CLIMB ECUADOR NEWSLETTER -- January 2004

In keeping with tradition, after every Climb Ecuador adventure, I like to write a “Newsletter” recounting how the trip went. I finally finished the newsletter for our recent trip to Ecuador (December 28, 2003 -- January 12, 2004). I promise, it is not as long as the last one. So without further ado. . . . .

To begin, I’d like to list the dates and destinations, once again, of our upcoming trips.
 Keep in mind that Climb Ecuador is like a shark -- it needs to keep moving forward in order to survive. For that reason, I am forever announcing and re-announcing what trips are next.

So here goes:
BOLIVIA: May 23, 2004 -- June 8, 2004
ECUADOR: December 28, 2004 -- January 12, 2005
ACONCAGUA: January 12, 2005 -- February 1, 2005

    The Aconcagua trip is our inaugural run for this mountain and it is shaping up to be a memorable adventure.
 All trips listed above are confirmed to go. If enough interest can be mustered, we will offer other trips to other countries for other dates. But at the moment, this is what’s definite. All trips have availability so don’t hesitate to call (212) 362-4721, or write (rkovary@aol.com) if you cannot look at your office cubicle one more day without going insane. More information on Climb Ecuador can be found at www.climbecuador.com .

    Our recent trip to Ecuador was a wildly fun and successful affair. Sure there were some minor glitches along the way -- what trip to South America doesn’t have a few -- but all considered, the trip went extremely well. This was due in large part to the group. I could not have asked for a better group. And I’m not just saying this. When the dust had finally cleared, 15 people had signed up for this trip and as it turned out, all were extremely positive, cooperative, hard working, interesting and in short, a real “hoot” to travel with.
     Those who kicked in the New Year with Climb Ecuador this year included (in alphabetical order, and with ages and home states): Nabeel Atique, 33, (California), Paul Bailey, 45, (Alabama), Richard (Rick) Goodell, 56, (Louisiana), Jason Harkobusic, 23, (Pennsylvania), Matt Hickey, 37, (Colorado), Harlan Irvine, 41, (California), John Kelly, 29, (Ireland), Zhenghao “Luke” Luo (Texas), Chris Melby, 52, (Colorado), Hannah Melby, 24, (Colorado), Joseph McSweeney, 40, (Maine), Jennifer Merchant (California), Kris Osterberg, 34, (Illinois) and Richard (Rich) Peterec, 39, (Pennsylvania).
    From Climb Ecuador’s perspective, there were many “firsts” on this trip. Let me just list 10 that come to mind:
1) First time a group broke double digits -- (there were 15 group members, shattering the previous high of 7!!).
2) First time we celebrated New Year’s Eve in Ecuador.
3) First time we had a father-daughter team. (Chris and Hannah Melby from Colorado).
4) First time a father-daughter team on one of our trips summitted Chimborazo.
5) First time we had sisters on a trip (see #6).
6) First time we had “nonclimbers” (Jennifer Merchant from California ) on one of our climbing trips.
7) First time we achieved 100% summit success rate on the first two mountains, Rucu Pichincha and Iliniza Norte. We went 13 for 13 on both.
8) First time we administered “bumps” (spoken with an Irish accent) to a fellow group member on his birthday. More on this later.
9) It’s actually the second time we had a climber from Ireland, but the first time said climber used the professional name of “Johnny Ireland.” (Click on “References” at our website for John’s review).
10) First time I have danced on the roof of a moving bus.
Yes, a trip of “firsts,” and an exciting adventure it was.
Here’s how things unfolded:

DAY 1: QUITO. Everyone except Luke (who arrived on Jan. 1) was in Quito, Ecuador by the night of Dec. 28, the first official day of our trip. Some had arrived a day or more early to acclimatize and/or to take side trips. (Nabeel visited the Galapagos. Joe and Rich climbed the mountain Pasachoa). By the time I arrived in Quito at 11 PM that night, everyone was safe and sound in their hotel rooms as scheduled with all their luggage. Not as easy as it sounds.

