Cotopaxi

Cotopaxi Volcano

So one weekend, shortly after returning from the United States, off I went with my Canadian buddy Mike to Cotopaxi. It doesn´t take long to get there form Quito, a few hours drive by bus and then an off-road vehicle for 40 minutes takes you right into the heart of basically - the middle of no-where.

Cotopaxi is a National Park but its center piece is the Cotopaxi Volcano. Its one of the highest active volcanoes in the world and its one of the Ecuadorian volcanoes I monitor. I had actually only been out this way once with work, when we were picking up equipment from one of the stations around here. That day, we worked out in the field, right on the flank of this impressive volcano - except clouds prevented us from even getting a glimpse.

Mike and I stayed out in the Secret Garden´s other hostal. Its right out in the heart of nature that dominates this part of the country. Its an amazing hostal too. They rear animals out here for food, use human waste for compost and run the whole place with basically no electricity. The food out here is tasty, the rooms or tents are comfortable and the beer in their hot-tub nicely rounds off a day spent in the mud. One of their toliets also has one hell of a view, as seen pretty much from anywhere at this location - the impressive Cotopaxi Volcano looming in the distance. In the foreground, the immediate surrounding area is dominated by lush, green rolling hills and on each a llama usually sits doing very little with its day. This place really is a brilliant location to get away from all your problems in the world. Personally I dont really have too many problems - but it was still nice just to be here!!!

Mike and I spent a lot of our time relaxing in the fire-lit hostal, drinking beers, being attacked by the four dogs that live here, and generally doing very little. We did find time to get out and about though. There is a nearby waterfall walk, where you trek along a river to some small but pleasant waterfalls. We did it in the pouring rain but also went solo, so we felt as though it was a mini adventure as most of the time we were basically lost.

We also went out to the Cotopaxi National Park. A group of us went out, taking the winding road up to the carpark. There we hiked up the steep sides of Cotopaxi towards the Refuge. It sits at about 4800m (asl) and the walk is by no means easy. From the car park to the refuge, it takes about 40 minutes using the average feet, but its altitude really means that every step is a struggle - especially in the breathing department. The views of the surrounding country up there are pretty spectacular though, so you quickly forget that its such a problem inhaling and exhaling!!!

Once at the refuge we had a quick rest before continuing up towards the start of the glacier. This walk was quicker and seemed a lot easier than before, even though by the time we stopped we were now at 5100m (asl). This was the highest I had ever been on land. In fact we were so high, that in terms of altitude this was higher than when I jumped out of a plane for my skydive in New Zealand - that puts things into a scary perspective.

We stopped at the glacier, as from this point on you need ice climbing gear (specifically crampons), so we all treked back down again after a short brake. One day, before I leave this country - im gonna attempt the climb to the summit, but for now it was good to see how I fared at the glacier. It wasn´t too bad - so I will definately give the top of this active volcano (at 5897m) a go sometime soon.

We walked back down towards the car park. From there however, four of us had hired mountain bikes to make the rest of the descent. Its a rough, rocky dirt track down - and a little dangerous at times. It was a bumpy ride but equally fun. Mike, messing about on his bike actually went over the handle bars in an acrobatic leap. It could have been serious but in the end he was fine and it bacam more a laughable affair than anything else. It took maybe an hour to go all the way down, where we were then picked up again and taken back to the hostal. We didnt make it back easily - the car broke down and so had to hitch rides with some local Ecuadorians - this is South America for you!!!

The trip out here was a perfect get-away from the smoggy city of Quito. Ecuador really is a beautiful country when you get out into the heart of their mountainous nature and there are not too many places to experience this beauty - as Cotopaxi. It was nice to fully see and climb this volcano too, as I had spent so many months monitoring this bubbling beast without actually too many glimpses it. Next time I have to try the climb to the top too - but thats for another day.

Mike and I jumped in the back of a pick-up truck and sat in the sun - taking our ride back home......................