Jeff and I are the only guests left at Rumiloma, so Ossy gives the staff the day off. We Uber to a lazy breakfast near Quito’s version of Central Park—Parque La Carolina—where families stroll, joggers jog, and two exhausted climbers inhale eggs like like they wronged us in a previous life. We wander down to […]
Veintimilla. Higher than Denali. A Fantastically Brutal Day. The snow surface is Goldilocks good—firm enough that we’re not burning energy breaking trail (or flirting with avalanche terrain), soft enough that we’re not skating on hard ice. Just enough grip to allow more switchbacks to eat into this mountain’s infinite steepness. Perfect for long, forgiving switchbacks […]
We head out at 8:30 am for a four-hour drive to Chimbo. We stop for lunch, but the drive otherwise passes quickly. At the park entrance we sign in at the guesthouse and then dodge potholes to the end of the road. It has been snowing, but is clear for the moment. Two porters meet […]
I imagine the chaos inside that part of my brain directing muscle repair— Muscle Command: “More quads? The skin won’t hold more quads, Sir!” “Calves?” “She can’t give anymore calves, Cap’n!” “Right, Ensign. He’s demanding too much. Turn up the soreness and crank stiffness to max! Cramp if you need to!” “Ok, Ok, he wants […]
Off to the Donkey Races With a full crowd planning to climb, it is not surprising that the hut is loud at 6:30pm—our official bedtime for a night start. I put in my ear buds, listen to a podcast, and try to rest. I may even get an hour of sleep, which is an hour […]
Chilcebamba to Coto Hut Ossy says he’s running two schedules today: one for the Americans and one for the Mexican pair. Ours is a noon departure; theirs, 11:30. We’re a little troubled by sketchy weather forecasts. After lunch we’ll drive to the parking lot and hike an hour to the Coto hut. If the weather […]
We reached Rumiloma just after noon yesterday. It’s sunny and warm, and it feels great to unpack and dry out wet, muddy gear. As usual, the staff fires the wood-burning stove in our room—totally unnecessary for the temperature, but ideal for gear-drying. At 3 p.m., Ossy invited everyone up to his house to climb on […]
12 hours of epic suck We eat a light fish dinner at 5:30 pm at the high hut. Afterward, Ossy announces the plan: normally the climb begins at around 1am, but Ossy says the nasty weather forces consideration of leaving later, maybe as late as 3 or 4am. The guides will come and wake us, […]
I went to bed last night at 8:45 and read for a half hour. Ambien drops me quickly. I wake feeling surprisingly good and ready to move. Last night, Ossy announced that the groups were officially merged, and to seal the union, we move two dinner tables together and ate at one. While our enlarged […]
We return to the lower hut and energy rebounds instantly. It’s so much nicer—cleaner, roomier, with Wi-Fi—and not another soul around. Unlike the wood-burning stove in the upper hut, which seems purely ornamental, Señor Juan keeps the one here roaring, and we lounge gratefully around it. Dinner is flattened grilled chicken with potatoes and rice, […]
Today is a hard day. “White wind,” Ossy calls it—windy mist that drenches everything in its path. Internet forecasts for Cayambe, presumably algorithmic analyses of residual coca tea, cheerfully promise only “light humidity,” which becomes a running joke for the trip. After breakfast, we head up the main summit route, which begins with a brutally […]
Last night is the worst in recent memory. I crash asleep with a ripping headache around 8pm, but wake only two hours later. The snoring of one of the other climbers in the room is unfathomable — loud, erratic, beastly and inhuman. Subsonic waves accompany the audible abominations, causing deep internal vibrations and nausea, and, […]
Pinsaqui to Cayambe Town Exhausted and crashing asleep, I fail to notice that I’m sharing a bed with a rubber hot-water bottle, and I wake with the startle of someone realizing their inebriation brought home a surprise guest. I’m not the first person in that situation to slip out for breakfast without saying goodbye. On […]
Today we drive two hours to Otavalo, and then do a short climb to Fuya Fuya. Otavalo is home to a sprawling market of countless mobile stalls selling arts and crafts. We park near the market and have an hour to kill, which proves far more than needed. Some vague sense of obligation pushes us […]
Rucu Pichincha is spectacular. The weather forecasts higher winds — 20+ mph — and thunderstorms in the afternoon, so we expect it could get nasty. We drive from Rumiloma to 11k feet, take a gondola to 13k, and then climb to 15.5k. We net only about 2.5k in vertical gain, but it takes 5.5 hours, […]
We arrive in Quito at 12:30am and take the world’s shortest cab ride around the tarmac to the airport Wyndham. The driver is ecstatic for the five dollar fare, even if it dumps him at the back of the airport cab queue. (We’d later learn that such cheap taxi and Uber fares are courtesy of […]
February 7: E-Day
Travels With Burma Jones 