Day 10: Rest day in Baños de Agua Santa
Fun Before the “Not So Fun”
After a full day of fun and relaxation in Baños de Aqua Santa, plus two nights of restful sleep, Ron and I have recovered from the fatigue we felt after summiting Cotopaxi two days ago. We are as ready as we’ll ever be to tackle the biggest mountain in Ecuador.
A quick summation of our day in Baños… The day began at the Pailón del Diablo, a waterfall on one of the many tributaries of the Amazon River. There was even the opportunity to go behind the cascading water after crawling through a narrow tunnel carved into the cliffside. It was a fun and refreshing experience… until my head banged the rough rock ceiling on the way out! After a lot of dramatic bleeding and a quick field dressing (some hydrogen peroxide followed by a series of paper towels to staunch the bleeding), we were on to the next stop for the day, the town of Puya on the edge of the Amazon.
In Puya we had a wonderful lunch and a unique after-lunch snack… grilled chontacuro. What is chontacuro, you ask? It is the larvae of the palm beetle that is both nutritious, and surprisingly not too bad for someone not too accustomed to exotic foods.
Finally, on the way back to Baños, we stopped at a roadside adventure park where we had the opportunity to swing out over the cliffside, walk across some rope bridges, and climb a 120 rung ladder to a treetop perch high above the steeply sloping terrain. For the swing and the ladder climb, we were harnessed into the devices making them very safe and enjoyable.
Day 11: Continue to Chimborazo Advanced Base Camp [5,350m / 17,552’’]
The Approach
Now onto the final challenge of this adventure: Chimborazo. After a warm goodbye to our new friends Derrick & Allison, and Chad & Rebecca, We transferred all our gear to a 4WD vehicle for the drive to Chimborazo National Park.
Due to its height and location on the equatorial bulge, it’s summit is the closest point on earth to the sun. When measured from the center of the earth, Chimborazo is more that 2,000m higher than even Mt. Everest!
Our climb began the day before summit day with our approach hike/climb from the Refugio Carrel [4,800m/ 15,750’] to the Advanced Base Camp at Campamento Arista [5,350m / 17,552’]. This camp, about the size of two tennis courts, is perched on one of the few flat sections on the mountain slopes. It consists of 4 large and one small geodesic domes. One of the large domes is the mess tent for cooking and meals, while the other four domes are used for sleeping.
The 2.5 hour hike up to high camp gave us a good sense of how our legs recovered from the Cotopaxi climb. Fortunately we both felt good on this portion of the climb. Tomorrow will undoubtedly test our physical endurance and our mental strength.
Author’s Note: If you enjoyed this post, leave a comment or repost to your social media. Also, feel free to explore past adventure series by clicking the “HOME” button below.
Destination: Adventure 