DAY 2: QUITO/CITY TOUR. We met as a group for the first time the morning of Dec. 29 in the lobby of our hotel -- the Hotel Ambassador. After we introduced ourselves to each other, we set out on our first group activity -- a buffet breakfast, on Climb Ecuador. After breakfast we had a guided city tour of Old Town Quito. William, our bilingual guide, led the tour. I am convinced that William knows more about Ecuador than anyone on the planet. Don’t ask him a question unless you have a spare 20 minutes on your hands. Later we went shopping for food for tomorrow’s climb of Rucu Pichincha.

DAY 3: RUCU PICHINCHA. A couple of bumps in the road today -- one of our guides for our climb of Rucu Pichincha never showed up, and the bus that I had rented that was “guaranteed” to make it up the notoriously bad road to Cruz Loma, where we traditionally start our hikes for Rucu, got stuck. The bus problem added about an hour to the hike but this group began to show it’s true colors early -- everyone summitted Rucu in fine fashion and ahead of schedule.

DAY 4: MITAD DEL MUNDO/PULULAHUA. Technically, a rest day, but “rest” is a relative term on a Climb Ecuador trip. It just means we are not slogging up the side of another mountain. With our guide, William, leading the way, we visited Mitad del Mundo (the monument at the equator) and Pululahua, the crater of an extinct volcano which now has homes and farms at the bottom of it. Afterwards, we lunched at the well known restaurant “El Crater” -- another Climb Ecuador “exclusive” (i.e., C.E. picked up the tab). Appropriately named “El Crater,” this 5 star restaurant sits on the lip of the crater, Pululahua, with great views in all directions. Last group activity that day was a trip to a local “Supermaxi” supermarket to buy food for our two-day climb of Iliniza Norte.

DAY 5: ILINIZA NORTE. We drove about an hour south, through the “Avenue of the Volcanoes” to the town of Machachi where we met our mountain guides -- Efrain, Marcos, Carlos and Pepe. From Machachi, we drove to the small village of Chaupi, at the base of the Ilinizas, where we switched horses so to speak, trading in our luxury tour bus for some 4-wheel drive pickup trucks. We then drove up a dirt road to “La Virgen” parking area to begin our hike. We continued ascending about 3 more hours to arrive at a high mountain hut at about 15,300 feet in a saddle between the mountains Iliniza Norte and Iliniza Sur. Here we spent the night. Jennifer and Rosemary, our two “nonclimbing client,” followed a different itinerary. They spent two days at Papallacta, a famous hotsprings resort about 90 minutes from Quito. William drove them to Papallacta and led them on a hike into the jungle. They relaxed in warm thermal pools and enjoyed a delicious dinner of fresh trout while the rest of us froze in a cold, damp climbers hut. Go figure.

DAY 6: ILINIZA NORTE. All 12 climbing clients who set out this morning for the summit of Iliniza Norte (16,818 feet) made it to the top without a problem. With me, we were 13 total. Lucky 13. The weather was partly cloudy but the clouds broke for a few seconds every now and again to reveal fantastic views of a distant Cotopaxi and the sharp rocky summit of Iliniza Norte. After descending back to the hut and down to La Virgen, we were shuttled to Chaupi in pickup trucks, then back to Quito in our bus. Luke met us back at the Hotel Ambassador that night for the first time. Our group was now at full strength.

DAY 7: OTAVALO. Our “shop til you drop” day. We visited, and of course, shopped, at the market towns of Otavalo and Cotacachi. Later we drove to Lake Cuicocha, at the base of the 16,000 foot mountain Cotacachi. We enjoyed views of the valley below, of Otavalo, and of the neighboring mountain Imbabura. Today was Jason’s birthday. We all knew this. That’s why we patiently waited until we found a secluded area near Lake Cuicocha before administering “bumps” to Jason. This way noone would be around to hear his screams. “Bumps” is an Irish tradition practiced on someone who is celebrating their birthday. John Kelly, our lone Irishman, instructed us on the proper technique to administer bumps. A group of people surround the birthday boy -- Jason in this case -- grab a limb, and throw him up in the air and catch him (don’t forget that part!) as many times as he is years old. Kicking him (i.e., giving him bumps) while he is in the air is “optional.” Definitely a Climb Ecuador first.

