In October I travelled to Ecuador to climb Cotopaxi. Although this is not a technically challenging mountain outside of it's altitude of 19,348, I was extremely excited to visit as this was my first trip to Ecuador. Flying from Houston,
Tx. I arrived in Quito (9,350 ft.) around 11pm after a grueling flight of mean cocktails and cheap peanuts. At first sight, It was just another foreign country with the same
familiar lights and traffic. But at second glance it proved to be a very cool city with attractions and dangers, some familiar and some not. High speeds, flashing headlights and swerving cars reminded me some things never change down here. With a chuckle, I noticed nobody even batted in eye, except for us in the back of the van gripping the seats.
Aaahhhh .... the sweet rush of everyday near death
experiences in South America!
let the adventures begin.
After settling in to our hotel room, someone had the bright idea of suggesting " How about a night cap across the street, just one beer". I'm old enough to know better than that one but what the hell, denial is a beautiful thing sometimes, especially when it comes to drinking!
Soooo, several beers later the shots arrived and the toasts began. Than another and another. To be shamefully honest, on the fourth round I made my toast and poured it on the floor. The funny part was that it was already soaking wet from other peoples dastardly underhanded pours. As the "El
Torro" tequila settled in it become
extremely obvious that it was well past time to head home.
The next day we all had a slow start as we ate breakfast and prepared to do a short acclimatization hike just outside of town. Things went well and we all had a good time, feeling alive and fresh with the outdoor air (thin air but still air!) in our lungs. The next day we woke and started our drive to a local farmhouse near the park entrance.
Hacienda El
Porvenir was
incredible! Straw roof with adobe style walls and an
incredible interior layout. We chilled inside and drank
sugar cane
liquor in hot tea while the lamas chased tail outside in a fruitless attempt to stay warm. In the distant,
thru the clouds, we could see the base of Cotopaxi and felt the closeness of our upcoming climb.
After two nights and a day of exploring, we headed to the base of Cotopaxi and arrived at the Jose
Ribas Refugio at 16,000'. Here, the weather was spotty at best although by evening we had several clear views of the mountain. The first night I slept like a narcoleptic champ but the second found me tossing and turning like my four year old son. With the help of many a story on the
ol' MP3 player, I at least got some rest before the alarm went off. An alpine start is never easy and this one was true to the name. But after some breakfast and several cups of hot coffee, I was ramped up and ready to crush!
As we started out in the darkness, it was obvious that the snow had
accumulated quite a bit, with drifts moving into the upper calf. Dawn was approaching now and the early morning light was absolutely fantastic! We were above the clouds, approaching the summit and everybody was feeling great and doing an awesome job.
Unfortunately as we got closer to the summit, the snow
accumulation only increased. After a quick break, we decided that our current location would be the high point. The new snow with the ever steeping angle was not
conducive to a safe summit, even though we were only several hundred feet from the summit. After a couple of photos and high fives, we packed up and began our descent down to the
Refugio. Even though we had
disappointment in our hearts, we had grins on our faces and laughter in our words.
