The Alpine Athletics team has officially kicked off the climbing portion of their Ecuador Volcanoes expedition. Under moody skies, the team spent Valentine’s Day hiking to the summit of Rumiñahui (15,489 ft / 4,721 m), a dormant stratovolcano in Cotopaxi National Park. Our guides report that the acclimatization hike was a success for all climbers, and the team enjoyed the local scenery.

The team spent the evening resting, and today, they are onto snow school and mountaineering training on the lower slopes of Cotopaxi. They will head toward Illiniza tomorrow as they prepare for their next summit.

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Photos from Lucy Mejia

Big smiles on Rumiñahui (15,489 ft / 4,721 m)

A very Ecuadorian Valentine’s Day for the team