• SKIING THE ANTARCTIC PENINSULA PART 1
• GETTING INTO WINTER CLIMBING SHAPE WITH FA GUIDE CHAD PEELE
• CARSTENSZ PYRAMID THE HEROES PROJECT EXPEDITION IN THREE ACTS
• KYLE MILLER ON FIRST FILM PREMIERE AND TRANSITIONING FROM SKI BUM TO PRO ATHLETE
• BE FIRST RECIPIENT JON TURK RECAPS HIS EPIC, FIRST CIRCUMNAVIGATION OF ELLESMERE ISLAND
• TAHOE GUIDE MEETING DAY 2 THE GUIDE BUILT PROCESS

By Melissa Arnot

The sun is shining today, which is a great way to start out the climbing portion of our trip! Unfortunately, it has been extremely wet for the past few weeks and as we approach (via jeep) our first hiking location, the wet roads show us that they have other ideas. We drive straight through a stream that covers the tires completely, only to come around the corner and see that the road is literally being washed away in front of our eyes. Jeff and I quickly jump out of the vehicle, grabbing the shovel that they gave us at the gate to the road. I sink about a foot straight into the mud, laughing at the useless shovel in my hand.

Somehow we manage to dig ourselves out of the mud and get the jeep moving downhill… towards a different location. It is our goal to get to 14,000 feet today. Quito is situated at 9,000 feet and our hacienda for tonight is at 12,000.

We finally make our way to a forest where we can begin hiking Pasachoa. A few hours later we find ourselves perched on the edge of an extinct volcano at 14,000 feet, looking into the lush crater. The clouds are rolling in and the wild llamas are running downhill so we take that as a cue and do the same!

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