Culmination of our Mountain November 2023
A tramp up Chimborazo, at 6,263.47 m / 20,549.4 ft the highest peak in Ecuador. It’s got a few other claims to fame as well. It’s the farthest point from the Earth’s center due to the ecuatorial bulge. It was also one of the primary inspirations for Alexander von Humboldt’s thinkings on natural systems. He spent considerable time here during his journey’s in South America in the early 1800s (if you don’t know Humboldt, pick up the book “The Invention of Nature” - HIGHLY recommended.)
The week before had been stormy, and many people who had tried to summit got turned back by snow and poor visibility.
We stayed at the lower refuge as opposed to the high camp, which extended the climb a bit. Our first day we spent doing a big of acclimatizing, with a hike up to the high camp to warm up. Then had a furious game of poker.
Our summit started at around 10:30pm on the day of the climb to make up for our lower elevation. We were lucky once again, and were able to climb under a bright moon. The snowfall meant we had to be careful for avalanches and snow slippage. The top of the mountain is a long ramp. Just a big snowfield that goes on. And on. And on. We didn’t cut back and forth as was usual due the accumulation of snow and concerns that it might slide.
Definitely draining, exacerbated by my still lingering respiratory infection. But we made it! And as always - WOW what a view.
Mountaineering is definitely “type 2” fun. Its humbling. I’m really just a beginner and amateur. But I’ve loved being able to grasp something that I’ve known inside for a long time - I’m a mountain guy at heart, and I look forward to a lot more time at altitude :)
Esta es un culminación de mis ambiciones iniciales de montañismo en Ecuador. He escalado las montañas más altas del país. He aprendido mucho, especialmente de nuestros increíbles guías. He hecho mucho de esto con mi hijo Beorn y esta es una experiencia que supera a todas las demás. Tengo mucho gratitud que estoy en condiciones de hacer esto. Gracias a todos.
Thanks to @fabianbustillosmancheno for all you have done getting us up and down these peaks. Congrats to my buddies @Kevin Krembs, @berniehofmann, @bwanatim for making it to the top. And of course thanks to @beorn.hartwig for doing this with his old man :)
