We successfully reached the summit of Cayambe just an hour after dawn yesterday morning. The view was more incredible than I could have anticipated - the clouds, some 2,000 feet below, seemed close enough to touch, they looked full and heavy and substantial, like they could be scooped up. In the distance, a cloud at our elevation held perfect formation drifting ever so slowly across the horizon, but somehow never masking the sunrise.
My general impression, and I think that of the group, was that Cayambe would be easier than Cotopaxi. False. The climb was long - so long - and unlike Cotopaxi, which was filled with incredibly steep sections followed by moments of more even terrain, Cayambe began with a noticeable slope which only increased (substantially) as we progressed up the mountain, offering relatively few moments of respite and an ever increasing grade on the mountain. Eventually, roughly 500 feet below the summit, we came to the head wall, and with crevasses eliminating other routes to the summit, we started to climb. The wall was a slab, a bit less than vertical, but it quickly became clear that an anchor would be needed for climbers to pass the line through as we progressed (Mom - we were totally safe, I promise, that's why we put an anchor in, it was good and prudent judgment!). We found ourselves on the western head wall as dawn approached from the eastern side of the mountain, back-lighting everything around us and casting an amazing shadow of the summit on the world below.
In the days prior to the climb, we had spent some time on glacier and crevasse training, with each team member lowered into a crevasse to climb out and later lowered into crevasses practice rescues. No rescues were needed during the ascent, but the increased familiarity with climbing a slab of ice and additional technique work with the ice axe proved helpful. I truly loved the ice climbing, and on our descent, loved being able to rappel from the top of the head wall to the bottom.
Our group formed 2 rope teams - 7 people in total - and the mountain was ours alone. I definitely already miss the rest of the team, but also appreciate the increased role the remaining team members play in the decisions we face. The other 15 members of our original team returned home following Cotopaxi and we lose an additional team member tonight. With only our rope teams on Cayambe, the sense of isolation was unique - we walked and climbed for hours without talking, but I rarely felt all that alone. I again found myself with Alex on my rope team and we seem to strike a natural rhythm together on the mountain. Wilson, our Ecuadorian guide lead our rope team, as he did for my team on Cotopaxi. He has definitely been integrated into our group - we have introduced him PB&Js, it's a whole new culinary world for him! Bill, from Earth Treks, was at the back of our group. Both are such an awesome part of a crucial rhythm on the mountain, and I find that the entire team helps to pace me when my internal rhythm urges me to go faster, to become inefficient.
While the climb was long and hard, and again, the descent slow and painful, I felt minimally less drained at the end. The experience of already completing a different summit just days earlier provided insight for what laid ahead and how much my body could handle - always more than I think it can. Of course, on the other hand - ignorance is bliss and I worried what my knowledge of what the climb could entail may be psychologically damning, particularly if the weather wasn't in our favor. Working to maintain my mental focus as Chimborazo approaches.
Our rope team reached the summit first as the other rope team worked through the climb on the head wall. I thought about Justin and took a moment to spread some of his ashes, as I did on Cotopaxi - it truly feels like where he should be. I can imagine that as challenging and difficult as the summits can be, he also loved the mental toughness required and the reward for his efforts. There is a decision that you have to make - you will reach the summit. There is no "trying" or "doing your best." There is a mountain in front of you and the decision that you will climb it - it otherwise becomes too easy to allow fatigue and fear to creep in (don't worry Mom - this doesn't mean a total disregard for safety, there are the obvious check-points to assess conditions of team members and the mountain, I promise, I'm strictly pointing to the mentality required).
After a few minutes at the summit, I'll be honest, I zipped up my down puffy jacket, sat down on my backpack, and took a nap...on top of a mountain. Truly, I can sleep anywhere - as the rest of the team learned while I snoozed through some serious off-roading on our ride down from the refuge and never woke up when we stopped for a few car repairs.
The refuge, or climbers' hut at Cayambe, felt like the Hilton - running water (although cold and still something we used cautiously for fear of food poisoning), flush toilets inside the same building as our beds, kitchen space, the works. It felt like luxury living - even without heat and showers for 3 days.
Chimborazo lies ahead tomorrow - it will be our highest attempted summit yet by roughly 1,000 ft and we'll be starting lower than we typically do - it will be a long summit with unique features (I'm pretty sure this means it's going to kick my butt). We will be on a compressed schedule and certainly, this will be a our greatest challenge overall. Hoping again for good weather and lots of energy and endurance! Love to all!
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