro de Bota”, which means someone from Minas Gerais wearing boots. Hugo and Helvecio had never heard of this dish, so I decided to call my family in Brazil to get the recipe to make this dessert. It is fried banana with cheese, sugar and cinnamon. You leave it in the oven until it gets a golden look. Everyone seemed to enjoy it.

Today was definitely a cooking day; Joaquin, Berg Adventures climbing guide, has also shown his skills in the kitchen. He prepared some great dishes for lunch and for our early dinner. By 6 pm we all went to bed since tomorrow is our summit day and our plans are to wake up at midnight to start getting ready and hopefully leave by 1 am.