Havin' a crack at the Cone of Cotopaxi
10.2.10
Click here for link to Photos of Cotopaxi
Ecuador is a land of Volcanos, big Volcanos. There are 8 of them higher than 5000m and as you may have read in Anita's blog, Tungurahua is currently "going OFF". Cotopaxi, the "Throne of the Moon" is deemed active but stable. The cone smokes a bit but it hasn't had a major eruption since 1903/04. I'm not sure whether that is a good sign or one indicating some action is coming soon. At 5896m it is second only to Volcano Chimbarozo in height in Ecuador and on a clear day Cotopaxi can be seen in all its magnificent glory from either Latacunga or Quito.
Northern Ecuador has the "Avenue of Volcano's" in the valley formed by two mountain ranges - the Cordillera Occidental to the west (Pacific Ocean side) and Cordillera Oriental (Amazon side). It is an amazing part of the world and when the sky is blue it is pretty special to see these snow-capped monsters soaring into the sky.
So you might be surprised to know that when Anita said she wanted to have a crack at clinbing Cotopaxi I wasn't instantly excited.
I mean, don't get me wrong, I liked the idea. I REALLY liked the idea but we are on a pretty tight budget and lobbing $500USD over the fence for the experience does bear some consideration. I mean, $500 isn't that much for two people for a life time experience that you won't ever forget. But it is a lot of cash to chuck away when the experience is so highly weather and acclimatisation dependent.
There were many factors that could inhibit our experience:
- the weather
- the altitude & acclimatisation
- the rental equipment
- the guide
- the condition of the snow and glaciers
Of these the main concern was the weather. Nothing from our cycle detour through Cotopaxi National Park had lifted our confidence. Cotopaxi was always shrouded in cloud but many different tour agencies confirmed that this was indeed the best time of the year (December/January) to have a go. OK, box ticked.
Acclimatisation was a big unknown but we have spent so much time above 3000m that it seemed likely we would cope alright. But you can never take high altitude for granted. The rules change dramatically above 4800m. The environment heads towards glacial, the air is very cold & dry-it is easy to get quickly dehydrated; vegetation no longer grows-it really is just dirt and then rock and then ice and snow.
The snow line for the Cotopaxi climb is at about 5200m. The snow line on each Volcano does vary depending on the microclimate. Chimbarozo's is receding for example - primarily due to Volcano Tungurahua dumping its hot ash all over its east face. Tungurahua no longer has any snow or ice as the lava has melted it all!
So the altitude was a clear risk but with appropriate time I hoped we could manage it. OK, box ticked.
The equipment and guide risk were really up to our judgement of the tour agency.
So we committed to Julio Verne Travel out of Riobamba. We quite liked Popkje when we met her. Her equipment wasn't too worn and she had a very "matter of fact" attitude. We conversed many times over email after our initial face-to-face but just as we were finalising details on the Sunday for a Monday departure/Tuesday night climb, she pulled the pin on us. Popkje won a contract with a European climbing group so that was going to take all her guides until February 2 - and a couple in Quito became too hard for her. It was a body blow and forced us to delay our trip by a few days.
We persevered and after much interviewing we settled on Gulliver Travel based on a recommendation by the South American Explorer's club and their pricing package. The major risk was that we couldn't try on their equipment in Quito - it was all down on their Hacienda (farm/estate) near Machachi (a couple of hours away). It was a risk we reluctantly accepted and we duly paid our $160USD each but would have ramifications for us up on the mountain.
We caught a variety of buses down to Gulliver's Hacienda on Australia day, wondering if we might have celebrated "Invasion Day" with a little more panache.
On our arrival, the first troubling signs soon emerged - their equipment was very average and there was a poor range. The most important thing was the boots - fortunately for me I found a pair that fit well enough - but Anita couldn't find anything her size. Her feet are pretty long and skinny so maybe she was never going to find a good fit.
