Tour Diary, Cotopaxi

The 15^th Day: Getting ready for the ascend

Our original program had a hike from the hacienda to the next camp, just beside Cotopaxi.  But as Reinhold recommened taking it easy, people did that, driving with bus.  Just me and Bernhard were still hungry for hiking, scenery, to be out.  The wind was strong, but otherwise the weather was nice.  Cotopaxi itself weared a gown made of clouds, we could see just glimpses of the mountain now and then.  After a while the bus reached us, and we got in, because we weren't sure, if we would have found the right path ourselves.

The camp was great, the only place in the valley that had cover from trees, and a great view to Cotopaxi in the sunset.  Even more, when the weather got better and better, and just before sunset the clouds were totally gone.

Otherwise we afternoon was just preparing for the ascend: checking the equipment, asking tips from Reinhold etc.  One has to remember, most of us were beginners in mountainclimbing, it was something totally new to us, in new heights.

The arrangement of the ropeteams was a place of consideration to me.  Our tourguide Camilo had arranged the teams in the previous couple of days.  We had enough guides to teams of two, and some single persons.  I assumed I would be relatively fast, compared to the others, but as I was so unexperienced, I could nor be sure.  And the others could not know that at all.  I feared, I would have a partner that would be much slower than I.  Well, as Camilo then announced the teams, I saw he had not listened my wishes.  That was the place of consideration.  Should I protest, or just - very likely - go slower?  I opted for protesting, with the support from Petra, and luckily Birgit came with a good suggestion to reorganise the teams, that the others could not object.  After that I knew, I'd better be fast on the mountain!  I was granted a guide, Diego, just for me.

We had the evening meal at five o'clock, and went to sleep - or at least to rest -   before seven.

The 16^th Day: Cotopaxi

After a short, obviously not so good sleep, we were awaked at 23:30.  A hasty "breakfast", and to the bus at midnight.  The night was foggy, even rainy in the camp.  We wondered, how Carlos could see anything driving the bus.  When we got higher, the fog left behind us, and the sky became clear with all the stars!  We reached the parking place at about 0:40, looked for our teammates and guides,  and started at 0:45, from altitude of 4800m.  I hoped, I would be fast enough to see the sunrise at the summit.

The beginning was dusty, steep slope.  My breath was rapid, I wasn't warm yet.  We passed the hut at 5000m, where Diego had something to do while I waited.  We continued till the edge of the clacier.  Crampons on the shoes and go!  Well, not so fast.  I hadn't put my gaiters on beforehand, and was somewhat slower than the team Reinhold, with whom we had sofar been about as fast.

The ascend went good.  Although I hadn't used crampons and sail before this trip, I hadn't problems with them.  It probably helped, that I am so accustomed with snow. I admired the clear night, and behind us we could see the lights of Quito, about 40km away.  Wonderful!  Then my unexperience showed itself again: I hadn't put the crampons tight enough.  The slope was so steep, that the right crampon slipped away.  My first try to correct it didn't succeed, and I continued with a slipped one.  After a while I thought I had to get it right, and so I did, but it cost some time.  It seemed that my basic speed was higher than that of Reinhold's team, but the pauses I had to make had caused it to be even.

We reached "The Eye" with Diego and had a pause.  Shortly after that began the last part, and the slope became still steeper.  We left our poles and changed to icepickles.  All went otherwise smoothly, but I had an unpleasant feeling: the nature called...  The slope was so steep, I couldn't consider taking care of the matter there.  At last a crevasse, that offered a place to relieve myself.  I made jokes to Diego: "Come to Cotopaxi to have great experiences!".

We reached the summit at about 5:20, it had took four and half hours to climb from 4800m to 5897m.  I was the first up there.  Still over half an hour till sunrise.  After a while came Reinhold with his team Birgit and Peter, as well as my roommate Sigi, and I could welcome them to the summit of Cotopaxi!

What followed, was of course plenty of pictures, congratulations and joying.  Still more pictures, as Camilo reached the top.  And still much more, as the sun rose.  Great!  The shadow of Cotopaxi itself was magnificent against the clouds.

The weather was good, windstill, temperature -10 Celcius.  We stayed there a while, but one has to go down also.  Reinhold left on the top, he wanted to wait till everyone of us would have reached the top.  The scenery was great, the sun shined in the snow and ice.  We met the others on the way and tried to encourage them.  Some had already turned back.

As I reached the hut, so did Reinhold.  The guides had walkietalkies, and Reinhold had heard, all the others would reach the summit only after eight o'clock, so he had descended also.  We rested for a while and returned to the camp.

The rest of the day was just congratulating each other as people returned from the mountain.  Well, we did drive to our next overnighting place near Quito, Hosteria Corriona.  They had swimpool, jacuzzi and even a finnish sauna there!  Of course I ordered the saunas to be heated.  Was it luxus or not, but I could enjoy all the facilities all alone.  The others were presumably too tired for such activities.