Ecuador Volcanoes Expedition Dispatch
November 16, 2010 – Snowy Conditions As We Prepare For Chimborazo
This is Leila Silveira reporting from Estrella de Chimborazo, also known as Chimborazo base camp. The rain continues...
Before I mention the impact the rain is having in our summit attempts, I would like to mention that the rain is also having serious consequences in the daily life of everyone living here in Ecuador. Yesterday, driving to Chimborazo, we witnessed some serious flooding. It came to a point that the road was like a lake that was too deep to attempt to cross. Cars had to drive a long way around to get past the washout.
After four hours of driving in heavy rain, we arrived here at Chimborazo Base camp, my favourite mountain lodge. It is a small lodge decorated with mountaineering motifs where the staff hasn’t changed in a long time, so it is always nice to see the same friendly faces.
The weather here is much colder than the other places we have been. Chimborazo should have a lot of snow due to this rain we've been having. This may actually improve our chances of success, since Chimborazo becomes a very technical climb when there is no snow to walk on. We will have to wait until tomorrow to find out. Osvaldo is hoping we won't have the same conditions we had on Cotopaxi, where there was snow up to his waist.
Whatever the conditions, we have to respect the mountain, since she will always have the last word.