Day 5-6: Rumiñahui & Prep Hike to 5,000m

Day 5: Ascent of Cerro Rumiñahui [4,630m/ 15,190’]

As we sat around the breakfast table finalizing the details of today’s acclimatization hike, some were nervous and some were excited for the challenge ahead, Rumiñahui (a dormant stratovolcano that has been heavily eroded over time). What remains is a sharply rising ridge of volcanic rock that features three distinct peaks. Our job today was to summit the central peak, Cerro Rumiñahui.

This mountain is named after an Incan general from the 16th century who led a 1533 uprising against the Spanish in the northern part of the Incan Empire  (modern-day Ecuador). According to tradition, he ordered the city’s treasure to be hidden and the city burned. Although captured and tortured, he never revealed the location of the treasure.

We weren’t going to need that level of fortitude for today’s climb, but a little inspiration doesn’t hurt! Before we set out, Camilo cautioned us that the weather would dictate how far we got up the mountain. Rain was predicted for later in the day, so we planned an early departure to improve our odds of missing the weather.

The hike consisted of three distinct sections, a gradually rising section thru grasslands and shrubs, a steep section of loose volcanic soil, and a final even steeper section of rock scramble that required sure footing and good handholds.

You would think that a trail that starts at around 12,600’ and tops out at over 15,200 would leave you out of breath. But, the deliberate acclimatization schedule we have been following, along with slow, consistent pacing has allowed our group to tackle these challenges with relative ease and no altitude sickness issues.

Fortunately the rain held off and we got our chance to climb to the summit. Once we reached the steeper loose volcanic soil section, we put on our climbing helmets as a precaution against loose rocks falling from above. Before the rock scramble near the top, we steeled our nerves and got into “mountain goat” mode and carefully made our way to the top.

We only spent about 10 minutes at the top, because we wanted to ensure we could get off the steepest sections before they got slick with rain. At the summit it was remarked that we were standing over 700’ higher than any point in the continental U.S., even though our ultimate goal for the trip was still several thousand feet higher!

The helmet precaution paid off when one of the group had a minor fall when his boot caught a rock and caused a stumble. Fortunately, he was able to control his fall with an instinctive tuck and roll. But, as he was coming to a stop, the top of his helmet impacted a rock. His form and helmet prevented a serious injury. In fact the worst thing that happened is he had a minor tear in his shirt!

As we continued to descend to the final grassy section, we began to hear thunder and feel some rain drops, so we put on our rain jackets and hustled down the rest of the way.

All in all, it was a phenomenal acclimatization hike that gave us a lot of confidence for the challenges ahead.

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Day 6: Acclimatization Hike to 5000m on Cotopaxi [5,000m / 16,405’]

Today’s acclimatization hike was straightforward and simple… hike up to the 5000m (16,405’) elevation on Cotopaxi then head back down. Nothing too complicated.

Perhaps the hardest part of the trip was the drive up the mountain to the Cotopaxi car park located at 4,620m / 15,157’. Our driver, Bruno, expertly navigated his sprinter van up the heavily rutted dirt road, while we bounced around violently in our seats. We stopped about a quarter mile short of the parking lot simply due to the nearly impassable road (at least for a heavily loaded van).

Since we’ve been walking all week, the little extra distance was insignificant. From there we hiked for about 50 minutes in weather that was quite overcast and foggy. We ascended about 800’ until we reached the Refugio José Rivas, where we stopped for a short break. Camilo was gracious and bought us coca tea or hot chocolate.

While enjoying our beverages, different groups of tourists and other trekkers began arriving. Some hoping to get a glimpse of Cotopaxi’s summit high above, and others doing as we were, preparing for their own future summit attempt. We also learned that all the summit attempts from the previous night had been either abandoned or not even attempted due to the heavy snow that was falling when their attempts started.

After our short break, we began the final climb above the Refugio to the targeted 5000m elevation. The volcanic soil was quite easy and forgiving, and the final climb only took about 40 minutes to reach our 5000m goal. As we climbed higher the clouds soon gave way to spectacular views of the snow covered summit still nearly 3,000’ above us.

Importantly, the hike gave us confidence that our chances for success to summit in 3 days would be high… if the weather and conditions are favorable.

Finally, we headed back down to the Refugio for a tasty lunch, then hiked back down to the car park for our ride to our hotel for the next two nights, the Tambopaxi Lodge that operates inside the Cotopaxi National Park. We’ll be returning to the Refugio in two days for a brief rest before we depart for the summit around midnight.

Check back in in a few days to find out how our summit attempt goes.

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