Category: Hiking

At 5,897 m (19, 347 ft), Cotopaxi is one of the highest active volcanoes in the world and Ecuador’s second highest peak. Due to volcanic activity, access to it’s summit was closed for over 2 years. Last month, conditions of the volcano went back to normal and its summit was re-opened for climbers.

Since I started climbing mountains a year and a half ago, Cotopaxi was always present in my mind. Being the most iconic peak in Ecuador, I was happy to be able to finally climb it.

Cotopaxi National Park is one the country’s main attractions, surrounded by beautiful Andes scenery of paramo, lakes and volcanoes. It’s located about an hour away from Quito and also the location of “Jose F. Ribas” refuge where most climbers spend the night before attempting the climb.

A night at the refuge with dinner and breakfast included is $32. Bring your own sleeping bag and you’re all set. Mountaineering regulations in Ecuador require that all people must climb with a certified guide as well with a permit done through a tourism agency. The refuge was packed with climbers from all over the world. Cotopaxi is Ecuador’s most popular peak to climb.

After a solid “locro de papa” (potato soup) I tried to get some sleep with little success. Before a big climb, many things go through my head and it’s a bit hard to get proper rest. I was woken up at 11:15pm and it was time to get ready. My partners for this climb (Hernan and Jorge) were the same as my previous big climb of Illiniza Sur.

The night was young and calm and the climb begins with a hike up through sand and rocks. Crampons were not necessarily just yet. I looked up and could see a canal of lights, head torches of the climbers who started their summit push before us. I looked down and same story. As we were finally reaching the glacier, we saw to our left what looked like fireworks, a beautiful scenery of thunderstorms in a far distance. My body wasn’t warm yet and I felt a bit tired.

Putting on your crampons can take some time if you’re not use to it. So we took advantage of this and went ahead of most groups. One step up, one deep breath. There is plenty of time to think while at the mountain, it keeps your mind busy while putting yourself to the limit. Cotopaxi is an active volcano to the point of almost erupting not too long ago and as we were getting closer to the summit, we passed through a couple of crevasses that produced a smell of sulfur. I began to feel nauseous for moments but luckily there were strong winds that made the odor go away.

We made it to the summit ahead of time. It was 5:09 AM. Still dark and very cold. Many of the groups that arrived around the same time, decided to go back down but we stayed until we could catch some light to see the crater of the volcano. The wait was worth it as we had amazing views of Antisana, Reventador and Chimborazo. Another great and beautiful ascent but success is when you finally get home safely. Thank you Taita Coto. I’ll see you soon but not yet.

It was time to climb Illiniza Sur, one of Ecuador’s most technical climbs at 5,263 m (17,267 ft). It’s located about an hour drive from Quito at Reserva Ecologica Los Illinizas, next to it’s neighbor Illiniza Norte (5,126 m / 16,818 ft.).

As a high altitude peak, the climb starts before sunrise so we headed on Friday afternoon to the refuge to get some rest beforehand. Rainy season usually ends in April but it has been raining a lot this month of May. Once we arrived at “La Virgen” parking lot, it started pouring and we had to wait an hour in the car. From “La Virgen” parking lot, there is a 2 hour hike up to “Nuevos Horizontes” refuge, the oldest mountain refuge in Ecuador.

We arrived at the refuge at 8:30 pm, had some potato soup and chicken with rice. People can bring their own food and cook it at the refuge but we decided to eat there in order to lower the weight of our backpacks. After preparing our gear and backpacks, we hit the bed in our sleeping bags. I only managed to get a couple of hours of sleep and woke up at 4:00 am. After some hot tea with bread, we were on our way to climb Illiniza Sur. It takes about forty minutes before reaching the glacier/wear crampons. This initial part of the “normal route” has high possibilities of rock fall so our guide Jorge recommended my friend Hernan and I to move fast.

The day seemed to be with good conditions and at sunrise we had beautiful views of Illiniza Norte. The first snow/ice ramp was of 50 – 60 degrees. It was particularly tiring to start the glacier section with this kind of effort and I used different climbing methods like the “French technique”.

After this part of the climb which seemed long, we passed through a hidden crevasses section where falling was not an option. During the last part of the ascent, clouds began to emerge but winds were relatively low. I could see the summit and at this point, I was too tired to think straight. My focus was on taking every step slowly.

When I started climbing almost a year ago, I had a special respect for this mountain. It’s no place to learn. It’s no place to make mistakes. It can be dangerous and has proven to be fatal. Standing on the summit of Illiniza Sur was my biggest mountaineering accomplishment yet. It’s no small feat. I was tired but happy. The descent of every mountain is where most accidents happen. Usually it’s the most difficult part of the climb. I knew that it wasn’t over until we got back home safe.

Overshadowed by it’s neighbor Chimborazo (the highest peak in Ecuador), Carihuairazo is not an often climbing destination. It’s located past Ambato and about 3 hours away from Quito and it’s also a good acclimatization peak since it rises over 5,000 m or 16,000 ft.

It has lost most of it’s glacier in the past 25 years and it’s expected to disappear completely in less than 10. Climbing this volcano is usually done in 2 days with camping included but we did it in one day with Zona Verde’s Jaime Gallardo.