DAY 8: LA CIENEGA. Today we left Quito “for good” and headed south to the beautiful 400- year-old Hosteria La Cienega. La Cienega was once the private estate of a very wealthy Ecuadorean family -- the Lassos -- which has now been converted into a hotel. It is the traditional staging area for our trips to Cotopaxi. Marco, the bartender, and the rest of the La Cienega staff, as always, treated us like family.

DAY 9: COTOPAXI. First stop today after leaving La Cienega was in the town of Lasso to buy 7 barbecue chickens for dinner. Then we drove into nearby Cotopaxi National Park. The clouds broke just long enough to see the towering 19,348 foot Cotopaxi, Ecuador’s most famous mountain. After driving up to a parking area at about 15,000 feet on the side of Cotopaxi, we hoisted our backpacks and climbed up a scree slope to the Jose Ribas high mountain hut situated at around 15,500 feet. Here we spent the night in preparation for our climb of Ecuador’s second highest peak. Jennifer and Rosemary spent the night at a place called “Tambopaxi” situated in the park, very near to Cotopaxi. It is basically a high-end mountaineers hut (or “albergue” as the owners like to call it) used by hikers and trekkers. It boast comfortable beds, hot showers, excellent food and beautiful views of the mountains Cotopaxi, Sincholagua and Rumiñahui.

DAY 10: COTOPAXI. We arose at the ungodly hour of 12 midnight to have breakfast and get ready to begin our ascent of Cotopaxi. The weather was perfect. The night was cool and clear. The moon was almost full and illuminated the snow and ice on Cotopaxi. Our guides Efrain, Marcos, Jose, Pepe, Carlos, Jorge, and Javier (7 guides for 14 climbers, 2:1 ratio) led the ascent to the glacier. Once at the glacier, we put on our crampons, formed rope teams of 3 people each (one guide and two clients) and started the long climb to the summit. 6 out of the 14 people who set out, summitted. Kris, Matt, Rick, Harlan, Luke and Jason all made it to the top. Several other people (including me) came very close before running out of gas or feeling bad from the altitude. The weather was nothing short of perfect. Clear, sunny skies, with no wind. It was a great day on Cotopaxi. We descended to the hut, then to the bus, then back to La Cienega where we ate and drank like “big dogs.” Later that evening, Marco, the bartender, sold us a bottle of “el puro.” Bad decision. “El Puro,” also known locally as “Las Puntas,” is a corn-based grain alcohol. Ecuadorean “moonshine.” The commercial version, which is not as strong as “el puro,” is called “aguardiente” (translates as “fire water”) and is sold in stores all over Ecuador. It is meant to be mixed with soda or fruit juice. A very popular drink called the “canelazo” is prepared with aguardiente, fruit juice and sugar and served hot. Most people who try the backwoods version of aguardiente -- “las puntas” or “el puro” -- take a sip declare it “vile.” Harlan and I eventually put a small “dent” in our bottle of el puro during our last night out in Baños, but I used the rest of it to unclog the sink in my bathroom at the Hotel Palace.

DAY 11: BAÑOS. Baños is my favorite town in Ecuador. After I retire, if any of you have trouble locating me here in the states, it will be because I have moved to Baños. The air is warm, there are local hotsprings, the town is laid back, the people are friendly, there are bars, restaurants, beautiful
plazas and nightlife, it is surrounded by steep mountains, prices are low -- what can I tell you? Go!! On the way from La Cienega to Baños, we made a stop at another “Supermaxi” supermarket to buy food for Chimborazo -- our final climb. It needs repeating that wherever they went, the January 2004 Climb Ecuador clients operated like a well-oiled machine. Nowhere was this more obvious than at our Supermaxi stops. After stocking up on food, food and more food, we drove on into Baños.

