Cotopaxi National Park: reaching for Heaven
Trip Start
Mar 05, 2012
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10
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Trip End
Mar 26, 2012
Cotopaxi, Ecuador
Saturday, March 24, 2012
When I am old and gray, I will remember this day as one of the best days of my life (and there have been many). Today is the day that, after an incredible hike, we pass the snowline on the highest active volcano in the world. (OK, it's not that active, but it still vents.) It is easy to forget how high we are. These altitudes combined with the fact that the earth bulges at the center make this one of the few places on earth where one can be so far from the center of the earth. Cotopaxi National Park is truly one of the most beautiful places in the world.
After breakfast (which like everything else is a magical experience at the Secret Garden), we piled into a pickup truck to begin the long journey up the mountain. My back was still bothering me, so they set up a mattress in bed of the truck. It was the best seat in the house. Pastures gave way to farmland, which gave way to pine forests, which gave way to another boulder field. This field was the remnants of a mountain that exploded only 150 years ago. It looked like the surface of mars. Again, the roads were terrible. Then, we began to climb. The road switched back and forth. I sat sideways so the view alternated between the vast lava fields in the valley and the massive volcano we were about to climb. After another hour of driving, we reached snow and then the parking lot. We were at 14,760 feet above sea level. We immediately got out and had a snowball fight. Then we started hiking. Our goal was the refuge, a house used by mountain climbers as base camp. The refuge was only 995 feet above us vertically, but it was the most difficult hike of my life. There is no oxygen up there. None!! Every few steps I collapsed and had to catch my breath. I am actually in pretty good shape (despite my back). I was not alone. The only people not having difficulty were the young people like my son. He had no trouble and got to the refuge a 1/2 hour before me. But, oh it was worth it. The refuge was really cool. We had banana bread, hot chocolate, and coca tea. the tea does not produce a high; it is in fact like mild coffee. I only had one cup. Then, we went outside for another snowball fight. The sky cleared a bit, and I could see the glaciers most of the way to the top of the volcano. It looked inviting, not far at all. In fact, it was a long way up to the summit at an elevation of 19, 347 feet. Better judgment told us to start our journey back down the mountain. The view on the way down was equally beautiful. It is strange to look down from land and see the tops of clouds – for 50 miles. On the way down, I got a good sense of how the lava flowed through the valley from the volcanoes. What a day !!
