American Alpine Institute - Dispatches

Ecuador High Altitude Expedition #1 – The Hermann Family – Dispatch 10

2012-01-03T19:33:00.000-08:00

Hermann Family Expedition

December 23, 2011 to January 3, 2012

Guides: Pepe Landazuri and Freddy Tipan

Climbers: Mark, Wendy, Mackenzie, Chelsea, and Gavin Hermann and Dave Garrabrant

Here are some photos just in from Ecuador.

At Hacienda La Carriona, New Years Eve:

At Cotopaxi national Park before the climb:

On the summit of Cotopaxi, 19,348 feet, with the summit crater in the background. Dave, Gavin, Chelsea, Mark, and Robinson (one of the guides):

Ecuador High Altitude Expedition #1 – The Hermann Family – Dispatch 9

2012-01-01T20:21:00.001-08:00

Hermann Family Expedition

December 23, 2011 to January 3, 2012

Guides: Pepe Landazuri and Freddy Tipan

Climbers: Mark, Wendy, Mackenzie, Chelsea, and Gavin Hermann and Dave Garrabrant

Pepe and Mark just called with the following news:

“We are pleased to tell you that four of our team and two guides summited beautiful Cotopaxi early this morning! It was a great climb in excellent conditions – cold, but excellent climbing conditions.

We left at midnight and at 6:30 am, Mark, Chelsea, Gavin, and Dave stepped onto the the 19,328-foot summit. Mackenzie made it to 17,200 feet before a headache from the altitude caused her to stop. Wendy didn’t climb because – I am sorry to say – she came down with a cold.

There were a lot of people on the mountain, and some of the people who were supposed to leave after us left just before us. They were kind of slow – otherwise we would have summited even earlier. Ours is a very strong team!

Everyone is fine. I think everybody is pretty tired but very happy! We are now at Tambopaxi Lodge where we had a great dinner, and people are now heading to bed for what I think is going to be an incredibly good sleep.

Here’s Mark.”

"The summit was beautiful, really spectacular. This was an excellent climb, and the guides did a great job. Pepe is referred to by the kids as ‘the Mountain Ninja.’ To every everything – Pepe says, ‘No problem!’

Robinson came in as our third guide for this climb. He is calm and quiet, and we were impressed by his steady pace and patient style. Mauricio is gregarious, and he's always joking around with everyone. They all did a great job.

We stayed at the Hacienda Cariona on New Years Eve. It was incredible. The owner bought the hacienda in the sixties and has restored it over the years. His son and his American wife were very gracious and showed us around the estate and shared many stories. It was an unexpected highlight.

Dinner was a very amazing event as the Hermann kids got into a lengthy discussion of Pepe's “life in the jungle.” When he is not guiding, he lives in the upper Amazon jungle, and he has many, many stories including eating monkey brains, a ritual delicacy, like in Indiana Jones. And he has a remarkable story of how he worked to achieve the honor to marry his wife.

There were big bonfires for New Years Eve, which was amazing as people were writing on paper all the negative things that happened to them or their family or their friends during the past year and burning them in the bonfires. It was really a huge celebration unlike and beyond what we do in the U.S.

Wendy caught a cold and then between that and lack of sleep from all the people in the hut she was sick and never considered climbing this one. The refuge, they expected to be very quiet but instead it was incredibly crowded and there were people sleeping on the floor and all around. It was not pleasant and hard to sleep.

Going through the big crevasse field was very intimidating at night but was amazing coming through at night.

Mackenzie was disappointed at not summiting but has a little joke about the equatorial effect to help herself feel better about the effort. The earth bulges significantly at the equator, so she notes that she was able to climb farther from the center of the earth than most people despite having pulled muscles from the ice climbing on Cayambe.”

Mark then started speaking about the comforts of Tambopaxi Lodge, but we were then cut off. We will catch them up will all the comments on the blog tomorrow when they call next.