We left Quito around 4:30am and after stopping for a quick breakfast in Ambato, we started the hike up the mountain at 9:00am. Crampons and harness are not necessarily required anymore as the glacier part is relatively short. However, trekking poles for balance and Gore-Tex boots are definitely a must.

Since the day was clear, we had the opportunity to see both Carihuairazo – Chimborazo perfectly and it took us about 2 and a half hours to reach the actual mountain. It’s not a technical or difficult climb but good scrambling skills are always a plus. After passing the short glacier part, there is short steep part with loose rock. Get past this and you’ll be rewarded with reaching one of the summits.

At the summit, we had incredible views of Chimborazo, El Altar and the surrounding valleys and mountains. The 6-and-a-half-hour expedition was definitely worth it! Climb Carihuairazo soon as the glacier with certainly disappear shorty.

There is no other feeling like being in top of a mountain, it’s hard to explain in words. But I’ll try. For myself, its one of the closest and greatest connections that humans can have with nature. Every mountain is different with it’s own beauty and although making it to a summit might be challenging, the reward it’s surreal. It’s a moment of peace, a combination of joy and frustration, it’s a moment of greatness. There is no other feeling like that.

I started climbing mountains just two months ago and I do regret not climbing before in life but it’s never too late to do it. I’m lucky to live in Quito, located in the highlands and surrounded by many beautiful Andes mountains that are relatively close and easily accessible.

It never really crossed my mind what I was aiming for but my first mountain experience was at Ruco Pichincha. I will not go into details of my previous summits and weekly cardio training but it included climbing El Corazon, Pasochoa, Ruminahui (all of these mountains between 4200 m and 4700 m) and the glacier school in Cayambe. I would recommend to summit a 5000 m mountain like Illiniza Norte for acclimatization before attempting Cayambe. Drinking plenty of water the days before for hydration is always a good idea before climbing.

The day to face my biggest mountain yet, finally came. On August 21^st of 2016, I was going to climb Cayambe. My friends and I reached the refuge or base camp at 7:30 pm and is about a 2.5-hour drive away from Quito. Our guide was already there with other groups of maybe 15 people. We cooked some pasta and tried to get some rest. It was a bad idea to sleep outside in a tent as it was super windy and I really managed to get zero sleep. A night at the refuge with food included is $30 USD.

At 11:30pm we started getting ready, putting on our equipment, harness, boots, etc. I had some hot tea with coconut cookies. Personally, I don’t recommend eating too much food before going up but that depends how your metabolism works and after putting our helmets on with headlights, we were all set to begin. Cayambe is a one-day climb, so you can carry only the essentials in your backpack (water, snacks like granola bars or fruits, extra gloves/jacket). There is about 45 minutes of hiking up until you reach the glacier so the crampons were not necessary from the beginning.

When we started hiking up, I felt confident and not really tired even though I did not get any rest. The night was pretty yet windy, filled with stars and with some moon light. As I kept walking and slowly getting tired, I started having different thoughts; that I could be home sleeping or questioning why I was doing this. But those thoughts, I tried to keep away from my head with some Bonobo and Los Fabulosos Cadillacs songs playing in my head.

We made it to the glacier and it was time to put our crampons on. It’s a very good idea to set them up with the right measures to your boots before departure so that you don’t waste too much time in the cold doing this. Our guide and three of us were in one group secured with ropes in our harnesses and I was the last one in line.

The climb continued and hiking up in snow and ice can be more tiring and challenging than the normal hiking. In front of me, as the night was still young, I could only see the lights of my fellow group members and two groups way ahead of us. 2 hours passed, 3 hours passed and in between a couple of short breaks for hydration. The altitude started having an effect. My chest was making more effort and overall, I was getting more and more tired. One step at a time, I thought. Keep climbing and I’ll make the summit in no time. 4 hours passed and for certain moments, I thought about giving up. At this point, we were passing by large crevasses that looked beautiful yet potentially deadly. We were lucky enough to climb through a safe route that did not demanded great technical challenges for us.

At 5 hours, the sun started to rise. It gave me hope to know that we were so close yet far away. The last hour of climbing was the hardest. A perfectly shaped triangle shadow formed in front of us. With some light, we finally started to see the morning beauty of going up a mountain.

At certain moments, I felt that I could have trained more but I kept going, step by step. By now, our lights were turned off and it was time to put on our sunglasses. When I heard screams of joy from the first groups that made it to the summit, I felt relieve. I knew we were there.

My body and mind were too tired to fully process this moment, I hugged our guide and my friends. We just climbed Ecuador’s third highest mountain at 5790 m or 19000 ft. I knew that by far, this was one of the hardest things that I’ve done in my entire life. But it was definitely worth it, so worth it. I sat for a bit to take some breath. The day was clear and perfect and I contemplated the “Avenue of the Volcanos” for a while. I could see in front of me; Antisana, Cotopaxi and further away, the mighty Chimborazo. On the other side, Reventador volcano was in action. It was surreal, it was one of the best moments that I’ve ever experience in my 26 years of life.