For two days we’ve enjoyed a bit of rest and relaxation, while staying at the Tambopaxi Lodge within Cotopaxi National Park. From our rooms we have unobstructed inspiring views of the entire expanse of Volcán Cotopaxi. We’ve also enjoyed a lot of great meals, making the downtime between hikes something to look forward to. After dinner it has become our custom to play a fun card game called SkyJo, that leads to some fun competitive banter and trash talk!
As we look ahead to our summit attempt in the days ahead, we are finalizing our preparation. Our acclimatization routine is complete and we are all feeling great! No one has even had a headache, which is remarkable considering some of the elevations we’ve reached in the past week.
Today, we enjoyed a relaxing 7.5 mile hike in the high grasslands at the base of Cotopaxi. Along the way we briefly visited a replica of a hut used as a shelter by local herders and some stacked stone that date back to the Incan Empire. Our ultimate destination was the head spring of the Río Pita, the river that flows south from Cotopaxi into the Los Chillos Valley… the same river we hiked along on days 2 and 4 of the trip.
It was interesting to see the actual source of the river emanating from the base of a small grass covered hill.
On the way back to the lodge, our trailblazing skills honed on day 4 came in handy once again. We reprised our need to break trail along a narrow ridge above the river, then we all got to practice our long jump skills to jump about 4’ from one side to the other. The form ranged from awful to graceful! Fortunately no one landed short into the river… although we had one close call.
The day ended with Camilo teaching us the essential rope team and ice axe skills needed for our ascent and descent. We will be climbing in three separate 3-person rope teams, each with a dedicated guide.
We all feel physically ready for the challenge ahead. Although our mental fortitude will no doubt be tested high on the mountain where we know there will be some suffering… ultimately we are confident the effort will be rewarded.
Day 8: Ascend to Cotopaxi Hut [4,864m / 15,748’]
The final day before we depart for the summit at around midnight tonight was spent finalizing our gear for the mountain and simply resting. Camilo checked all of our gear to ensure we had the specific gear and clothing needed for the summit push.
At lunch we met our other two guides, Christian and Mauricio, completing our 9 person summit team. We will depart for the Refugio later in the afternoon where we will undoubtedly play SkyJo and try to get some rest before the midnight wake up call.
Stay tuned for what happens next!…
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