Cotopaxi

Walking up Cotopaxi today with my brother was a thrill! One of my regrets from my stay in Quito last time was never having gone up the volcano and today I finally got to! On our way to the park the volcano was in full view and it was all clear. When we entered the park clouds were starting to form and we could only see bits and pieces of the summit and the mountain itself. As we got further and further up, the cloud cover started becoming heavier.

I don’t have much to say about the experience except for this is the highest I have ever been (4,800 meters), that I know of. The ascent wasn’t bad and by the time we got to the refuge (where the snow starts and currently no one goes further up because of the recent eruption earlier this year) I was breathing pretty hard. It isn’t a difficult climb though, it only takes about 45 minutes to an hour and you gain just shy of 1000 feet in elevation. It’s absolutely thrilling to come down. And after a bit of coca tea you have the energy to descend, no problem.

The photo above isn’t mine. I posted one on Instagram earlier today and at the end of my trip I will post more pictures that I or Peter took, but for now, you can enjoy the vista. It really does feel like you are in the clouds when you are at the top 🙂