A New Height
February 19 - Another day trip was planned today, so we woke up early around 6:15. Our meeting spot was the same as when we went to Quilotoa. This time we walked there and we arrived right on time. Today we were going to visit the active volcano, Cotopaxi. Ecuador has 84 volcanoes, 34 of which are active.
Our first stop was about an hour away in a small town near the volcano to eat breakfast. The town only had a few dirt roads. G had pancakes with fruit, yogurt, and granola with some eggs and toast on the side. I had a giant bowl of fruit with yogurt, and plantains with cheese. The group on this trip was more engaging than the one at Quilotoa. We sat at a table with a man from Switzerland who's traveling for a while, a man from Canada, and a couple from the U.S. who spontaneously decided to go to Ecuador 3 days before they left. When we were finished with breakfast, I pet Kita, a fluffy German Shepherd who belongs to the restaurant, then hopped on the bus.
Next, we drove about 30 minutes to a small grocery store just outside of the national park where we bought some cocoa leaves to chew to help with the altitude. Another 15 minutes or so down the road we entered the national park and stopped at a gift shop to buy gloves if we didn't have them. G and I didn't need gloves and the weather was pleasant at Quilotoa so we didn't bring any. Our guide, Gabriel, insisted that the whole group needed them. So, G and I each bought a pair made of alpaca wool for about $5. This turned out to be a good choice.
The drive up until this point and then the following 45-minute drive to our starting point of the hike was very foggy, so foggy that we couldn't even see any of the volcanoes surrounding us. The higher we ascended, the more intensely the wind howled. Everyone cautiously exited the small tour bus into the cold, wet wind. We were already over 14,500 feet (4,419m) in elevation and we were going to walk up to base camp, which was just under 16,000 feet (4,864m). Since the wind was strong, we had to take the more difficult path with a steeper incline because it's safer during high winds than the other one that's narrower but had less of an incline and more switchbacks.
We had adjusted more to the elevation than when we hiked at Quilotoa, but the altitude we were reaching today was the highest either one of us had ever been before. Our hike began strong, though it didn't take very long for us to start to slow down. The entire group needed to take frequent breaks. We couldn't see past the edge of the path because the blowing clouds were so dense and we fought off sleet and high winds. I felt overall better than a few days earlier, but toward the top, I started to feel pressure in my chest, fatigue, and according to G, my lips were turning blue. After many breaks and swear words oddly mixed with positive self-talk and encouragement from G, we made it to base camp, where we drank hot chocolate with a couple from Israel who were on their honeymoon, and very much looking forward to their next stop, beaches in Mexico.
20 minutes later we made our descent back to the bus, which was much easier than the ascent, but still proved to be a challenge. The plan was to ride bikes all the way down the volcano, but given the high winds, we had to drive a ways down. Even where we stopped the wind was still violent, but G and I gave biking a shot anyways. My hands were so cold even though I had been wearing gloves that I couldn't brake easily, and the road was extremely bumpy, so I stopped early and took the bus the rest of the way. G braved the conditions, and since he's always warm, even in this weather, his hands didn't cramp when he tried to brake. He wasn't without his own obstacles, though. The chain snapped off his bike about 3/4 of the way to our meeting point, a small lake with a nice view of Cotopaxi. So, he turned his bike into a makeshift scooter/skateboard combo the rest of the way.
When everyone arrived at the lake, the sky began to clear, and the weather was decent. We were fortunate to snap a few good photos of the volcano, then we made our way back to the restaurant where we had breakfast to eat lunch, which consisted of potato soup, and rice with veggies (we had opted to eat vegetarian for multiple meals.) We sat with the man from Switzerland, the man from Canada, and the couple from Israel, and discussed travels and our recent feat.
After G and I finished eating and socializing, we went outside to pet Kita again, and discovered the restaurant also had a llama named Rafiki! Kita tried to play with Rafiki, but Rafiki wasn't having it, and spit on Kita. I took a glamour shot of Rafiki then we boarded the bus again to head back to Quito.
Over half of the crew was let off at a farm stay located a few minutes from the restaurant, then we continued our drive for about an hour and a half. Everyone else's stop was in the historic district, so G and I were the last to exit the bus. We walked back to our hostel where we stayed for the rest of the evening because the volcano and its elements wore us out.
-T