12 January, 2001
Finished! All the stories, photos, and maps are finally up and ready for the public. Enjoy!

The lodge was absolutely primitive. No running water, an outhouse out back without even a door to close, and only a hole in the floor. No heat in the lodge. I had some severe misgivings, as I was wearing everything I had, and I was still rather frigid. Um. :-/ They fixed us a great supper, but due to the altitude, none of us had much of an appetite. With a quick review of what would happen the next day, we all turned in around 6:30. I slept maybe five hours, but spent the rest of the time listening to others going outside to be sick due to altitude sickness.

Up at 3:15. *groan* Every time I do this, I wonder what in hell I was thinking. Then I stepped outside.

Wow.

The stars! No electricity for miles around, just a perfectly crystal clear sky just full of stars. Shooting stars lit up the heavens with their dying light. The milky way a streak across the sky. Iliniza Norte a dark mass against the sky, Iliniza Sur a whiter mass on the other side.

Bill had a miserable night, and hadn't slept a wink. He was one of the unlucky ones. But he still made it out the door. At about 4:30, we left the hut. Step, step, breath. Step, breath. *gasp!* Up to the ridge, we climbed. At the top, the sky suddenly lit up a blinding blue, and a streak circled down from the heavens. An exploding satellite? A plane? We never found out. We continued on upward. The snow under our feet had that squeaky new sound, as our ice axes kept us from sliding down into the crater beside us. At the top of the ridge, we could see Cotopaxi glowing in the distance, a perfect cone against the brightening sky. On the opposite mountain, we could see dim lights slowly move, as the Quebecois made their attempt on the ice. Looking up, it looked like we were almost at the top. Yes? Gabriel quickly dashed my hopes with a Nah. Up, up, up. I was dying from the climb and altitude, but still remembering to look around and enjoy the view. As the sun began to rise, an amazing sight greeted my eyes. Cotopaxi took on color, its snow capped peak against the rosy sky. Cayumbe in the distance humped above the clouds. Distant city lights were a further glow against the sky. Perfect silence other than the occasional tink of an ice axe against a rock or a gasp from one of us trying to catch our breath in the thin air. Rounding the side of the volcano, the trail vanished. Pulling out ropes, the climb suddenly changed face. I had told Gabriel before that I did some rock climbing. Time to prove it. Harnesses on, ice axes strapped away, clipped in, one by one we dropped off the face of the volcano. Nothing too serious, but still exhilarating considering the enormous drop beneath us down to the valley below. After that, one final ascent. Ice axes left behind, we scrabbled on hands and knees up the steep rock. Just when I was about to declare defeat from the sheer exhaustion and sun blindness, we were at the top! Incredible views! Choramborazu on the other side, all the other volcanoes clearly visible. Clouds racing in to cover the view, but too late! :-)

The climb down was one exhausting time. Still buzzing from our success, we almost raced down the mountain. Sliding down the steep rocky slopes, leaping up the ropes, then literally skiing down the other side, the loose sand acting just like snow, which by this time had almost melted away. We got back to the lodge, absolutely filthy from head to toe, and so exhausted that we just slumped on the stools while we were served chicken soup and hot tea. The day wasn't over yet. We had to pack up our bags, and once more hit the trail. Again, the loose sand let us reach incredible speeds. We made it down from the peak of the mountain all the way to the bottom in maybe 1/3 the time it took us to make it up.

Email me at nomad3 @ GoneWalkabout.com