49 / Volcán cayambe (18,996’)

12/30/25: It was a real privilege to climb Cayambe with Jorge. I had my eye on this peak since we arrived - the great equatorial divider between the Central Andean Range and the Amazon. Fortunately a good weather window presented itself in the final 48 hours of the year. My son, Sebastian, made me a good luck bracelet to bring up this time.

The night started crystal clear, but the wind picked up as the night wore on. We made great time (about 5 hours from the refugio to summit) and ended up covered in ice from the humid air coming off the Amazon thousands of feet below.

A perfect final nevado for 2025 - beautiful large seracs and crevasses, perfect snowpack and even a rainbow to cap off the day.

No rest for the weary - to get to 52 peaks by midnight on the 31st, I’ll be attempting the Integral de los Pichinchas (four 14ers) on less than 24 hours rest. But first, a well-earned grilled cheese & hot tomato soup from Fankor!

Onward!