Trip Reports

Ecuador Volcanoes - 25 Oct to 9 Nov '13

Written by Leader Olan Parkinson, November 2013

A return trip to Ecuador that would exceed expectations. My first ever expedition was to Ecuador back in 2007 and this was with a group of students. I had no real idea of what to expect, other than to be in way over my head as it was a group made up of 10 girls, also on their first trip to South America. I was fortunate enough to be able to stay on after they team had gone home and was joined by a friend. We climbed Cotopaxi, Carihuarazo and attempted Chimborazo, only reaching 6,000m, having to turn back due to high winds.

Since then through Jagged Globe and personal trips I have grown reasonably familiar with Nepal and the Khumbu Valley in particular and have a genuine love for this country, so this year when I was told I was heading back to Ecuador it was with mixed feelings. It was not as familiar and therefore not as comfortable (so I thought) but it would be good to get back to see Cotopaxi again, as well as seeing some other mountains that I had not been to before. I had been to Peru this summer, a trip that ended in a less than triumphant fashion and here I was going back to South America 3 weeks later. Stretching energy levels and comfort zones, but that is what these trips are about.

After a slightly fragmented meet and greet between Heathrow and Quito, all team members were united at the Hotel in Quito the morning of day two. It was a day of sightseeing and relaxed acclimatisation. Quito is at a similar altitude to Lukla despite the incongruity of the location. This is hinted at throughout the day as we walked the streets and up and down steps to visit various churches and finally a viewpoint restaurant for the team’s first taste of Ecuadorian/Quito fare, which didn’t disappoint, particularly on the portion sizes. Then it was back to the hotel to prepare for the first of the trip’s acclimatisation peaks, the 4,200m Pasochoa, and an early night.

Leaving the hotel at 7.30am we drove out of Quito and got intermittent views of the Pichinchas, but more importantly Cotopaxi, which was still mostly hiding behind clouds but showing enough to hint at the huge size of this still active Volcano. By 9.30am we had left the bus, put on our packs and started up the track towards our first summit. It was slow but steady going along tracks and through fields, negotiating berry pickers and bandits on horseback, gradually gaining height until we turned onto the summit flanks and slightly steeper ground. Here the fact that we were walking at 4,000m began to become physically apparent to some team members. However, by 12.45 we were all on the summit. Not greeted by 360 degree views as the clouds had rolled in, but we could catch glimpses of the Illinizas shrouded in cloud and looking a lot more serious than the grassy Pasochoa we had just ascended, objective number 3. But that was for another day. The ascent had been dry and the task completed. We returned to the bus through light rain and headed back to the hotel. One down, four to go.

Our second acclimatisation peak, Guagua Pichincha, would take it up a notch. It was a longer walk in and we would climb to 4,784m. It would take us above the treeline and along the crater rim of this volcano, which last erupted in 1999 and is still one of Ecuador’s most active. We were to have Sebastian, our guide, along on this ascent and he would remain with us for the rest of the trip.

The bus Journey to Pichincha afforded us our first clear views of Cotopaxi and Cayambe and we took the opportunity to get some photos of these ice-capped monsters. Whether these views whet the appetite of the team or filled them with some trepidation was not apparent, but the task ahead of us was now a little more real. A long hike along good tracks took us eventually to the civil defence/volcano monitoring hut below the summit ridge. We stopped here for lunch, before continuing up the long dog-leg track to the summit. Once again, unfortunately we had cloud on the top and it obscured the crater and any views of Quito and everything else for that matter. So far the weather had been really clear in the mornings but by mid-day the cloud had usually made its way onto the summits of the mountains in the region. Predictable but annoying nonetheless.

The next day dawned clear once again which meant good views on the bus journey to the Illinizas, Cotopaxi was visible in the clouds, making it seem even bigger, taunting or inviting? We were never quite sure. Corazon was clear and shepherded in the views of the Illinizas. Illiniza Norte, (5,126m) our first objective over 5,000m, had a light dusting of snow but not enough to cause concern. We set off for the camp on the lower slopes of Illiniza at 11am and approx. 2.5 hours later after a leisurely walk along tracks and ‘shortcuts’ through paramo we arrived to meet our cook and another guide Marco who would join us (along with Sebastian) on the rest of the ascents. Typically, as this was our first night camping, it rained. Thankfully it wasn’t far between our tents and the mess tent and we were treated to a great meal that night. Quantities did not seem to be an issue on this trip, which was just as well as the ascent of Illiniza Norte is by no means a stroll. Earlier that day we had a session on Prussiking and checked harnesses for the ascent tomorrow, which would involve sections of scrambling on exposed terrain. It wouldn't be too bad in the dry but a little more serious in the wet/snow. It only rained for about 5 hours that nigh...

At 6.30am, it was clear. The sky was a brilliant blue and in contrast against the browns and blacks of the volcano on the horizon, which thankfully had not accumulated too much more snow overnight. So it was without crampons or axes that we set off for our third summit of the trip. We reached the hut on Illiniza (4,700m) at about 9.30am. At this point Steve and Kevin decided not to push their luck going any higher and returned to camp. The rest of the team continued from the hut and up the increasingly rocky (and sometimes loose) ridge. We fixed ropes for the last two sections of the climb. There was very little snow apart from typically, on the exposed traverse section, but thankfully it was soft and just required careful foot placements. The clouds had come in and gave the climb an ethereal feel but thankfully so far, the rain had stayed away. We were all on the summit by 1pm and the clouds parted somewhat so we could at least see back down to the hut and down along the ridge we had just ascended. While not a climb, this is certainly not a hike and the whole team felt they had earned this one, feeling strong and in a good frame of mind to tackle the first of the big ones, Cayambe.

