One of the best things about having a summer birthday is that I always am surprised by where the next year takes me. This year, I got to spend my 25th birthday in Ecuador, making it one of my best yet.
To have a day I would remember for a lifetime, I decided to hike one of the most famous volcanos in the world, Volcán Cotopaxi. Summitting at 19,347 feet, it is the second highest peak in Ecuador, and one of the highest active volcanos on Earth. In fact, it is so active, that currently you cannot hike far past base camp due to the dangers of volcanic ash and smoke.
I went on this journey with Nour (my fellow GHAC student), and Joel, a good friend of ours from Ecuador. After about an hour and a half drive south from Quito you arrive at the entrance to the national park. Pictured below is the map of the park.
After signing in at the guard station, you drive another hour to the parking lot at the base of the hike. Though the journey is not far, the road is a windy and steep gravel path with the occasional tourist bus daringly taking the turns faster than the speed limit. I was happy to be traveling in a car after watching the buses make the trip.
Once we arrived at the base of the hike, we began to climb to base camp, El Refugio José Rivas, at 15,953 feet elevation. Though the hike is not long, the steep grade and the terrain of pure volcanic dirt made the 0.9-kilometer trail over an hour. As you climb it is impressive to see Cotopaxi come in and out of view as the clouds move along the horizon. It was raining as we were climbing up and we were not able to get a good view of the volcano, however the fog made for an extremely out-of-this-world experience; we were truly walking in the clouds.
When we finally reached the Refugio, we were able to relax and try Té de Coca, a traditional tea in many parts of the Andes made from leaves of the Coca plant. This tea is known to help with altitude sickness and to improve physical performance.
After we warmed up enough to brave the wind and rain again on the hike down, we started the dusty descent. Luckily, by the time we reached our car again, Cotopaxi decided to unveil itself and we were finally able to see the whole volcano, one of the most impressive sights I have seen in my life. Cotopaxi is truly a mountain that brings awe to all who have the privilege to see it. Right above the wooden sign in this picture you can see the Refugio that we hiked to.
This was a birthday I will never forget, and I must thank Joel and Nour for accompanying on this hike and for all the laughs we had along the way. Cotopaxi truly took my breath away (from beauty and from altitude).
