Ecuador Volcanoes Expedition Dispatch
November 17, 2011 – Summit Success on Chimborazo
The entire five-person summit team started climbing at midnight and stood on the highest summit in Ecuador, the furthest point from the center of the earth, Chimborazo at 20,701ft/6,310m, this morning.
The first call came in from Osvaldo and Yuki at about 8:00 AM local time in Ecuador.
They were effusive as they spoke of the beauty around them. They could see the summits of both Cayambe and Cotopaxi off in the distance. While they were on the top, Leila was photographing the majestic summit of Chimborazo from far below.
Leila’s photo of Chimborazo taken this morning while the team stood on its summit.
At 9:00 AM, Ana called us from the top. She said that they were exhausted, but exhilarated, and that they felt blessed to have had such a beautiful summit morning. Ana, Andrew and Joaquin had joined Yuki and Osvado on the summit.
What a morning. The team has since arrived back at the hut and after a short break, they will drive to their lodge. They are quite tired, but they made excellent time getting down the mountain because the conditions were good. They are all in good spirits and we congratulate them on their great accomplishment today!