The big climb...
All summer I lugged around an entire backpack full of climbing gear (exactly 1/2 of my checked baggage that I brought with me), solely for the purpose of climbing for the final 4 days of my 11 week stay in Ecuador. Case and JJ (2 friends from Lincoln), and I planned on climbing Cotopaxi without a guide. Cotopaxi is Ecuador's 2nd highest peak, with an elevation of 19,347 ft, and its highest active volcano. In fact, many sources will tell you that Cotopaxi is the world's tallest active volcano - but after some research of my own, I believe this is not true. However, it is most likely in the top 4 or 5 tallest volcanoes in the world. Point is...it's a big mountain. It's also an extremely aesthetic mountain - appearing almost perfectly conical, snow capped and visible from Ecuador's capital city of Quito.
Due to his busy schedule, Case didn't have much time to spend in Ecuador (only about 5 days) so almost as soon as he arrived, we got after it. He landed in Quito around 11pm on a Saturday. After finally getting to sleep in our $5/night hostel in the wee hours that night, we awoke sometime in the afternoon Sunday and decided to begin the acclimatization process. Quito is at about 9,200 ft elevation, and a volcano on the outskirts of town named Pichincha peaks at about 15,000 ft. So we decided to climb to the top of Pichincha on Sunday. Keep in mind, Case and JJ, just a couple of days earlier were living in Lincoln, NE, 1,000 ft elevation. Needless to say, the hike was rough on them. I had the distinct advantage of having lived at or above 9,000 ft almost all summer. But when it comes to climbing, I have never seen anyone push themself like Case pushes himself - through fatigue, nauseau, sickness. He becomes a man possessed - it's incredible. And JJ, with little to no experience in his life of anything like this hung right up there with the both of us. I was amazed.
After a day of rest and recuperation from our first little climb, we decided that it would be most beneficial to catch the bus to Cotopaxi National Park and then hitch a ride to the climbers' refuge just below the mouth of the glacier, around 16,000 ft and live there for a couple of nights to continue with the acclimatization. This was our view the first night at sunset (Antisana, another one of Ecuador's incredible snow-capped volcanoes).
Case fought sickness due to the altitude again that night. At this point, I was having second thoughts about the sanity of our plan. Most people and guide companies suggest at least a 2 week regimented acclimitization program before attempting Cotopaxi. We had 4 days.
The following day we played around on the lower part of the glacier, getting practice with the gear (rope, crampons, ice axe, etc.), and going over some basics of crevasse rescue. We hit the sack early that evening and planned on a 12am start that night beginning a push for the summit.
We lucked out big time - the night was gorgeous...clear skies, full moon, and minimal wind (the night before it had howled unrelentingly). In fact, it was so bright with the moon reflecting off the glacier, I only occasionally had to use my headlamp despite climbing for about 6 hours before sunrise. We were the first party to leave the refuge that night. Behind us were about 30 other people, in groups of 4-5, all with guides. We were the only party on the mountain without a guide. Due to our lack of acclimatization, we were eventually passed by most of the parties. Some turned around before the summit, but we kept on pushing. At every crest, the view of the mountain above seemed to get higher and longer. I have climbed my fair share of mountains with false summits, but this one was incredible. It was demoralizing. But Case and JJ pushed on like champs. I guess when you spend the time, money, and effort to fly to another hemishpere for one shot to summit the biggest mountain of your life, you have quite a bit of motivation to keep going. And they did. I had my doubts all along the way. Mostly I was concerned about logistical and medical issues. If you push too hard for the summit, often you have nothing left to descend and that's when you run into trouble. And the fraction of oxygen that is available up there does not help with the decision-making process. This concerned me, but fortunately we were able to keep going.
Eventually we made the summit, a couple hours after sunrise. We were almost too exhausted to take it all in. But I did manage to snap a few photos. 19,347 ft. The highest peak I have ever been on - almost by a mile.
The descent was a struggle - continually fighting the urge to "just take a quick rest". Fact is, no matter how much time you rest up there, you won't feel better. The only thing that will help is descending into thicker air. It was pretty amazing to see the improvement in Case and JJ's thinking and physical strength as we descended. Near the summit, they were struggling with staying on their feet and just wanted to rest. By the time they reached the refuge, they were joking, laughing, and strong enough to shoulder their big packs and head down to the road.
What a way to cap off an incredible summer - the most amazing summer of my life, with the most amazing climb of my life. Hopefully it's all just a start to bigger travels and bigger mountains.
