Ecuador Volcanoes Expedition Dispatch

November 17, 2010 – The Adventure Never Ends

This is Leila Silveira reporting from Chimborazo base camp. After a great night's sleep, we woke up early to decent weather (keep in mind that after two weeks of snow and rain, we are not exactly picky). The sky was cloudy but we had a nice view of Chimborazo behind us.

The team was excited about our last climbing goal, Chimborazo: the highest peak in Ecuador.

We took photos and started packing and getting our food and gear organized. Hugo, who told me last night that he is satisfied with all the climbs he has done so far, would rather pass on this climb and has started packing for a different program; a drive to Banos, which is a city two hours away from here where he can relax, work, be in touch with his family, and get ready for his return back to his hectic life in Brazil.

But first, we dropped off the team at the Chimborazo Hut where they hiked to the high hut where they will start their summit attempt sometime tonight.

It sounds like an easy task but it was anything but simple. As I have been mentioning, the rain and snow have been merciless with our team, and although the weather has improved somewhat, the consequences of the bad weather have been intense. The steep drive to the hut was pure snow and ice and our bus struggled until it finally got stuck; just another part of the adventure.

We all took our ice axes and started working to remove the patches of snow behind the wheels. Osvaldo and Joaquin were even trying to pull the bus, since it was stuck against a snow wall on a curve.

It took us a while, but we finally managed to move a little bit higher. Finally, our very careful and competent driver came to the conclusion that there was no way the bus would make it all the way to the top.

So it was time to carry the packs and hike the remaining 5 km of road to the first hut. Since we had an early start from our lodge, we actually had time to spare. So we thought, "Why not be positive and consider this part of training for Chimborazo?"

Hugo and I started to hike down while the team got their packs ready and the bus started the dangerous drive backwards until he was able to make a u-turn. Let’s just say that Hugo and I preferred to hike down and watch the entire manoeuvre from a distance. I trust our driver completely but we didn’t think there was a need for us to be inside the bus. The weather had already deteriorated a bit, which for us now was just part of our daily routine. I think it would be more shocking if the sun started to shine at this point!

Finally the bus did manage to turn around and caught up with the two of us on the way down. Off we went to Banos for the night.

The team has since contacted us to say that they made it to the first hut and then to the next hut. Right now they are sleeping and getting mentally ready for their last alpine start of this trip.

Now we need to keep our fingers crossed that the mountain gods will allow our team a safe climb tomorrow. We sure deserve it!