The workers made some calls and another pair were sent down from Quito. After waiting 2 hours, they arrived with a dodgy hired pair that fit slightly better than any of the others. Given that we had already waited for 2 hours for these boots and it was getting late, it meant that she was more or less was forced to take them. So we signed for the equipment and caught a $30 taxi up to the National Park and to a Refugio called Tambopaxi. While our delay meant it was too late to hitch our way up, it did mean we arrived at the park gates after 3PM (again) and there were no tickets so we got into Cotopaxi National Park for free (2 x $10USD saved). Our fortunes were looking up!
Tambopaxi is at 3750m and has a sensational view of Cotopaxi. It isn't cheap to stay there. The dorm beds are about $20USD each, breakfast was about $10 each and dinner was about $15 each. But for less than $100 we had the place to ourselves and in the end views of Cotopaxi that were to die for.
Cotopaxi remained clouded throughout dinner and we went to bed early to get our rest. At about 10PM Anita woke to go to the toilet and when she came back to bed she said, "Stuart, you can SEE Cotopaxi!!". I was in a good slumber and really didn't want to get out of bed but I finally dragged myself up and had a look out the window.
It was incredible. The moon was nearly full, the sky was clear and Cotopax simply sat there like a somber giant in the monochromatic moonlight. The stars shimmered above its peak and I wondered how many people would be waking up in 2 hours time to have their crack at it.
I managed to get a couple of photos and then went to bed but I was up again within 10 minutes trying a few different exposures in the hopes of getting a decent photo. Our Canon SX200 has been great little camera but it has a maximum exposure setting of 15 seconds so it is hard to get night photos to work. I tried again with 15 seconds but a 400 speed film setting and was finally able to get a half decent shot and therefore go to sleep thinking it couldn't get any better. But I fell asleep with my fingers crossed for the morning!
By the morning we could still see Cotopaxi but the cloud cover changed every 5 minutes. We were enthralled and happy to wait for our guide to come collect us between 11 & 12. By the time Marcial arrived though it was after 12:30pm and we were getting a little anxious about the rest of the day.
When we got in the Gulliver travel land cruiser we became even more anxious but the old battle axe got us there in the end. No signal lights, no seat belts, no windshield washer, no shock absorbers. No Worries!
The Cotopaxi carpark is at 4500m and you need to walk up another 300m with all your gear to get to the Refugio Jose Ribas. It is a bit of a slog but no problems, really. We were full of good humour and expectations. Marcial seemed like a good fellow. Lunch was pretty basic but sufficient.
We went out about 4pm for some practise with the crampons and the ice axe. Another client named Axle joined us as his guide was making dinner. Marcial asked us if it was OK and although we didn't hesitate to say yes it turned out to be a rather serendipitous response. Anita adapted fairly quickly to the experience but there were some ominous signs as she began to realise there were some nasty pinch points in her boots and her feet were sliding around within. The three of us though were soon comfortable tramping around on ice and snow with 2 inches of crampon below our boots.
While Cotopaxi is not a technical mountain to climb it is not a walk around Centennial Park either. It is a serious adventure at reasonably high altitude with all the dangers that come with heading high into glaciated mountain regions: steep pitches, crevases and ice.
Our guide seemed reasonably competent. With his instruction I was starting to remember the basics I had learned a few years ago in the mountains near Mt Cook, New Zealand. He did seem pretty casual about it all. I began to wonder whether the trek was going to be easy or whether he had just been in this place too many times now. He was soon satisfied that we would cope with the gear and we headed back to the Refugio.
Refugio Jose Ribas is a pretty typical mountaineers refuge. No heating, basic kitchen, bunk bed dorm room style sleeping arrangements. They did have lockers so I was glad I brought my padlock to keep our gear secure.
As dinner approached Anita and I began to feel less than fantastic. It was disappointing as we had had such a great sleep at Tambopaxi and we had been diligent in keeping hydrated. But just like the weather, your body can quickly begin to express a bad attitude with regards to your altitude. We didn't eat much - the food wasn't so appealing but to be honest no food was going to be.
