Ecuador

Upon arriving in Quito, Ecuador, we will meet up and get dinner before spending the night at our hotel.

After breakfast, our vehicle will pick us up and take us to the Basilica Church. We will walk through the colonial part of Quito and visit the IntiNan museum. At the museum, we will learn about the culture around and forces of the equator. We will also spend that night in Quito.

Our hike to Pasochoa will be a great way to acclimatize. It will be important to stay hydrated and pace ourselves to help our bodies acclimatize. After breakfast and a 90 minute drive, our hike will start at 3,400m/11,100ft. Our trail will take us on a 4 hour round trip along the backside of the extinct volcano. From here, we’ll have great views of the central range of the Ecuadorian Andes farmland, cultivated fields, paramo grasslands and the endemic forest inside the crater. That night we will stay in our hotel in Quito.

Start hike at 3,400m/11,100ft – summit 4,200m/13,800ft

Our day will start with a cable car to hike Rucu Pichincha where we’ll have dynamic views of the west Andean Range. During our 3-4 hour hike along the southwest ridge, we’ll experience breathtaking views of mountains, cities and cloud forests of the coastal lowlands. Our descent will be on the same trail and a vehicle will pick us up to return us to our hotel in Quito. This will be the last chance to check our climbing gear and rent equipment if necessary.

Start hike at 4,000m/13,120ft – summit 4,700m/15,420ft

Following breakfast, we will drive about 2 hours to our acclimatization hike to the Cayambe refuge. Our support vehicle will then transport our gear while we gain altitude on the Cayambe foothills. Cayambe is unique in that it’s the only place in the world where the equator line crosses below the summit of a glacier volcano, where its latitude and temperature are both zero. Once we arrive at the refuge, we’ll have a refresher on basic rope techniques, self-rescue and prepare our personal climbing gear for the training. In the morning, we’ll hike to the glacier to practice climbing skills – snow and ice crampon techniques, rope glacier traveling, self-arrest, different belaying systems and some rescue crevasse techniques, which will be used for our safe summit attempts on the normal routes of our main peak.  After our hike, we will transfer to a hotel in Otavalo.

Start hike at 4,300m/ 14,100ft – glacier 5,000m/16,400ft

This will be a day to rest and explore the market and shop for souvenirs. It will be a great time to experience the local culture. We will spend the night in Otavalo.

Elevation 2,532m/8,307ft

Our day will start with a 3 hour drive to the car park located at 4,500m/14,800ft. From this location, we’ll hike for about 1 hour to the refuge following along an easy switchback trail. After lunch, we’ll relax and hydrate and then have time to practice glacier climbing skills and prepare for the next day’s climb. Dinner will be early so we can rest up and get an early start to the next day.

Start hike at 4,500m/14,800ft – hut 4,800m/15,800ft

After our midnight wake-up call, our epic climb will begin along a 30-degree slope on rock and volcanic ash. Once we reach the glacier, our 5-6 hour climb begins with a straightforward 40-degree ascent. Our physical conditioning will be key to successfully reach the summit. Our reward will be a stunning sunrise below the impressive crater along the 45-50 degree summit ridge. This will lead us to the top of one of the most perfect cone-shaped active volcanoes in the world! Finally, our 2-3 hour descent will take us back to the hut, where after a short rest, we will pack up and meet our vehicle to return to Quito.

Start climb at 4,800m/ 15,800ft – summit 5,897m/19,400ft

Airport transfer back to the USA.