Wow...another amazing day in Ecuador...the day to climb the volcano Mama Cotocachi...the snow-capped mountain which is the backdrop to Laguna Cotocachi seen in the previous blog.
Up at 5.30...for a breakfast of Machado...green bananas cooked and mashed and re-fried...kind of like scrambled eggs...but scrambled bananas!!! Yummy!! A 6am pick-up by our personal driver Don Vincente to take us to our starting point. We stopped at the market in Cotocachi to buy some supplies for the hike...but everything was still closed!! Lucky we had water and some cheese rolls to see us through!!!
It was about a 45 minute drive up a bumpy, unmade road to our starting point. Bumping our way up in the back of the ute...the poor car was extremely heavy with all 13 of us piled in the back. At one point we had to get out and push the car as it was stuck in a hole in the dusty, rocky road!!
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| Heave Ho!!! |
Anyway...we finally arrived at our starting point...the plan was to get as far as we could in the time we had...as this moutain was higher and a bit harder than Imbaburra to climb. A group photo with the volcano in the background before we started hiking...then off we set!!
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| Off we go!! |
It was a beautiful morning...chilly still, but clear skies. It was also a lot windier here...so jackets and hats needed by all. The hike started meandering through a grassy area...but the views of Cotocachi were amazing.
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| Hmmm...that peak is where we are headed!! |
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| Just to prove I was there!!! |
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| Hmmm...that top still looks a long way away!!! |
As we got higher, the views back over Laguna Cuicocha and the surrounding mountains and volcanos were amazing. We could see Imbaburra (our previous climbing effort!!), Cayambe and in the distance the snow-peaked Cotopaxi, Fui Fui and in the even more distant distance Mama Tungurahua...the very active Volcano near the town of Banos (where Jesus and I met). You may have seen Tungurahua in the news a few weeks ago as it was active and spewing out heaps of lava and ash again!!!
We had the most amazingly beautiful views...WOW!!! Every few minutes I had to stop to take another photo!!! I took heaps...coudn´t decide which to choose...so I chose them all to share with you!!!
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| The snow-capped peak on the left hand side is Volcano Cotopaxi. |
In this next photo...Cotopaxi is on the LH side, Fui Fui is the rugged peaks to the RH side and in the middle if you look carefully you can see a distant mountain in the clouds. This is Mama Tungurahua...with smoke coming out of the top.
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| Volcanos Taita Imbaburra in the foreground and snow capped Cayambe in the background. |
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We did take our time climbing...we did lose a few climbers along the way...most struggling with the altitude. But...we enjoyed the views back over the countryside...and watched Laguna Cuicocha slip further in to the distance!!
Yep...more photos!!
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| A bit of a rest...those peaks in the distance was where we were headed!!! |
Onwards and upwards!!! The climb started to get more difficult as we got further up...not only for the altitude..but it was rocky and sandy. Every step you had to be careful so as not to slip back down the mountain...it was really hard!! At times my boots sunk right in to the sandy/rocky ground!!! Plus...as I mentioned in the previous blog, my legs felt like jelly climbing at that altitude...so I really had to concentrate on every step!!!
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| Up the rocky ground!! |
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| More up and more slippery rocks!!! |
We took our time...having a few rests along the way. The only problem with the rests was that it was hard to get going again!! My mind kept on saying "I can´t...this is hard!!!"...but I just ignored it...onwards and upwards we went!!! We did see a couple of Llamas along the way grazing on the mountainside...how cute!!! I love Llamas!! Yep...more photos!!
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| "Hola"!! |
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| Jesus´ brother Marco. |
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| Rest time again!! |
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| Nephew Diego!! |
This next photo shows us contemplating the climb up over this sandy, rocky part!!! It was lots of fun, hee hee!!
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| HMMM!!! |
But...we finally got to the landing between the two peaks seen in the photo above. The actual height of the volcano is 4939m. We would have been at about 4800m at this point...but it was SOOO windy at this point, that to climb any further would have been dangerous. The wind was so strong that we were not only being showered with dust, but with sand and small stones as well!!
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| Nearly there!! |
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| Ahhh...we made it!! |
But...we had amazing views over the other side of the mountain...the other mountian peaks and a small lake "laguna Esmeraldas". Ahhh...this is the life!!! To see the laguna you needed to go up a small climb to one side...it was so windy that you couldn´t stand up...or risk getting blown over!! Plus...to go back down you had to wait until the wind died down a bit to stand up again!! The things one does to get a nice photo!!!
As it was too dangerous to climb to the top...this was our "resting point". We called it El Segunda Pico...the second peak!!! There was another smaller peak to the other side of the main peak. We set off to climb this...it wasn´t far, but it was so windy, really cold and really slippery...so the three girls stayed put...I just took photos which made my hands freezing!!! We left the boys to do this bit of the climb!!
Me, Gerti and her friend Catherine were the 3 girls to make it to this "segundo pico"...so we took photos to mark the occasion!!!
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| "Frau Power"!! |
After a rest, a sandwich, enjoying the views and a few photos...it was time to head back down...as the clouds were starting to close in. They were moving so fast...watching them fly by over our heads made me dizzy!!!
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| Nice view for a lunch break!!! |
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| Diego with some ice he bought down from the top to put in his water bottle!! |
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| Time to head back down. |
The hike down was pretty hard going...back over the rocky, sandy ground...legs starting to get tired!! We all slipped and slided our way down!! Plus...it was really windy...my face and hands were so cold. But...cold hands didn´t stop me taking photos!!! We saw our Llama friends again...so I had to take another photo!!!
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| Hola again!! |
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| Looking back up to where we came from...clouds closing in!! |
We eventually arrived to "easier ground". Actually...it was like an enchanted garden. Like on Imbaburra...lots of colourful and interesting plants and flowers and ground-covers that grow at these altitudes. I couldn´t stop taking photos...for something completely different!!!
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| Diego taking a rest!! |
We finally arrived to our starting point where we waited for Don Vincente to pick us up. It was a long 1.5 hour trip back home...all tired and squashed in the back of the ute...bumping our way down the rocky road and being bathed in dust!!
An early pasta dinner cooked by Jesus´ brother Carlos awaited us...YUM!!! Much need carbs after our hike!!!
Jesus and I had been invited to join in a "torch dance" being organised by the Germans for the wedding. After dinner we had a practice in the street outside the house.
Just before we started our practice...a friend who sells clothes out of the back of her car rocked up...so we all had a look what she had to offer!! Yep...this is how they shop in Ecuador!!! Well...there is shops as well...but for the lazy ones...just call your friend, tell her what you are after and you get home service!!!
But....back to our dance practice...it was very funny. Dodging cars and trying to understand the German instructions!!! Jesus and his partner were the "naughty couple"...as you could imagine!!! They were being silly and laughing all the time. Plus...when we had to do circles around the couple next to you..Jesus tickled me and pinched me every time he went past!!! Anyway...it was a lot of fun!!! Here are some photos of our dance practice. In case you see some thumbs sticking up and wonder what that is for...it was a "pretend" torch...the actual dance was done at night with flame torches!!!
Anyway...another fun and invigorating day had by all!!
Until our next travel tale...lots of love
Llamas Bailando xxoo