The descent took approx. 4 hours and while the first hour or so was down loose sand and scree, allowing swift progress, the rain eventually started to fall and fall hard. Previous reports have alluded to the fact that certain times on the Ecuador Volcanoes trip one could be forgiven for thinking they were in the Peak district or similar. To my mind, on this trip, this was the only time I could have been in the Peak or on Dartmoor. And so it was, fully Gore-texed up, waterproof membranes tested to the limit, that we arrived back into camp at about 5pm. Tired legs but spirits high, we had dinner at 6pm and most were in sleeping bags under canvas, under a now clear sky (of course) by 9pm.

The following days were transit and acclimatisation days for Cayambe (5,790m). A bus trip to Otovalo and a visit to the markets there for some souvenir shopping (translated as hats that you probably won’t wear again) and a well-earned break at the Hacienda. Then up to the hut on Cayambe for one night (where we met another of our guides, Freddy) before the ascent the following day. Cayambe was going to be a steep learning curve, literally, for some of the team. We had a ‘glacier/crampon school’ session the day before the ascent and made sure everyone was comfortable (relatively) with using the tools necessary for an ascent of this nature. At 11pm everyone was up for a romantic candle-lit breakfast and set for a midnight departure. The sky was clear and the winds light. However much we may have wanted to crawl back into the sleeping bags there was no going back now and we set off up the short rocky section to the glacier 150m above us at 4,900m. All teams were on the glacier by 2am and moving well. By 3.30/4am most rope teams had reached the ridge and were now a bit more exposed to the wind. This phase (time wise) of any climb tends to be the coldest and most mentally challenging, just before the dawn. And as such one rope team led by Marco turned back at this point leaving 3 teams led by me, Sebastian and Freddy on the mountain. Eventually the sun started to rise which while welcome is a bit of a double-edged sword. Yes it gets warmer but it also allows you to see just how far you still have to go. Sebastian was about 1 hour up ahead with Nick Sara and Laurie, next was Freddy with Roger, Colin and Steve and I still had Thom, Mark and Jonathan. Mark had been suffering with the cold and by the time we had reached 5,500m, despite his misgivings I elected to turn our team around as we were moving quite slowly and with Cotopaxi still to come, it was necessary to keep something in the tank for the main summit attempt. Not being able to reach Freddy on the radio, up ahead all four of us started to head down. Shortly after Steve in Freddy’s rope team also had had enough and they too had no choice but to turn around as we were already gone and Sebastian was too far ahead, having reached 5,700m. This left Sebastian with Nick, Sara and Laurie to be the only team to reach the summit at about 8am. Cayambe had proven to be a hard task master. The reality of climbing at altitude had sunken in for most. Lessons learned and resolve strengthened by some. After lunch we made our way off the mountain and back to the hacienda for showers and a good meal. The following day we would travel to another Hacienda in the Cotopaxi National Park and then on up to the hut at 4,800m for an attempt on the summit the same night.

Cotopaxi stands alone and unchallenged about 2 hours outside Quito. Symmetrical and beautiful it should not be under estimated. Cotopaxi is a serious challenge. While Ecuador Volcanoes is an introductory trip, this is right at the upper end of the introductory grade. Technically unchallenging but physically tough, being quite steep for a good proportion of the climb, it is no place for shoddy footwork or lack of determination. It is a 7-8 hour ascent, the first 3 hours of which ascend the ‘heartbreaker’; a slope of unrelenting steepness which if icy serves only to crank the difficulty up a notch. Thankfully for our climb there had been some recent snowfall which had dropped a few inches of snow to ease our passage. We left the hut at midnight and were on the glacier by 1am. For the most part all rope teams were moving at a similar pace. We had been joined by Ramiro and Nico as guides for this ascent, allowing us to split the team down to ropes of two+guide. Radios were all working and progress was good. All rope teams made it to the top of the heartbreaker by approximately 3am, with the exception of Steve and Colin. Nico had returned to the hut with Steve, having reached about 5,300m and I returned with Colin having reached approximately 5,400m. The rest of the team continued, reaching the Yanasacha Wall just as dawn broke. The remaining team members were all on the summit of Cotopaxi between 7.30/8am rewarded by uninterrupted views of Illinizas, Pichinchas, Pasochoa, Cayambe, Antisana and Chimborazo way in the distance. The Hacienda we would go to that evening was a tiny dot on the lava scarred plains below.

If I had any misgivings about going back to Cotopaxi and Ecuador they were laid to rest within a couple of days. This trip is worth going on for Cotopaxi alone, but to have the opportunity to climb Cayambe and Illiniza Norte aswell makes it a must. Ecuador is a beautiful country; the food and accommodation on this trip is excellent. If a varied trip of hiking and mountaineering with a real challenge at a reasonable grade and multiple summits is what you are after, then look no further.

Congratulations to the team on their perseverance and ultimate success on Cotopaxi.

Thanks to Sebastian and his guide team, Javier and and of course to Jagged Globe for a great and varied trip.

Olan Parkinson
Leader: Ecuador Volcanoes
Oct/Nov 2013 « | »

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