Nico was among 13 in his ROMP expedition group of 20 to summit the Cayambe Volcano in Ecuador yesterday. We have yet to hear about the details of the climb but we can expect a full download when Nico returns to the States on Monday. This is his second successful high-altitude summit only a few hundred feet lower than Kilimanjaro which he climbed with me when he was 13. At these elevations, you are literally above the clouds and the views are awe-inspiring. I believe the distant peak in the photo below is of the Antisana Volcano some 35 miles away.

UPDATE: We have now learned that Nico was the first on the team to reach the summit. The guides referred to him as “The Machine.” He waited at the top for the rest of the group for 45 minutes but then became so cold he had to begin his descent. Unfortunately, the professional photographers on the expedition kept pace with the main contingent and this left Nico with only the photographs taken by his guide. While on the summit, he released a small portion of my mother’s cremains. She was born and grew up in Ecuador and would have been so proud to learn of Nico’s exploits in her homeland.