Day 1-3: Exploring and Acclimating

Day 1: Arrival

And so it begins… after dealing with some flight cancellations and several rebookings due to an unusual winter storm that impacted hundreds of flights into and out of Atlanta, we arrived in Quito 24 hours later than planned. Fortunately we had built an extra day into our itinerary, so the delay didn’t affect the overall schedule.

On the ground we quickly cleared customs and met our driver who took us to our hotel about 20 min outside of Quito. As soon as we arrived we were greeted by the rest of our group, who had arrived the previous day. They all made it a point to stay up and wait for our arrival, a very nice and much appreciated gesture.

We immediately hit it off and fell into an easy camaraderie that had us looking forward to the many hours we would be spending together on the trails. And so, our intrepid gang of six was complete as we joined Derrick and his wife Allison from Logan, Utah, and Chad and his wife Rebecca, from Eagle, Idaho. Derrick and Chad are brothers, so this was a family venture for them.

Day 2: Acclimatization hike to Cascada Cóndor Machay

After a restful and sound night of sleep at Casa Ilayaku, a quaint and comfortable hotel in the foothills outside of Quito, we were ready for the day ahead. During breakfast we met our on ground coordinator, Javier, and our lead guide, Camilo. Everyone shared a little about themselves and Javier gave a brief overview of the weeks ahead. After breakfast our gear was inspected to ensure we had all the equipment needed for the technical climbs to occur in the coming weeks.

Once finished it was time to load up the van and head to our first acclimatization hike, a nearly 7 mile hike in the Valley of Los Chillos alongside the Río Pita to the Cascada Cóndor Machay… a beautiful waterfall at the end of the valley.

Even though we were hiking above 10,000’, no one seemed to be affected by the elevation. All in all, it as a rather easy day of hiking that ended at the tranquil Hacienda Cotopaxi Pungo, our hotel for the night. To our pleasant surprise, there was even a hot tub!… so, of course, we couldn’t pass up the opportunity to partake in this unexpected luxury!

Day 3: Ascent of Vocán Pasochoa [4,200m / 13,780’]

We woke up to an inspiring view of Cotopaxi this morning! The view of the green highlands leading up to the towering volcano were truly breathtaking (and not just because we were sitting at nearly 11,000’ elevation!).

One of the things that is constantly stressed while at altitude is to stay well hydrated. Generally we try to drink 5L of water each day, which is a lot! To manage that level of intake we’ve adapted to the mantra of “camel up” which essentially means to consume at least 2L of water before we even begin our hike.

In the morning, the skies were relatively clear and we were able to see the second, third, and fourth highest mountains in Ecuador (Cotopaxi, Cayambe, and Antisana respectively) from the lawn outside of the hotel.

Today we are climbing an extinct volcano in the inter-Andean range called Volcán Pasochoa, a 9 mile hike with 3,000’ of elevation gain, topping out at 13,780’. This will be a good challenge and an important acclimatization test as we practice the “hike high, sleep low” method that over time allows our bodies to adapt to being more efficient while exposed to the higher elevations to come.

Today’s hike began after a short drive to the trail, which sits entirely within 760 acres of privately owned land.Camilo, our head guide, contacted the owner to arrange access. We began with a slow and steady pace up the steep dirt road that was flanked by green rolling hills that fell away to the valley far down below. Off in the distance we could see the southern parts of Quito, the capital of Ecuador with a population of nearly 2 million.

After about 2 1/2 hours of hiking we reached a narrow path that rose sharply toward the summit and we continued to push on for another hour. Upon reaching the top, the group enjoyed a long break and lunch while taking in the vistas all around. Lava mounds and the ancient caldera walls that fell steeply from the summit were clear remnants of this mountain’s volcanic past.

After a leisurely lunch break at the top, we donned our packs for the long descent to the start point. There, we rendezvoused with Bruno, our driver, who was standing by to drive us to our lodge for the night, the Chilcambamba Hotel, located on the periphery of Cotopaxi National Park.

Tomorrow will be an easy 9 mile hike next to the Río Pita, along a section that begins just above the Cascada Cóndor Machay that we saw on Day 2.

So far the trip has exceeded our expectations, and we are looking forward to the days ahead that will take us to even greater heights and provide an opportunity to practice the technical mountaineering skills we will need high on the glacier of Cotopaxi.

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