I would characterize myself as in shape and somewhat athletic, but not hyper-fit like the cyclists I sometimes see mounting some of San Francisco's steepest hills with muscles popping out left and right.During my first trip to Ecuador several years ago, I met several hikers in the small town of Banos (known for its natural hot springs and spas) who recounted their experiences climbing Cotopaxi and showed me seductive photos of the snow and ice-covered volcano. Until those encounters, the only impressions I had of the immense volcano were the harrowing stories conveyed by my sister after her climbing adventure 10 years before, so I never imagined I would have the strength or will to make the ascent.
At a whopping 5897 meters (19,340 feet), Volcan Cotopaxi is Ecuador's second highest peak. As the climb is not "technical" it appeals to a wide range of hikers, and there are several tour companies based in Quito who guide small groups of trekkers to the summit throughout the year. I used Moggely (www.moggely.com); the owner is a bit odd, but the guides are fantastic. My favorite was Pato, who had led me on a trek up to the top of Iliniza Norte (Ecuador's 8th highest peak and a perfect warm-up climb for Cotopaxi) earlier that year. He's very patient and has an excellent sense for the physical limitations of each hiker in every group he leads.
The trip itself only takes 2 days, but it's important to set aside extra time in case of bad weather conditions. Another vital consideration is time for warm-up hikes and acclimatization. Reaching the summit of Cotopaxi is virtually impossible (and pretty stupid) without first spending several days in high altitude areas.
I arrived in Quito after having spent 2 weeks in other high altitude regions of South America and had allotted 5 days so that I could try a few lesser climbs before attempting Cotopaxi. After checking into the Magic Bean, a cute hostel and popular cafe in Quito's "New Town", I headed straight for Moggely. Unfortunately, the only trip to Cotopaxi they had during my stay was leaving early the next morning, so I had to make a quick decision. I was hesitant to leave without doing a warm-up climb, but since I had been at altitude for 2 weeks and Pato was the designated guide, I decided to go for it.
The group met early the next morning and loaded our gear into the van before setting out for Moggely's hostel, Valhalla. There were 3 men and me. The guys ranged in age from 21ish to 51ish and all looked incredibly fit. I felt totally intimidated, but tried not to obsess. At Valhalla we had a nice, hot lunch and then piled back into the van for the drive to Cotopaxi National Park. The car park is at an altitude of 4600 meters, and from there we had to carry our heavy packs up to the refugio at 4800 meters. Although only 200 meters of ascent, the weight of the packs coupled with the high altitude was enough to make everyone tired after only 45 minutes of climbing. Once we arrived at the refugio, we claimed bunk beds and sat down for some tea and snacks.
This well deserved break was short-lived as the next activity on the agenda was a hike up to the glacier (about 40 minutes) for some crampon and ice-axe instruction. The guides showed us how to walk sideways, up and down, and how to jump over crevasses.
I was not thrilled about this part of the lesson and felt terribly uncomfortable in the crampons, but persevered. I was very happy when the lesson was over and we headed back down to the refugio for dinner and bed! Lights went out at about 6:30 p.m., and everyone did their best to get some shuteye despite the early hour and discomfort of sleeping at 4800 meters.When midnight arrived, so did our wake up call. We packed up our gear, took our final bathroom breaks and were roped together in pairs so that each of our two guides had two hikers to lead. I was with a very fit-looking guy in his 40s and worried that I would slow him down, but within 45 minutes of the hike he was suffering so badly from the altitude that he had to turn around with our guide and abandon the climb*. This meant that I had to join the other two guys, and their pace was much faster than mine. I walked behind Pato and tried to focus on one step at a time, but after a few hours my legs were like jello and I had no more fight left in me.
It was around 5:00 a.m. and the guide who had taken our fallen friend back to the refugio was now with us again, looking as fresh as when we began the ascent. Many of these guides can do this strenuous climb in 90 minutes, whereas an average time for a guest hiker is anywhere from 5 - 7 hours.
We all stopped for a water break and Pato broke the news that he didn't think I would be able make it to the summit this time. I was devastated.
It seemed unlikely I would choose to attempt Cotopaxi in the future, but I knew he was right and accepted my defeat. As we rested, the sun began to rise and I was astounded at the unrivaled beauty of the glacier I was on. I had never seen such interesting patterns of snow and ice and wanted to explore further. I asked Pato if I could climb for 10 more minutes with the other guide just to take some photographs, and he agreed. It was getting late, so he immediately took off with the remaining two trekkers so that they would arrive at the summit before it got too late.Slowly, I began to climb; a few steps here and there, gazing around each corner to admire the incredible scenery. Before I knew it I was marching steadily towards the top and had caught my second wind. I continued on silently with my guide and eventually we met up with the rest of my group, already on their way back to the refugio. When they saw me approaching they were shocked, and gave me a show of support that I will never forget. Pato gave the go-ahead for my continued ascent and we trudged on towards the summit.
At this point I was physically exhausted from the climb and my shins were burning from the pressure of the crampons. I started talking to myself; coaxing my body to persevere, using every ounce of will and fight I had left to continue ascending the volcano. The journey seemed endless and I resorted to crawling on all fours, using my arm strength to push myself forward while pushing back the tears that were welling up inside of my aching body. The last 100 meters was torture, but after 7 hours of figurative blood, real sweat and a spattering of tears, I finally arrived at the summit and screamed with joy. It was getting late and my guide wanted to make sure we descended while it was still safe. I was so exhausted from the ordeal that I hardly had enough energy to peer down into the mouth of the imposing volcano but I paused to make a short video announcing my achievement and then began the long path back down to ground level. .
For a while I was thrilled to be going down instead of up and passed the time shooting lots of photos, but my batteries quickly died (from exposure to the cold) and the descent became extremely tedious. I begged for breaks to rest my shaking legs and felt as though I'd never make it back to the refugio in one piece. Hours passed, blisters announced themselves and fatigue set in, but eventually I arrived at the refugio and burst into tears. For 10 minutes I was unable to control the outpouring of emotion that came upon me, but once I regained control I felt a deep pride that I carry with me to this day.*note - the hiker mentioned above who had to turn back did eventually summit Cotopaxi after training for several months following his first attempt with my group.