Ecuador High Altitude Expedition #1 – The Hermann Family – Dispatch 8

2012-01-01T20:04:00.000-08:00

Hermann Family Expedition

December 23, 2011 to January 3, 2012

Guides: Pepe Landazuri and Freddy Tipan

Climbers: Mark, Wendy, Mackenzie, Chelsea, and Gavin Hermann and Dave Garrabrant

Hello again from Ecuador. This is Pepe calling for our group from the hut on Cotopaxi. We are going to climb tonight!

Yesterday we traveled from Hacienda Guachala to the Cariona Lodge, and we had a very restful day. Our team was a little tired from the climb of Cayambe, so an easy day was the perfect thing. We had a nice time. We ate well and slept well!

New Years Eve in Ecuador is pretty interesting. There is a lot of music and there is much recollecting of the bad things that happened in the year that is passing — for the purpose of saying good-bye to them — good riddance! Then there is the saying of all the good things that are hoped for in the New Year — basically welcoming them with great optimism. It’s very interesting, and people get pretty enthused about both parts of this balanced equation.

So now we are at the hut high on the side of Cotopaxi and we are looking forward to the climb to over 19,000 feet. It is clear and really beautiful, and it should be a great climb.

What a way to begin the New Year! The stars are out, and this afternoon and evening we had perfect views of Cayambe and Antisana to the north. Everything is so clear. There is a little wind, but conditions ought to be just fine for us.

We had a good dinner and everybody ate well. There is no problem with appetites in this great climbing team! And that is a good indication that each person has acclimatized well. When climbers are having a hard time acclimatizing, as well as feeling a general malaise, they also commonly totally lose their appetite.

We had a first course of home made vegetable soup. The main course was sautéed fish with rice and a salad of mixed greens, peppers, tomatoes, and avocados. For desert we had chocolate cake, and I have to tell you, while people were quite good about finishing all their vegetables, NO ONE had any problem finding room for the cake! I didn't see any frosting left on the desert dishes either, so they are now all members of the HACPC (High

Altitude Clean Plate Club).

There are a lot of people here at the hut who plan to climb tomorrow morning, so we have arranged for staggered times of departure in order to keep people spread out on the mountain and not get in each other’s way. This should work quite well.

We have a perfect time, with a schedule to get up at 11:00pm and leave right at midnight.

OK. Wish us luck! We will call you Monday evening from Tambopaxi Lodge down lower in Cotopaxi National Park, and we will let you know how we did. We are all excited about this next climb. Cotopaxi is a very beautiful mountain and the views should be excellent.

Mark, Wendy, Mackenzie, Chelsea, Gavin, Dave, and I say – ‘Happy New Year! ! ! !’ – and ‘Talk to you soon!’ ”

Ecuador High Altitude Expedition #1 – The Hermann Family – Dispatch 7

2011-12-30T14:09:00.000-08:00

Hermann Family Expedition

December 23, 2011 to January 3, 2012

Guides: Pepe Landazuri and Freddy Tipan

Climbers: Mark, Wendy, Mackenzie, Chelsea, and Gavin Hermann and Dave Garrabrant

Mark called at 9:40pm with the following dispatch.

"I am very pleased to tell you that Dave reached the summit of Cayambe today. We are all very excited about that.

Mackenzie felt ill about half-way up, so she decided to go down with one of the guides and Wendy decided to accompany her.

The rest of us continued to 18,200 feet where we confronted the crevasse that we had heard about. Though he had been doing perfectly well up until just a little below that point, Gavin began feeling badly from the altitude and needed to go down.

There was no way to know if the route would ‘go’ or not, and the guides had no way to know how long it would take, but they estimated a worst case scenario of one-and-a-half hours. Chelsea was feeling good and as strong as ever, but she was concerned about having enough energy for the long descent. So she thought it best if she were to go down. I was having something of a high altitude headache, so I thought would go down too with Chelsea and Gavin.

So Dave continued with Pepe, and after about 30 minutes they summited. They skirted below the crevasse for a good distance and then found one steep section they could climb, and once they were successfully on top of that, there were no more barriers cutting them off from the summit.

