Cotopaxi Area: Day 3

Today Allan and I did different things. I decided yesterday that Iliniza Norte would be too difficult, so I signed up for Pasachoa instead.

Kaitlyn:
I woke up with Allan around 05:00 and couldn't fall back asleep after he left. I forgot to tell him to grab bananas for a snack and it was consuming my thoughts. I hoped he would have snacks for his walk up.

I got out of bed and headed for breakfast. Wasn't too bad today, eggs in a hole of toast with some salsa on top. I managed to eat most of that! When it was time to do the hike, we were quite a small group of 6. I really hoped I wouldn't be the slowest one. This was my first proper hike on my own and I didn't want to get left behind.

The hike started walking through the forest. It rained a lot in the afternoon yesterday, so everything was pretty wet and muddy. My shoes were quickly covered in a layer of thick mud on the soles, so the grip was pretty much nonexistent. The good news was, I was keeping pace with the front of the group and there was a German couple behind me so I wasn't the slowest!

The walk through the forest had some climbing parts that were a little steep, but it was mostly just a gradual ascent for about an hour. The bad news, the Germans turned around after about 35 minutes, so my fear of being the slowest returned. After they went back it was me, another German girl, a guy from New York and a guy from Belgium. The two guys raced ahead once we made it out of the forest and it was more open.

It was pretty flat while we walked along a former stream, but then the hard part began. There were some pretty steep parts that were more like mud stairs where you could fit nothing but the first half of your foot. I used my hands a lot the second half of the hike.

After about an hour of pretty steep parts, it leveled out again into a smaller ascent that was manageable on our way to the summit.

Once we got closer to the summit, we had to do some rock climbing to get up to what I thought was summit (and so did everyone else). We were then informed after our rock climbing this was not the summit and we had to walk another five minutes next to the edge of the cliff! Luckily it was just five minutes and no more rock scrambling.

We had a small cup of tea at the top and took some pictures, but the volunteer guides really didn't linger at the top like we did at Rumiñahui. Quick break and then back down.

We went a slightly different way on the way down just to avoid the same rocks we scrambled up. They would have been really difficult to get down so I was glad we didn't go back exactly the way we came. Although, it was very muddy and the steps to get down were still very small. Mud was coating quickly on the bottom of my shoes again so I slid a few times. I was holding onto the tall grass to help keep me steady so I never fell. On the way down, everyone raced ahead running down the mountain. First, I don't know how they weren't slipping. And second, I wasn't about to risk falling and hurting myself by trying to keep up, so slow and steady I went. That being said, it wasn't that slow because I still had to try and keep up with the guide so I knew where I was going.

By the end of the hike, I finished in 4 hours and 17 minutes. I wasn't much behind the rest of the group. The hike normally takes a minimum of 5 hours, so to finish in much less than that felt like an accomplishment as well as finishing the hike, even if I did end up being the last one down.

Once Allan was back around 16:00, much sooner than expected, he got showered and did his cold/recovery baths like I did after my hike a few hours before.

The rest of the evening was just spent relaxing and catching up about our hikes. Tomorrow is a rest day before Allan gets ready to summit Cotopaxi.

Allan:
Illiniza Norte (5,126m) is advertised as more technical volcano, with some “easy” scrambling near the summit and taking around 9-10 hours for the 1-day climb. It can also be done as a 2-day/1-night hike.

Having packed my bag the previous night, I woke up at 05:00 for breakfast. With no other climbers attempting the bigger or more distant volcanoes, breakfast was a lonely one. My guide, Darwin, joined me around 6:00 as I was finishing up. Darwin alternates between working in the hostel and guiding.

We started the hike at 10:08 from the Parqueadero de la Virgen Los (~3,900m) at a fairly decent pace. Darwin wasn’t fucking about. It felt like the first kilometre was a test to see how fast I could go.

The trail to Refugio Nuevos Horizontes Ilinizas (4,720m) was pretty uneventful, with a steady incline over the ~800m.

There was more snow than expected at the refugio, so I put my hiking pants and lightweight waterproof jacket on at the junction for Illiniza Norte (to the right) and Sur (to the left). Darwin also instructed me to put my helmet and harness on, though we didn’t rope-up yet.

The trail changed from a stroll to more of a hike at this point. I was wondering when the “easy” scrambling would commence - I didn’t have to wait too long. To be fair, the initial scrambling was “easy”. But, we were soon roping-up and bouldering rather than scrambling. I think the snow made this part of the climb more treacherous than it otherwise would’ve been, but I was glad I had some previous experience of climbing and bouldering. Here, I was very glad Kaitlyn opted for Pasachoa. She would’ve hated this climb (not scramble).

For more context, we crossed a pass called the Paso de la Muerte (Death Pass or the Pass of Death). Seems like a bit of a contradiction with the “easy” scramble as advertised. The next section was loose, steep and very exposed with a final, steep gully to the summit.

The summit is a small windy ledge with a metal cross and a few trinkets left by previous climbers. Darwin and I shared some lunch and coffee before snapping a few photos. The view was… nonexistent. However, the purpose of the climb was purely for acclimatisation.

We descended via a different route, which is normal due to the risks with attempting to down-climb the bouldering section. The first part was still steep, but the next part was a fun few hundred metres of descent down the scree. The rest of the descent was similar to the first part of the ascent, i.e., uneventful.

Despite the views, it was 1. another mountain without too much trouble; and 2. passing 5,000m on a hike/climb for the first time since Kilimanjaro in 2020.

Statistics:
Start time: 08:08
End time: 14:04
Time: 05:56
Distance: 13.20km
Active Kilocalories: 1,323KCal
Total Kilocalories: 1,773KCal
Elevation Gain: 1,154m (3,973m - 5,127m)
Average pace: 26’53”/km
Lowest heart: 83BPM
Highest heart rate: 165BPM
Average heart rate: 133BPMBaca selengkapnya