DAY 12: BAÑOS. Today was our scheduled rest day before our final climb of Chimborazo. Three climbers, Paul, Rick and Rich decided they had had enough of high altitude headaches, stomach aches, and cold damp huts for one trip and elected to take a 3 day jungle tour instead of going to Chimborazo. They accompanied Jennifer and Rosemary who had planned all along to visit the jungle. The rest of us started the day with a tour of 3 well-known waterfalls near Baños. Usually for the “waterfall tour” I rent a van from my friend Sander, who operates the agency “Expediciones Amazonicas in Baños. This time Sander suggested we rent his cousin’s “Chiva.” What is a Chiva? I’m glad you asked. A Chiva, in short, is a party bus. It is a double decker bus, with a live band and (usually) drunken revelers, that slowly travels up and down the streets, spreading music and good cheer to all it encounters. Sometimes, if there is room and if the bus operators permit, anyone can jump on a Chiva and join the festivities. During holidays, chivas are a common sight in South America. You can also see a version of them in New Orleans during Mardi Gras. However, the Mardi Gras busses or floats are on a much larger scale and are part of a long parade. In Ecuador, Chivas are rented privately by a group of people who want to party, get drunk, listen to music and drive around, all at the same time. Our Chiva didn’t have a live band but it did have enormous speakers on the roof from which boomed a variety of American and Latin music. With Michael Jackson’s “Beat It” blasting from the speakers, and with a couple of bags of cold beer and soda, we began our waterfalls tour. See #10 in the List of Firsts, above, for more information. The waterfalls tour also featured a ride in a cable car over a wide canyon. There is never a dull moment on a Climb Ecuador trip. Later that evening, Chris, Matt, Kris and I played some pick-up basketball with some Ecuadorean teenagers at a Baños playground. Hannah caught the action on videotape.

DAY 13: CHIMBORAZO. We set out today for Chimborazo, Ecuador’s highest mountain (20,703 feet), and our final climb. In addition to the guides listed above for Cotopaxi (minus Pepe), we added Rodrigo, a guide who I have known since my first trip to Ecuador in 1997. After picking up 5 out of the 7 guides in the city of Ambato, we drove to a secluded trout nursery to fish for dinner. The only one who had any luck (or skill, I should say) with a fishing rod was Chris, so to expedite matters, we got out the net and soon had tonight’s dinner safely stowed in plastic bags. The area around Chimborazo is now a protected vicuña park preserve. Vicuñas look like a smaller, skinnier version of a llama or alpaca. Vicuña wool is the most expensive wool money can buy. As always, we saw a number of these shy animals on the drive up to the hut. Once at the hut, Efrain and Patricia, our cook (and wife of Carlos, one of the guides), prepared an elaborate meal of fried trout, rice and salad. Later, on a full stomach, we set out for Chimborazo’s upper hut, situated at 16,000 feet, where we spent the night.

DAY 14: CHIMBORAZO. Once again we were blessed with perfect weather. The evening was warm and clear with no wind at all. The near-full moon was so bright, we could see Chimborazo’s steep glaciers at night. We arose at 11 PM, an hour earlier than on Cotopaxi, to get ready for our ascent. 9 climbers (3 went to the jungle; Joe decided to return to the states early and skip Chimbo.; I elected not to climb) set out for the summit. 5 made it. Chris, Hannah, John, Luke and Harlan. Luke and Harlan were the only climbers in our group to summit both Cotopaxi and Chimborazo. Chris and Hannah hiked themselves into the Climb Ecuador history books as the first father-daughter team to summit Chimborazo. Whoever dialed up the weather that day used the right number. We eventually made it back to Baños for one final night of debauchery.