We were so close! After hearing that, Chelsea of course wished she had continued. She is so strong and has been throughout the trip, I know she would have been fine going up and on the long descent.

We are very happy that Dave made it to the top and could represent the team there.

Everyone felt better during the descent. Losing altitude quickly works wonders for acute mountain sickness, including the general malaise and the headaches. Gavin was having the most trouble, and before we lost 1000 feet he was feeling fine again.

Dave was the only one who slept last night, and I think the lack of sleep made the climb harder. The engine was tuned, but the fuel in the tank wasn’t premium, or high test as they used to call it.

But having provided all those details, I need to say it was a beautiful day, and we had a great climb. This is a very impressive mountain, and we were very pleased to have the privilege to explore its upper reaches. The beauty we saw today was truly awe-inspiring.

I also should tell you that the scenes we have witnessed, as we have been traveling through the countryside since we got here, make us feel like we are a living National Geographic. Some of the things that come to mind are the ride to Cayambe hut on an extremely rough, exposed, and washed out road; little kids washing hair in buckets on front porch of their simple homes; women gathering up sticks for firewood and wrapping them in cloth to carry home on their backs; and heavily loaded vehicles that carry far more people and goods than we would think could possibly be securely put atop four wheels. So many scenes have been remarkable and unforgettable.

Totally different, I should add that it’s also been fun to be around climbers from different countries. We’ve met Japanese, Australian, German, American, and Ecuadorian climbers. Two German climbers showed up at the hut – I think part of their ‘round the world climbing trip – and today they were climbing in Lycra. We had lots of layers on and were just keeping warm, so that was pretty strange to see.

In sum, it was a day with some summit disappointment but nonetheless truly a great day. Aside from some challenges with the altitude that no one could do anything about (aside from go down), everything else was good. Everyone did a superb job in the climbing. Skills were applied with great care, a good pace on the rope teams was kept, and all was very secure. It was a very good climbing experience.

We are now planning to move on to Cotopaxi rather than Antisana as we had originally planned. Cotopaxi has a little bit better weather than Antisana, and since the weather has been a little more unsettled this December than most, we think it is a better choice.

We’re at beautiful Hacienda Guachala now. We had a great dinner – relived the climb over dinner, and now people are in their rooms ready to sleep – and I’m sure it will be a very deep sleep indeed.

That’s the news from our team. Thanks again for all the good wishes. Good night!”

Ecuador High Altitude Expedition #1 – The Hermann Family – Dispatch 6

2011-12-29T18:58:00.000-08:00

Hermann Family Expedition

December 23, 2011 to January 3, 2012

Guides: Pepe Landazuri and Freddy Tipan

Climbers: Mark, Wendy, Mackenzie, Chelsea, and Gavin Hermann and Dave Garrabrant

“Hello again from Cayambe,

As planned, we did more glacier climbing skills today and some ice climbing too. We also worked on self-rescue using prusiks. We got a lot in!

We’re going to bed now because we plan to get up at 11pm and leave at midnight – an hour earlier than I normally start groups. We talked to the AAI Australian-American Expedition that came down from the mountain after their summit attempt this morning, and they told us that they were blocked near the top by a large crevasse.

So we are going to start an hour earlier so that when we get to that crevasse, we can scout a new route around it fist to the north and then if necessary to the south. There is no guarantee that there is any way around it, but if there is one there, we intend to find it.

OK. Here’s Mark.”

“Hello to everyone back home.

The weather was nice today and we had a lot of fun. It’s a beautiful mountain to be on.

Everyone did very well and Wendy really took to the vertical ice – she has now found things in climbing that work for her, and it appears that it’s steep ice! She really enjoyed it and did a great job.

I have a message from me to Bobby, Wes. and Nick: the feet are hanging in there!

And Dave has one for his parents: ‘I love you guys. I’m having a great time. Hey, I love coffee now. And I had trout tonight! I absolutely love the mountains and climbing and everything to do with it.’

