Ecuador Volcanoes Expedition Dispatch

November 8, 2012 – Training Day

We woke up at the hut with a beautiful clear day. We could see Cayambe right outside, looking very inviting and friendly. Today we will practice some climbing skills and make sure we are ready for tomorrow which will be a long day. Actually tonight, we are going to wake up at 10pm and try to leave before midnight. The weather has been quite good in the mornings and the fog comes in consistently in the afternoon.

Since this morning was so clear, we chose to do some practice outside on a nearby glacier and the indoor practice in the afternoon. Ljerka took the morning off to play Mountaineering Monopoly with me, after a few hours, I went bankrupt! She had built base camps all over the board…

After a light lunch, we did some afternoon prussic practice inside the hut and that’s always a fun skill to learn especially in a warm environment. The hut has high ceilings and was built by the Ecuadorian Alpine club with that intention.

Then a quick review of what to wear on summit day and off to bed for a few hours…