DAY 15: BAÑOS/QUITO. Saying goodbye to Baños was not easy. But we managed to get our gear packed, the bus loaded, and on our way by noon. We arrived back at the Hotel Ambassador in Quito
about 3 1/2 hours later. We would have arrived sooner but we had to make a stop at La Cienega to pick up Joe’s pillow which he had forgotten. (You see, Joe is NOT a firm believer in traveling light. He brings with him on all his travels an enormous pillow from home. He swears he cannot sleep well without it. Rich inherited the task of stuffing this pillow into his suitcase to bring back to the states and then ship it to Joe who was already back home in Maine, sleeping restlessly.) We had one last scheduled event -- the Farewell Dinner. The past few years, we have had our Farewell Dinner at a restaurant called “El Mare Nostrum.” It is the finest seafood restaurant in Quito. Plus it is one of the few establishments in town that allows us to bring our own wine. So while everyone was in their rooms rummaging for a set of clean clothes and that bottle of cologne they hadn’t yet used, I ran off to the Supermaxi and bought a selection of Chilean and Argentinean wine. I thought about a bottle per person would do. Hey, it was our final night!! We feasted on lobster, shrimp, salmon, octopus, and clams, emptied a good number of the bottles of wine, said our goodbyes, and, well, rode off into the sunset.

DAY 16: Most group members boarded flights back to Quito in the morning. Those with later flights -- Johnny Ireland, Jason, Rich and I -- spent one final night enjoying cold ale and darts at a local pub. Eventually everyone was gone. It was a great trip and a great group.MONTAÑITA. Instead of returning home right away, I decided to continue my travels. If you look at Ecuador Trip #2 on our website you will see that this trip ends at a place called “Montañita” on the coast of Ecuador. Montañita is a small beach resort on the Pacific coast known for its high waves and picturesque setting and is considered the surfing capital of Ecuador. I had never been to Montañita so I decided to go. In no way was I disappointed. I have not been to many beaches in my life -- Fire Island near my home here in New York, South Beach, Miami, and a beach on the coast of Morocco to name the 3 best beaches I have visited, but the beach at Montañita and at the neighboring town of Olon are the prettiest beaches I have ever seen. Despite it being high season (Dec. through Feb.), the beach at Montañita was quite empty. On Saturday and Sunday, there were more people but it was no where near being crowded. The waves were impressive -- 6 foot swells that broke well away from the beach. The ocean currents were strong so you had to be careful what you were doing. More people had a surfboard with them than not. I took a surfing lesson which was fun in an embarrassing way. The town of Montañita is an interesting collection of bars, restaurants, arts and crafts shops, and inexpensive hostels. The street scene is “Woodstock meets Ecuador.” Hippies (can we use that term anymore?) with dark tans and barefeet abound, along with people from all over the world as well as locally (mostly from the city of Guayaquil which is 3 hours south). At night one can enjoy a cold beer or dinner at a restaurant overlooking the ocean, sit and watch street performers, dance at a loud disco, or simply stroll around town. I stayed at the Casa del Sol which is about 1 kilometer north of town. I always looked forward to my walk back to my hotel along the beach at night. Peace and quiet are rare commodities in today’s crowded, fast-paced, high-tech world.MENDOZA/ACONCAGUA. From Montañita, I went back to Quito and prepared for yet another trip -- this time to Mendoza, Argentina to lay the groundwork for a Climb Ecuador expedition to Aconcagua (22,841 feet/6962 meters), the highest mountain in the Western Hemisphere. Most expeditions to Aconcagua start in Mendoza. I spent two weeks in the beautiful city of Mendoza meeting with tour operators, visiting different hotels, taking day tours, and doing a 4-day trek up to the South Face of Aconcagua.
Everything is now set for Climb Ecuador’s first Aconcagua expedition set for January 12, 2005 -- February 1, 2005. For more information, drop by our website and click on “Aconcagua.”

That about wraps things up for the January 2004 Climb Ecuador Newsletter.

Thanks for getting this far if you are still reading. Everyone, take care, and keep in touch.
Roger Kovary
CLIMB ECUADOR
147 West 79th Street, #1D
New York, NY 10024
www.climbecuador.com
rkovary@aol.com
(212) 362-4721