A Washoe woman and member of the county’s search and rescue team successfully reached the summit of an active volcano in Ecuador last Friday after a week of preparation.
According to the Washoe County Sheriff's Office Hasty Team in an online post, the woman, known as Becca, has been a member of the team for a few years and has a strong background in rock climbing, ice climbing, and mountaineering.
She currently serves on the team’s Board of Directors as Treasurer and leads their Outreach program. She is also certified by the American Mountain Guides Association as a single-pitch climbing instructor.
Becca traveled to Ecuador last week for a recreational trip to climb some of the highest mountains in South America. One of the mountains she climbed, Cotopaxi, is an active stratovolcano known for its symmetrical cone shape and frequent eruptions. It has an elevation of 19,347 feet, making it the second-tallest mountain in Ecuador.
After spending the week acclimating to higher elevations, Becca and her group took advantage of a clear weather window to begin their summit push late Thanksgiving night, reaching the top around 6:00 a.m. Friday morning.
(The Washoe County Sheriff's Office Hasty Team contributed to this story.)