We crawled into bed and as I began to rest and try to get some sleep and slow my breathing. No matter what I did however my heart continued to race. I measured it at 120 bpm! That is when I started to feel some real concern: I wasn't acclimatising to 4800m. 9 months ago I was able to run from Manly up to north head at about 10km/hr and have a heart rate of 120-150 bpm. The last time I peaked my maximum about a year ago when I pushed to 190-200 bpm and a waking/resting heart rate of around 50. So here I was now with it pounding at 120 and no way known to reduce it. Maybe I should have procured some of that Diamox! We didn't even have any Coca Tea: It isn't very common in Ecuador and we had run our Peruvian supply out.
Anita and I rested throughout the evening but did not sleep a wink and by 1130pm people began to rise. We were up at 12am for a 1am departure. We were both pretty tired & nauseas before we even got going. But start we did.
There was about 400m to climb in the dark to get to the snow line. We trudged our way up a path of dirt. The wind was strong and cold. Much colder than I expected but the moon was out again - almost directly above us.
It was a very surreal situation climbing in the cold night. As our altitude increased I turned off my head torch and followed Marcial and Anita solely by the light of the moon. The ice was silver. Marcial did set a good pace - left foot, right foot, pause breathe. Repeat a few thousand times til you get to the top ...
I always find the light of the full moon strange. I felt like we were in our own 3D black and white movie. Out there on Cotopaxi it felt like another world. It wasn't long before you could see the lights of Quito where all the sane people were, tucked safely into their beds.
We reached the snow line at about 3am and on reflection I think we should have stopped there for 10 minutes for a longer drink and some food. But it was cold, we were tired and Marcial was in a hurry. Possibly he was growing frustrated. He had begun to kick his feet to keep them warm when we stopped. Anita's pace had begun to slow - her boots were beginning to really hurt . She could only find mild comfort in stepping up the mountain with the same repetitive pattern, thus not being able to alternate and use different muscles. The altitude was also beginning to take its toll.
I too wanted to be able to walk faster. My toes were cold in my boots. I had been too cheap to buy a thicker pair. To make matters worse, I had forgotten my Canadian heritage and put a nylon pair of socks against my feet with my woolen ones over top. But in reality I am not sure I could have walked much faster anyway.
As we inched up on to the ice the moon beams cast an even more surreal light on to our path. We could see Volcano Antisana to the north east, Ruminahui to the west and the refugio below us. There was a reassuring trail of other headtorches marking our path above and our pace from below. As the moon created an arc in the sky and slowly dropped in the west it set behind a cloud, a brilliant orange colour. The night went dark and then the moon reappeared for 10 minutes before setting altogether. We recognised how easy we had had our climb this far with the moon giving us light and hope. But as it sank I think our hearts sank with it as we realised that we would be in the black of night for nearly two hours waiting for the sun to rise.
As we climbed through 5300m, 5400m, 5500m Marcial gave us updates on our progress but he kept motoring on up. We had to request stops for 1 or 2 minutes to have a sip of water but it was insufficient. We were dehydrating badly. At about 530am you could see the horizon begin to lighten but we were now around on the west face so there was just this brilliant halo to the north east. The snow started to glisten with crystals and the clouds below us changed colour with impressive warm hues.
It was about then that Axle and his guide passed us. Axle would walk fast and then rest so he had been nearly catching us all night.
My spirits lifted with the light brightening but as we approached 5700m Anita began to falter. She was doing ballerina pirouettes and then catching her balance before stepping upwards. She asked for a rest but Marcial deemed our current position unsafe so we went on another 10 minutes, to the base of the final pitch. As we arrived to our safe position, Anita mumbled she was finished and then time seemed to accelerate for me.
In a way, I was relieved. I was absolutely buggered. Maybe during an Ironman I have felt that sort of tiredness but not in a long, long while have I felt such an overwhelming, aching, body deep need to rest.
Climbing Cotopaxi had always been Anita's gig so I really wasn't too fussed that our ordeal seemd to be over. But I did wonder if she/we had some rest whether we would come good.
