Cotopaxi

I went on an optional weekend tour of Cotopaxi. We hiked up to a glacier at 5,100 m/ 16,800 ft and then biked down.

June, Patricia (two of the other students), and I went on a tour of Cotopaxi, an active volcano that sits about two hours outside of Quito. It is the second highest peak in Ecuador at 5,897 m/ 19,347 ft, just six feet higher than Mt. Kilimanjaro.

We rode in a bus with a few other tourists up a beautiful yet bumpy road to the base of the hike. The parking lot was at 4,473 m/ 14,763 ft. However the city of Quito sits at about 2,850 m/ 9,405 ft, so the change in altitude wasn't very drastic.

When then bundled up and began a short 45 minute hike to the Refuge which sits at 4,864 m/ 15,953 ft. Which means we hiked up about 400 m/ 1200 ft. The hike itself was pretty easy, and it felt good to be using my gross hiking boots again. We also got super lucky and the clouds had moved and we got a clear view of the peak.

Once we made it to the Refuge some people decided to head back, while others decided to continue on a much steeper hike to a glacier that sits at about 5,100 m/ 16,800 ft. I spent the time talking and getting to know some of the other people that were studying Spanish at different schools around the city. A lot of them were from Germany and the Netherlands.

The end of the hike was extremely steep and I had to use my hands at some points. When we finally made it to the glacier after about an hour we got the most stunning views of the valley below. We also got to see the two other volcanoes that sit close by.

After about 30 minutes we tried not to fall as we headed back to the bus. Once we got down, I emptied the soil out of my boots and then hopped on a bike to ride down to the entrance of the park.

The road was very steep, windy, bumpy, and unpaved. I lasted about 30 minutes on the bike before I decided that it wasn't for me. It was also an older bike and the brakes didn't work very well. Instead, I hopped back in the bus with a few of the others and rode the rest of the way down.

We then drove an hour to a nice spot for lunch where we enjoyed soup, chicken, and vegetables before another hour drive back to town.

I was glad to explore other parts of Ecuador and it was also a lot of fun to hike again and talk with some of the other students living here. Overall a long and exciting day.