Volcanoes of Ecuador Cybercasts

The Fellowship left late on the 15th to head to Cayambe hut for the summit attempt. They had a exciting time getting to Cayambe hut because the road was rained out and muddy.

Upon arrival of the hut the team had a small dinner and went straight to bed around 5:30pm. Gandalf (aka Guide Jose Luis) and Aragorn (aka Guide Nico) and awoke the hobbits (aka Eric, Kristin, Junia, Levi) at 11:30pm departing the hut at 12:30am. The team endured a unexpected snow storm that reduced visibility and decreased the pace they were able to ascend due to the freshly accumulated snow. Unfortunately due to the snow conditions on the slope near Superior and Hermoso glaciers, it was determined that there was an increased chance of avalanche, so the team decided to turn around 2am. Arriving back at the hut around 3am.

Of course, because we are team “Fellowship”, the joke was that Saruman was casting this storm on the mountain and we had to turn back.

All the climbers are in good spirits and felt confident in our abilities and acclimatization on the mountain and are looking forward to the future summit attempts.

All the best,

Team Fellowship

Hi everyone! After a delicious breakfast prepared by Juan at the Yanacocha lodge, the team traveled by four-wheel drive up to the Cayambe Hut (4,658 m/15,282 ft). From there, they hiked for one and a half hours up to the glacier. They reviewed climbing skills, roped up and climbed to 16,100 feet. The snow conditions forced them to descend. They decided to continue training at a lower glacier located closer to the hut at an altitude of 15,400 feet. They all did a good job putting in practice different climbing techniques and then retraced their steps back to the hut and the vehicles. After a short drive, they were welcomed back to the Yanacocha Lodge by Juan and a beautiful rainbow. Showers and tea time were next! Tomorrow, they will move to the Cayambe Hut and prepare for their summit attempt. Junia, Kristin, Eric and Levi are feeling very excited about the upcoming climb! Everybody is looking forward to having dinner soon and a good night of sleep.

Thanks for following.

All the best! Team Fellowship

Comrades, Family & Loved Ones,

The Team continues to burn the candle at both ends and had a busy day of sightseeing in St Petersburg. We saw so many things today that I didn’t even have time to take photos! But suffice it to say that we saw the highlights of the city, including a tour of The Hermitage art museum.

Tonight we had a final group dinner and regaled each other with stories of the last two weeks.

I had a great time climbing and traveling with Team Climb & Punishment and want to thank each member of the Team for giving me the opportunity to share the climb, and a bit of Russia, with them.

Paca! (Bye!),

Carole Tejas

Hi all. The climbers have unanimously come up with a team name: “Fellowship”. They are talking about who is going to be in charge of taking care of “the ring”. Today, after breakfast they hiked to the top of Antenas Peak (4,391 m / 14,406 ft). There were some clouds up there in the sky but they could see Cotopaxi,  Antisana and some other lesser peaks. They are all doing great and are looking forward to touching snow tomorrow morning during skills review day at 16,000 feet. They are currently traveling to the foot of Cayambe.
They all say hi to family and friends.
Thanks for tuning in!

Hi everyone! The team hiked to Parcacocha lake this morning (4,069 m/13,350 ft.). The weather cooperated so they could enjoy beautiful scenary along the journey. It was a little windy sometimes but not too bad. They are feeling great and acclimating without problems. Tomorrow the team is moving to the foot of the third highest volcano in Ecuador: Cayambe. They are currently relaxing in the hot pools and say hi to family and friends.
Thanks for following!