For those of you who don’t know Dave, his parents are going to be impressed. He did not eat fish in the past. Clearly there’s a small revolution or renaissance going on here!

Back to mountain issues, we were disappointed for other group that they were unable to summit. They said they had a really good climb, but it would have been great for them to get to the very top. We’re hoping to find a way obviously. We see what we can find.

Everyone is a little nervous – but excited – to begin the ascent. Everyone has done an excellent job getting their gear ready for the climb. Each person has a good sense of what they need and how to pack it. They’re very organized."

[ At this point we read Mark the two new messages from Barb Garrabrant and from Sarah and Jeff. He had us read them twice so he could accurately convey them to the crew when he went back inside the hut. ]

"Thanks for the messages. They are very fun to get, and everybody is enjoying your words of encouragement. And the crew enjoys knowing that you are following us along our trail.

Oh yes, since Sarah brought up the subject of the 'awesome food' we are eating, I have to report on dinner. It was another excellent achievement by our chef. Appetizer: fresh pineapple from the Amazon Basin (just down the road). Entrée: fresh trout almandine (from a lake in the central valley) with mashed potatoes flavored delicately – and with Amazonian avocados as a side dish. Dessert: peaches.

I have to say, the fruit is knocking people over. It’s sooooo good!

Dave and Gavin are becoming quite the buddies. Dave is already talking about going out to ice climb with Gavin when he is at Western State in Gunnison, Colorado, next year. Clearly he is hooked on climbing!

OK, we need to head to bed, but I want to say to family and friends, we each appreciate your thoughts and encouragement. We’ll do our best on the mountain tonight. It is very exciting to meet this challenge together. Thanks for your support as we give it our best.”

Ecuador High Altitude Expedition #1 – The Hermann Family – Dispatch 5

2011-12-28T17:42:00.000-08:00

Hermann Family Expedition

December 23, 2011 to January 3, 2012

Guides: Pepe Landazuri and Freddy Tipan

Climbers: Mark, Wendy, Mackenzie, Chelsea, and Gavin Hermann and Dave Garrabrant

Pepe and Mark called Wednesday night after dinner with the following updates:

“Hello everyone. This is Pepe again calling from Cayambe.

Today we had a really good day of skills practice. We went up to a little over 16,000 feet again and worked on cramponing, ice axe usage, and roped team travel. It wasn’t perfect in terms of conditions, for cramponing for example, because we had 3 to 5 inches of fresh snow on top of the ice from the last few days, but it was fine.

And there were some areas with more snow, so that was great for snow school. For those without climbing background (Wendy and Dave) we worked on how to kick steps on slopes of different gradients, how to self-arrest, how to plunge step coming down to save energy, things like that. So today we ended up focusing on snow, and tomorrow we will concentrate on ice.

OK, here’s Mark.”

“Hi everyone! We had a great day, and it was wonderful to be on the glacier climbing. It was a little challenging for Wendy because she hasn’t been sleeping well and has been quite tired – and it is all new to her – but she was great and worked on the new skills with a lot of focus.

It’s clear again now – we had some clouds and moisture coming and going during the day – and tomorrow should be better according to the weather report. The last few days have been quite windy, which Pepe tells us is quite unusual for this time of year. But today there has been no wind at all, and tomorrow is supposed to be calm too.

Tonight Pepe and Felipe the lead guide from the other AAI group made lasagna for the whole crew, and it was excellent. They used several kinds of cheese, herbs, tomatoes, and chicken and got superb results! This is some of the best food I’ve had in the mountains!

So today was a good one. The kids are all strong and doing really well with the altitude. Some people besides Wendy have had a hard time sleeping, but that has been about the only problem.

We have a message for Dave’s parents: Dave is having all kinds of new experiences with the culture, the language, the climbing, and the food. He says he’s never been much a of a food person, but these AAI chefs are getting him to try all sorts of new things and he is really enjoying the meals! He is also quite taken by the climbing. It too is new for him but he appears to have been reborn as a climber. I think he is hooked, and we’re really just getting started! He’s also really strong, so I think he’s gong to do very well on the climbs of Cayambe and Antisana.