And then before I knew it Marcial was whistling to William and Axle. He asked if I wanted to go on? I looked at Anita and seriously considered saying "No!" but she insisted I go and I must have said yes because before I knew it I was unhitched from Anita and Marcial, saying goodbye to Anita and trudging up about 50m to join William and Axle.
I have to say I was intrigued by my feelings. I was very distressed at leaving Anita alone. I really didn't know how she was feeling. Was she alright? Would she have any trouble with the descent? Were her boots going to be OK? Intrigued, as some 8 odd months ago I had seriously considered leaving her in that Refugio with that strange Chilean so that I could ride up the Caracoles on our first major pass over the Andes to Argentina. Now I was wondering why I was heading to the top when my wife was going down. She was the one who really wanted to come to Cotopaxi, not me!
But climb on I did. Once the decision was made, there was no turning back. I had hitch hiked on to the back of another client and guide. I had to be as little trouble as possible to either of them. We left Anita at about 6am and cracked the cone of Cotopaxi at 7:32am.
I really didn't appreciate the setting until much later in the day. It was bitterly cold up there. I was severely dehydrated, the altitude felt miserable and my dear Anita was somewhere below.
We took the required photos of our success. I was going to set the Spot off to record the moment but when the moment came it didn't feel right to send off a signal when only half the team was there.
The views from the top were nothing short of spectacular. To the south you could see Tungurahua spewing ash into the sky, to the south west Chimbarozo, to the north east Antisana and to the north Cayambe. The avenue of Volcanos was there to be seen. The majesty of Ecuador's big volcanoes were on display in the brilliant sunshine and the rest of Ecuador was below a sea of cloud.
We weren't up there more than 10 minutes. I certainly wasn't interested in hanging around. It was really beautiful but I was not feeling too comfortable so that moment of mountaineering certainly did not feel like the glamorous sport it is meant to be. Rarely have I felt so exposed and weak as that point. The many clichés of mountaineering came to mind. Quotes like, "success isn't getting to the top, it's getting back down" whirled through my mind. I'd like to say I thought of my hero Joe Simpson and his book "Touching the Void" and how tough he had it and how easy I had it but actually in respect. I thought of Ernest Hemingways Old Man and the Sea and how I just had to keep focussed and get myself to Havanna, Cuba!
Axle finally finished taking many of the same photos so we re-hitched into our ropes and I was designated the lead for the descent. I'm sure Axle began to regret having me there then as I was pushing a strong and consistent pace down. The rope ensured I didn't go too fast but at times I did move too quickly and I could feel it go tight as I pulled him too hard. I was anxious to get off that mountain.
As we dropped I began to be more interested in taking photos and soon whenever I wanted to take a photo I would ask Axle if he wanted to have a rest. To which he always replied "YES!" I found it amusing but I was only marginally less tired than he. So I was also laughing at myself also.. The cravasses were amazing – some being gigantic ice blue caves with large icicles hanging down. Some having half meter wide bridges we crossed in the dark not being aware of the depth of the ice canyon below.
Just after 9am we hit pay dirt and got off the ice. I ripped off my crampons and waited a respectful 5 minutes for William and Axle and then bolted down the scree like a banshee to find Anita tucked up in one of our sleeping bags. I changed into dry clothes and flopped into my own sleeping bag, shivering, weak, dehydrated and relieved. She was happy and buzzing. She’d done well enough and managed to experience her first climb on such a magnificent night.
Anita had got down with no problems. She had made her first (last?) wise decision in mountaineering. She knew when to turn back. It might be fair to say she was much more wise than I that day as she was not feeling much worse than I.
We spent another couple of hours regaining our strength and by 1130am we were back in the battle axe Land Cruiser at 3700m. My head ache was gone, my body magically recovered though still very tired and I began to feel the thrill of yet another adventure in South America.
What a way to say goodbye to the Andes. And boy am I ready to say hello to some Colombian Caribbean beaches!
Stuart and Anita
Posted byStuart Kane at 10:42 AM
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