We are taking another day tomorrow for more training on ice climbing and glacier travel, while two groups are going to try and climb to the summit, the other AAI team and a Japanese group. I imagine the hut will be a little noisy from 11:30pm to the time they leave, but then it will be a very quiet night at the hut.

So tomorrow we’ll do skills in the morning and early afternoon, then have an easy late afternoon and go to bed really early, preparing for our summit climb starting late that night. For those of you who don’t climb, we climb starting at night so we get the best possible snow and ice conditions underfoot – that is – nicely frozen-up. The goal is to reach the summit around sunrise or at least before 9:00am, so the teams can get down before afternoon sun warms up the glacier.

We had beautiful views of Antisana this evening as the sun set on it. The whole peak was in view. We had some great colors.

To all our friends – thanks for all your support and your interest in what we are doing. – We’ve having fun, doing really well. Talk to you tomorrow.”

[At this point we read the three messages recently posted by friends and family. Mark agreed “to convey them responsibly and accurately to the group.” He got a kick out of the reference to the “Hermannization of Dave” and agreed to tell Gavin (who is quite a skilled climber) to pay attention to basic snow school! He said the team is really enjoying getting the messages and the news from home.]

Ecuador High Altitude Expedition #1 – The Hermann Family – Dispatch 4

2011-12-27T18:32:00.000-08:00

Hermann Family Expedition

December 23, 2011 to January 3, 2012

Guides: Pepe Landazuri and Freddy Tipan

Climbers: Mark, Wendy, Mackenzie, Chelsea, and Gavin Hermann and Dave Garrabrant

Hello Again,

This is Pepe calling – now from the Cayambe refuge. We had a leisurely breakfast this morning, and then left the hacienda at about 10:00am for a two-hour drive up the mountain, and then a one-hour backpack up to the big hut on the side of Cayambe. We’re at about 14,100 feet here.

After we arrived, we reserved our spots in the hut and then went for a hike. We went up to a little over 16,000 feet, and everybody felt OK. I think each person on this team is a good acclimatizer.

We are just finishing dinner, and we are standing outside the hut. OK, here is Mark.”

“Hello to everyone back home. We are happy to be here at Cayambe Refuge. It’s quite a spot. We are just finishing dinner – it was fantastic. Pepe is an incredible cook!

Everyone is supper happy; they been joking around all through dinner and kidding each other a lot. We are having a blast, and everyone is feeling confident and good.

The van ride up here freaked the girls out a little. It’s a pretty ‘dramatic’ road, but the driver was incredible. Very careful, very skilled. All went well.

Wendy felt a little off on the hike this afternoon, but felt fine by the time we came back to the hut. I felt kind of crappy after we got back to the hut, but once I ate something, I felt a lot better.

It was cloudy this morning and we actually had a little drizzle when we were moving up to the hut, but it got nice on our hike up the lower part of the mountain in the afternoon. We had really good views of most of the mountain – we couldn’t see the very summit, but we could see just about all of our route. Very impressive and we are excited to be giving it a try in a couple of days.”

[At this point, we read Mark the messages from Sarah, Barb, and Nick. He was surprised to get them and thought it was great. As soon as he was done, was was going to head into the hut and “recite them as accurately as I can.” The messages definitely got him laughing!]

“Tell folks, ‘Thanks for the messages.’ It’s really fun to hear from people back home. Great to be in touch even here, way up in the mountains.

I’d like people to know that right now we’re outside the hut and it’s perfectly clear. I’m looking down on the City of Quito which is in the far distance, and the lights are twinkling. The atmosphere is so clear here; it’s great. OK, we’re going to finish up desert and head to bed soon. We’re all looking forward to practicing skills tomorrow. We’ll call tomorrow in the evening. Thanks for the messages and bye for now.”